'This is really a blessing in disguise.'
Upon realizing the effects of his newly acquired development ability, Riezel was pleasantly surprised.
Every time he defeated an enemy, the next encounter with the same kind of enemy triggered the ability, boosting his basic abilities.
This was undeniably an excellent development ability.
Originally, 'Hunter' was already a valuable ability, but now having the better version of it, not only did it eliminate the restriction to only monsters, but the enhancement it brought was also greater than that of a 'Hunter'.
This was undoubtedly a stroke of luck. It was not without reason; not everyone could acquire development ability when leveling up.
Take Ais, for example. She leveled up from Level 4 to Level 5 without triggering any development ability.
Given such precedents, Riezel didn't believe he would acquire development ability every time he leveled up. As a result, he was mentally prepared for that.
Little did he know that not only had he acquired a new development ability, but what he got was also a rare and powerful one, similar to 'Lightweight', with conditions that no one else had ever triggered.
The effects were beyond words, truly powerful. If this didn't bring him astonishment, he might incur the wrath of the heavens.
"Another development ability for combat, huh? How do you always manage to trigger these power-boosting abilities?"
Even Loki remarked in amazement.
So far, all the development abilities Riezel acquired were combat-oriented abilities that enhanced his power.
'Lightweight' allowed him to boost 'DEX' and 'AGI' by reducing weight and equipment.
'Swordsman' enhanced all basic abilities by simply wielding a sword.
'Mage' amplified the power, effects, and range of magic.
Adding 'Battle Adept,' which enhanced all basic abilities when facing an enemy of the same kind as the once defeated enemy, Riezel's development abilities, acquired with each level-up, were all combat-oriented.
Thanks to this, he could probably defeat opponents with a higher status just by relying on the enhancement from his development abilities alone, not to mention his astonishing accumulated SSS-rank latent basic abilities.
"I can only say, no wonder you awakened a skill like 'Endless'. Maybe you really have a natural knack in this area that others don't?" Loki seemed to grasp something.
Endless—the skill provided Riezel with three highest-ranked development abilities—Healing Power, Spirit Healing, and Abnormal Resistance. It even boosted the effects of already obtained development abilities.
In essence, this skill greatly boosted various aspects of his development abilities, crucially enhancing his strength. Being able to awaken such a skill was enough to show that he had a natural talent in the development ability aspect compared to others.
'On second thought, does this kid have any shortcomings compared to others?' Loki started to ponder.
No need to dwell on his basic abilities; each time, they were all SSS, crushing all adventurers.
Development abilities were the same, triggered every level up, repeatedly acquiring valuable and rare development abilities.
Not to mention magic; although he only had one magic called 'Almighty', with this magic alone, he could make all mages bow down in awe.
His skill? No need to talk more about it. His three skills—one more ridiculous than the other, one more insane than the next. Without them, there was no way her familia had the current Riezel.
His growth and potential on the 'Falna' were off the charts, unmatched throughout history. Even the strongest adventurer from the Freya Familia, Ottar, couldn't hold a candle to his growth and potential.
Logically, an anomaly like Riezel should have a weakness, likely in combat skills and experience. Even if the hardware quality was top-notch, if the software wasn't up to par, it wouldn't have worked.
Yet, Riezel didn't have a weakness even in that regard. He had just sparred a few times with Ais and picked up bits and pieces of her swordsmanship. His combat experience had skyrocketed from repeatedly diving into the dungeon and battling countless monsters.
It was just absurd.
Was there nothing he wasn't good at?
Loki was in doubt.
It was precisely at this moment that Riezel, who had been staring at the parchment translating his status, suddenly spoke.
"I've been with the familia for three months now, right?"
The sudden question brought Loki back to reality.
"Yeah, three months..." Loki nodded and then sighed. "More precisely, it's been 97 days."
Riezel joined Loki Familia on the first day he arrived in this world, receiving a blessing from Loki. After that, his leveling-up times were countable.
7 days to Level 2.
15 days to Level 3.
30 days to Level 4.
45 days to Level 5.
When they got added up, it was exactly 97 days.
So, it had been 97 days since Riezel joined Loki Familia, and it had been 97 days since he arrived in this world.
"97 days, huh...?" Riezel fell silent for a while, then glanced at Loki. "I might have to leave for a while."
At his statement, Loki raised an eyebrow.
"Leaving for a while?" Loki stared at Riezel. "Where?"
To her question, Riezel's reply was very brief.
"Back to where I was before I came here."
His tone was indifferent.
He didn't forget that the time limit for dimensional travel was one day in the main world, precisely a hundred days in this world. Now, the time limit was approaching, and he had to say a temporary goodbye to this side.
Loki stared at Riezel for a long time, then relaxed her shoulders.
"How long are you going to be away?" Loki asked with an uninterested tone, not delving further into the matter.
This caught Riezel somewhat off guard.
"You're not even asking where I'm going?"
"Does it matter?" Loki shot a glance at him casually. "In our familia, tons of kids are like you, carrying secrets and the burden of unfathomable mysteries on their shoulders."
She had no intention of prying into his privacy; it wasn't important to her.
"As long as you're my kid..." Loki grinned. "What you're up to isn't important. What matters is when you'll be back, kiddo."
Upon hearing this, Riezel chuckled.
"It shouldn't be too long, I think?"
That was the truth.
Though he was returning to his main world according to the instructions of the Dimensional Magic Cube, when he finished his dimensional travel, the time ratio between the main world and the target world of dimensional travel would reverse.
In other words, the scenario where Riezel spent a day in the main world while 100 days had already passed in the world of Danmachi wouldn't occur.
During dimensional travel, the time ratio was based on Riezel himself as the reference point. Therefore, while he was in the world of Danmachi for a hundred days, only one day would have passed in the main world, and vice versa.
This time ratio adjustment remained the same even if he traveled to another world. Even in a world different from his main world, it would still be a hundred days passing on his side while only one day passed in other worlds.
All time ratios worked this way, using Riezel's actual time as the reference to determine time speed. No matter which world he was in, time flowed faster in the world he was in and slower in other worlds.
Considering this, Riezel wasn't worried that upon leaving, everything here would have changed drastically when he returned.
Based on the time ratio, even if he spent a year in another world, only around three to four days would have passed in this world.
Therefore, Riezel answered Loki's question with ease and calm.
"Shortest, a few days; longest, around a month. In short, I'll surely come back." Riezel promised.
After all, this world was the first place where he made a name for himself and the first place where he felt the warmth of 'home and family'.
Even though dimensional travel to the personally selected world required ten times the energy, Riezel would absolutely find a chance to come back.
Typically, accumulating a month's worth of energy was needed for random dimensional travel, so with ten times the energy, that meant accumulating ten months. He would endure, even if it took this long.
Of course, playing it safe, he still set a maximum deadline of one month in this world's time. In terms of the time ratio, after he left this world, if a month passed here, over eight years would have passed on his side.
Over eight years, yet he still couldn't gather enough energy for dimensional travel to the personally selected world? Impossible.
"A month, huh?" Loki breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that's not too long."
"Yeah..." Riezel smiled at Loki. "Remember to wait for me to come back before going on another expedition; I'm looking forward to revenge."
"No worries~ Every expedition needs a couple of months of preparation anyway. As long as you come back on time, you won't be left behind." Loki said while nodding. "When are you planning to set off?"
"In a few days." Riezel thought for a moment. "I also won't enter the dungeon during these days."
"Then spend some good time with your familia's friends." Loki patted his shoulder. "Remember, they're all here waiting for your return, kiddo."
Hearing her words, Riezel nodded silently.
===
After leaving the divine room, Riezel descended the steps along the central tower.
As he walked, he suddenly came to a halt.
There, in front of the steps, by a window next to the passage, a silent girl stood, gazing at the scenery outside.
*Whoosh—*
A gentle breeze swept in, tousling the girl's golden long hair, making its silky strands sway and flutter.
"Ais?" Riezel unconsciously called out.
It seemed like Ais had just noticed his presence as she turned her head to him after hearing her name being called.
Under the moonlit night, the two locked eyes—one on the steps, the other by the window—creating a strangely beautiful scene.
The breeze continued to caress them both as they remained bathed in the wind, silent for a long while.
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In the well-lit Twilight Manor, where lights shone brightly, the place where Riezel and Ais met had little illumination.
Moonlight streamed in from the window, casting a glow on both of them.
Riezel sighed slightly as he watched Ais, who stood there in silence.
At first glance, she seemed no different from usual, still wearing her emotionless demeanor with no expression on her face. However, Riezel, being perceptive, sensed that her mood wasn't great.
She was dejected.
Her emotions were low.
Just like Loki mentioned before, this girl seemed somewhat depressed.
Witnessing the girl who had taken care of him since he joined the familia, not only teaching him her magic and swordsmanship but also often sparring with him, he couldn't just ignore her.
"What are you doing here?"
Riezel approached, leaning against the window like Ais, gazing out at the night scenery, and asked.
"..." Ais remained silent, only staring into the distance.
Hearing no response, Riezel glanced at the piece of parchment she was holding.
"Wasn't the gains good this time?"
At his questions, Ais fell into another momentary silence, then handed the parchment to him without speaking.
"I can see it?" Riezel asked while furrowing his brow.
Ais nodded, allowing him to take the parchment.
On the parchment was her recently updated status.
...
Ais Wallenstein
Level 5
STR: D549 → D555
END: D540 → D547
DEX: A823 → A825
AGI: A821 → A822
MAG: A899
Hunter: G
Abnormal Resistance: G
Swordsman: I
...
Upon seeing her status, Riezel probably understood why Ais was feeling so depressed. Not because of anything else, but simply because her gains this time were really bad.
An expedition, struggling in the dungeon for over three weeks, reaching the deep floors, dealing with countless high-level monsters, yet, her total proficiency only increased by less than 20.
Such progress was truly disappointing. At least, for Riezel, who had never experienced proficiency growth below 500, this number was a bit unsettling.
"Don't worry too much. It's not that you didn't work hard, but your status is almost at its peak."
Riezel could only say that.
He wasn't deliberately comforting her. In his view, the main reason for Ais's poor growth was because her status had reached its limit.
'STR' and 'END' were not her strong suits; reaching D-rank for both was already quite good.
'DEX' and 'AGI' were already at A-rank, and pushing them further would lead to the highest S-rank. Considering the principle that progress slows down as you approach S-rank, the improvement in these two abilities would be minimal was purely normal.
Not to mention 'MAG'; it was just a point away from S-rank, and it wouldn't be easy to raise it.
In summary, Ais's slow growth this time wasn't her fault; it was because she had almost reached the potential limit of Level 5.
"I know." Ais finally spoke but her voice wasn't as calm as usual; it carried a hint of exhaustion. "At this point, I've hit the limit. Even if I slay thousands or tens of thousands of monsters, my basic abilities won't increase much... I can feel it."
At this moment, she didn't have much room for growth. Her current status was her limit; there wouldn't be much room for significant development. For over three years, she had been stuck at Level 5, with a wall called bottleneck blocking her way. It made any significant advancement seem unattainable.
Ais realized this and therefore felt lost.
"And you?" Ais turned her gaze towards Riezel. "Leveled up?"
"Yeah..." Riezel met her gaze and nodded.
"As expected..." Ais's eyes became somewhat complex as she whispered. "In just three months, you caught up to me..."
This blow, at this moment, was truly powerful for her.
But Ais knew it was inevitable. As someone who had watched Riezel rise from the beginning, she was well aware of how fast he grew and how much potential he had.
Thinking back to when he was still Level 1, forcing her to retreat with a single sword trust, she could roughly sense that this man, so similar to herself, would catch up soon.
Now he had, but she couldn't widen the gap, still stuck in place.
"How should I do it?" Ais couldn't help but speak up.
"What?" Riezel raised an eyebrow.
She was staring at him intently.
"How can I get stronger as fast as you? What's your secret?"
Ever since she saw Riezel's status, Ais had been eager to uncover his secret. She practiced diligently with him, sharing her swordsmanship without reservation, all the while keen on observing him closely, hoping to understand his fast growth of getting stronger.
However, all she witnessed was him running extremely fast, constantly moving forward, climbing steadily, rapidly approaching her level at an astonishing speed. Yet, she couldn't discern any specific method or secret.
Normally, Ais wouldn't voice such thoughts. But at this moment, overwhelmed by her desire to get stronger, she couldn't contain herself, expressing her yearning openly.
This left Riezel momentarily silent.
"Sorry." Ais suddenly realized what she had said, looking at him apologetically. "I asked something that might trouble you."
Indeed, answering her question wasn't easy for Riezel. He couldn't just say he did nothing extraordinary, only repeatedly cut down monsters every day to achieve such progress, right? That would sound dismissive.
After organizing his thoughts, Riezel spoke up.
"Actually... I understand your urgency to get stronger... I'm just like you after all, eager to become stronger than anyone else to fulfill my long-cherished wish."
"Wish?" Ais was intrigued.
"Yeah..." Riezel said indifferently. "I want to break free from anyone's control, escape their control and manipulation, run toward the direction and path I desire, no longer helpless, no longer drifting with the current, no longer being used..."
This was a feeling only Riezel understood, something Ais couldn't comprehend. However, hearing the word 'wish', she unknowingly resonated with him.
"So, you're like me..." Ais looked at him with a more complex expression.
She had her own wish, a wish that she wanted to fulfill, which explained her eagerness to become stronger. Riezel knew this, even knew the undisclosed wish in her heart. Hence, he could utter such words.
"It seems we're quite alike in many ways, but that should be the most alike, right?" Riezel chuckled lightly, his words echoing in her ears.
"We're all trying to get stronger to fulfill our long-cherished wishes, so I really get where you're coming from..." Riezel said while locking eyes with Ais. "Unfortunately, in this regard, I can't offer you any mature advice. After all, I'm still figuring things out myself. I'm just a bit luckier than you, having grabbed a chance to achieve my goals... I'm really sorry."
If there were any secrets to his power-up, he would surely share them with Ais. He was more than willing to impart his knowledge to her.
But he didn't.
His rapid growth was primarily due to the influence of 'Fool's Obsession'. This was something he couldn't share with others. Therefore, Riezel was completely incapable of addressing Ais's troubles and questions.
"The only thing I can probably do is, well, listen to your worries..." Riezel chuckled. "If there's something you want to talk about, something that's bothering you and you don't know who to tell, just tell me. If this can help you reduce some confusion and lessen your worries, I'm more than willing to be your listener."
His words made Ais focus her gaze towards his eyes.
Riezel didn't avert his eyes, just continued to lock eyes with her.
The eyes of the two didn't share the same color but had the same emotion, the same obsession.
Watching those eyes so similar to her own, for some reason, Ais did feel a bit less depressed.
"Thank you..." Ais took a deep breath and expressed his gratitude to Riezel.
"No problem..." Riezel said casually, noticing Ais perk up a bit. "Feeling better?"
Ais nodded, redirecting her gaze out the window.
"Since there's no room for growth at my current level, let's move on to the next one then..."
Her golden eyes now seemed more resolute as she declared that.
What did her words mean, he wouldn't fail to understand.
'Level up, huh...' Riezel thought inwardly.
That was Ais's only way out.
Since Level 5 had reached its limit and progress seemed impossible, Ais had to find a way to reach Level 6. Only by leveling up could she make a significant leap in strength, and her body would become stronger, unlocking new possibilities and potential.
If she couldn't achieve that, she wouldn't experience any significant growth in the future.
"Good luck, then." Riezel stared at her, who had made a determined decision. "If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."
That was the extent of support he could provide.
"Thank you..." Ais thanked him once again.
The two simultaneously looked out the window, silent.
Moonlight spilled over them, casting a lingering glow.
===
The conversation between Riezel and Ais happened without anyone knowing.
Even the top executives of the familia, on the first day back from the expedition, were too focused on resting to pay much attention to anything else.
The rest of the expedition party members followed suit, one after another, starting their recovery.
The three-week expedition left many feeling physically and mentally exhausted. At times like this, the only remedy was to rest well for everyone to get back to health.
It wasn't until the next day that news spread not only within Loki Familia but also throughout Orario.
—Riezel Brynhart successfully leveled up to Level 5.
This news created a citywide uproar.
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