After Hephaestus updated his status, Rayleigh officially returned to Level 3.
This time, he chose the Swordsman Development Ability.
Since he had just acquired it, his abilities rested at the initial I-rank.
He was stronger today than he was yesterday!
The improvement went beyond a single skill. By breaking his status limits at Level 2, the hidden points converted during his level-up yielded a higher return.
When an Adventurer reaches a new Level under the Falna, their visible status resets.
However, the accumulated stats from the previous Level do not vanish. They convert into hidden potential, fueling the body beneath the surface.
Originally, Rayleigh's total Level 2 stats sat under 5000.
Through the recent ordeal, that total pushed past 5200!
While a 200-point difference sounded minor, those excess points represented a breakthrough of more than two full ranks.
In his current state, he felt ready to cast Bakudō Eighty-One: Dankū, without suffering physical backlash!
Reaching an SSS-rank in Magic provided a vast boost to his Reiatsu.
Dankū was a high-utility spell—a towering, directional defensive wall.
In bleach anime, Aizen Sosuke had utilized a chantless Dankū to block Hadō Eighty-Eight: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō, a devastating strike cast by the Grand Kidō Chief himself.
Rayleigh initially estimated he would need to reach the upper tiers of Level 3 to wield it safely.
Now, he felt confident he could execute the spell ahead of schedule.
"I am glad you are okay," Hephaestus said, her tone lined with worry.
The life of an Adventurer subjected the body and mind to grueling trials.
History was littered with broken geniuses who fell into despair after a traumatic event and never recovered.
A sudden level regression was a phenomenon she had never encountered.
She debated bringing the anomaly to Ouranos. As the God who introduced the Falna to the Lower World, the ancient god might possess an explanation for it.
Rayleigh shook his head, declining the offer. "Thank you, Hephaestus, but I am fine. We don't need to involve Lord Ouranos."
"If that's your decision, I will respect it." She sighed. "Tsubaki is also worried about you. Go see her when you have the time."
"I understand," Rayleigh nodded.
Seeing his obedient demeanor return, Hephaestus reached out and ruffled his white hair.
"Wait, Hephaestus. Don't treat me like a child."
"Oh?" The red-haired Goddess offered him a kind smile. "I'm a Goddess, Rayleigh. In my eyes, all the children of the Lower World are just kids."
Rayleigh found himself unable to formulate a proper counterargument.
The Gods were born alongside the heavens and the earth at the dawn of creation.
Even the youngest gods had existed for over a hundred million years—a span of time that merely represented "adulthood" to an immortal like her.
"I'm talking about how it makes me feel!" he grumbled.
He walked alongside Hephaestus through the Familia's sprawling compound.
Bustling activity filled the courtyards.
The blacksmiths worked through a heavy sweat, their hammers swinging fast enough to strike sparks from the anvils.
Clang! Clang!
The rhythmic sounds of forging merged into a steady, metallic chorus.
Because Evilus targeted the industrial district, the Hephaestus Familia had suspended all commercial storefront operations.
Instead, the smiths worked without rest to supply the frontline Adventurers with vital weapons and armor.
"Following the last battle, Evilus vanished without a trace," Hephaestus noted, briefing him on the situation.
"They have not made a single move since. Both the Guild and the Pallum commander of the Loki Familia suspect they are brewing a larger plan."
Rayleigh was not surprised by the information.
While his individual combat strength remained limited in the scope of the war, his forged blades had played a pivotal role.
The power Evilus accumulated over the years was troublesome, but it alone lacked the strength to drag Orario down to hell.
Erebus's direct involvement acted as the key opening Pandora's box.
Both the Guild and Evilus treated this as a straightforward, two-sided war.
In reality, the conflict operated as a complex, three-way deadlock.
The first stage of Erebus's "Necessary Evil" plan relied on helping Evilus attack the city to manufacture a crisis.
This would incite brutal conflict between scared civilians and overwhelmed the Adventurers, destroying the Guild's credibility.
The second stage involved assassinating Orario's Gods to send them back to Tenkai, slaughtering citizens as blood sacrifices, and whittling down the Adventurers' fighting strength.
This chaos would keep the city too preoccupied to notice the true objective.
The third and final stage required Erebus to enter the Dungeon.
He would use his divine power to lure the deep-floor monsters to the surface and destroy Babel Tower.
Once that "lid" shattered, Ouranos's prayers could no longer suppress the Dungeon's spawns.
An endless tide of monsters would wash the surface in blood, reverting the world to the brutal dark ages of Ancient Times.
If Orario overcame all three manufactured trials, a true hero would be forged in the fire.
If they failed, the resulting apocalyptic environment would forcefully squeeze the survival potential out of humanity, cultivating heroes reminiscent of the ancient myths.
However, Erebus's grand design had fractured across multiple fronts.
Rayleigh had exposed the assassination plot during the second stage.
Instead of the targeted ten Gods being sent back to Tenkai, only three had fallen.
The attempt to incite civil war had also stalled.
It proceeded well at first.
Civilians could endure poor sleep and mild hunger, but they could not ignore fatal injuries. With medical resources drained by the influx of wounded Adventurers, untreated civilians were left to wait for death.
Faced with that grim reality, they rioted... but the timely appearance of Tenseiga changed the equation.
Wielding a blade capable of saving a hundred people with a single swing, Airmid healed the injured and replenished the frontline fighting force.
The civilians received proper medical treatment, felt genuine gratitude toward the Guild and began cooperating with the Adventurers instead of rioting.
Without crippling the Adventurers' numbers, it would be difficult for Erebus to breach the Dungeon.
Orario's defensive forces were now concentrated around the Central Plaza.
Then came the final, unexpected variables.
Ottar had halted Zald's advance.
Furthermore, Alfia looked ready to switch sides at a moment's notice.
Fortunately for the dark God, Alfia still fulfilled her duties and helped him continue the plan.
Because of these delays, Erebus would likely resort to rougher, more direct methods to utilize his Evilus "comrades."
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