Noah Heal was a single-target recovery spell. Its healing effect was excellent, though the onset was slightly slow, and its power increased when used in forest terrain.
Roy was ecstatic. In this world, most people were limited to three magic slots. Elven Kingship allowed him to bypass this limitation. There was no upper limit to how many spells he could learn.
Roy held Ryuu's soft, cool hand—it felt like the finest jade. Earlier, he was too focused on the magic to enjoy the sensation. Realizing Roy was now lingering on purpose, Ryuu blushed and pulled her hand back, leaving Roy feeling a bit regretful.
Ryuu stared at him. "How is this possible?"
Roy knew what she wanted to ask. "It's actually a new skill I awakened. I can learn the magic of... friends. Yeah, that's it."
Roy didn't dare tell her the full truth of "Elven Kingship." If word got out that he had a skill that could essentially "command" or "copy" elven traits, every elf in the world would hunt him down. Learning from a friend out of "admiration" sounded much safer and like a miracle.
Ryuu rubbed her forehead, looking at him with a mix of shock and complexity. She thought his previous skills were broken enough, but a skill that could learn magic without a limit? It seemed as if miracles were created specifically for this man.
Roy chuckled. "Miss Ryuu, let's strike while the iron is hot. Why don't we learn Luminous Wind while we're at it?"
Ryuu's face stiffened. If Roy learned all her magic, wouldn't she become a "useless elf"?
"Maybe another time. Something more important has come up," Ryuu replied evasively. She pulled a document from the cabinet in the hall and handed it to Roy. He took it, his brow furrowing as he saw the official seal of the Guild.
"What's this?"
"An Expedition."
The moment Ryuu said it, Roy understood. He sighed inwardly; what was meant to come would eventually arrive.
The Guild's ultimate goal was the same as his: to explore and conquer the Dungeon. Any Familia registered in Orario as an exploration-type would be hit with a mandatory Expedition Quest once they reached a certain rank. They were required to reach a specific floor to discover new monsters, materials, or map out terrain. Essentially, the Guild wanted fresh information.
However, Roy found this timing ridiculous. It hadn't even been two months since the Astraea Familia was nearly annihilated. How could the Guild force them into an expedition so soon?
Roy skimmed the document. The requirement was to reach the 24th Floor. From a strategic standpoint, it was reasonable. The Astraea Familia was a B-Rank faction, and their deepest record was the 41st Floor. If the Guild had ordered them to return to the 41st, Roy would have marched straight to the Guild to skin that pig, Royman.
With a peak Level 4 like Ryuu, a peak Level 2 like himself, and two Level 1 rookies, the 24th Floor carried risks, but it wasn't impossible.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Starting with an Elf (232 Chapters, Ongoing)
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The deadline was three days away. Had Roy not returned in time, Ryuu would have rejected the quest, refusing to lead the two newcomers to their deaths. But now that Roy had made such a high-profile return, using "lack of manpower" as an excuse was no longer an option.
"Welcome back!"
"Mr. Roy, welcome back!"
"Ro... Roy... Mr. Roy, welcome back."
As Roy and Ryuu were discussing the expedition, the front door opened. Three female figures entered, their eyes lighting up the moment they saw him. It was Goddess Astraea and the two new members.
Goddess Astraea was gentle, elegant, and noble, yet she possessed an approachable warmth that made people instantly fond of her. Daphne was confident and heroic, while Cassandra was shy, introverted, and slightly melancholic.
"Let's get dinner ready first," Roy said, tucking the expedition documents away.
"Mr. Roy, you've worked hard! Leave dinner to us!" Daphne and Cassandra hurried over, pushing Roy down onto the sofa. Their eyes were full of admiration; on their way back to the Starry Court, they had already heard rumors of his achievement—single-handedly wiping out over a hundred bandits and the Rudra remnants.
The two girls rushed into the kitchen with excitement. Roy looked at Ryuu and gave a helpless shrug.
While the others prepared dinner, Roy and Ryuu went into the yard. Despite Ryuu's fear of becoming "redundant," she feared even more the possibility of Roy needing her magic and not having it in a crisis. Eventually, she gave in. Roy successfully learned Luminous Wind.
As Roy mastered both of her spells, the elf girl looked resentful. In the words of the gods, their "skill sets overlapped." Once Roy's level caught up to hers, her role in the team would shrink. Anything she could do, Roy could do too—and things she couldn't do, Roy could probably do as well.
Smack! Smack!
Ryuu slapped her cheeks. She still had her unique skills and years of experience as an adventurer. "Next, we learn Concurrent Chanting!" she declared, staring at Roy like a competitive child, determined to win at something.
Like the "Sword Princess" Ais Wallenstein, Ryuu had reached Level 2 in just one year after receiving her Falna. Before Roy appeared, she was the fastest-leveling adventurer, Orario's brightest "Rising Star."
While Roy didn't need to chant for his innate lightning magic, the spells he learned from others required incantations. Concurrent Chanting—the ability to chant while fighting—was a mandatory skill.
Roy accepted the challenge. However, in this area, Ryuu finally reclaimed her confidence.
It turned out that while Roy could master swordsmanship and stats at lightning speed, his talent for Concurrent Chanting was mediocre at best. He kept biting his tongue until his mouth bled and even caused a mana backfire that nearly leveled the mansion.
Processing five actions at once—high-speed attacking, moving, dodging, defending, and chanting—was currently impossible for him. Roy could only manage moving and chanting simultaneously.
Seeing Roy's disheveled state, Ryuu's mood improved significantly. This youth was far from "omnipotent," and she intended to teach him thoroughly!
Goddess Astraea watched them through the window, a small smile playing on her lips. Everything was going according to plan. Phase one of "Rescuing the traumatized elf girl" was complete!