"That's enough!"
After nearly a hundred exchanges, Riveria's voice called the fight to a halt. The duel ended in a draw. Aiz sheathed her rapier with a look of frustration; failing to defeat a Level 3 as a Level 4 was a heavy blow to her pride. Conversely, without using external aids, Roy would have found it nearly impossible to defeat Aiz due to the rank gap.
"How can I become like you?" Aiz asked again, her voice even more urgent than before. She had thought Roy was just fast at leveling, but seeing his actual combat prowess was beyond the pale.
"Join Astrae—"
"Ahem!"
Caught by Riveria's warning glare, Roy quickly changed his tune. You didn't mess with a Level 6 "old lady" lightly. "Your anti-personnel skills are lacking," Roy said, shaking his head. He pointed out her fatal flaw: Aiz's entire skillset was designed for hunting monsters. Against adventurers, she usually won through stat-crushing, but against someone with equalized stats, she struggled.
Roy, however, had undergone Ryuu's Spartan training. Ryuu, fueled by her hatred for the Rudra Familia, had taught him every assassination and combat technique she knew. The two were fighting on different planes; Aiz was trying to use her weakness against Roy's strength.
If the contest had been about hunting monsters, Roy would have surrendered immediately. With her "Avenger" skill, Aiz was the ultimate anti-monster glass cannon. If she truly lost her temper, she could potentially one-shot Amphisbaena—provided she had teammates to cover her.
Dejected by the answer, Aiz looked toward Riveria. "Go on ahead," Riveria said, patting the girl's head. "I'll head back in a moment."
Aiz left the Dungeon reluctantly, looking back every few steps. Riveria was left to pay the price for Aiz's stubbornness. Watching this, Roy felt a strange surge of excitement. Ryuu left as well, but not before giving Roy a warning look: Do not be disrespectful to Lady Riveria!
Now, only Roy and Riveria remained.
Riveria looked at the youth and said calmly, "Tell me. What is your condition?"
Roy smiled. "This is something you must keep secret. You cannot tell a soul."
"Agreed," she replied. Roy's caution piqued her interest. She had no desire to gossip; it would only provide entertainment for the gods and create a powerful enemy for herself.
"I want to learn your magic," Roy stated.
"????"
Just like Ryuu before her, a series of question marks practically appeared over Riveria's head. Roy explained, "I have a skill. By learning, I can use the magic of others."
Riveria's eyes widened. She realized he wasn't joking. No wonder he didn't want to speak in the tavern—this skill was world-shattering. "Such a skill must have massive limitations," she mused. Powerful abilities always came with high risks.
Roy nodded. "Ah, right, right!"
"How many spells do you want to learn?"
"All of them..."
Riveria's gaze went cold.
Roy realized he had pushed too far. He chuckled. "Okay, maybe not all. Two is fine. I'm not that greedy."
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Starting with an Elf (305 Chapters, Ongoing)
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Riveria was known as the strongest mage in Orario, possessing magic across three categories: attack, defense, and recovery. Thanks to her royal elven blood, she used a unique chanting style that allowed her to combine different lengths of incantations to shift effects and power. This gave her a total of nine distinct spells—the origin of her title, "Nine Hell." Her highest-tier attack magic could potentially level half of Orario.
Riveria laughed out of sheer irritation. She couldn't teach her entire arsenal to someone from another Familia. "If you joined the Loki Familia, I would teach you everything," she said, her emerald eyes flashing with a bit of cunning.
Roy blinked. He was trying to poach the "Sword Princess," and Riveria was trying to poach the whole pot. "Forget that. I'm very comfortable in the Astraea Familia."
"I can tell," Riveria remarked. The Astraea members followed Roy's lead; he was a leader, not someone who would become a common executive elsewhere.
They negotiated. Roy started at six; she said one. Roy said four; she said one.
"Two! I really can't go lower than that!" Roy said, looking aggrieved.
Riveria sighed. "Fine. But I will not teach you attack magic." She didn't fully trust his temperament yet; she couldn't hand him a weapon of mass destruction. By teaching him defense and recovery, the risk remained low.
Roy nodded vigorously. "No problem!"
Seeing the grin he couldn't hide, Riveria realized she'd been played. Roy's goal had likely been two non-attack spells all along. He was a good actor.
"Via Shilves," Riveria began. "This is my first-tier defense magic. It increases both physical and magical resistance and forms a protective cloak of light that lasts for a set duration."
Roy reached out his hand.
Riveria frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Physical contact is required," Roy answered.
Unlike a young girl like Ryuu, Riveria was an adult with centuries of experience. Aside from a faint blush, she showed no agitation. She reached out her jade-like hand, and Roy took it firmly.
"Deep breaths..."
Feeling the heat from Roy's palm, a flush appeared on Riveria's stunning face—one that surpassed even the goddesses. Roy felt his own heart skip a beat. Despite her age (99+), Riveria had zero experience with men, and she was naturally tense. It took several deep breaths to calm her heart.
"Gather, breath of the earth—my name is Alf!" Riveria completed the chant.
Mana transformed into magic, manifesting as a cloak of colored light around them both. Roy studied the effect and sensed the flow of mana within Riveria.
In that moment, Riveria froze. Her emerald eyes stared at Roy's large, rough hand in disbelief. She felt a sensation as if their bloodlines were calling to each other.