Danmachi: The Sign In System!

Chapter 59 - Fighting Ais!

A few minutes later, Orsted and Ais arrived at another space.

This was a bit far from their tent, so they didn't have to worry about disturbing Lili and the others.

"Ais, go all out. Don't hold back," Orsted said gently after arriving at the place.

He turned to face her.

As soon as he finished speaking, Orsted drew the sword at his waist and charged toward Ais.

His sudden movement caught Ais off guard—she hadn't expected it—but her reflexes were lightning-fast.

The moment Orsted launched his attack, she unsheathed Desperate and raised it to block.

CLANG!

The sound of metal clashing rang out, accompanied by a fierce burst of air that rippled from the point where their blades met.

The gust lifted their long hair, sending it dancing in the wind.

'So strong! This kind of power is definitely not Level 2!'

Ais thought, her eyes contracting slightly as she felt the force transmitted through her sword.

'This speed—it's not something a Level 2 adventurer could possess.'

Ais had gathered intell about Orsted.

The Guild had announced his rank up, so she knew his official level.

Yet the speed and strength he'd just displayed far exceeded what a Level 2 adventurer should be capable of.

He was already performing at Level 3...

Orsted had only recently ranked up, yet he had this kind of strength!

Could he have been hiding his true level?

Was he not Level 2, but Level 3 all along?

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Ais's mind in that fleeting moment.

But the next second, she cast them aside and focused entirely on the fight.

Whether Orsted had concealed his level or not, it wasn't her place to pry.

Digging into someone without cause was rude—it could even turn allies into enemies.

Ais had no desire to strain her relationship with Orsted over something like that.

True to her nature, Ais followed his request without question.

When Orsted told her to go all out, she didn't hesitate or worry about whether her full strength might seriously injure him.

Increasing her strength slightly, she gripped Desperate tightly.

The weapon surged with force, and with one swift strike, she sent Orsted flying backward.

Orsted flipped mid-air and landed steadily on the ground.

The moment his feet touched down, Ais shot toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Seeing her approach, Orsted's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He took a bold step forward and charged to meet her.

BANG!

Their next collision dwarfed the first.

Both Orsted and Ais had poured far more strength into this strike than before.

Even Ais, feeling the sheer strength behind Orsted's attack, felt her eyes flicker once more.

'Level 4?!' she thought, her instincts screaming the truth.

His power had undeniably reached Level 4.

Just moments ago, it had been Level 3—how had it spiked again so quickly?

Orsted hadn't used any visible skills.

Was this his hidden potential?

For a Level 2 adventurer to unleash Level 4 strength was almost unthinkable.

Yet Ais kept her surprise buried, her expression unchanged.

Wielding Desperate, she launched into a relentless assault.

Facing Ais's fierce onslaught, Orsted remained calm.

It was a grueling challenge, but his face betrayed no strain.

A closer look might reveal the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth.

Orsted was enjoying this.

The rising intensity of the battle, the growing strength he felt within himself—how could he not be thrilled?

Orsted knew his own strength well, but sparring with Ais was pushing him further.

His power was climbing steadily in the heat of combat.

It reminded him of his fight with Ryu.

He was certain this was tied to his development ability of Leap.

In his previous sparring session with Ryu, the boost hadn't been as pronounced as it was now.

If his strength had increased by about 10% against Ryu, here it was 20%—maybe more.

Ryu had remarked that his strength already rivaled Level 3.

Now Hestia had updated his status, and his basic abilities had risen again, making him even stronger.

Now, facing Ais, his strength surging far beyond what it had been before.

Jumping to Level 4 had boosted his strength by roughly a fifth.

If he could increase this development ability further—to B or A—might it double his strength outright?

Orsted had a theory: perhaps Bell'd aunt owed her incredible strength to a similar ability.

Constantly challenging powerful monsters and adventurers could have honed it to perfection.

It was just a hunch, of course—nothing he could confirm.

Still, it solidified his resolve.

He needed to seek out more high class adventurers stronger than himself to spar with.

The mounting pressure from Ais snapped him out of his thoughts.

He couldn't afford to lose focus.

The clash of their weapons echoed relentlessly, fierce gusts of wind sweeping through the clearing.

Fortunately, they were in an open space—if this had been a forest, the shockwaves from their strikes would have torn it to shreds.

The battle raged on for over two hours before finally coming to a halt.

Exhausted, Orsted collapsed onto the ground, sprawled out without a care for appearances.

Beside him, Ais—sporting a few minor injuries—knelt halfway and gently poked his cheek with one finger.

"Are you okay, Orsted?" she asked softly.

The scene felt oddly familiar.

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