Chapter 40: More Effort Needed

In the courtyard of the Dusk Manor.

Today, as usual, there were people practicing here.

Rige and Ais were engaged in a fierce sword dance, their swords flashing in a grand spectacle.

Unlike before, today's sword dance was far more intense than any previous session, and both Rige and Ais were in unusual states.

Rige seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. With every casual movement, he could stir up a gust of energy, and his speed was fast enough to break the sound barrier. His sword slashed out countless cold, sharp beams of light, like a relentless storm, unceasing and boundless, attacking Ais at breakneck speed.

Facing such a Rige, Ais no longer fought with just the sword scabbard as she used to. Instead, she wielded a silver military knife, darting back and forth in the storm of sword blades Rige created, frequently slashing and deflecting the incoming attacks. Her every move lacked the composure she once had.

The two swordsmen, a man and a woman, engaged in intense combat in the rather narrow courtyard, chasing each other at terrifying speeds. Their figures crossed, creating a scene of flashing blades and swords, cutting into the ground and completely disrupting the air, creating a storm-like atmosphere that was breathtaking.

"Amazing, so amazing..."

Raphia, holding two towels, stood by the side, watching the battle, but was so frightened that she trembled pitifully.

The intensity of Rige and Ais's practice was so great that it left onlookers speechless.

"Clang—!"

At one moment, with the violent collision of their swords, the two, who had been chasing each other at incredible speeds, separated.

Rige retreated several meters, while Ais only took a couple of steps back, faring much better than Rige.

"——"

The two faced each other, maintaining their distance, creating a tense atmosphere as the air gradually calmed down.

After a while, they ended their standoff, seemingly by mutual agreement, and simultaneously sheathed their swords.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Rige! Miss Ais!"

Seeing this, Raphia reacted, quickly approaching and handing the towels to Rige and Ais.

"Thank you."

Rige and Ais both thanked her, and at the same time, extended their hands to take the towels, their movements perfectly synchronized, giving the impression of a deep bond.

"Hmm..."

Raphia, seeing this, felt a mix of envy and heartache, her cheeks slightly puffed up.

Unfortunately, neither Rige nor Ais noticed, as they were looking at each other.

"From your movements, it seems you've adapted quite well, haven't you?"

Ais spoke with an uncertain tone.

"Fairly well," Rige smiled slightly, "Although some of the movements still feel a bit unnatural, it's almost there. Now, I just need to get used to the current strength of my body."

"That's good." Ais nodded, staring intently at Rige, "You've become so strong, even though you just leveled up. You feel stronger than many of the 4th-rank adventurers I know."

Hearing this, Rige's face remained calm, but his heart was not.

In just over a month, he had risen from a 1st-rank adventurer to a 2nd-rank adventurer, and he was quite satisfied with his progress.

The protagonist of the original story took four and a half months to go from 1st to 4th rank, while Rige had managed to do it three months faster. If he were not satisfied with this, he would truly deserve to be punished by the heavens.

Moreover, whether it was from 2nd to 3rd rank or from 3rd to 4th rank, Rige had fully realized his potential, only choosing to level up after all his abilities reached SSS, thus accumulating a high level of potential. This foundation was much stronger than that of the original protagonist, let alone compared to ordinary people.

Additionally, the development abilities he chose at 3rd rank, "Swordsman," and at 2nd rank, "Light Armor," which enhanced his abilities, along with the high-level sword skills he had honed through frequent practice with Ais over the past month, meant that although Rige had just reached 4th rank, his strength was already on par with the best 4th-rank adventurers.

This was without even considering magic. If magic were factored in, especially with the game-changing ability "Wind Spirit Dash," Rige might even be able to compete with 5th-rank adventurers.

This was evident from the fact that Rige could force Ais, a top 5th-rank adventurer, to take a couple of steps back, which was not an exaggeration.

This was different from the previous month, when he had caught Ais off guard and launched a surprise attack. This time, it was the result of a direct confrontation.

No wonder Ais had said what she did.

However, every advantage has its downside. Rige's rapid improvement also meant that each time he leveled up, his strength increased to a level his body could hardly adapt to.

That was why Rige and Ais were practicing here, to help him adapt to his body and the current level of strength.

In summary, Rige had indeed grown and become much stronger.

Although he still felt that he was not strong enough, the fact that he had improved so much in just over a month was something even Rige could be proud of.

Of course, this progress, when seen by Ais and Raphia, who also yearned for growth and strength, made their feelings particularly complex.

Especially Raphia, as Rige's teammate and a witness to his journey, felt both admiration for Rige and frustration with herself.

"Mr. Rige is already 4th rank, but I'm still only 3rd rank. It's really embarrassing."

Raphia hung her head in dejection.

Ais, standing beside her, also had a serious expression, feeling an indescribable pressure.

Even though she could still slightly outperform Rige, seeing him grow at such a "cheating" speed gave her a sense of being caught up.

After all, she was only 5th rank.

Rige needed just one more level-up to catch up with her.

At that time, with the strength, potential, and talent Rige had demonstrated, could she still outperform him?

The more Ais thought about it, the more uncertain she felt, and the more uncertain she felt, the more pressure she felt.

"Don't say that." Rige shook his head and said to Raphia, "I just have the advantage of my skills. With your potential, I'm sure you can quickly reach 4th rank too."

At least, according to Rige's knowledge, Raphia had already trained her "Magic" attribute to the C stage.

According to the leveling rules, as long as one of the basic attributes was raised to the D stage, one could level up by achieving a great feat.

Raphia already had the qualifications to level up, lacking only the high-level experience points that could be considered a great feat.

This was not very difficult.

With so many 1st-rank adventurers in the Loki Family, if they really wanted to, they could easily help Raphia accumulate the necessary high-level experience points.

So, as long as Raphia was willing, reaching 4th rank was not a difficult task.

The difficult part was leveling up to 5th rank.

To reach this level, ordinary great feats were not enough. One needed to accumulate more high-level experience points and defeat stronger enemies.

A feat that could make someone reach 5th rank was not something even the leaders of the 6th-rank factions could easily accomplish.

This was why, in the Loki Family, there were many 3rd and 4th-rank adventurers, but only four 5th-rank adventurers.

The high-level experience points needed to reach 5th rank were not easy to accumulate.

"I wonder how long it will take me to reach 5th rank."

While comforting Raphia, Rige also thought about this.

To reach 2nd rank, Rige took 7 days.

To reach 3rd rank, Rige took 15 days.

To reach 4th rank, Rige took 30 days.

At this rate, could he successfully reach 5th rank before the 100-day dimensional travel limit expired?

"It seems I still need to work harder."

Rige's thoughts were something that would make Ais and Raphia feel even more complex emotions.

"By the way, Mr. Rige."

Suddenly, Raphia seemed to remember something and looked at Rige.

"What is it?"

Rige came back to his senses and faced Raphia.

"Before I came, I ran into Lady Riria." Raphia said, "Lady Riria told me to tell you to go to the leader after your practice with Miss Ais is over."

"The leader?" Rige asked, puzzled, "Does the leader need me for something?"

"I don't know." Raphia shook her head, "But since it's the leader, it must be something important."

"Is that so?" Rige thought for a moment and then nodded, "Understood, I'll go to the leader."

"Okay." Raphia had no objections.

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

Thus, Rige walked into the manor in front of the two girls.

"Miss Ais, are you free now?" Raphia, seeing Rige leave, immediately became somewhat hesitant, shyly asking Ais, "Would you like to go out together?"

Raphia's invitation was met with Ais's blunt refusal.

"No, I still need to practice."

Feeling the pressure and stimulated by Rige's rapid progress, Ais had no other thoughts, only the desire to get stronger as quickly as possible.

"..."

Raphia's shy expression turned forced, looking stiff and on the verge of tears.

On the other side, Rige was walking through the sky bridge, entering the northern tower.

In the Dusk Manor, among the three towers allocated for male use, Finn's personal room and office were located in the northern tower, opposite the main entrance.

Rige, following his memory, arrived at a room and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Finn's response came from inside, and Rige pushed open the double doors and entered the room.

The room was connected to Finn's personal room and served as the office of the clan leader.

As the office of the clan leader, the room was quite spacious, with bookshelves lining the walls, a vibrant carpet, and even a long, rectangular clock, giving it a warm and cozy feel.

Finn was sitting behind a large desk that seemed out of place with his small stature.

In the office, not only was Finn present, but the clan leaders Riria and Gries were also there.

"Everyone is here?"

Rige was somewhat surprised.

His intuition told him that perhaps something important was about to happen.

New book, seeking support! Seeking recommendations! Seeking collections! (*^▽^*)

(End of Chapter)