All of these thoughts flashed through his mind at lightspeed. Leon considered for a moment, then relaxed.
He shrugged, spread his hands, and said plainly:
"First, to answer your first question. I stick to the Middle Floors instead of the Lower Floors because I'm afraid of dying."
Alfia: "..."
This man...
Her narrowed eyes opened slightly again, studying his face with surprise.
That gaze of his was crystal clear. Not a trace of pretense or bravado. Nothing but pure, honest sincerity.
Alfia understood instantly. He meant every word.
And precisely because he meant it, she found it all the more unexpected.
After all, she'd been watching from a hidden corner since long before Leon started clearing monsters. Given the overwhelming combat power he'd displayed, far beyond adventurers of his level, how could someone like that be "afraid of dying"?
Having grown up in Hera Familia, Alfia had never encountered anyone this cautious, this measured...
Just as she was wondering why this powerful yet thoroughly atypical man operated the way he did...
She heard him speak again.
"Now for the second question. This one's even simpler. I'm broke!"
Beneath her hood, the corner of Alfia's lips twitched. This man was becoming increasingly impossible to read.
"Broke?!" Her tone lifted, curiosity piqued. "With your level of ability, how can you be broke? That staff of yours is crafted from a branch of the Elven Great Holy Tree, isn't it? That's no cheap trinket. Worth tens of millions at minimum. You can afford a staff like that, but you're wearing the most pathetic gear imaginable... interesting."
Leon: "..."
What, was he supposed to tell her it was a gift from his buddies in Evilus?
Pay out of his own pocket? Even if the right staff gave a mage a massive boost, that was never, ever happening.
Unless... it was free.
...
"..."
"..."
The conversation died. The two of them stared at each other, lapsing into a long silence.
The cavern was deathly still. Only the faint roars of distant monsters drifted in, making the quiet here feel even more absolute, almost enough to hear dust settling.
Time trickled by.
If he didn't know he couldn't outrun her, he'd activate his Escape Development Ability right now and bolt without looking back.
But with someone as seasoned as Alfia, she'd never give him the chance.
"..."
After an eternity of silence, the "witch" before him broke into an enigmatic smile.
"Didn't you just say... whatever I need, just say the word?"
The moment he saw that smile, Leon's heart lurched. A bad feeling.
But before he could even think, Alfia's "word" arrived.
"Show me what you can do."
"Satanas Verion!"
She snapped her slender fingers...
The next instant, an invisible shockwave erupted outward with her at its center.
A deafening wall of sound slammed through the cavern, the floor ripping apart as if torn open by some colossal invisible plow. Shattered stone flew. Cracks spiderwebbed in every direction.
"Holy shit!!!"
Leon had been watching Alfia's every move. The instant her hand went up, he threw himself backward.
But before he could open any distance, the horrifying soundwave smashed directly into his face.
The Frost Armor encasing his body flickered wildly, straining to absorb and resist the devastating impact.
Less than a second later, his ice armor shattered.
"Fuck!"
Leon's expression twisted. Moving faster than he ever had in his life, he threw up another layer of Frost Armor while simultaneously firing off an Instant Cast Fireball straight at Alfia.
"Fireball!"
Alfia's red lips curled. A flicker of amusement crossed her eyes.
Her magic had been blocked for a full second by that shield?
"A shield magic similar to mine. Not only does it absorb a degree of damage, it also boosts both defenses. Quite an excellent spell."
"But..."
Her voice went cold.
"Not enough."
"Satanas Verion!"
The thunderous roar of sound tore through the cavern again.
"She's Instant Cast too?!"
Leon's jaw dropped.
He barely got the words out before the blast launched him off his feet.
As for his retaliatory Fireball...
Alfia didn't even glance at it.
The searing projectile blazed toward her, and the instant it reached her, it simply... vanished. As if erased by some invisible force.
Gone.
...
Leon's body slammed into the rock wall like a ragdoll.
"Ow... son of a bitch!"
The searing pain in his back forced a sharp hiss through his teeth.
But now wasn't the time to worry about minor injuries. He hauled himself upright, dropped low, and locked his gaze on the "witch" standing exactly where she'd been, not having moved a single step.
Just now, my Fireball was nullified by something.
If I'm right, it's her famous magic... Silentium Eden.
...
Silentium Eden.
Enchant magic.
Nullifies magic, while also drastically weakening her own.
Chant: "Tranquility of the soul."
...
The intel on this magic raced through his mind, and Leon's expression behind the mask turned ugly.
Looking at Alfia's calm, faintly provocative smile, he felt nothing but insulted.
She's got 24/7 magic-nullification armor running on her body. How the hell am I supposed to fight that?
I'm a mage, lady!
He sidled cautiously, constantly adjusting his angle and distance from Alfia, while his brain churned through options at full speed.
Right now, in her current state... there's no way she's still at Level 7. Unless she burns her own life force and activates Gif Blessing to enter Limit Off, her combat power should only keep dropping the longer this drags on.
In other words, the current Alfia can't fight a prolonged battle.
So the right play is to outlast her. If I can just hold on, I might walk away in one piece.
A glint of hope flickered in Leon's eyes, but his face immediately fell again.
So here's the problem: how exactly do I survive Silence's attacks long enough to not die?
Pray?
Leon laughed bitterly, and his eyes went calm.
He stared at her in silence. The fingers hanging at his side twitched.
In an instant:
"Fireball!"
"Satanas Verion!"
The devastating soundwave plowed through the ground again, flipping stone and blasting dust in every direction.
"Oh?"
Alfia sensed something. She swatted the incoming Fireball aside with a casual wave, eyes narrowing as she scanned the dust-shrouded direction.
"..."
A beat of silence. Then a soft laugh.
"Interesting... not an unpleasant sound, that one."
"He actually managed to slip away?"
"Heh... have I really grown this weak...?"
"Still... that man is a slippery one."
Recalling the Familia Crest engraved on the light armor beneath his cloak, her elegant laughter echoed softly through the empty cavern.
"Demeter Familia. How unexpected."
"Hehehe..."
...
...
[Read 60+ chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/NiaXD]