"Lv.5"
Time quickly passed, and three days later...
After about three days, Leo and his group finally escaped the Dungeon and returned to Orario.
When they returned to Orario and were welcomed back to the Twilight Manor by their fellow Familia members, a rumor soon began to circulate.
"Mr. Leo and Miss Ais joined forces to defeat the floor master of the 37th Floor, Udaeus."
The news spread like wildfire, its origin unknown, but it reached the entire Loki Familia at an astonishing speed.
The group members made a fuss about it for quite a while, and even planned to go to Leo and Ais to verify it themselves.
Before the group members could verify the information, a ecstatic roar from a certain Chief God resounded from the Divine Room at the top of the Central Tower.
"Ais is now level 6!!!"
Everyone in the Twilight Manor heard the sound.
Then, a grand exclamation and cheers erupted, making the entire Twilight Manor boil with excitement.
--
The top floor of the Central Tower, Divine Room.
As Loki roared with ecstatic joy, Leo was outside the Divine Room, hearing her cry from the closest possible distance.
Therefore, when Ais emerged from the Divine Room with a piece of parchment in her hand, Leo was the first to offer his congratulations.
"Congratulations, Ais, you've leveled up as you wished."
Leo was genuinely happy for Ais.
"Thanks."
Looking at the man who had accompanied her through the death battle and come with her to update her stats, Ais's face showed a rare, almost reassuring joy. The anxiety and urgency she had shown not long ago, as if she were being driven by something unseen, were nowhere to be seen.
Having successfully advanced to Lv.6, achieving a new accomplishment and reaching a new level and height, Ais finally felt relieved after being on edge for so long.
Knowing that she could become stronger and continue to grow, and that she would be facing challenges in a completely new phase, Ais's joy was almost palpable.
She wasn't afraid of anything else, except that she couldn't become stronger.
Now, she has entered a new stage, and her potential, which had reached its limit, has been revitalized. At least for now, Ais can finally feel a little more at ease.
Can I take a look?
Leo turned his gaze to the parchment in Ais's hand and couldn't help but ask a question.
"Give."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ais handed it to him directly.
Ais Wallenstein Lv.5→Lv.6
Strength: D564t10
Durability: D553→10
Dexterity: A827→10
Agility: A824t10
Demonic Power: S900 → 10
Hunter: G
Abnormal Resistance: G
Swordsman: I→H
Mind Healing: 1
Looking at Ais's unique ability stats, Leo couldn't help but nod.
Ais not only leveled up to Lv.6, but also raised her "Demonic Power" stat to the highest level of S before leveling up. After leveling up, she even learned the same "Mind Healing" development ability as him and Riveria Ljos Alf, which shows how intensely Ais has been using magic lately.
This reminded Leo of the group's return journey from the 37th Floor.
At that time, Ais seemed to have recovered and was no longer covered in wounds, but in reality, she had only healed her injuries. The intense physical strain from overusing "wind" was still there, making her return journey almost entirely painful. She couldn't even kill a Barbarian with a single blow as before, and her condition had visibly declined significantly.
Leo himself wasn't fully recovered mentally; each time he used magic, it caused a sharp pain in his brain, and all his magical potions were used up. As a result, both he Lefiya Viridis had to carefully manage their remaining mental energy on the return journey.
Li dared not chant magic freely, and his fighting style was extremely restrictive.
Fortunately, Tiona and Tione were capable enough, and both of them were still in good condition, which allowed them to return to the surface on the third day, thanks to their clearing of the way and partial protection.
Thinking about this, Leo was about to say, "Don't do such reckless things again," but then he realized that he himself had probably done even worse, so he swallowed his words back.
Seeing you level up makes me quite impatient.
Leo laughed as he changed his tune and handed the parchment back.
You can do it too.
Ais took the parchment and said this to Leo with great seriousness.
"Then I'll take your good wishes."
Leo smiled, then walked into the Divine Room as Ais watched him go.
Upon entering, Leo saw the Chief God was still in a state of excitement.
"Ais has finally reached Lv.6! Now our familia has one more Lv.6 than that Lovesick Goddess's familia!"
Loki was visibly delighted; he even started dancing with joy.
Leo knew perfectly well who she was comparing herself to.
The Freya Familia, like the Loki Familia, enjoys the reputation of being the strongest faction in the city, and is their true biggest rival.
Prior to this, the Loki Familia had three Level 6 members, and the Freya Familia also had three Level 6 members. These six Level 6 members were the only six Level 6 members in the entire Orario. There was no seventh Level 6 member, which shows that it was not without reason that the two Familias were hailed as the strongest.
Now that Ais has reached Level 6, Loki Familia has one more Level 6 than Freya Familia, so it's only natural that Loki would be happy about it.
Only----
"Is this something to be happy about?" Leo asked, puzzled. "We have one more Lv.6 than them, but we have one less Lv.5."
"And have you forgotten that there's a Level 7 on the other side?"
Previously, the Freya Familia had eight Level 1 adventurers: one Level 7, three Level 6, and four Level 5.
The Loki Familia has seven Level 1 adventurers: three Level 6 and four Level 5.
In other words, the Loki Familia has always had one less Level 1 adventurer than the Freya Familia, and that missing adventurer happens to be the only Level 7 adventurer in the entire city.
Now, although Ais has reached Lv.6, Loki Familia still has one less Level 1 adventurer than others, and Ais certainly can't compare to that Lv.7 ultimate weapon. I don't know what Loki is so happy about.
"Can't we be happy about our own prosperity?" Loki glared at Leo, annoyed. "It's just Level 7, isn't it? Finn and the others will be close too!"
"So what if we have one less Level 1 adventurer than others? We still have you, don't we?"
Loki sneered at this.
"We've heard about just how reckless you and Ais were this time."
"Just the two of you, one Lv.4 and the other Lv.5, actually dared to challenge the floor master whose potential ability might even be above Lv.6?"
"You guys are really something!"
This sarcastic tone clearly wasn't a compliment, but rather an insult.
"----I didn't expect Udaeus to be so strong."
Leo muttered to himself.
This was something he hadn't expected.
In the original story, Ais successfully defeated Udaeus without using [Avenger] and with only a little support from Riveria Ljos Alf. Leo then assumed that with his abilities, even if he couldn't defeat them, he shouldn't lose too badly.
As a result, even though he teamed up with Ais, they still almost failed, which shows just how much courage Ais had to show in order to take down this floor owner in the original work.
As the female protagonist of the original work, Ais is bound to have some luck. The support from Riveria Ljos Alf was only one of the reasons why Ais was able to defeat Udaeus single-handedly. The bigger reason was that she was supported by her own firm will and terrible persistence.
In this situation, even with Leo joining the battle, it only slightly improved the situation, since Leo is ultimately only a Level 4.
Of course, after today, he will no longer be Lv.4.
"Even Ais has leveled up, so with your monster-like level, there's no way you wouldn't level up too, right?"
Loki's smile returned, and he excitedly patted the chair in front of him.
"Sit down quickly, let us have a good look at you."
Upon hearing this, Leo readily agreed, sat down opposite Loki, and took off his shirt.
Loki acted quickly, immediately unlocking Leo's abilities and causing the Joker's Inscription to appear.
As the second drop of divine blood fell, the power level on Leo's back flashed red, causing Loki to widen his eyes and grin.
"Yay!"
The Chief God jumped up a second time, shouting hysterically.
"Leo is level 5 now!!!"
The sound once again resounded throughout the Twilight Manor, silencing the boisterous Long Mansion for a moment before erupting into even greater cheers.
Ais, standing outside the door, also relaxed with relief, just as Leo had done to her earlier, genuinely happy for him.
Leo Eligos Lv.4
Strength: A831→SSS1277
Durability: A807→SSS1235
Dexterity: SSS1345→SSS1464
Agility: S926→SSS1331
Demonic Power: SS1052 → SSS1489
Mage: G→F
Magic Attack: H→G
Mind Healing: I→H
These are Leo's final stats at level 4.
As he had predicted, he successfully trained all his abilities to SSS at Lv.4, surpassing his previous limits.
All three development capabilities have been improved, and the gains are considerable.
Putting everything else aside, just look at the development ability of "Mage." Even Riveria Ljos Alf, the strongest Mage in the city, is only at E level, while he has already reached F level, just one stage behind her. This shows that even in the entire Orario or the Lower World, there are very few people who can surpass Leo in the development ability of "Mage."
Projects that are inherently difficult to improve are always managed by Leo before they even upgrade. If word got out, it would probably make many people question their existence.
Of course, this isn't the biggest surprise or gain from this ability update.
"You've discovered a new skill!"
Loki chuckled as he said this, causing Leo to look up.
"A new skill?"
Leo was surprised.
"That's right." Loki chuckled and said, "That's a very powerful skill."
As he spoke, Loki began operating the device on Leo's back.
The final stats for Lv.4 have been updated; the next update will introduce new levels and new possibilities.
The miracle known as "Level Ascension" was accomplished by Loki, transforming into Leo's power, which then slumbered once more on his back.
"Here, see for yourself."
Loki translated the latest ability values into Common Tongue, copied them down, and handed them to Leo.
Leo looked closely and discovered that the content had changed considerably.
Leo Eligos Lv.5
Strength: 10
Durability:10
Dexterity: 10
Agility: 10
Demonic Power: 10
Mage: F
Magic Attack: G
Mind Healing: H
Swordsman: 1
"Magic"
[Meteor Dance]
• Star attribute.
• Consuming additional mental energy can increase its power.
• Additional attacks can be launched by consuming extra mental energy.
• Chant: Light of Heaven, Sword of Stars.
[Comet Pursuit]
• Flying magic.
• Star attribute.
• Continuous acceleration during startup.
• Provide continuous protection during activation.
• Chant: - Comet Dash.
"Skill"
Unable to interpret.
[The Star Soul Eternal]
• Amplify magical effects.
• Increases the effect of the "Mage" ability.
• The basic ability "Demonic Power" has been greatly enhanced.
[Crossed Star Swords]
• When equipped with swords, "Strength" is slightly increased.
• When equipped with swords, "Agility" is increased by a moderate amount.
• When equipped with swords, "Agility" is greatly increased.
The higher the quality of the equipped swords, the stronger the skill effects.
First, regarding his level, Leo finally reached Lv.5, thus becoming a top-tier adventurer standing among Orario's high-end combatants.
Over the course of nearly three months, Leo rose from a newly Falna Lv.1 to a powerful Lv.5.
Although he had prepared himself mentally, Leo still felt somewhat dazed when he saw the clear "Lv.5" mark on the parchment indicating the level.
Once upon a time, this was a goal that was extremely far away from him, something he could only look at from afar and dared not have too much hope for.
Especially when he first came to this world, Ais, who brought him out of the Dungeon, was Lv.5. Bete Loga, who disliked him because he was a nobody and always hung out with Ais, was also Lv.5. Even the chattering and noisy Tiona and Tione were Lv.5.
These were all figures that Leo could only look up to.
They are the officers of the clan, the strongest fighting force under the three leaders.
They are first-class adventurers, the reserve heroes sung about throughout Orario.
At that time, he was just a trainee member working in logistics, not even receiving Falna favors, and not even an adventurer.
At that time, he never thought he could catch up with these people, because he knew very well that they were all geniuses, the chosen ones, and remarkable characters in the original work, especially Ais, who could be considered the female protagonist.
Even after receiving the Falna and officially becoming an adventurer, Leo didn't expect to catch up with them as soon as possible. He only hoped that he could become stronger quickly and no longer be so powerless.
Who would have thought that in less than three months, I would be standing on the same level as those who were once unattainable?
Although Ais is now at Lv.6, Bete Loga, Tiona, and Tione are still at Lv.5.
He's at least no worse than the latter.
After calming his fluctuating emotions, Leo turned his attention to that skill.
One [Crossed Star Swords].