Inside the Guild headquarters, the usually enthusiastic crowd was silent. People who normally came here to gather information about the Dungeon were staring at the large notice board, but this time they stood frozen, gazing with stunned and disbelieving expressions.
Four new announcements were posted on the board. Three of them were standard announcements about Level 2 adventurers from smaller Familias receiving their aliases. That was commonplace and rarely drew much attention.
However, the fourth one... that fourth announcement was what silenced the entire Guild.
A notice from the Hera Familia announcing a new adventurer, Charlie Avalon, reaching Level 5 less than two months after receiving the blessing of the Falna.
"Solo Leveling..." Someone finally broke the silence, muttering the alias listed next to Charlie's name.
"You've got to be kidding me? How is that possible..." Another voice was heard, trembling with disbelief.
"Ha Ha Ha... I must still be drunk from last night and hallucinating because I'm in bad shape. Bro, let me go home and rest first." A passing adventurer gave a dry laugh, thinking he was drunk.
"..."
Then, like a broken dam, an uproar erupted. The quiet Guild hall was suddenly filled with shouts, questions, and debates.
"THIS IS A LIE! There must be a mistake!"
"Guild, we need an explanation! Is this a joke?"
"Level 5 in two months? Who believes this nonsense!"
"Hera Familia... are they forging data?"
From Level 1 to Level 5 in less than two months?
Who would believe that!
Many chose to doubt and reject, because accepting this reality would mean admitting their own weakness and shortcomings.
"Haaahhh... I knew the result would be like this. The Guild won't be peaceful today."
Behind the counter, the red-haired werewolf receptionist sighed long as she looked at the original document in her hand. Rose Fannet, the only receptionist who socialized with Charlie—the person at the center of the commotion—grumbled irritably as she faced the demands of the adventurers across the counter from her.
"Rose, are you okay?" The Half-Elf named Eina asked worriedly.
"Of course, I'm not okay!" Rose retorted with annoyance. "I'm just a little—very—irritated about having to deal with all these stupid questions later."
She gestured toward the increasingly noisy crowd across the counter.
"Eina, wasn't the rookie adventurer you handle also widely talked about recently?" Rose asked, trying to change the subject.
"Bell... Yes, he's truly a reckless boy. I've warned him many times to be more careful, but it seems he never truly listens. Then what good am I as his advisor?" There was a deep tone of worry in Eina's voice.
"We really have two troublemakers, don't we, Eina? One levels up so fast it's shocking, the other constantly gets into dangerous trouble."
"Yes. Charlie and Bell. Based on external appearance alone, they even look like brothers." Eina recalled the appearance of the two rookie adventurers, whose names were now beginning to become famous in Orario.
"Honestly, I don't understand. Why do so many people choose to become adventurers even though they know this profession is very risky? There are many safer jobs out there. Is it for the money? Fame? Or just seeking a ridiculous thrill by chasing the unknown? It's impossible for us to save people like that." Rose complained, playing with the tip of her red hair.
"It is their choice to adventure, Rose. No matter how hard we try to persuade them, it won't change the path they choose." Eina replied softly, though her eyes showed the same sadness.
These two receptionists shared the same bitter experience. They had seen too many adventurers—with their dreams and hopes—go into the Dungeon and never return. A moment of recklessness, arrogance, or even overly great courage, all could become the merciless sickle that harvested lives.
That's why they chose different methods to cope with the pain. Eina chose to be deeply involved, gathering every piece of information that could increase the survival chances of the adventurers she guided. Meanwhile, Rose chose to keep her distance, not wanting to get too close and feel the pain of loss again.
Eina's gaze was fixed on the crowd, but her mind was far away.
(Bell... I swear I will never let you die. As your advisor, I will try my best, harder than ever before, to protect you from danger.)
Eina was determined that she would exert more effort than ever because the adventurer on her mind had now reached Level 2.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The mastermind of all the commotion shaking Orario, Charlie, was completely unaware that his name was now widely known to adventurers and gods alike.
If previously his name was only known in limited circles, now Charlie Avalon and his alias Solo Leveling had exploded into a sensation impossible to ignore. However, Charlie did not know about the fame he had just acquired.
As he opened his eyes, a familiar yet alien sight greeted him. He was no longer in his room in the Empyrean Citadel.
"This place... I see, I was summoned to the Void Sanctuary, huh..."
The environment around him was an endless darkness, a place outside the space and time of any multiverse. Above, the sky was filled with glittering stars, creating a stunning yet silent spectacle. In front of him, a circular table made of an unknown material stood majestically.
Ten high chairs with elegant backrests surrounded the table. Charlie himself sat in one of the chairs that had the Roman numeral V displayed on it.
He was not the only one present. Eight other figures had already occupied their respective chairs, each with a different Roman numeral symbol. Only one chair was empty—chair number VII.
Charlie remembered that the owner of that chair had fallen in the previous Quest session, a reminder of the inherent danger in their status as Savior.
The silent atmosphere was suddenly broken by a cheerful and childish voice.
"Hi, everyone! How are you all! Long time no see~ Gaia-chan here~!"
The figure calling herself Gaia-chan appeared, or rather, materialized near the table.
She was the personification of the Earth from various multiverses in every cosmos, or perhaps something more than that, and her cheerful energy contrasted with the seriousness of the Void Sanctuary.
"Hmph."
The greeting for Gaia came from next to her, where Alya, the personification of the Collective Will of Humanity across countless worlds.
Only a cold snort escaped her. Her cold and unfriendly attitude towards living beings—or perhaps everything that didn't contribute to human survival—seemed unchanged.
"So, the next Quest is here, huh..." Said the man in chair II, Fujita Kazuya.
His voice was filled with an almost arrogant confidence, as if he was already looking forward to the new challenge.
"Yup!" Gaia confirmed gleefully, nodding her head. "But this Quest is a little different from the two Quests you completed before."
The statement hung in the air, adding seriousness to the meeting.
What difference did she mean? Was it more dangerous?
Stranger?
Or perhaps involved completely new rules?
All eyes—except perhaps Alya who still looked aloof—were fixed on Gaia, waiting for further explanation about the next Quest that would determine their journey as Saviors.