In Orario, Level 1 marks the bottom rung of Adventurers— the weakest of the lot.
Above them stretch Levels 2 and 3, climbing to 5, 6, and beyond, where the city's elite, top-tier Adventurers, reign. Right now, the pinnacle in Orario is a Level 7, a figure whose might towers over the average Adventurer like a god among mortals.
Only by hitting Level 2 does one earn the title of a top-tier Adventurer.
The chasm between Level 2 and Level 1 is vast— strength multiplied several times over, rendering it nearly impossible for a low-tier Adventurer to topple someone from the upper ranks.
"I'm a Level 1 Adventurer. It's right there on my registration. What more do you need?"
The man calling himself Kumariki rumbled in a low, gravelly tone.
Even as he was staring down Shakti Varma— Captain of the Ganesha Familia and a Level 5 titan in Orario— his voice carried no trace of unease.
"Or what? Do you want me to strip off my shirt and chug an unlock potion to flash my stats for you?"
His words edged into insolence.
He knew the Ganesha Familia's reputation as soft touches.
Their Chief God, Ganesha, styled himself the "God of the Masses," rubbing shoulders with Orario's common folk. His Familia mirrored that creed, keeping things cordial with the public.
Without hard proof, they couldn't touch him.
Good folks are easy prey.
"…"
Shakti held her tongue, her keen eyes narrowing slightly.
The Blessing— or Falna— bestowed by a Chief God, known as the
A glimpse at those stats reveals everything: their Level, attributes, Magic, Skills, the works.
But in Orario, prying into someone's ability value is a line you don't cross.
It's the bedrock of an Adventurer's identity— expose it, and you're begging for bad blood.
An unlock potion, a shady concoction that forces those sealed stats into the open, is contraband— nothing you'd find on a legitimate market stall.
Still, she couldn't let the young fighter onstage stumble into peril.
She'd already set her sights on recruiting him into her Familia; no way she'd let him falter under her watch.
"How about it?"
A voice cut through her hesitation from the arena.
"Let him come up."
Ryoji lounged at the stage's edge, tapping his knife's flat against his shoulder.
His face glowed with an easy warmth, a wide grin splitting it, radiating unshakable confidence— like he couldn't care less about the stakes, free as a breeze.
"…You sure about that?" Shakti glanced up at Ryoji, a dull throb starting behind her temples.
'Your technique might be sharp, kid, but do you even grasp what's happening here?'
This isn't some Level 1 you can outmuscle with grit. This is a bona fide Level 2— a top-tier Adventurer who's leapt beyond the common crowd, a cornerstone of Orario's might!
Out there, he'd rule whole territories single-handedly.
"That's the spirit."
Ryoji gave a solid nod.
"…Just try not to die."
Shakti massaged her brow, a long, weary sigh slipping out after a beat.
She might've had double his years, but she couldn't help liking the little scamp. Watching him bite it right in front of her? Not an option. Still, the fighters' choices weren't hers to meddle with… she'd have to keep a hawk's eye on this bout.
Kumariki's eyes glinted with a frigid edge, his unmasked fury aimed squarely at Ryoji.
That rage simmered with the sting of Ryoji's earlier brush-off and the gnawing insult of being dismissed as lesser.
He stomped over to the weapon rack and snatched up a spiked club.
"Kid, you'll wish you'd kept your mouth shut!"
"Bring it on, Bear Man."
"…It's 'Kumariki'!"
"Sure thing, Bear Two."
Veins pulsed on Kumariki's forehead, his breaths coming fast and sharp as he lumbered onto the stage.
The name might've been a hasty invention, but the kid's cavalier jabs stoked his anger hotter, feeding a growing urge to rip him apart for daring to underestimate him.
The brief hold-up did nothing to cool the crowd's fervor. Ryoji's sheer presence— a fighter this unreal—whipped the entire audience into a frenzy.
"Go get 'em, kid! This old-timer's got his valis on you!"
"Big Sis, how much did you wager?"
"Every last coin I had."
A wave of exhilaration crashed through the arena, igniting humans and Demi-Humans alike— common folk and Adventurers swept up in the thrill.
Roars of encouragement reverberated across the stands.
"Let the match begin!"
The host's voice boomed, rippling through the space.
"Boom!"
Kumariki slammed a foot down, the impact shaking the floor as he launched forward, a bear in full charge.
His eyes blazed with wrath, muscles bunching like taut cords, the spiked club hoisted high with a menacing air that promised ruin.
"Ha!"
With a guttural yell, he barreled toward Ryoji, swinging the club downward with ferocious might, its spikes flashing wickedly in the light.
"No way this guy's a Level 1!"
The instant the fight kicked off, Shakti's gut clenched as she zeroed in on the Beastman.
No question about it.
A Level 1 couldn't muster that kind of speed or raw power—this was Level 2 territory, at minimum. For a Bearman, he might even scrape the upper crust of that tier!
A gust roared toward Ryoji.
The blow was heavy, brimming with force.
The sheer strength in his arms and the feral way he swung that weapon stirred echoes of Ryoji's recent clash with Kurashiki Kuraudo, the infamous
"Boom!"
A deafening crash rang out as the spiked club hammered the ground, splintering the pale stone tiles into shards that stung the air and bit at nearby onlookers.
Ryoji sidestepped just in time, the wind from the strike whipping his hair back.
He didn't fall back on the pivot trick he'd used against Kuraudo.
A great katana's edge could snag and hold, but a spiked club? No chance—its sleek handle offered nothing to latch onto.
The pivot relied on leverage, hooking the weapon near the wrist to sap the foe's brutal strength. Try that on the club's shaft, and he'd be flattened by Kumariki's sheer brawn in a heartbeat.
Having slipped the overhead smash, Ryoji darted in, ready to strike back.
He'd dodged at the razor's edge of the club's reach to set up his counter fast.
It kept Kumariki in his striking zone, ensuring the Bearman couldn't dodge the bite of his blade.
"Whoosh!"
But in a flash, the spiked club rose again, sweeping sideways with startling speed.
(End of Chapter)
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