While the situation was tense, the gods were busy gossiping amongst themselves.
"Did I see that right? The Sword Princess is actually standing up against Vanargand for another man? Could this be... a love triangle?"
"Wow, I can't wait to see what kind of face Loki will make when she sees this scene."
"A handsome man~ The Sword Princess has good taste in men."
Among the crowd, while the gods were focused on the conflict, the goddesses were more interested in Charlie, who matched their aesthetic preferences.
"Interesting. Very interesting..."
"Hera, your vision is better than Freya's. I'm curious why you accepted a man into your Familia. It turns out that Charlie Avalon's talent is terrifying..."
Coincidentally, two gods standing behind Charlie were able to see the Sacred Text on his back more clearly than the others, allowing them to immediately glimpse Charlie's latest status.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! What have you done to Aiz?!" Bete gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, his eyes bulging with fury.
To him, Aiz had been deceived by the sweet words of the other party.
"Nothing happened between Aiz and me." Charlie shrugged and replied lightly.
"GRRR..."
Bete could only growl angrily but didn't attack like before. With Aiz standing between them, he couldn't make a move.
"Stop, Bete. You've already caused enough of a scene."
Finn and the others had just arrived at the location.
"Aiz-tan!!!"
Loki rushed towards Aiz, attempting to hug her. Unfortunately, Aiz dodged naturally, as if she was used to it.
"Ouch."
Loki's face hit the ground hard.
"Since your Familia members are here, go home with them."
Not wanting things to get more complicated, Charlie patted Aiz's shoulder and leapt back into his room through the broken wall.
"Oi oi oi, what's with that status? This is the first time I've seen something like this."
Loki, who had just stood up, was stunned seeing Charlie's back.
"Aiz, Bete, let's head back. We'll discuss this at the headquarters."
"Mhm." Aiz nodded as she sheathed her sword.
"Tch." Bete clicked his tongue, wearing a scowl.
As Loki and her Familia left, the crowd dispersed. However, rumors of Aiz standing up to Bete for a man she loved quickly spread throughout Orario.
❀❀❀
The Next Day
"I'm exhausted... So much happened yesterday."
Opening his eyes, Charlie looked out the window and saw the sun shining brightly outside. He had only woken up near noon.
"Defeating Goliath, kissing Aiz, fighting Bete Loga... Why am I getting involved in these troublesome events? I'm not the protagonist, so there's no reason for trouble to keep finding me, right?"
"Wait a second... Karasuki Rio is also a protagonist like Bell Cranel. Maybe that's why problems keep coming my way even though I don't do anything? That's a possibility."
Thinking about this, Charlie could only sigh.
"Time to level up."
The scene of his battle against Bete was still fresh in his mind.
Although he appeared to be evenly matched in the fight, Charlie knew better that he had been at a disadvantage.
Perhaps because Bete had been fighting someone at Level 1, he hadn't gone all out and had shown a dismissive attitude. As a result, Charlie managed to land a surprise attack that lightly injured his opponent.
Even so, Charlie had gained intelligence on just how strong a Level 5 individual could be.
"At my current status, I have no chance of defeating a Level 5. Aside from my EX-rank stats in all basic abilities, the role of Spirit Art cannot be ignored. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Spirit Art is the foundation of my power."
"If I only relied on stats, there's no way I could have soloed Goliath, let alone Bete."
Charlie closed his eyes, reflecting on the previous day's experience.
Originally, he had planned to level up last night after Aiz left. But the unexpected happened when Bete came and attacked him due to a misunderstanding.
Even after the fight was over, Charlie had been in a bad mood, physically and mentally exhausted. So, he postponed leveling up.
"Let's do this."
Putting aside complicated thoughts, Charlie took the Divine Blood of Hera from a bottle, dropped a single drop onto his forehead, and his back emitted a soft glow as the Sacred Text began to change.
During the leveling-up process, Charlie discovered two options for Development Abilities appearing in his mind: Swordsman and Luck.
Development Abilities are special abilities that may appear upon leveling up, starting from Level 2.
Of course, an adventurer might not gain any Development Abilities. If they didn't accumulate enough Excelia to meet the requirements for learning one, they wouldn't acquire any even after leveling up.
Development Abilities typically include things like Hunter, Forging, Abnormal Resistance, Mage, etc. Their appearance depends on one's experience.
For instance, since Charlie often used a sword in battle, it wasn't surprising that the Swordsman Development Ability appeared when he leveled up.
"This is strange. I thought the Development Ability that would appear when I leveled up would be Mage. After all, I rarely use a sword because I rarely encounter worthy opponents. Usually, I fight monsters using Spirit Art. Surprisingly, Mage didn't show up at all."
"What a pity. I wanted my first Development Ability to be Mage to increase the output of Spirit Art."
After a brief moment of frustration, Charlie gave the matter serious thought. This was related to his power, and he didn't want to act impulsively.
"The Swordsman Development Ability enhances a swordsman's growth in combat. But... I already have the Prodigy Swordsman Skill, which would overlap, and I don't think Swordsman is as good as Prodigy Swordsman."
"That leaves Luck as the remaining option. If I remember correctly, Bell Cranel also had Luck as a Development Ability."
Luck is a rare Development Ability, chosen by Bell after reaching Level 2. It's an ability that had never been seen before, as even Eina a Guild member, had never heard of it, and Hestia said it was akin to divine protection.
Overall, it enhances one's luck, such as finding resources in the Dungeon and winning prizes more frequently while gambling.
"The concept of luck is very abstract and uncontrollable. Alright, I'll choose Luck."
Weighing the pros and cons, Charlie chose Luck as his first Development Ability.
The Sacred Text on his back began to sublimate, continuously sending out ripples from its center.
After a while, the level-up ceremony successfully ended.
There are two options for accessing more chapters.
1. Ko-fi: bit.ly/Candra24
2. Patre*n: https://www.patre*n.com/LoveFanfiction
-For donations from generous benefactors who are Crazy rich: paypal.me/andicand
Charlie Avalon
Level 2
Strength: I (0)
Endurance: I (0)
Dexterity: I (0)
Agility: I (0)
Magic Power: I (0)
Magic:
[Spirit Art]
-High affinity with Spirits
-Manipulation of Odo to cause world-changing phenomena without magic circles and incantations
[Spirit Contractor]
-Forms contracts with Spirits
Skills:
[The Chosen Savior]
-Rapid growth rate
-Highest-tier Instant Death Resistance
-Highest-tier Poison and Curse Resistance
-Highest-tier Charm and Mind Control Resistance
-Status can be updated independently by simply using the blood of a god
[Prodigy Swordsman]
-100% mastery of swordsmanship
[Triptolemus Arc]
-Increases speed and luck when being chased
Development Abilities:
Luck: I
______
"Hisss… The sensation of leveling up is much more intense compared to just updating status. It's like comparing heaven and earth."
Charlie could feel the significant changes in his body, similar to a caterpillar metamorphosing into a beautiful butterfly.
"If Level 1 adventurers are only slightly better than ordinary people, then Level 2 has entered the realm of superhumans. That's why starting from Level 2, adventurers are called High Class Adventurers."
"In just eleven days, I've leveled up to Level 2, something countless adventurers in Orario could never achieve. If this news gets out, I'm sure many will be skeptical and doubt themselves."
"Even when Bell Cranel reached Level 2 in one and a half months, people questioned the information and refused to believe it, even though the Guild had validated it. I have to say, people don't like seeing others better than them. No wonder they prefer sweet lies over bitter truths."
After the euphoria from his surge in strength, Charlie calmed himself. He took a blank parchment and placed it on his back. After a while, he removed it and looked at the contents.
"Oh, I've gained one new Skill and Magic. This is beyond my expectations, I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
Regarding his stats resetting to the start, he wasn't worried because he knew that proficiency in basic abilities resets to zero upon leveling up. However, this doesn't mean that all his efforts so far were wasted, but rather those efforts have been converted into hidden parameters. Charlie could clearly feel that he was now entirely different from his pre-level-up self.
His current self could easily defeat his previous self in a duel without using Spirit Arts.
"From what I've heard from Goddess Hera and Goddess Aphrodite, raising Development Ability ranks is harder than training Basic Abilities." Charlie said, looking at his Development Ability.
Like Basic Abilities, Development Abilities are also categorized from I to S. However, Development Abilities are very difficult to train and do not reset to I when leveling up.
"Now that two of my Magic slots are filled, only one remains. It's a shame this world's rules are so strict—every race is only given three Magic slots, and this is absolute. Thankfully, I have Spirit Art. Thus, the three-slot rule doesn't restrain me as much."
"Spirit Contractor, huh... Does that mean I can now contract with Spirits? Aishia, can you hear me?"
Charlie tried calling out to the Spirit dwelling within his soul, but he received no response.
"It didn't work... Looks like Aishia needs more time before she can manifest. There's nothing I can do about this. In the original work, Aishia appeared on her own. That means all I can do is wait."
For now, he put aside the Spirit Contractor ability. Without a Spirit, Spirit Contractor was useless.
Indeed, there were Spirits in the Danmachi World, but Charlie had no idea where they were.
"Next, the Triptolemus Arc Skill. My speed and luck increase when being chased? This sounds a bit like the plot armor of Chinese novel protagonists."
"When the protagonist is cornered by enemies on the edge of a cliff, they jump while vowing revenge if they survive. After jumping, not only do they not die, but they miraculously survive and have a lucky encounter at the bottom of the cliff."
"Perhaps the principle behind the Triptolemus Arc works like that? Forget it, I'll only know the answer later."
In his previous life, Charlie had read Chinese cultivation novels but quickly stopped because the plot was always recycled and repetitive.
"Although Falna is like a game system, it doesn't truly follow game logic. Adventurers can't play it safe in the Dungeon if they want to grow. They need to challenge themselves and surpass their limits. Simply put, to be an Adventurer, one must go on an adventure."
"Don't treat adventuring as a job. If an adventurer treats the Dungeon like a regular job, don't expect much from them. They may reach Level 2 or Level 3 after about 15 years, if they're lucky."
"The gods want heroes. People who dare to face the unknown, strive to improve themselves in pursuit of goals, and challenge not only the Dungeon but also themselves."
"That's why Bell Cranel and the core members of top Familias like Loki Familia and Freya Familia have so many High Class Adventurers. Their purpose for entering the Dungeon is to become stronger to fulfill their dreams and ambitions, not just to hunt monsters and sell magic stones to make a living."
That was the conclusion Charlie came to after observing Lower-Class Adventurers in Orario for two days.
Most adventurers didn't have big ambitions; as long as they could live better than ordinary people, they were satisfied and stuck to the same routine, causing their strength to stagnate.
Of course, Charlie didn't blame those adventurers with such mindsets. After all, the world is mostly filled with ordinary people.
Just as not everyone could become a successful entrepreneur in his previous life, not all adventurers could become High-Class Adventurers just because they were blessed with a Falna from the gods.
Ultimately, talent, potential, an unyielding mindset, luck, and other factors determine an adventurer's achievements.
"First, I need to adapt to my new strength. I can't afford to make mistakes in battle because of a lack of control over my power."
Determining his goal for the day, Charlie took a bath to freshen up.
This was a five-star inn, with each room equipped with a private bathroom and toilet.
After bathing, he donned his equipment. Holding the Sword of Damocles, he felt its weight lighter than before. Of course, this didn't mean the sword's weight had lessened, but his basic physical strength had increased.
After finishing breakfast at the restaurant, Charlie didn't head to the Dungeon. It was too dangerous to enter the Dungeon before fully adapting to his new strength. So, he chose the walls surrounding Orario as his training ground.
For others, they needed to climb stairs to reach the top of the wall. But Charlie's approach was different—he simply flew to the top.
"The impact of last night's events was greater than I imagined."
On his way, he overheard people gossiping about his relationship with Aiz.
"Sigh... Aiz has no shortage of suitors. If it weren't for her strength and the support from Loki, there'd probably be plenty of men pestering her. Now that I'm rumored to be close to her, those men will come looking for me to vent their unrequited love."
"This is why I'm reluctant to get close to beautiful women. They only attract unnecessary trouble."
Atop the wall, Charlie enjoyed the breeze brushing against his face. With his keen eyesight, he could see the line of people waiting for their turn to enter Orario.
"Whatever, at most I'll teach any man who comes to me because of Aiz a lesson."
Putting aside future problems, Charlie unsheathed the Sword of Damocles and began swinging it.
*WHOOSH*
Each swing produced wind and a sharp hissing sound, indicating the force behind it.
There are two options for accessing more chapters.
1. Ko-fi: bit.ly/Candra24
2. Patre*n: https://www.patre*n.com/LoveFanfiction
-For donations from generous benefactors who are Crazy rich: paypal.me/andicand