"How could that be? It's just that those two are abnormal."
Alfia shook her head, cutting off Zald's grumbling. Because of their illness—and because they no longer had their original gods—Zald and Alfia had gone years without updating their status. Zald could still have Zeus update his numbers now, but the two of them, already standing at the edge of life's finish line, had long since stopped caring.
Just as Alfia said, they were simply waiting quietly for death to arrive.
If they still had anything they couldn't let go of… it was probably the two "orphans" in front of them—what remained of their familias.
"Even I've never seen two people break the limit at the same time," Zeus said, stroking his thick white beard, mind racing. "This is abnormal to the point of being suspicious."
"Is it because of Duncan? Or is it Bell's own skill?" Alfia asked, turning her head.
Both Lucky One? and Hero Longing were rare skills they'd never seen before. If those skills didn't merely accelerate stat growth, but could also push past the cap—then the absurd numbers finally had an explanation.
"It's probably that both of their skills have some effect that breaks the limit," Zeus replied, as if he'd read her thoughts. "The only question is how long that breakthrough can be sustained."
"There's no point worrying about that now," Zald said. "If Bell can break the limit too, then we just train him even harder from here on."
Bell's face instantly went stiff.
The smug little pride he'd been feeling at "surprising" the adults vanished on the spot and turned into pure fear. If Zald was saying the current training wasn't enough—that meant there was an even more thorough "baptism" coming.
No one wanted to hear that.
"Then I'll level you up now," Zeus said, tossing Bell a glance. "Bell, you okay with that?"
"Ah! Y-Yes! No problem, Grandpa!" Bell snapped back to attention and answered loudly.
Blue light flared again. Zeus performed a series of practiced motions, and Bell's brand-new status appeared on the sheet.
BellLevel: 2
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Development Ability: Escape I (greatly increases speed while fleeing)
Skill: Hero Longing
Hero's Strike (a blow formed by pouring everything into the desire to become a hero—strong enough to shatter fate)
"As you can see," Zeus said, looking like he was struggling to keep a straight face, "Bell awakened a new skill… and a new ability."
It wasn't that a new Development Ability was shocking. Escape was rare, but over a millennium plenty of adventurers had gotten it.
And Hero's Strike looked like a chain skill born from Hero Longing.
What was ridiculous… was that he got both, at the same time.
He yearned to become a hero—and awakened an ultimate reversal move worthy of a hero.
Yet he also gained an ability that literally rewarded him for running away.
That contradiction made Zeus think of a certain person.
The very first hero—
Argonaut.
History's evaluation of Argonaut was mixed: clown, braggart, professional runner… the slander had never stopped from ancient times to the present. But one thing was universally acknowledged:
He really was the first hero.
"It's probably because Duncan forced Bell to run," Zald said, understanding the cause. "And because Bell couldn't change that battlefield outcome. When the heart wants something strongly enough, skills form in that direction."
Even so, the twitching at the corner of Zald's eye betrayed his mood.
When had the Zeus Familia ever produced someone with an "escape" skill?
But then Zald remembered Bell's father—that guy who managed to seduce the Hera Familia's treasured beauty and bring her home without getting cut to pieces—
…and suddenly everything made sense.
This was probably hereditary.
"Adaptive training starts now," Alfia said, her expression dark. "Bell, come with me."
She was clearly displeased with the appearance of an "Escape" skill. Now she had the perfect excuse: "help Bell adapt to his new level."
In reality, she could finally train—read: beat—him properly under a legitimate pretext.
Bell, looking like a man accepting his fate, followed Alfia out.
Zeus threw him a look of sympathy… then turned back to Duncan.
"Now tell me," Zeus said. "What exactly happened in the Great Tree Sea? Zald's letter covered the outline, but there are still too many mysteries."
"It's about the backup plan left behind by the god who sent me here," Duncan replied.
This time, he didn't hold anything back. He explained the whole chain of events as it happened.
"A thousand-year-old ruin and some kind of 'backup plan,' huh…" Zeus frowned. "But I don't recall anything like that."
"Old man, you've been in Orario since the beginning," Zald cut in. "The Great Tree Sea is far away—how could you possibly know?"
"That's true," Zeus admitted, shaking his head. "But something still feels off. The Great Tree Sea is huge, but explorers go there all the time. If there really were ruins, someone would've found them. Even deeper ruins have familias that check them regularly—there's no reason a ruin closer to the outside would be missed."
"Unless only a certain 'god-approved' person can see it," Zeus continued. "That would explain it. But if someone is going to hide something from the gods—go to this trouble—why? And why send you now? What for?"
"Didn't he say it was to save the world?" Duncan asked.
"You believe a god's bullshit?" Zeus shot back, glaring.
Then he continued, patient but deadly serious.
"Listen, kid. Don't assume other gods are kindhearted. Yes, there are good gods in the Lower World. But most of them come down for entertainment. For entertainment, they wouldn't hesitate to let the world burn."
"The reason they don't want the Dark Faction or monsters to destroy the Lower World isn't because they're 'protecting people'—it's because they're afraid they'll run out of fun. Or that the fun isn't thrilling enough yet to be worth paying the price of the entire world."
"So don't blindly trust the god in your head," Zeus concluded. "He's hiding his name and skulking around for a reason."
"I understand," Duncan said, nodding seriously.
"…One more thing," Zeus said, voice quieter. "That shop in your head—does it have anything that can treat diseases?"
"Old man…" Duncan started.
"I'm just asking," Zeus snapped. "It's not like it costs you anything."
"…No," Duncan answered softly. "I already checked everything. Even the panacea can't cure Zald and Alfia."
His voice carried genuine pain.
"It's fine," Zeus said, forcing his tone steady. "That's not your fault. I'm just asking."
"Just asking," he repeated.
....
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