"Perhaps today… practical combat training should be a bit harsher?"
"After all, he's already an upper-tier Level 2 adventurer. Having just completed a level ascension—high-intensity sparring could also help Ron raise his ability values a little."
Early morning.
After tidying up her room, the elf girl looked at the training wooden swords in her hands. In the end, she quietly untied the cotton cloth wrapping one of them.
Although she hadn't asked in detail how long it had taken that guy to complete his upgrade.
A genius.
But who among them hadn't once been one?
Even so, she still felt happy for Ron in her heart.
At the very least, he wouldn't end up completely unable to return from some future expedition due to the "Dungeon's hatred." If one were to count relationships, she supposed they could at least be considered friends.
Just as Ryuu was about to head out.
The door to the adjacent room was quietly pushed open, and what came into view was Syr, lazily stretching, her movements outlining the perfect curves of her figure.
She knew that Ryuu had the habit of doing morning training every day.
But when Syr saw the two wooden swords in the girl's hands, she couldn't help but feel curious. "Good morning, Ryuu. Starting your morning training this early?"
"I thought I heard you talking just now…"
"So did something happen last night?"
"Yes."
Ryuu nodded frankly.
After all, any adventurer who broke through to Level 2 could be easily inquired about in Orario. After a moment of thought, she explained the situation to Syr in a serious tone.
"Ron—he's completed his level ascension."
"I've accepted his training commission, so I'm considering whether to be a bit more serious. That way, I can also help Ron quickly adapt to the changes that come with leveling up."
Only—
Even the girl herself failed to notice that after the Dungeon experiences of recent days, she had begun to constantly mention that guy's name.
"So fast!"
Syr's surprise was genuine.
When gods came to the Hostess of Fertility tavern, she generally didn't pay too much attention to what happened there, in order to avoid exposing the game.
As for the Ron mentioned by Ryuu—
She recalled that encounter at the street corner—the streak of frenzied crimson on the boy's body—and afterward, she had not paid much further attention to the matter.
However—
It seemed she had missed something rather interesting?
"Ron—if I remember correctly, he should be the boy who wanted to go on a date with you that day, right? How did even the way you address him become so intimate now?"
"That was a misunderstanding."
The elf girl emphasized seriously.
And in the face of her close friend's teasing, Ryuu no longer felt the initial awkwardness. When she recalled the agreement she had made with Ron in the Dungeon, an answer quickly formed in her heart.
She had to go all out!
Mainly because, over the long time she had spent in Orario, she had absolutely no experience when it came to "dates," nor had she made any preparations at all…
"I'm heading off to morning training first. We'll talk later."
...
After successfully breaking through to Level 2, the most convincing way to prove the increase in strength was to be able to land effective attacks on Ryuu with a training wooden sword during actual combat training.
And then, once the fight truly began...
Ron very quickly started to question his own existence, staring at Orario's azure sky and at the figure of the girl drawing close, a trace of apology flashing through her eyes.
His mood was extremely complicated.
"Why does it feel like… even after the level ascension, the gap between me and Senior Ryuu is still that huge?"
"…"
That was because she hadn't yet prepared herself for the date.
So she absolutely would not hold back.
Just because one hasn't seen a pig run doesn't mean one hasn't eaten pork. On weekends, there were plenty of couples dating in Orario, even if she didn't know the specifics.
But it was definitely a form of intimate contact…
When she imagined such a scene happening with Ron, her face inexplicably began to feel hot.
Ryuu chose not to tell Ron the real reason. Looking at the black-haired boy lying on the floor, she asked with concern in her eyes, "You're fine, right?"
"Of course."
Ron sprang straight up from the bluestone floor in a single smooth motion.
After an adventurer's level ascended, the most immediate sensation he felt was that his reaction speed seemed unable to keep up with his body's movements.
Although his ability values had been reset to zero.
All of his bodily functions had received a tremendous boost. The speed of his sword swings was several times faster than before, to the point that his thoughts couldn't keep up with his actions.
Flustered and chaotic, if he had to put it into concrete terms, it felt roughly like riding a Ghost Fire motorcycle at 200 km/h—his body flying ahead while his soul chased after it.
"Continue training."
And then, Ron chose to give up thinking, and instead chose to trust his body's instincts.
After widening the distance from Ryuu once more, the previously obvious sense of drag between his movements gradually faded, and his actions in combat became increasingly smooth.
But it still wasn't enough!
Ryuu didn't even make any unnecessary movements—she simply focused on defense. Yet no matter how fast Ron swung his blade, he was still unable to break through her guard.
Until, in the end, he had already given up on the idea of striking the girl at all.
The weapon was not a greatsword, but using it wasn't particularly difficult. When his final swing was once again deflected by Ryuu, Ron used the rebound force to retreat rapidly.
After halting his steps, facing the girl's horizontal slash toward his abdomen, he chopped downward with full force to block while flipping through the air in a "wolf leap" posture, both hands tightly gripping the wooden sword.
Launching a counterattack toward Ryuu.
Lion's Claw!
Bang.
At the moment the weapons collided, tremendous force burst forth, scattering countless wood splinters.
This was a clash in the truest sense!
It even caused a rare trace of surprise to surface in Ryuu's previously calm eyes—although the attack had no real effect, the presence of technique could still be clearly felt.
At this point, she gave an evaluation straight from the heart: "A very good move."
"If I weren't on guard, this kind of counterattack would easily achieve the result you want. But it might also just be my illusion—somehow it feels like the training wooden sword…"
"…can't bring out its true power."
"I suggest you pair it with a greatsword. As long as you successfully block the attack, even if the enemy reacts, their movements may not necessarily keep up."
"…"
So this was the experience of a veteran adventurer?
Ron didn't deny it.
Setting aside self-harming buff-stacking combat arts like "Seppuku" and "Bloody Slash" that increase damage, the "Lion's Claw" attack he had just used—
In the world of DanMachi, it was more like a counter made by the body's instinctive adaptation.
He blinked. "Then can I go home and bring my greatsword over to spar with you, Senior Ryuu? Of course… it'd be best if you kept using the training wooden sword!"
"…"
She didn't say a word, only looked at Ron with a gaze like she was looking at an idiot.
Ryuu truly wasn't good at scheming or mind games, but the way this guy had spoken just now—it was practically as if the abacus beads were about to fly straight into her face.
Still, worried about dampening his enthusiasm for training, the girl said seriously, "If you really are using this as motivation, then I hope you can achieve your goal with real strength."
"Of course..."
At that, Ryuu only left her back to Ron, softly murmuring, "I actually… also need enough time to prepare myself mentally."
Because—
She had already begun to realize that she seemed not to be as resistant to this guy as she had imagined…
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