NOVEL WEB Chapter 16: Level Up...?!
Shoutout to my new patrons:
Zachary Franklin
owen
MAJEH
Peter Ihazs
WolfeBorn
You guys are absolute legends.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Lyze POV)
I woke up still feeling very stiff and sore from my earlier fight. I was momentarily confused by the blackness still clouding my vision before I realized yet again for the millionth time I was blindfolded.
I released a loud breath as I shook off the grogginess and recalled the fight that had taken place earlier. To be perfectly honest, I didn't really have that much of an idea of what I was thinking.
Fighting a monster rex like that at a level like mine was amongst one of the most stupidest things I could do, but again there hadn't really been that much of a choice for me in the heat of it all.
Denying Riveria's help like that definitely was not a smart thing to do, but I recognized the look in that monster's eyes. It was the same I'd find in my own whenever I would unleash Chaos upon an opponent I definitely could not defeat.
I couldn't count on my fingers how many times that had happened in Valaron...
Looking back, events had happened so fast. All I'd been focused on was a battle for survival as there was no way of escape from it. Perhaps if I could have made a run for the exit to the safe zone on the eighteenth floor, then that confrontation may have been avoided.
But one, there was no guarantee I would have made in time, and two, I wasn't sure if monster's would just 'despawn' if left alone. I mean I knew that a Juggernaut would as they would just disperse the moment a threat had been neutralized.
Speaking of...a horrific beast like that would definitely be a nightmare. If a normal Goliath was able to deal me enough damage that I still felt the effects even after being healed by magic, then I couldn't even fathom the damage done to me by a creature that did not really have a weakness and could only be conquered by overwhelming power.
The thing could eat floor bosses for heaven's sake. Here's to hoping I'd never have to come across one in the future...
I was suddenly brought out of my reverie (that's sarcasm by the way) by the sensation of someone's breath hitting my face. No, two breaths hitting my face. Channelling Chaos to my eyes the way I usually did, vision was afforded to me as I caught sight of two people kneeling by my bedside.
The one closest to me was Ais, her worried eyes looking down at me as she grasped my bicep and gently shook me. The other was a cheerful looking Anakitty as she gave me stupid smile with a singular fang peeking out from the upper lip.
"Ais? Aki? What are you doing here?" I asked them as I shakily sat up. The blanket fell away to reveal my naked torso. Some fresh scars were visible on me, evidence of my near death experience.
"Finn asked me to help you when you woke up. He said you might be feeling a little 'overwhelmed' after everything that has happened." Ais said to me.
"And her?" I gestured to the cat-girl who was still flashing that cheeky smile.
"I just came along to see if anything fun would happen." she said in a high pitched voice that left a slight ringing in my ears.
"Thanks." I scoffed before swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I was dressed in a new set of pants that were unfamiliar to me. I momentarily panicked at seeing this new set of pants before realizing that perhaps one of the Familia's medics had dressed me.
As long as that was the case, then I was fine. As exciting as the Danmachi world was turning out for me, even with my own ambitions and goals hanging over my head, this was still a messed up place with people getting away with acts that were atrocious and intolerable back in my world.
I could feel Ais's stare penetrating my skull as I didn't need to turn my head to her to her to see the unblinking eyes. Regardless, I did turn my head to her to address the matter.
"What's up Ais? Got something on your mind?"
"Is it true?" she asked, suddenly invested in whatever direction she wanted to take this conversation.
"Is what true?" I asked, having an idea of what she was referring to.
"Did you really defeat the monster rex Goliath by yourself?"
I stared at her deeply, pondering on how she could have come across that sort of information this early on. I didn't take Riveria to be the type to advertise this to the rest of the Familia. Perhaps to the executives as they ran this whole gig after all, but Ais?
"How do you know about that?" I asked. Aki responded in her place.
"Oh, we heard Loki screaming from the captain's office. Wouldn't seem to quiet down for an hour." she said holding her hands up while shrugging.
"So it is true?" Ais asked hopefully. I sighed before nodding. I mean seriously, what was the point of denying it?
"Yes, it is true."
"HOW?!" Aki shouted, leaping towards me and slamming her hands down on my thighs as she drew into my personal space, her nose very nearly squashing mine. I hissed as the noise bounced around my head.
"Pipe it down will you! There's no reason to be so dramatic!" I said, clutching my head with one hand.
"YOU should explain how you were able to do so on your first day! A level one! Beating the first monster rex. Not even veteran level ones can achieve that!" she continued shouting.
Growling, I lifted one hand and telekinetically flung Aki towards a window. She smashed though it, taking the glass shards with her outside as I heard her body make contact with the ground outside.
We were in the room I shared with Raul, which just so happened to be on the ground floor (unfortunately), so she was fine. Ais just stared after her before returning her attention to me. I made eye contact with her through the blindfold, the two of us knowing that the other was fully engaged in this staring match.
"How did you do it?" she asked me. "How did you get strong enough to do that?"
"First of all, do you truly believe that that was what happened?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Loki said so."
"And you trust everything that maniac tells you?"
Suddenly, somebody's red head peeked down from the top bunk, scaring the ever-living daylights out of me as 'Thread' had not even picked them up. They had to have been there from even before I woke up.
"Who you calling a maniac?" Loki asked crossly.
"Goddess?! What are you doing up there?...in a guy's bed no less!"
"You're not old enough to be considered 'guys' yet little man, so it totally is not weird. What's that about you calling me manic, eh Lyzie."
"I said not to call me that."
"But you just called me a mean name!"
"...Fair enough. Now care to explain why you are up there?"
Loki hummed before flipping off the top bunk and landing perfectly on her feet. She turned around to face me and leaned downwards to be eye level with me. While she wasn't a tall woman, she was still taller than me by a foot.
"I was just worried about my little Lyzie~ When I heard he got roughed up by the big, mean old Goliath, I couldn't help but come and check on you to see if you were okay~" she said while poking my nose with her finger. I batted it away.
"I'm not a baby." I said firmly. She stepped backwards an placed a finger on her lips, turning her hips a little and giving me a sad pout.
"How mean! Especially after I helped get you dressed."
"..."
A pillow smashed into her face from my outstretched hand, sending her tumbling across the floor. I didn't relent however as I picked up another, brandishing it as she hopped up with the other in her own hand.
"PILLOW FIGHT!" We said unanimously as we sprung at each other, uncaring for the feathers that flew around everywhere. I weaved through her greater reach, eager to avenge my innocence that may or may not have been sullied by this pervert of a goddess.
She returned my attacks with just as much fervor, lost in the 'chaos' I had just released on her as she slapped me with the bunched up pillow with as much childishness you could expect from someone like her.
Ais just stared at our back-and-forth in amusement and slight disappointment as she didn't get to hear exactly how I defeated Goliath.
---
A couple of hours later, I was sat on Loki's own bed, still half naked as she pricked her finger to release a drop of blood. Finn, Riveria, Gareth and Ais were sat on stools of their own. With the exception of Ais, they were sat with their arms folded as they stared keenly at what Loki was doing.
"Again, why are you all here?" I asked.
"We just want to see your status kid." grumbled Gareth, not unpleasantly but because his voice naturally made him sound like that whenever he spoke in low decibels.
"Any particular reason why?" I asked, still not having received any rationale behind their presence here.
Finn leaned forward and clasped his hands under his chin.
"Defeating a monster rex is not an easy thing to do even for experienced adventurers. Most people who go past the middle floors have never fought Goliath because they don't want to risk the challenge. You on the other hand defeated it single-handedly, with no outside assistance and on your very first day with a fresh Falna. It's only natural we'd want to see the effects of such a feat on your stats." He responded, smiling while his eyes were still glued to Loki rubbing her blood covered finger down my back.
"To explain it more academically..." Riveria began. "...normal monster's fill the Falna with normal Excelia when you kill them. Monster Rexes however, fill the Falna with 'high-quality Excelia'. An Excelia that is more refined and potent, which gives an adventurer a tremendous boost to their stats. We simply wish to observe the effects of high-quality Excelia on a fresh Falna that's not even a day old."
'Why do I suddenly feel like some sort of cheese experiment?' I wondered to myself as Loki opened up the Falna and the numbers started shifting before her eyes. Her jaw dropped open as no sound came out.
"Out with it Loki. What's the little monster showing you now?" Riveria said, as if I were not even in the same room.
Loki gulped before taking a piece of parchment and plastering it to my back. The Falna etched its's recordings onto the paper in ink somehow before she peeled it off like a plaster and handed it over my shoulder to me. She looked a little dazed as she breathed heavily. The others got up off their stools and crowded round me to also catch a glimpse of what was written there.
---
Lyzof Keele
LEVEL: 1
STR: I0 - 1377 SSS
END: I0 -1500 SSS
DEX: I0 - 837 B
AGI: I0 - 921 A
MAG: I0 - 1500 SSS
SKILLS;
{Xenia Khaos}
{Overdraft}
---
"This is..." I muttered.
"Absolutely. Ridiculous." Riveria said.
"Indeed. A monstrous growth of stats like this, even from a fight with a monster rex. It shouldn't be possible." breathed Finn.
"And his lowest parameter is B at the moment. You know what that means kid?" Gareth asked as his eyes flickered over to me.
"What?" I asked.
Loki hugged me from behind, squealing as she wrapped her legs around my small waist. Annoyed at this, I let it be as I still had not recovered enough strength to fling her off.
"YOU'RE READY TO LEVEL UP!" she yelled as she mashed her cheek against mine.
I sat, dazed and a little confused. "What? Really?"
"Yeah kid. To level up, you need at least one of your stats to be rank D, along with a satisfying achievement on your belt. Safe to say, you smashed it son." Gareth grinned at me.
"B-But would it not be a good idea to then max out all my stats before-" I was cut off as I felt Loki swipe something on the Falna.
"Too late! I've already levelled you up! Congratulations on becoming Level 2 Lyzie!" She said cheerily.
"HEY! What about maximising all the stats so I could become as strong as possible in the future?"
"There's little point in doing that." Finn said. I looked at him questioningly. "If you wanted to push them further than they already are now, you'd have to put yourself in a deathly situation even worse than the Goliath to raise them even more. And currently, I'm afraid that anything worse than the Goliath will actually kill you off this time. So in your best interest, I think it's best you level up now and gain that greater boost in strength."
"Still feels like a waste though." I mumbled.
Loki slapped my shoulders in a chastising way.
"Come on. Focus on the bigger picture here. You are the first adventurer in history to level up IN A DAY. This actually calls for celebration! And there is only one place to celebrate a grand occasion such as this!"
"I'll go make the reservation at Mama Mia's." Riveria said as she got up and left the room.
Ais stared between me and the sheet. "You truly are amazing Lyze." she said as her eyes twinkled in awe.
I frowned as I felt a fluttering in my stomach that unnerved me. Quashing that feeling, I faced the captain again.
"I still feel it was not a good idea to not take my all my stats to S rank before levelling up Captain. These things will count in the long run."
"Just bare with it. I would worry myself more about the attention you're going to get in the coming days."
"Why?"
"Think about it. For the first time ever, an adventurer has levelled up on their very first dungeon run, on their very first day, by killing a monster rex no less. If our Familia was not so well established, people would be calling us out for lying or cheating."
"They'd still probably do that though Finn. The crowd he will attract because of this will contain as much bad will as it will have good." Gareth said seriously, as well as in a suggestive tone. Finn placed his fingers on his chin thinking deeply.
"Yes." Finn said as he looked out the window and I followed his gaze towards the infamous tower. "He certainly will catch the attention of many. Some, not so pleasant either."
Loki waved it off.
"Well whatever happens, nobody messes with MY kids and gets away with it. Anybody tries anything..." Loki opened her eyes fully as they glinted dangerously. She clutched me tighter in a possessive manner. "...I'll rip them apart!"
I sighed as she jostled me around. For me though, my brain was running at many miles per hour. I could not think of any rational reason that could explain a growth like this. Yes, counting all the dangerous monster's I'd killed before even fighting Goliath may have contributed towards the stats growth.
I would assume it was the actual big battle that maxed out my endurance and my magic since I had been half-killed several times in that fight, and I was continuously casting magic even when my Mind pool was practically empty. Coming to agility, I hadn't exactly been trying to run away during that fight, but instead focusing on dodging or outmanoeuvring the colossal brute.
And dexterity was at the lowest because I didn't think that there was any particular method to focus on raising that. And although I was certainly not unhappy with my strength, I still would have liked to max it out. Loki had filled out another parchment by this point and locked my Falna up. Taking it from her, I read my new status.
---
Lyzof Keele
LEVEL: 2
STR: I0
END: I0
DEX: I0
AGI: I0
MAG: I0
SKILLS;
{Xenia Khaos}
{Overdraft}
DEVELOPMENTAL ABILITY:
{Hunter}
---
And it seemed that once again, Loki had taken a bright initiative and picked out a developmental ability as well. Not the one I would have liked because I would have instead chosen swordsman.
I wanted to focus on creating my own sword style instead of having to copy Nekros's or absorbing knowledge from the heroes' souls contained inside Libur. But I guess it was too late now as there was no stopping Loki while she was excited.
I finally then noticed the new skill. In the excitement of suddenly having been levelled up without my consent, I hadn't realized that somewhere, I'd managed to gain a new skill.
"Hey, Loki. It says I've got a new skill here, Overdraft. What does that do?"
Loki glanced over to the sheet before she got off of me and fell back on her bed with her arms folded, a more serious look on her face.
"It's a skill that activates as a last resort. In all honesty, I don't like that skill a lot. Especially on someone as reckless as you are."
"Hey!"
"Well, what does it entail then Loki?" asked Finn. The level five Pallum could count on his hands the amount of times he'd seen that expression on his goddess's face.
Loki sighed before she sat up and kicked her legs out as she faced Lyze.
"Its a skill that allows you to draw upon more Mind if your Mind pool ever runs out."
I stared at her before arching my eyebrows.
"That sounds life-saving but judging by your attitude and its name, I suppose there's a catch?"
"What is it Loki?" asked Gareth.
"You can draw more Mind, but it is in exchange of your vitality." Loki said. "In trade for more magical energy, you become easier to kill if an attack hits you."
Finn folded his arms and pursed his lips in deep thought. "That is a dangerous skill. With Lyze's abilities, its clear that we can't keep him on the upper floors. It's more than likely that he will run out of mind more often in the lower floors, and he will have to use that skill to compensate for it."
"You do realize I'm in the room right?"
"Then how about we keep him out of the dungeon for a bit, let him rest up. Then before we send him back, we give him a run down of what to do. Probably have him go on a proper expedition on his own and restricting him from the 17th floor in case he tries to fight the Goliath." Gareth stroked his beard as he spoke.
"You know it's rude to talk about someone in third-person while they're in the room right?"
"Let's talk about this later. For now let's go and feast at Mama Mia's. I can't wait to boast to the other gods about this during the next Denatus!"
"HEY!"
While I was just casually being ignored, I couldn't shake off the shivering feeling that I, or rather 'we' were being watched, as if we were not the only ones listening to this conversation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read 8+ chapters ahead on my Patreon:
Patreon/ Vulkizaro_Zoromi