After recovering a little of his Mind, Genichi slowly sat up.
His body felt hollowed out. Every muscle ached, every bone seemed to groan in protest.
He had recovered a bit of Mind, but it was still far from a full recovery.
But he did not have the time to lie here and rest slowly.
He raised a hand and began to chant.
"Heavenly Dominion, transforming all things, transforming eternity..."
Mind surged out once more. Though far weaker than before, it was still enough to summon Alise.
"Heavenly Dominion - Alise."
The next moment, the red-haired girl's figure appeared before him.
The instant Alise appeared, she saw Genichi lying on the ground and the devastation all around him.
The air was thick with the smell of blood.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You..."
"Help me collect the magic stones and the drops."
Genichi's voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable thread of exhaustion in it.
He lay there on the ground, not wanting to move so much as a finger.
Alise looked at him. Complex emotions churned in those deep blue eyes.
Then all of those emotions turned into a kind of accusation.
This guy...
Did he really think of her as a tool?
Summon her when he needed labor, and make her disappear the moment he did not.
Not even an explanation.
Not even a word of thanks.
And yet, frustratingly enough, there was nothing she could do about him.
"...What a scumbag."
Alise muttered under her breath in complaint, but her body moved honestly enough.
She walked to the center of the devastated battlefield and began collecting the Black Goliath's drops.
Magic stone fragments littered the ground. Most of them had shattered, but quite a few intact pieces could still be salvaged.
There were also materials from Goliath's body, such as fragments of its hardened hide.
As Alise picked them up one by one, she silently cursed Genichi in her heart.
She cursed him so that the next time he summoned her, he would drop right into the middle of a monster pack.
She cursed him so that every battle would leave him this exhausted, still forcing himself onward.
She cursed him...
Then gave up.
Cursing him would not do anything anyway.
She sighed and continued working in sullen silence.
After collecting all the drops, Alise returned to Genichi's side.
"Done. Everything's packed up."
Genichi nodded, then reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Let's go."
Pop!
Apparition activated.
Their figures instantly vanished from the seventeenth floor.
...
Demeter Familia.
Inside Genichi's room, two figures appeared at once.
When Genichi landed, his steps wobbled and he nearly collapsed.
Alise hurriedly caught him and helped him stay on his feet.
Demeter had been waiting in the room the whole time.
From the moment Genichi left, she had been here waiting for his return.
She had been unable to sit still, pacing back and forth, looking out the window countless times, and countless times fighting the urge to rush into the Dungeon to find him.
But she had endured it.
Because she had promised him she would wait here for him to come back.
And now...
He had finally returned.
Covered in blood, looking utterly battered, but alive.
Alive, and back.
Demeter let out a long breath. At last, the heart she had kept hanging in suspense finally settled.
She quickly stepped forward, wanting to say something -
"Update me."
Genichi spoke first.
Demeter froze.
She looked at him, and her amber eyes filled with helplessness.
This guy had just finished a life-and-death battle, was covered in blood, and was so exhausted he could barely speak steadily -
and the first thing he wanted was to update his Status?
"You..."
Her lips parted, as if she wanted to say something, but when she saw those calm, water-still eyes of his, she ultimately closed her mouth again.
Fine.
That was just who he was.
Always placing becoming stronger above everything else.
She let out a sigh and nodded.
"All right."
Genichi walked over to the bed and sat down with his back facing her.
Demeter took a deep breath, walked behind him, and pressed her hand against his back.
She closed her eyes and began updating his Falna.
A moment later -
she opened her eyes.
A complicated emotion flashed across those amber eyes.
"It's done."
She handed the parchment to Genichi.
He took it and swept his gaze over the densely packed lines of sacred text.
Genichi
LV.4
Strength: SSS1499 -> I0
Endurance: SSS1499 -> I0
Dexterity: SSS1499 -> I0
Agility: SSS1499 -> I0
Magic: SSS1499 -> I0
Development Abilities: Mystery F, Mage F, Luck G, Harmony H, Abnormal Resistance I
Magic: [Grimoire] [Heavenly Dominion] []
Skills: omitted
Genichi's gaze lingered on those numbers for a moment.
LV.4.
At last, he was Level 4.
From Level 3 to Level 4, it had taken him thirty days.
And adding the twelve days it had taken him to go from Level 2 to Level 3, and the seven days from Level 1 to Level 2 -
it had taken only forty-nine days in total.
Forty-nine days to go from an ordinary person who was not even an adventurer to a Level 4 powerhouse.
If anyone else in Orario learned of a rate like that, they would probably lose their minds completely.
The ordinary adventurers who could spend their whole lives unable to cross the threshold of Level 2, the geniuses who needed years just to barely reach Level 3, the trump cards of the great Familia who were called monsters -
all of them would pale in comparison before him.
But there was not a trace of pride on Genichi's face.
He simply looked quietly at those numbers, then -
held the parchment to the candle flame and burned it away.
Watching from the side, Alise could not help but speak.
"You're still one level short?"
She remembered Genichi saying before that he needed to be at least Level 5 before he could stand against that Level 7 monster.
Genichi nodded.
"One level short."
Based on his estimate, Level 5 was the minimum threshold that would let him contend with Filvis Challia.
That woman who had been remade into a monster and lost herself still possessed the strength of a Level 7, but her battle awareness and rationality were both flawed.
If he reached Level 5, then with his skills and magic, he should have a fighting chance.
And after reaching Level 5...
He planned to take revenge first.
Looking at his expression, Alise suddenly felt a chill.
"What are you thinking about?"
Genichi lifted his head and looked out the window at the sky drowned in night.
A cold killing intent flashed through his black eyes.
"The Empress of Slaughter."
He softly spoke that name.
"Valletta Grede."
Alise's pupils contracted slightly.
One of the main executives of Evilus. A Level 5 adventurer. One of the murderers who had taken part in the destruction of the Astraea Familia.
The one who had... 'nearly' killed Genichi.
"You're planning to..."
"After I reach Level 5."
Genichi's voice was calm, but there was a certainty in it that sent chills down the spine.
"I'm going to kill her first."
Alise fell silent.
She looked at Genichi, complicated currents swirling through her eyes.
There was fear, expectation, and also -
something more difficult to describe.
Of course she wanted revenge on those members of the dark Familia.
Every murderer who had slaughtered her companions, she wanted to kill with her own hands.
But she also knew that with her strength, facing Valletta Grede would only lead to her death.
Genichi was different.
This monster of a boy had reached Level 4 in only forty-nine days.
After a little more time, reaching Level 5 would absolutely not be a problem.
And when that time came...
Valletta Grede's death would arrive with it.
Alise took a deep breath and stepped over to Genichi's side.
"When that time comes..."
She paused.
"Take me with you."
Genichi turned to look at her.
A hint of surprise flickered through those black eyes.
"You want to take revenge yourself?"
"I do."
Alise nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"Every one of the people who killed my companions - I want to kill them with my own hands."
She met Genichi's gaze directly.
"So take me with you."
Genichi was silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
"All right."
Alise smiled.
There was relief in that smile, and anticipation, and also a complicated emotion that could not quite be put into words.
(End of Chapter)
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