Alise answered seriously, "If that guy dares to look for someone else, as soon as I get back, I'll break both his legs and lock him in a basement so he can't leave!"
Hearing Alise's rather terrifying words, even Ryuu couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
That's a bit too much, isn't it?
It was the first time Ryuu had ever seen Alise act this way.
"Would you really break Su Lun's legs?" Ryuu asked.
Faced with the counter-question, Alise actually stopped to think about it seriously.
"Actually, no. I could never lay a hand like that on a lover I care about."
Indeed.
Ryuu felt a bit piqued as well, but when she thought about Su Lun being her lover, how could she find it in her heart to truly strike or scold him? She couldn't dote on him enough.
In the end, if a new "rival" really did appear, they would just have to deal with it when the time came.
With that thought, Ryuu closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Su Lun was in the divine chamber—Goddess Astraea's private room.
Astraea pricked her finger with a needle and let a single drop of divine blood fall onto Su Lun's bare back. His status immediately manifested and updated.
[Level]: 2 [Abilities]:
Strength: SSS | 1347
Endurance: SSS | 1202
Dexterity: SSS | 1203
Agility: SSS | 1333
Magic: SSS | 1423 [Development Ability]: Luck (H)
The Goddess looked at the update, already feeling somewhat numb.
It had only been a few months since he went from Level 1 to Level 2. After everything they had been through, having this level of growth wasn't entirely strange.
However, his ability points—nearly every single one had reached the SSS rank.
To be honest, since descending to the lower world, she had seen all kinds of children, but never one quite like Su Lun. This rate of growth was simply terrifying.
"You are essentially ready to level up. If you wanted to keep going, you could theoretically max out the points further, but the margin of increase likely won't be very large from here on out."
The Goddess offered her suggestion. Su Lun held the parchment and pondered. According to the Goddess, once his stats hit SS, the rate of growth had slowed down to increments of 10 points at a time.
Moreover, the priority right now was to increase his level directly to gain access to higher-circle spells to solve the many problems they faced.
The Goddess proceeded with the Level Up.
After the process was complete, she noticed that several new Development Abilities had appeared. These seemed to be related to the magic items he had crafted and his past battles.
"Take a look at your new Development Abilities."
Su Lun looked at the new options: Mage, Blacksmith, Spirit Healing, Healing, and Mystery.
Mage was the same as before, primarily focused on strengthening magic-related development and increasing spell potency. Theoretically, picking this would effectively raise his overall magic level.
Blacksmith was likely related to the various magic items and scrolls he had been constantly producing over the past few months. Choosing this would likely take his craftsmanship to the next level.
As for Spirit Healing and Healing, they were tied to his constant use of restorative magic on himself and others during combat.
But Mystery... that was undoubtedly the most unique Development Ability of them all.
In terms of potential ceiling, "Mystery" was likely the highest. With this ability, creating various magic items—including golems—should be no problem. At least, that was his intuition.
"I choose 'Mystery.' The potential of this ability is just too high."
Su Lun spoke without hesitation. With "Mystery," whether it was magic, item crafting, or future development, his ceiling would far exceed that of a normal adventurer.
Astraea nodded in agreement with his logic.
"Indeed. If you have 'Mystery,' I am quite curious to see just what level of magic items you will produce."
Su Lun, meanwhile, thought of Amid, the Saint of the Battlefield. However, she was likely still very young and likely only Level 1 within the Dian Cecht Familia. She probably hadn't even obtained the "Mystery" ability yet.
Currently, if "Mystery" was in the hands of someone like Asfi, she could create superior magic items; in the hands of Fels, it could create bizarre artifacts or even a Philosopher's Stone. And for someone like Amid, even her bathwater could turn into Holy Water.
It would be a tragedy not to choose it.
Su Lun picked up the updated status sheet and examined it closely.
[Level]: 3 [Abilities]:
Strength: I | 10
Endurance: I | 10
Dexterity: I | 10
Agility: I | 10
Magic: I | 10 [Development Abilities]: Luck, Mystery
[Skills]:
Codex of the Otherworld: Soul synchronization with the Abyssal Codex of All Magic is deep and complete. Can learn and cast D&D system spells up to the 4th Circle.
Metamagic Mastery: Can apply multiple metamagic feats without additional cost.
Multicasting: Can construct and cast four spells simultaneously.
Heroic Essence: Naturally attracts the attention and goodwill of those with kind hearts or those who yearn for heroes. For companions who have formed a deep bond with the user and have mutual recognition, their ability growth efficiency is significantly increased. This effect is weakened for individuals who already have a stable emotional anchor or a specific mental state.
[Magic]:
Abyssal Codex (Short Chant): "[Spell Name]!"
Su Lun stared at the parchment. He was now Level 3. In Orario, this was considered the backbone of the city's strength; the captains of most mid-sized Familias were at this level.
Furthermore, just the day before, the Goddess had updated the status of the entire Familia. The Astraea Familia's strength had effectively leaped forward.
Alise and Kaguya had successfully become Second-tier Adventurers (Level 4), Ryuu had reached Level 3, and the rest of the members had each gained a level.
If they were previously a mid-tier exploration Familia, this update had pushed their collective level to the standard of the "Great Feud" era. Combined with the magic items Su Lun could produce, their strength was now top-tier.
Crucially, there was less than a year and a half left before the coming calamity.
Su Lun breathed a sigh of relief. All the members had reached a decent level. The next goal was to head back and find that man-made labyrinth. Dionysus, Alecto, and Icarus—those guys had to be dragged out and dealt with one by one.
That evening, the members of the Astraea Familia gathered at the Fire Bee Pavilion. Their signature drink was a bright red mead, brewed until it glowed like a ruby.
This banquet was to celebrate everyone's successful Level Up.
Furthermore, they had made a fortune during this expedition. Just from repelling the monster march and turning in the Jeweled Tree, they had earned over 200 million Valis—not to mention the magic stones from the Enhanced Species.
With this level of wealth, Su Lun and the others were planning to use the money to find a new headquarters. Their current base was a bit too small, and since he was the only male living with a group of girls, it was somewhat inconvenient.
After three rounds of drinks and plenty of food, Su Lun raised his glass of special Fire Bee mead and toasted everyone, feeling a bit tipsy.
"Now we have some solid footing. At least the pressure isn't so overwhelming anymore."
Alise nodded, a cheerful smile on her face. "To be honest, without Su Lun, we probably would have needed another three or four years of normal progress to reach this level. Because of you, the entire Familia has changed so much."
Kaguya curled her lip with a hint of annoyance, but she didn't refute him. Lyra, on the other hand, looked ecstatic.
"With this, I finally have the confidence to... well, go talk to Finn about marriage!"
She suddenly remembered something and turned to Su Lun.
"Oh right! I'm planning to write a confession letter. Could you help me deliver it? You're pretty familiar with the Loki Familia, after all."
"You want me to hand-deliver a love letter to Finn?" Su Lun asked, curious. "Why don't you do it yourself?"
"I do! But every time I try, I can't find the right opportunity... so, can I count on you?" Lyra clasped her hands together, putting on a cute, watery-eyed expression like a small animal.
Su Lun sighed helplessly. "Fine, no problem. I'll deliver the letter to Finn for you."
"Thanks!" Lyra's expression flipped instantly as she giggled and clinked her mead glass against Su Lun's.
"Children," Goddess Astraea spoke softly. "Now that you have leveled up, there is no need to rush back into the Dungeon. Take some time to rest and get used to your new power. If there is something you wish to do, do it now."
Everyone present nodded.
The scene shifted to a dark alleyway.
A very beautiful cat-person girl was holding a brand-new bounty flyer.
On the flyer was a portrait of Su Lun.
The girl swallowed hard, her eyes filled with a certain greed.
The text on the flyer read: Assassinate Su Lun. Reward: 60 million Valis. Dead or Alive.
Sixty million Valis was enough for a person to live a life of leisure. As long as she pulled off this big job—as long as she could successfully assassinate "The Myriad" Su Lun—she would be set.
This cat-person girl was none other than the one known as the "Black Cat," Chloe Rollo.
Born into a certain continental criminal organization, she had joined before she even received the name "Chloe," learning the arts of poisoning, resistance, and blade work.
"My current target is only Level 2."
Taking down someone two levels lower than me? It'll be like taking candy from a baby.
At that thought, a smile spread across Chloe's face.
My : https://p*tre*n.com/Noctra418 Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (Simulpub – Ongoing)