Chapter 24: Pressure

Chapter 24: Pressure

The events that took place in Loki's divine room were known only to the executives of Loki Familia.

But from that day on, members of Loki Familia were surprised to find out that, for some reason, the executives like Bete, Tiona, Tione, and even Ais, who had recently become even more silent than before, were constantly running outside every day.

The frequency of their appearances in Twilight Manor dropped drastically, with them ignoring the handling of loot and even skipping celebration banquets upon returning from the expedition.

This puzzled many members of Loki Familia, leading to widespread speculation.

"Yo, what's the deal with them?"

"Why are they running outside all the time?"

"Is there some urgent business they're dealing with?"

"I heard someone spotted them venturing into the dungeon before sunrise and not coming back until way past bedtime. Is this some spontaneous burst of determination?"

"But seriously, why?"

The members were filled with questions, and some even approached the three top executives for answers, only to receive a more confusing response.

"They're just feeling pressure. Don't bother them; let them go."

This was the consistent response from the three, leaving the Familia members who got wind of the information somewhat at a loss.

"Pressure?"

"Do the executives feel it too?"

"Who could be putting pressure on them?"

This was the most perplexing aspect.

Unfortunately, the three top executives had no intention of explaining, just smiling and brushing off the matters, leaving the Familia members curious but unable to press further.

Riezel also learned about this, and although somewhat surprised, he didn't find it surprising.

As Loki had mentioned, anyone with a competitive spirit and ambition would feel pressure when chased by someone with a cheat behind them. Especially these executives, who were originally talented.

They were not like the three top executives, who were older and more mature. It's natural for them to have some competitiveness and refusal to lose.

In terms of age, the executives were quite young after all.

For example, the Amazoness twins, Tiona and Tione, despite being Level 5 first class adventurers, were only 17 years old, the same age as Riezel in this life.

Ais, the strongest swordswoman in Orario, the record holder for the fastest ascent to Level 2, was only 16 years old this year, one year younger than Riezel.

Bete was a bit older at 22 this year, but compared to the three top executives, he was still a youngster.

Finn, the seemingly young Pallum, was already 42 years old, and Gareth was 56. Riveria, as a High Elf with a long lifespan, was said to be only second to Loki in age within the Familia. No one dared to ask, fearing that a careless question might turn them into ashes.

Compared to those three, Ais and the other executives were indeed young, explaining Gareth's complaints about them being restless and not growing up.

In this situation, although Riezel was a rookie, he was in the same age group as the four executives.

Given that, being seen as rivals was only natural.

Even though Riezel was well aware that, if he counted the age from his previous life, he was definitely the elder among the executives, with an age only slightly younger than the three top executives in the Familia. However, in the eyes of outsiders, he undeniably appeared as a young junior.

If she judged that Ais couldn't continue like this, it was indeed possible for her to intervene.

"Yosh!"

While Riezel was lost in thought, Loki's relaxed voice rang out.

"Here, this is your latest status."

She handed over the parchment to him, who took it and began reading.

...

Riezel Brynhart

Level 1

STR: D555 → C678

END: D548 → C666

DEX: C623 → B772

AGI: C637 → B793

MAG: I0 → F314

...

"Tch, tch, another exaggerated growth spurt."

Loki, gulping her drink, whether trying to drown herself in alcohol to numb the creeping sensation of Riezel's rapid growth or simply getting used to it, wore a grin.

"With a total proficiency increase of over 850, especially the growth in 'MAG', it's enough to scare any God. You've been using Ais's magic a lot lately, huh?" Loki clicked her tongue in amazement.

She had a point.

In recent times, Riezel indeed focused heavily on practicing magic for the growth of 'MAG', making frequent use of 'Ariel'.

And the results proved it to be a wise decision from the start.

The ultra-short chant magic was very convenient and easy, with an activation speed of just one second. Unlike other magic that would lose its effect after a single blast, enchant-type magic's effects would last for a while, not immediately wearing off. During this time, Riezel was effectively using magic.

Such frequent magic usage was naturally reflected in the growth of 'MAG'. Coupled with the nature of enchant-type magic, which required him to charge into the frontlines and engage in close combat even after using magic, it simultaneously worked as training for other basic abilities.

He didn't lag behind in any aspect of improvement.

"However, the growth speed in other basic abilities has decreased..." Riezel said with a certain uneasiness.

"Be content, kiddo." Loki rolled her eyes, speaking grumpily. "Take a look at the stage your status has reached. If you don't slow down, I might start suspecting you're not mortal but some God's illegitimate child."

As one approaches the S-rank, the growth of basic abilities naturally slows down. With Riezel having two abilities reaching B-rank, the growth of basic abilities slowing down was a fair and reasonable outcome.

"By the way, considering where you're at now, you're probably ready for a level up, yeah?" Loki glanced at Riezel, tossing out a question while holding her bottle of wine. "What's your take?"

At her question, Riezel fell into deep thought.