CHAPTER 66: 066 THE SAME ASPIRATION

Although the lights were bright at the Twilight Manor at night, the place where Reiger and Ais met was barely lit, illuminated only by the moonlight shining through the window, casting shadows on both of them.

Reiger looked at Ais, who was silent there, and sighed softly in his heart.

At first glance, Ais seemed no different than usual, still displaying a lack of emotional change, her face expressionless.

However, Reiger still keenly sensed that Ais was not in a good mood.

She was discouraged.

Her mood was very low.

As Loki had said, the girl seemed rather downcast.

Seeing the girl who had taken good care of him over the days, not only teaching him magic and swordsmanship but also often accompanying him in sparring, Reiger couldn’t pretend he hadn’t noticed her condition.

"What are you doing here?"

Reiger moved closer, leaned on the window like Ais, and looked out at the night view as he spoke up.

"..."

Ais didn’t speak, just stared into the distance.

Reiger glanced at the parchment in Ais’s hand and said, "Is the harvest this time not satisfactory?"

Hearing this, Ais was silent for a moment, then handed over the parchment to Reiger.

"May I?"

Reiger furrowed his brows and asked.

Ais nodded, letting Reiger take the parchment.

On the parchment, there were the ability values Ais had just updated.

...

Ais Wallenstein

Lv.5

Strength: D549 → D555

Endurance: D540 → D547

Dexterity: A823 → A825

Agility: A821 → A822

Magic Power: A899

Hunter: G

Abnormal Resistance: G

Swordsman: I

...

Seeing these ability scores, Reiger roughly understood why Ais was so emotionally low.

It was not because of anything else, but because the scores this time were really poor.

An expedition in the underground city, struggling for more than three weeks in very deep layers, contending with countless high-class monsters, yet the overall proficiency had risen by barely 20.

Such an increment was indeed very disappointing.

At least, for Reiger, who had never experienced growth below 500 before, this number was indeed a bit heart-wrenching.

All Reiger could say to Ais was, "Don’t take it too much to heart, it’s not that you aren’t trying hard enough, it’s just that your ability values are nearly maxed out."

Reiger wasn’t just trying to console Ais.

In his view, the main reason Ais’s growth was so poor was because her ability growth had peaked.

"Strength" and "Endurance" were not Ais’s forte, and for both to reach the D tier was already quite good.

"Dexterity" and "Agility" had already reached the A tier; any further progress to the highest S tier would be extremely slow, which was perfectly normal given the closer it gets to S, the slower the growth.

"Magic Power" goes without saying; just one point shy of the S tier, it definitely wouldn’t be easy to advance any further.

Taken together, Ais’s poor growth this time was not due to her own faults, but because she had almost reached her limit at Lv.5.

"...I know."

Ais finally spoke.

However, her voice wasn’t as calm as usual, but somewhat weak.

"At this stage, I have reached the limit, even if I cut down thousands or tens of thousands more monsters, my proficiency won’t increase much, I can feel it."

Now, Ais had no room for growth anymore.

The current ability values were Ais’s limit, leaving no significant room for development.

It had been over three years since she reached Lv.5, and the so-called ’bottleneck’ had placed a wall in front of Ais, making significant improvements difficult.

Ais was aware of this, which was why she felt so disheartened.

"How about you?" Ais turned her gaze to Reiger and asked, "Have you leveled up?"

"Yes." Reiger met Ais’s gaze and nodded.

"I thought so." Ais’s eyes became somewhat complicated as she murmured, "Just three months, and you’ve caught up to me."

That blow, at this moment, was indeed somewhat great.

But it couldn’t be helped, as the one who had witnessed Reiger’s rise to this point, Ais knew very well that catching up to her was only a matter of time.

Nobody knew better than she how fast Reiger’s growth was and how great his potential was.

She had realized then that this man, too similar to herself, would soon catch up when Reiger was still at Lv.1 and could push her back with a single sword strike.

Now, he had done it, while she was still unable to widen the gap, still marking time.

"What should I do?"

Ais involuntarily spoke.

"What?"

Reiger was slightly startled.

Yet Ais was staring straight at him and said, "How can I become as strong as you, so quickly?"

This had been something Ais had wanted to clarify ever since she saw Reiger’s capabilities.

She was so proactive in sparring with Reiger, unreservedly letting him learn her swordsmanship, and perhaps also wanted to closely observe him to understand his secrets to rapid improvement.

However, what Ais saw was only a man who was rapidly advancing, continually moving forward, constantly climbing upward, and evolving into a true powerhouse with astonishing speed.

As for the secrets, she saw none.

Originally, Ais would have never spoken of these thoughts.

But in this moment, Ais couldn’t help but voice it, making no attempt to hide her own desire to become stronger.

This left Reiger speechless on the spot.

"I’m sorry," Ais realized belatedly, looking at Reiger with full remorse, "I asked some questions that troubled you."

The question was indeed difficult for Reiger to answer.

He couldn’t just say that he had simply been working hard to kill monsters every day, and that’s how he improved to this point, could he?

That would be like kicking someone when they’re down.

Thus, Reiger gathered his thoughts before speaking again.

"Actually, I can understand your urgent desire to become stronger," Reiger said, "I too wish to become stronger swiftly, to become stronger than anyone else so that I can fulfill my longstanding wish."

"Longstanding wish?" Ais was successfully intrigued.

"Yes," Reiger spoke lightly, "I want to break free from others’ control, from their gaze and schemes, to run towards the path I choose, no longer numb, no longer drifting along with the current, arranged by others."

This was a sentiment only Reiger understood; Ais did not.

But upon hearing the term "longstanding wish," Ais felt a certain resonance with Reiger.

"So you are like me..."

Ais looked at Reiger with an even more complex gaze.

She too had a longstanding wish, or rather, a sad wish she hoped to fulfill.

That’s why she was so desperate to become stronger.

Naturally, Reiger knew this, and even knew what that secret longstanding wish in Ais’s heart was.

Therefore, he could say such a thing.

"It seems we are similar in many ways, but the most similar must be this, right?"

Reiger chuckled lightly; his voice reached Ais’s ears.

"We both seek to grow stronger in order to fulfill the deep-seated wishes within our hearts, so I truly understand your sentiment," Reiger looked at Ais and continued, "Unfortunately, I can’t offer you any mature advice in this area, as I am still exploring myself, just luckier to have seized an opportunity that could help achieve my goal. I’m really sorry."

If there were any secrets, Reiger would certainly not be stingy and would be willing to share everything with Ais.

But he had none.

His rapid growth was mainly due to "Fool’s Obsession."

This was something he could not share with others.

Thus, Reiger was entirely unable to alleviate the anguish and doubts in Ais’s heart.

"The only thing I can do is simply listen to your troubles," Reiger smiled and said, "If you ever have something to say, or are feeling upset and don’t know who to talk to, just tell me."

"If this can lessen your confusion and distress a bit, I’m very willing to be a listener."

With these words, Ais also looked intently at Reiger.

Reiger did not divert his gaze but continued to look back at Ais.

Though their eyes were different in color, they shared the same emotions, the same dedication.

Looking at these eyes that so deeply resembled her own, Ais indeed felt some relief from her internal agony.

"Thank you,"

Ais took a deep breath and thanked Reiger.

"No need," Reiger saw Ais brace herself a bit and then asked, "Feel better now?"

Ais nodded, turning her gaze back towards the window, her golden eyes hardened with resolve.

"If there’s no room for growth at this stage, then let’s move on to the next," she stated.

Reiger clearly understood what that meant.

"You’re planning to level up?"

This was Ais’s only option.

Since she had already reached her limit at Lv.5 and could progress no further, the only way for Ais was to try reaching Lv.6.

Only with a level up could her abilities significantly increase, her "vessel" would be sublimated to its utmost, and then she would unfold more possibilities and new potential.

If she did not manage this, Ais would never experience any significant growth in the future.

"Keep pushing," Reiger watched Ais, who had made up her mind, and said, "If you need my help with anything, just let me know."

That was all the support he could provide.

"Thank you,"

Ais thanked him again.

The two simultaneously looked out the window, no longer speaking.

The moonlight spilled over them and lingered long on their bodies.

...

The conversation between Reiger and Ais was known to no one.

Even the high ranks of their families, who returned from their expedition on the first day, were too consumed with rest to care much about anything else.

The others did the same, each beginning their rest and recovery.

The three-week-long expedition had truly left many exhausted both physically and mentally; only by resting well now could everyone be healed.

Until the next day, news not only spread within the Loki familia but also throughout Orario.

"Reiger has successfully advanced to Lv.5,"

The news sent shockwaves throughout the city.