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When the shockwave failed to completely deflect the arrow, Ronen immediately realized the strength of his opponent and promptly activated his largest-scale defensive barrier.
"Who would assassinate a nobody like me?"
He had a strong hunch this was all just an unfortunate misunderstanding, considering the arrow had only shifted trajectory after his shockwave was released.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Even with their sluggish movements, the hulking orcs still had more than enough time to raise their weapons.
As one brought its massive club down toward him, Ronen raised his hands again, unleashing another defensive shockwave.
A thunderous blast rang out as the orc's weapon was repelled mid-swing, forcing the beast back several steps. Ronen seized the moment of imbalance, stepping in close. He pressed his palm against the orc's abdomen and muttered:
Sound Magic–Close Point Destruction.
A single blast that was concentrated at a single point causing a deafening explosion.
A gaping hole appeared in the orc's chest, the impact punching straight through.
Blood sprayed from its back, and moments later, crimson droplets began to drip from the edges of the cavity and splatter onto the dungeon floor.
Ronen, standing at the center of the carnage, remained utterly pristine.
He turned to see a tall elf approaching from the distance, accompanied by a catgirl carrying a large pack on her back.
"Apologies."
The elf, with flowing green hair that shimmered like sunlight through leaves, offered a sincere bow.
"That was my mistake. I thought you were in danger, so I tried to eliminate the orc. I didn't expect your magic to redirect my arrow and almost hit you instead."
If Ronen hadn't been so cautious or quick to respond, things might've gone much worse. On the other hand, had he been just a bit slower, he could've taken a direct hit.
It really was quite the blunder.
"You are…?" Ronen asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in familiarity.
"I'm Riveria Ljos Alf, a member of the Loki Familia," the elf replied with another polite bow. "And this is Anakitty Autumn, a new recruit temporarily assigned as my supporter."
She wore a green battle robe with a crimson cape—the latter made from fire-resistant fairy-silk, likely as protection against hellhounds.
A short sword hung at her waist, a longbow in one hand, and a staff in the other. An arrow quiver was slung across her back.
Her staff appeared to be made from a branch of the Great Sacred Tree, topped with a shimmering magic crystal—a staff reserved for royalty among elves.
Evidently, she hadn't yet acquired the famed Magnana Aves, one of the five legendary staves.
Judging by her magical signature, Riveria was only at Level 3.
She was clearly still a fledgling. But even fifteen years into the future, she would still look just the same.
After all, she was already 71 years old when she left her homeland.
Given the naturally long lifespans of adventurers—and especially elves—this wasn't all that surprising.
" we're sorry! nya" the catgirl supporter beside her echoed the apology, bowing deeply with the oversized backpack bouncing on her shoulders.
Ronen chuckled softly.
"Since it was all a misunderstanding, there's no need to dwell on it. I should be the one thanking you. You meant well, even if it turned into a bit of a farce."
Not all adventurers were trustworthy.
Many unscrupulous types made a living preying on others within the dungeon.
Because of that, there were countless unwritten rules that seasoned adventurers followed to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Most would turn a blind eye and walk away if someone outside their own Familia ran into danger.
The fact that Riveria had tried to help—however miscalculated—was rare and admirable.
"Thank you for understanding," Riveria said with visible relief, then asked curiously, "May I ask your name?"
"Ronen," he said. Then, hesitating a moment, added, "I suppose you could say… I'm Familialess?"
"Familialess?" she repeated, puzzled. "You mean, a adventurer awaiting transfer of Familia?"
In this world, adventurers could change deities by entering a transfer state—they would retain the power granted by their previous god, but couldn't level up until they were accepted by a new Familia.
Another option was to use an 'Update Potion'—a rare potion made with divine blood that allowed adventurers to update their status on their own.
"No, I mean it literally," Ronen clarified. "I'm not part of any Familia. I'm not even an adventurer. I'm a professional mage. The spells I just used were innate magic."
"I live in Orario, and sometimes I come down here for practice, just to train my combat instincts."
Wait—what did he just say?
He wasn't an adventurer? He had no god's Falna? And he still cast that kind of magic as a human?
Riveria's calm facade wavered.
She was a skilled archer—not just a mage. Back in her homeland, she had hunted in the forests for years.
Her arrows were no joke. Each one, shot with the strength of a Level 3 warrior, should've been unstoppable to an unblessed civilian.
And yet—
"There's no way that was normal magic casted by a normal human. By God even elf with falna can't casted magic like that !!!!?!"
Riveria couldn't help blurting it out. Her disbelief was written across her face.
"Even putting aside the fact that you're not from a magic-based race, your casting speed and spell power were well beyond anything magic is supposed to be capable of!"
Then, a sudden thought struck her.
"Wait… Could you be a descendant of some hero?"
Elves of royal bloodlines, blessed by ancient nature spirits, sometimes passed on powerful magic to their children.
These 'heroic lineages' were exceedingly rare, but they did exist.
Ronen shook his head with a grin.
"That's flattering, but no. I'm just a human—an exceptionally talented one, I guess."
"There are always exceptions for everything. Even a non-magic race can learn innate magic, however rare. It's not impossible."
In truth, if Ronen hadn't focused on training his mana from the very beginning and instead jumped straight into studying magic, he would've been lucky to master even one spell.
But as a transmigrator, Ronen had something no native ever could: Cosmology of modern human.
He knew how to approach magic with scientific logic.
He questioned things others took for granted.
What was impossible to the locals was often common sense to someone like him.
Before he only had creativity and curiosity for magic.
but after magic become reality for him all that's left to do was experiment, practice and patience for results, plus his point of view of universe .
And that combination had made him strong. Not by some object or any ability but the heritage of his old world.
System and cheats will only slow down the speed of my growth. Hard Work is the key to success, right hahahaha!
"As for my magic…" Ronen added with a smirk, "That's just a matter of research and development."
"Research… and development?" Riveria repeated, stunned by the strange term.
"A normal person usual have zero affinity for magic. Innate magic starts at one. Adventurers get access to 2-6 by falna. But my innate magic? It's already at 4."
"Everyone praises the magic slot system—how intuitive and powerful it is. But that convenience makes most professional mages ignore the idea of evolving magic itself."
Riveria stood frozen for a moment. A mere familialess mage had just shaken the foundation of everything she thought she knew about magic.
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