A Vast Improvement
In fact, it wasn't just Asfi; everyone who witnessed Leo and Ais's actions was quite shocked by their performance.
As members of the Hermes Familia, these people have traveled extensively. Due to the wide range of business the Familia undertakes, everyone here generally has more knowledge and insight than ordinary Familias. Therefore, they can say with certainty that the strength these two are displaying is definitely not right.
Ais is one thing, after all, this [Sword Princess] has already reached Lv.6. Before her, there were only six Lv.6s in the entire Orario. As the seventh one, her strength is definitely much stronger than the ordinary Lv.5. Although such a performance is surprising, it is also understandable.
But what about that freak newbie?
Didn't he just reach Lv.5?
Even if a Lv.5 is much stronger than a Lv.4, surely not by this much?
That's definitely not the strength a level 1 adventurer who has just reached Lv.5 should have!
Even Ais noticed this.
While she appears to be indiscriminately slaughtering monsters, she has actually been keeping an eye on Leo all along.
Ais still cared about what Leo said before he left, so she was very curious about how much Leo had improved and how much his newly acquired skills had boosted his abilities.
Watching Leo constantly adjust himself and adapt to his new abilities during the battle, growing stronger and stronger, Ais finally believed that his improvement this time might actually be greater than hers.
I underestimated him.
Ais had this idea.
As for Leo himself, he felt his own power at this moment better than anyone else.
He knew that this upgrade would bring him significant improvement.
Just as there is a huge gap between lower-level and higher-level adventurers, there is also an insurmountable gap between second-level and first-level adventurers.
Why are adventurers at level 1 considered lower-level adventurers, while only those at level 2 and above are considered higher-level adventurers?
Because, without any advancement, a Lv.1 level character, no matter how much their ability values are improved, is still only within the realm of mortals.
Without any refinement, each update to Lv.1's ability values is essentially just tapping into its potential. No matter how strong that potential is, it will never surpass the realm of mortals.
Only through sublimation, by evolving one's own "tools," can one transcend the realm of mortals and become an extraordinary being.
Therefore, no matter how experienced a Level 1 adventurer is, they are still only a lower-level adventurer. Only those who have undergone advancement to Level 2 or above can be called higher-level adventurers. There is a fundamental difference between the two, which forms a huge gap between lower-level and higher-level adventurers.
Adventurers at level 2 are referred to as Level 3 adventurers, which shows how special this level is. Levels 3 and 4, which follow, are collectively called Level 2 adventurers. Although they are certainly stronger than Level 2, they cannot be considered to have undergone a transformation.
But Lv.5 is a different matter.
Reaching Lv.5 marks another transformation.
Therefore, there is a huge gap between second-level adventurers and first-level adventurers that is difficult to overcome. Everyone knows that Leo will be much stronger after reaching Lv.5 than at Lv.4.
Ironically, under these circumstances, Leo also learned a new skill, and it was a rare skill that was in no way inferior to [Star Soul Eternal] - [Crossed Star Swords].
When equipped with a sword, this skill will be triggered, increasing Leo's "Strength," "Dexterity," and "Agility" to varying degrees. The higher the quality of the equipped sword, the stronger the skill's effect will be.
At this moment, the weapon in Leo's hand was in no way inferior to the first-level special weaponry.
Wielding a sword that is no less powerful than a level 1 equipment, Leo's [Crossed Star Swords] effect is greatly enhanced, resulting in an exaggerated increase in Leo's basic abilities.
In addition, Leo had continuously broken through the limits of his ability values at multiple levels, accumulating powerful potential. With these two factors combined, the improvement Leo received was definitely much stronger than that of an adventurer who had just reached Lv.5.
Loki is right. In terms of ability alone, Leo is definitely no worse Ais now!
In other words, his ability level is already comparable to that of a Level 6!
Ais only leveled up to Lv.6, which is just one level higher, but Leo is equivalent to leveling up from Lv.5 to Lv.6 in a row, increasing his stats by a full two levels!
As a result, Leo now has to wholeheartedly adapt to his greatly enhanced strength, try his best to tame this wild horse that could break free at any moment, and gradually adapt to his current power, becoming stronger and stronger, and displaying increasingly exaggerated strength.
"Puff puff puff puff puff----!"
At one point, as Leo thrust forward suddenly, the black longsword in his hand instantly transformed into a sharp sword light, like a black tornado, stirring up the atmosphere while piercing through the bodies of countless monsters, killing them all.
The astonishing sight made Ais pause involuntarily.
Asfi and the other Hermes Familia were completely dumbfounded.
"---- Asfi? Is that really Lv.5?"
Lulune, holding a dagger, spoke to Asfi beside her in a trembling voice.
Asfi said nothing, but stared intently at Leo with deep eyes.
And so, Leo and his group continued to kill monsters as they advanced toward the food depot at an astonishing speed.
Leo and Ais took this opportunity to work hard to adapt to their bodies and abilities, in order to unleash their full potential.
Wherever the two went, it was like a locust swarm passing through, or rather, it was as if they were in an empty land. All the monsters that blocked their way were mercilessly killed. Even if some escaped, they were all cleaned up by the Hermes Familia led by Asfi.
In order to reach the grain depot as quickly as possible and complete this difficult task, the group even abandoned the resources they encountered along the way.
For example, unless the Magic Stone and dropped items are particularly rare, no one picks them up. Therefore, Leo and Ais aim their attacks at the Magic Stone on the monsters, striving for a one-hit kill.
For example, everyone gave up on some of the unique materials in section 24 without even thinking about it.
The Great Tree Labyrinth on floors 19-24 has a unique feature: it is filled with many precious herbs or raw materials with special effects.
Research over many years has confirmed that many of the herbs here are edible and have a fast-acting effect of restoring physical strength or detoxifying. If used to concoct elixirs, these effects can be enhanced. As a result, the raw materials here are highly valued by major commercial clans. Even the dazzling moss that forms the light source of the maze can be sold for a lot of money after being brought back to the surface. It can be described as a treasure land.
There is also a tree here that bears beautiful red and blue gemstones, scientifically known as the Gem Tree, but also called the Money Tree. It is extremely valuable, but unfortunately, the tree is guarded by the strongest monster on this floor, the Tree Dragon.
The Tree Dragon's potential is comparable to a Lv.4, just like the Strong Dragon guarding Cadmus Spring on the 51st Floor. It has always been guarding the bottom of the Gem Tree, making it quite troublesome to deal with. However, for Leo and Ais, who have Lv.6 level ability values, it is naturally not a particularly difficult opponent.
Even so, the group, with an iron will, chose to abandon the Gem Tree after discovering it and headed straight for the grain depot, bringing tears to the eyes of many greedy members, including Lulune.
Leo silently memorized the location, even marking it on a map. If he ever needed money later, he wouldn't mind making the trip to take care of the Tree Dragon and harvest some Gem Trees.
Although he now has a huge amount of savings of over 300 million Valis, the exclusive weapon he is currently building, which is a sword-and-wielding weapon that combines the functions of a longsword and a wand, is obviously very expensive, and his savings may not be enough.
If Leo doesn't have enough savings by then, he'll definitely have to find a way to make money.
"Speaking of which, there should be a generous reward if this commission is completed successfully, right?"
Leo remembered what the man in black had said.
Leo felt he could have high hopes for this.
Others might not know the identity of this man in black, but Leo knew it all too well.
That man in black is very famous in the Lower World. He is a rare magician who has cultivated both "mysticism" and "Mage" to their limits. He comes from a magical superpower and once successfully created the Philosopher's Stone, which can grant eternal life. Therefore, he is known in the Lower World as the [Sage]. He has lived for eight hundred years and at some point joined a guild, becoming one of the guild's behind-the-scenes decision-makers.
His real name is Fels, one of the fewer than five "mysterious" holders in the entire city. He is capable of creating Grimoire, and most of the Grimoire circulating in the city are made by him, with only a few coming from outside.
In other words, he is very rich.
If Leo remembers correctly, in the original story, the reward this person prepared for the person who completed the request included more than one Grimoire.
"At that time, I can use one of them."
Leo thought to himself silently.
Don't forget, Leo only has two spells so far.
An adventurer can possess a maximum of three types of magic; he's still missing one.
If Leo manages to obtain the Grimoire after this trip, he will definitely use one of them on himself, and may even need to use more than one.
Unfortunately, Grimoire can sometimes fail to be used. If they fail, we'll just have to try a few more.
If I could learn the Third Magic and acquire my own weapon, my strength would surely be enhanced once again.
With this in mind, Leo continued his charge, killing enemies as he advanced.