Name: Leon Hart
Title: Shadow of Sorcery
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Affiliation: Demeter Familia
Level: Lv.5
Floor Reached: Floor 27
Basic Abilities:
Strength: SSS1599 → I0 | Potential: C623
Endurance: SSS1599 → I0 | Potential: C666
Dexterity: SSS1599 → I0 | Potential: C678
Agility: SSS1599 → I0 | Potential: C658
Magic: SSS1599 → I0 | Potential: B789
Development Abilities:
Versatility F, Hunter F, Mage F, Abnormal Resistance F
Strong Body F, Magic Resistance F, Escape F
Concentrate G, Accuracy G, Strong Defense G
Cooking I, Tailoring I, Alchemy I
Magic: omitted
Skills: omitted
...
Assets: Reserve funds: 4.13 million | Cash: 588.86 million (fixed monthly income: 10,236)
Excelia: 148.4 (points)
...
Leon couldn't hide it. He could barely keep the grin off his face.
"Haha, hahaha, hahahaha!"
He laughed, a wild, manic laugh!
Joy shared beats joy alone, so what fun was there in sitting on it by himself?
News this good should be shared with his companions, and then he could enjoy the sight of them stunned, disbelieving, scalps tingling, blurting out "impossible." That taste was too good for words.
Not only was his vanity hugely satisfied, even the show-off nature he'd kept suppressed all this time by playing it careful finally got its release.
All of it was worth it!
...
Leon happily imagined the scene to come, then, thoroughly content, crawled into the tent to study the changes from his level up, leaving Kureha reeling alone in the night wind after that point-blank blast.
She swayed blankly, stumbled back a few steps, and her face kept shifting.
"Leon is already Lv.5, and even Jeanne and Rose are Lv.4, not to mention Persephone..."
"In the Familia, my strength ranks fifth at best. How can that be!"
"Kureha, you have to try harder!"
The Sword Saint clenched her fists and looked out at the glittering lake in front of her, her eyes firming up.
"Just wait... I'll catch up to all of you soon!"
...
...
The next day.
"Nani? You you you you you you you..."
"You went up to Lv.5?"
Leon enjoyed the sight of Laurier and the others looking shocked, or stunned, or plain blank, his vanity satisfied like never before. Persephone especially. His former ice-queen boss wasn't hiding the shock in her eyes at all, and that felt better to him than pounding her all night long! He had to say, showing off in front of the woman who'd lorded it over him for more than three years, that kind of joy, that sense of achievement, ordinary people simply couldn't understand it.
"Honestly, you. I knew your leveling speed was abnormal, but this is throwing common sense out the window, isn't it?"
Persephone wiped her glasses and said in a low voice, "How long has it been from Lv.4 to Lv.5? Not even a few months... 'abnormal' doesn't cover this anymore..."
"If the Guild or the other Adventurers in Orario found out about this, it would probably kick up an uproar. Especially the ones working in the shadows, who knows what dark ideas they'd get."
Leon lifted his chin slightly, as proud as a peacock with its tail fanned out.
"Well, luck, just luck..."
Listening to his humblebragging, everyone rolled their eyes in unison.
If you want to show off, just say so. Quit putting on airs...
Laurier huffed twice, waved her little fist, and made a show of protest at Leon.
"Don't get too smug, hmph! We'll catch up sooner or later!"
"All right, Laurier. Stop running your mouth, let's get to work."
"Fine."
Jeanne and Rose came forward, looked Leon over carefully, and asked with concern, "How do you feel? Has your body adjusted?"
Leon clenched a fist, a confident smile rising at the corner of his mouth.
"I feel great. Better than I ever have, in fact."
"You know how it is with me, allocating points and leveling up doesn't come with any mind-body mismatch. Rock solid!"
"I can put out my full strength right now!"
Their eyes lit up at that.
"Right! I almost forgot you don't have an adjustment period after leveling!"
"That works out well. With you as a Lv.5 anchoring the road ahead, our safety margin just went up a lot."
Rose nodded along.
"Exactly. If it were just us it wouldn't matter much, but the party still has Margaret and Iri, two Lv.1s, and it takes a lot of attention to keep them safe."
"The Lower Floors are still too dangerous for them."
Leon looked over at the two of them starting a fire by the lake and licked his lips lightly.
"Relax. With my strength now, I can cover them with plenty to spare without it affecting my fighting at all."
"Then I'm leaving their safety to you."
"Leave it to me."
...
...
A little over an hour later.
After a simple breakfast and a short rest to get everyone back to full condition, they packed up camp briskly, got their gear in order, and regrouped by the lake.
Though today's breakfast, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and fries, left Leon very dissatisfied.
Even with butter, cheese, chickpeas, salt, and black pepper, all those high-calorie things adding to the energy count, still...
Forget it, in the Dungeon you just grab a quick bite.
There was no point demanding more. Even with the Wonder Pack increasing carrying capacity, everyone had to make these supplies last the better part of a month in the Dungeon. In Rose's words, save where you can.
...
Jeanne watched everyone move in orderly fashion, nodded lightly, and approval showed in her eyes.
Whether it was Margaret with her academy background, or Irisviel, the young lady raised from childhood in comfortable surroundings, after several rounds of making camp in the labyrinth and days of real fighting in the Dungeon, both had long since shed their initial clumsiness. Set aside the growth in their combat and adventuring competence: just in handling camp setup, organizing, and night watch, these everyday chores, they had quickly grasped the essentials and truly settled into the rhythm of Dungeon life.
Even field skills like pitching tents and dealing with odd jobs, under the guidance of Leon, Rose, and the others, they now did creditably.
Of course, compared to the two little elves who came from the forest and treated camping outdoors as routine, they still fell short of that inborn deftness and ease.
"Everyone, make it quick and check your own gear and weapons."
"Rose, I'll leave taking stock of the supplies and provisions to you."