It might seem slow, but it's the start of a new volume, so the first events will be slow as we are presented with the new arcs.
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This chap has the standard 3000 words.
Enjoy.
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"Step step step…"
Silver and Loiju could be seen walking inside the bright caves from the 9Th floor
'Loiju pointed towards a hallway and said:'
"Alright, this should be enough, if we take that cavern over there we should reach the 10Th floor, however, due to the mist, I think it would be a terrible place to go test you."
"And I don't think it's necessary for us to go deeper than this for a mere test." Said Loiju as he stretched
'Silver was surprised.'
"Did you memorize the layout of this floor? In fact, do you even know how to fight?" He asked
"Of course! After teaching many adventurers, it kind of got into my head. In fact, I was surprised you came this deep without even checking a map even once or hesitating." Said Loiju
"Well, those maps aren't really that complicated." Replied Silver
"You and your classic humble bragging…" Said Loiju in an annoyed tone
"And don't be rude, I could pass out as a decent porter to any team!" He said
/Kikiki…/
'From the side, a group of 10 goblins appeared.'
"Perfect, first, let's start with some warmups, show me your combat proficiency without using your magic abilities."
"Alright."
Since I can't use magic, I guess I will use one of the spears I forged.
'Silver took out a large spear from his inventory.'
"WAIT!"
'Loiju was completely taken off guard by the unusual sight of a spear appearing out of a dark shadow in the air.'
"What is it? Can you not scream next time?" Said Silver in annoyance
"Do you expect me to just…"
/KII!/
'The goblins rushed! Attacking Silver in a disorderly way!'
'They weren't just going to stay there and let them finish their conversation.'
"!!"
SHIT! I took his attention!
'Loiju started to retreat, ready to help his friend when…'
/PIERCE!/
'Silver just stabbed his spear to the side without even looking, killing two goblins in a single strike.'
/Crunch!/
/Slash!/
'The stunned goblins didn't have time to react as Silver swiped his spear horizontally, killing three more goblins.'
/KI?!/
'The remaining goblins stepped back in shock.'
/Fwush!/
'Like a supercar accelerating, Silver went from still to running in a second, closing in the distance between him and the goblins in the blink of an eye.'
/Slice!/ x2
/Pierce!/ x2
/BAM!/
'Silver rushed and pierced the head of Goblin! He then proceeded to kick a goblin in the face as he swiped his spear to the side and killed two more goblins.'
'The final goblin tried to flee but it was killed when Silver pierced its head with a throw of his spear.'
"..."
'Loiju watched mouth open as Silver returned to him as if nothing had happened.'
"What do you think?" Asked Silver.
"You… You shouldn't throw your spear away." Said Loiju, speechless by the display
"You are right, my bad." Said Silver as he lifted his hand
/Fwush!/
'As if turned to life, the spear started to fly, returning to Silver's hand.'
"..."
'As Loiju was stunned, processing what he saw, Silver looked at his hands, trying to gouge his current power.'
I feel lighter and stronger…
I barely felt any resistance when I cut the goblins… It was like soft butter.
And this spear isn't that much sharper than the one I can make from Ice.
My reaction speed is also higher, it's as if the Goblins are moving in slow motion, and using my abilities didn't feel as taxing as before.
The problem is that I don't know where the benefits from the Level up end, and the benefits from my Body transformation start… However, I can say with conviction that it works perfectly so far.
"... Come on… How the fuck am I supposed to evaluate you if you keep showing me such shit out of nowhere?" Asked Loiju in a sad and complex tone
Should I be happy that Silver is this strong, or should I be worried?
The stronger he is the harder it will be for him to Level up through traditional ways…
If he can't find a challenge, he won't be able to Level up normally. Even if he can get more Exilia from fighting stronger enemies...
This means… Greater danger.
"That's your problem, not mine…" Said Silver
"#!"
'He wanted to beat the crap of his adventurer, but he was in the Dungeon, and playing around was one of the easiest ways to die.'
"Let's start from the beginning."
"What was that magic? Didn't I tell you to not use it mid-fight?"
"... That didn't interfere with the fight at all, that was just my inventory magic." Said Silver
"In-In-Inventory?! You are kidding right?"
It just can't be… The last person with such an ability died over 3 decades ago… At least, when I check up the official records…
There could have been someone with the ability but it's not recorded, however, this doesn't remove the fact of just how rare this is!
'As he denied reality, Silver took out a large piece of armor from inside it.'
"..."
'Loiju remained in silence for some time, before saying:'
"No wonder you wanted to keep quiet. War might've started if people knew about this…"
War is an overstatement, but it doesn't change the fact that people would die for this!
It would've been a pain in the ass…
"Aren't you going to ask how big it is?" Asked Silver
"That's not something I should place my nose around, and if it's big enough to store a full armor, then it's surely big enough for quite a decent number of things." He said
"What about that other thing?"
"Telekinesis." Said Silver as he dragged the magic stones on the ground towards his hand.
'Loiju nodded as if he knew what that was.'
"Hum… Uncommon, but not rare. I don't particularly remember there being an adventurer with such magic in the recent generation. However, I know there are some old magicians with telekinesis magic." Said Loiju
'He stopped to think.'
"Other than that, your fight was impeccable, however, I noticed you are a little bit too reckless as if you are expecting to trade blows with your enemies."
"Even if you can carry potions inside your inventory, you shouldn't waste them."
Potions are very expensive for a reason...
"Oh, about that…"
"What?"
'The Elf felt something was wrong…'
/CUT!/
'Silver took out a knife and cut his own hand.'
"... Don't tell me you fucker…"
'Indeed, his worst nightmares happened as green light shone from Silver's hand and his wound healed.'
"By the sacred tree…" Said Loiju as he took a step back is shock
Just what is the magic he has?!
"It isn't as strong as you think, I can at most heal external injuries, it works better on me since I can heal my own internal injuries with it."
At least, that was how it was until a month ago… I would need potions to work together with my heal to make it useful.
Or at least, I would have to use quite a considerable amount of Mind to heal a deep wound.
But as my stats increased, my total Mind increased and my Magic stat increased the potency of my Plasmids.
Nonetheless, this heal works best against normal kinds of wounds, those of magical origin are harder to deal with.
Poison and toxins too. I need another power for those.
"It doesn't matter Silver, healing magic is healing magic…" Said Loiju
The ability to heal any kind of wound is always appreciated in any team…
No wonder he never appeared with injuries despite being covered in dirt and blood from time to time…
"What else can you do?" Asked Loiju
'But he soon added:'
"Of course, as your friend, it's obvious if you want to keep some things from me, and I encourage you to do that. Trump cards are always necessary."
"However, make sure to balance it as well since what I see today is how I am going to determine your strength in the future." He replied
'Silver thought for a while, there were indeed some abilities he didn't want to show him, but most of them were fine.'
'The problem was that Silver was afraid what would happen with this Elf's sanity after seeing all of it.'
'As for the matter of trust, Silver trusted Loiju after spending over a month with him, and Hestia seemed to trust him as his advisor as well…'
"I will show you what I normally do when I hunt." Said Silver as he created an Ice spear.
"Most of the time, I make such a spear and hunt using it." Said Silver as he swung his ice spear
"This allows me to train several things at once: Magic, since maintaining this spear costs energy. Dexterity, since using a spear isn't that easy. And Strength. Since I am fighting Melee."
"It's not exactly perfect, however, I think it's pretty decent."
'Loiju's face-palmed as he thought deeply.'
Just what is this guy?...
"... No wonder how you Leveled up so quickly…"
Just look at his thought process... Most people focus on surviving in the Dungeon but he treats this place as a farm... Where the monsters are the crops for his stats...
"I imagined you entered this deep on your first time in the Dungeon right?" He asked
"No, in fact, I only went to the entrance of the Middle floors after a few days." Silver said as he closed his eyes to think
"Sigh… I heard enough, for now, show me the rest."
'Silver nodded.'
…
'For the next few hours, Silver walked around with Loiju, showing his combat capabilities.'
'Spearmanship, swordsmanship, grappling, monster, mineral and Dungeon knowledge…'
'And finally, his magical abilities.'
'All sorts of elemental manipulations and even some special ones like enrage, mental shock, flight, etc.'
'This also allowed him to have a greater grasp of his body's current power.'
'But Silver never told him what his DA's and Skills were. Neither did Loiju ask, such information is simply too personal.'
(DA- Development Ability)
'Silver and Loiju were now sitting close to a blue bonfire.'
"... What is this now?" Asked Loiju as he looked at the blue fire
I feel danger from it somehow…
"I got it from the irregular monster. I kept it since I thought it looked cool."
It's best if I didn't tell him that it was a hybrid creature… The Hermes Familia must've kept a secret for a reason.
Or the Guild censored it…
"You like doing crazy shit right? Do you even know what this is?" Said Loiju as he looked at the blue fire
"No..." Said Silver
"But come on, I know you like it. Although be sure to not get too close though, it's quite a sticky fire…"
'Loiju started at the blue fire as he thought.'
"I have a certain understanding of you now." He said
"Tell me what you think."
"From what you showed me, you are clearly stronger than most veteran level 2 adventurers purely by stats."
"Your combat abilities are also a result of decades of training, surpassing many veterans in general. I can't point out how many people are as proficient as you in this regard."
Since Level isn't a measurer for such proficiency, I can say Silver is comparable to even veteran adventurers around Level 4 and beyond.
But he still has a lot to go… They have something he doesn't have, and that is Experience.
He needs someone who can teach him that… Or just time to explore things on his own.
That's one of the problems of joining a new Familia, they can't provide you with that insight.
"Your magic seems to be instant cast most of the time, not requiring chanting. However, this makes them weaker than their counterparts. The same problem as Elven traditional magic."
"Their versatility, however, seems to make up for it… In most cases."
"I would recommend for you to really focus on the Magic stat since your combat style seems to revolve around them."
"It might not make you comparable to a mage, but you can at least deal damage to other adventurers. Otherwise, you will become someone only capable of bluffing."
"What good is there in having 3 dozen different magical abilities and not being able to damage an opponent on the same level as you with them?"
Mages have all sorts of Skills and DA's to boost their magic power, and considering Silver's fighting style, he probably won't be aiming for such things.
"I know about that." Replied Silver
"As for the rest… I can't believe I will say this but… If we add everything together, I think you can take on a Level 3 adventurer and even flee from stronger ones with ease, if not having a chance to defeat them."
He did defeat the Irregular monster…
"There is, however, one variable, and that is the fact that each adventurer is different from the other."
"One bad matchup and you may find yourself in a do or die situation."
"..."
'Silver remembered yesterday when he fought against the assassin and his strange contraption that sealed his spatial abilities.'
'Even though he searched the place with the Hephaestus Familia, he did not find the tool, nor any info on what was happening. Making him greatly upset.'
'Their bodies were also collected by the Dungeon since their priority was to leave the Dungeon…'
If he wasn't alone… I would've just fled, even if he had used that device, I am pretty confident in escaping.
But if he was Level 4 and not just a weak Level 3…
I would still be able to flee but my stats wouldn't be this high.
"Overall, I think you are more than capable of going to the Middle floors if not towards the deeper floors."
'Loiju stopped.'
"However, I can't allow you to go to the Lower floors officially. I can at most, give you permission to take on commissions between the 19Th and 24Th floor."
"And as a friend, I would recommend you to stay away from the Lower floors."
"Just like there is a difficulty spike from the Upper to the Middle floors, there is one from the Middle to the Lower floors. However, it's much more intense."
'He lifted his left hand, there was a three in it.'
"You either get to Level 3 or you find an appropriate party. That way, I can release those commissions for you if that's what you want."
'Silver noded.'
"I think I will take it slow for a while, see how my stats rise and all of that. Once I am ready, I will go past Rivira." Said Silver
Stats tend to rise faster at the start, so I should take it slow for a while and then go past Rivira.
A month or two of farming should do the trick.
'Loiju nodded with a smile.'
"That's a good option since stats tend to rise faster in the earlier stages after a Level up."
'Finally, Loiju looked to the side, gazing at a set of armor and weapons placed against the wall.'
"Your gear is quite adequate, did you make it?" He asked
'Silver raised one of his eyebrows.'
"Oh? How did you know?"
'Loiju smiled, proud of his deduction.'
"After all of the shit you said, I just figured you would make one such thing as well."
/Clang…/
'Loiju punched the armor lightly.'
"It's very sturdy… But I can see it's heavy. Are you sure you can use it?"
"I am fine, don't worry."
"Apart from that, I don't have any complaints about your gear. Apart from the fact that it isn't enchanted, but, such things are rather expensive for a Level 2."
"You could use the money from the Irregular monster and the Loki Familia rescue to find a proper blacksmith and enchant them. It's up to you though."
"Your gear is currently enough until the Lower floors, it will resist against most things, but some stronger monsters may pierce it."
"Your weapons are sharp and sturdy, nothing more I could've asked."
'But Loiju stopped talking once again.'
"This is purely my personal opinion, but I think you should pick one weapon and stick with it."
"I know that your fighting style is based around practicality and being an all-rounder, but even that has its limits. You can't do everything alone, you can't fill all roles at the same time."
'Loiju seemed very serious.'
"But, your Magic is so bizarre that I wonder if you can actually do it… Urg… You're also… rather talented…" He said with difficulty
"I am what? I didn't hear it." Said Silver with a smile
"Forget it…"
"..."
'The two stayed there, looking at the blue flames burning the wood…'
"It's up to you at the end of the day, in my opinion, it's much easier to choose a path and stick to it. Even if it's the wrong path, you have the talent necessary to change course."
"There is no point in trying to do everything alone in the Dungeon. I recommend you to seek a team one day."
"Even if you can't trust people easily, you can always seek one or two talented individuals."
/Sip/
'Loiju drank his water.'
"Even if they can't level up within a year, under your training, they would definitely level up within two years if they are talented enough."
"... The problem is finding someone that talented… Nonetheless, I don't plan on going alone for the rest of my career. I will find someone soon enough. But not now."
'Loiju nodded once again.'
"Shall we head back?" Asked Silver as he checked his pocket clock.
/16:38/
'But Loiju just laid down on the ground and said:'
"Just relax for a little while longer, it's not every time I get a vacation… Much less one where I am being paid."
"..."
'Silver rolled his eyes and continued to check the fire.'
…
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Notes
None for now