Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 28: Izzy: Secretly Watching.jpg

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The neat and clean impression of the room turned out to be a complete lie!

Izzy silently fumed in his heart.

I actually believed it! I feel betrayed. Thanks for nothing.

Loki, oblivious to Izzy's internal complaints, had already found what she was looking for. She cleared some space near the bed, dragged over a round stool, and motioned for Izzy to sit.

"How did your dungeon exploration go today? Any trouble?" she asked casually while pulling a needle from the instruments on the bed.

She pricked her index finger, letting a small bead of blood form before using it to trace marks on Izzy's back.

"Well," Izzy replied, "the monsters on the first few floors are pretty simple, so there wasn't really any danger."

"Oh? Really? Which floor did you and Raul explore today?"

"The seventh floor."

"The seventh—" Loki froze mid-sentence, the needle slipping slightly in her hand. Her expression twisted into shock. "Wait, what?! The seventh floor?"

When Izzy and Raul had returned earlier, they'd immediately gone for dinner, leaving Loki with no time to ask about their progress. Now, hearing this, she was completely thrown off.

Most adventurers spent at least a year or two on the first five floors before daring to venture further. Starting from the fifth floor, the dungeon's difficulty escalated dramatically, even for the most talented individuals.

Even Ais, the star of her Familia, hadn't been immune to the challenges of these lower floors.

"You're incredible, kid," Loki said, narrowing her eyes at him. "You reached the seventh floor on your first dive? Did Raul just sit back and do nothing?"

"No~," Izzy replied with exaggerated sarcasm.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I definitely underestimated you. You mentioned having combat experience before, but you weren't bluffing, were you?"

"..."

Izzy bit back a retort. Why was it so hard for people to believe him?

"Alright, alright. Let's get it on paper. Hang tight for a moment."

"Okay."

Before long, Loki had updated Izzy's ability values. She used a feather pen to record the numbers on parchment in the common language.

Though the updated values were absurd, Loki remained calm. She'd already braced herself for such outrageous results.

---

[Adventurer Name]: Izzy Alyward

[Level]: Lv1

[Basic abilities]:

Strength: i0 → G202

Durability: i0 → H198

Dexterity: i0 → G252

Agility: i0 → G248

Magic: i0 → E466

[Development Ability]: None

[Magic]:

Silver Star Advent

Star Magic

Rock Magic

[Skills]:

Starry Night

Heart of the Earth

---

In this world of gods and mortals, individuals possess an abstract concept called a "vessel." Upon receiving the Falna of a god, adventurers gain "ability points" and the potential to fill their vessel.

This process manifests as adventurers improving their "proficiency," which is represented by their ability values.

Ability values are divided into ten ranks: I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A, and S, with S being the highest. The number following the rank reflects proficiency within that stage. The higher the rank, the stronger the adventurer becomes.

When proficiency reaches its limit or hits a certain threshold, adventurers can further enhance their abilities. This growth marks the sublimation of their "equipment" and signifies their progress as adventurers.

When an adventurer's level increases, their strength undergoes a dramatic transformation. In most cases, the suppression imposed by higher levels is absolute.

However, the capacity of an adventurer's vessel varies from person to person. The limits of their abilities depend on their unique traits.

While S-rank is considered the standard peak, there are rare cases where adventurers have surpassed this threshold.

Currently, Izzy's stats are around G-level for four of his attributes, while his magic power leads significantly at E-level.

It must be the skill that doubled his mental strength. After all, magic power and mental strength are closely linked.

And this was just the improvement he gained after one day of fighting in the dungeon.

The total increase in his ability values exceeded 1,200 points.

Even if it's normal for basic ability values to rise quickly in the early stages, this data was downright extraordinary.

No—more than extraordinary—it was completely abnormal.

If other adventurers were crawling to improve their abilities in the early stages, Izzy was soaring, and at breakneck speed.

"At this rate, you might be able to upgrade your 'instrument' in less than a month," Loki mused, her tone half-exasperated, half-impressed. "By then, Ais's record of reaching Lv2 in one year will be shattered by a full eleven months. Ah~ it's really terrifying~"

She glanced at his updated ability sheet again and grinned. "And look at that—you've already unlocked an extra development magic, Thousand-Foot Wall. You figured out and created a magic spell this quickly? That's amazing, little Izzy~"

(Thousand-Foot Wall: High-speed defensive attack magic.)

She ruffled his hair playfully, her laughter carefree.

"It's just the first day. It'll slow down eventually," Izzy said, trying to downplay the moment.

"Don't be so modest," Loki teased. "You're definitely thrilled deep down, aren't you? Feeling proud of how much stronger you've gotten?"

"Well... maybe a little bit," he admitted.

"A little bit?" Loki exaggerated mockingly. "A few hundred million percent, more like! It's fine—I totally get it!"

For reasons he couldn't quite pinpoint, Izzy felt like this unreliable goddess knew far more than she let on. The realization left him slightly unnerved.

After Loki destroyed the parchment recording his ability values—ensuring no trace remained—Izzy bade her goodnight and headed back to his room for some much-needed rest.

---

The Next Morning

Izzy was abruptly awakened by the noise in the courtyard of the Twilight Manor.

His room, located on the upper-middle level of the sprawling mansion and facing south, was difficult to place precisely. The layout of Twilight Manor was famously narrow and cluttered, making it hard to pin down specific floors.

This disorganized design extended to the arrangement of the rooms. They were not only cramped but also jumbled together.

Izzy's neighbors on this floor were members of the second echelon of Loki's Familia, while the higher floors housed senior members, including Ais.

As a promising recruit being groomed for the main force, Finn had specifically placed Izzy here to encourage interaction with the Familia's top members.

Now, though, the courtyard below was a hive of activity. Members of the Loki Familia were bustling about, brimming with excitement and readiness for their next big endeavor.

Loki, standing beside Finn, listened attentively to his pre-expedition speech.

Nearly half of Loki's Familia had gathered for this event. The expedition was a large-scale assault on the dungeon, designed to reap immense rewards.

Once the team set out, only a skeleton crew would remain behind at Twilight Manor.

Yawning, Izzy shuffled over to the window. Still dressed in his pajamas, he peered down at the commotion in the courtyard.

His head poked out just enough to take in the scene below, his curiosity unmistakable.

As a rookie adventurer—a mere Lv1—it wasn't yet his time to join expeditions. Naturally, no one had even bothered to notify him about this one.

From his vantage point, he felt like a little kid watching the big kids play. It reminded him of an elementary school student secretly waking up early during summer vacation to watch the military training of college students.