"Miss Rose, I want to report my level up."
Judas spoke nonchalantly, as if everything was normal.
"Huh?"
Her usually indifferent face was replaced with a look of shock, clearly in disbelief at what she had just heard.
"Come again? I must've misheard you."
Rose doubted his words until he handed her two parchments that had his status written on it.
"Are you for real?"
Rose triple-checked the paper in her hands.
Her visible confusion caught the attention of her co-worker, who happened to pass by.
Eina Tulle, the bespectacled half-elf and advisor of Belle Cranel.
"What's going on here?"
She questioned as her gaze shifted to the papers in Rose's hands.
"Oh, it looks like your adventurer became a Level 2. Congratulations."
At first, Eina found nothing strange. After all, level-ups happen once in a while.
With so many adventurers in the city, at least one adventurer would level up per week.
"Wait... aren't you the newcomer that Rose just recently took in?"
Eina squinted her eyes and tapped her chin, clearly trying to recall.
"Aren't you Judas Spade?"
Then her eyes widened in realization.
Eina had heard of him.
How could she not?
Word of his deeds had spread everywhere, becoming a hot topic among her co-workers.
The new recruit of the Loki Familia.
The protagonist who single-handedly resolved the dungeon incident.
The savior who saved countless lives.
A rookie sensation already building his own legend.
Although Eina didn't approve of his recklessness, she had to admit—she admired him a little.
But it didn't end there.
There were also negative rumors surrounding him.
Plenty believed Judas was hiding his true level.
Some adventurers were dissatisfied.
Although they were a minority, their voices were loud and pushed heavily to see him punished.
'Then... the parchment in Rose's hands... that must be his status.'
Her gaze shifted downward.
'Huh? EX? 1999?'
Her mouth hung open, and her glasses nearly slipped off her face.
"WHHHHAAA—"
Eina was about to scream, but Rose reacted quickly and covered her mouth.
"What are you doing? Do you want to cause a ruckus?"
Rose admonished with a stern tone.
Eina realized the situation and promptly calmed down.
"I apologize," she said, bowing her head.
Rose turned to Judas.
"I will record your rank up, but first, there are plenty of things we need to discuss."
She quickly regained her composure, unlike Eina, who was still shaken.
"I know. Loki already told me."
"Good. Then I don't need to explain further. Come with me to the meeting box. There are too many eyes and ears here."
Rose led Judas to a private room, where adventurers could speak one-on-one with their advisor without being overheard.
The matters they were about to discuss were sensitive.
Eina returned to her counter but sighed as she stared at their departing backs.
The room was small, and Judas took a seat.
"Wait here."
Rose instructed, and Judas nodded.
A minute later, a man wearing a feathered hat entered with a smile.
"Today must be my lucky day."
Hermes' gaze landed on Judas, and his smile deepened.
"To meet the irregular firsthand."
Rose stood to the side and gestured with her hand.
"Mr. Spade, this is God Hermes. He's here to verify whether you're telling the truth or not."
Hermes tipped his hat.
"You must be Judas Spade, the rookie I've heard so much about. Nice to meet you."
He extended his hand.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, God Hermes."
Judas didn't decline and shook the God's hand.
"Let's get started," Rose said, picking up a small book and a pen.
"Mr. Spade, tell me... when did you first receive a falna?"
Her gaze never left his.
Hearing her question, Hermes leaned forward, lips curling.
'She didn't ask when I received Loki's falna, but 'a' falna in general.'
Judas saw through her intention... she worded it in a way that left no loophole.
Although Gods and Goddesses could detect lies, it wasn't absolute. There were ways around it.
"Four days ago. That's when I met Goddess Loki on the streets, and she asked me to join her Familia."
When Judas replied, Rose turned to Hermes, who nodded.
"Really?!"
There was astonishment in her eyes.
Even Hermes looked at Judas as if he were some kind of freak.
"Then... you ranked up in four days? No, wait—it should be less than a day since you were in a coma for three days straight."
Rose quickly scribbled notes at a furious pace, the paper nearly smoking from the friction.
"Yes... I ranked up to Level 2 today."
Judas replied, supporting his chin with his arm on the table.
"He's not lying."
Hermes' confirmation was the final nail in the coffin.
Rose took deep breaths to calm herself.
"My apologies. Let's continue."
She coughed lightly before asking again.
"Did you take down the Juggernaut and the irregular monsters by yourself?"
"Yes, I did."
Judas replied immediately.
There was no point in lying—everyone already knew.
Except for the Juggernaut, whose existence was kept secret from the public.
'It must be because of this skill and this magic.'
Rose speculated as her eyes fell on his status and focused on two particular slots.
[Thaumaturgy]
A magic ability that contains over 13,000 spells.
This reminded her of a magic that came from another Loki Familia member.
[Elf Ring]
With this ability, Lefiya Viridis can use any magic used by an elf.
In theory, she could cast over a thousand spells, earning her the alias Thousand Elf.
'Now it makes sense.'
Hermes also glanced over, and what he saw made him smirk.
'Loki is truly blessed with talented children.'
========================================
Judas Spade
LV 1
STR: EX 1999
END: EX 1999
DEX: EX 1999
AGI: EX 1999
MAG: EX 1999
SKILLS: [Elemental Master]
[Eternal Persistence]
[Penitent Executioner]
MAGIC: [Body Reinforcement]
[Thaumaturgy]
========================================
'A magic with 13,000 spells? It's similar to Thousand Elf but better.'
But even then, it wasn't enough.
No matter how many spells you learned, Mind was a limited resource. If you used magic too many times, even a talented mage would eventually experience a Mind Down.
With a very low MAG stat, the amount of Mind a Level 1 could possess was extremely limited.
Then, his attention was drawn to a particular skill:
[Penitent Executioner]
A skill specializing in fighting irregular monsters.
'This child was perfectly suited to resolve that irregular monsters incident.'
Then, his eyes scanned the rest of the status sheet.
'It makes sense. With such powerful skills and magic at his disposal, when combined, this kid becomes a monster that breaks past the barriers of strength imposed by levels.'
'Otherwise, how could a Level 1 defeat a Juggernaut?'
Hermes thought with a grin, as if he'd solved a great mystery.
Judas saw their expressions and knew what they were thinking.
'Looks like Loki's plan worked. Even Hermes was convinced.'
His mind drifted to the conversation he had with Loki earlier.
"Hey, we can use this. The skill [Penitent Executioner] manifested at the perfect time."
Loki said with her signature smirk.
"What do you mean?"
Judas frowned in puzzlement.
"Kid, even if you clear up the accusations of faking your level, that still doesn't explain the overwhelming strength you had at Level 1."
"Well, unless you reveal to the whole city that you came from another world, your choice."
Loki shrugged nonchalantly.
A realization struck.
Judas already understood Loki's plan.
"Then..."
"That's right. We can use this skill as a cover-up. Since you fought irregular monsters, it makes sense that... with this skill... you got a massive power boost as a result."
Her grin widened.
"It's a perfect little misunderstanding. A small trick to fool the masses. A prank that turns the entire city into clowns."
She clutched her stomach and laughed wildly.
Judas looked at her and shook his head.
'Once a trickster god... always a trickster god.'
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