Just stepping out of the Dungeon, Ryoji's expression still seemed slightly dazed.
He had never experienced such intense combat before. Even though he had already left the Dungeon, just seeing people pass by made his fingers twitch, as if he were ready to draw his blade at any moment.
Surrounded by the familiar hustle and bustle of the city, he stood silently for a while. The noise, the movement, it slowly brought him back to reality. Eventually, his breathing steadied, and his usual calm demeanor returned.
Only the fatigue lingered, deep and impossible to shake off.
He had spent the entire day roaming the 10th Floor, never even stepping foot into the 11th.
He'd thought he could at least reach the 13th Floor, but he had clearly overestimated himself.
His strength was real, no doubt. Even without activating any abilities, his combat capability was on par with a Level 2 Adventurer. But compared to someone like Kazuma, a genuine Level 2, he was still lacking in one critical area: stamina.
A proper Level 2 could mow down a swarm of Imps without breaking a sweat, then push onward to the lower floors like it was just a warm-up.
But Ryoji wasn't there yet. His swordsmanship was sharp, but group battles drained him fast. Fighting through a wave of Imps took a toll, and when a giant half-Beastman monster showed up, he found himself completely overextended.
His refined techniques let him fight enemies above his level, sure, but lacking the stamina to sustain it made a huge difference. In the Dungeon, where long battles and drawn-out skirmishes were common, that gap only grew more obvious.
"…Still, I can feel myself getting stronger."
He clenched his fist tightly.
A surge of power pulsed from within him, an unmistakable boost, like he had jumped half a level since morning. It was far more effective than training under the gravity arrays used by those eccentric old mages or noble warrior-maidens.
He had excellent body control, so even subtle changes didn't escape him.
This was likely the effect of his Falna, his divine blessing, gathering all the Excelia earned from a full day of fighting. Once updated, his stats would see a noticeable leap.
"First things first… food. Then I'll go update my ability values."
Ryoji yawned and stretched.
He made his way to the Guild headquarters. Misha had already clocked out, so he didn't bother looking for her. At the exchange counter, he handed over the Magic Stones he'd collected, earning about 5,000 valis.
"If only my backpack was bigger… I could've brought out way more Magic Stones. I'd have easily doubled that amount!"
He clicked his tongue in regret.
Sure, he had the backing of Kanata, the wealthy heiress whose jewelry alone was worth five to six million valis, but he'd developed a good habit: never leave money on the table. Especially since he didn't have a cheat-like money-making Skill.
What?
'He made 5,000 valis without a money-making Skill?'
Please. Anyone with hands could pick up Magic Stones. You didn't need a Skill for that.
---
Loki Familia.
Tiona stood at the entrance with a twin-bladed sword in hand, pulling guard duty.
She stared toward the Tower of Babel, anxiety written all over her face.
It was already past 8 PM. Ryoji still hadn't returned.
Even though she trusted his strength, worry gnawed at her. The Dungeon was unpredictable, danger came from every direction. Swordsmanship alone wasn't always enough.
The soft glow of a Magic Stone Lamp bathed the entrance in warm light. From a distance, a lone figure approached, his silhouette illuminated by the gentle flicker.
Tiona's tense expression immediately relaxed into a smile.
There was no mistaking it. Even with the dim lighting obscuring his features, the confident posture and graceful stride, both commanding yet refined, could only belong to Ryoji.
"On guard duty tonight, Tiona?"
He arrived at the front of the Familia's base, looking visibly tired but still managing a small smile.
"You're finally back!" Tiona's eyes welled up as she dropped her weapon and launched herself into his arms.
Ryoji's face went pale.
Yikes, a Level 5 headbutt is no joke!
"It's not like I wasn't coming back, you know. But I was really worried!"
No matter how much he patted her on the back, Tiona wouldn't let go. She just clung to him like a limpet.
What a clingy girl…
"Where's Loki?"
Realizing resistance was futile, Ryoji gave up and changed the subject.
"Loki's upstairs, in the central tower. Top floor, as usual. But if you want your status updated, you'll need to schedule it with her first."
The moment things turned serious, Tiona snapped back to her usual self, letting go of him with a playful grin.
"Appointment?"
"Yep! Our Familia's got a lot of members, so updating ability values takes effort, and it drains Divine Blood. If Loki bleeds too much and ends up getting yanked back to heaven, that'd be a disaster, wouldn't it? So, updates are limited each day. Besides…"
Tiona paused and then began listing off her Chief God's many, many flaws.
"Loki's a total slacker. She usually can't be bothered to update anyone's status unless there's a campaign coming up. Then she scrambles and updates everyone in one go."
During normal times? She'd slack off for three days and only get serious for two.
"If I want to make an appointment now, how long would I have to wait?"
"You'll have to ask Loki herself. I don't get mine updated that often."
Tiona was already a Level 5 Adventurer.
At that level, progress slowed to a crawl. Gaining even a single point of growth could take days, sometimes weeks. For someone like Tiona, updating her Falna once every couple of weeks was considered pretty diligent.
"Alright. I'll go talk to her."
Ryoji gave her a small nod and headed into the central tower, climbing the spiral staircase all the way to the top floor.
There was only one room up there, clearly marked. Ryoji walked over and gave the door a few firm knocks.
"Come iiiin!"
Loki's unmistakable voice rang out from inside.
He opened the wooden door, and was immediately hit by a wall of alcohol fumes, causing him to wince.
Ryoji had never touched alcohol in his life, and to him, the scent was as repulsive as rotten slime mold or whatever weird-smelling monster spawn you could find on the 13th Floor.
Loki's room was an unholy mess.
The spacious interior looked like a storage shed after a tornado. Books, short swords, and scrolls were piled into precarious little mountains. Her bed was buried under heaps of clothes, food wrappers, and who knows what. On the cluttered desk sat what looked like a rare feather quill, along with a white crystal shimmering in a kaleidoscope of magical colors.
But by far, the most common item in the room, without question, was the bottles.
Empty bottles. Half-filled bottles. Bottles lying under chairs, behind stacks of books, and even poking out from the sheets on the bed. She had a proper wine cellar tucked in one corner, but clearly that hadn't stopped her from spreading her "collection" all over the place.
At that moment, Loki was perched on the edge of the bed, cradling a bottle like it was a long-lost lover, a goofy, blissful grin plastered across her flushed face.
"Oh. It's you."
Her smile instantly vanished when she saw who had entered.
Was she hoping one of the cute girls from the Familia would walk in instead? Maybe she was halfway into fantasizing about some wild, drunken adventure…
"What d'you want?"
"I came to ask about updating my status. If I need to make an appointment, when would you be able to do it?"
"Oh? So today was your first real trip into the Dungeon, huh?"
Loki narrowed her eyes, suddenly looking more focused.
"Well then, sit down. Let me take a look at your status and see what kind of growth we're working with."
(End of Chapter)
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