NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Leveling Up
Niran charged forward alone, challenging the three orcs.
Orcs were monsters with strength capable of harming some Lv.2 adventurers, but the minotaur stubbornly blocked their attacks with her shield.
Her endurance and strength had exceptionally high values, and combat prowess wasn't entirely determined by stats.
Even with the same level and stats, a pallum's[1] strength could never match that of a minotaur or orc. With equal stats, an elf's magic would always be more powerful.
[TL/N: FINN DEIMNE and CONNY here are Pallums not Dwarfs]
This was the innate violence of race and bloodline.
Watching the minotaur wrestle with the orcs, the pallum Conny gazed with envy.
The pallum race had the weakest base stats among all races: strength, agility, endurance, and magic were all lacking. Their only notable trait, dexterity, was merely on par with humans, and they lacked the dwarves' smithing talents.
Humans, despite having no particularly outstanding abilities, still produced numerous heroes due to their sheer numbers.
For pallums, achieving the same feats as humans required several times more effort.
"A feat for adventurers…",Emiya murmured softly.
He drew his bowstring taut, an arrow piercing the thick wooden club in an orc's hand. The sudden impact interrupted one orc's attack.
Niran's shield was no ordinary item, but it still couldn't deflect all the force. She was injured by the orc's heavy blow, yet let out a thunderous roar instead.
Another attack was neutralized by Emiya's arrow, while on the other side, she abandoned defending with her greatsword and instead rammed her shoulder armor into the orc's strike. Then, under the orc's stunned gaze, she raised her greatsword.
[Skill [Wild Rage] activated:]
[attack power increases when injured, scaling with severity of wounds, while judgment deteriorates.]
Her greatsword suddenly accelerated, smashing unexpectedly into an orc's skull with a roar.
Blood splattered. The crimson fluid seemed to further enrage the minotaur. She hurled her shield like a projectile, breaking another orc's nose, then leaped into a heavy slash, crushing half the orc's torso from the shoulder.
"ROAR!!!",The minotaur let out a savage howl even more terrifying than the monsters.
The last orc seemed frightened, dropping its weapon and fleeing.
Emiya raised his bow and shot an arrow through the monster's knee. The orc collapsed, and Niran, catching up, discarded her sword and wrapped her arms around its neck from behind.
"RAAH!!!"
CRACK!
She twisted the orc's head clean off.
Then, blood-soaked Niran turned with a grin and gave Lefiya and the others a thumbs-up.
.
.
.
"The bones in your shoulder must be fractured. I can't believe you kept swinging your sword like that."
"I couldn't feel any pain at the time… Ow, ow, ow! Be gentle, Lefiya-chan!"
"..."
"Should we use a Panacea?"
"Panacea? That's 500,000 Valis per dose! I'll tough it out…"
"Hold on a bit longer. I'll cast a healing spell."
"Lefiya knows healing magic too? Amazing!"
Niran's challenge had succeeded. The next time they met, she might have already leveled up to Lv.2.
Lefiya, being another girl, supported her, though the height difference made it awkward.
"Niran, thank you.",Lefiya said.
"Huh? For what, Lefiya?"
"Like how Mr. Emiya's fighting inspired you, the way you fought moved me too…"
"No, actually, I think I was influenced more by 'you', Lefiya."
"Eh?"
"I joined the [School District] a year before you, yet you leveled up first. I couldn't help feeling pressured…"
What started as an ordinary adventure ended with a slightly extraordinary conclusion. Raul could only sigh, marveling at how incredible these newcomers were.
And how exhausting it was to mentor them. The mental strain had been immense—he'd nearly intervened multiple times. Thankfully, everything turned out fine.
The group didn't delve deeper, returning to the surface without further incidents. Any monsters they encountered along the way were swiftly dispatched by Emiya.
Their first task upon returning was converting their loot into Valis.
The guild directly purchased magic stones and common drops, but high-value items like Blue Papilio powder fetched low prices there. Selling them to healing-focused familias like the Dian Cécht Familia was better.
After discussion, they decided to sell the powder to Raul at 90% of market price, letting him resell it to the Dian Cécht Familia. The 10% difference served as a thank-you. Whether Raul could negotiate a higher price for extra profit depended on his skills.
"I never expected we'd earn so much Valis."
"This isn't normal. It's because of Emiya's insane killing efficiency… and our luck with the Blue Papilios."
When splitting the earnings, Emiya suggested equal shares, but others opposed. In the end, Emiya took 40%, while the rest received 20% each.
"Hey, those guys made a fortune…"
"One of them's just a kid. Should we…"
"Are you insane? That's the [High Novice]'s team…"
Raul noticed the murmurs of thuggish adventurers. His icy glare swept over them, silencing the area.
"Move.",he said coldly.
"Y-Yes!"
The previously greedy man fled in terror.
Though bullied by Lv.4, Lv.5, and Lv.6 adventurers within the Loki Familia and seen as a pushover by newcomers, Raul was a demonic figure to ordinary adventurers. Such was the disparity of the world.
"Mr. Emiya.",Lefiya called out as Shirou prepared to leave,"Th-thank you so much for your help!"
"If possible, I'd like to repay you!"
———
"OK~ Status updated.",The goddess Hephaestus said,"For a single expedition, this is a significant boost, especially in Dexterity and Magic."
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Emiya Shirou]
Lv.1
Strength: H120 → H131
Endurance: G203 → G205
Dexterity: F332 → F364
Agility: H104 → H112
Magic: G248 → G283
[Development Abilities]
—: Magic :—
[Unlimited Blade Works]
—: Skills :—
[Oath under the Snow]
[???????? (Roadless Valhalla)]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
"Seems the growth rate slowed down.",Emiya remarked.
"Of course. Progress is fastest starting from I0, slows to normal after G200, and drops further past D500. The closer to the cap, the harder it gets.",Hephaestus explained,"Your growth is already blazing fast. At this rate, you might break the [Sword Princess]'s record."
The current fastest record for Lv.1 to Lv.2 in Orario was held by the Loki Familia's [Sword Princess], Ais Wallenstein, at one year.
"Any interesting stories from the expedition?",the goddess asked.
To gods, their children's tales were paramount—arguably their main reason for descending.
Emiya recounted the adventure: Lefiya's talents, Niran's challenge, and more.
"Oh~ The Loki and Ganesha Familias got promising newcomers too. Good!",Hephaestus nodded.
Orario's current top three familias were Freya Familia, Loki Familia, and Ganesha Familia. With formidable economic power, Hephaestus Familia barely ranked fourth.
Among these four, only Freya Familia remained aloof. Overall, relations were amicable. Learning of each other's rising stars sparked minor jealousy at best.
These familias, along with the fallen Astrea Familia, had allied during Orario's Dark Age to combat evil factions. Even now, with the Dark Age over, future crises might require united strength.
More high-level allies and potential-filled youths were always welcome—even the eccentric Freya Familia counted as allies.
"By the way, our familia doesn't conduct deep-layer expeditions alone.",Hephaestus said,"Though we train adventurers, our numbers and strength aren't enough for such ventures."
"Our Lv.2+ adventurers usually join other familias' expeditions as 'supporters'."
However, these supporters weren't mere pack-mules. They maintained equipment, making them VIPs requiring protection.
"We often collaborate with the Loki Familia. Building rapport with their kids is good, but…",Hephaestus studied Shirou, grinning,"If it's marriage or adoption, I won't allow it. Though I'd welcome any brides joining 'us'."
"Goddess…" Shirou sighed at her antics, while Hephaestus chuckled.
.
.
.
"Shirou's purposely training Dexterity, nya?" Anya asked.
"Correct!",Crossing his arms to barely block Anya's heavy straight punch, Shirou replied,"Captain Tsubaki said to become a strong adventurer, you need balanced stats with one exceptional trait. My 'Dexterity' is highest."
"True, nya~ Those who rush to level up after barely reaching D (500) in one or two stats are doomed. Anya always raises Agility to A+ before leveling.",The cat-girl boasted.
"No wonder…",Shirou dodged her strike,"You feel much stronger than Mr. Raul."
"Raul? The [High Novice]? He's the poster child for mediocrity. In the Loki Familia, you can level up through expedition feats, but his stats are too average—barely passing each time. That's why he never got skills or magic."
"I see.",Shirou retreated, breathing heavily.
"Shirou needs more endurance training, nya~",Anya grinned,"Heads up—Anya's getting serious."
Shirou braced himself. Then Anya opened her mouth, rapidly chanting.
"Bad!",Syr, watching nearby, yelled at Ryuu,"COVER YOUR EARS!"
"Eh?",Ryuu obeyed instinctively—
"NYAAAAAAAAAAA~~~"
[Magic [Remiste Felis(Lost Kitten)]]
"Ugh—"
By the time Shirou realized he should cover his ears, it was too late.
A sharp, ear-piercing, horrendous cat screech reverberated. It felt like a sledgehammer to the skull, robbing him of thought and balance. He was sent flying.
[Remiste Felis(Lost Kitten): a wide-range sonic magic that debuffs all who hear it. While not level-reducing, it's among the strongest weakening spells, even hindering development abilities, skills, and magic.]
"Hearing cat songs boosts your chance to gain the [Magic Resistance] development ability, nya~",Anya declared proudly, though this wasn't exactly praiseworthy.
"STUPID CAT! STOP HOWLING AT NIGHT!"
A slipper flew out of the tavern window, smacking Anya's head and knocking her flat.
"Anya never thinks. Let's bail before Mama Mia's rage hits us!" Syr decisively dragged Ryuu and the dazed Shirou away, abandoning all loyalty.
"By the way, Shirou~",Syr casually shifted topics,"You seemed to get along 'very' well with a certain elf mage today~"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, tone deceptively light.
"Oh, you mean Lefiya? She's a good kid.",Shirou answered frankly.
Syr's mouth opened, then closed,'…So calm. No guilt means no flaws? This boy's tricky.'
"How did you know, Syr?",Shirou asked.
"Hmm? At dinner, a certain [High Novice] came by. A little flattery, and he spilled everything~ You weren't back yet.",Syr smiled, shooting Ryuu a disappointed glance.
Ryuu pondered, then said earnestly,"Shirou, protecting others makes me happy."
[[1] Pallums (小人族パルゥム) are a Demi Human race of small people. Like Humans, they are generally said to be the weakest race, but they have excellent sight that allows them to see in the dark. They were originally called Hobbits (ホビット) until DanMachi Volume 2 after which it was changed possibly due to copyright issues. ]
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