After finishing the update, Ryoji got dressed and took the two sheets of parchment Loki handed him.
"Swordsman A, huh? That's about what I expected."
Comparing the two parchments, Ryoji summed up the gains from this update.
He had just learned Twin Wings Sword, a sword technique that surpassed the realm of humanity, something no ordinary person could ever step into. In fact, he was more surprised that the Swordsman Development Ability hadn't upgraded to S-rank.
Maybe it was because what he'd learned so far was only the bare surface of Twin Wings Sword. The true technique was far more terrifying than what he currently grasped.
If he could fully master Twin Wings Sword, he would likely reach S-rank, a level that even most gods would have to bow to.
Aside from that, his Dexterity and Agility had once again reached their absolute limits, while his Power and Endurance had finally broken past the 999 barrier, stepping into the SS domain.
But why had he suddenly broken through his limits?
"You probably completed a true 'adventure,'" Loki answered quickly after hearing his question.
"In the end, Blessing/Falna is just a catalyst for drawing out potential. As long as you complete a real adventure, you can surpass your own limits, that's the most universal principle of the Blessing/Falna."
So that's how it is.
It must have been that battle with Twin Wings that helped him break past his cap.
Thinking about it that way, not only did he gain Twin Wings Sword, but he also broke through his limits and tempered his mind. That Miss Twin Wings really was a good person.
Ryoji silently gave a thumbs-up to a certain silver-haired Valkyrie who wasn't here.
"But why is the new Development Ability 'Escape'?"
"There weren't any other options!" Loki spread her hands, looking completely innocent. "You must have been running away a lot in past battles, that's why you got it. The Blessing/Falna's records don't lie!"
"And don't underestimate it. The name might not sound great, but Escape is actually a rare Development Ability. It only has a chance to appear during level-ups after Lv.4. It greatly improves your chances of survival, it's really useful!"
Thinking back, Ryoji did remember escaping quite a bit.
Especially when he had first started exploring the Dungeon, he'd been weak back then. Whenever his intuition sensed an unbeatable threat, he would turn and run without hesitation. With Absolute Speed as a safety net, he always managed to escape alive.
It seemed that during this level-up, the Blessing/Falna had drawn out that particular trait.
If this really was a Development Ability that only appeared after Lv.4 level-ups, then it might actually be quite rare, and anything that improved survival ability wasn't a bad thing.
"…Fine."
Ryoji reluctantly accepted it.
Still, having an ability called "Escape" was honestly too embarrassing to say out loud, people would definitely laugh at him.
Decision made: he'd never tell anyone!
If anyone asked, he'd just say that no Development Abilities appeared when he reached Level 5. That kind of situation wasn't unheard of.
"Oh right, how many days was I gone in total?"
"You don't even know that?"
"I lost track."
"Thirteen days."
"During that time, the Ishtar Familia didn't come looking for trouble, right?"
"Relax. This time, Freya took care of all the trouble! Ishtar's been busy picking fights with Freya lately; they didn't even notice us!"
Loki wore a thoroughly amused, schadenfreude-filled expression.
That's good.
Ryoji nodded to himself. It seemed Freya had kept her word; his earlier sacrifice of male charm hadn't been in vain.
…
The moment he stepped down the stairs, Ryoji found himself surrounded on all sides.
"Prince-sama actually reached Level 5 already?!"
"That's way too strong, it's only been half a month since he reached Level 4!"
"If you think about it, that means he became Lv.5 in less than three months… Seriously, the gap is so huge it kills any thought of competing with him."
The entire Familia had become incredibly lively.
Everyone still in the Familia, men and women alike, had gathered in the hall, clustering around Ryoji. Their gazes carried admiration, worship, and even undisguised affection.
"Ryoji!!"
With an overjoyed scream, the crowd split apart like waves.
The brown-skinned Amazoness little sister charged in from the outer edge, shoving aside strong "competitors" like Alicia, and threw herself at him with enough force to knock over a rhinoceros. Wrapping her limbs around him like an octopus, she clung tightly to his body and greedily inhaled his scent with a deeply satisfied expression.
"That's so unfair, Tiona!"
"You're hogging him all to yourself!"
Led by Alicia, the other beautiful girls immediately erupted in outrage.
The entire hall descended into chaos.
Normally, Ryoji spent plenty of time within the Familia, so everyone held back a bit, after all, they saw each other every day, and it didn't feel right to act like obsessive fans.
But this time, he'd been gone for nearly half a month. The girls had all been bottling things up, some were even getting depressed. Now that he had returned, combined with the shock of his level-up, everyone completely lost their restraint, acting like full-blown fanatics.
A textbook case of "scarcity marketing."
"Quiet down!"
Just as the noise reached a peak, an irritated shout rang out.
"Look at yourselves, what kind of behavior is this?!"
An elf with long emerald-green hair stepped into the hall, her expression dark.
"Ryoji just came back from the Dungeon, shouldn't he be allowed to rest as soon as possible? Do none of you have even that much consideration?"
She possessed a beauty even more dazzling than that of a goddess. Though her emerald eyes were filled with anger, her steps remained elegant like those of nobility, and an air of authority like that of a strict head of household radiated from her entire being.
"Riveria…"
"Sorry…"
Scolded by the Elven royalty, the girls finally cooled down from their frenzy and cast apologetic looks toward Ryoji.
Even Tiona reluctantly released him.
That said…
Honestly, that wasn't so bad just now.
Freed from the pile of soft bodies, Ryoji still had a few traces of saliva on his face, left behind by who knows which girl taking advantage of the chaos.
Then, he suddenly felt a persistent gaze.
Looking up, he saw a golden-haired girl.
She stood there timidly, seemingly not good at handling such lively scenes, so she hadn't pushed into the crowd and instead watched quietly from the edge.
When she noticed his gaze, she paused slightly, then, after a moment's thought, gently curled her lips.
"Welcome back."
She mouthed the words silently, her expression carrying a sense of relief and reassurance.
"I'm back."
Ryoji naturally replied in the same way.
Receiving his response, a faint warmth welled up from deep within her heart. On her usually expressionless, delicate face, a slight smile, so faint it was almost like an illusion, appeared for just an instant.
Standing beside her, Lefiya watched their entire silent exchange unfold, and a sudden, intense sense of urgency rose in her chest.
As for who that urgency was directed toward… no one could say.
(End of Chapter)
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