Allowing a Lv.1 rookie to join an expedition was practically a joke.
"When selecting expedition members, aside from essential combat and support personnel, the only factor I consider is whether they need to accumulate exploits. But from what I've heard, you've been leveling in the Middle Floors with Lefiya and Line, so exploits shouldn't be an issue for you, right?"
Exploits could be earned in a party. For an expedition like Loki Familia's, which ventured beyond the 50th Floor, just tagging along would count as an exploit for 90% of adventurers.
Simply following the main force would provide enough exploits for a level-up.
For the sake of his Familia members' growth, Finn occasionally allowed those in urgent need of exploits to join, but only under special circumstances.
"To put it bluntly, you're worried I'll be dead weight, aren't you?" Ryoji didn't mince words, voicing Finn's concern outright.
"...Well, yes." Finn spread his hands.
He hadn't wanted to say it so directly, after all, he had to consider his comrade's pride, but Ryoji had cut straight to the point.
Ryoji's combat techniques were undoubtedly strong, but his base stats were still lacking. Unfortunately, expeditions prioritized raw power over skill.
Because expeditions were team battles.
Against hordes of monsters, fighting individually was a death sentence. The group had to move as one, turning scattered fighters into a single, cohesive force.
"What if I level up before the expedition starts? Would you let me join then?"
A moment later, Ryoji made a proposition that nearly made Finn's jaw drop.
"What? Level up?" Finn froze.
"If I remember correctly, you've only been here for about 20 days. Could you really have already reached your limit?"
Even if he had been grinding in the Middle Floors, this speed was unheard of.
The fastest level-up record in Orario, from Lv.1 to Lv.2, was held by the Sword Princess, Ais, and it had taken her a full year. Finn couldn't possibly misremember that.
Yet now, after just 20 days, Ryoji was already at the threshold?
"According to Loki, I can level up anytime now. She just wants me to train a bit more and reach my absolute limit first."
Hearing this, Finn fell into deep thought.
If Loki herself had said so, then it had to be true.
Logically, Finn did hold Ryoji in high regard. He believed the boy could break Ais' record, but in his estimation, that would still take two to three months.
Twenty days… That defied all reason.
"Alright."
After a long silence, Finn raised his head, his expression turning serious.
"I'll make you a promise, but the condition changes. If, before the expedition, you can hold your own against Raul for two minutes… No, scratch that. If you can fight him to a standstill, I'll let you join the expedition team."
Raul Nord.
That spiky-haired, easygoing Lv.4, one step away from Lv.5.
Among Loki Familia, he was one of the strongest outside the Executive group.
"...Deal."
Ryoji considered it briefly, then agreed without haggling.
Once he leveled up, he was confident he could last two minutes against Raul.
-------
Morning.
"Clang!"
The sound of clashing steel echoed through the courtyard, relentless and sharp.
A golden-haired girl, beautiful as a goddess, and a raven-haired boy, so handsome even gods would feel inferior, were locked in fierce combat. The tip of a rapier and the edge of a katana collided again and again, slicing through the air at speeds beyond human sight.
Ais' sword style was like a storm of relentless strikes, both deadly and breathtakingly elegant. In her hands, combat itself became art.
But Ryoji surpassed even that.
His sword moved with the same overwhelming ferocity, yet his precision was even sharper. Every motion flowed like a dance, mesmerizing in its beauty.
"Clash, !"
With a final parry, Ais was forced back a step, her grip on her sword nearly faltering. She barely managed to steady it in time.
"...I lost." She glanced at her trembling hand, then lowered her gaze in quiet defeat.
In that last exchange, Ryoji could have disarmed her. She had instinctively used strength beyond Lv.1 to keep hold of her sword, but their agreement had been to only compare techniques, not stats.
By that rule, she had already lost.
"Compared to yesterday, there's one less opening in your swordplay. That's progress."
"...Not compared to you."
Despite his praise, Ais couldn't feel happy.
Because Ryoji wasn't even using his own style. He had learned hers mid-battle, then used it against her with even greater mastery.
To Ais, such skill was nothing short of divine.
"Can't you teach me your sword style?" She looked up, her eyes a mix of frustration and longing. She knew the request was bold, but it showed just how much she admired and desired his techniques.
"It's not that I won't teach you. It's that it would do more harm than good." Ryoji shook his head.
"Your sword style has already taken shape. If I forcibly change your path, you'll only end up lost, unable to master mine while abandoning your own."
Of course, if Ais had his absurd talent, it wouldn't be an issue.
But she didn't.
So she had to walk her own path, step by step.
Ais' shoulders slumped slightly, her usual cool demeanor giving way to visible disappointment.
"...You don't have to look so down. I can teach you some sword skills I've created. How much you learn will depend on you." Ryoji sighed, then offered a compromise.
"Really?" Instantly, her eyes lit up, the gloom vanishing as if it had never been there.
"Really." Ryoji nodded.
She was so easy to read.
Her expressions were subtle, often giving off an aloof impression, but anyone who spent time with her quickly realized,
She just wasn't good at putting her feelings into words.
Every emotion played out plainly on her face, like an open book.
Like a simple, honest little animal.
Sometimes, Ryoji wondered,
If he patted her head, would she nuzzle into his hand like a content pet?
(End Of This Chapter)
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