Night had begun to fall.
After leaving the Adventurer Guild, Fang Li's group naturally dispersed, each member heading their own way.
"Hū…" Fang Li let out a long breath as he sank into the soft, cloud-like bedding. "Finally… some peace and quiet."
This wasn't a bustling inn packed with rowdy adventurers, but a quiet manor Fang Li had rented for himself.
The building was spacious, while it couldn't compare to the stately grandeur of the Tohno family's Western-style mansion, nor did it reach the eccentric elegance of Roswaal's estate, it was still more than worthy of being called a villa.
In this world, most adventurers lived as drifters, wandering from city to city, rarely tying themselves down. For that reason, they tended to stay in inns rather than own property.
Fang Li was no exception. He had always prepared himself to move at a moment's notice, and so, instead of buying a home, he opted to rent.
Now, he was thankful for that decision. If he'd stayed in a noisy adventurer inn, peace and solitude would've been impossible.
Recalling the events of the day, Fang Li let out a quiet sigh, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It's been a while… since things felt this lively."
Yes…
"Tiring as it was… it wasn't so bad."
That was Fang Li's honest feeling.
Perhaps it was because, until now, he had always walked his path alone.
Even when others had fought by his side, they were seasoned allies, calm, competent, rarely causing issues. But now? The people around him felt like overgrown children, clumsy, unpredictable, and often causing trouble.
And strangely enough… that made it all feel refreshing.
"I guess… I won't be so lonely from now on." He muttered to himself, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pendant-bound card.
Suspended by fine threads of woven mithril, the card resembled a decorative charm, but it was much more than that.
It was his Adventurer ID.
Etched into its surface was his current standing:
-------24
That number represented his level. Fang Li had officially reached Level 24.
With that advancement came not just a rise in prestige, but a significant influx of system rewards, namely, skill options and status points.
In total, he had received 24 free stat points, and out of those, 20 had already been allocated.
Name: Fang Li
Race: Human
Class: Genestellar
Title: Knight of the Guard
Level: Fourth Rank
STR (Strength): 82 (+50)
VIT (Endurance): 74 (+50)
AGI (Agility): 179 (+50)
INT (Mystery): 165 (+50)
These were Fang Li's current base stats.
He had evenly split the 20 unallocated points between Agility and ntelliigence, two attributes that reflected both his speed in battle and his grasp of metaphysical forces.
With that, his total combat stat pool had reached the benchmark of 500 points.
Subtracting the bonuses granted by his Class and Title, a collective 200 points, that left a natural stat growth of 300.
And this was the ceiling for a Fourth-Rank combatant.
From here, all that remained was to clear this dungeon assignment and return to the Main God's Dimension to apply for a Rank Advancement Trial, a formal rite to ascend to Third Rank.
Third Rank.
That was the turning point, what many called the "Core Tier" of the Main God's Dimension structure.
At that level, whether standing in the hub of the Multiverse or stepping into the crucible of a Dungeon World, one would no longer be a mere survivor.
They would be recognized… as an elite.
Up until now, Fang Li had encountered his fair share of Third-Rank enemies. But foes who reached Second Rank or above? Those were exceedingly rare.
If he were to tally them, only a handful came to mind, like the True Ancestor Princess, Arcueid, and Alastor, the God of Retribution. Individuals of that caliber barely grazed the edges of Second Rank.
In other words, Third Rank was the norm, the true backbone of the Main God's operative force. As for Second Rank, such beings were anomalies, rarely seen even within the Main God's Dimension itself.
And First Rank?
Those were the stuff of legend, transcendent figures whispered about but seldom encountered.
Because of this, attaining Third Rank meant one could roam most Dungeon Worlds with ease, if not unchecked dominance, then at least freedom.
Given Fang Li's current strength, already rivaling most named Third-Rank characters from narrative-driven worlds, the number of real threats he'd encountered had dropped dramatically.
But what if he actually ascended to Third Rank?
What if Sylvia advanced with him?
That thought alone made his heart stir.
"I should take this opportunity to rack up more stat points while I can, so I'm not scrambling for them when I return." Fang Li had responsibilities now. He wasn't just fighting for himself anymore, he had people depending on him.
Back home, a delicate girl waited for him, someone whose meals and survival were now tied to his efforts.
"I still haven't decided how to allocate the skill points on my Adventurer Card…"
As the only Classless Adventurer, Fang Li lacked any magical affinity. Even if he acquired high-tier skills, without mana reserves, most of them would be useless to him.
Because of this limitation, Fang Li could only focus on fundamental abilities, like One-Handed Sword and Dagger Mastery, which bolstered physical weapon proficiency.
Skills like these didn't require mana to activate. Otherwise, he'd be constantly forced to channel magical energy just to fight, which was simply unsustainable.
So for now, Fang Li focused on non-magical skill branches.
Currently, his Adventurer Card's Skill Library had several learnable entries available.
But after a thorough review, Fang Li realized most wouldn't help him much, at least, not in his current combat style.
"No rush. These skill points won't vanish, I can cash them in when the timing's right."
With that thought, he slipped the Adventurer Card back into his pocket.
Along with it, nestled on a chain of enchanted mithril threads, was a ring, one he wore as a pendant.
As his fingers brushed the ring's surface, a familiar figure flickered through his memory, a proud, lonely girl with noble eyes.
"If she ever joins this team... maybe I'll never have to feel alone again."
That comforting thought lingered in his mind as his eyes slowly closed, and he drifted off to sleep.
…
The next morning – Adventurer Guild
"Are we heading out on a quest today?"
As soon as the group assembled in the guild hall, Megumin raised her staff high, practically radiating anticipation.
"This is the perfect time to unleash my power! No matter the monster, I'll obliterate them all with the ultimate Explosion Magic!"
Her enthusiasm so early in the day made it clear, joining a questing party had been a dream long in the making for her.
Meanwhile, Kazuma and Aqua both yawned, visibly less eager.
"A quest already...?" Kazuma muttered with the energy of a sleep-deprived NEET. "Let's just take care of those last three frogs and be done with it."
"F-Frogs again…?" Aqua looked pale, shivering at the memory. "Please, anything but that. I don't want to be swallowed again..."
Strange. Weren't they both boasting yesterday about how frogs were easy targets?
Watching his eccentric, overly dramatic team act up again, Fang Li didn't even bother with a tsukkomi. Without a word, he pulled out a quest slip.
"Today's target: the White Wolf Pack."
(End of Chapter)
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