The day after the Denatus, the name "Thousand Change" had spread through every corner of Orario. It traveled via the whispers of adventurers, the letters of Familia messengers, and the improvised songs of tavern bards.
At the breakfast table of the Starlight Court, Lyra returned with the latest news, her excitement even more palpable than usual.
"The whole street is talking about 'Thousand Change' right now!" The Pallum girl practically bounced into her seat. "I heard three different versions in the market. Some say Su Lun is the reincarnation of an ancient mage, some say he found lost magic, and the most ridiculous one claims he's the illegitimate child of a primary god!"
Alise nearly choked on her soup. "Illegitimate child? That's preposterous!"
"Gods cannot use their divine power to conceive children after descending. It's a logical fallacy," Lyu pointed out calmly, though her ears were slightly red—she had clearly heard her share of rumors as well.
Kaguya sliced her bread with meticulous grace, glancing at Su Lun, who was sitting opposite her and trying his best to look invisible.
"How does it feel, our newly minted urban legend? You must have received quite a few 'tributes' of attention during your walk today."
Su Lun set down his spoon and let out a heavy sigh. He looked exactly like an overworked employee suffering through workplace bullying.
"It feels like a dream—the kind where you're being stared at by a crowd," he rubbed his temples and began to vent. "Everything felt off the moment I stepped out to the Guild this morning. Everywhere I went, people were pointing and whispering, 'Look, that's him.'"
"Pfft, and then what?" Alise was visibly entertained, looking like she was ready to take notes.
"Then came all the bizarre greetings," Su Lun mimicked their tones. "'Yo! Thousand Change kid, up early, aren't we? Rushing off to break another Orario record?'" He looked helpless. "Am I even close with these people? Since when is 'rushing to break records' a standard greeting?"
Alise burst into laughter, slapping the table. "That just means you're famous!"
"Does being famous include shopkeepers forcibly shoving free stuff into my hands?" Su Lun continued to complain. "I went to Old Bell's general store to buy spare whetstones. He stared at me for a while, had a sudden 'Aha!' moment, and then started grilling me about what kind of magic I use... I mean, seriously, I just wanted whetstones!"
"The most exaggerated part..." Su Lun lowered his voice, looking utterly speechless. "In the end, he insisted on giving me a mountain of things I don't even need. He said it was his 'support for the miraculous new star of Orario.'" He looked at the others. "Is this normal? Am I going to have to wear a mask every time I leave the house now?"
Kaguya sneered. "Free? Hah. It's just an investment from a merchant. Don't be naive." She looked at Su Lun with a probing gaze. "Though at least you have enough vigilance not to let the flattery go to your head."
Noin spoke up gently as she walked into the room, holding an elegant envelope. "Fame brings convenience, but it also brings a price and extra expectations. Learning how to handle it is part of an adventurer's training." She placed the letter on the table. "By the way, we just received an official invitation to a tea party from the Loki Familia. It's set for next week for all of us, with a specific note welcoming our newest Level 2 member."
"Loki Familia?" Alise blinked. "What do they want?"
"Inviting us?" Lyu was also curious.
"Finn the Braver is always sharp. He likely wants to evaluate our potential personally, and... perhaps discuss future cooperation between our Familias," Astraea said, entering the room. "Finn has a very long-term vision."
Everyone turned to Su Lun.
Su Lun picked up the high-quality invitation, his thumb brushing over the Loki Familia emblem. The helpless expression he wore while complaining faded, replaced by a serious look.
"We should go. It's not like it's a bad thing," he said clearly, setting the letter down. "Since I can't hide from this celebrity treatment, I might as well face it head-on."
Alise smiled and patted Su Lun's shoulder. "Well said! That's more like a man of our Familia!"
Su Lun coughed from the force of the pat. "Captain, go easy... I just ate..."
"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry!" Alise laughed without a hint of apology before turning to the group. "Then it's settled! This morning, Su Lun will do his Level 2 adaptation training to get his strength under control, and this afternoon, we'll head out on patrol!" She grinned with a sharp edge of seriousness. "Let's show anyone watching from the shadows that our 'Thousand Change' isn't just someone who handles street interviews and free handouts—actual combat is the only real proof!"
After breakfast, the group headed to the Familia's private training ground.
Su Lun stood in the center of the field, feeling the new power flowing through his body. It was a sense of fullness completely different from Level 1, as if every inch of muscle and every drop of mana had been restructured.
Lyu was the first to step before him, wooden sword in hand. "The boost from Level 2 is comprehensive. First, let's test your basic changes."
Before she even finished speaking, she moved. The wooden sword thrust forward faster than any previous training session, but Su Lun's body reacted almost instinctively. Side-step, parry—the movements were so fluid they surprised even him.
"Reaction speed has improved," Lyu retracted her sword and gave a calm evaluation. "But your range of motion is still stuck in your Level 1 habits. Your body is stronger now; you can perform the same defense with smaller movements, leaving more energy for a counter."
She struck again, faster this time. Su Lun tried to adjust according to her guidance, and it did indeed feel much easier.
"Next, a strength test," Alise hopped into the field with a grin, bringing out several specialized training stone balls. "Catch!"
The first ball she threw was the size of a watermelon. Su Lun caught it steadily, but it felt much lighter than expected. No, the ball wasn't light; his strength had simply increased. He felt a sense of "vessel sublimation" that was far beyond Level 1.
"How does it feel?" Alise asked.
"Like catching a hollow ball," Su Lun tossed the stone ball in his hand. "Even though I know it weighs at least 50kg."
"Exactly!" Alise smiled knowingly. "The increase in physical density at Level 2 is all-encompassing. Now, try these."
She suddenly threw three stone balls simultaneously from different angles at high speed! Su Lun moved both hands, catching one in each, and used his shoulder to bump the third, effortlessly absorbing the momentum. The movements were clean and efficient.
"Beautiful!" Alise clapped. "Your coordination is catching up as well!"
"Now for the main event," Kaguya's voice came from the sidelines. She stood with her arms crossed, her eyes serious. "The power of your magic."
Su Lun looked at her.
"At Level 1, your magic power was roughly equivalent to a crossbow," Kaguya walked to the other side of the training ground and pointed to a row of thick wooden targets. "Now, hit that target with your strongest cantrip."
Su Lun raised his hand, aiming his palm at the bullseye thirty meters away. In his mind, the model for Eldritch Blast constructed instantly. This time, the model was clearer and more stable than ever, and the mana he could draw upon far exceeded his previous capacity. He didn't use any metamagic—just a basic cast.
A violet energy beam erupted from his palm. Unlike the thin bolts of the past, this was a violet pillar of energy as thick as a man's wrist! It tore through the air with a low whistle, striking the bullseye in the blink of an eye.
BOOM!
The 20cm thick hardwood target exploded instantly under the impact. Splinters flew everywhere, leaving a charred, palm-sized hole in the center. The shockwave even caused the surrounding targets to wobble violently.
The training ground went silent for a moment.
"That power..." Lyra whispered. "That's already surpassed the all-out strike of a normal Level 2 adventurer, hasn't it?"
"Equivalent to a direct hit from a heavy ballista, or a small explosive," Lyu evaluated calmly. "And based on the casting speed, it was nearly instant."
Kaguya walked to the shattered target, inspecting the depth and radius of the charred hole. She looked back at Su Lun. "Try Ray of Frost on the stone training pillar next to it."
Su Lun turned toward the stone pillar. He deliberately controlled his output, but the pale white frost-beam was still twice as thick as before. A layer of ice instantly formed on the pillar's surface, and the cold seeped deep into the stone, causing fine cracks to appear.
"The intensity of the cold and the coverage area have both increased significantly," Lyu observed the thickness of the ice. "If you went all-out, you could likely freeze a monster's joints instantly."
"And this one!" Alise excitedly dragged out a metal training dummy. "Try Fire Bolt!"
Su Lun raised his hand and fired. The fireball, which used to be the size of a palm, had expanded to the size of a human head. When it struck the dummy, the explosion of flames nearly engulfed it entirely. The high heat caused the metal surface to quickly turn red and deform.
"This is already close to the flames spat by a Hellhound..." Lyra marveled.
Su Lun looked at his palm, feeling the mana surging within him. If the boost to cantrips was this obvious, what about a formal spell?
"Want to try a higher-tier magic?" Kaguya seemed to read his mind, the corner of her mouth curling up. "Go ahead. But—" She pointed to the far end of the training ground, where there was a specially reinforced testing area. "Go over there. I don't want you dismantling the training ground."
The group moved to the reinforced area. The walls and floor here were strengthened to withstand Level 3-tier attacks.
"Be careful when you use it; the mental exhaustion will be significant," Lyu warned. "Try the base version first without adding metamagic."
Su Lun nodded and stepped into the center of the testing zone. He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the Abyssal Grimoire. The section for 3rd-tier spells had been unlocked; the names he once only knew from memory were now at his fingertips. He chose the most classic and representative one: Fireball.
The spell model constructed in his mind, several times more complex than lower-tier spells. Mana rushed toward his palm like a tide; he could feel that this single strike would consume nearly thirty percent of his current mana pool.
He opened his eyes, palm facing upward, and whispered the true name of the spell. A ruby-red orb the size of a fist coalesced above his palm, hovering quietly.
"Fireball!"
Su Lun thrust his palm forward. The ball of fire shot out—it wasn't fast, but as it covered the twenty meters and reached the target point in the center of the zone...
It expanded.
Not a gradual growth, but an instantaneous explosion from fist-sized to a massive orb of fire over six meters in diameter! The core temperature of the brilliant white flames was so high that even the girls in the distance felt the heatwave against their faces. The air warped under the intensity.
Then, the detonation.
KABOOM—!!!
In a deafening roar, flames swallowed everything within a ten-meter radius. Even with the magical reinforcement, a shallow crater was blasted into the ground, charred cracks spreading like a spiderweb. The hot wind kicked up dust, whipping the clothes of the onlookers. The fire continued to burn for several seconds before gradually dying out.
The center of the test area was a blackened ruin, the air thick with the scent of sulfur and ozone.
"...That power," Alise's eyes were wide. "It's already caught up to Lyu's Luminous Wind, hasn't it?"
"The coverage area is larger. The instantaneous destructive power is slightly weaker, but it carries a continuous burning effect," Lyu said, her expression full of shock. The power was truly staggering; if he used metamagic on this spell, it would undoubtedly surpass her own magic. However, the casting time was still a bit slow. Lyu pondered for a moment. "A typical area-of-effect killer. It will be invaluable in the Dungeon when facing large swarms."
"And the consumption?"
Su Lun panted slightly. "About thirty percent of my mana. If I add metamagic, it will be even higher."
"A definitive trump card, then," Kaguya nodded. "Remember, in the Dungeon, a spell like this is an ace. Use it only at the decisive moment." She looked at him and smiled. "However, since you've reached Level 2, I will accompany you for a proper spar."
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Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (51 Chapters – Ongoing)
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