*BOOM!*
With a tremor shaking the ground, Riezel kicked Gazef into the dirt, sending up clouds of dust and debris while creating a pit.
*Cough!*
Gazef coughed out all the air from his lungs, gasping as if choking, which strained his voice.
"Warrior Captain!"
"Warrior Captain!"
Seeing such a scene, the surrounding warriors were immediately alarmed, rushing to pull Gazef out of the pit.
"You okay?"
Riezel asked casually as he landed from the air, glancing at Gazef, who was being helped out of the pit created by his fall.
Gazef felt a heavy pain in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe and even grip his sword.
With one hand supported by one of his warrior subordinates and the other pressed against his chest, Gazef looked at Riezel with shifting emotions in his eyes.
Not just him, but even all his subordinates looked at Riezel with completely different eyes.
It couldn't be helped.
Clearly, the whole battle situation was different from what they had predicted.
They had originally thought it would be a fairly even match or that Gazef would have a slight advantage in close combat, but let alone a fairly even match, it had turned into a one-sided battle favoring Riezel.
Against Riezel's fierce attacks, Gazef couldn't put up even a bit of resistance. Even when he went all out and reached his limit, unleashing seven Martial Arts, Riezel still crushed him with ease.
Yet that wasn't the most shocking part.
What shocked them the most was that this young man, said to be a magic caster capable of using 5th-Tier Magic, hadn't used magic at all throughout the battle.
What did this mean?
It meant that Riezel hadn't even gone all out, yet he had completely overwhelmed the Re-Estize Kingdom's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff!
Needless to say, this was an extraordinary situation that would cause chaos throughout the Re-Estize Kingdom and its neighboring countries if it became known!
Meanwhile, the one responsible for this extraordinary situation was now standing in front of Gazef and his subordinates, looking somewhat distracted as they met his uncertain gazes.
It was truly a helpless situation.
Seeing Gazef, who could barely stand, Riezel felt a strange sensation in his heart.
'He's so weak...'
Riezel nearly let this thought slip out of his mouth.
Was Gazef really the so-called someone within the Realm of Heroes in this world?
If he were honest, Gazef felt more like a Level 3 adventurer in the world of Danmachi who had just leveled up.
Given this, was it fair to say that the Realm of Heroes was actually a realm equivalent to Level 3 in the world of Danmachi?
Did that mean a swordsman like Tanjirou could belong to the Realm of Heroes upon entering this world?
If that was the case, he had to admit that this so-called Realm of Heroes was truly a joke.
'No, that's not right. I can't think like that...'
Riezel shifted his thinking and reminded himself that the natives of this world originally weren't strong.
For example, the adventurers in this world, who were divided into eight ranks, sounded amazing and extraordinary, but compared to the players in YGGDRASIL, their levels were actually relatively low.
Copper Adventurers and Iron Adventurers, being the lowest rank and barely stronger than regular militia, were only equivalent to Levels 1 to 7 in YGGDRASIL and could only use magic up to 1st-Tier Magic.
Silver Adventurers and Gold Adventurers were on par with regular or elite soldiers, but they only matched Levels 8 to 14 in YGGDRASIL and were only able to use magic up to 2nd-Tier Magic.
Platinum Adventurers and Mithril Adventurers were considered high-rank adventurers, equivalent to Levels 15 to 21 in YGGDRASIL, and could only use magic up to 3rd-Tier Magic.
Orichalcum Adventurers and Adamantite Adventurers could compete with those among the top of this world's countries, but they were still only comparable to Levels 22 to 28 in YGGDRASIL, with most able to use magic up to 4th-Tier Magic.
As for those within the Realm of Heroes who could use 5th-Tier Magic, they were equivalent to Level 29 and above in YGGDRASIL.
In other words, reaching Level 29 in YGGDRASIL meant entering the Realm of Heroes in this world.
Considering that the highest level in YGGDRASIL was Level 100, max-level players in this world were almost invincible, while the natives could hardly be considered strong.
Simply put, those known as heroes among mortals were merely ants compared to the players, hardly better than mobs of monsters in YGGDRASIL.
'So... the powerhouses in this world really only come from non-human races and those from YGGDRASIL, huh?'
Riezel sighed sadly at this reality.
A good example was the Floor Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
He still remembered that last night, when they silently surrounded him, he had even felt a hint of threat from them.
Aside from them, there was the dragon race that had once ruled this world, especially the most powerful among them, known as the 'Dragon Lords', who could threaten even the players from YGGDRASIL.
In conclusion, the so-called strongest in this world should belong to them, not to these so-called heroes among mortals within the Realm of Heroes.
Understanding this, Riezel felt a sense of relief, feeling that there was still hope.
Nevertheless, after his battle with Gazef, Riezel was sure of one thing—Gazef had clearly not fully entered the Realm of Heroes.
In YGGDRASIL, Gazef was roughly equivalent to Level 28, having only stepped into Level 29 thanks to the power of his magic ring.
'It seems that if I want to find a worthy opponent, I'll have to look for one in the Great Tomb of Nazarick... or I could go after those Dragon Lords... At worst, there seem to be one or two decent opponents in the Slane Theocracy, right?'
Riezel pondered quietly, waiting for Gazef to catch his breath.
About two minutes later, Gazef finally eased the pain in his chest, broke free from his subordinates' support, and arrived in front of Riezel.
"I lost."
Gazef admitted his defeat calmly, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at Riezel was even brighter than before.
It was the joy of seeing a height he couldn't reach, realizing that such a powerful being existed among humans.
"According to our prior agreement, since I lost, I won't mention the commission anymore." Gazef continued, looking as if he had made up his mind. "But, Sir Brynhart, may I ask you for one thing?"
"What?" Riezel asked calmly, his eyebrows raised.
Gazef immediately displayed the expression of a man ready to face death.
"If I don't survive, could I ask you to help the Re-Estize Kingdom if it faces trouble in the future?"
Gazef unexpectedly made such a request.
""Warrior Captain!""
Upon hearing Gazef's request, his warrior subordinates gasped in shock.
However, Gazef raised his hand, signaling for them to be quiet.
"With Sir Brynhart here, the villagers are safe, right?"
Gazef spoke while looking directly into Riezel's eyes.
"If that's the case, I can confidently choose to retreat. If my men and I can escape smoothly, that would be great, but if not, if we miss the best chance to leave and are caught off guard by the Slane Theocracy's schemes, then we'll have to rely on Sir Brynhart."
"Please..."
Gazef bowed deeply to Riezel.
However, as Gazef bent down to bow, Riezel pressed him back up.
"Enough, don't make it sound so tragic..." Riezel sighed tiredly. "I remember I mentioned I'd decide whether to accept your commission after seeing your strength, not that we'd drop it if you lost, right?"
Upon hearing this, Gazef was taken aback for a moment but quickly caught on.
"You mean...?"
Gazef and his subordinates looked at Riezel with surprise.
"I can accept your commission." Riezel responded calmly.
He had initially wanted to gauge the strength of those within the Realm of Heroes through Gazef, so he could assess the overall power of this world. Now that he had achieved this goal, he didn't mind helping this Warrior Captain, whom he found somewhat likable.
Of course, it wouldn't be for free.
"How about this for payment?"
Riezel pointed to the magic ring that Gazef was wearing on his finger.
"..."
Gazef fell silent immediately.
However, his subordinates reacted intensely.
"You can't, Warrior Captain!"
"It's too important for you to lose it just like that!"
"Don't do it, Warrior Captain!"
Gazef's warrior subordinates voiced these objections in succession, firmly rejecting the idea.
They had followed Gazef for a long time and understood well that if he lost the magic ring, he would no longer be able to enter the Realm of Heroes in his normal state, which would be a huge blow to him.
Gazef was also well aware of this fact.
However—
"...If I lose my life, no matter how good a magic item is, it'll just end up in the hands of those bastards from the Slane Theocracy."
Gazef rubbed the magic ring on his finger, looked at Riezel for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"Besides, this ring was given to me by someone else, so why can't I pass it on to someone else too?"
Gazef took off the magic ring without hesitation and handed it to Riezel.
"Let's consider this a token of gratitude for saving this village."
Riezel stared at Gazef's sincere face for a moment before accepting the magic ring and examining it.
Even though he knew the magic ring was quite special, his desire for it had actually come on a whim.
At first glance, the magic ring seemed to help Gazef move from being half in the Realm of Heroes to fully entering it, and the increase in power didn't seem too exaggerated.
In reality, however, its true function was to allow the wearer, specifically with warrior-oriented job classes, to break through their limits and unconditionally increase their level.
In other words, even if they were players from YGGDRASIL, whose level was limited to Level 100, as long as they used this ring, they could exceed the game's maximum level limit and surpass Level 100.
Such an effect was pretty scary.
One should know that even in the world of Danmachi, only Riezel and the protagonist could break through the status limits and the thresholds of Falna, yet the magic ring could nearly allow anyone wearing it to achieve such a feat—truly an astonishing item.
Riezel was curious about what would happen if he used the magic ring, so without hesitation, he put it on his finger and unleashed its power.