In the well-lit Twilight Manor, where lights shone brightly, the place where Riezel and Ais met had little illumination.
Moonlight streamed in from the window, casting a glow on both of them.
Riezel sighed slightly as he watched Ais, who stood there in silence.
At first glance, she seemed no different from usual, still wearing her emotionless demeanor with no expression on her face. However, Riezel, being perceptive, sensed that her mood wasn't great.
She was dejected.
Her emotions were low.
Just like Loki mentioned before, this girl seemed somewhat depressed.
Witnessing the girl who had taken care of him since he joined the familia, not only teaching him her magic and swordsmanship but also often sparring with him, he couldn't just ignore her.
"What are you doing here?"
Riezel approached, leaning against the window like Ais, gazing out at the night scenery, and asked.
"..." Ais remained silent, only staring into the distance.
Hearing no response, Riezel glanced at the piece of parchment she was holding.
"Wasn't the gains good this time?"
At his questions, Ais fell into another momentary silence, then handed the parchment to him without speaking.
"I can see it?" Riezel asked while furrowing his brow.
Ais nodded, allowing him to take the parchment.
On the parchment was her recently updated status.
...
Ais Wallenstein
Level 5
STR: D549 → D555
END: D540 → D547
DEX: A823 → A825
AGI: A821 → A822
MAG: A899
Hunter: G
Abnormal Resistance: G
Swordsman: I
...
Upon seeing her status, Riezel probably understood why Ais was feeling so depressed. Not because of anything else, but simply because her gains this time were really bad.
An expedition, struggling in the dungeon for over three weeks, reaching the deep floors, dealing with countless high-level monsters, yet, her total proficiency only increased by less than 20.
Such progress was truly disappointing. At least, for Riezel, who had never experienced proficiency growth below 500, this number was a bit unsettling.
"Don't worry too much. It's not that you didn't work hard, but your status is almost at its peak."
Riezel could only say that.
He wasn't deliberately comforting her. In his view, the main reason for Ais's poor growth was because her status had reached its limit.
'STR' and 'END' were not her strong suits; reaching D-rank for both was already quite good.
'DEX' and 'AGI' were already at A-rank, and pushing them further would lead to the highest S-rank. Considering the principle that progress slows down as you approach S-rank, the improvement in these two abilities would be minimal was purely normal.
Not to mention 'MAG'; it was just a point away from S-rank, and it wouldn't be easy to raise it.
In summary, Ais's slow growth this time wasn't her fault; it was because she had almost reached the potential limit of Level 5.
"I know." Ais finally spoke but her voice wasn't as calm as usual; it carried a hint of exhaustion. "At this point, I've hit the limit. Even if I slay thousands or tens of thousands of monsters, my basic abilities won't increase much... I can feel it."
At this moment, she didn't have much room for growth. Her current status was her limit; there wouldn't be much room for significant development. For over three years, she had been stuck at Level 5, with a wall called bottleneck blocking her way. It made any significant advancement seem unattainable.
Ais realized this and therefore felt lost.
"And you?" Ais turned her gaze towards Riezel. "Leveled up?"
"Yeah..." Riezel met her gaze and nodded.
"As expected..." Ais's eyes became somewhat complex as she whispered. "In just three months, you caught up to me..."
This blow, at this moment, was truly powerful for her.
But Ais knew it was inevitable. As someone who had watched Riezel rise from the beginning, she was well aware of how fast he grew and how much potential he had.
Thinking back to when he was still Level 1, forcing her to retreat with a single sword trust, she could roughly sense that this man, so similar to herself, would catch up soon.
Now he had, but she couldn't widen the gap, still stuck in place.
"How should I do it?" Ais couldn't help but speak up.
"What?" Riezel raised an eyebrow.
She was staring at him intently.
"How can I get stronger as fast as you? What's your secret?"
Ever since she saw Riezel's status, Ais had been eager to uncover his secret. She practiced diligently with him, sharing her swordsmanship without reservation, all the while keen on observing him closely, hoping to understand his fast growth of getting stronger.
However, all she witnessed was him running extremely fast, constantly moving forward, climbing steadily, rapidly approaching her level at an astonishing speed. Yet, she couldn't discern any specific method or secret.
Normally, Ais wouldn't voice such thoughts. But at this moment, overwhelmed by her desire to get stronger, she couldn't contain herself, expressing her yearning openly.
This left Riezel momentarily silent.
"Sorry." Ais suddenly realized what she had said, looking at him apologetically. "I asked something that might trouble you."
Indeed, answering her question wasn't easy for Riezel. He couldn't just say he did nothing extraordinary, only repeatedly cut down monsters every day to achieve such progress, right? That would sound dismissive.
After organizing his thoughts, Riezel spoke up.
"Actually... I understand your urgency to get stronger... I'm just like you after all, eager to become stronger than anyone else to fulfill my long-cherished wish."
"Wish?" Ais was intrigued.
"Yeah..." Riezel said indifferently. "I want to break free from anyone's control, escape their control and manipulation, run toward the direction and path I desire, no longer helpless, no longer drifting with the current, no longer being used..."
This was a feeling only Riezel understood, something Ais couldn't comprehend. However, hearing the word 'wish', she unknowingly resonated with him.
"So, you're like me..." Ais looked at him with a more complex expression.
She had her own wish, a wish that she wanted to fulfill, which explained her eagerness to become stronger. Riezel knew this, even knew the undisclosed wish in her heart. Hence, he could utter such words.
"It seems we're quite alike in many ways, but that should be the most alike, right?" Riezel chuckled lightly, his words echoing in her ears.
"We're all trying to get stronger to fulfill our long-cherished wishes, so I really get where you're coming from..." Riezel said while locking eyes with Ais. "Unfortunately, in this regard, I can't offer you any mature advice. After all, I'm still figuring things out myself. I'm just a bit luckier than you, having grabbed a chance to achieve my goals... I'm really sorry."
If there were any secrets to his power-up, he would surely share them with Ais. He was more than willing to impart his knowledge to her.
But he didn't.
His rapid growth was primarily due to the influence of 'Fool's Obsession'. This was something he couldn't share with others. Therefore, Riezel was completely incapable of addressing Ais's troubles and questions.
"The only thing I can probably do is, well, listen to your worries..." Riezel chuckled. "If there's something you want to talk about, something that's bothering you and you don't know who to tell, just tell me. If this can help you reduce some confusion and lessen your worries, I'm more than willing to be your listener."
His words made Ais focus her gaze towards his eyes.
Riezel didn't avert his eyes, just continued to lock eyes with her.
The eyes of the two didn't share the same color but had the same emotion, the same obsession.
Watching those eyes so similar to her own, for some reason, Ais did feel a bit less depressed.
"Thank you..." Ais took a deep breath and expressed his gratitude to Riezel.
"No problem..." Riezel said casually, noticing Ais perk up a bit. "Feeling better?"
Ais nodded, redirecting her gaze out the window.
"Since there's no room for growth at my current level, let's move on to the next one then..."
Her golden eyes now seemed more resolute as she declared that.
What did her words mean, he wouldn't fail to understand.
'Level up, huh...' Riezel thought inwardly.
That was Ais's only way out.
Since Level 5 had reached its limit and progress seemed impossible, Ais had to find a way to reach Level 6. Only by leveling up could she make a significant leap in strength, and her body would become stronger, unlocking new possibilities and potential.
If she couldn't achieve that, she wouldn't experience any significant growth in the future.
"Good luck, then." Riezel stared at her, who had made a determined decision. "If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."
That was the extent of support he could provide.
"Thank you..." Ais thanked him once again.
The two simultaneously looked out the window, silent.
Moonlight spilled over them, casting a lingering glow.
===
The conversation between Riezel and Ais happened without anyone knowing.
Even the top executives of the familia, on the first day back from the expedition, were too focused on resting to pay much attention to anything else.
The rest of the expedition party members followed suit, one after another, starting their recovery.
The three-week expedition left many feeling physically and mentally exhausted. At times like this, the only remedy was to rest well for everyone to get back to health.
It wasn't until the next day that news spread not only within Loki Familia but also throughout Orario.
—Riezel Brynhart successfully leveled up to Level 5.
This news created a citywide uproar.