Chapter 45: Chapter 45
"Take care of Aisha." Samira handed her friend to the others, then charged straight toward Kiriya.
Bang!
She rushed in.
Then she was knocked out in one punch.
Blood sprayed from her nose, and Samira’s skull rang like someone had opened a whole instrument shop inside her head.
Even as she lost consciousness, she still didn’t understand why she had lost so easily.
Ais, however, saw it clearly.
The battles Kiriya had fought were all too high-level. He had faced a Level 4 Floor Boss, seasoned Level 5 adventurers, and elite Level 3 and Level 2 opponents.
His combat skill and battle sense had already surpassed the scope of Level 2.
A mere level 3 like Samira was no threat to him.
Kiriya blew imaginary smoke from his fist and looked at the stunned Berbera.
"Hurry up and take your people away! And don’t show up in front of me again. If I see you once, I’ll beat you once."
With that, he gave the renard girl, Sanjouno Haruhime, a long look before heading deeper into the Dungeon.
That girl’s ability was extremely rare.
Even Kiriya wanted it badly.
But now wasn’t the time.
He still needed more strength. Otherwise, even if he took her away, he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
Rather than forcefully taking her now and facing endless attacks, it was better to leave her in the Ishtar Familia’s hands for a bit.
Once his strength grew again, he could crush the Ishtar Familia and take the renard girl for himself!
"You should leave quickly," Ais advised them. "This is the Dungeon. It isn’t kind to the injured."
She hurried to follow Kiriya, leaving the Berbera behind in silence.
...
Clatter.
The smoking pipe in Ishtar’s hand fell to the floor.
The goddess didn’t seem to notice as she stared hard at the Familia member kneeling before her.
"What did you say? Aisha lost, Phryne lost too, and both of them lost to that Level 2 brat?"
"Y-Yes." The Berbera trembled.
Her goddess’s aura was far too terrifying right now! Those eyes looked as if they wanted to swallow her alive.
"Useless. Completely useless!" Ishtar flew into a rage and swept everything off the table.
In seconds, the grand office was a complete mess.
Ishtar breathed heavily, her eyes shifting between rage and thought.
In the end, her expression calmed, and she let out a chilling laugh.
"Yes... that’s how it should be. Exactly. Only by claiming a talent like that can I drag that woman down. Heh... hehehehe..."
Her laughter grew louder, until it sounded as though she was running out of breath.
The Familia member started to worry that her goddess might laugh herself to death!
"L-Lady Ishtar?" the follower asked nervously.
"You said Phryne had the upper hand at first, and only lost because she got careless and was caught by his magic, correct?"
"Yes."
"Phryne did not use Haruhime’s magic before fighting that boy?"
"Yes."
"I see." A thoughtful look flashed through Ishtar’s eyes.
She figured out Kiriya’s current level.
Through that strange magic, the boy had gained the ability to defeat a Level 5.
But the victory had still been a narrow one.
As long as Phryne went all out from the beginning, she should be able to defeat him completely.
And if that still was not enough, they had Haruhime, their trump card.
If Haruhime had been able to use her magic in the battle, the result could have been different.
"Tell Phryne that I’ll give her one last chance. Take Haruhime with her, and she must bring that boy back to me!" Ishtar gave the order.
"Yes..." The Familia member answered, but she didn’t rise.
Ishtar looked at her in confusion.
"What else?"
"Um... Lady Phryne is still recovering and her injuries are quite serious. The healer said... she needs at least three days before she can recover eighty percent of her combat strength."
The follower wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
Kiriya’s weakening methods had indeed taken effect.
Phryne’s life force had been badly depleted, and she needed several days of proper rest before she could move again.
Ishtar nearly cursed out loud.
Thankfully, she held herself back. Otherwise, her goddess ’elegance’ would have been completely gone.
"Three days. I’ll give her three days." Ishtar gritted her teeth. "The best elixirs, the best healers, the highest-grade potions—use them all. Get that stupid pig fixed as fast as possible. Otherwise, she knows the consequences!"
"Yes!" The Familia member answered and hurried away.
And so, while the Ishtar Familia poured resources into Phryne’s recovery, they also watched Kiriya’s movements closely.
...
Three days passed in a flash.
Kiriya
Level 2
Strength: SS 1003 → SSS 1128
Endurance: SS 1014 → SSS 1132
Dexterity: SS 1023 → SSS 1121
Agility: SS 1056 → SSS 1136
Magic: SS 1078 → SSS 1167
Magic: Forest of All Things, Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality, Blade Storm
Skills: Wish of the Strong, Demon Slayer
Development Ability: Mage I
Looking at the parchment, Kiriya let out a long breath. "Finally. I’ve reached this step again."
"What’s with that tone?" Hestia complained. "Your stats are shooting up like they’re riding the wind, but you sound like one of those adventurers who spent years barely scraping points together! You’re acting like an old man."
"Haha. I guess I’m too impatient." Kiriya scratched his head and laughed.
"So? Do you want to Level Up now?" Hestia asked. "Your ability values have reached their limit, and you’ve completed plenty of great deeds. You’ve met all the conditions."
"The limit?" Kiriya looked at the long string of numbers, his face thoughtful. "But I feel like I’m still far from my real limit."
"True." Hestia remembered the shocking numbers Kiriya showed when he rose from Level 1 to Level 2.
She nodded in agreement. "Now that you mention it, I’m curious how far you can push it too."
"But how are you going to train?" Hestia tapped a finger against her chin. "The middle floors of the Dungeon have reached their limit for you. You won’t get that same growth speed there anymore. But if you go down to the lower floors... going alone is still too much."
On that point, Kiriya had an idea.
He knew a place.
It wasn’t as dangerous as the Dungeon, but it still offered plenty of chances to gain some ability values.
There were even extra methods and resources there that could strengthen him further!
’It’s time to go back to that world and take a look.’
Kiriya silently made up his mind.
---
Naruto World for a bit.
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