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Chapter 133 - ASCC-Chapter 133 Reaching The Limit

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Loki drew another round of blood and began scribbling on Ryoji's back, causing ripples like water to shimmer across his skin. The old ability values gradually faded, replaced by the updated ones.

Ryoji Lv.1

Power: B (732) → A (896)

Endurance: D (557) → C (663)

Dexterity: A (822) → S (967)

Agility: S (909) → SS (1051)

Magic Power: F (339) → E (411)

Magic:

Skill: [Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword]

...

"Hey, what the hell is 'SS'?"

"You're asking me?"

Ryoji took the parchment, ignoring Loki's bewildered expression, and examined his refreshed ability values.

All his stats except Magic Power had reached the upper limits of Proficiency.

Compared to when he first arrived in Orario, his physical abilities had roughly tripled. Though Magic Power had seen the least improvement, it had still doubled from its initial level, a significant leap forward.

Since he spent every day grinding in the Middle Floors, facing monsters far stronger than himself, each battle was like walking a tightrope. A single misstep could mean death. As a result, Ryoji's leveling speed was over twenty times faster than an average adventurer's.

And his Skill, [Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword], played a pivotal role in this.

This was an anomaly only he could achieve, an impossibility to replicate.

Even more astonishing was his Agility stat, which had shattered the 999 barrier, reaching the unprecedented rank of SS.

Ryoji understood why.

It was most likely due to his unique ability, 〈Absolute Divine Speed〉. By continuously utilizing the special effects of Causation Manipulation, his Agility had transcended common sense, reaching a realm where conventional logic no longer applied.

"Still, my Power and Endurance barely improve each time."

"You call this barely improving?"

"Compared to the other stats, yeah."

"Ungrateful brat." Loki rolled her eyes. "Any normal adventurer would be over the moon with progress like yours."

"But every person has their limits, just like a container. Think of yourself as a barrel, some planks are taller, others shorter."

In other words, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

For Ryoji, his innate talent clearly lay in speed. His Agility was downright rule-breaking, followed by Dexterity, thanks to his sharp instincts, he excelled at evading attacks at the last second. His Power wasn't bad either, though his Endurance was merely average.

"One more thing." Loki shook her head. "You're almost at your limit."

"Limit?"

"Yep. Every container has its breaking point."

Sucking on her finger, Loki explained, "At the start of leveling, there's a rapid growth phase, it's easy to pour water into an empty bottle. But the closer you get to the limit, the harder it becomes to raise Proficiency. Right now, you're still gaining hundreds of points, but once you near the peak, you might only get a few dozen points after days of effort."

"Once you hit that limit, you can start preparing for your level-up. Technically, you could level up now, but I'd recommend pushing yourself to the absolute limit first. Maximize your container's capacity before expanding it."

"I heard leveling up has conditions, right?"

"Correct. You need enough regular Excelia plus a certain amount of high-grade Excelia. Combine the two, and you can perform the level-up ritual."

Not all Excelia was the same.

Simply put, the experience gained from everyday monster-slaying was just regular Excelia. But to level up, an adventurer needed both a sufficient accumulation of regular Excelia and a set amount of high-grade Excelia.

The so-called "high-grade Excelia" referred to "exploits."

The accumulation of exploits depended on the strength of the opponent and the difficulty of the situation. The stronger the enemy or the more desperate the circumstances, the more high-grade Excelia one earned.

Once an adventurer gathered enough of both types of Excelia, they could proceed with their level-up.

Loki glanced at Ryoji's back.

As the god who had bestowed his Blessing (Falna), she could clearly see the Excelia he had accumulated.

"Hmm… You've already met the exploit requirement. Hell, you've fulfilled it hundreds of times over!"

Loki's expression was one of inevitability.

Ryoji's high-grade Excelia was overwhelmingly abundant, several times more than his regular Excelia.

After all, as a Lv.1 who constantly ventured into the Middle Floors, facing monsters far beyond his level, the Falna recognized that Ryoji had achieved hundreds of exploits.

He was more than ready to level up.

But Loki's advice was clear: he should push himself to his current limits first. Only by fully expanding his "container" could he maximize the benefits of leveling up.

"I see." Ryoji nodded in understanding.

"By the way, about the expedition…"

"You'll have to ask Finn. He's in charge of that."

"Got it."

...

After leaving Loki's room, Ryoji stepped onto the aerial corridor.

The Twilight Manor's towers weren't just connected on the ground, they were also linked by stone walkways in the sky.

Each adjacent tower had a corridor, and every spire had a bridge leading to the central tower. The fourteen aerial walkways formed a radial pattern, as if splitting a heptagon into equal slices.

Finn's office was located in the northernmost tower.

With the expedition approaching, he had been exceptionally busy. Even now, the glow of Magic Stone lamps shone brightly through his window.

"Come in."

Ryoji knocked, and Finn's composed voice soon answered.

"It's you? What brings you here so late?" Finn looked surprised when Ryoji entered.

The office was spacious, a massive bookshelf lined the wall, a warm fireplace crackled softly, and a Magic Stone chandelier cast daylight-bright illumination. The plush red carpet underfoot added to the room's luxurious atmosphere.

Finn sat behind his custom-made desk, a banner embroidered with a jester's emblem hanging behind him.

"I want to join the expedition in five days." Ryoji cut straight to the point.

That's right, he wanted to participate in the expedition.

The Loki Familia's expeditions always ventured beyond the 50th Floor, into the Deep Floors. Their current exploration record was the 58th Floor, where monsters of Lv.4 and above roamed in droves.

Even if he only tagged along briefly, joining the expedition would undoubtedly propel his strength to new heights.

"...I've had people ask before, but I never expected a Lv.1 to make such a request." Finn sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Give me a reason. 'I just want to go' isn't enough to change my mind."

(End of Chapter)

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