"Next, Focalors Familia, Aiden, promoted to Level 5."
Hephaestus's voice echoed in the council chamber, causing a modest stir.
The host of this Denatus was Hephaestus.
Going from a mortal to Level 5 in over half a year—even for gods accustomed to miracles, this was a speed worthy of their attention.
"Oh my, hitting Level 5 so quickly," Loki's trademark mocking voice rang out. "How about calling him 'Abyss Bait'? Or 'Monster Magnet'? After all, all those bizarre monsters come specifically for him. It's very fitting, right?"
A wave of suppressed snickers immediately echoed around her.
"I object!"
Furina stood up abruptly, her clear voice overpowering all the noise. With one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Loki, she struck a judgmental pose. "Such vulgar and crude vocabulary is simply a stain on the glory of my Familia! My child, Aiden, cleanses sin with flames and protects justice with Everlasting Flames. His posture is like an emperor descending upon the world. His alias should reflect the supreme majesty of ruling over all fires."
She paused and, with an almost operatic tone, announced the answer she had long prepared:
"—[Flame Emperor]!"
This alias was concise, domineering, and full of power, perfectly matching Aiden's combat style of burning everything to ashes with his flames.
The council chamber quieted down for a moment. Even Loki raised an eyebrow and didn't retort.
"A good alias." Hermes smiled and clapped, seemingly enjoying this dramatic clash.
Ultimately, with the approval of the majority of the gods, the alias [Flame Emperor] was officially established.
Immediately after, the news of Robin's promotion to Level 5 once again made the gods marvel at the terrifying growth potential of the Focalors Familia. Her alias, [Saint of Battle Rhythm], was already elegant and fitting; after some discussion, it was retained and confirmed.
When it was Firefly's turn to be promoted to Level 3, the gods were already somewhat numb. For this young girl, who was also a newcomer, they quickly passed the alias [Molten Knight] based on her fighting style of transforming into a flame knight, without causing any ripples.
Furina sat down in satisfaction, a victorious smile curling the corners of her mouth.
Her guardianship mission had been perfectly accomplished.
----
The day after the assembly ended, a massive crowd had already gathered in front of the giant notice board at the Guild Headquarters.
When the latest promotion list was posted, the boiling voices instantly turned into dead silence, followed by a tsunami of gasps and uproar.
[Focalors Familia — Aiden · Level 5 · Alias: Flame Emperor]
That line of text, written in Koine, stung every adventurer's eyes like a brand.
"Level 5… I'm not seeing things, am I? How long has he been an adventurer? Eight months?!"
"Gods, this is no longer in the realm of geniuses. This is a monster. A thoroughbred monster."
"[Flame Emperor]… It's an unapologetically arrogant alias, but on him, it feels completely justified."
Jealousy, envy, shock, awe… countless complex emotions intertwined within the crowd.
With an almost crushing, unreasonable speed, Aiden had once again refreshed Orario's understanding of the word "growth."
However, that wasn't all.
"Look below! Robin, Robin from the Focalors Familia has also reached Level 5!"
If Aiden's promotion was a giant boulder thrown into a lake, then Robin's was a second one following closely behind.
The entire adventurer populace completely boiled over.
"One Familia, producing two First-Class Adventurers at the same time?!"
"The Focalors Familia… now has two Level 5s. This faction is already powerful enough to rival the core strength of any top-tier Familia."
Under the impact of these two explosive pieces of news, another piece of intelligence at the bottom of the list, which should have been equally dazzling, now seemed somewhat dim.
"That rookie named Firefly reached Level 3 too… her alias is [Molten Knight]." An adventurer muttered to himself.
"Tsk, another monster rookie. Any other time, this would definitely be headline news at the taverns," his companion sighed. "But today… well, she just picked a bad time to rank up."
The name [Flame Emperor] spread to every corner of Orario within a day like a prairie fire.
What followed was a reignited frenzy of people wanting to join the Focalors Familia.
From that day on, the wide street in front of Palais Mermonia was heavily congested with an endless stream of applicants, becoming the newest and most headache-inducing sight in the Labyrinth City.
----
The headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia, one of the wealthiest workshops in Orario, famous as the City of Blacksmithing.
The air, which should have been permeated with the scorching heat of metal and the fragrance of ore, was instead shattered by an earth-shattering wail.
"Waaah— Hephaestus, you can't kick me out! I don't want to go! I swear I won't sneak your snacks ever again!"
Hestia, the virgin Goddess of the Hearth, was currently hugging her best friend's thigh with absolutely zero regard for her image. Tears and snot flowed down together as she hung on like a giant slime, throwing a tantrum and rolling on the floor in an attempt to soften the other party's resolve with a tearful offensive.
However, the red-haired goddess she was clinging to, Hephaestus, merely crossed her arms and looked down at her from above. Her eyes were full of helplessness, but her tone was more resolute than ever.
"No, Hestia. Get up. Look at what you've been doing these past few months? Gluttonous and lazy. You haven't found a single Familia member, and you won't go look for a job. You're already a useless goddess. If I keep letting you stay, you'll truly be ruined."
With the Hephaestus Familia's financial power, supporting one useless goddess was more than enough; even ten wouldn't be a strain.
But she couldn't just stand by and watch her best friend—whom she had known since their time in Heaven—sink completely in this lower world.
"Couldn't you learn a bit from Furina?" Hephaestus's voice rose a notch, carrying a hint of frustration. "Look at the Focalors Familia. She descended only a few months before you. Her Familia has been established for less than a year, and now it's one of the absolute top A-Rank Familias in Orario. Now look at yourself. You do nothing but eat and sleep all day long, never doing a single proper thing. I don't want to put up with you anymore."
"Furina just got lucky." Hestia argued irrationally, trying to defend her laziness. "I'll find one too! I definitely will! A child more amazing than anyone else's!"
"Then go find one!" Hephaestus finally lost her patience. She kicked her leg up forcefully, shaking Hestia off.
=== ⋆⋅❖⋅⋆ ===
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