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By the next morning, the news spread all over Orario.
Everyone in the city was talking about the same thing.
"Did you hear?"
A merchant whispered to his friend in the market.
"One man broke the Soma Familia. He destroyed all their wine and beat their captain. He did it just to save a little girl."
Elias heard the whispers as he walked past them.
He did not care about the rumors.
He just bought some fresh bread, handed a piece to Dee, and continued his normal life.
A few days later, the family gathered inside the old church.
Hestia sat on the bed with a piece of paper.
She had just finished updating Bell and Lili's status.
"You two are doing great,"
Hestia said proudly, handing them their papers.
"You are both still Level 1, but your numbers are growing very fast."
"Thank you, Goddess,"
Bell smiled, looking at his paper.
"We will keep trying our best."
Hestia turned to Elias and Dee.
"Alright, you two,"
Hestia said.
"It is your turn. Come here."
Elias sat on the floor and took off his shirt.
Dee sat next to him and lowered the back of her dress.
Hestia pricked her finger.
She gently traced her blood over the symbols on their backs.
The blue light shined brightly. The new letters and numbers appeared on their skin.
Hestia stared at their backs.
She stopped moving completely.
Her eyes went wide, and her hands started to shake.
"Goddess?"
Bell asked, looking worried.
"Is something wrong?"
Hestia did not answer right away.
She quickly grabbed a piece of paper and copied the words down.
She stared at the paper in pure shock.
"This is impossible,"
Hestia whispered.
"Did we break something?"
Dee asked playfully.
"You broke the rules of the world,"
Hestia answered.
She looked at Elias and Dee like she had never seen them before.
"Normally, stats go from 'I' to 'S'. The letter 'S' is the absolute maximum limit an adventurer can reach."
"And what are our letters?"
Elias asked calmly.
Hestia swallowed hard. She turned the paper around so they could see.
"Your stats do not say 'S',"
Hestia explained, her voice trembling.
"They say 'EX'. I have lived for thousands of years. I did not even know this rank existed. It means your power goes far past the limit of a normal mortal."
Bell gasped. Lili covered her mouth with both hands.
"EX..."
Bell muttered.
"That is incredible."
"Is that a bad thing?"
Elias asked.
"It is a dangerous thing if other Gods find out,"
Hestia said, rubbing her forehead.
"I will have to hide these numbers. But there is another big change. Because your stats are so high, you both just leveled up. You are Level 2 now."
"Level 2!"
Lili cheered.
"Congratulations!"
Hestia nodded, but her face stayed very serious.
"When an adventurer reaches Level 2, things change,"
Hestia told them.
"The Gods hold a special meeting. We vote on a new title for you. It is called an Alias."
"An Alias?"
Elias repeated.
"Like a cool hero name?"
"Exactly,"
Hestia said.
"The whole city already knows Elias destroyed the Soma camp. The other Gods are very curious about you. At the next meeting, they will give you both a name. We have to be ready for whatever they choose.".
…
"We have a lot of money saved up,"
Elias said the next morning.
"It is time to upgrade our gear."
"Yes!"
Lili agreed.
"Everyone already has great weapons. But the dungeon is getting harder. We need strong defense."
They walked to a large blacksmith shop in the city.
The walls were covered in heavy metal plates, helmets, and shields.
"Take your time,"
Elias told Bell.
"Find something that fits your fighting style."
Bell walked down the quiet aisle. He looked at many shiny silver plates.
Then, he stopped in front of a light red chest plate. It looked very simple, but it was smooth and well-made.
He reached out and touched the metal.
"I like this one,"
Bell said.
Lili ran over and looked at the small name tag. She immediately frowned.
"Oh, Bell,"
Lili warned him.
"You should not buy that. It is made by a Crozzo."
"A Crozzo?"
Bell asked.
"Is that bad?"
"The Crozzo family is famous for making magic swords,"
Lili explained.
"But the swords always break. People say their armor is bad luck. No one buys it."
"That is a stupid rumor,"
A firm voice called out.
A young man stepped out from behind a tall shelf.
He had messy red hair and a sharp scowl.
He wore a thick leather apron.
"I am Welf Crozzo,"
The man said.
"I forged that armor."
Lili squeaked and hid behind Elias.
Welf looked straight at Bell.
"If you believe the street rumors, put it down,"
Welf told him flatly.
"I do not want a coward wearing my work."
Bell did not put the armor down.
He held it against his chest. He moved his arms around to test the weight.
"It feels very light,"
Bell said honestly.
"The joints are flexible. I can move fast in this. You worked really hard to make it."
Welf blinked in surprise. His angry frown slowly vanished.
"You... Do you actually like it?"
Welf asked.
"Yes,"
Bell smiled brightly.
"I want to buy it. Will you make gear for my friends, too?"
Welf stared at the white-haired boy.
For a very long time, people only wanted his family to make magic swords.
No one ever cared about his normal armor.
They only cared about explosions.
Welf let out a short, sudden laugh.
He crossed his arms.
"You are a very strange kid,"
Welf smiled.
"But if you trust my hammer, I will make the best armor you have ever seen."
Dee peeked over Bell's shoulder and looked at Welf.
"Can you make mine black?"
Dee asked cheerfully.
"And very light? I like to jump around!"
"I can do that,"
Welf nodded.
"I will need to measure all of you. Come to the back of the shop."
Elias watched Bell talk happily with the red-haired blacksmith.
He patted Lili's shoulder.
"See?"
Elias told her quietly.
"Rumors are just words. You have to judge a person by their actions."
Lili looked at Welf, then nodded slowly.
She followed them to the back, ready to get her very own armor for the first time.