The leaves rustled, and a large flock of birds suddenly took flight, heading into the distance; before long, they vanished amidst the azure canopy of the sky.
Anya revealed a very professional and serious expression, looking as though she was not only accustomed to venturing into the Dungeon but was also incredibly familiar with—perhaps even more skilled at—engaging in mock battles with adventurers.
She stood where she was.
From her pure white apron, she produced a small bell and tied it to the waist of her dark green tavern uniform.
"If Isagi can touch this and make it ring, you win meow!"
Feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity, Isagi wondered, is this paying homage to something?
Apart from that.
The girl also brought out a wooden spear specifically for practice, its tip wrapped in cotton cloth to minimize lethality, and drew a circle on the ground with a diameter of about one meter, centering on herself.
"Meow won't leave this circle either meow."
These were all restrictions Anya imposed on herself.
Otherwise, this training match wouldn't have been viable from the start; between adventurers, level suppression is absolute, something entirely different from defeating stronger monsters across level gaps.
"Start meow!"
"Okay!"
The Shinobi Prosthetic mounted on his left arm ejected a grappling hook in the blink of an eye, pulling the boy's body toward the heights of the forest, causing him to quickly disappear among the dense branches and leaves.
"Meow?"
She seemed a bit puzzled by this.
But in the next second, shurikens rained down from all directions like black ink.
Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang!
The wooden spear in the girl's hands was wielded with airtight defense, blocking every incoming shuriken. Simultaneously, Anya's previously drooping cat ears suddenly straightened, and she turned swiftly to raise her long spear, intercepting the boy's raid descending from the sky!!
Crack!
Wood chips flew.
Isagi held his blade with both hands, constantly slashing at the girl before him. Perhaps due to the buff from the skill named "Sword Saint's Esoteric Art" within the "Land of Reeds" Character Card.
In a trance, he could see "afterimages" of the movements Anya wielding the wooden spear would make next.
Whether it was defense or attack.
The actions the girl might take flashed through his mind in an instant.
At the same time, his body reacted instinctively to this, but Isagi soon realized that his reactions couldn't keep up with his body's speed!
This was the sense of uncoordination brought about by the increase in power after leveling up!!
The sublimation of the "Vessel" didn't just reset previously obtained Ability scores to zero to be re-acquired.
Rather, it simultaneously and significantly reinforced every function of the body.
This is also why the gap in levels between adventurers is so distinct; even a veteran Level 1 adventurer with all stats at "A" or "S" would be easily defeated by an ordinary Level 2 adventurer whose stats might only be "E" or even "F".
What Isagi was perceiving now was exactly that.
The speed of his slashes was at least several times faster than before, causing his thoughts to lag completely behind his movements, resulting in a chaotic, abnormal sensation where his mind had to chase after his body.
Since that's the case, rely on instinct then!
Isagi abandoned thinking and simply let his body "move on its own."
This was evidently a good idea.
The sluggishness that clearly existed between moves just moments ago disappeared; the concrete manifestation of this was that the boy's blade flashes became a few shades faster.
But it wasn't enough, still not enough!
Anya was only defending right now, yet Isagi still couldn't break through her spear perimeter.
However, as time passed, he could clearly notice that many loopholes existed in the girl's "technique."
She was intercepting his slashes purely by relying on speed and reaction, nothing more.
This is a common failing of most adventurers.
They rely on their own power rather than combat techniques. In battles with monsters, they also tend to let rear guards like Mages with powerful firepower resolve the enemies, rather than engaging the monsters themselves to find weaknesses and kill them.
Since that's the case...
In the gap between slashes, Isagi extended his left hand toward the trees on one side. With a click of the ejection mechanism, the Shinobi Prosthetic on his left arm shot out the grappling hook again, rapidly dragging his body into the forest and away from his previous position.
"!"
She was already prepared for Isagi's sudden disappearance again.
Subsequently, several more small shurikens struck, but this time, utilizing the speed of the grappling hook, Anya only had time to notice the rope shooting past her, followed by the boy's figure being pulled rapidly in front of her.
In that instant.
Isagi actively severed the rope himself. Anya only had time to swing her long spear first, knocking away the several shurikens that arrived simultaneously, and then prepared to block the blade the boy was swinging down from the other side.
But this time was indeed different, because while swinging the blade...
Isagi's Shinobi Prosthetic on his left arm transformed again, becoming a hand axe!
Besides the most basic "Grappling Hook" function, the Shinobi Prosthetic contained ten completely different "Shinobi Tools"; the shurikens Isagi shot earlier were one of them.
And the Loaded Axe being used now was the second.
Don't ask why something crudely made, looking like it was composed of just a few pieces of iron, bone, and hemp rope, could hide ten varied Shinobi Tools and transform at will.
The answer is the power of "Skills"; it's quantum mechanics!
Furthermore, Isagi had already tested this thing when he leveled up yesterday; it was completely indestructible. However, when mounted on the left arm, it offered no protective function whatsoever—weapons striking it would still injure his arm, as if it didn't exist at all.
Shocking!
Setting that aside, at this moment, Isagi used the Loaded Axe, following closely right behind the slash from his right hand.
The goal.
Was to chop through the wooden spear in Anya's hand!
As long as she lost her weapon, the cat-girl's combat power would naturally be greatly discounted.
Of course, if she were using that golden, magnificent long spear from before which clearly wasn't simple, he definitely wouldn't have used this tactic, but who told her to use a wooden spear right now!
Adaptability, right!
Anya evidently reacted as well. The result was that this guy actually let go of the weapon with both hands, allowing it to fall to the ground while simultaneously...
Turning, twisting her waist, and kicking a leg right at him.
Earth-shattering wisdom!
Is this still Anya?!
Isagi only had time to barely cross his hands to block this kick, and then his whole person flew backward in the blink of an eye, smashing through several trees in succession before finally coming to a stop amidst a large patch of debris.
"Isagi, are you okay meow?!"
From afar came the voice of the cat-girl.
"I'm fine."
Isagi said, sitting up and taking a sip from the Healing Gourd, instantly replenishing his status to full.
After leveling up, the daily uses of the Healing Gourd increased to four, and resurrection counts increased to two.
So, this was barely scratching the surface.
Continue, continue.
Isagi was full of enthusiasm right now; sure enough, clashing with the strong was always so hot-blooded and intoxicating...
...
In Orario, Cecil and Lefiya, who were driving a wagon delivering vegetables around the city, could already see the Hostess of Fertility pub in the distance. Further away was Central Park ahead, and the Babel Tower piercing into the sky.
The Elf girl subconsciously looked up, seemingly trying to find something up there.
Rumor had it that Goddess Freya, of the city's strongest Familia, often gazed out over this Labyrinth City from the very top of Babel; this was a privilege only the deity of the Familia standing at the apex of the city could enjoy.
"By the way, Cecil, do you know what Familia Miss Anya belongs to?"
"I don't know."
The two girls chatted casually.
Obviously, they were very curious about Anya. After adventuring in the Dungeon together several times—during this period, whenever the idiot cat had her day off on Mondays, she would run over clamoring to take her out to play—Lefiya had gained a profound recognition of her powerful strength.
Then, since Anya still possessed Falna, it meant she must be a member of some Familia, so which Familia was it?
Mama Mia of the pub wasn't a deity.
Cecil was actually very curious about this too, because the fact that Anya turned out to be very strong was quite a shock to her!
Especially when thinking about it carefully.
The Hostess of Fertility pub began operations in the city five or six years ago, and Anya had proudly stated that she was part of the first batch of employees—a veteran senior!
And being a pub waitress, she surely couldn't have gone adventuring in the Dungeon, right?
That means Anya was already a Level 4 adventurer five or six years ago?!
That guy is clearly only seventeen... calculating it like that, she was already Level 4 when she was only eleven or twelve?
At what age did she join a Familia and become an adventurer?
The more she thought, the more incredible it seemed!
Cecil couldn't help but think, could it be that this idiot cat, Anya, is actually a genius?!
___
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