Chapter 129: A power up; One step closer to a true one-man army~
"These past days... I've been through a lot."
Thinking so, he began to reflect on the gains and growth he had achieved during this time...
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First: After continuously experiencing two Expeditions, the Monster Pheria's riot, the Violas invasion in Rivira, and the Revis incident, he has made great progress in battle.
In terms of magic skills, whether it's concurrent chanting, double chanting, spell switching, or standby techniques, he has already become very proficient. He has also learned a large number of spells, fully growing into a high-level mage.
In terms of combat techniques and strategy, there has also been considerable improvement. In monster battles, how to finish them more efficiently and effortlessly. In battles against people, moves and tactics, strategies and techniques, the display of intelligence and detail in combat, all have been transformed from mere ideas into true strength.
Second: Equipment has also become stronger with his own level and power, after multiple updates in craftsmanship. From the very first generation to the fourth, his equipment's have gone through four iterations. Now the staff and short sword he uses are both first-tier weapons, and the armor [Night FA-IV] is crafted from the hide of the monster Black Goliath. It is unique in all of Orario, only this one set exists.
All of the above, when combined, allowed Fron's strength to make a leap in progress.
Lv.4, this rank is already upper-tier in Orario, considered a strong adventurer.
If he wants to continue to grow stronger, aside from magic swords, his equipment has already reached a bottleneck. Only by working on his level can he move forward.
"This trip to the Dungeon should have raised my abilities quite a bit. I'll have to find Loki to update soon."
"As for gaining high-level excelia…"
Adventurers must adventure in order to level up. Fron, who is Lv.4 but already has Lv.5 attributes, doesn't have many opponents left to choose from if he wants to advance.
"Ais has already defeated Udaeus, and the next one won't appear until three months later…"
Taking a sip of honey wine, Fron carefully pondered over possible targets. "Wait, seems like I've overlooked something."
Calculating the time a little in his heart, Fron's eyes lit up.
Bell has already been in Orario for over a month now…
"Hmm?"
Just as he was thinking, right in front of his field of vision, on the road from the wide central plaza to the towering gate of Babel Tower, a cheerful, running figure entered his sight.
Narrowing his golden eyes slightly, the powerful eyesight of a high-level adventurer, unhindered even in the night, easily made out the figure's true appearance.
White short hair under the moonlight, red eyes, and making silly giggling sounds nonstop at night, hopping about like a rabbit, it could only be Bell Cranel.
Fron frowned. The boy's direction was toward Babel, which meant the Dungeon.
"So late, and he's still going to the Dungeon? Did something happen to provoke him? No, wait, his expression seems more like… excitement."
Blinking, Fron was puzzled. He decided to secretly follow to find out.
Even if he couldn't recall exactly what would happen, his subconscious told him, this time, he might gain something remarkable.
Draining the rest of his honey wine in one gulp, tossing the cup aside, Fron rose and quietly followed.
...
Easily arriving at the first floor of the Dungeon, the faint glow of phosphorescence made the environment dim. A familiar Dungeon scene.
Then, in his field of vision… facing a goblin bursting out from a wall, the boy supported his right wrist with his left hand, opened his palm, and aimed at the monster.
"Firebolt!"
"Firebolt!"
"Firebolt!"
Boom, boom, boom,
No lengthy chant, no stirring incantation, just shouting that name directly triggered the magic.
"Hahahahaha, I, I can use magic too!!!!" Bell Cranel looked at his palm with joy, and then… wildly, endlessly used the magic.
A series of roars echoed through the passage, illuminating the shadows of the cavern.
Dozens of meters behind him, in the shadows of a corner, a figure cloaked in a black hood twitched at the face, eyes full of strangeness. Upon approaching, faint muttering could be heard.
"Wha, what's this? He just randomly got a quick-cast spell for free?"
"This… with the Scholar skill's amplification, wouldn't hitting people with my staff turn into constant fireball strikes!?"
He pictured himself wielding his staff like a fire spear in melee and spamming fire balls at the opponents face continuously, or… as a rear guard, completely abandoning chanting, becoming a rapid-fire artillery piece.
Just imagining it felt oddly exciting.
"But using magic for continous attacks, that still looks kind of dumb… With my current stats, I wouldn't last long in battle anyway. Besides… if I spend the same mental energy, isn't chanting long spells for high-powered magic better? Rear guards don't get attacked much anyway. Still, it'd be a decent advantage against people."
In the end, the issue was still his low attributes and level, limiting continuous spamming.
To actually reach constant fireball strikes, he'd need higher-level stats.
Casting one more glance at the boy in a frenzy, wasting magic in excitement, Fron sighed.
"Forget it, I'll head back."
Having gotten a free quick-cast spell to use as a normal attack, and finding it uninteresting to keep watching, Fron prepared to go home. The night wind cleared his thoughts somewhat.
Boom…
"?"
Looking at the boy fainting due to mind down...
Then he remembered, wasn't this the incident where the boy collapsed from mind down after first gaining magic?
After so long, with only vague memories, Fron hadn't recalled clearly. Only when Bell fainted on the ground did he suddenly realize.
"The excitement of a child with a new toy? After all, he's still just a boy."
He slowly walked over. As he walked, he seemed to reminisce about his own youth, sighing repeatedly.
Pat, pat, pat.
Squatting down, he stretched out his hand and lightly slapped the boy's face a times.
Gentle wake-up? Think again. There's more than one way to rouse someone.
Even if Fron is kind, that privilege belongs only to pretty girls, after all, things like lap pillows from them are much sweeter.
Yes, Fron is just that kind of clichéd man.
"Cranel, wake up, come on."
"Honestly… slap, slap"
"Hurry up and get up! slap, slap, slap"
"... slap, slap, slap, slap"
No response, completely unconscious. Even though there was still a silly smile on his face, kind of….
Fron was at a loss, should he send him back to the Hestia Familia's home, or drag him all the way to the Guild?
Just then, from the lower floors, the sound of light footsteps came closer and closer.