Babel, Plaza.
As night fell, the magic stone lampposts around the plaza lit up one by one, casting a bright glow that illuminated the towering limestone tower.
Ais emerged from the tower, her dazzling golden hair untamed, and her body bore traces of dirt and disarray.
Even so, she still attracted countless gazes, becoming the center of attention.
"Look, it's the Sword Princess."
"The Loki Familia chick?"
"Yep, as beautiful as ever, no less than Goddesses."
"Guess she just got back from the dungeon, huh?"
"Totally, always diligent. Came back from an expedition and straight into dungeon dives every day."
"If only I could become a first-class adventurer..."
"C'mon dude, it's not that simple, you know?"
Amidst the crowd discussions, various emotions converged in the gazes directed at Ais—admiration, love, envy, and astonishment.
As one of the most famous figures in Orario and the mascot of Loki Familia, she inevitably drew attention wherever she went, not to mention her beauty that rivaled Goddesses.
Ais was accustomed to it—or rather, she had long stopped caring.
She kept her head slightly lowered, walking through the crowd, her mind occupied with other thoughts.
Perhaps, she was thinking about her own problems.
Her gaze grazed her own back, and the first thing that came to her mind was today's battle and the accomplishments gained yesterday.
...
Ais Wallenstein
Level 5
STR: D535 → D536
END: D531 → D532
DEX: A813
AGI: A810
MAG: A888
Hunter: G
Abnormal Resistance: G
Swordsman: I
...
This was the latest achievement Ais obtained after updating her status at Loki's divine room yesterday.
If this result were to leak, many people in Orario would have been astonished.
Both 'STR' and 'END' had reached D-rank.
'DEX', 'AGI', and 'MAG' simultaneously reached A-rank.
Even the development abilities were usually obtained only when leveling up, Ais had three of them. Although their ranks were not very high, compared to situations where adventurers leveled up without even gaining any development abilities, this achievement was considered excellent, enough to make others envious.
With no trace of politeness, Ais's status was at a top tier among Level 5.
In Orario, and even worldwide, there were very few individuals with a status higher than her in the Level 5 category.
However, when thinking about her own status, Ais felt a slight gloom.
'Too slow...'
That's what she was thinking.
These days, Ais had been tirelessly exploring the dungeon, delving into floors that regular adventurers found challenging to reach.
The floors she reached were at least in the floors below the 20th Floor, and every day she faced monsters classified as at least Level 3 by the Guild.
On such floors, amidst such groups of monsters, Ais killed countless monsters every day, from dawn before the sun rose to dark nightfall, returning home looking disheveled and weary.
However, despite all the hard work, after those few days, only the proficiencies of 'STR' and 'END' had slightly improved, while the other basic abilities hadn't budged at all. This had made her mood unpleasant since the night before.
At that time, seeing Ais in this state, Loki decided to speak up.
"I say, Ais, what you've achieved is pretty impressive, you know? Remember, you're Level 5. Your status could grow in just a few days of killing monsters way below your level is commendable already. Not everyone can pull that off."
With her usually squinted eyes wide open, Loki looked at Ais with a serious expression.
"To achieve such results, children at your level usually struggle for several years, even more than a decade. Since you leveled up to Level 5 only three years ago and have reached high status, your potential is considered the highest in our Familia. Even Finn and Gareth didn't grow as fast when they were at Level 5."
"We hope you all become stronger and more outstanding, but everything has its limits. Even we as Gods, don't expect our children to become heroes overnight."
"You're already running fast; running any faster might make you stumble."
"So, sometimes, you have to know when to stop, understand?"
Loki's sincere advice echoed in Ais's heart. But in the end, she was still dissatisfied with her growth speed.
It had been over three years since she reached Level 5, and she knew she had achieved commendable results at this level.
However, knowing the recent growth in her status was minimal, the frustration it brought wouldn't stop.
In the dungeon, she battled monsters for days, yet the proficiency improvement in her basic abilities was only two points. How could she be happy with that?
A while ago, she fought in the deep floors below the 50th Floor with her familia for about two weeks, defeating numerous monsters classified as Level 4 or even higher. However, in the end, she only gained a total of about ten points in basic abilities proficiency.
It was too slow.
Too slow for her satisfaction.
Too slow, making her heart shrouded in despair.
Especially after seeing someone growing at a speed that could be considered breaking the rules, her feelings were not just dissatisfaction but urgency and impatience.
How much longer would it take for her to become strong enough at this rate?
'Fool's Obsession...?'
Ais recalled that unheard-of and unseen skill, her mind filled with thoughts.
A skill that could accelerate growth and enhance one's potential limit.
Why didn't she have such a skill?
'...What kind of obsession would trigger that kind of skill?'
Based on the discovered ability of falna, whether it was magic or skill, it was all related to one's nature or interests.
In other words, it was the crystallization of longing, the fruit of imagination or fantasy.
It sounded like a miracle that could turn fantasy into reality, just by thinking about it. But in reality, it wasn't so.
In this world, countless people desired to get stronger quickly, but among them, had anyone awakened a broken skill that could accelerate growth and enhance potential ridiculously?
If it was something that man could think of, why didn't she have it?
Could it be that her wishes and feelings of wanting to get stronger were lost to that man?
Could it be to possess a skill like 'Fool's Obsession', merely having fantasy was not enough?
The more exaggerated the skill, the more astonishing its effects, and the more it tested one's innermost thoughts and heart. Only when these inner thoughts and hearts were recognized and strong enough could they materialize during the blessing process.
'What kind of obsession made him awaken such a skill...?'
Ais fell into contemplation over this question. In her mind, there was only the face of a young man who seemed calm and composed but carried a sharpness and excitement in his eyes.
Ais Wallenstein yearned for power.
An insatiable yearning.
Because she had a wish, a grudge.
For this, she had to get stronger as soon as possible.
Embracing this wish and grudge, she continued to pursue the secret of getting stronger.
However, just as Ais was about to leave the plaza and enter the main street, she noticed some commotion.
"Hurry to the Guild...!"
"We must report this...!"
"Something's wrong! Something big is happening!"
"An irregular appeared on the 6th Floor, there are casualties among the adventurers...!"
A group of adventurers who had just returned from the dungeon were in disarray on the street, their terrified appearance and bloodstained bodies causing Ais to stop in her tracks.
"Irregular?" Ais furrowed her brow slightly as she heard the term that used to make adventurers nervous.
Especially the following words caught her attention even more.
"Someone witnessed a Human swordsman fighting an unknown monster, and there's a female Elf by his side!"
Unluckily, Ais happened to know of such a combination. A combination that had just appeared today, surprising even herself.
She overheard the familia's members discussing it when she left the manor in the morning.
'Could it be Riezel and Lefiya?' Ais felt somewhat uneasy.
In the upper floors where a party of three was the norm, would it be a coincidence for a party consisting of only a Human and an Elf to appear?
Ais didn't think so.
"6th Floor..."
Muttering to herself, Ais turned around and began to run.
Her destination was the dungeon.
===
Dungeon, 6th Floor.
As soon as Ais stepped into this place, the unease in her heart turned into reality.
There was no other reason.
She saw, on this floor that only rookie adventurers used to explore, many lay on the ground, lifeless, with high-quality body equipment. It was evident that their strength was impressive, adventurers who would have traveled deeper into the dungeon.
Their corpses painted the ground and walls with crimson blood, their gruesome deaths making her deeply uncomfortable.
This told her that there was indeed an irregular here, a powerful unknown monster had appeared.
In her mind, flashes of two familiar figures, lying in a pool of blood with a lifeless expression, crossed her thoughts. Ais forcefully shook her head to dispel the images, yet her pace unconsciously quickened.
"Is it over here?"
Not long after, Ais noticed a tremendous noise, like the sounds of something in fierce combat. She hurriedly made her way to the source of the noise.
Before long, she arrived at the battlefield.
Soon, she saw the familiar figure of her junior.
"Lefiya!" Ais unconsciously yelled.
However, instead of Lefiya, who used to run over with a moved and happy expression upon hearing her call in the past, this time she just stood there, staring blankly ahead.
Ais followed her gaze and, in turn, lost her own voice.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
A massive, unique breed of monster appeared in the narrow passage, emitting an ear-splitting roar.
In that roar, there was anger, hostility, berserk, fury, hysteria, and, finally, a hint of fear.
*ROARRR—!!!*
Soon, Ais saw the massive monster she had never encountered before, roaring in agony.
In front of it, a fearless figure drenched in blood charged and rushed forward.