12K words
Better to be late than never.
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"Ugh… my head still aches a little." Silver mumbled out loud as he walked through Orario's streets
'Looking around, its quite empty. I guess everyone is just as wasted as I am. I expected Hestia to stay sleeping like a log for half of the day, but at this rate, I wager it'll be half the city too.'
'No wonder the first few days of the year are holidays… I'm starting to get worried for my advisor…'
He stretched his arms as he took a corner, "Haaa… I really want to go back… I'd rather lie down in the warm blankets and have her use me as a pillow than take another step forward…"
'No, what am I saying? That is a glorious reward compared to what I'm going to do.' He thought as he closed his eyes, thinking of his sleeping goddess hugging him
'It really is the difference between heaven and hell.'
"I'm a bit hungry… but its not like that would be solved for long."
Silver checked the time on a large clock-tower before entering an alley and reappearing in another alley somewhere in Melen.
"Yawn… it's a bit more cheerful around here."
'Fishermen and dockworkers are everywhere. Did a fleet arrive? Maybe I should start paying attention to this. Loiju usually only mentions it as he hands me the commissions, but I never ask for the details behind those requests.'
'Merchants come and go all the time, maybe some of them have some interesting news and items to sell…'
As he walked past the fisherman and entered the docks, he walked through the workers of the School District as they repaired and painted multiple sections of the ship's hull.
To maintain its fame, the ship needed to be in top-notch condition all the time
He stopped at a guard post and showed his temporary ID before stepping inside the massive boat and undoing his disguise. He didn't even care to hide his identity anymore; there wasn't a point to it now, though it could lead to problems if someone were to stop him.
/CLACK…/
"Hm?"
As he went through the district, he was attracted to a small crowd of students passing by with a bunch of equipment he couldn't quite understand.
Their boxes rattled with the echoes of metal as they walked down the sloped street. From their faces and hands, Silver could tell they worked with heavy machinery. Those were the calluses of smiths and the like. The ones his grandfather and father have.
Looking at the small items poking through, his eyes narrowed as a burst of interest washed over him, 'That is…'
He looked at their badges, but it wasn't necessary, he already knew where they were from, "Excuse me, students from the department of Smithing… what are those things in your hands?"
""Huh?""
The four students stopped, still holding onto the boxes in their hands.
They looked at him up and down and then at themselves, "You talking with us?" One of them, a young bearded man probably two to three years Silver's junior, asked as he turned to him
The others seemed to be his age, yet two of them had chubby beards… without any doubt, those were Dwarves.
Silver greeted them formally, "Yes, I've never seen a weapon with such a complicated design before."
The first to speak raised an eyebrow at his inquiry. A bit confused at his question, "Are you new here? Your badge… isn't one I'm familiar with."
One of them whispered to his friend, "That's a blank badge, it means he's here on temporary notice."
"Was there such a thing?" He whispered back, confused
"It's my first time seeing it too."
Silver exhaled faintly, "You know I can hear you two just fine, right?"
"You an adventurer?" The dwarven boy asked as he looked at him up and down. His tone was a little rough, almost condescending
"I've been one for not too long, yes."
He smacked his lips, "An adventurer and a weak one to boot… look pal, we don't have the time for this, we have to haul these to the Goibniu Familia for tests and even if we explained it, you wouldn't understand."
His expression did not change, "I see. I apologize for taking your time then. Carry on."
"We were going to do that regardless." The boy said as he walked past Silver, the others following him as they looked at him with wary eyes
"…"
His arms behind his back, Silver looked on as the kids went on their way, 'I heard the kids in the School District look down on adventurers, but this is a bit much. The reason for their dislike of us is well known. I've seen that firsthand when Hermes infiltrated the place.'
'From their perspective, with that kind of gear, they're like aliens stepping down in a world of medieval knights that eat with their hands… and those knights aren't exactly formal or subtle either.'
He scoffed, 'Pampered brats with extreme pride in their craft colliding with rough, traditional adventurers… of course there would be conflicts, and this has been going on for, what? Over a decade?'
Silver looked at them leave and then gestured at the air, pulling down something from within a cloud of smoke.
A smooth sword full of strange circuits and multiple mechanical parts, "This is definitely a sword, but its edge isn't that sharp. What are these mechanisms for?"
/Press…/
/LIGHT UP!/
The sword lit up with energy as a greenish-blue edge of energy manifested before its shaft!
"Ohoho… I see now. This is a Magi-Tech sword! Impressive! This light… ouch… is very sharp."
'Being this sharp, it could qualify for Second Class? Maybe it could deal damage to First Class monsters as well. I would test it if I could, but now's not the time.' He thought as he swung it around
'It doesn't feel bad to hold either. It's a good blade, through and through… but there's something I'm worried about.'
After a moment inspecting it, he looked at the students and then back at the School District, "It's almost like a solid light blade in a way. Dangerous even… this is future tech in a world it has no business being at."
He frowned as he deactivated the blade, 'But it has a fatal flaw… it's too complicated.'
He looked around it, shoving his fingers at every nook and cranny, 'If I can't understand its shape and the purpose of its parts from a look, then it's well-beyond redeeming… this is not an adventurer's weapon.'
'It's more useless than a Magic Sword. It's too over-engineered… and I doubt this would keep any semblance of functionality after a few clashes in the Dungeon. Just thinking about cleaning its insides… drives me nuts.'
'It's like a laser pointer. You don't smack others in the head with it, you use it to aim a gun!'
He exhaled faintly as he looked into the School District, 'Anyhow… what are those deities doing? It's all their fault! Did they really push a corner of humanity a thousand years into the future or maybe even more just for the sake of it? No matter how good the present models were before their arrival, it wasn't enough to make these.'
He pondered, thinking of his time exploring Orario, 'Then again… I have seen advanced prosthetics that look extremely refined, but it's rooted in the same tech that Orario prides itself on.'
'That is a little different from this kind of technology, if not more advanced… The prosthetics made by the Silver Saint are like advanced cybernetics, so it's not as if this place is hogging all that tech. Maybe its just a matter of priority and critical thinking. To use the same principles in other areas… this world was never that lacking in terms of base knowledge; what it lacked were people to put two and two together and make something happen.'
'Though its understandable… people die far too often here. If you aren't careful, in one night or two, an entire kingdom may disappear all of a sudden. This isn't the age of communication either. There are no shared pools of knowledge for people to gather and discuss ideas at.'
He looked at the sword, 'If Orario hasn't developed these kinds of things to fight the Dungeon, then there must be a reason… which makes me wonder why the Silver Saint prosthetics are welcomed in the Dungeon while I've never seen these before… could it be that I'm seeing this backwards?'
His eyes opened slightly, "Could it be that this… is actually backward technology?" He asked himself as he scratched the back of his head, "Well… I've never heard of those malfunctioning before."
'I must be going crazy. Even if that's the case, I'd wager its just the Silver Saint's skill as a craftsman that is so high compared to these kids that their items can't even be put on the same pedestal.'
'Maybe that kind of tech has been pushed to a usable level while this field is only just starting… I wonder what a God of smithing would have to say about these?'
He looked at the kids as they vanished in the distance and reached out at the air, 'You guys wouldn't mind if I took a few more… "samples" would you? Nah…'
He pulled a few more items and stored them discreetly as he rested his back against a wall in an alley.
After feeling satisfied with his spoils, he walked deeper into the alley, "Now then, I don't want to get late…"
'My day has only begun, but it seems I'll have to add a visit to the department of engineering to my schedule.'
He pulled a booklet from his pocket space and added a new line into it before throwing the book behind it, having it be consumed by the swirling vortex…
Silver hurried on, vanishing amidst the sea of buildings.
…
/Step step…/
Waiting in the middle of the gymnasium, Leon slowly turned to face Silver as he arrived.
"… There you are… a bit late once again. What will it be this time?"
"Aren't I on time?" He asked as he looked at the hanging clock
He seemed amused at his own answer, "You should always aim to arrive early. It is the knightly thing to do. As my deity would say, -Don't run around on the dot; be more than just punctual-."
Silver chuckled as he stretched his back, "They also say it's fashionable to arrive late."
Leon closed his eyes before brushing his hair back and smiling, "That is true. But this is not a party."
"Now then, I'm about to get back to work, so it may be difficult to teach you like this as we've done so before… so we'll have to cut it a bit shorter this time."
Silver raised an eyebrow. He looked left and right in confusion as if looking for something before pointing at his own chest… "Teach me?"
Leon's eyebrows twitched, "Ahem… you understand."
Silver exhaled, "It's fine. I've been the one requesting and requesting. I already got more than I could've asked for."
"You more than deserve to ditch me to take care of your things."
"Now you're making me a little guilty… don't worry though, we'll still meet for the days to come, just at different times." He said as he looked at the training rack full of weapons
The weapons were a bit different this time… They weren't training weapons anymore, those were all metal blades sharpened to their limit!
Just looking at them made Silver go numb…
After a moment inspecting them, he walked out without grabbing a single one of them, "Pick up your most proficient weapon. Today, I'll be teaching you something new."
"How to get beaten up in a proficient manner?"
He shook his head with a faint smile, "That you were already good at before you even met me. What I'm going to teach you… is how to climb out of the hole we dug up together."
"… more like buried inside…"
"I can hear you from here." He said in a deeper tone while also keeping his thin smile, making it sound threatening
"…"
Leon exhaled as he raised his arms. It was only now that Silver noticed the absence of his characteristic weapon.
"~Roar, afterglow~" Leon said as he began to chant
"!!!"
"~That is, twelve seats of valor~"
"~Blaze of Round~"
/Gleam!/
"Percil." He said as a one-handed short sword made of pure golden light manifested on his right hand
It shone in ephemeral light, a half-translucent object that inspired Silver with a mere glance. A light as pure as the sun emanating from a mere man.
He pointed the simple, glistening blade at him, "Your goal is simple. Break this blade."
But Silver… wasn't as enthusiastic about it, "… You're kidding me, right?"
"Do I look like I am?"
"Yes! Do you even know what that is?" He asked as he reached out for the back of his head
'Blaze of Round is one of the most famed Magic Spells out there. While its specifics are highly confidential, it doesn't take much to realize that I'm nowhere near enough to even put a dent in that thing!'
Leon nodded, "It's great that you know; it spares me the time to explain it. As expected of my student, you research things without me needing to tell you to."
"Now then, let's begin."
"What?…!"
/DASH!/
Leon vanished, reappearing before Silver with his blade above his head.
/CLANG!/
He instinctively blocked it, his hands trembling.
"D-Dammit!"
'Am I really doing this?! To break the sword of the castle cutter??'
"Focus, student. Don't falter now of all times. I'm not taking no for an answer anymore."
/CLANG!/
"UGH!"
His palms already bleeding, Silver began his impossible battle.
To shatter the blade of light, the beacon of the last crusade.
…
/About two hours later…/
/SLAM!/
"GAH!"
Knocking Silver out with a sudden strike faster than the eye could capture, Leon stopped moving as he looked at the large clock hanging on the wall.
'It's about time to wrap this up.' He thought as his grip on his sword loosened.
Leon looked at the wounded Silver and then at his short sword of light, shaking his head as it dissipated into motes of light…
'It took quite a bit to force him to fall, which is good, but… in the end…'
'He still doesn't get it.'
He put one arm behind his back as he adjusted his collar with the other, 'Have I perhaps reflected myself onto him too much, or is it merely a lack of time? It took me years to steal the faintest of embers; it would be too much for him to do the same in a day.'
'I must've asked too much out of him, the one that has impressed me the most… expectation can be a powerful venom, I thought I knew that best.'
'Or is this an impossible matter? Have I misunderstood the nature of his magic? I'm certain he had the basics down to invoke it… but at the same time, his magic is simply far too complex.'
'I've never seen anything like it. Perhaps I should've just asked it from the beginning, but that feels cheap.'
Leon looked down faintly before turning around and leaving Silver on the ground. Compared to other days, he wasn't that injured at all as today, all they did was clash blades.
As Leon affirmed before, today he taught him swordsmanship. All the beatings Silver suffered worked as the base for him to understand and follow through with this lesson. But there was still much left to learn.
What better way to learn than to have your body feel what it meant to be beaten down? Even though it hadn't been long, Silver's body had already begun to move on an instinctual level to evade him… albeit to naught.
Overtime, these movements would turn into something best fitting for Silver's repertoire of skills. But that alone wasn't enough for Leon… what he wanted most was…
/Step…/
As Leon stepped through the corridor leading outside, he suddenly came to a halt at the sight of a man standing in the hallway, "… Look at what the sea has brought to me this time?" He asked with a faint smile
However, that smile wasn't as carefree as the one he gave Silver and the other students. It was the heavy, determined smile of a man overflowing with confidence.
The man chuckled, stepping from the darkness, "Surprised?"
A tall elf with an unusually muscular body for their species, albeit still thin.
Like all, he was ethereally handsome, even more so than Leon, known as the very reflection of a prince in shining armor straight out of fairy tales.
His greatest feature, however, was his long emerald hair that shone even in the faintest of lights.
Leon crossed his arms, "Be it that young man and now you, I should say I did not expect such action so soon."
The elf looked beyond him into the arena, but Leon stepped to the side, blocking his view, "A bit rude, isn't it, old friend? To ignore me so blatantly."
"Most cannot take their eyes from me." He joked as his eyes narrowed down
"It wasn't my intention." The elf said as he raised his hands, "I'm just as surprised as you. I never expected to see someone I know here of all places… it seems fate truly is a mysterious thing."
"Someone you know?"
The elf seemed dejected before his emotions returned to stillness, "It's a long story… our generation… is a sad one."
"The children of today, in many cases, do not have parents and grandparents to rely on. The heroes are in their cradle, but they have none to look up to."
"He is a rare case… one I expected to remain such. But the lower world proves fickle in its endless twists, and now here he is… a mere child challenging one who peers at the end of the path… just like how he did many years prior."
He looked at Leon with an accusing gaze, "I can see your smile, you're enjoying this, aren't you, brat?" The elf asked as his eyes showed his amusement
Leon did not answer that, "Then? What brings you here? You didn't come all the way here to say hello, did you? As far as I remember, we weren't that much of friends."
"Indeed. We were never two to exchange petty words… we talk with this." He said as he brought his thin rapier forward, "The time has come, Leon. To settle down and cultivate the ultimate light."
Leon's expression remained somber. Or rather, had he realized his intentions from the beginning?
"…"
The elf looked at his still sheathed blade as he continued, "Has it been seven years since our last encounter at the mouth of despair? Since then, I have reflected much and I believe I have reached my limits… this is the most I can go before the promised time."
"Before the Great Dragon Hunt."
"… I fear it's the same for me too." Leon agreed as his head fell slightly, but it wasn't a sign of defeat. On the contrary, his determination only seemed to burn brighter
He raised his head, looking into the Elf's clear emerald eyes, "But now's not the time. Not the place either…"
The elf's smile deepened, thinking about the past, of the incursions they witnessed, "I still can't believe it… how that rude and obnoxious kid became so proper… it makes me feel better knowing that I'm not the only one shaken by that."
"But… the way we see things is different. You seek to spread as many embers of hope as possible, hoping one of them will flourish into a light unlike any other, while I… seek a guarantee."
"We cannot afford to fail again. I will create one great fire to engulf all."
Leon's voice sharpened, "Even if that fire burns the world?"
The elf's expression did not change, "… Better to die in a fire of our own making than another's. Wasn't that their choice, in the end?"
"Not everyone thinks like you."
But he did not address his last words… just thinking about it made his stomach turn.
The elf shook his head, "It matters not. All desire something, but most can only watch. We fight for those who can't, for those who are ignorant, for those who fear, and for those who despise us."
"We both fight to secure a future for those who will come after, but you are far more sentimental than I. For I don't have the time to listen to their petty cries."
"Leon… to create the ultimate light… the only one with the smallest possibility of wounding the beast… one of us must die. May this light we've cultivated pass on to the other… and may it lead all onto a new future."
"This is a transient light. It was cultivated over a thousand years, and we stole its faintest embers after being burned time and time again… the flames must grow by devouring each other."
"What do you expect to achieve by lighting new pyres now of all times? Do you think you'll hit oil by any chance? Leon… ash is everything we have left."
"Then I'll ignite this ash." He proclaimed as wind brushed past him
The elf looked behind him. In the distance, beyond the entrance leading to the gymnasium, the ever-distant sight of the grand city appeared before their eyes… and the tower piercing the clouds, "The King's light is strong, but not enough to engulf mine. Only yours has a slight chance, the power to reach mine."
He then looked at his rapier and its wounded, scarred sheath, "I've held a blade for over a hundred years, Leon. I've been cultivating this light for longer than you've been alive… you either push mine beyond its limits, or you consume might to reach the summit."
"And when the time comes, we pray our efforts have been enough, because this world does not have more firewood to burn another fire of defiance… you know that."
"…"
Leon kept quiet, not agreeing nor denying his statement, "… But… there is one thing we both agree with, I'm certain." He said as he relaxed.
"That this is not the place to decide that, nor the time."
The man before him looked at him with his deep emerald eyes, "… Very well. Consider my previous words void then."
Leon burst out laughing, "Hahahaha… you were the one who said our next meeting would be its last."
"That's why I'm saying this." The Elf replied as a faint smile took to his lips, "Today, I only came here to see the son of friends I've long left behind. To see just what kind of future is that I'm fighting for."
As his eyes looked past Leon, he turned around, "And after seeing it, I think it's not time yet to put this blade down. It makes me understand you a bit more, brat. Why you've done everything you did."
His tone grew a little distant, "There is worth in leaving something behind… anything." He scoffed drily, "And they said there wasn't much else for me to learn…"
The man left without another word while Leon turned to face the still unconscious Silver. He stood there for a few moments, pensive.
Until…
"You're not planning to go die in a duel like in some second-rate heroic tale? I hate those the most." A sharp voice rang behind him as Leon unconsciously trembled
"If you ever think about accepting those preposterous words, I'll have a word with Baldr and you know full well what he'll do after. You've been warned. I'll make you wish you had died instead."
"Sif…"
'That is one troublesome woman to hear that…'
A beautiful young goddess of a mature appearance, like Demeter, stepped into the gymnasium. Her golden hair was so long it had to be tied exotically behind her back, and even then, it seemed to flow around her body, almost reaching the ground.
"Ara? From your expression, I tell you'd have preferred someone else to be here instead?"
"Haha… you jest."
"Liar."
"…"
She walked past him, putting her right hand over her eyebrows as she looked at the arena, "So that's him, I wonder? The boy Idun's been losing her mind over?"
"So even you heard of him."
She crossed her arms and shrugged his remark aside, "All the higher staff know, while the students can only wonder about who's taking your time like this. Their jealousy is palpable."
"It wouldn't be outside their actions to protest any of these days, you know? No one can come and book Professor Leon for the holidays and walk out unscathed. You better prepare an excuse for them else you'll be in for a bad time… especially if they realize you've been tutoring an outsider. An adventurer to boot."
Leon looked away like a kid being accused of misbehaving… or so it looked to her.
"She's been throwing a fit, you know? Saying Professor Leon took the SSR Rank assistant she pulled on a whim. That you should go take responsibility for it." She asked as she turned to face him before walking to the arena
Leon laughed awkwardly as he followed her, "Haha… I didn't do anything, he's the one who came to me."
"Yes, but you haven't thrown him aside either."
"Knowing him, that wouldn't solve anything. It would only make the process unnecessarily unpleasant."
She looked displeased, "And you call this pleasant?"
Sif stopped and looked down at Silver with her arms crossed as she supported her breasts, "Look at what you did to the poor child. His eyes are so bruised I can't even see them anymore. What did you do to him?"
"I asked him to shatter the first sword of Blaze of Round."
Sif gazed at him with a face full of worry, "… Are you sound of mind? Did Baldr's past decade and a half of effort to correct you all go to waste?"
For the first time ever since he began beating Silver up, a bead of sweat fell down his forehead, "It's not as you think… I understand full well the meaning of this task." He said as he looked down at the still unconscious Silver
"It's how he'll take it that matters."
"I can see that. The poor kid's skin is more purple and blue than white. He might've taken a bit too much of whatever you're giving him. It's to such a degree I can't even see if he's still breathing."
Leon could only laugh awkwardly, "Hahaha… he'll be fine. He always wakes up and returns with only a few bruises. He's better at taking hits than both I and Ottar were at his age… maybe not the latter, but it's close."
Silver trembled as he grunted weakly, "Ugh…"
"Poor thing… give me a potion, Leon. I don't think he can breathe properly with the way his face… is…"
"… I didn't bring any this time." He replied with a serious expression as his face grew even tenser
"You're hopeless!"
Silver slowly opened his eyes to see Sif in all her glory. A blurry image of a golden-haired goddess under the strong sunlight beaming down from the sky…
At exactly this time, from the holes around the arena, the sunlight came exactly into the back of her head as she looked down at him.
"Did… did I finally die?… At least it's not an ugly man… my goddess will be livid… she'll complain for the next thousand years… I don't think I'm ready for that still."
"You're not there yet, child!" Sif exclaimed awkwardly as she placed her hand on his head
Silver smiled, his bloodied teeth a grim reflection of his state, "Haha… thank God…"
"Leon! The kid's delirious! Just how hard did you hit his head? What if it causes permanent damage?!"
"…"
Silver held Sif's hand with a small smile, "There are still… so many pretty goddesses for me to see. I can't go on yet. Who are you, oh gorgeous one?"
"Haaa… at least he's honest. Let's try to get you back running. I'm Sif child. What about you?" She asked gently as she looked down at him
"Mellios… Silver. Captain of the… Hestia Familia."
"That's a start. Hestia is it? No wonder, you seem like the kind of child she'd be interested in. Hestia isn't one to reach out to others unless she's forced to."
Silver touched his head, still a bit dazed.
"Poor thing, sigh… that's why no one asks to learn this from you anymore!" Sif claimed as she hugged Silver, shoving his face on her breasts
"…"
Leon did not say anything anymore.
"Come with me, child, I'll take you to the infirmary. You'll be fine in no time."
"T-Thanks…"
Sif grabbed Silver's hand and pulled him along. And as she led him across the area, she threw Leon a glare before walking past him.
"!!"
As Silver walked past Leon, he turned to him and threw him a sneaky smile before following her.
Watching them leave, Leon exhaled in defeat, "Haha… you win this time."
'I knew something was wrong. I barely tapped his head compared to before. His head didn't even bleed… Sif isn't easy to fool… but where did all that blood come from? I'm certain he wasn't that injured before I left him there…'
'Did he… I see… its that weird magic of his. Smart kid... He got something most could only dream of.'
"If you can't do it with pure strength, then find another way… But to use a god is quite vulgar."
He adjusted his collar one last time, "Well… I should move on as well."
'If I get late now, its over.'
Leon left the arena behind, hurrying to attend to his duties.
…
/Later…/
"Ugh… thank you for the assistance."
Meanwhile, Silver was discharged from the infirmary, this time actually looking normal.
The School District's infirmary possessed extremely advanced machinery to help with recovery, but none of that was necessary when Silver's injuries were merely superficial.
A few healing spells were all he needed to go back to normal… And while this didn't stop his body from aching here and there, at the very least, he looked presentable again. Something unusual, given he spent the last week looking like a bum.
Silver thanked both Sif and the nurse who healed him back to full health, and with that, he now knew he could just come here every day to heal himself instead of enduring the pain and slowly recovering on his own.
To some degree, he should've known. All students come here when they need to, but with Leon never raising the idea, maybe it was part of the training all along… but Silver didn't intend on feeling like crap all the time.
With a smile, and before Sif started raising questions or worse, Idun found him and forced him to work again, he left on his way. With the day still bright, there was a lot of time left on the clock for him to do whatever. Which was when he remembered Finn's words in the early morning.
No more delaying it. Silver's first action was to go back to the Chuch to fetch his goddess. It was time to sign the papers and move on with the expedition to the unexplored depths!
…
/Not long after…/
"… Alright! Let's do this!" Hestia said as he stretched his neck and cracked her knuckles
Lying down on bed, Silver turned his head to face Hestia, "Is it that big of a deal? Why are you acting as if you're about to fight?"
"Because this is a fight! Updating your Status is the most important thing I do! It cannot be done lightly…" She said as she sat on his back, tapping her face as she did some weird ritual and gestured with her hands
"If you say so… then fight with everything you have!"
"I will!"
"But… do we have to do this? I'm kind of doing fine." He said as he rested his head on the sofa
Hestia adamantly refused his soft unwillingness, "It's been long enough since the last time! It's been almost a week! Of which half of that you've been doing that "training", of yours. You'll be going to the Dungeon soon enough, so this is necessary!"
"Wouldn't it be better to wait until just before the expedition then? To maximize stat gain?" He asked as Hestia crossed her arms and denied him again
"Don't try to dissuade me! Even if that is the case, your stats wouldn't rise by anything more than a few digits!"
'Although… that's Silver we're talking about.' She thought as her expression changed, 'It could mean the difference between a few dozen points or even more… but with how much he grows, isn't that just a few more days, anyway? I'd rather be reassured now than continue to worry later.'
'Given how high his stats were before, he might even be compelled to Rank Up!… But that's just wishful thinking…'
"I'm starting."
Hestia pricked her fingertip with a nail, letting a single drop of blood fall on his back.
/Ripple…/
As his Falna was stimulated, the numbers jumped on his back, and as she slowly adjusted the numbers and Divine hieroglyphs… Hestia's face paled.
'I-Impossible!'
The numbers kept rising, more, and more, and more!! Her eyes kept darting around as she read and settled his Excelia, unable to believe what was transpiring before her eyes.
When they finally settled down, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Feeling her hands dancing on his back and her silence, he couldn't help but joke a bit, "… Something wrong? If you're going to keep tapping my back, do it a bit lower. Work's been tough these days…"
"#!!"
/SLAP!/
She slapped his ass, "I'm focusing! Stop talking!"
Silver exhaled dramatically, "… What I get to provide for this Familia…"
Hestia breathed deeply as she tried to process what she was seeing. But after realizing there was no point agonizing over it on her own, she pushed his Status back onto his back and began transcribing it all onto a piece of parchment.
"Here you go. Try to keep yourself calm."
'I refuse to believe you won't show me a reaction this time!'
Silver adjusted himself, taking a seat beside Hestia as he took his transcribed Status:
—
Mellios Silver
Level 1
Strength C 679 -> SS 1131
Vitality S 907 -> SS 1199
Dexterity C 692 -> S 908
Agility A 822 -> SS 1041
Magic S 941 -> SS 1199
>Magic:
- Magnum Opus Ambrosia
Body manipulation-type magic?
>Skill:
- Vit Alhjin
Body strengthening-type Skill.
Raises the starting ceiling of basic abilities to H-100, reducing the difficulty of raising them by one rank in the process.
Passive magic interference from all sources, beneficial, or even self-originated.
- Oculus Davidis
Conditional and growth boost-type Skill.
Activates in challenging scenarios, supersizing rewards from a given situation.
—
"This is…"
She looked at him in expectation, "… So?"
"Impressive."
"That's all for your reaction?!"
"I mean… this is beyond my expectations, but what's so odd about it?"
"Don't play dumb with me now!" She said as she shook his shoulders, "Your stats are all over the place! How can you go beyond the maximum number?! That's not written in the rule-book!"
Silver stood there for a few seconds scrathing his chin before he replied, "Good question… but I think the answer is evident. It's probably Vit Alhjin's fault."
"This Skill raises my starting point to H-100, so I can interpret it as if the entire range that my Basic Abilities can grow has shifted slightly… what others see as H, I see as I, and their maximum S does not limit me."
"Does that make sense?"
'I say it like this, but I'm beyond impressed. The Status limit of S-999… I always planned to reach at least S-Rank, but after my Plasmids awakened, I grew a bit more ambitious…'
'I had some experiments in mind to breach the limit in some manner, but if that proved ineffective, then there wasn't much I could do. Those were only plans, and this kind of power isn't something I'm desperate for anyway.'
'My goal was never to be the very best of adventurers. I intended only to grow to a point where my Plasmids could rival my past accomplishments. From there, I could work on passing the one I was before… but somehow, this happened.'
'Anyhow, it's a bit of a shame, but it seems SS Rank is my limit so far. Nothing out of the ordinary then. If SS Rank is my S Rank equivalent, I'll have to find a way to breach it like anyone else would, if I even can, that is.'
'No one in their right mind could do it… It might even be impossible without set conditions and workarounds like Vit Alhjin.'
Hearing his words, even Hestia's enthusiasm died a little, "When you put it like that…"
'Is my reaction strange?… NO! He's the strange one! This kind of thing would quake all of Orario!!'
Meanwhile, Silver rummaged over things a bit longer, "It seems my limit is SS Rank then. The time for a Rank Up is fast approaching from the looks of things." He said as he put the paper aside
'I knew the time would come, but its infinitely faster than I could've ever planned for back in the village. I can't say I'm ready to advance, but it would be a lie to say I have a lot left to do.'
'I have only one experiment, and if that fails, then I'll only do the thing I know most… face an ultimate challenge and persevere. If that doesn't work either, then I'll Rank Up without hesitation.'
'Stats are good, but with my boost from my Plasmids and if my other ideas work to some degree, then breaching the limit wouldn't make much of a difference… besides, what's there to fear, anyway? There isn't anyone even close to these stats as far as I remember.'
'The only ones who could even come close to these… are those who have peered at the limits of their Status and also have the means of pushing it further. But I can count those people on my fingers.'
As his thoughts settled down, he focused on Hestia's words again…
"Y-Yeah… but… shouldn't we wait a bit longer? It's barely been a month." She replied awkwardly as she tried to think about her tutoring
Being hasty wasn't good in the long term. For her to succeed, she needed to cultivate a good and stable Familia.
This was especially the case for her, who started at Orario from zero. And as a god would say, that's like picking the hardest difficulty of them all and then spawning at the hardest area to farm.
To not fail and be forced to start again outside, she'd need to take her time growing each member of her Familia until she reached a point where she could stand her ground and play on the same field as the other deities… but that took time.
And even for a goddess itching to have her child be as protected as he could, she knew how to bide for time.
Thinking about this, Silver nodded, "Once I return from the expedition, I'll likely have reached the maximum on all my Stats. You don't have to worry much, since with my abilities, I can come and go whenever I want."
"After I face enough challenges and I believe the time is right, even if I have to do it midway through it, I'll come back to update my Status. Of course… we should probably wait for my official return to complete it… that would put my Rank Up at around the one and a half to two-month mark."
"That's still too soon!"
"Yes it is… so we can always Rank Up and lie about it. No one would question my Level even if I were to grow stronger every other day. Some deities might be able to feel my blessing, but what are they going to do? Complain about it at the Guild?"
Silver shrugged dismissively, "No one would believe a story like that, and even if we're forced to tell the truth, the best punishment we'd receive would be a small fine… after all, it's just a Level 1 adventurer ranking up, nothing more."
"My ranking speed would surely draw other issues, of course… deities that we're familiar with are more likely to recognize my changes, but for those we trust, a few words is all we need."
"And when the time comes, we can always reveal it, no strings attached."
"… That doesn't sound too bad."
"Of course it doesn't, it's the most reasonable thing to do."
'Even if this only manages to buy us a month or two, that much time is already significant. The one I'm most worried about isn't myself but Hestia. For she would be in the crosshairs of all of those who would question the legitimacy of my power.'
'And also because she's a terrible liar.'
Hestia's expression darkened as she raised her fists, ready to throw down hands, "#!! You could've just kept quiet!"
"Haha, you know how it is… let's get ready now, we have someone to meet."
Her bravado was extinguished like water to a bonfire, "Ugh… I don't want to go…"
"If she pesters you too much, you can leave; the contract can always be signed somewhere else. It'll only be this time. A once in a blue moon kind of thing. In and out, twenty-minute adventure." He said with a smile as he gestured at the stairs
"Mumumu… fine… it's for our finances… this is definitely not going to be my last time dealing with her either way…"
"That's the spirit."
"I'm starting to regret this…"
"You've been saying that from the start."
"And each time I do I feel worse!"
"Well then, let's go."
…
Not long after, the both of them got ready and stepped out. They crossed the busy streets of Orario, making way to the Loki Familia manor in the extreme North.
As they stepped before its gates and the wide streets surrounding the manor, Hestia took a deep breath…
"… Okay… I think I'm ready."
"That's the third time you've said that on the way here. If it's too much, I can ask them to leave the contracts with the Guild, and you can go sign it off there."
She shook her head, "No, I have to face her at least once… your safety will be in her children's hands from here on out, so I want to remind her of that."
Silver smiled as he patted her head, "I'm proud of you. To face your biggest fear…"
"WHO'S AFRAID OF WHAT?!" She exclaimed as she stepped forward, fuming
"Haha…"
'Afraid is not the right word… is she worried about her authority? I can understand… this isn't the same as back in Heaven. Loki is now a woman of incredible political power… their previous scuffles now carry far greater meaning, even if she doesn't want to admit it.'
'Hestia is, at her core, a kind person who wants to avoid trouble of any kind.'
Silver and Hestia stepped inside the castle.
…
"… I'll take it from here, Silver. This is between us goddesses." Hestia said with a serious gaze as she looked at the stairs leading to Loki's office
"Is it that big of a deal?"
"Yes!"
"Sigh… very well then. Come find me when you're done."
'I should go look for one of the Executives to get things started.'
"Understood!" She said as she reached for her arms, lifting nonexistent sleeves…
"…"
'Let's hope nothing happens.'
After looking at Hestia climb the stairs and vanish inside the manor, he turned around, walking around with no aim.
He passed through courtyards, the dining hall, the kitchen, and more, settling down in the front garden with the exotic plants from around the world.
He remained there for a while until someone came to stop him…
"Looking for something?" A voice echoed as Silver tried to identify the plants standing before him
He turned around, noticing the wide and burly man about the height of his chest.
"You're here."
Gareth smiled, "I should be the one saying that, you know… Finn got a report that someone unfamiliar was walking around the place and immediately knew it was you. So here I am."
"I expected that much, that's why I did it. Far easier to meet you. Though I thought I'd meet Finn instead."
"Finn is busy in his office. He likely won't be coming out of there for the next few hours… and you could've just asked someone… no matter, ready to work a little?"
"Always."
Gareth tapped his chest with a deep chuckle, "Great… you look better than I expected. Here I was, ready to feed you an Elixir. It seems that Leon took it easy on you."
"Hah, if only that were the case… You people sure are kind, but its not that big of a deal. I got some help, that's all. I suppose I won't be walking around half-dead anymore."
Gareth smiled, "Follow me to the…"
/CRASH!/
"… WHAT DID YA SAY?!"
Just when they were about to walk inside, they heard the echoes of glass shattering above them.
"That is…"
"My goddess… and yours. I thought things were going to be fine… but it seems I was wrong."
Gareth smiled awkwardly, "Should we…"
Silver shook his head in denial, "Nah… I'd rather not get between them… but we can't leave them alone either. They probably won't do too much, but I'd rather not see how far they can go."
He scoffed faintly as well, "Aye… I understand the feeling. I think the exact same. I'd rather walk away, but then someone's going to have to clean the mess."
After they got inside, Gareth called someone and had them go check things in Loki's office as he led Silver to a storage area at the back of the manor.
Inside the massive warehouse, hundreds of boxes had been stacked atop each other as workers came and went with more boxes and items.
The preparations for the expedition had already begun in earnest!
"…"
'There's so much… perhaps enough supplies for a hundred people to challenge the Dungeon for months.'
"… Sir!" Someone exclaimed as they noticed Gareth
Silver did not recognize the man. It was a tall elf with blond hair holding a spreadsheet in hand.
As the man arrived, Gareth pointed at Silver, "The one I talked about is here, get those things ready."
The elf did not even look at Silver, giving Gareth a resolute answer, "Understood!"
He nodded to Silver in acknowledgement before he turned around, ready to return to work in haste. From the dark circles around his eyes, he could tell things were complicated.
"Everyone seems busy."
"It's because of the New Year. We avoid doing expeditions around this time exactly because of the repercussions of the festivities, but since we ended up here, we might as well get things through quickly so we can get the Dungeon for ourselves."
He wasn't wrong. Even Silver knew that the Dungeon had been growing ever so restless and more dangerous with each passing day ever since the Winter Festival.
With fewer and fewer adventurers prowling the caverns, this gives rise to higher monster densities, and with it, the chance of stronger monsters preying on weaker ones and mutating beyond their power.
To most, that was a death sentence, but to a strong Familia, it was a golden throve.
"May I inquire what we'll be doing today?"
"Just a small test. We don't doubt your abilities, but Finn wanted to see something more concrete first. He prefers to act within the confines of what he knows, if you don't mind."
"His overly rational thought process tends to be insulting to some. I assure you that it isn't personal in the slightest… he's too busy to hold any sort of grudge of any degree… as long as no one touches one of ours, bwahahaha! Then he becomes a demon."
"Uhum…"
Silver looked around with his hands in his pockets as several boxes were piled up before him. When a sizeable stack took shape before him, Gareth turned to him with a small smile, "Can you store these with your magic?"
"That's easy. But this place is a bit open…"
Gareth waved at him, "Don't worry about the others. All here have already been notified of your presence in the coming expedition. They won't get surprised… that much at least."
"… I can tell that much from their eyes." Silver added with an awkward smile as he avoided everyone's eyes
"Haha, I apologize on their behalf. They're hard to approach at first, but they'll warm up soon enough after understanding what you can do." He said as he tapped Silver's shoulders
Silver smiled, "Actions speak louder than any words. That's the easiest way to solve things."
'I knew that keeping this under wraps from the Loki Familia as a whole was a bust. How can the executives work while keeping such secrets from the lower fighters? This isn't how they operate.'
'I don't mind either, this works better for me… and since they're all watching, might as well throw in a little bit of a show while I'm at it.'
Silver cleared his throat as he raised his right hand, "Room~" He said with a small smile as he reached out for the boxes
/Crunk…/
The ground seemed to quake momentarily as a veil of shadows rose over them before engulfing them like ocean tides in the sea.
Once the boxes disappeared within, Silver reached out for the swirling fog and pulled it like a carpet, letting it spread in the air before waiting for it to settle down onto the shape of a door.
/Open../
He opened the door, revealing its contents… and there they were, the pile of boxes within a dark void.
He threw a few sneak peeks at the workers hauling items left and right and, as expected, they were all flabbergasted.
After calming his thoughts for a moment, Gareth laughed drily, "… Haha… it's even more impressive than I originally expected. So you can instantly store everything you want in whatever shape you desire?"
Silver nodded. It wasn't as simple, but for his abilities, limiting what he could do was harder, "I could swallow this entire warehouse with everyone inside in their original spots if you wanted. Though it'll cause some damage at its foundation."
"If there are significantly tough materials inside, then I may be utterly unable to do so. It's the reason why I can't just mine sections of the Dungeon… I need someone to break it apart first."
"Aye…"
Silver controlled the shadowy mass, having it pool before them again as the boxes reappeared in the world before them.
"… The warehouse is a bit much… but I got what I needed to know." Gareth said as he brushed his beard
"How many times can you do this? Is it too taxing?"
"This much is easy to do. Rather than "activating" this magic, it takes more effort for me to cover wider spaces. It doesn't matter how dense or complex an area is, if I can engulf it completely, then I can store it."
"I said before I could store half of this castle and I wasn't lying. But I didn't say how I'd look afterwards… I don't have an unlimited supply of Mind to spare."
Gareth nodded before moving on, "I remember you saying something about being able to create separate rooms?"
"Yes. Would you like me to show you? Isolating materials from multiple storage compartments is easy enough."
"That would be…"
/STOMP!/
All of a sudden, Loki barged inside, looking around the place like a hungry watchdog.
As her eyes fell on Silver, she rushed in his direction, kicking dust as her hands fell on his shirt, "You're coming with me!"
While a bead of sweat fell over Silver's forehead, Gareth pulled Loki back as if she were a like kid in the park, "Sigh… what's the meaning of this, Loki?"
She stopped, looking at Silver, "That pimple said he's unbeatable at his Level and I don't believe it! She's willing to bet her house on it!"
Silver's expression cracked as he grew a little pale, "…"
'The house I just bought?'
"So I'm going to teach her a lesson! Come'er and prove yourself!"
"… I'm not betting my house on it." He declared as he shook his head fervently
"A man should stick to the claims of their deities!"
"…"
"Cut it out. He isn't going anywhere. I heard what you did last time, you aren't doing that again." Gareth claimed with a sigh as he crossed his arms, standing there like an obelisk
"Haaa? What am I supposed to do about her statement then?" She asked as she stomped the ground and puffed her cheeks
As the situation grew a little tense, Silver raised his hand…
"… How about you drink it down with some alcohol and forget this ever happened?" Silver asked as he pulled a wine bottle from the fog
"This is… Soma wine?!"
"Happy New Year… a bit delayed…"
She snatched the bottle faster than Silver could blink, "You're temporarily pardoned for what you did… And what you just said… I think that's an excellent idea!"
""…""
/Whistle…/
Loki left while whistling, leaving Silver and Gareth behind…
"… Shall we continue, or is this all for today?" He asked as he turned to Gareth
'I have an inkling of a feeling she came here only for that… but I must be overthinking it.'
The man exhaled faintly before looking behind him, "Let's get a few more things gone before you go. I wanted to tell you how we're going to sort materials."
Gareth pulled a small spreadsheet from his pockets, "We're mostly giving you large, hard to carry supplies such as camping items and fragile items that we usually suffer a loss during transportation such as potions. Reducing the need for large convoys and with it, the need to protect them."
"This is to see how we would fare if our forces could focus more on clearing the Dungeon than just traversing it… Finn was thinking about how to spread our margins a little, so that makes it closer to even."
Silver nodded, it was about what he expected. Mostly inconsequential items they'll likely still carry through supporters, "No problem, I'll load up anything you guys ask for."
'The bulk of it will probably fall on me while the rest they'll solve on their own. If something happens and the deal falls through, the Loki Familia will still have all the power to go deeper or return if the situation calls for it.'
'One day they'll trust me to carry their items, but perhaps they'll never fully trust me unless I join them.'
"Don't feel pressed to make use of me in any way. I understand it's hard to trust anybody regardless of the situation… it isn't just you and me right now." Silver said as he crossed his arms, looking around
"I don't mind being cursed and disregarded. Trust and respect are earned… built over time and not demanded… though I might get a little iffy about the ones who cussed at me for a while." He added with a smirk as he turned to face him
"I appreciate the understanding kid. We'll get there, eventually. For now, all we require are those larger and more fragile items… that alone will free a lot of space."
"On the way back, we can have you haul other larger items and loot as you discussed previously with Finn. I'm not too clear on that for the details often enter this ear and leave through the other, bwahaha!"
"It's up to Finn and Riveria to go through those troublesome things. I work best just doing whatever they say. Now… I was told that other terms on the contract are still up for discussion."
"You don't have to worry in the slightest. We'll get everything done on our end, no problem."
"That's reassuring. I'm good with numbers, but I'd rather put my focus elsewhere."
Gareth smiled, "Let's continue, this time without interruptions."
…
/Around half an hour later…/
Silver stepped out of the warehouse with Gareth beside, "Ughh… so that's all for today?"
"You could stay a bit longer too. I'm sure the others are eager to talk with you a bit. This is an unprecedented situation after all."
"Eager? Don't you guys always go on expeditions in collaboration with other Familias?"
"That's one thing. We can't compare those and call them the same thing…"
"It has always been us who built our reputation and went after others to employ them. This is the first time someone has come to us with such a proposition… at least one we accepted. Most did not pass through Loki's "seal of acceptance" or whatever she likes to call her approval."
"Others have tried to do similar things, but it never came to be... until today."
Silver sighed as a faint smirk took over his lips, "I can see why now… well… maybe some other time. I should fetch my Goddess and depart for today before something unusual happens. We'll likely meet a few more times around too, so…"
/Step step…/
As the two of them walked away from the warehouse, someone approached them from afar. Seeing this person, Gareth smiled before stepping aside.
"I'll leave her to you then. She has many questions. Take your time to answer a few, will ya?"
"What? You can't just…"
"Excuse me."
A golden-haired lady stood in his way, waiting patiently like an emotionless statue.
She turned her gaze to the burly dwarf, "Gareth."
"Good afternoon Ais, it seems you finally woke up from yesterday."
"I'm sorry…"
"It's nothing, we already heard the brunt of it from Loki…" He said as he sneaked a glance at Silver
"…"
'Well damn.'
Gareth had the urge to laugh but held it in as he turned around, "I still have things to do before the day is over, I'll leave you two to it."
"…"
"…"
"… Ahem… good afternoon."
"Good afternoon."
"…"
'This is difficult. She's like a wall of stone.'
Despite her cold expression, Ais' thoughts were far from calm… after much internal conflict, of back and forth between her own thoughts, she finally strung together the words that had been assailing her for a long time.
"Can we talk?"
"I… of course. Though I'd like to sit down first if you don't mind." He said as he stretched his back
"I know a place, follow me."
…
Silver and Ais walked to a small veranda overlooking the city on the third floor of the castle. It was quite peaceful and isolated, a small respite from the busy world below.
It didn't even take a moment before she continued, "I've been meaning to ask… how? How did you do it?"
"Can you be a bit more specific?"
"Kill the Floor Boss."
"You mean Goliath? That's a long story…" He said as he sighed faintly, already expecting her question to be about it
Ais continued, "I heard from the Guild that the Goliath had been killed, but no one claimed the bounty. It was only on the second time, when the Freya Familia accepted a commission for it, that someone went to claim it… and surprisingly, it wasn't the Freya Familia but a bystander."
"Yes, that was me. That guy almost killed me." He said as he clicked his tongue
"I've heard the rumors…"
"Yes, the King was tasked with killing it. I didn't know that, or better put, I did not care about the commission. I rushed down there without a care and went to face it."
He laid his head against the wall, a little helpless, "What I met instead was a harsh wake up call. Midway through the battle, he came out of nowhere and swung his sword, killing Goliath and swatting me away like a fly."
He looked at the city for a moment before smiling.
"So I did the only thing I thought proper… I challenged him. It's an embarrassing story."
Her eyes opened slightly in surprise. A rare emotion that escaped her prison of indifference. Inside it, she screamed in curiosity and awe, but all that came out were plain words, "You… you challenged the King?"
"It was a pretty eye-opening experience… to say the least."
"Why?"
He threw the question right back at her, "Why not?…"
He looked at Ais and smiled as she pondered over his question seriously, "I can tell exactly what you want from me. However, you'll be disappointed to hear my answer. Most would take me as a liar, like most people at the Guild who believed I stole the King's credit. But I won't deny what I did… however, my words are the truth."
He grew serious, "I killed Goliath before I became an adventurer. Though that isn't that big of a deal anymore, is it?"
She shook her head; it was an immensely big deal to her.
He chuckled at her antics, "I'll be frank. My methods… are not ones others can replicate, at least not directly. Even if I told you how I did it, I doubt it would help you in any way, then intrude on your sharpened set of skills."
"But leaving you without anything wouldn't be right either. So let me tell you something first… a warning even… you don't know what you're even asking for."
"!"
Ais' expression tensed as her eyes opened wide.
"You desire power. I can tell without hearing the tales of your accomplishments… you crave it above all else because you have a goal that might need all the power in the world to achieve."
"!!"
"I consider myself someone who's good at reading others. People have told me that I'm often scarily accurate, so I apologize in advance if I offend you." He added as he nodded faintly
"I don't mind… I think…"
"Haha… miss… You, like your friends, must seek power if they are to live, and that's not wrong, but you must understand how to set a standard."
"A… standard?"
"Perhaps the wording was insufficient. I'm talking about differentiating right from wrong. If you put your mind into it, everything can become your strength. Here in the Loki Familia, cooperation is its strongest, most famed strength. Is it not?" He asked as he looked down at the people going back and forth
He turned to her, tapping his chest, "You came to me seeking answers to strengthen yourself, to hopefully use me as an example to better yourself… is that not why you came to me?"
"I…"
"Before you come to me… or anyone for that matter, you must first reflect and understand what kind of strength it is that you want… and what kind of power you will condone in the process."
"Being choosy is a recipe for disaster, but having standards is what differentiates us from beasts. We can also only do so much in a day… if you want power at any cost and as fast as possible, you might as well do it like them and go eat a magic stone for power."
"…"
'Maybe that would work?'
"I can read your expression, you know? Don't even try it… you'll end up choking and having a stomachache after…"
He took a deep breath, "How about this? I'll tell you how I grew to become this strong… and how I killed Goliath before I became an adventurer. Are you willing to listen?"
She nodded eagerly.
"Very well then. Let's see… to put it in simple terms… I am a product of systematic training. Like traditional Knight families around the world, I received training from an early age to make myself far more capable than any other warrior. At least that was how I saw things."
"Even before I became an adventurer. I had the physical capabilities to defeat many Level 2 monsters from the surface, and while those cannot compare to their Dungeon counterparts, it was a buildup of nearly a decade and a half of martial and discipline tutelage."
"I cannot teach you that in any reasonable amount of time, and neither do you need it. Like me, you too received extensive training from an early age, didn't you?"
"…"
Ais closed her eyes, thinking of her life. From the moment she picked up the sword, hadn't she lived exactly like that? Be it Riveria, Gareth, or Finn, they had all supported her throughout the years.
She too is a product of incredible and arduous training.
"From your silence, it must be true."
"You are a Level 5 adventurer. Your body is strong, your skills have been sharpened, you have experience, and you have companions to help you. Few are those that can even have one of those aspects… yet… it isn't enough for you, is it?"
"…"
He closed his eyes as he turned away, "… I don't know enough about you to help you with growing stronger. And my magic, my fighting style I've refined from years of training, isn't something I can teach others either."
"Everything about you surpasses mine… but if you must insist, there is only one thing I can teach you."
"That is?"
Silver smile deepened, "Before that, I have a proposition. Before the expedition starts… go to the School District… and go challenge Leon yourself."
"!!!"
Her eyes opened wide once again, and he laughed.
"Haha… right, that's a good face to have. Just go talk with one of those three, I know exactly what they're going to say in response."
'A flat no.'
He looked at her deeply, "If you want to grow stronger, you must first realize the extent of your power. The people around you do not have what it takes to push you to understand it, so you must seek someone who can. That is impartial."
"You must understand what it means to be in the mud, so you can have the will to walk out of it. The easiest way to grow stronger… is merely to face someone stronger than you. That is the rule of the Dungeon, who continuously pushes us towards its depths."
"That's how I think." He said as he got up from his seat
"I'll take my leave now, miss. Think about what you want and go do it, but if someone asks, I never said anything. Especialy Loki, if she asks, just tell her the idea came to you on a whim…"
He walked away with a smile on his face, leaving the cold-faced girl in silence.
…
.
.
.
Notes
I was planning to add more of Silver's time in the Dungeon, but the chapter was large enough as it is.
I'll probably do a small timeskip until the start of the expedition. That alone shouldn't last long either. At best two weeks, but depending on the situation, a week is enough.
For now though, I'll end it here. Silver is on his way to level up and attempt to cross the border of his Status while his actions have begun to affect those around him. Pushing them onto their own paths as well.
Thank you for reading, more action coming soon!
PS: I believe Silver's growth is within reason given his conditions. For his desire to grow and surpass the man before him and above all, himself, the trigger for Oculus Davids would indeed be quite strong, especially within the beating he received...