"Impossible!"
Loki's sudden yelp startled Liber.
Liber turned around, looking bewilderedly at Loki's astonished expression.
Loki looked incredulous as she quickly copied Liber's status onto parchment and translated it into the Common Tongue. After studying it carefully, she tossed it to him, still looking dazed.
Liber took the parchment and glanced at his status before asking Loki,
"What's wrong, Loki? Didn't my proficiency increase much, or did something change?"
"Take a look yourself..."
After checking the status information once more, Loki answered Liber stiffly, her expression blank.
Liber eyed the strange Loki suspiciously, then turned his attention to the status sheet.
Liber Miller.
Lv.1
"Strength": I8>>H151
"Endurance": I5>>H150
"Dexterity": I6>>H153
"Agility": I12>>H152
"Magic": H100>>G200
Liber couldn't help exclaiming at how much his proficiency had increased.
The proficiency of each individual ability had risen by more than a hundred, and the overall increase was over six hundred, nearly seven hundred.
Was this what he had gained from devoting himself entirely to adventuring?
Liber looked at the updated table, unable to stop smiling.
This Falna, which rewarded him whenever he worked hard and pushed himself, filled him with an excitement he could barely contain.
Loki watched his smiling profile from the side, resting her chin on her hand as she silently pondered.
She had been in the Lower World for a long time, and she knew well how much the children below usually improved in proficiency after receiving Falna.
For most adventurers, their proficiency only increased by more than ten at a time when they first started adventuring.
Liber's proficiency had already risen by over a hundred on his first day of adventuring, which had surprised her.
But that was nothing compared to the results he had shown today, after devoting himself completely to training through adventuring.
Generally, the children of the Lower World soon ran into obstacles and bottlenecks in their growth.
Even Ais, who was hailed as a genius, had built up her proficiency and experience over many years. And even then, her stats never changed by as much as Liber's had.
Once adventurers reached a certain level, like Finn and Riveria, their proficiency only changed by a few points after a long time.
Most people faced a towering wall and struggled with their lack of progress.
Loki furrowed her brow. Was this because the combination of Liber's two skills was more powerful than she had first thought?
{--Skills--}
[Superimposed Fantasy]
· When training in areas related to the Magic ability, the effects increase greatly.
· The stronger one's belief in things related to magic, the more powerful the effect.
[Egoistic Egalitarianism]
· The proficiency levels of all abilities must be the same.
· When the levels differ, the proficiency of that ability is automatically distributed to the abilities with lower proficiency.
She had initially thought that even if his proficiency in "Magic" increased quickly, his second skill would distribute proficiency to his weaker abilities, halting the growth bonus from the first skill.
But it seemed the effect continued all along.
During intense battles, Liber's use of magic constantly drained his "Magic," greatly increasing its proficiency.
Meanwhile, his "Strength," "Endurance," "Dexterity," and "Agility" were all being trained through adventuring. As their proficiency rose, the second skill also distributed the boosted proficiency from "Magic" among them. That was why the other abilities had improved so much, even without the skill's direct boost.
When he devoted himself completely to adventuring, kept his body active at high intensity, and used magic frequently, the skill's massive boost to the growth of his "Magic" proficiency, combined with the training of his other abilities, could lead to such astonishing progress—far beyond what other people achieved.
Loki continued to speculate, her gaze growing distant as she lost herself in thought.
Suddenly, a waving hand appeared before her, interrupting her thoughts.
She slapped away the hand that was distracting her, then came to her senses and faced Liber, who was looking at her in confusion.
"Loki, what's wrong? Is there a problem with such a huge increase in my proficiency?"
"No, I was just thinking about something else. There's nothing wrong with your proficiency increase. In fact, this may be your normal rate of growth."
"This is my normal rate of growth?" Liber asked, puzzled.
"Looks like as long as you devote yourself fully to battle, use magic flexibly, and keep your body active, your proficiency will increase by a lot," Loki replied confidently with a nod.
"Then it looks like I'll reach Level 2 soon," Liber said, delighted.
Loki looked at his somewhat smug expression and knocked him down a peg, sounding a little disgruntled.
"You'll grow quickly, but gaining proficiency will get harder later on. You probably won't keep gaining hundreds of proficiency in a single day like you do now."
"Really?"
Liber sighed in disappointment, but he was already quite satisfied with the results.
"Liber, most of your magic is for support. From the way you've planned things, it looks like you're aiming to become a magic swordsman, right?"
Loki speculated about Liber's current fighting style.
Liber nodded, confirming Loki's guess about his career path.
A magic swordsman, like a mage, warrior, or shield bearer, was a label for an adventurer's particular fighting style.
In Orario, people used it as a shorthand based on someone's fighting style. Unlike in online games, it didn't come with restrictions or bonuses.
As the name suggested, a magic swordsman was an adventurer who could fight with a sword while also using magic.
Among adventurers, those with magic were rare in Orario. Most who could use it directly in combat specialized as mages, focusing on casting spells while reducing or even abandoning close-quarters combat.
Adventurers who could combine close combat and magic were few and far between.
The strongest magic swordsman in Orario was currently said to belong to the Freya Familia, which was in competition with the Loki Familia.
After awakening his magic, Liber had decided to become a magic swordsman, even though his magic had no direct destructive power.
But his [Levitation] spell, which required no chanting, consumed little magic, and lasted a long time, was more versatile than offensive spells.
He could use it to reduce weight, control floating objects, or levitate and fly himself. It was extremely useful in battle.
His spatial magic, [Magic Space], could continuously expand. He could sense objects within it, control them, and launch them from the space like ammunition.
Besides, spatial magic was so rare and powerful that there were surely other uses he hadn't discovered yet.
As his "Magic" proficiency grew, the limits of both spells kept rising.
A magic swordsman's fighting style let him combine magic and combat, making it the most suitable path for his adventures.
Loki pondered for a moment. "If you're going to specialize in the flexible fighting style of a magic swordsman, you need to understand the importance of teamwork in advance."
"A magic swordsman's fighting style combines two roles. You can adventure alone, but you can also flexibly make up for any gaps in a team."
"For now, I can manage on my own. I'll consider teaming up once my stats improve a little more." Liber wasn't very used to the idea of working in a party.
"No. Even if you don't get used to teamwork beforehand, I'm assigning someone to adventure with you. I don't want you going this deep into the Dungeon alone again."
Loki firmly rejected Liber's suggestion.
"I'll see who in the Familia would be a good match to adventure with you. I'll have him meet you later."
"...Oh, all right." Liber saw how firmly Loki was looking out for him and accepted with a helpless smile.
"Why do you look so reluctant? If you hadn't gone so deep into the Dungeon at once, I wouldn't be going against your wishes."
Loki spoke irritably, unable to contain her frustration.
"No... not at all." Liber gave her an awkward grin.
"Then that's settled. Get some rest, and don't make everyone worry again."
After reminding him, Loki left the room.
Liber smiled wryly in the room.
"She nags like family. I've been on my own for so long that I'm not used to it."
As he had the past few days, he washed up, tidied himself, and lay down in bed.
Liber remembered how everyone in the Familia had cared for him in their words and actions, the way family would, and his heart filled with emotion.
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