Ignoring the confusion of the gods in the room, Astraea continued speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.
"You might be wondering why I suddenly brought up the Falna, right? Just listen, and you will understand for yourselves later."
Pausing briefly, she took a deep breath to ensure every word she spoke was precise. Then, with a soft yet clear voice that reached every god and goddess in the room, Astraea began to speak.
"The Falna is a divine blessing that we bestow upon adventurers who choose to serve us. This blessing allows them to gain supernatural abilities and progress rapidly, turning them from ordinary people into formidable adventurers capable of facing the threats in the Dungeon."
"Without Falna, adventurers are just ordinary people, unable to acquire and use the special abilities needed to face the terrors in the Dungeon. That is the common consensus of the Lower World residents in this age."
However, her tone then shifted, carrying a deeper resonance.
"However... they have forgotten history. Before we descended to this world, the residents of the Lower World were already fighting against the monsters that came out of the Dungeon to the surface."
That was the forgotten history, or rather, the history deliberately ignored by the majority of living beings of various races. They no longer remembered the heroic struggles of their ancestors who risked their lives to drive the monsters back into the Dungeon without supernatural powers like the Falna.
They respected the gods who bestowed the Falna, but almost none showed the same respect for the warriors of the past.
"So, what is the point, Astraea? We don't have time to listen to your nonsense!" Nergal sneered. Yet, the gods and goddesses never lacked time.
Undisturbed by the scorn, Astraea continued speaking:
"Among the warriors of old, there were always special individuals who led various races in the resistance against monsters. Poets passed down their tales of bravery into storybooks so that future generations would know their epic lives."
"The people of this age call them... heroes."
"...!!!"
The gods and goddesses who were beginning to get bored were immediately intrigued by the word 'hero' spoken by Astraea.
After all, their initial intention in bestowing the Falna was to give birth to heroes. Unfortunately, even after a millennium had passed, no figure truly worthy of the title had emerged. They had been waiting for a hero for a very long time.
"Almost every hero in the past had a Spirit as a companion by their side." Astraea revealed, bringing up a key point. "Spirits granted blessings similar to the Falna to their chosen aspiring heroes. Spirits also helped the heroes in fighting monsters. Because of this ability, Spirits are also called Child of God."
"The known Spirit users in the past were Albert with the Great Spirit Aria, Argonaut with the Great Spirit Jupiter, Crozzo with the Fire Spirit Urus, and Fulland with the Water Spirit Undine."
Then, Astraea directed the conversation to the core issue.
"You must have heard the rumor that Charlie Avalon has a Spirit by his side, right? Let me tell you, that's not just a rumor. It is a fact."
She made a dramatic pause before announcing.
"Charlie has contracted not one, but two Spirits!"
"...!!!"
Astraea's bold statement stunned the gods and goddesses, silencing them momentarily before an uproar broke out. Indeed, some of them had heard these rumors, but only a handful had actually seen Aishia and Est. Most considered it hearsay. Some gods were even hearing about this for the first time. After all, it was common knowledge that the Spirits had isolated themselves since the gods descended, and there were no more new contracts like in the Age of Heroes.
Now, that consensus was broken. How could the gods, who were always hungry for entertainment, not be excited to know about the presence of two Spirits in Orario?
"Astraea! You're not lying, are you?!"
"Oh my god, it's true! It's been a thousand years since a Spirit was seen! I want to see it with my own eyes!"
"Interesting. Very interesting. If Charlie Avalon contracted Spirits like the heroes, that explains his absurd leveling speed!"
Instantly, all doubts and accusations vanished. The gods were now filled with anticipation for a colorful future, different from the current monotony.
"Besides being accompanied by two Spirits, Charlie himself did not slack off. On the contrary, he worked extremely hard. The combination of these two factors is what allowed him to level up so quickly."
Astraea concluded her defense. Although she didn't know the details of Charlie's method, she was certain it was achieved through hard work, not cheating.
"An adventurer with a Falna needs to meet two conditions to level up. First, achieve outstanding feats and accumulate enough high-quality Excelia. Second, raise one of the five basic abilities—Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, or Magic—to the sixth rank, which is rank D."
"Many Level 1 adventurers never take the risks required to achieve great feats because they prefer security and stable income. They are strong, but never tested to the point where a God can say: 'This person deserves the blessing of greater power'."
"Would a Spirit choose such a person? The answer is no! So, it is clear that Charlie, who is accompanied by two Spirits, is not a cheat as Nergal accused."
The gods and goddesses nodded at Astraea's words. After all that speech, no one doubted Charlie was cheating anymore. What remained was the praise and admiration of the gods.
"Excellent. It seems everyone is on the same page. In that case, let's proceed with giving an alias to Charlie." Hermes clapped his hands and took back control.
(This is an unexpected development, Zeus. Our plan to make Bell the Last Hero will face a great challenge.)
He slightly regretted agreeing to Zeus's proposal. If only he had known about Charlie earlier, perhaps he would have supported him, not Bell.
(Never mind. This only makes things more interesting. It would be incredibly boring if everything went according to plan.)
The regret was fleeting before it vanished. Hermes thought optimistically.
"Since Astraea is Charlie's guardian, let's hear the alias you propose." Hermes said with a friendly smile.
Having anticipated this, Astraea nodded lightly.
"Unlike other adventurers who enter the Dungeon with their parties, Charlie is completely alone. No other member of the Hera Familia guided him from Level 1 to Level 5. Not even a Main God helped him update his Status."
"Fortunately, Charlie is blessed with an exceptional skill that allows him to update his Status himself just with a god's blood."
"All of his current achievements are due to his own efforts. I believe the most suitable alias for Charlie is..."
"Solo Leveling."
Hearing that alias, the gods who had prepared various strange alias proposals suddenly fell silent.
No one could argue.
The alias was perfect. It literally described Charlie exploring the Dungeon alone and leveling up without relying on anyone.
"This might be the fastest alias granting in history." Hermes said, seeing not a single objection. "Since there is no intervention, it is established that Charlie Avalon's alias is Solo Leveling!"
Thus, the alias granting session for Charlie was concluded. A name that would soon echo throughout Orario.