That evening in the Astraea Familia kitchen, everyone was enjoying Astraea's cooking. The atmosphere was peaceful; the Evilus hadn't attacked in days, and Orario felt prosperous again.
Roland stood up with a smug grin. "Good evening, my sisters!"
"What are you up to now, you brat?" Alise teased. Everyone had realized that Roland was a mix of Alise's goofiness and Ryuu's seriousness.
"Today was perfect! No crimes, no sadness, only good news!" Roland struck a dramatic pose. The girls laughed, accusing Alise of corrupting him.
Roland reached behind his back and pulled out the shimmering Golden Egg. "Behold!"
"Wow! A golden egg! Wait... what does it do?" Alise asked, her excitement immediately deflating.
Lyra sighed. "It's a monster drop, Alise. Roland wouldn't show it off if it weren't rare. Wait... a golden item... is it that?"
"It's the drop from the Jack Bird!" Roland and Lyra said in unison.
Roland pouted at Lyra for stealing his thunder, while the others gasped. "The million-Valis egg!"
"Roland, are you going to sell it?" Ryuu asked with a smile.
"Actually, no," Roland replied. "Let's keep it as a Familia treasure! It's valuable because it's rare. Plus, Lady Astraea can show it off to the other gods, right?"
Astraea walked over and touched the egg gently. "I will certainly brag to my divine friends about the child who brought me an egg of luck. Well done, Roland."
Later, in Astraea's room, she updated his stats in front of Alise and the others. When they heard he had reached SS rank in Magic, Ryuu—who had once aimed for S999 herself—was the first to congratulate him with a sincere smile.
"This is just the beginning," Roland promised. "I'll give you even more reasons to be surprised!"
[Roland - Status Update]
Level 1
Strength: C689 → S912
Endurance: C686 → S908
Dexterity: B787 → S986
Agility: B767 → S978
Magic: SS1008 → SSS1220
"I didn't expect there to be a 'SSS' rank above 'SS.' Roland, you really are full of surprises."
Hearing that there was a new stage beyond SS, Lyra immediately rushed to the Goddess's side, standing on her tiptoes to see. "What is this? Why is there a new tier for the attributes!"
Astraea smiled at Lyra's struggle to see the parchment and handed it to her. The quartet crowded around; Alise and the others let out a collective gasp when they saw the Magic stat had broken into the SSS rank.
Although he was slightly dissatisfied that the other attributes were rising slower than his Magic, Roland maintained his cool, acting nonchalant as he addressed the four girls. "Impressive, right? You guys understand the weight of these numbers! Come on, give me some congratulations! Hahaha!"
After looking at the stats, Alise crossed her arms and drifted into her own world. Finally, her lips curled into a grin. "Hahaha! With Roland and my leadership, the Astraea Familia will definitely succeed in ending the Evilus and defeating the Black Dragon!!"
Kaguya watched the two of them acting like idiots. Her irritation flared, and unable to contain herself, she delivered a swift punch to both of their heads.
"OW!" they both cried in unison.
"You two idiots!! Quiet down!!"
Ryuu rushed in to stop Kaguya's violence, holding her back. "Kaguya, Roland and Alise are just excited. No need to get so angry."
Lyra watched them bicker, and the pressure she had been feeling suddenly vanished. She had been worried that Roland might change after reaching such unprecedented power, but it seemed there was no need for concern.
Astraea watched the playful scene and thought: Roland, your ability to break limits is startling, but what truly makes me happy is your humble heart. You haven't looked down on others despite your power. She stepped forward to embrace them. "Having all of you as my children is the happiest thing to happen to me since coming to the Lower World."
"We feel the same, Lady Astraea," Alise replied with a brilliant smile.
[Personal Info]
System Level: 26
In the Twilight Manor, Loki Familia:
"Captain, is it true that a Level 1 can fight a Silverback barehanded?" Raul Nord, a newer member, asked his captain.
Finn Deimne looked puzzled but answered, "A Level 1 who can reach the 11th Floor would have high stats, but fighting a Silverback barehanded is rare. Why do you ask, Raul?"
Raul scratched his face awkwardly. "I heard people at the Guild talking about someone fighting Silverbacks with their fists on the 11th Floor."
Finn pondered for a moment. "Did they say which Familia?"
"Yes, Captain! I think they mentioned a new member of the Astraea Familia."
"The Astraea Familia, huh? It seems that righteous Familia has gained another excellent adventurer." Thinking of that powerful Familia of eleven girls—and a troublesome fellow prum among them—Finn gave a wry smile. "You can leave those documents, Raul. Good work."
In the Benevolent Hall, Freya Familia:
Ottar knocked and handed a report to Freya. She flipped through a few pages, her grey eyes showing a hint of boredom before tossing it aside. "I've seen this person. The radiance of his soul is decent, but only decent. No need for further attention."
"Understood," Ottar replied stoically.
Roland decided to head to the 12th Floor. While the monsters were similar to the 11th, the spawn rate for elites like Silverbacks was much higher. He now encountered four or five at once, and the chance of meeting the Upper Floor Boss—the Infant Dragon—had increased.
Equipped with a new 150,000 Valis sword, Roland moved with grace. He parried a rolling Armadillo and thrust his blade into its soft core the moment it exposed itself. He dodged a hail of attacks, sliced through a Silverback's fist, and decapitated it before it could react.
"Too easy. Silverbacks aren't a problem anymore," Roland noted with satisfaction.
Suddenly, the ground vibrated far more violently than before. A giant beast, four to five meters tall, flickered within the white fog.
"Is that an Infant Dragon?" Its neck was long, its tail lashed occasionally, and it lacked wings. Though "infant" was in the name, its amber scales and horned face exuded a majesty far beyond an Orc.
ROOOOAAARR—!
The roar sent other nearby adventurers scrambling to retreat. Roland, however, felt a spark in his eyes. It's actually pretty cool.
As one of the strongest monster races, even an wingless Infant Dragon possessed a body far tougher than any Orc. It was a "Newbie Killer" responsible for countless adventurer deaths.
Roland charged. The dragon lowered its body, causing the ground to crack, and swung its powerful tail. Roland ducked the sweep and slashed at its hind leg. The dragon hissed in pain, swinging a claw at his head. Roland rolled, carved a deep wound into its belly, and leaped onto its back. Using the hard scales as handholds, he drove his sword into the dragon's eye.
The dragon went berserk, snapping its jaws in a blind rage. Roland danced around it, leaving more wounds until the beast's breathing grew labored.
"Time to give you a quick death!"
Gale winds gathered around his blade. He swung, and a crescent of blue energy sliced the Infant Dragon clean in half. It dropped a fist-sized magic stone, a dragon horn, and some scales.