The hall stayed packed as curiosity reached a fever pitch. Ten minutes later, Shakti Varma, Captain of the Ganesha Familia, arrived and was ushered into a private room. When she emerged, she refused to answer any questions, only fueling the mystery.
Hours later, Rose returned to the main hall and posted the report on the central board. A tide of adventurers rushed forward, nearly suffocating those in front. They stood frozen, staring at the parchment as if turned to stone.
"Fake. There's no way." "He must have just hit D-rank in one stat and jumped the gun!" "Are you an idiot? Look at the 'Great Feat.' He killed a Black Wyvern—an Enhanced Species—on the 12th Floor." "Wait, that happened yesterday. So he leveled up today?"
[Adventurer: Roland][Level: 1 → 2][Time: 3 Months][Great Feat: Slaying the Black Wyvern (Enhanced Species) on the 12th Floor][Verification: Confirmed]
Twilight Manor, Loki Familia Office:
Loki slammed the desk. "Finn! What the hell is this? This brat leveled up faster than my Aiz-tan!"
Finn straightened the messy documents. "Calm down, Loki. I'm shocked too, but there's no need for this."
"Wait, you know the kid?" Loki caught the slip.
"All four of us know him," Riveria said, pointing to Aiz and Gareth.
"Eh?! How—oh, I see. The Arcanum incident in the Dungeon." Loki looked at the report. "But why did no one tell me?! Waaaah, you guys don't treat me like your Goddess anymore!"
Riveria chopped Loki on the head. "Because you were passed out drunk until now. And that kid met the same Evil God Aiz encountered back then."
Loki sat back, her expression turning serious. "So, what kind of guy is he? Finn, this report is a lie, isn't it?"
Finn nodded, pulling out a separate file. "These are Roland's activity logs. He didn't start adventuring three months ago. Based on the rumors of him boxing Silverbacks and yesterday's kill... if he wasn't an adventurer before arriving in Orario, his actual time to level up is less than a month."
Loki pondered. "To kill a monster triggered by Arcanum... his stats must be on par with what Aiz had back then. Does he have magic?"
"Witnesses say they saw someone surrounded by a gale. It's likely wind magic, similar to Aiz," Finn answered.
"So he's a copy of my Aiz-tan?" Loki muttered.
Finn added one last thought. "Loki, I don't think he's as simple as he looks. My thumb is telling me... Roland is dangerous."
"Another powerhouse?" Loki looked at Finn in surprise.
"So, he's a monster whose basic stats were likely higher than Aiz's at the time, possesses magic that makes even Finn feel threatened, and leveled up in less than a month." Loki scratched her head, her expression growing heavy. "And Astraea just snatched him up like that? Fine! Finn, what are the odds of us winning a War Game against them if we—"
Before Loki could finish, Riveria's clenched fist came down hard on her head.
"Don't start trouble for us, you moron deity!" Riveria snapped.
Even Aiz was startled, ducking behind Gareth's broad back with a look of genuine fear.
"Do you have any idea how chaotic Orario is right now? It's only somewhat peaceful because of the efforts of the Astraea and Ganesha Familias, and you want to stir the pot?!" Riveria's lecture rained down on Loki's face.
"Loki, Roland is a half-elf," Finn whispered as a side note. "Riveria has quite the soft spot for her kin."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Stop talking, Mama Riveria!" Loki cried, clutching her head.
Meanwhile, over at the Freya Familia—one of the two ruling powers of Orario—Ottar remembered Freya's previous lack of interest. Since she told him Roland wasn't worth much attention, Ottar didn't report these new developments.
None of this mattered much to Roland. After assisting Shakti with her investigation, he woke up the next morning in Astraea's arms and decided to spend the day researching magic items.
He borrowed several books on [Mystery] and crafting from the Great Library and bought a pile of ordinary trinkets from a jewelry shop. Back in his room, he prepared his materials. Drawing from the knowledge he gained as a Dimension Walker, he began his work.
He needed the items to be portable for combat. After grasping the general process, he switched his class to Dimension Walker. Immediately, his senses distorted; the feeling of things watching and crawling in the corners of reality returned.
"Troublesome class," Roland muttered, putting on his Dimensional Distortion Device. The dizziness faded, and the "creatures" seemed to recede.
He took a magic stone the size of a fingernail and used dimensional energy to etch a teleportation formula onto it. Mysterious light gathered in his palm, covering the stone. A blinding flash filled the room, forcing him to shield his eyes. When it faded, the magic stone was inscribed with glowing, flickering runes.
He set the stone into a necklace and used his power to fuse them. He then created a second "Anchor Stone" to serve as the destination. Placing the anchor in the center of his room, Roland walked a distance away.
He activated the necklace. A magic circle erupted beneath his feet, and with a sharp whoosh, he vanished.
THUD.
Roland reappeared next to the anchor stone. He braced himself, pressing his fingers to his temples to combat the dizzying side effect of the teleportation. Looking at the necklace, he saw the stone had turned from a shimmering crystal into a dull, lifeless rock.
"I guess it's a one-time use item," Roland mused. Still, he had succeeded on his first try. Now he just needed to refine it for Alise and the others.