Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 70: Loki: I want to bring the devils into the village!

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The task of finding teaching materials has come to an end for the time being, and the next step is to study carefully.

As a routine in the morning, I give experience buffs to Ais and other exercise enthusiasts.

Ever since they experienced the rapid improvement in their abilities brought about by Izzy's magic, both the cadres and the members of the second echelon seemed to have transformed into hardworking emperors.

After just a few days, he got used to moving under the "weight-bearing" condition, and plunged into the dungeon headlong within the limited time every day, madly squeezing the potential in his body, and the speed of improving his ability value was very impressive.

The time limit is not just one hour.

After making judgments based on everyone's specific circumstances, Izzy's limited magic time will range from one hour to four hours.

The amount of "weight" may increase, but the time will definitely not increase.

Because of this kind of exercise, if you don't take good care of yourself afterwards, it may have the opposite effect.

Therefore, it is very important to reserve time for rest.

Occasionally, the Big Three would give themselves a break and go explore the dungeon together with their buffs.

After that, Izzy and Lefiya learned knowledge from Riveria.

Thanks to their classmate relationship, he gets along pretty well with the lefiya.

It was probably the kind of friendly relationship where when I occasionally had an unintentional act of intimacy with Ais, the elf would not stare at me with gnashing teeth, but would stare at me with a pursed mouth and tears in her eyes like an abandoned puppy.

In the afternoon, I teamed up with Raul to explore the dungeon and improve my ability points.

At night, I try to inspire new magic and rest.

Such fulfilling days lasted for about half a month for Izzy.

During this period, Nuka and his companions, who were rescued by Izzy with a panacea in the underground city, also came to the Twilight Manor as promised and returned the one million Vali's they owed to Izzy.

It can be considered as keeping the agreement.

At dusk of a new day, Izzy returned from the dungeon.

He found Loki somewhere in the Twilight Manor, who was holding Riveria and asking her to take him to buy Soma wine.

"Is it okay, Mom? We want to drink Soma's wine~"

"...Who is your mother? I'm going to restock my consumables. I don't want to be dragged by you to buy wine to satisfy my craving. Besides, don't you have a lot of wine in your room?"

Riveria looked at Loki who was hugging her arm, and tried to pull her arm back by pulling it slightly.

However, it was of no use, Loki just held on tightly and refused to let go, as if she would keep holding on unless you agreed.

"The wine of the Soma Familia is different. It is always limited every time it comes out. I want to drink it~Mom."

"I told you not to yell like that!"

"Teacher Riveria...Loki...uh..."

Hearing this voice belonging to a third party, Riveria's brows jumped and she pulled her arm back even harder.

"Let go quickly, everyone has seen us. After all, you are the chief god of the Familia, aren't you ashamed?"

"Hey~~ What's the matter? Izzy-chan is not an outsider anyway."

You think it doesn't matter, but I think it matters a lot!

Riveria couldn't help but complain in her heart.

Her reputation as a member of the elven royal family! And this was happening in front of the students.

"I've been single for many years and have never even been in a relationship. Who am I to be your mother?"

"Well, Loki... if you want to drink, I'll pay for it later. For now, I have something to ask you..."

Standing nearby, Izzy quickly assessed the situation.

It was probably Loki harassing Riveria as usual.

She always pestered Riveria like this whenever she wanted to buy something (usually alcohol).

As always, the mama-san would appear tough on the outside and complain a bit, but in reality, she would cave in every time.

If Izzy hadn't intervened, within a few minutes, Riveria would have sighed and taken Loki out.

Izzy could almost predict the rest of the scenario with his eyes closed.

But that had nothing to do with him right now. His priority was updating his ability values.

It was better to finish this task early.

After all, a pot of Soma wine only cost a few hundred thousand Vali, and he could earn that back with just one trip to the dungeon.

"Izzy, if you agree to Loki's request so rashly, you'll only spoil her..."

Riveria glanced at Loki, who was laughing at Izzy's response, and sighed softly.

"Um... but don't you always agree, Riveria?"

"I... I was..."

Riveria's pretty face turned red at the sharp retort, and she wanted to refute it eagerly, but Loki interrupted her.

"Mom is just saying one thing but doing another, dear Izzy~ Let's not provoke her for now. You want to update your ability values, right? Come on, come on, this way~ Hurry, hurry~ Hey, hey, hey..."

If they didn't leave now, by the time Riveria reacted, everyone would probably be beaten with her staff.

After a moment, Riveria took two deep breaths to adjust her mood and watched the backs of the two entering the central tower with a puzzled expression.

"It's only been a month, and he's already upgrading? That kid is even better than I thought..."

Inside the central tower shrine:

Everything appeared normal. Loki took a silver needle from the set of instruments on the desk.

"If nothing unexpected happens, we should have reached our limit this time. We're upgrading now, right?"

"It seems so."

[Name: Izzy Aylward]

Race: Human

Occupation: Adventurer

Connecting floor: 24th floor

Weapons: "Silver-gray spear" and "spare short blade with little presence"

Money held: 13.44 million faris

Basic Abilities: Lv.1 (upgrade conditions met)

Strength: SSS1999

Durability: SSS1999

Dexterity: SSS1999

Agility: SSS1999

Magic: SSS1999

Silver-gray spear:

A spare spear that Finn, the leader of the Loki Familia, secretly commissioned from the Goibniu clan. Its strength is second only to first-tier weapons.

After Izzy enhanced it, mysterious patterns appeared on the spear, hinting at some unknown meaning.

Strengthened by magic, the spear has inherited certain properties, though the full changes remain unknown.

...

"Loki, help me upgrade."

"Alright, as you wish."

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Loki's heartbeat quickened as she saw that Izzy's five abilities had exceeded twice the theoretical limit.

There was no helping it. After all, this was the first time in thousands of years, and such an example was unheard of.

Her hands, which were integrating the divine blood to upgrade the gift, trembled slightly.

As Loki's divine blood was absorbed, the grace of God on Izzy's back began to oscillate like an ancient counter, changing with every movement.

The number following the level, "2," rose from the bottom and replaced the "1" above.

Izzy officially became a Lv.2 Advanced Adventurer!

Immediately afterward, a large number of words emerged from the Falna on Izzy's back, indicating the changes brought about by the upgrade.

A notification appeared at the edge of Izzy's vision, and he instantly understood the meaning.

Loki, observing the changes closely, looked down at the emerging text.

The first section highlighted was development abilities.

"Hiss... Izzy, you actually have six development abilities? And three of them are ones I've never seen before!" Loki's eye twitched uncontrollably.

"Is this the effect of your skills? Just what kind of absurd skill is this?"

"Lancer, Mystery, Hunter, Morning Star, Shining Star, and Dark Star," Loki read aloud. "Based on your skills, you should be able to select two. What's your choice, Izzy?"

Although Loki was performing the operation, Izzy was not entirely unaware of his status. He had a clear understanding of the options and made his decision quickly.

"Mystery and Dark Star."

"Eh? I thought you'd choose two unique development abilities. Are you sure about picking Mystery?"

Choosing Mystery indicated that Izzy was leaning toward developing as a magic tool creator in the future. Yet, to Loki's knowledge, Izzy had never studied anything related to that field before.

Loki furrowed her brows, struggling to understand his choice.

"Well," Izzy began, "the other abilities might be useful, but I'd rather prioritize Mystery for now. I can save the unique ones for my next level-up."

Izzy nodded firmly. There wasn't any specific logic to his choice—it was purely based on intuition.

"Alright, if that's what you want~" Loki said, completing the operation swiftly.

Once the development abilities were chosen, the upgrade was officially complete. However, Loki continued reading further down, where additional divine text revealed new information.

"Hiss... another new skill?"

Loki felt her threshold for surprise had been thoroughly shattered within a few minutes. Clutching her stomach in mild discomfort from the stress, she scrutinized Izzy's new abilities and meticulously recorded the updates.

Finally, Loki handed Izzy his new ability values and immediately gulped down two large swigs of water from a nearby container.

"If any of the other children saw your stats, they'd go completely autistic..."

"Uh... isn't that an exaggeration, Loki? It shouldn't be that bad," Izzy replied, scratching his head awkwardly.

---

[Adventurer Name]: Izzy Aylward

[Level]: Lv.2

[Basic Ability]:

Strength: SSS1999 → I0

Durability: SSS1999 → I0

Dexterity: SSS1999 → I0

Agility: SSS1999 → I0

Magic: SSS1999 → I0

[Development Abilities]:

Mystery I

Dark Star I

[Magic]:

"Silver Star Advent"

Additional magic

Light property

Orionids

"Star Magic"

Magic system

Free-form casting

Self-development

"Rock Magic"

Magic system

Free-form casting

Self-development

[Skills]:

"Starry Night"

Grants a unique star magic system and exclusive development abilities.

Loved by the stars, resulting in enhanced growth in all areas and improved magic effects.

Spiritual power is doubled, and further doubled under starlight.

Allows for the independent creation and learning of star magic without magic bar limitations.

"Heart of the Earth"

Grants the ability to manipulate earth elements, enabling a unique rock magic system.

When in contact with the ground, physical and mental strength are automatically restored.

In combat mode, strength and durability are greatly enhanced.

Allows for the independent creation and learning of rock magic without magic bar limitations.

"Morning Star"

Provides a heightened sixth sense that enlightens the path to achieving goals.

In battle, the enlightenment ability blocks enemy actions and temporarily develops "Intuition."

Prolonged combat sharpens the will of enlightenment, strengthening all acquired development abilities.

[Additional Development Magic]:

"A Thousand-Foot-High Wall"

"Starfall"

"Heaven Moves Everything"

"Star Prison"

Loki was feeling conflicted—or perhaps, emotional.

Her child was so ridiculously talented that it constantly startled her, leaving her looking completely un-godlike.

But deep down, she was proud. After all, this was her child.

Regardless, Izzy's upgrade was undoubtedly a good thing.

Good news like this couldn't stay hidden for long!

She wanted to share the joyous news with everyone! (Although, to be fair, part of her motivation was the thought of seeing the amusing expressions on Ais and the others' faces when they found out Izzy had leveled up.)

"Izzy is at Level 2!!!!"

The decision was made in an instant. Before Izzy, who was still checking his ability values, could react, Loki had already turned into a whirlwind and vanished from the shrine. Her voice, full of excitement, echoed through the central tower.

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"Pfft!!!"

In the reception room, Lefiya, who had spent the entire afternoon in the dungeon, was about to take a sip of black tea. The moment her sensitive elven ears caught Loki's excited shout, she spat out a mouthful of tea in shock.

"Lv.2?"

"Izzy has already leveled up? That fast?"

"That fast???"

Also in the reception room, Ais, Tiona, and Tione exchanged surprised glances. The astonishment on their faces was impossible to hide.

---

"Eh?"

Meanwhile, Bete, the werewolf, was dragging his exhausted body back to his room after a long day of training. When Loki's voice reached his ears, he froze. After clearly hearing the announcement, his expression shifted as though his very understanding of reality had been shaken.

"He just shattered Ais's record by a whole eleven months... What a freak. Hahaha!"

---

In Finn's office, Gareth stroked his beard, laughing heartily as he heard the news.

"I have to hand it to him—he's got talent. Izzy might catch up to us sooner than we think."

Finn, busy with paperwork, paused to smile and shake his head.

---

"???"

Izzy, meanwhile, was left utterly baffled.

He could practically see a giant question mark floating over his head.

"Seriously? Calm down already! You ran off so fast! Weren't you just saying you wanted to buy some wine?"

Wait a second—did this mean he could save some money?

Well, maybe it wasn't so bad. It's not like he hadn't offered to buy her wine anyway. He could always check on that later.

With that thought, he shrugged and decided not to dwell on it further.

---

That night, word of Izzy's promotion to Lv.2 spread throughout the Loki Familia. By morning, everyone was buzzing about it.

After all, this was no ordinary feat. A monster who had leveled up in just one month—and he was theirs!

---

A few days later, the Adventurer's Guild headquarters.

The usually bustling hall, filled with adventurers coming and going, was eerily silent.

Regulars who came to gather information about the day's updates stood frozen, staring in shock at the massive notice plastered on the guild's billboard.

Some people turned red, their faces flushed as they struggled to process what they were seeing, their breathing quickening from the sheer disbelief.

The notice was highlighted in bold red letters, bearing the mark of the Loki Familia and certified by the guild.

The details were enough to leave anyone dumbfounded:

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"New adventurer Izzy Aylward joins Loki Familia for one month."

"Successfully ventured to the fifteenth floor solo and defeated a Lv.2 'Strengthen' Pterosaur."

"Promoted to Lv.2 as an 'Advanced Adventurer.' Title pending."

---

"Are you kidding me? There's no way that's real..."

"This has to be some kind of dream. I must not have woken up properly today. My condition isn't great. Yep, I'm definitely hallucinating. Alright, everyone, I'm heading home to rest."

Soon, the adventurers in the hall read the shocking news.

After their initial shock wore off, the hall erupted into chaos, the once-serene Guild headquarters now as noisy as a bustling vegetable market.

At one of the temporarily closed counters, a half-elf stared at a document in her hand. It was identical to the notice on the billboard, only smaller in size.

A laugh escaped her lips, though it was anything but amused.

Her slender fingers clenched tightly around one corner of the paper, crushing it into a wrinkled ball. The faint sound of the paper crumpling only served to emphasize the tension radiating from her.

The half-elf girl sneered, her entire demeanor exuding an oppressive aura that made her nearby colleagues instinctively back away.

"E-Eina? Are you... okay?" Misha asked cautiously, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course I'm fine," Eina replied in a tone that sounded eerily calm, though the storm brewing within her was unmistakable.

"But... you haven't finished your breakfast yet~" Misha pointed out nervously.

"Humph! I'm already full—full of anger! What else do you think I need to eat?"

With a sharp snap, Eina slammed the document onto the table. Her beautiful eyes blazed with a fiery intensity, as though she could incinerate a certain heartless liar with her gaze alone.

Damn Izzy... we're not done with this yet!!!

In the depths of her mind, a tiny, furious version of herself was stomping and screaming, plotting all the ways she'd make him pay.

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