One Week Later
I was surprised, honestly.
After that whole mess at the Hostess of Fertility, I'd been expecting retaliation. Maybe not immediately, but soon. The Loki Familia didn't strike me as the type to just let something like that slide.
But days passed, and... nothing.
In fact, it was the opposite.
They actively avoided me.
I'd see them sometimes, heading into the Dungeon or coming back out. Bete would spot me first, his expression twisting into something between anger and... I don't know, unease? Then he'd say something to the others, and they'd change direction. Take a different path. Pretend they hadn't seen me.
Even Riveria, who seemed like she'd want answers, kept her distance.
But I wasn't complaining.
"Leon?"
I blinked, pulled out of my thoughts, and looked down at Hestia. We were walking through the market district, she'd insisted on coming with me to pick up supplies before my next Dungeon run.
"You okay?" she asked, tilting her head. "You've been spacing out."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
We stopped at a supply shop, and I restocked on potions and a few other essentials. The shopkeeper recognized me now, which was both convenient and slightly concerning. Word really had spread about what happened at the tavern.
Most people gave me curious looks. A few adventurers nodded respectfully as we passed. Others whispered to their companions, eyes following us.
Fame, I guess.
Or infamy.
Hard to tell which.
As we left the shop, Hestia grabbed my arm, steering me toward a food stall that smelled incredible.
"Come on, let's get something to eat before you head down. You skipped breakfast again."
"I had coffee."
"Coffee is not breakfast, Leon."
I didn't argue, I didn't actually need food. Not really. My body had gone far beyond normal human requirements. Food was more of a habit than a necessity at this point. Something I did because it was enjoyable, or because it was social, or because someone like Hestia expected it.
But I didn't need it to survive. Didn't need it for energy.
Which was why I forgot sometimes. Why I'd go days without eating and not notice until Hestia pointed it out, looking worried.
To her, I was skipping meals. Being careless with my health.
To me, I just... hadn't thought about it.
We got food—some kind of meat skewer that was way better than it had any right to be—and found a spot to sit near the fountain in the plaza.
I ate because she was watching, because it made her happy, because the food actually was good even if I didn't need it.
"So," Hestia said between bites, "how deep are you planning to go today?"
"Lower Floors. Around the 33rd to 36th."
She choked on her food.
I patted her back as she coughed, eyes watering.
"The—the Lower Floors?!" she managed after catching her breath. "Leon, those are—that's Level 3 and Level 4 territory! You're still Level 1!"
"Technically."
"There's no 'technically' about it! You ARE Level 1!" She grabbed my arm, her expression a mix of worry and disbelief. "I still can't believe you've managed to survive down there at all. The Middle Floors were bad enough, but the Lower Floors?"
"I've been fine so far."
"That's not the point!" She took a breath, trying to calm herself. "Leon, I know you're strong. Stronger than any Level 1 should be. But those floors... the monsters down there..."
"The Middle Floors aren't challenging anymore. Even with the suppression ring. I need to push deeper."
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it, her shoulders sagging slightly.
"I know you need to get stronger. It's just...you're growing so fast, Leon. Too fast."
That was true.
My stats had been increasing at an absurd rate. When Hestia had updated my status last night, all of them had hit S-rank.
All of them.
In less than a week.
But S-rank wasn't enough.
Not when I knew SSS-rank existed.
In the original story, Bell would eventually push his stats to SSS before leveling up. The highest possible rank. The absolute peak of what a falna could record at a given level.
And if Bell could do it, then so could I.
Bell Cranel reach Level 2 in about a month in the original timeline. And he had Liaris Freese, arguably one of the most broken skills in the entire setting.
But I had my own advantages.
Arete Ascension and Monas
I wasn't going to settle for good enough. Not when I knew better was possible. Not when I was using this world specifically to get stronger before returning to DxD, where the threats were on an entirely different scale.
Every point mattered. Every stat increase, every skill refinement, every advantage I could squeeze out of this system.
S-rank was impressive by this world's standards. But SSS-rank? That was the foundation I needed.
That was the difference between being strong and being strong enough.
We finished eating and headed back toward the Dungeon entrance. The massive structure loomed ahead, adventurers streaming in and out in a constant flow.
This was routine now. Wake up, prepare, descend into the Dungeon, fight, collect magic stones, push my limits, come home to Hestia.
"Leon."
I paused at the entrance, looking back at Hestia.
She smiled, but there was that familiar worry in her eyes. "Come home safe, okay?"
"I will, my goddess."
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Lower Floors - 30th Floor
I was in the middle of carving through a group of Lizardmen when I felt it.
A gaze.
Not hostile. Not threatening. But definitely watching.
The presence was familiar somehow, though I couldn't quite place it until I finished off the last monster and turned toward the shadows.
"I know you're there," I called out, wiping my blade clean. "You might as well come out."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, from the darkness at the edge of the corridor, a figure stepped into view.
Ais Wallenstein.
I sighed heavily.
"Seriously? You again?"
She stood alone, no other members of the Loki Familia with her. Her golden eyes were fixed on me with that same unreadable expression she always wore. Calm on the surface, but there was something different in the way she was looking at me now.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
The silence stretched between us, broken only by the distant sounds of the Dungeon.
Finally, she moved.
Not toward me. Just... shifted her weight slightly, her grip on Desperate loosening.
"I'm sorry."
The words were quiet. Almost hesitant.
I blinked, genuinely surprised. "What?"
"I'm sorry for attacking you…"
Well, now I didn't expect that.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
Honestly, I couldn't stay mad at her. Not really. I knew Ais's personality well enough from the source material. She wasn't malicious. Wasn't the type to attack people for no reason. She'd genuinely believed I was a threat to that adventurer, and in her straightforward, direct way, she'd acted on it.
No complicated schemes. No hidden agenda. Just simple, honest action based on what she'd thought was right at the time.
"It's fine," I said after a moment. "I forgive you."
Her eyes widened slightly, just a fraction. Surprise, maybe. Or relief.
She nodded once, a small, quick movement. "Thank you."
Then Ais took a small step forward.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"How did you become strong?"
I blinked. "What?"
"You're strong, very strong. But you're new. Only two weeks as an adventurer." She tilted her head slightly. "How?"
"That's... a complicated question."
"I want to become stronger. I need to... please tell me."
I looked at her for a long moment.
Then shook my head.
"No."
"I have no obligation to tell you anything," I continued, my tone cutting off whatever she was about to say. "Just because I forgave you doesn't mean I'm willing to talk about this. My strength, how I got it, why I have it—that's my business. Not yours."
Her expression didn't change much, but I caught the slight tightening around her eyes. Confusion, maybe. Or disappointment.
I didn't care.
"Look, I appreciate the apology. And I meant it when I said we're good. But that doesn't make us friends. It doesn't make us allies. It just means I'm not holding a grudge." I stepped past her, heading deeper into the corridor. "So if you came here looking for training tips or some kind of mentorship, you wasted your time."
"Wait—"
"We're done here, Wallenstein."
Maybe it was harsh. Maybe she genuinely just wanted to understand, to grow stronger for whatever reasons drove her.
But I didn't owe her my secrets.
She had her path.
I had mine.
And they didn't need to intersect any more than they already had.
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