Just on the outskirts of Orario, on a tree at the edge of a distant forest, a lone flower stretched out its milky white petals in greetings to a rising sun. A few songbirds chirped merrily at one another as they started their day, looking for fresh food. The snowy fields surrounding the walled city had begun to melt, saturating the dirt roads leading up to it with dirty puddles. Here and there, patches of particularly hardy grass poked up through the blanket of white. Their emerald tips waved gently in a lukewarm breeze, defying the forces that sought to keep them down. It was an unseasonably warm early March, but everyone within the adventurer’s city was happy for the swift reprieve from the forces of winter. The shopkeepers and merchants all had an extra spring in their step as they went about their morning duties, and twice as many children as normal were mucking about in the muddy roads.
Within a small saffron house in the Northwestern district of Orario, a beautiful middle-aged woman was putting the finishing touches on a beautiful painting. It spoke of rosebuds and new blooms, of bluejays in bramble nests, of older couples strolling a garden and newly minted families trying to pacify rowdy babies. She seemed especially happy as she finished off the tiny details, the baby’s nose or the chick’s beak. Across from her, a beautiful younger girl was struggling valiantly to put the finishing touches on a blue scarf. She was fair-skinned where the other woman was tan, her bright argent hair contrasting against older lady’s midnight locks, her fingers clumsy while her elder’s were skilled. Hestia had been pleased to teach Emily how to knit, complaining good naturedly that Lilli didn’t want to learn any skills that didn’t involve managing the Familia or exploring the Dungeon. Emi had taken to the task with great enthusiasm but mediocre skill. Still, Hestia’s lessons had melted away much of her shy exterior, revealing the natural bubbly personality.
True to form, the Lilli in question was sitting on the couch, scratching away at the Familia ledgers with a unique enthusiasm. She had a legal book open next to her and would regularly look at it, then back to the books, muttering thoughtfully all the while. Adama sat on the floor as usual, surrounded by a few vials and some Mixing ingredients. He had set those to the side for now, and was instead examining his status sheet:
Timaias Adama,
Level 2
Swordsman: G, Spirit Healing: G, Strong Body: H, Hunter: H
Strength: SSS-1169 -> 1170
Defense: SS-1091 -> SS-1094
Dexterity: SSS-1132 -> SSS-1134
Agility: SS-1041 -> SS-1043
Magic: SSS-1190
Spells:
Rippling Sword
* Swift Strike Magic
Endless Sword
* Mid-Grade Magic
* Chant: “Endless Sword”
Skills:
Predator
* Increased Growth
* Killing Monsters provides increased Growth.
* Killing more Monsters in a short period of time results in an even greater bonus
Mind of a Swordsman
* Automatic Reception of the Swordsman and Spirit Healing Abilities. These Abilities are automatically raised to grade H upon reception.
* All Grade I Abilities the user possesses at the time this skill is obtained are also promoted to grade H.
* Swordsman and Spirit Healing increase in potency as danger increases, so long as the user can maintain composure.
No two ways about it, Adama had plateaued. After he came back from his battle with the Tiger, Hestia had informed him that he had more than enough high-grade excellia to Level up. He had been pushing the boundary even before that fiasco, so that intense fight had put Adama over the edge with flying colors. He had even seen increases in two of his abilities, which was very unusual without outright Leveling up. Hestia was all the more confused, then, when he told her to delay his advancement.
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Adama had always believed in walking your Path one step at a time, even if those steps looked like leaps sometimes. He had needed to Level up quickly when moving from 1 to 2. His upcoming debt payment mandated that he make more money, and quickly. However, he had finally socked away the 15 million he needed for that, so there was no need to rush. In fact, the longer he stayed at this Level, the more he accumulated stats for his Cumulative stat sheet. The Cumulative sheet was unseen, but it was a record of all the stats an adventurer had accumulated over the course of their growth. The higher one climbed within each Level, the stronger they would be in the long run. If two Level 5s fought, each with equal Level 5 stats, where one had consistently Leveled up with stats in the B-A grade while the other had Leveled up with stats in the S or even SS grade, the latter would be much stronger than the former.
Still, there was a limit to how much even Adama could climb while staying at his current Level. He had just come back from a productive training trip, and this was all he had to show for it. He hadn’t even improved his magic, despite using it often. He could stay at this Level for a few more years if he really wanted to, steadily accumulating stats until he hit the roof of SSS. But the time he would have to spend probably wasn’t worth it. With a quiet sigh, he turned to meet Hestia’s eyes. She had set down her paint brush and was watching him with an ever-patient gaze. Adama gave her a wry smile and nodded.
It looked like he'd have to spend his day filling out paperwork again.
…
Within a cottage in the Southwestern district of Orario, there was a small hole in the ground that led to an underground cave. The authorities of the city knew nothing of this cave system, creating an opportunity for all sorts of people who slunk about in the shadows. One such person was a dark eyed man, of average looks and no distinguishing facial features. He strode through the caverns with a natural grace, reached the opening, and leaped out of the hole. Surreptitiously, he opened the cabin door just a hair, checked to see if the coast was clear, then hurried out of the building and into the back alleyways. He was clad in a grey robe with a long hood that effectively concealed his body and his face, making it easy for him to skulk unobtrusively through the pathways of Orario’s seediest district. Eventually, he reached his destination.
He slipped out the doorway of an abandoned warehouse at the edge of town. Chipped white paint and boarded up windows marked the place as long discarded by civilization. Small holes in the roof were the only light source in the building, but that didn’t bother the man in the slightest. His enhanced senses ensured that he was aware of his surroundings at all time, and he remained expressionless as he walked briskly through the building, then stood stock still in the center of it. He waited there as the minutes passed, then an hour. The mysterious stranger stood stock still for nearly two hours before he heard the door creak open behind him. In a cold, confident voice, he calmly said:
“You’re late.”
The man who had opened the door gasped as though he was out of breath, clearly having sprinted to the meeting point. There was a thrill of fear in the newcomer’s voice when he responded:
“Apologies! I’m so sorry sir. I was detained longer than anticipated.”
The newcomer paused, waiting for a reply, but he received no such thing. The silence stretched for a few awkward moments before the frightened man continued:
“Since you summoned me, does that mean that the Project is complete?”
The mysterious stranger allowed another long pause before he answered:
“Prototypes have been created, but we require suitable test subjects for the serum. Minor ones, targets that will not disrupt the city overly much. But visible enough that they can send a message. Understood?”
He heard the rustle of the man nodding, then held out four vials of dark purple liquid to his right. The other man crept forward and snatched the vials out of his hand before scurrying away. The door shut close soon afterward, leaving the stranger alone in the lowlight. He held his position for a few minutes afterward, before turning around and striding towards the door again. Things were progressing quite nicely. If this Project was all that it promised, then the world would change irreparably.
All would fear Sekhmet.
…
Tim had cleared out the basement of their little Familia home and turned it into a makeshift Mixing lab. So long as he aired the place out regularly, Hestia allowed him to make whatever he needed down here. Naaza had also declared him proficient as an intermediate Mixer and allowed him to start taking a few cracks at the more advanced and unique stuff. Which he would need to if he wanted to brave the Dungeon’s deeper floors. He frowned in irritation at his most recent failure in his attempts at making a Diver Potion. The genuine stuff was supposed to be a nice, robin’s egg blue. Yet the current specimen in the vial was a livid red.
As he was pondering how things could have gone so wrong, Lilli yelled down the stairs at him:
“Mr. Tim, Hestia has something she wants to tell you! Can you come upstairs when you reach a stopping point.”
Adama set his work down with a final shake of his head and walked to the stairs. He would figure that out later. Upstairs, in the living room, Hestia was sitting in her favorite wooden chair. She beckoned for him to sit down in the leather chair across from her, and he did so. Smiling benevolently at him, she intoned:
“As I am sure you’ve heard, the gods get together in a big meeting every now and again, known as the Council of the Gods. It’s not terribly formal, and in some ways it’s just another excuse to party. But we do decide on a few interesting things. One of those is the formal Aliases that adventurers carry. An Alias represents an acknowledgement of all your hard work and the challenges you’ve overcome so far. It is a mark of our favor, and in my case, my gratitude.”
Adama raised an eyebrow, his skepticism as clear as day. Hestia only grinned wider:
“I worked hard to get you a good name, Tim! I think this kind of thing is pretty neat, don’t you?”
Tim raised the other eyebrow, and she quickly got to the point:
“Timaias Adama, I am proud to present you with the title of…”
She paused teasingly for dramatic effect:
“Sword Saint (剣聖)”