I was lying on my stomach on Loki's bed, getting my status updated. Loki, who was ready to kill me in the morning, was now sweating bullets. Her hands were holding the needle with delicate care.
"D-Damn you," she grumbled, pricking her finger. "Bringing Ais isn't fair..." Ais observed her every movement sharply. She sat beside the bed, hand resting on Desperate's hilt, watching Loki's every movement with predatory focus.
"I wouldn't need a bodyguard if you hadn't tried to stab me with a fork at breakfast," I pointed out reasonably.
"Tch! Coward!" She said, her bloodied finger sliding across my back, I felt the familiar warmth I'd grown accustomed to. After a few moments, the warmth and light receded. "Here, all done." She said, roughly handing me, or rather pushing the paper onto my face. After which she quickly got up, seeing Ais lift her sword, and sat at the other end of the bed, her cheeks puffing up like balloons. "Hmph!"
I ignored her sulky behavior and read through the status sheet.
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STATUS
Name: Arin Kael
Age: 16
Race: High Human
Familia: Loki Familia
LEVEL: 5
STRENGTH: G210→D531
ENDURANCE: G256→D588
DEXTERITY: G222→D514
AGILITY: G250→ D556
MAGIC: G233→D522
DEVELOPMENT ABILITIES:
ABNORMAL RESISTANCE E
LUCK F
MYSTERY E
MAGE I
MAGIC
MANASURGE
GRANTS THE USER THE FUNDAMENTAL CAPABILITY TO WIELD AND INTERACT WITH MAGIC
ASTRUM CORDIS
STRENGTH-ENHANCEMENT MAGICSTAR ELEMENT
SKILL
EXTREME ADAPTABILITY (Passive)
RAPIDLY IMPROVES ADAPTABILITY IN ANY ENGAGED FIELD
SLIGHTLY BOOSTS AGILITY AND DEXTERITY DURING SUSTAINED FIGHTS
EXTREME GROWTH (Passive)
ENHANCED COMPREHENSION AND PROGRESSION IN FOCUSED FIELDS
AMORIS PULSE (Passive)
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 (Passive)
INCREASE ALL STATS WHEN FIGHTING BEINGS OF DIVINE NATUREGRANT RESISTANCE TO A CERTAIN EXTENT AGAINST THEIR POWER
Wealth→ -399,000,000
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"Hmm…." I put a hand on my chin as I stared at the base ability section. All my stats had jumped from G-rank 200s to solid D-rank 500s. That was... significant growth, even if I hadn't leveled up.
Loki, who was sulking at the bedside, spoke up, her voice still grumpy. "What? Not satisfied with your power-up?"
"Yes, I was expecting a little more after that life and death battle with that damned Lizard."
She scoffed, seemingly finding some solace in my frustration. "Hehe! How does it feel not to level up even after fighting for your life? Hm? Do you get how normal adventurers feel now? Is it frustrating? Annoying? C'mon, tell me!"
"Shut up, Loki. Right now, the only thing I find annoying is your face!" I got out of bed and put my shirt back on.
She stuck her tongue out at me. "Hmpth! As I said before, after reaching Level 5, leveling up became far more difficult. However, Ais and others gotten far more points than you. And perfectly ready to level up."
"We want to wait…some more," Ais spoke up, "We are only in the Cs and Ds right now."
"Of freaking course you want to wait!" Loki cried, then turned to address me. "By the way, was it fine to tell these girls that they are free to talk about that particular skill of yours to anyone else?"
I understood where she was coming from, but "Yes, they won't tell just anyone about my skill. In fact, they've already informed me that only Astraea, Alise, Hermes, and Lydia know about my skills."
"Astrea and others aside, I don't think telling Hermes was a good idea."
"Hey, now, Loki, you shouldn't doubt our allied familia's god that much. He might be a little…eccentric? But he is good at holding on to secrets."
Loki sighed, "I guess you are right. Not to mention, Little Asfi would be mad if he leaked anything regarding your skill to someone."
Her words made me laugh. "Yes, there is that as well. Anyways, thanks for the status update, I will get going now." I said, patting Ais on the head, feeling the soft texture of her long blonde hair, "Good night, Ais."
She let out a contented sound, "Good night, Arin." We exchanged a small smile as Loki made a disgusted face.
"Just get the hell out!" she cried, pushing me out of the room.
After which, I made my way towards my room. I kept staring out the window over the illuminated city—the same view I'd seen hundreds of times, but tonight it seemed especially beautiful.
I kept staring out of the window, thinking back upon the day, smiling as I remembered my interaction with the girls and their reactions.
Because things had changed.
This relationship I'd thought would be impossible had become reality. And I couldn't be more grateful.
So much had happened since I'd arrived in this world. Months, not years—but the intensity of experiences made it feel longer. Dungeon battles. Dragon fights. Confessions under starlight.
But I knew this was just the beginning.
There were still problems ahead—big ones.
The Xenos—intelligent monsters trapped between worlds. I still hadn't figured out how to approach that situation.
Then there was Revis and whatever conspiracy she represented. Remnants of dark factions.
And looming over everything—the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
"Ugh." I clutched my head. "Just thinking about all this is giving me a headache."
I let my hands fall, forcing myself to breathe. "I'll figure things out as they come. For now..." I smiled, thinking of tomorrow's plans. "For now, I just want to enjoy a more peaceful time with the girls."
I closed my eyes, already looking elsewhere.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next few weeks passed peacefully, despite Lydia's warning about the elves. Oh, they made their displeasure known—icy glares whenever I passed elven familia members, pointed conversations that stopped when I entered a room, that sort of thing. But nothing physical yet. Maybe they already knew they weren't a match for me, or they simply didn't want to anger Riveria; they kept their distance. And to be honest, this sort of group was in the minority; most of the elves, at least in Loki and our allied familia, behaved normally and even congratulated us.
Anyway, what I couldn't get enough of were the dates. Picnics in the gardens with all five of us. Quiet walks through the city with Ryuu, who slowly grew more comfortable holding hands in public. Afternoons in the library with Riveria, sometimes reading, sometimes just talking. Workshop sessions with Asfi that always ended with her scolding me for something. And training with Ais, who'd started smiling more often lately.
Between the romance, I spent time with friends—Raul's terrible jokes, Tiona's boundless energy, Tione's exasperated sighs, and Kaguya's sharp wit. Just the everyday normal things.
And in whatever time remained, I researched gift ideas. Because I'd made a promise, and I intended to keep it spectacularly.
Loki had also calmed down significantly. Astraea might have talked sense into her—that seemed likely—but either way, the death threats had stopped.
All in all, things were good.
For now.
CHANG!
My reflection on the past weeks was shattered with the sharp ring of steel on steel.
Ryuu and Ais circled each other in the training yard behind Stardust Garden, both moving with predatory grace. Ryuu's Alvs Justitia blurred through a series of quick strikes—testing and probing. Ais deflected each with minimal movement, her Desperate held in a loose guard.
Then Ais attacked.
The exchange was too fast for a normal adventurer to follow properly—a dozen strikes in seconds, neither giving ground. When they broke apart, both were breathing slightly harder.
"GO GO, LION! GO GO, AIS!" Alise cheered from the sidelines, apparently unconcerned that she'd have to fight the winner.
"They're perfectly matched," I observed, watching them reset.
"Fifth match each has won," Asfi confirmed from beside me, her analytical gaze tracking their movements. "Statistically, this one could go either way." The fight resumed. Ryuu pressed forward with flowing combinations, her technique flawless. Ais gave ground deliberately, waiting for an opening—
There.
Ais's counter came like lightning, her blade angling for Ryuu's exposed shoulder. But Ryuu had anticipated it, rolling under the strike and coming up with a thrust that would have taken Ais in the ribs if she hadn't twisted aside.
Ryuu was using her Virtue Nexus while Ais was using her Ariel. Both of them were equally matched in speed, strength, and all.
So, guessing who would win was genuinely difficult.
And why would the winner fight Alise? Simple—because despite her... certain narcissistic tendencies, Alise was strong, like super strong. Ais and Ryuu were evenly matched, trading wins back and forth. But Alise? She won against either of them more often than not. Not by a huge margin—maybe six or seven fights out of ten—but enough that betting against her was usually a losing proposition.
As I was lost in thought, watching the fight, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I turned to find Alise grinning at me, somehow having abandoned her cheerleading duties. "Hey, Arin! Got a question for you."
"Shoot."
"Wanna go to the dungeon together? Airmid wants to collect some unique plants and asks for escorts." She said.
I didn't even need to think about it. After what Airmid had done for me—the healing, the emotional support after my confession—I'd been looking for a way to repay her. "Sure. When?"
"Tomorrow, probably. I'll confirm with Airmid and let you know."
"Sounds good."
She gave me a thumbs up and bounded back to her cheerleading.