Chapter 24 - This Shell Can Only Be Broken by Those Who Take the Risk of Adventure.

[Chapter Size: 3130 Words.]

Lucius POV

Orario.

...

...

Focused on my training and stat increase, my days passed by unnoticed due to the busy schedule. I was invited several times to go to the Hostess of Fertility by Bell, Hestia, and even Lili, but I declined as I had to train and get stronger in the coming days. I evolved much faster than an ordinary adventurer, but I'm still below Bell's level, so I have to focus on getting stronger to prepare for future events.

Mikoto is surprised by all my development and eagerness to learn in recent days. I am becoming much stronger in combat style, and in our sparring sessions, I am starting to pose a significant challenge to her. Not only because I am improving my swordsmanship, but my statistics have already reached Rank A in all attributes! She doesn't know about my Status evolution and believes it's my sword techniques that are increasing, unlike Takemikazuchi, who feels my excelia increasing in the falna every day. Obviously, he remained silent without saying anything, which I thanked him for not questioning something like that.

I believe I can already make my upgrade to level 02, but I still want to reach 1500 points in everything. I noticed that after reaching 1499 in magic, my points assigned to these statistics slowed their growth speed by half, but I still made 2.5 points per hour fighting in the dungeon. Seeing that I wouldn't catch up to Bell in my 6 hours, I started dedicating 8 hours of dungeon fights, entering at noon and leaving only at 10 pm, following this routine for two whole weeks.

---Status---

• Strength: F368 -> A816

• Endurance: E434 -> A882

• Dexterity: F375 -> A823

• Agility: E415 -> A863

• Magic: SSS1,452 -> SSS1,755

[Accumulated Points: 78,780]

Bell and Lili were going to the dungeon together every day, and I waited until this moment because today would be a very special day. Bell has been training with Aiz for two weeks as well. She tried to talk to me about what happened during this time, but I wasn't interested. I said that attacking Riekling would be like attacking our family, so I wasn't in the mood to see her face around. But I wondered if her family knew about the incident because no one came to us.

Anyway, after Bell mentioned that she canceled training with him today because she was going on a deep dive into the dungeon with her family, I realized that today he will evolve to level 02 by facing that mutant minotaur that Ottar and Freya created. I wanted to see it because it's one of the best fights I've seen in anime and the best fight in Danmachi, in my opinion, I must admit, so I would never miss it.

I calmly started my day more relaxed today because I asked Mikoto for a day off yesterday, and she agreed. I had breakfast with my family for the first time in two weeks, which surprised the trio a lot. Hestia, despite complaining that I didn't spend much time with them and that I never went to the dungeon with Bell, respected me and was proud because I was working hard every day, bringing magic stones, and helping Bell when he needed, like that time I retrieved his knife. I knew that in her opinion, despite causing trouble here and there like a bully, I was a good son to the family after all.

After breakfast, Hestia went to the center of the favela, Bell and Lili to the dungeon, and I went to buy a new katana because mine started to crack when I picked it up in the morning. I have to change it every 3 days because the thunder spell ruins the metal along with its usage, which I do by cutting monsters. In the future, I should look for a specialized blacksmith to make one that's resistant with thunder immunity.

After breakfast, we separated. Bell went to the dungeon with Lili, Hestia to her usual job, and I went to talk to the familiar vendor in the cultural area, an old oriental man from whom I always buy his katanas. After buying a new one, I headed to the dungeon with the intention of spying on the legendary fight.

Some time after running through the dungeon, I reached the eighth floor, and I cursed myself because I realized I almost missed the fight. Bell had just risen from the ground and pushed Aiz away to fight alone with the mutant minotaur, saying that this fight was his.

I don't approach and stand watching the fight from the side without them seeing me, although they know I'm here. They are all high-rank, after all. I see that the other members of the Loki family are focused while Bell runs to face his fight without caring about me either. The dog, as always, is talking nonsense with his big mouth. Lili pleads for him to help Bell, but when he finally takes his steps towards the fight, he stops, impressed with the level one adventurer's battle, just like everyone else.

"Is he really level 01?" says one of the Amazons.

"In Bete's eyes, he was inexperienced a month ago, right Bete?" says the Pallum.

"Tsk. What happened?" says the dog who was until now mocking Bell.

*Thread*, *thread*, *thread thread*, *thread thread*, I was in my corner whistling softly, trying to make the sound of the Heroic Desire Soundtrack while watching the fight, impressed.

"He looks like the Argonaut!"

"Loved that story when I was a kid!"

'Freya must be having an orgasm right now,' I thought, laughing, as I watched attentively.

Bell continued to fight against the minotaur very fiercely; it was really a fight worthy of an Oscar if they were filming it now.

"But what kind of knife is that!?"

"It's well-made, but it's not just that..."

"The kid is skilled too!"

"He's doing really well..."

"But he can't land an attack!"

"It's difficult to penetrate the minotaur's defense..."

[- Bell-san...]

*slash*

*slash*

*hit*

*dodge*

*slash*

*dodge*

[- Firebolt]

[- Firebolt]

"Fast-chanting magic? Wait, this magic..."

"That was a beautiful attack!"

"But it wasn't enough."

"They're tied..."

*crack*

*stab*

*spin*

The minotaur drops the sword after Bell twists the knife in his arm with an impressive attack in the face of that stalemate.

They start the fight again, and Bell picks up the sword from the ground.

*stab*

*dodge*

*stab*

He cuts the minotaur in various places and steps back a bit while his face is stained with blood.

They stare at each other for a while before starting a charge, running towards each other.

"Foolish!"

"What an idiot..."

"Bell-San!"

"It's alright..."

*stab*

Bell manages to stop the enemy's attack where it seemed he would lose and dodges. With that, he creates an opening, thrusting the sword into the belly of the mutant monster.

[- Firebolt] He casts the first spell, and the minotaur bleeds from the mouth as its stomach swells.

[- Firebolt] He casts the second, making the minotaur swell with the fire expanding further inside it, but it still remains alive.

[- Firebolt] He casts a third one that makes the upper part of the monster explode in fire like a beautiful display of overcoming.

'HAHAHAHA, EXCELLENT! Even though I'm used to frenetic battles, I have to admit that this was a beautiful show,' I said to myself.

"Bell-San!"

"He did it..."

"He fainted standing too..."

"Mind Zero..."

"Bell-San! Bell-San!"

"Riviera, what's his status?" said the dog.

"I can't check the status without his permission!"

"He's not in a condition to refuse!"

"But I am..." I said calmly, stepping out of the shadows of the corridor.

"Lord Lucius-San!" Lili shouted when she saw me.

All the Loki family members were now looking at me.

"You, the arrogant weakling!" The dog growled.

"Hey, dog, wasn't it you who was talking about not getting involved in another's fight, which was against dungeon rules? Now you want to peek at the status of another adventurer while he's unconscious? Can you believe this guy, Riekling?"

"HEEEEEEEE!" shouted the little goblin who appeared by my side.

"Cute..."

"Cute!"

"So cute."

While some girls liked Riekling, Riviera remained stoic, and Aiz looked with complicated eyes; she seemed a bit regretful and lost.

"What did you say, weakling!?" The grumpy dog shouted.

Riviera looked at me uncertain of how to proceed with this; she should know about Aiz's attack a few weeks ago.

"Simple, I'm saying not to think about doing that. As a member of the Hestia family, I don't want other members studying his status. If you want to know, ask him when he wakes up, but don't do it when he's unable to refuse..." I said seriously, not to Bete but to her.

"You let your companion fight and risk his life? He almost couldn't make it...." said the blond Pallum, for the first time. "This shell can only be broken by those who take the risk of adventure..." That's what I said to him seriously; he stared at me for a moment before Aiz spoke.

"I'm sorry." She simply said without showing any emotion in her voice.

This left her companions stunned, except for the executives, as they were more aware of the things that happened.

"HEY, Aiz, why are you APOLOGIZING to this guy!?" Bete snarled, furious at Aiz.

Upon hearing that, I got angry and finally decided to speak my mind about them.

"Hey, let me tell you something, dog. You guys first put Bell in danger a month ago with those minotaurs from the fifteenth floor, then openly mock him in public, a large family from Orario, gathering at a bar to mock an adventurer who almost died because of them. That kind of person is one of the ones I hate the most." I said with hatred to Bete.

If they were enemies of Bell, I wouldn't mind so much, but they throw a level one into a desperate situation and still expect him to overcome the terrible situation, with Bete laughing and mocking him.

"Then you publicly judge me for free, so don't expect me to kiss your feet, dog. Not to mention that not long ago, another member of yours attacked me in the streets of Orario and killed my goblin here. So let me ask you something."

I said already enraged, knowing that I could die if all these people wanted, but I didn't care about speaking my mind. One thing is to see them in the anime, but I'm annoyed with this family after spending this month and witnessing all their actions.

"Since when did one of the most powerful families in Orario become a bunch of bullying thugs?" I said, especially glaring at Finn.

A silence took over the atmosphere in a somber mood, even Lili, standing next to an unconscious Bell, tensed up at this.

Looking at them, I could feel everyone stunned by my question, some were angry, Finn looked me in the eyes without wavering, Gareth sighed while Riviera closed her eyes. Tione remained quiet but clenched her hands in anger; she's angry because I called Finn a thug, her sister beside her, Tiona, looked lost without understanding much, while Aiz was stoic, but I could hear a bit of guilt in her eyes, Bete was growling and holding back from attacking me. Little Lefiya, stunned, seem to be shocked by the words I said.

After a while, Finn spoke again while still looking at me.

"I think you have some point in your words; some members of my family did wrong with you..." He admitted.

"So we owe you an apology for that."

"Hey, you're not serious, are you, Finn?" Bete snarled.

"Be quiet, Bete; we are at fault for some things he said." Riviera silenced Bete.

"Yes, I can't deny that either. I wouldn't want our family to start getting such a reputation." Gareth admitted.

"I can't change what happened, but I will owe you and your family a favor; I believe you deserve that at least after all the mess our family caused during this month."

When he said those words, I had to put my anger aside a bit. I'm a reasonable person when I see sincerity, and there's no reason to hate them, despite almost killing Bell and killing Riekling in front of me.

"Sorry, Aiz, for the attack; it's not uncommon to see a monster in the streets of Orario, and she acted out of hatred." Riviera took the initiative for Aiz, as the girl clearly doesn't know how to handle her apologies.

"It's not me you owe an apology to; it's this guy here." I pointed to the goblin beside me, who had been quiet the whole time while observing.

"HEE..." He murmured when everyone looked at him.

"I don't know why you hate monsters so much." I lied.

"But not everything is as it seems. Riekling here is a summon, not a tamed monster. And indeed, I am angry at you for attacking him in front of me." I admitted as my gaze went to Aiz.

"I'm only saying this because you helped Bell train after all, but it doesn't mean I'll be your friend. However, I hope you respect this little guy here." I expressed my thoughts to the stoic woman.

Of course, when I said it was a summon, the two mages in the group were stunned. Anyone in Orario or anywhere in the world with magic like that would obviously attract attention. But this wasn't the time to ask that kind of question.

"Sorry..." Aiz finally spoke to Riekling. Of course, she still had a look as if she were in front of a mystery, even though it's a summon; for her, monsters are evil and try to kill anyone around them.

"HEE!" Riekling seemed to accept.

This earned some smiles, while Bete was still in a bad mood.

"I don't blame you for attacking Aiz after what she did, but I wouldn't forgive if it happened in front of me. Regardless of who is right or wrong, I won't let anyone hurt my family..." Finn threatened me this time.

"Well, then we're quite alike." I shrugged, not caring about his threat for too long.

"Let's go, the kid will be able to return to the surface safely, and we'll continue our raid without further interruptions, along with the rest of the family, who are waiting for us." He said, after a few seconds of silence, turning and heading towards the lower floors.

"Tsk!" Snarling and clicking his tongue, the dog followed his leader with the same bad mood. Aiz and the Amazons looked at me and then at Bell before turning and going with their commander. Riviera looked at me with complicated eyes; now I didn't know much about why. I know we're getting involved in a lot of things directly and indirectly, but I believe almost all our bad sides should cease after this conversation.

I like her, really, but our families are creating too much friction to establish a friendship and get to know her better. This lasted until she turned around and followed her group, but noticed she stopped her steps when she realized that one person stayed in the same place.

"Lefiya? Any problem?" She asked, and I looked at the little elf who was staring intensely at me.

"How?" She asked hesitating, making everyone in the group stop and turn their eyes in doubt at the words of the little elf who was still standing, looking at me.

"Huh? How what?" I asked still not knowing the reason for the question.

"How can you increase your magical power so much!?" She asked with great astonishment in her tone.

"I feel like you're four times stronger than the last time we met at the bar, almost bordering on the peak of a level 2 adventurer when I raised my level to 3!" She exclaimed, making everyone open their eyes in surprise with these words.

I sighed. 'So that's it? I have 1,755 magic now, but still, in normal terms, this amount of static in magic should be from a level 2 adventurer mage with 755 in magic, but I'm still level 1 and have these monstrous points, that's what anyone who saw this in me would be stunned. And Lefiya is a genius who can even be compared to a "Little-Bell," as far as I know, in magical terms. As a mage raised as Riviera's successor in the Loki family, she has special abilities, which surprised me because she could even see my magical power, something that not even Riviera could see clearly.'

"You can see that?" I asked without hiding my amused smile, which made everyone frown with my words.

"I am the greatest magical potential in this world, girl. Don't be so surprised..." I said simply. I like being in the shadows without drawing attention while I strengthen myself, but I would admit these words out loud and without regrets.

She looked at me scowling at my arrogant words. She immediately denied it. For her, Riviera is the greatest mage in the world, while everyone else was stunned by my boldness, I didn't care.

"But I can tell you one of my secrets; of course, if you help me have a date with a certain green-haired elf..." I said shamelessly with a big smile.

Everyone had different faces after these words. Gareth burst into laughter, the Amazons looked at me with open mouths, Aiz and Finn had no expressions, dog-Bete wanted to kill me with his look and was ready to pounce on me. Lefiya simply stood wordless. 'I think I broke her,' I thought as I looked at a frozen Lefiya in place. But the same elf who was the reason for my words, no longer had such a stoic expression. Upon hearing that, she averted her gaze with a slightly embarrassed face, clearly not accustomed to this kind of male attention. No one dared to hit on an elvish princess in such a powerful family like Loki.

I know we're not on the best terms, and our relationship is quite complicated, but I still wouldn't miss the opportunity, since I'm naturally like this and wouldn't miss showing my intentions with the beautiful magical nerd. Lefiya simply turned around with a red face and went to the group infuriated. It didn't take long for them to start walking again, although Bete still wanted to hit me, and Riviera looked at me from time to time as they walked away.

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