"Finally, we'll see sunlight!' Alise cried, spotting the stairs of the first floor leading up to the surface.
"How do you still have energy to yell like that?' Asfi muttered with a tired sigh, looking at the overly cheerful Alise.
Her exhaustion was understandable, since Asfi had been running around like me, supporting both the rear guard and the front lines. Supporting both the rear guard and the front lines. Her Talaria sandals had been active throughout, constantly draining her mental reserves
We made our way up the stairs and exited the dungeon. Warm sunlight fell on our skin as wind rustled past. We all stopped near the entrance and breathed in the fresh air.
The rest of our group stood a short distance away. We made our way over to the Twilight Manor. The only one of our three familia bases that's large enough to accommodate everyone here.
We made our way through Orario's streets as people cheered as if welcoming heroes returning from war.
"Wow, it's like we're heroes!" Tiona cheered. I'd been thinking the same thing
"It's only natural. The world has two great wishes—slay the One-Eyed Black Dragon, and conquer the dungeon," Kaguya explained.
"Yes, any progress towards either goal is a cause for celebration," Asfi added.
Heroes, huh? I was completely lost in thought. The civilians' cheering, the girls' conversation—all of it faded away. Is that all a hero really is? Someone who slays monsters? Someone who conquers the dungeon? …No, why am I thinking so deeply about this? It's not like I can be one... or can I?
"What happened, Arin?" Alise's voice brought me out of my thoughts, but before I could reply, Kaguya cut in.
"Ignore him, as you know, he has a habit of getting lost in his delusions." She said, hiding her smile with the sleeves of her kimono, though this time I decided to ignore her as we had reached the manor.
"Welcome back, all of you!" When we reached the manor, Loki's voice cut through the air as she jumped at Ais and the others. All the girls stepped aside, dodging her hug, making Loki kiss the ground with a resounding thud.
"Kuuu! You have gotten better!" Loki could only grumble, rubbing her nose as Astraea and Hermes addressed the group.
"Good work, everyone, coming back safe and sound," Astraea said, looking over at all of us gathered in the front courtyard.
"Looking at your expressions, it seems you were able to succeed in reaching the unknown depth," Hermes commented, looking at everyone.
"Thank you for the warm welcome, Lady Astraea," Finn spoke on behalf of our group, "And yes, Lord Hermes, we were able to successfully complete our expedition to floor fifty-eight."
"I knew it!" Loki cried, "You can give your detailed report later! For now, go ahead and rest, everyone!" She announced, and all of us made our way to our rooms, with Astraea and Hermes familia going back to their bases.
I collapsed onto my bed the moment I entered my room, not even bothering to remove my gear properly. The mattress felt like heaven after days of sleeping on dungeon floors and rough ground.
Finally... a real bed...
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, there was a knock on my door.
"Arin? You awake?" Riveria's voice came from the other side.
I groaned. "No, I am not." Despite clearly knowing that I was sleeping, the door opened, and Riveria entered.
"Loki wants to update your status," she said. "And before you ask—no, you can't do it tomorrow. I have already delayed it enough by sending the others first; now only you and I are remaining."
"Can't I just sleep for a year first?" I mumbled.
"No." Riveria's tone left no room for argument. "Come on. The sooner we get this done, the sooner you can actually rest properly."
Grumbling, I pulled myself off the bed and followed her down the hallway, reaching Loki's room. Riveria knocked on the door and entered with me following behind.
"Oh, are you finally here, Arin!" Loki said, tapping the place next to her on the bed. I started removing my shirt while Riveria quickly left the room, standing outside the gate, waiting for her turn.
I settled myself on her bed, while Loki straddled my back, and a warm light shining behind me signified the process of status update.
"I heard a great many things you did this time, Arin," Loki spoke, while updating my status, "I am positive you will level up from this, considering your inhuman level of growth—oh," she said, staring at my back before printing my status on a paper. "I was right, here have a look," she said, and handed me the status sheet.
I took the paper and examined it, and like she said, I have leveled up.
____________________________________________________________________________
STATUS
Lv. 5
STRENGTH SSS1198→I0
DEFENSE SSS1199→I0
DEXTERITY SSS1188→I0
AGILITY SSS1200→I0
MAGIC SSS1200→I0
ABNORMAL RESISTANCE E
LUCK F
MYSTERY E
MAGE I
MAGIC
MAGIC
MAKES THE USER CAPABLE OF WIELDING MAGIC
ASTRUM CORDIS
STRENGTH-ENHANCEMENT MAGICSTAR ELEMENT
SKILL
EXTREME ADAPTABILITY
RAPIDLY IMPROVES ADAPTABILITY IN ANY ENGAGED FIELD
SLIGHTLY BOOSTS AGILITY AND DEXTERITY DURING SUSTAINED FIGHTS
EXTREME GROWTH
ENHANCED COMPREHENSION AND PROGRESSION IN FOCUSED FIELDS
AMORIS PULSE
STRENGTHENS THOSE BOUND THROUGH EMOTIONAL TIESGROWTH RATE DOUBLES FOR TARGETS LOVED BY USERIF FEELING IS MUTUAL, EFFECT QUADRUPLES AND GRANT HIGH HUMAN CHARACTERISTICSEFFECT VARIES BY EMOTIONAL INTENSITY AND BOND TYPESTRONGER BONDS YIELD FASTER GROWTHWORK IN TANDEM WITH DEICIDE AND GRANT PROTECTION AGAINST DIVINE POWERS
DEICIDE
INCREASE ALL STATS WHEN FIGHTING BEINGS OF DIVINE NATUREGRANT RESISTANCE TO A CERTAIN EXTENT AGAINST THEIR POWER
Wealth→ -412,000,000
______________________________________________________________________________________
"Leve-5…" I muttered as I stared at my status sheet, A first-class adventure, huh? I thought, still staring at the paper in my hand.
"You are a growth monster in the true sense, Arin, though I think from now on it would be harder for you to gain strength at this same speed," Loki said, her face resting on my shoulder as we both stared at the paper.
Yeah, I knew that, not only because after becoming a level-5, level-up became all the more harder with each level gain, but I have also traveled really deep in the dungeon, meaning I won't be getting the same amount of Excelia as I have till now. But…
"It's fine, that just means I will have to try even harder," I said, as I got up Loki also got off my back.
"Hehe, that's the spirit, and besides, even if it became harder to level up for, it won't amount to much, you're still the fastest person ever to level up, even with this disadvantage," Loki said, her feet dangling from her bed.
"Thanks for saying that. I will send Riveria in then." I said, as I made my way to the door, outside I could see Riveria standing a little distance away, near the big window at the end of the hallway, giving a mesmerizing view of the city.
I approached her from behind, stopping a few steps back, just staring at her silhouette cast by the moonlight. "Is it over?" Riveria asked, breaking me out of my stupor, looking at me with those beautiful jade eyes that hold great wisdom and intelligence.
"Yes, I level up." I continued, "It's your turn now," I said.
Riveria nodded, "Congratulations, though with you it had started to become a common occurrence," she replied.
"Oh, well, now that I am level-5, this common occurrence won't be so common anymore," I said, giving a sheepish laugh.
"Fufu, by your standard, you mean?" she questioned. I could only turn my head away and pretend to whistle, making her laugh even more.
"Well, then I would also go and get my status updated," She said, walking past me and entering Loki's room. I decided to wait for her, taking her previous spot, and looked over at the city lit up by the magic lamp.
"Yahoo!!!" I looked back with a start, hearing Loki's voice, and rushed up to her room door. "Now we can do it! We can really do it!" She continued to yell, making me curious.
I knocked on the door, "Riveria, Loki, are you both okay?" I asked.
"Oh, Arin!" Loki replied, "You should come inside and see this!" she said, only to be cut off by Riveria.
"No! Arin, don't enter! I am not properly dressed yet! And Loki! Shut up! Arin doesn't need to concern himself with it!" Riveria cried.
"Eh? What do you mean it does concern him, anyway? You get dressed, and I will go and show him!" Loki replied, clearly too happy to register Riveria's complaints.
"Wha!" came Riveria's uncharacteristically panicked voice, from behind the door, as Loki exited the room.
"Here, Arin, see! See! Isn't that amazing!" Loki continued to cheer as she handed me Riveria status sheet. I hesitated for a second but decided to just look over at the content. Everything was normal until my eyes fell over at the magic section.
____________________________________________________________________________
STATUS
Lv. 6
STRENGTH F343
DEFENSE F377
DEXTERITY C651
AGILITY D540
MAGIC B800
HEALING G
SPIRIT HEALING H
IMMUNITY G
MAGIC RESISTANCE H
MAGE E
MAGIC
VAS WINDHEIM
ATTACK MAGIC
CONCURRENT CASTING
• LV. 1: WYNN FIMBLVETR
LV. 2: REA LÆVATEINN
• LV. 3: VAS WINDHEIMVIA SHILHEIM
DEFENSE MAGIC
CONCURRENT CASTING
• LV. 1: LVI IUSLO
• LV. 2: VEIL BREATH
• LV. 3: VIA SHILHEIM
VAN ALHEIM
HEALING MAGIC
CONCURRENT CASTING
• LV. 1: FIT ELDIS
• LV. 2: LUNA ALDIS
• LV. 3: VAN ALHEIM
SKILL
FAIRY ANTHEM
INCREASES MAGIC EFFECTS INCREASES MAGIC RANGE GREATLY AMPLIFIES MAGIC POWER ACCORDING TO CHANT LENGTH
ALF REGINA
INCREASES MAGIC EFFECTS FOR ALL ELVES WITHIN USER'S MAGIC CIRCLE
EXTENDS EFFECTS TO THOSE WHO SHARE DEEP MAGICAL RESONANCE AND BOND WITH THE USER
CONVERTS MAGIC ENERGY OF RECOGNIZED INDIVIDUALS WITHIN OWN CIRCLE INTO MIND AND ABSORBS IT
____________________________________________________________________________
…Okay, this… wasn't what I was expecting at all. I thought, continuing to stare at the skill Alf Ragina, while the skill didn't name any individual, but considering how I am the only person who can mix his own magic with hers, it is not that hard to guess who this skill is referring to.
"Arin, we can do it! Countless beautiful elves, an elf-only squad, centered around Riveria!" she said, jumping up and down, "and we are going to call it Fairy Force! Even if Rivera doesn't like it!"
No, I don't think the name is the problem here, I thought, but… "Rejected!" came Riveria's voice from the inside, "And what's that even supposed to mean!" she said, yes, maybe the name is the problem…
Riveria, having properly dressed, also walked out of the room. I handed her her status sheet. Riveria reached out, hesitating for a moment before taking the paper back.
"So? So?! Aren't you excited, Riveria?" Loki bounced around her, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "A skill that can absorb magical energy from elves! Do you know what this means? We can create the ultimate magical strike force! Elves supporting elves, all centered around you!"
"Loki, please calm down," Riveria said, though her own fingers trembled slightly as she held the status sheet. "This is... unexpected, yes, but—"
"Unexpected? It's amazing!" Loki cut her off. "And look, look at that second effect! 'Those who share deep magical resonance and bond with the user'—I wonder who that could be referring to?" She turned to me with an exaggerated wink.
"Loki!" Riveria's face flushed slightly. "That's merely... it could apply to any number of people! There's no need to jump to—"
"Oh, really?" Loki's grin turned mischievous. "Name one other person besides Arin here who can synchronize their magic with yours. I'll wait."
Riveria opened her mouth, then closed it again, clearly struggling to find a counterargument.
"Exactly!" Loki declared triumphantly. "This skill is basically named Arin without naming him! Your falna is shipping you two!"
"That's not—skills don't work that way!" Riveria protested. "This is simply a reflection of our combat coordination during the expedition! Nothing more!"
"Combat coordination," Loki repeated slowly, her grin widening. "Don't joke around, Riveria, you know more than anyone else how skills work," Loki continued, this time looking towards me, "Besides Arin's own skill, Amoris Pulse is an irrefutable proof of how this works."
"But—that's—I am…" Riveria struggled to form words, her white cheeks taking on a shade of red hue.
I decided to intervene, seeing her struggling to form a counterpoint further. "Actually, from a practical standpoint, this is pretty incredible, Riveria. Being able to absorb magical energy from allies and convert it to Mind? That's huge for long battles."
"See? Even Arin gets it!" Loki said. "Though I notice you're very conveniently ignoring the 'deep bond' part."
"Because there's nothing to discuss about it," I said firmly, No, there is so much to discuss about it, but I can't say that here, so… "Riveria and I have fought together extensively. We've done combination magic attacks. It makes sense that the skill would recognize that compatibility."
"Compatibility~" Loki sang the word. "What a nice way to put it!"
"Loki, I swear by the gods, if you don't stop—" Riveria started, her fist raising.
"Hiiii! Okay, fine, fine! I'll behave! Mostly…" She muttered, "Well, get going, you two, I have to make a list of all those beauties joining the fairy force!" She said and retreated to her room.
"We are not naming it that!" Riveria's words fell on deaf ears as Loki shut the gate with a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Well, Riveria, we should get back and rest, you specifically," I said. Riveria gave a tired sigh and gave a nod.
"You are most right, Loki had given me a big enough headache, well then, let's meet tomorrow, Arin," she said.
"Yes, good night, Riveria," I replied, as she walked towards her room. I also decided to go back and rest. Trying to think about the implications of the skill Riveria had gained.
Unaware that Riveria too was thinking about the same, unable to sleep, just like me.