With the end of the Divine Assembly, the titles of Aether (Renjiro) and Lumine were officially set.
That very evening, the Guild dispatched several capable clerks to publish a complete list of the newly named upper-class adventurers.
That night, the announcement board beside the Guild headquarters was thronged with endless streams of adventurers.
Some, upon seeing their new titles, wailed in utter shame, then fled in tears, unable to face the world.
Absolutely tragic.
A few others, however, had stars in their eyes.
Even if their gods thought the names were awful, they themselves felt the titles were downright heroic.
And here, a little context is necessary, in this fantasy world touched by the divine, mortals still didn't understand the concept of chunibyo. The gods, however, understood it perfectly.
So when names like Eternal Night Demon Prince or Tyrant Berserker of the Heavens were read out, the gods either smirked or covered their faces.
Meanwhile, the mortals exclaimed:
"Ah, as expected of the gods, only they could come up with such powerful names!"
A generational, no, a dimensional gap in perception.
As a transmigrator from modern China, Renjiro knew exactly how things really worked. That was why he'd been nervous earlier, worried some prankster god would saddle him with a humiliating title.
Fortunately, Freya had his back.
Twin Stars, his and Lumine's new title, might carry a faint whiff of chunibyo, but at least it wasn't outright embarrassing.
And besides…
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Two days later, after completing his short-term goal of raising his entire party to Level 20 in Genshin terms, Renjiro was summoned directly to the top floor of Babel Tower, Freya's private domain as Orario's strongest goddess.
Before the vast floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the entire city, Renjiro, once again back in his true form rather than the Starfire Glow disguise, met the sensual goddess.
Today she wore her usual daring outfit: black with crimson trim, her long legs crossed casually, her eyes half-lidded, her expression languid yet filled with hidden meaning.
"This time," Freya said, gazing at him with a faint smile, "I'd like to respect your own opinion."
Renjiro blinked.
"…Ordinary. Something inconspicuous. That way I can better hide my real identity."
He shrugged lightly. "Something like The Traveler would be fine."
"Oh?" Freya's lips curled in amusement. "I would have thought you'd want something more like Lord of Ten Thousand Stars."
She tilted her head. "Actually, it suits you rather well at the moment, doesn't it?"
Renjiro sighed, realizing she was teasing him on purpose. "Please don't mess around."
"Fufu~"
Freya chuckled softly at the exasperated look on his face. Recently, she found herself enjoying these easy conversations.
After all, men like Ottar or Allen adored her, but always with an undercurrent of reverence, as if she were above them.
Being respected wasn't bad, but as a goddess who'd lived for eons, and one who was half a mischief-maker, Freya longed for something fresh.
Only Renjiro provided that.
And so she was happy to try ways of interacting she'd never attempted before, slowly nurturing a more natural bond with her little brother.
================
"By the way, you've been raiding the Dungeon nonstop lately. I imagine your stats have grown quite a bit," Freya remarked. "Shall we update your Falna?"
"Yeah," Renjiro nodded. "If you don't mind."
She gestured toward a cushioned chair. He moved it over, sat, and lifted his shirt to reveal the divine tattoo of the Falna across his back.
As Freya let a drop of her ichor fall, the numbers flowed across her vision:
================
Higashikata Renjiro
Level: 1
Stats:
Strength: h-123 → g-260
Endurance: h-139 → g-259
Dexterity: h-171 → g-298
Agility: h-165 → f-303
Magic: d-590 → b-777
Skills: Starry Abyss
Magic: Paimon Time, Genshin Descent, Starfire's Flowing Light
================
She finished the record and handed him the parchment.
Renjiro glanced at it. "About as expected."
This time, his total growth was over 700 points, a great leap, though still less than the previous thousand-point surge.
But that was normal. The higher one climbed, the slower progress came. Not everyone had cheat-like skills such as Inherent Dream that accelerated growth.
Renjiro had his own bug-tier abilities, so he wasn't about to sulk over it.
Then came Aether and Lumine's updates.
When he saw their stats, SSS-1999 across the board, even Renjiro himself whistled.
"This is what it means to be a total cheat."
The twins, already at Level 20 in Genshin terms, had power rivaling the very peak of Level 2 adventurers.
Even the future exploits of Orario's red-eyed rabbit boy could never reach this level.
And Renjiro already had five such cheats in his party. Plus Paimon, arguably the strongest supporter ever.
At this rate, next trip I can probably head straight for the 18th Floor.
The 18th was one of the Dungeon's rare safe zones, where monsters usually didn't spawn. Adventurers had even built a small town there, Rivira, complete with inns.
He really wanted to see it for himself.
================
But just as he thought that,
"Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you."
Freya lightly tapped her palm with a fist as if remembering something.
"For the next few days, don't rush into the Dungeon alone."
Renjiro frowned. "…Something troublesome happened?"
Given the Freya Familia's dominance, he knew that beneath the surface their affairs were riddled with strife.
If not external threats, then certainly internal rivalries, especially among their volatile First-Class adventurers.
Had I already drawn too much attention?
Freya smiled. "Relax. Nothing troublesome. In fact, it's good news for you."
She leaned back. "A few days ago, I met with Loki. I secured two slots in her Familia's next adventure."
"With your strength, it's time you see the deeper layers. And with your… unique traits, an Expedition is the fastest way to trigger your next Level Up condition."
"In fact, I expect just one Expedition could push your Falna to a qualitative breakthrough."
She shrugged lightly. "Of course, it's up to you. If you decide to go, drop by the Twilight Manor, Loki Familia's base. Get to know their adventurers, make yourself familiar… hmm? Are you listening?"
She paused.
Because Renjiro was staring at her, utterly dumbfounded.
"…???"
He couldn't believe it. Did Freya just encourage me to approach the Loki Familia?
He muttered in shock:
"Is this really the Freya I know? Don't tell me DanMachi's world has a Lostbelt too?"
================
Footnotes
Chunibyo – Japanese slang for "eighth-grader syndrome," describing teens who believe they have hidden powers, dark destinies, or are special protagonists.
Lostbelt – A reference to Fate/Grand Order, where alternate timelines (Lostbelts) replace the proper history. Renjiro uses this as a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for how "out-of-character" Freya seems here.
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