The improvement in strength seemed to make it impossible for Riezel to engage in tense and thrilling battles with monsters as he did yesterday, leaving him without the excitement he felt before.
He moved forward, even descending through several floors, engaging in battles with monsters. Whether it was Kobolds or Goblins, renowned among the small fry, no matter how many gathered or what kind of attack they launched, he effortlessly dealt with them.
Not a single monster could react to his movements.
Not a single monster could withstand his strikes.
All Riezel needed to do was charge, swing his sword, and he could instantly kill any monster, easily breaking through their encirclement and wiping them out.
This gradually left him feeling dissatisfied.
'Just because my basic abilities have grown by one and two ranks, the monsters on the upper floors are completely insufficient to challenge me?'
Ignoring the monsters fallen all around, Riezel frowned deeply.
At this point, he had descended to the 4th Floor and reached the entrance to the 5th Floor.
'It seems like I need to continue pushing forward.'
Staring at the entrance to the 5th Floor, which resembled a cave opening, his eyes flickered.
'According to the records in the book and the experiences of the Guild and Familias, adventurers at my level are generally considered capable of exploring floors 5 to 7, right?'
Level 1 adventurers could conquer floors between the 1st and 12th. From the 13th Floor, Level 2 monsters appear, and the dungeon environment and monster output efficiency undergo a significant change. Floors starting from the 13th were considered forbidden zones for Level 1 adventurers.
The difficulty of conquering floors between the 1st and 12th was outlined by Guilds and Familias. For example, the 1st to 4th Floors were areas that adventurers with basic abilities between I and H could conquer. The 5th to 7th floors were for adventurers with basic abilities between G and F, and so on.
'My DEX and AGI are both at G-rank. According to the standards, the 5th floor should be relatively safe for exploration.'
Unlike last night, when he reached the 5th Floor and faced numerous life-threatening situations, Riezel should be able to safely conquer the floor now.
But...
"A safe conquest?"
Riezel murmured, then made a decision.
"Let's go to deeper floors."
Exactly.
He didn't need a safe conquest. If safety was the priority, he wouldn't have ventured into the dungeon alone without wearing any armor, wielding a mere decorative short sword, and challenging the dungeon right after receiving a blessing.
At that time, he didn't even reach G-rank; he didn't have any abilities at H-rank. His status proficiency was zero, and his physical qualities were no different from an ordinary person.
In such circumstances, he dared to enter the dungeon alone, even reaching the 5th floor. Now that he had grown, why would he settle for the so-called 'safe' conquest on the same floor?
Of course, such a decision was bound to be dangerous.
But so what?
Death isn't terrifying. What's terrifying is waiting for it.
At least, that was how Riezel saw it.
If he was destined to die, he'd rather it be on a path he chose, chasing freedom until he was worn out, rather than waiting for someone else to plot his murder, like in the main world.
So, he was running.
Running towards higher ground.
Sprinting towards bigger challenges.
"Let's go."
Without hesitation, Riezel charged towards the entrance of the 5th Floor.
===
It was night.
When the day had completely darkened, Riezel finally escaped the dungeon and returned to Twilight Manor.
This time, he managed to restrain himself and didn't spend another day and night inside the dungeon.
After dark, he had to go back to Orario and return to the manor, which was a strict order from Loki to him.
Given this, although somewhat reluctant, Riezel still followed her command and left the dungeon after dark.
Back at Twilight Manor, he cleaned himself up, changed into a set of clean clothes, and once again entered Loki's divine room.
The purpose, of course, was to update his status.
Perhaps because Riezel had been obedient, Loki, who was drinking in the room at that time, filled with the scent of alcohol, seemed quite pleased and readily agreed.
...
Riezel Brynhart
Level 1
STR: H184 → F385
END: H177 → F380
DEX: G202 → E431
AGI: G215 → E449
MAG: I0
...
Looking at the ridiculous growth status etched on Riezel's back after the updates, Loki's mouth twitched repeatedly.
'An overall ability proficiency increase of over 800...? Isn't this even more significant than yesterday's growth?!'
Loki felt her head buzzing.
What on earth was happening?
What in the world was going on?
The growth in status, especially as it approached S-rank, shouldn't slow down?
But this kid not only didn't slow down, he became even faster!
Last time, after battling in the dungeon for a full day and night, the total ability proficiency increased by just over 700. This time, in just a daytime, with time spent on adventurer registration and purchasing equipment, the growth speed not only didn't slow down but instead became faster?
It made no sense at all!
"You..."
Loki wanted to ask Riezel what he did after entering the dungeon, but upon careful consideration, she gave up. Her divine intuition told her that if she pursued this matter, she would likely be angry.
This kid surely did something dangerous again.
And indeed, he did.
If Loki knew that Riezel not only reached the 5th Floor today but also descended to the 7th Floor, she would absolutely be furious.
To ensure a good night's sleep tonight, Loki sensibly chose to change the topic.
"At this rate of growth, it won't be long before you can compete with some seasoned veterans who have struggled for several years at Level 1."
Loki's tone was somewhat lamenting.
Completing the journey that takes the average adventurer years in just two days? It was truly unbelievable.
"Perhaps you'll break the record for the fastest ascent to Level 2 and become the new record holder."
Loki's evaluation was extremely high.
"I hope so."
Riezel put on his clothes while looking at the translated status, lost in thought.
"Why do you look so concerned?" Loki, seemingly carefree, spoke bluntly. "Don't tell me you're dissatisfied with your growth speed. If you dare to humblebrag like that, I might just have to throw a punch at you."
"...You, a Goddess, actually use the term 'humblebrag'? I'm surprised..." Riezel, somewhat helpless. "I was thinking about MAG."
Loki understood Riezel's meaning.
"Are you concerned that your MAG hasn't grown at all?"
Loki voiced Riezel's thoughts.
"Yeah..." Riezel nodded. "The basic abilities are improving, but MAG remains the same. It feels very wasteful."
"I understand, I understand." Loki nodded repeatedly and wholeheartedly agreed with his train of thought. "With your inhuman growth speed, if you can't take advantage to boost MAG it does indeed feel like a waste of an innate skill."
'MAG' was different from the other basic abilities. While abilities like 'STR', 'END', 'DEX', and 'AGI' determined physical qualities and close combat abilities, 'MAG' belonged to a different system. It determined the strength and effects of magic.
For mages who relied on magic for victory and were not skilled in close combat, the importance of 'MAG' outweighed the other four basic abilities.
Even if one didn't train the other four basic abilities, focusing solely on the 'MAG' could still yield powerful combat strength, possibly even surpassing that of close combat specialists.
Magic, being a symbol of supernatural power, equivalent to a miracle, inherently possessed extraordinary power. In terms of status and power, it outclassed close combat.
Therefore, anyone with the opportunity would want to develop 'MAG', including Riezel.
'In the main world, I couldn't use magic anymore. Now, with new possibilities, having a chance to use magic again, if I don't make an effort, then it's my fault.'
Riezel silently contemplated in his mind.
The issue lay in—
"Kiddo, your magic doesn't seem like something you can use casually, yeah?"
Loki raised this question.
"Yes..." Riezel sighed, recalling his own magic.
...
MAGIC
Almighty
- Memorize magic.
- Activate specific magic based on memory.
- The strength of the magic is determined by the basic ability of 'MAG'.
- Only effective for valid magic.
...
This was the only magic that Riezel possessed, and it was an extremely versatile and potent magic with a high potential.
"Judging by the magic you've got, you should be able to activate any magic you've memorized. It's like being able to use all kinds of magic at once."
As Loki brought up this topic, Riezel's expression started resembling that of a monster, at least in her eyes.
'This magic, isn't this too outrageous?'
Loki couldn't help but complain inwardly.