Progression

Twilight Manor, Courtyard.

At this moment, there were still people practicing in this place.

Riezel and Ais were unleashing a vast display of sword slashes, engaging in an intense sword dance.

Unlike before, today's sword dance not only surpassed any previous ones in intensity but also showcased a level of skill uncommon for both of them.

Riezel seemed to have transformed, effortlessly moving his body, creating bursts of energy with each casual motion. His speed was enough to break the sound barrier.

The sword in his hand sent out countless chilly sword slashes, resembling a storm of relentless attacks, ceaseless and boundless, an endless fast attack aimed at Ais.

Faced with this new Riezel, Ais no longer confronted him with just her scabbard as she used to. Instead, she wielded her silver sword, Desperate, maneuvering through the storm of sword edges that he weaved.

She swiftly parried and struck back, with no trace of her previous calm demeanor in every move.

In the relatively narrow courtyard, a swordsman and swordswoman fiercely battled, chasing each other at a terrifying speed. Their figures weaved through a flurry of sword glows and shadows, leaving traces on the ground. The atmosphere was completely disrupted, creating a scene that was soul-stirring, with the wind and dust in turmoil.

"A-Amazing..."

Lefiya, holding two towels, stood on the side while trembling in anxiety as she watched their battle—truly pitiable.

The sword clashes between Riezel and Ais had reached a point where onlookers were left awestruck.

*DING!*

At a certain moment, with the fierce clash of their two swords, the two figures, chasing and intertwining at astonishing speed, finally separated.

Riezel's figure kept retreating, moving back several meters.

Ais, on the other hand, only took a step or two back, faring better than him.

"..."

"..."

They stayed silent and looked into each other eyes, maintaining a standoff, creating a tense atmosphere in the gradually calming air.

It wasn't until after a while that the two finally broke the standoff, seemingly as if on cue, simultaneously sheathing their swords.

"Th-Thanks for your hard work! Mr. Riezel! Miss Ais!"

Seeing them finally stop, Lefiya snapped back to reality and quickly approached, handing towels to Riezel and Ais.

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

Riezel and Ais both expressed their gratitude and accepted the towels at the same time, their movements perfectly synchronized, as if looking into a mirror, giving off an incredible sense of understanding.

"Muu..." Lefiya, whether feeling heartache or jealousy, puffed her cheeks slightly as she observed this scene.

Unfortunately, neither Riezel nor Ais noticed her; their attention was focused on each other.

"Judging by your movements, you should be adapting quite well by now, right?" Ais spoke with an indeterminate emotion in her voice.

"Not bad..." Riezel said with a slight smile. "Although the transitions between some moves still feel a bit unnatural, it's close enough. Now, all that's left is to familiarize myself with the current power of my body."

"That's good." Ais nodded while staring directly at his face. "You've really become very strong now. Even though you just leveled up, you seem more powerful than many Level 4 adventurers I know."

Upon hearing her statement, Riezel maintained a calm expression on his face, but inside, he felt different.

After over a month had passed since the Crocodile Dragon's incident, he had progressed from a Level 1 low-class adventurer to a Level 4 second-class adventurer and was quite satisfied with the effort he had put into reaching this point.

Even the protagonist in the original work took four and a half months to go from Level 1 to Level 4, while Riezel managed to do it almost three months faster. If he wasn't satisfied with this achievement, he believed he would be tempting the wrath of the heavens.

Moreover, whether leveling up from Level 2 to Level 3 or from Level 3 to Level 4, he fully cashed in on his potential, choosing to level up only after achieving SSS in all basic abilities. This approach resulted in a better potential compared to the original work's protagonist, not to mention ordinary adventurers.

In addition, the development ability's choices of 'Swordsman' at Level 3 and 'Lightweight' at Level 2 significantly enhanced his power. Coupled with a month of frequent sparring with Ais, Riezel had acquired exceptional swordsmanship from her.

Despite having just reached Level 4, his power was already on par with the top Level 4 adventurers.

And this didn't even take magic into account.

Considering magic, including the overpowered one like 'Ariel', Riezel could probably compete with Level 5 first-class adventurers.

This was evident from the fact that he could push Ais, a Level 5 seasoned adventurer, back a step or two in a direct confrontation, unlike the surprise attack he launched over a month ago during a moment of her vulnerability.

However, every advantage has its downside.

Riezel's rapid improvements meant that every leveling up caused a surge in power that his body struggled to adapt to. Hence, the sparring sessions with Ais were crucial for him to acclimate to his current body's power.

In summary, he had indeed grown significantly, getting much stronger.

Although he still felt that his current self wasn't strong enough, achieving this level of advancement in just over a month still made him satisfied.

Of course, this kind of progress, if seen through the eyes of Ais and Lefiya, who were equally eager to grow and get stronger, would leave both of them with complex feelings.

Especially Lefiya, as Riezel's party member and witness to his struggles since Level 1, admired him but also felt frustrated with herself.

"Mr. Riezel is already at Level 4, yet I'm still at Level 3. It's really embarrassing..." Lefiya sighed in resignation.

Ais, standing nearby, wore a serious expression as she felt an indescribable pressure from him.

Even though she could currently outmatch Riezel slightly, witnessing his rapid growth at a rate bordering absurd, she felt that soon, he would catch up.

After all, she was Level 5, and with just one more level up, he would completely catch up to her. At that point, considering his displayed power, potential, and innate talent, could she still exceed him?

The more Ais thought about it, the more tense and pressured she felt.

"Please don't say that..." Riezel shook his head, addressing Lefiya. "I only took advantage of some convenient skills. With your potential, you should be able to reach Level 4 quickly, right?"

As far as he knew, Lefiya had already developed 'MAG' to C-rank. According to the leveling-up rules, achieving a D-rank in any basic ability would qualify her for a level up. She already had the qualifications; the only thing she lacked was an outstanding exploit to gain high-rank excelia, which wasn't too difficult for her to achieve.

Given the existence of several first-class adventurers in Loki Familia, they could assist and support her in accumulating enough high-rank excelia, as long as she genuinely wished to level up.

As long as Lefiya willed it, leveling up to Level 4 wasn't that difficult.

What was challenging was leveling up to become Level 5, the starting point of first-class adventurers.

To reach that level, mere exploits weren't enough. One must accumulate more high-rank excelia and defeat stronger enemies than before. Exploits sufficient to propel one to Level 5, even the Level 6 top executives might not be able to assist in completing.

It was precisely because of this reason that in Loki Familia, there were quite a few second-class adventurers at Level 3 and Level 4, but only four Level 5 first-class adventurers.

Probably because the high-rank excelia required to reach Level 5 wasn't something easily accumulated.

'I wonder how long it'll take for me to reach Level 5?'

Riezel, while comforting Lefiya, was also pondering this in his heart.

To reach Level 2, he took 7 days.

To reach Level 3, he took 15 days.

To reach Level 4, he took 30 days.

By this calculation, could he successfully reach Level 5 before the 100 days of dimensional travel end?

'It seems I'll need to put in more effort than before.'

That was what Riezel's heart was thinking, something that would once again make Ais and Lefiya feel emotionally complicated.

"By the way, Mr. Riezel..." Lefiya suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at him.

"What's up?" Riezel snapped back to attention and faced her.

"Just now, before I came here, I bumped into Lady Riveria. She asked me to tell you that after the sparring session with Miss Ais, you must go visit Captain."

"Captain?" Riezel puzzled. "Does Captain need something from me?"

"I don't know." Lefiya shook her head. "But since it's Captain, there should be something important to discuss."

"Is that so...?" Riezel pondered, and shortly afterward nodded. "Gotcha, then I'll go see him."

"Um." Lefiya had no objections.

"Be careful on the road." Ais also spoke up.

In front of the two girls, Riezel turned and walked into the manor while waving his hand.

"I-Is Miss Ais free now?" Lefiya, seeing him leave, immediately became somewhat hesitant and shyly asked. "Would you like to go out together?"

What a pity, her invitation was met with Ais's blunt refusal.

"No, I need to practice a bit more."

Feeling the pressure and stimulated by Riezel's rapid progress, Ais had no other thoughts and just wanted to seize the time to get stronger.

"..."

Lefiya's shy expression suddenly became forced, looking somewhat stiff and helpless, almost on the verge of tears.

===

On the other side, Riezel was making his way through the corridor, entering the northern tower.

Inside Twilight Manor, among the three towers designated for male use, Finn's private room and office were located in the northernmost tower, directly opposite of manor's main entrance.

Riezel, relying on memory, arrived at the room and knocked on the door.

*Knock!* *Knock!*

"Come in."

Finn's response came immediately from behind the door, prompting Riezel to push open the double doors and step into the room.

The sight before him was the office connected to Finn's private room.

Being the office of the familia's top executive and captain, the room was naturally quite spacious. The interior not only featured bookshelves covering an entire wall but also vibrant carpets and even an elongated grand clock, giving off a sense of steady warmth.

Finn was seated at the back of the office, behind a large desk that seemed mismatched with his small stature.

The office wasn't occupied solely by him; Riveria and Gareth, the other two top executives of the familia, were also present.

'They all here?'

Riezel expressed some surprise inwardly.

His instincts told him that something important might be about to happen.