On this day, all of Orario was once again plunged into an uproar.
The fact that so many core members of the Loki Familia had descended into the Dungeon together—especially at a time when an expedition was not yet due—was already quite conspicuous. Consequently, when those who had witnessed the battle between Leon and Goliath on the 17th floor emerged and broadcasted the news of this clash, the entirety of Orario completely erupted.
"The Loki Familia's newly advanced Lv.2, the adventurer rumored to have successfully ranked up in less than a month, has soloed a Floor Master!"
"Leon Eligos, an adventurer belonging to the Loki Familia, has individually subjugated the 17th-floor Floor Master, Goliath!"
"A battle spanning two ranks! Challenging a Floor Master!"
"The strongest Familia, the Loki Familia's new pillar!"
One headline after another proliferated with staggering speed, producing a sensation within Orario that was by no means inferior to the commotion caused by Leon's level-up half a month prior.
Countless individuals caught wind of this news through word of mouth, and countless minds filled with shock, skepticism, and utter disbelief.
"Soloing a Floor Master while spanning two full ranks, and he actually succeeded?"
"Is it verified that a Human can actually achieve such a thing?"
"Are you absolutely certain the other members of the Loki Familia didn't intervene, and the challenger was a mere Lv.2 from beginning to end?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling to believe it, but this is simply too preposterous, isn't it?"
Voices of a similar nature surfaced across every corner of Orario, serving as a testament to just how astounded the populace was.
The people's initial impulse was naturally to dismiss it, viewing it merely as a rumor born of hyperbole. Yet compared to the time of Leon's level-up, the degree of skepticism this time was far milder.
Because, unlike a record-breaking level-up speed that could not be verified in person, there had been numerous onlookers present for Leon's solo duel against the Floor Master.
They hailed from various diverse Familias; some were members of major Familias, others belonged to minor ones, and there were also externally hired supporters. Their disparate backgrounds guaranteed that they could not have all conspired with the Loki Familia to fabricate such a colossal lie.
Therefore, under the absolute affirmations and accounts of these adventurers who had witnessed the clash with their own eyes, the people's doubts naturally dissolved without a fight.
With this, it was impossible for Orario not to fall into a state of feverish excitement.
People gasped, clamored, and bickered, verifying the tidings they had received everywhere they went, causing the lively spectacles of half a month ago to manifest once more.
The uproar produced this time was not a single bit smaller than the one generated when the news of Leon's level-up had broken out.
The former was the shattering of the world's fastest level-up record, exceeding it by so vast a margin that it was sufficient to shock the entire Lower World. While the latter might not spread quite as rapidly to the point where the entire world took notice, for the local citizens of Orario, its impact was arguably even greater.
The reason was very simple: the astounding achievement of soloing a Floor Master and successfully subjugating it, as previously stated, was something no one in the present era had been able to accomplish.
"Even the Warlord of the Freya Familia only managed to beat a Floor Master within an inch of its life back then before returning empty-handed, right? To think it has been accomplished by this supernova of the Loki Familia!"
"Furthermore, the Warlord's attempt back then was a Lv.7 against a Lv.7 Floor Master, which was at least a challenge on equal terms. This time, it was a Lv.2 against a Lv.4 Floor Master—spanning two entire ranks!"
"After so many years, someone has finally managed to individually subjugate a Floor Master again."
"Indeed. Before the rise of the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, this was an exploit that could only be achieved by the monsters within those two ancient Familias."
The gods gathered in clusters, discussing the matter with great animation. Every single deity's face was written with intense fascination and excitement, bearing expressions that suggested they could hardly wait to run over to the Loki Familia's stronghold right this instant to scout him.
For the unchanging and eternal gods, what they craved above all else was entertainment, the unknown, and anything capable of bringing them stimulation.
The heroic deeds of the Lower World were what they revered most, for such grand feats were worthy of admiration and interest even in their eyes.
Just as the people of the Lower World yearned for the birth of a hero, hoping someone could deliver them from peril, subjugate all monsters, and save the world, the gods similarly yearned for the birth of a hero, hoping to witness a magnificent epic that would bring a modicum of entertainment to their tedious divine existences.
Hence, whenever a miracle occurred that they deemed admirable, exhilarating, thrilling, and profoundly moving, they would often feel far more impassioned than the mortals of the Lower World.
By the time the Guild was thoroughly alarmed and had publicly confirmed the authenticity of the matter through multi-party verifications, neither gods nor mortals had any desire to attend to their own affairs. They continuously bustled back and forth to share the news, causing the sensation generated by this event to spiral to greater heights.
Merchants began drafting missives to transmit this incredible occurrence beyond the city walls, while troubadours systematically took to the streets to sing and extol this monumental exploit.
Leon Eligos—this name became even more indelibly etched into the hearts of everyone on this day.
Countless individuals silently muttered this name, causing Leon's popularity and prestige to climb at a velocity that left onlookers utterly dumbfounded.
Yet of all this, Leon remained entirely unaware to this point.
Following his life-and-death struggle against Goliath, he had fallen into a state of complete unconsciousness due to mental exhaustion. He had been carried back to the stronghold by the core members of the Loki Familia, where he slept so deeply that day and night became indistinguishable.
This slumber of his lasted for a full day and a full night.
When he finally opened his eyes again, the very first sensation he experienced was nothing other than a faint, throbbing ache within his head.
"Hiss—"
Within the chamber laden with a hint of crisp, cool air and the scent of a hearth, the moment Leon awoke from his bed, he was instantly struck by a sudden, sharp pang in his head, causing him to suck in a breath of cold air on the spot.
"What a headache..."
He couldn't help but press his hand against his brow, his eyebrows knitting tightly together. Though his complexion wasn't pale, he wore a visibly distressed expression.
After finally managing to alleviate the headache slightly, or rather, successfully adapting to it, Leon realized that he had already returned to his personal quarters.
"Am I...?"
Beholding the familiar room, Leon endured the headache while reconstructing the sequence of events.
With this train of thought, Leon finally succeeded in awakening all the memories prior to his unconsciousness.
"Right! I was challenging a Floor Master!"
Leon sat up abruptly, a movement that consequently generated a sharper wave of pain through his head, nearly causing him to clasp his head and lie back down.
Click—
Right at that moment, the door to Leon's quarters was opened, and a figure walked in from the outside.
"Le-Leon?"
The newcomer held a tray laden with water and food. Upon seeing Leon sitting up, an expression of pleasant surprise instantly washed over his face.
"You're finally awake!"
The individual immediately scurried over.
"Raul?"
Leon discerned the newcomer's appearance, uttering his name.
It was none other than Raul.
This core figure of the second tier, who was typically held in high regard by Finn, acted like a fretful butler. He first deposited the tray onto the nightstand before immediately placing a pillow behind Leon's back to allow him to sit more comfortably.
"How are you feeling? Do you feel any better?" Raul inquired with concern while keeping himself busy. "We went ahead and administered an Elixir to heal your external injuries, but Lady Riveria did not recommend giving you a magical potion. She felt that you excessively overtaxed your Mind during the battle, placing a severe burden on your psyche. She believes it's best for you to obtain ample rest, so the mental fatigue is something you'll have to recover from on your own."
Hearing these words, how could Leon not understand what had transpired?
"Was it you all who brought me back?"
Leon massaged his temples, questioning Raul.
"Correct." Raul nodded, then scratched his head with a smile. "Although we did indeed return together, the moment you lost consciousness, Miss Ais was the very first to rush out and catch you. On the return journey, I was responsible for carrying you on my back to deliver you to your quarters. Lady Riveria visited this room twice to perform a diagnosis on you."
"As for the others... well, more or less everyone dropped by once to check on you, and they left after confirming you were out of harm's way."
"Oh, right, Loki came by as well. She instructed us to take good care of you and keep a close eye on you, and she mentioned that if you woke up, you should pay a visit to her place."
Upon hearing this, Leon verified the current state of affairs while organizing his thoughts.
"So, my challenge was indeed a success, right?"
This inquiry from Leon caused Raul to become entirely animated.
"Yes! You succeeded! You subjugated a Floor Master all by yourself! It's simply incredible!" Raul gesticulated wildly as he spoke in rapid succession, "That was a Floor Master! And one that was two full ranks higher than you! Furthermore, it was a colossal monster specialized in 'Endurance'!"
"And the result? It was blasted to death by your magic!"
"You have no idea, this matter has already caused a massive sensation within Orario. People are mentioning your name everywhere outside!"
"Right now, you're just as famous as Miss Ais and the others!"
Bringing up this topic, forget Raul, even the entire membership of the Loki Familia couldn't help but feel a surge of intense excitement.
It couldn't be helped; the achievement of individually subjugating a Floor Master was simply too glorious.
Particularly since this was an exploit that even the Warlord of the Freya Familia was rumored to have failed to achieve, yet it had been accomplished by someone from their Loki Familia. This caused the prestige of the entire Loki Familia to rise alongside it.
One had to understand that although the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia were collectively referred to as the twin kings of Orario and shared the title of the strongest, the relationship between the two was not only far from amicable, but exceptionally poor.
As the saying went, two tigers could not inhabit the same mountain. Being exploration-type Familias that both possessed the stature of sovereigns, the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia existed in a state of competition across all domains and facets.
The antagonism and friction between the two sides had always persisted, and this history of confrontation could be traced back several decades to when both sides were just beginning to rise to power.
Whether it was Finn, Riveria, or even Gareth, all the veteran seniors had crossed swords with the high-ranking members of the Freya Familia.
Therefore, the Freya Familia was both a rival and an adversarial faction to the Loki Familia.
Aside from historical instances where they had collaborated on major undertakings, the two sides spent the vast majority of their time competing and opposing one another. The citizens within Orario also frequently drew comparisons between the two, choosing sides to support whichever faction they deemed stronger, continuously weighing the might of both parties.
Under such circumstances, being able to gain the upper hand over the Freya Familia naturally brought immense joy to the members of the Loki Familia.
It could be said that Leon's exploit this time had greatly augmented the authority and momentum of the Familia.
Regarding this, Leon didn't particularly care.
His purpose in challenging the Floor Master was not to elevate the Familia's prestige, but for his own sake.
Although being able to yield such a result was an unexpected pleasant surprise, Leon remained far more concerned with matters beyond reputation.
For instance...
"Where is Ais?" Leon suddenly asked. "Is she in the manor right now?"
"She is." Seeing Leon suddenly bring up their Familia's princess, Raul first smiled gently before saying with hidden meaning, "Miss Ais originally intended to wait here for you to wake up, but Lady Riveria mentioned that you would likely sleep for quite a while longer. Furthermore, Loki raised a massive fuss and refused to let her stay alone with you in this room, so she had no choice but to leave."
Raul did not inform Leon that when Ais had proposed to remain here, a certain Elven maiden had practically leaped into the air, her fur standing on end as she dragged and pulled the girl away without allowing any room for argument.
Otherwise, given Ais's occasionally obstinate disposition, she might not have been persuaded to leave had she not been forcefully dragged out.
"Is that so?"
Leon nodded, no longer pursuing the matter.
In truth, he felt a modicum of regret.
According to his original plan, he had intended to return to the 18th floor together with Ais after successfully subjugating the Floor Master.
Back then, it was Ais who had brought him out from the 18th floor, so this time, Leon had wanted to bring her back there.
There wasn't a profound explanation for why; perhaps it was to reminisce, or perhaps it was to bid farewell to that period of time—akin to a sense of ritual.
Regrettably, once Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and the others had tag-along, this plan was effectively half-ruined, and now it was completely out of the question since they had already returned to the stronghold.
However, since the matter was already set in stone, Leon would not dwell on it further.
Worst case scenario, he would simply make another trip back there in the future.
With his current strength, he could probably head to the 18th floor whenever he wished, couldn't he?
Thinking of this, Leon instinctively reached toward his back, but the movement merely resulted in him resting his hand on his shoulder.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"
Beholding this, Raul hurriedly inquired.
"It's nothing," Leon shook his head, saying, "I was just thinking, since I've already successfully challenged a Floor Master, I should be able to level up now, right?"
Prompted by Leon's words, Raul experienced an instantaneous jolt right then and there.
That's right, he had already successfully subjugated a Floor Master. No matter how one looked at it, he must have amassed more than enough grand feats required for a level-up, right?
In that case, Leon was about to advance to Lv.3?
But... only half a month had passed!
In a mere timespan of half a month, he was actually capable of leveling up once again?
The instant he realized this fact, Raul was completely stupefied.
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