Half a month after the Evilus incident, the atmosphere across Orario had grown noticeably more peaceful.
Especially after the fall of the Evilus leader and "Enyo," who had been plotting the city's destruction, Orario underwent an unprecedented shift toward harmony.
Even adventurers who normally loved stirring up trouble had toned themselves down, becoming far more cautious.
Why?
Because besides discovering who the true mastermind of the Evilus was, the adventurers had also witnessed another hidden figure—someone Orario had never known existed.
A Mystery person: name unknown, age unknown, affiliation unknown. Only their gender was clear—male—and their strength was confirmed to be at least Lv.6.
In Orario, forget Lv.6—most Lv.2 adventurers couldn't even keep their level a secret.
After all, in Orario, your level isn't something you hide.
The pursuit of money, women, and power leaves no room for modesty.
Only by flaunting themselves loudly and proudly can adventurers earn respect.
Alright, even if some adventurers aren't driven by such desires, what about the gods of their familia?
The gods of Orario are infamous for being troublemakers. They adore entertainment. If any god discovered that one of their children possessed absurd talent or rapid growth, they would flaunt it to no end.
And yet—despite adventurers having no reason to hide, and gods having every reason to boast—Orario suddenly had a mysterious powerhouse with no name, no title, no known familia. An anomaly through and through.
It was precisely because of this aura of mystery that, even half a month later, taverns across the city were still buzzing with talk.
"Half a month, and not a single clue. Not even a rumor."
"That guy sure knows how to hide~"
After witnessing the Evilus purge, ordinary adventurers became even more determined to stay ordinary.
Just look at Loki Familia—those people were a literal monster brigade.
Every single member possessed unbelievable strength.
Every single one looked like they could solo a Level 5 monster.
Which is exactly why the average adventurer was so fascinated—and so curious—about the Mystery figure.
A man in the shadows who turned the Evilus purge into a performance, treating the whole affair like a game of toying with monkeys, even cornering two Evilus gods until they had no options left. Only that Mystery figure could've done such a thing.
And because he was so mysterious, many adventurers were desperately trying to dig up any information about him.
Yet even with all their efforts, more than half a month had passed and not a single trace had surfaced.
"Don't assume he's hiding. Maybe he's sitting right next to us."
"True. If that Mystery man were easy to find, the gods would've announced him ages ago."
Everyone present understood that the ones most desperate to unmask the Mystery figure were the gods themselves.
"You're right. For someone that talented to hide in Orario for so long, and not a single god noticed his existence—that's unreal."
"And I'm guessing the Mystery man hasn't even been in Orario for very long."
"!"
That sudden statement stunned the entire tavern.
"No way? He's Level 6, and you're saying he hasn't even been in Orario for long?"
Skepticism was natural—just as some people agreeing with the idea was.
"This guy's got a point. I actually think the chances are pretty high."
Another adventurer, after recovering from his initial surprise and thinking it through, reached the same conclusion.
Seeing the curiosity on everyone's faces, he didn't bother hiding anything.
"Think about it. Only someone who's been in Orario for a short time could completely hide their information. Anyone who's been here longer—how could they possibly hide from the gods' eyes?"
"And look at these past months. Ever since half a year ago, Evilus has kept causing trouble nonstop. Most of the gods' and the Guild's attention has been focused on them, so of course they'd overlook a few people."
"This window of chaos is probably the only chance that Mystery figure had to hide himself."
The crowd finally understood.
It was true—this past year, Evilus had been stirring up trouble constantly, pulling most of the Guild's and gods' attention toward themselves.
Especially that Dragon Roar incident half a year ago. Rumor had it Evilus caused that as well.
With that much chaos stacked up, no wonder the gods hadn't noticed a powerful Mystery figure in Orario. Evilus had simply caused too much noise.
"Now that both Evilus gods have been sent away, it won't be long before the Mystery figure's identity comes out."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Most of the tavern nodded.
Even though everything about the Mystery figure was unknown, that was only because the gods hadn't seriously investigated.
Once the gods started digging, his identity would be exposed in no time.
"BANG!"
A sudden loud crash jolted the tavern as someone slammed the door open. Everyone turned with irritation toward the idiot who barged in.
But before anyone could scold him, the man who kicked the door shouted excitedly, face flushed red:
"Zeus and Hera are back!"
"What?!"
The entire tavern was stunned.
News of Zeus and Hera returning to Orario was enormous. The adventurers shot to their feet at once.
"Where are Zeus and Hera?!"
"They just entered the main gate! I saw them outside!"
"Move! Let's go see!"
The entire tavern emptied at once, even the owner rushing out to watch the commotion.
Only one patron—the one who had spoken earlier—remained seated. Resting his chin on his hand, he thought quietly for a moment, then rose to his feet.
Strangely, the moment he stood, his presence vanished completely.
Even though it was already night, the news of Zeus and Hera returning was so explosive it sent the entire Orario into a frenzy. Even adventurers who had been resting at home rushed out just to witness the stir.
And atop the Orario Central Clocktower, a man in a white cloak crouched calmly, watching the lively welcome scene below.
"Tch. That old man really did lie to me."