[20] LV.3

Chapter 20: LV.3

The 18th floor… What was it called again? Under Resort. It's considered a safe zone, and there's a village here called Rivira, known as an adventurers' haven.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself there.

"Oh! [Thousand Slayer]! You're finally awake!"

"...Who are you?"

"I'm Bors Elder, the leader of Rivira Village. Good to have you up!"

The one-eyed man greeted me with an enthusiastic handshake, looking quite excited.

I was sure I had fought and defeated Goliath before passing out… yet my body felt unexpectedly fine. Did they use a high-grade potion?

"We used an Elixir. Your body was in a complete mess. It cost 500,000 Valis, but don't worry, I won't charge you for it!"

"Ah, thanks. But is it really okay to use something that expensive just like that?"

"Thanks to you taking down Goliath, we saved a ton on potions and equipment. Consider it an even trade."

Well, that's a relief. Honestly, 500,000 Valis isn't just some random pet's name—it's a hefty sum, even for me.

Still, this whole ordeal guarantees that I'll reach LV.3, so that's a plus.

"Hey! [Thousand Slayer] is awake!"

"What?!"

"That damn strong rookie is up!"

As Bors shouted outside, people started swarming in. Beastmen, Elves, Dwarves, Amazons—you name it. Seeing the crowd gather, I could feel a cold sweat trickling down my back.

What the hell is this?

Ah, now that I think about it, there were quite a few adventurers around when I fought… so word must've spread.

"Damn brat. You're disgustingly strong. Younger than me, yet disgustingly strong."

"Hey, that thing where you flew through the air—was that magic? A skill? A skill, right?"

"Sell me Goliath's hide! I'll pay full price!"

"Hey, hey. How about spending the night with me?"

Yeah, no. The Amazoness who said that was immediately out.

She was pretty, sure, but Amazonesses are naturally drawn to strong men—and from what I've heard, once you sleep with one, they drain you dry. Hard pass.

…To be honest, it's been getting harder to handle things on my own lately. I'd consider visiting a brothel, but with all the risks of STDs around here, it's just not worth it. What a pain.

"The fight was impressive. Haven't seen a good show like that in a while. Thanks to you, Rivira's been livelier than ever!"

"The rumors must've spread all the way to Orario by now."

"They already have. You were out cold for two days. Your Familia even sent someone from another party to check in on you."

"Shit!"

The gods have already been hounding me to join their Familias, and I was planning to lay low for at least six months even after hitting LV.3… but now that word's out, that plan's gone to hell.

Taking down Goliath solo makes reaching LV.3 a given—there's no way people wouldn't realize it.

But… if I take down Goliath again, would I level up? Probably not. I doubt it works that way.

"The others must be worried. Now that I've mostly recovered… Oh, right—where's the Goliath hide I took down?"

"I kept it for you. Here, take it. And if you ever stop by Rivira again, come see me! I'll hook you up with gear and supplies at a discount!"

I have no idea why he's acting so friendly, but hey, if I'm getting discounts, I'm not complaining.

I grabbed the Goliath hide from Bors and left Rivira. People kept crowding around, which was a pain, so I just took off using Moonwalk to get away.

Now that I think about it, why can't people fly when there's magic in this world? Can't they just pull off some Magic Power Unfolding! stuff like Lord Dio?

"Ah! Thousand Slayer spotted!"

"Join our Familiaaaaa!"

"Your toughness and coolness are a perfect fit for us!"

"Absolute badass!"

"He's carrying Goliath's hide! He really did take it down solo!"

After walking for hours, I finally emerged from the dungeon—only to be greeted by a swarm of gods.

Damn it, fuck off, you divine bastards!

...

When talking about the strongest Familias in Orario, two names always come up.

One is the well-known Loki Familia.

The other is Freya Familia, home to the Uncrowned Monarch, the LV.7 adventurer Ottar.

At the heart of Freya Familia is its goddess, Freya, the deity of beauty. Her divine charm isn't just an abstract concept—it manifests even in the lower world.

She possesses the ability to see the colors of souls, allowing her to identify those with talent, captivate them, and bring them into her Familia. Through this power, she has built one of the strongest Familias in Orario.

And now, Freya was preparing for a rare outing.

Her reason?

A certain adventurer had made waves. Someone who reached LV.2 in just two months, then, another two months later, took down Goliath solo, all but confirming their rise to LV.3.

[Thousand Slayer] Luke Blade.

At first, he was nothing more than a passing curiosity. Reaching LV.2 in just two months piqued her interest slightly, but not enough to warrant serious attention.

However, after he defeated Goliath solo, that changed. He was finally worth seeing with her own eyes.

With her hood pulled low to conceal her face, Freya made her way to Babel, timing her arrival to match Luke Blade's emergence from the dungeon—just as her Familia members had informed her.

And then, she saw it.

"...My word."

A soul unlike anything she had ever witnessed.

Freya's silver eyes widened in pure astonishment, a reaction completely unlike her usual composed self. It wasn't love, nor was it desire. It was awe.

To Freya, the greatest souls radiated a brilliant transparency, an ethereal glow that signified their unparalleled potential.

But before transparency, every soul had a color—a hue shaped by one's life, race, and experiences. Most souls were common shades of red or blue, their brilliance differing only in intensity.

Yet, among them, there were those with rare colors.

Heroes, for example. In Freya's divine collection, the souls of legendary figures shone with resplendent gold, a beacon of their destined greatness.

But the soul before her now…

It was a color no one had ever manifested before.

A cursed, ominous blackish-red.

Freya had long mastered the ability to glimpse a soul's past through its color. Lighter hues reflected kindness, purity, and virtue. Darker shades signified malice, corruption, and depravity.

She had seen countless black souls before.

But blackish-red?

A deep black so absolute that it seemed to devour light itself, fused with a crimson so thick and rich it resembled congealed blood—blending together into a dark red-black pearl of unfathomable depth.

And what truly shook her was the brilliance it emitted.

A glow so blinding that even she, the goddess of beauty, could barely withstand it.

Luke Blade is only 14 years old. At most, he should be an LV.3 adventurer right now.

So how… how could a mere human radiate a brilliance surpassing that of most heroes?

The radiance of a soul reflects not just one's strength, but also their mental and spiritual growth.

And the glow emanating from that 14-year-old boy was beyond anything a child should be capable of producing.

He wasn't merely in the process of growing—what truly terrified her was that he still had room to grow even further.

'As if every possibility, no matter how impossible, remains open to him…'

Humans were a race of endless potential, but this boy… his potential was unnatural.

She wanted him.

For the first time in a long while, Freya's possessiveness surged as she stepped forward toward the boy.

Then, she pulled back her hood.

"Uh—uh?!"

"Ahhh! It's Lady Freya!"

"Well, that's the end of the strongest rookie."

The gods grumbled among themselves, but Freya paid them no mind.

With a charming smile, she locked eyes with the boy and unleashed her full 'Charm' upon him—an irresistible temptation that enthralled both men and women alike.

"Won't you become mine?"

Just a single sentence. That was all it took.

Even a Development Ability like 'Resist' wouldn't help—because a goddess's Charm wasn't a mere status ailment.

And then… the boy's reaction—

THWACK!!!

With a loud, resounding smack, Luke punched himself square in the face.

"…Eh?"

"Ah, damn. That was close. Good thing I snapped out of it."

Freya stood frozen in disbelief. The other gods, equally stunned, stared at the scene, completely dumbfounded.

He got hit by Freya's Charm… and punched himself instead?

Luke stood there, nose bleeding profusely, before spitting something onto the ground. At first, it just seemed like spit—but there was also a small clinking sound as something hit the floor.

Looking closer, it wasn't just spit.

It was a tooth.

"Thanks, Goddess. That baby tooth just wouldn't fall out before. Guess your help did the trick. Anyway, I'm busy, so I'll be off now."

With a casual wave, Luke Blade walked away.

And as he did, Freya stood frozen, staring at his retreating figure, her silver eyes burning with an intense, unshakable desire.

...

The moment I got back, Lili absolutely tore into me.

"What kind of reckless idiot pulls something like that?! Soloing Goliath?! The rumors have spread so much that other Familias are about to storm in looking for you! And don't even get me started on Lady Loki—she's been drinking and laughing her ass off ever since!"

"…I mean, isn't that last part fine?"

"In OUR home!"

Ah, yeah. That's a problem.

Loki, get your act together!

"Yo, you made it back alive."

"Somehow. Honestly, I feel like I won't die unless it's from old age."

"That does seem to be your thing. Still, taking it down solo—impressive."

"Taking what down?"

"Possibility."

Susanoo grinned like he knew something.

At the end of the day, this guy was a friend. Unlike most Familias that viewed their gods with reverence, ours was built on mutual curiosity and fun—a bond of friendship rather than worship.

"What do you mean, possibility?"

"You remind me of someone I know well. Whether it's chance or fate, I don't know. But your very nature—your existence itself—is one where every possibility remains open."

"…Okay, now say that in a way my brain can actually process."

"Do you think an ordinary person—no matter who they learn from or how they live—could suddenly become the world's strongest hitman? You instinctively grasp the possibilities of your survival and your opponent's death. That's why you've always made it out alive. Honestly, you might really only die of old age."

"That just made it even more complicated! Keep it under 20 words!"

"Basic punch."

"Wait, what?!"

That's way too short! That's not even an answer!

"Anyway, I went through hell, but at least I got Goliath's hide out of it. We shouldn't have to worry about money for a while."

"But once we update your status, you're definitely getting a Rank Up. I can already hear the taxes increasing."

Even as Susanoo joked, he proceeded to update my status without hesitation.

Sure enough, Excelia had accumulated significantly. Next up was checking my Development Abilities.

"Huh, looks like I didn't get Hunter this time. Oh, right… that only appears when you reach LV.2, doesn't it?"

"So, what did I get?"

"'Resistance,' 'Endurance,' and 'Fist Arts.'"

"Huh? I get what 'Resistance' is, but 'Endurance'? Sounds like it's status-related, but is it just a weaker version?"

"If it were weaker, it probably wouldn't have manifested at all."

I liked the sound of 'Fist Arts', but choosing the right Development Ability was important.

Which one should I pick?

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