I descended deeper into the Dungeon, leaving Ais Wallenstein behind in the darkness.
To be honest, I never liked Ais at first.
Back then, I thought she was just another generic, bland heroine. The typical strong, silent type. Beautiful, powerful, and distant, but lacking anything that really stood out.
But reading Sword Oratoria changed that.
It gave her depth. Showed the parts of her that the main story barely touched. Her thoughts, her struggles, the weight she carried. It made me see her as more than just the "Sword Princess."
Still, that did not mean anything for me.
Understanding someone did not create an obligation.
It did not mean I had to help her.
It did not mean I had to train her.
…And even if I did.
I don't have time for that right now.
My focus was elsewhere.
Exploring the Dungeon.
Pushing deeper.
Getting stronger.
All of it before the cube recharged.
Because once it did, I would be leaving this world.
And until then, every moment mattered.
Anyways… enough about Ais for now.
I was nearing the exit of the thirty-second floor of the Dungeon.
Floors 29 to 32 formed a massive jungle ravine, a stark contrast to the stone corridors above. Dense vegetation clung to the walls, thick roots twisting through the ground like veins, while towering trees stretched upward toward a ceiling that felt impossibly far away.
The monsters located in this floor were mostly dinosaur-types.
Which I really didn't mind, I had always been fond of dinosaurs when I was younger. Something about their sheer size, their raw presence and their ferocity.
Still, reaching these floors as a Level 1, I had begun to struggle.
The suppression ring was finally showing its full effects at this depth.
My movements were no longer effortless. My reactions, while still sharp, were no longer overwhelming. Every fight demanded more focus, more precision, more control.
Even the monsters felt different.
They didn't just charge blindly anymore. Some circled. Some waited. Some attacked in bursts, forcing me to stay alert at all times.
But I wasn't complaining.
If anything, a faint smile tugged at my lips.
This was exactly what I wanted.
To struggle.
To be pushed.
To fight without relying on overwhelming strength.
Because this—this was how you grew.
The more I was forced to adapt, the more I was pushed to my limits, the more excelia I would gain. Every close call, every hard-fought victory, every moment where I had to think instead of simply overpower—that was what mattered.
That was where growth came from.
Then—
A roar tore through the jungle ravine.
Before I could fully process it, something shifted behind me.
Fast.
"Fuck—"
I moved on instinct.
My body twisted just in time, narrowly avoiding the full force of the attack, but not completely. Something sharp grazed past me, tearing through my side. A thin line of pain followed a split second later, warm blood seeping through my clothes.
I clicked my tongue and slid back, creating distance as my eyes locked onto the ambusher.
And then I saw it.
A massive, white, twin-headed dragon loomed over the ravine. It stood over twenty meters tall, its body monstrously wide, easily dozens of times larger than an Orc. Its scales were pale, and its presence alone seemed to weigh down the surrounding air.
One head turned toward me, its eyes glowing a deep, predatory red.
The other followed, colder, its gaze a piercing blue.
Amphisbaena.
The only Monster Rex in this range capable of moving freely between floors.
And worst of all—
It was Level 5.
I grinned.
"...Now this…"
My grip tightened around my sword, blood still dripping from the shallow cut at my side, pulse quickening—not from fear, but anticipation.
"…this is more like it."
Before I could do anything else, the Amphisbaena moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
My body reacted on instinct, barely managing to twist out of the way in time. Even then, I wasn't fast enough to avoid it completely. One of its heads clipped me as it passed, the force sending me skidding across the ground as a sharp sting tore across my side.
I clicked my tongue, pushing myself back to my feet.
"…Yeah."
Looks like I'd underestimated just how strong Level 5 monsters really were.
It didn't matter.
If anything—
This was perfect.
It's an opportunity. Exactly what I needed to push everything further.
To squeeze out every last bit of excelia I could—
And drive my stats all the way to SSS.
The Amphisbaena didn't give me time to breathe.
Both heads came at me at the same time, one snapping down from above while the other swept in low, like it was trying to sandwich me between them.
I twisted out of the way on pure instinct, barely slipping past the first set of jaws. The second one still clipped me, though, just enough to throw me off balance and send me skidding across the ground.
It was fast.
Way too fast.
And strong… yeah, that went without saying.
Every time it moved, the ground cracked like it was being hit by a wrecking ball. I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if one of those bites landed clean.
I ducked under another strike, then immediately had to lean back as the other head snapped toward my throat. Its fangs grazed my shoulder, tearing through cloth and skin like it was nothing.
I forced myself forward instead of backing off, slipping between its necks and swinging at the base of one head. My blade hit—
—and barely did anything.
The scales were ridiculous. The cut was shallow at best, and I had to pull back immediately before it could clamp down on me.
A second later, something massive came at me from behind.
I didn't even think.
I just dove.
The tail passed right over me, close enough that I felt the pressure slam me into the ground anyway.
I rolled, pushed up, barely got my sword up in time—
Clang.
The impact rattled through my arms so hard I almost lost my grip.
"…Tch."
Yeah.
This was bad.
I was keeping up—
But just barely.
Every move felt like I was a fraction too slow. Every dodge just a little too late. Every exchange ending with me getting nicked, grazed, or thrown off balance.
Another attack.
I dodged—almost.
A shallow cut opened across my arm.
Another.
This time I blocked, but the force pushed me back again.
My breathing was getting heavier now. My body was starting to feel it. The damage, the strain, all of it piling up.
But then—
Something shifted.
At first, I didn't even notice it.
The next time it lunged, I moved a bit earlier.
Then it attacked again.
This time, I didn't need to panic-dodge. My body just… moved. The timing felt right. Natural.
Another exchange.
No hit.
Another.
Still nothing.
I blinked once, then let out a quiet breath.
Oh.
I see what's happening.
It was my skill.
[Arete Ascension]
How did I know?
Honestly… I didn't.
I just… knew.
Like instinct.
Like my body figured it out before my brain did.
"…Right."
Arete Ascension.
or
Ἀρετή — the perfection of a hero.
A hero who pursues perfection beyond mortal limits.
A skill meant for someone who continued to pursue something beyond what they should be capable of, someone who refused to accept limits and instead chose to push past them, no matter how unreasonable the challenge might be.
And in return, whenever those impossible challenges were faced—
It granted a massive amplification to one's stats, to turn the impossible into possible.
And me?
I was a Level 1.
Fighting a Level 5 Monster Rex.
By any standard in this world, that should have been impossible.
Which meant this situation was exactly what the skill was designed for.
…I see.
A faint smile formed on my face, not out of relief, but something closer to understanding.
So that was it.
A cheat skill, just as I had expected.
If that was how it worked, then the answer was simple. I just had to keep pushing. Keep challenging.
Because that was the only way it would respond.
The only way it would grow.
The only path to power.
…
Still… why did it only activate now? I frowned slightly at the thought. It wasn't like this was my first time facing something stronger than me. I had already encountered monsters on the earlier floors that I had no business fighting at my level.
Granted, none of them came close to something like the Amphisbaena, but still… they had been dangerous. Enough that I should have been pushed, at least to some degree.
So what changed?
How exactly did the skill decide when to activate? Was it purely based on the gap in strength? The intent behind the fight? Or something more… specific? Some hidden trigger I wasn't seeing yet?
I clicked my tongue softly. There was no explanation.
Unfortunate.
Still, I had learned enough. I understood the basics of how it worked, and for now, that was more than sufficient.
My gaze shifted forward.
The monster in front of me hadn't lost interest. If anything, it looked even more eager now, its presence pressing in, hungry for the continuation of the fight.
I let out a quiet breath.
"Right…"
So be it.
Questions could wait. Doubts could wait. Whatever conditions this skill had, whatever hidden rules it followed, I would figure them out eventually.
Right now, there was only one thing that mattered.
The monster in front of me shifted, its body coiling slightly, muscles tightening as if it could sense what was coming. The air between us grew heavier, charged with something sharp and suffocating.
Good.
Then I moved.
======
3rd POV
"That man is really a monster, huh…"
The words were spoken under someone's breath, barely louder than the distant echoes of battle, yet everyone present heard it clearly.
Dozens of eyes were fixed on a single figure moving deep within the floor.
Loki Familia stood scattered along the edges of the cavern, some perched on higher ground, others partially concealed behind rock formations and twisted roots. None of them moved to interfere. None of them dared to.
They simply watched.
Even from a distance, it was obvious. The monster he was facing was far beyond what a Level 1 should ever engage, let alone survive against. Its presence alone was oppressive, the kind that made weaker adventurers hesitate, their instincts screaming at them to run.
And yet—
"He's fighting it head-on…" one of them muttered, disbelief lacing his voice.
"A Level 1…" another added, quieter this time. "…against something like that."
It didn't make sense.
It shouldn't make sense.
A gap like that wasn't something you bridged with effort or talent. Not in this world. Not in the Dungeon.
And yet they were watching it happen.
Riveria's gaze narrowed slightly, her sharp eyes tracking every movement Leon made. "No," she said after a moment, her voice calm but firm. "Not exactly."
That drew attention.
"What do you mean?"
"His parameters… they've been adjusted. Suppressed."
A brief silence followed.
"…You're saying he did that on purpose?"
Riveria did not answer immediately, but the look in her eyes was enough.
Because they could see it too.
The way he moved. The control behind every step. The absence of wasted motion.
"…He lowered himself to Level 1," someone said slowly, as if trying to make sense of the words even as they left his mouth.
"And he's still doing this…"
A faint tension settled over the group. Not fear, not exactly. But something close. Something that made even seasoned adventurers uneasy.
Because they had already felt it before.
Back in the Dungeon.
And again, inside the tavern.
That quiet, suffocating pressure that didn't need to be shown to be understood.
"…We made the right call," one of them said under his breath.
No one argued.
Not after seeing this.
Not after realizing that whatever Leon was, whatever kind of monster he might actually be, it wasn't something they should provoke lightly.
"…Enough," a calm voice cut through the quiet tension.
All eyes shifted toward Finn Deimne.
The captain stood at the forefront, arms crossed, gaze steady as it lingered on the distant clash. For a moment, he said nothing, as if weighing something only he could see. Then he exhaled lightly.
"As long as we don't get in his way, and we avoid him," Finn said, his tone measured and decisive, "there won't be a problem."
The words settled over the group, firm and absolute.
No hesitation. No uncertainty.
Just a conclusion.
"He hasn't shown any hostility unless provoked," Riveria Ljos Alf added quietly, her eyes still fixed on Leon. "And from what we've seen… he has no interest in us."
"Or anything else, really," someone muttered.
Another adventurer let out a breath. "Still… watching a Level 1 do that…"
"It doesn't concern us," Finn interrupted, not harsh, but final.
That was enough.
Because in the end, they all understood.
Whatever Leon was, whatever anomaly he represented…
He wasn't their objective.
Finn's gaze shifted away from the battle, lifting slightly as if he could already see the path ahead, far beyond this floor.
"We have more important things to focus on," he continued. "Our goal hasn't changed."
A faint pause.
"…We're going deeper."
That alone was enough to shift the atmosphere.
The tension that had gathered from watching Leon slowly dissipated, replaced by something sharper. More familiar.
Determination.
"…To break the record," one of them said, a hint of anticipation creeping into his voice.
Finn gave a small nod.
"Yes."
That was why they were here.
Not to chase after unknown variables. Not to involve themselves in something unnecessary.
They had their own path. Their own ambition.
And compared to that—
Leon didn't matter.
Not as long as he stayed out of their way.
Not as long as they left him alone.
"…Form up," Finn ordered.
The members of Loki Familia moved without hesitation, falling into formation with practiced ease. Their attention turned forward, toward the deeper layers of the Dungeon, where far greater challenges awaited them.
And just like that—
They moved on.
Leaving behind the distant echoes of battle, where Leon continued to surpass the impossible.
=====
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