The familiar room, the familiar figure.
Laurier fought down the excitement and curiosity bubbling inside her, sitting bolt upright in the chair with her back straight, patiently waiting for Leon to finish updating her Falna.
Now at Lv.4, Leon had long since gotten comfortable with controlling his own magic, Heaven and Earth: Fortune's Blessing.
Though he didn't use it as often as his first magic, All Things' Origin, or his third magic, Leon Hart's Magic Notes, which he cast multiple times a day, his mastery was a far cry from when he'd first started out.
In no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Laurier's Falna was updated under Leon's careful work.
"Whoa, that's something. It hasn't even been a week since you hit Lv.2, and while all that high-intensity, high-frequency fighting in the Water Labyrinth since then has racked up a real chunk of Excelia, the Monster Rex hunt is probably what gave you the biggest push."
"Really!"
"Mm."
"Yesss!!!"
A brilliant smile spread across Laurier's face, her curiosity about how much she'd improved running wild.
Only after Leon finished printing the Falna info onto the parchment and unhooked the lock on her back did he hand the sheet to the girl, who'd long been unable to wait.
"Let me see, let me see!"
"..."
Leon's expression darkened, and he waved a hand at Aura.
"Aura, help this crazy girl straighten her clothes!"
Catching the few cold stares being thrown in from the hallway outside, Leon quickly turned his face away and hurried her along.
"Yes."
Holding back a smile, Aura took Laurier's hand and led her aside. As she helped her tidy up, she also took a curious glance at her friend's Basic Abilities.
She'd improved this much?
Aura was startled inside, but her surprise quickly settled.
He was Mr. Leon, after all...
...
The hallway.
Jeanne let out a cold snort, and together with the sweetly smiling Rose and the expressionless Kureha, she slowly drew back her scrutinizing gaze.
...
Name: Laurier Swall
Title: -
Race: Elf
Profession: Adventurer
Affiliation: Hart Familia
Level: Lv.2
Floor Reached: Floor 27
Basic Abilities:
Strength: I0 → F301
Endurance: I0 → G255
Dexterity: I0 → F389
Agility: I0 → E403
Magic: I0 → E411
Development Ability: Abnormal Resistance H
Magic: Omitted
Skills: Omitted
Equipment: Updating
...
"Wow! Aura, look! My Basic Abilities went up almost 1,800 points total! How is this even faster than when I was Lv.1～～?"
Counting on her fingers as she worked out her own growth rate, Laurier was surprised to find that her Basic Abilities had accumulated at Lv.2 noticeably faster than they had at Lv.1.
Everyone knows that the higher the level, the slower you level up. That's because on top of the Great Feat requirement, the intensity of the fighting keeps climbing too.
Unless you've got a cheat, the average person follows the common-sense rule that higher levels mean slower leveling.
But Laurier's head clearly didn't run on average-person logic.
"Eh?"
A lightbulb lit up over the quiet girl's head, her eyes sparkling.
"Could it be that my talent has finally awakened!? Of course it has, it's me after all! Heh heh heh heh～"
Watching her friend bask in her own goofy delight, Aura sighed helplessly and pressed a hand to her forehead. She stole a glance at Leon beside them, his eyes smiling, and something dawned on her.
It's the effect of Mr. Leon's skill... Laurier's ability growth at the Lv.2 stage is actually faster than during Lv.1. For a change like this to happen means Mr. Leon's skill has grown stronger along with his level.
That's right, that must be it.
At that thought, a faint, barely noticeable trace of admiration quietly colored Aura's gaze as she looked at Leon again.
As expected of Lord Leon!
...
Sitting sprawled at the edge of the bed, Leon could only feel that there was something odd about the way Aura was looking at him.
He had no idea what Aura had cooked up in her head. If he'd known, he'd definitely have tossed out a line like:
Kid, you only guessed half of it. Besides my level going up and boosting Beloved's Blessing, there's also the growing intimacy between us adding its own bonus.
Only with both working together could you explain why Laurier's growth, far from slowing down, had instead gotten even more ferocious.
"Aura, your turn."
"Yes!"
...
Name: Aura Moriel
Title: -
Race: Elf
Profession: Mage
Affiliation: Hart Familia
Level: Lv.2
Floor Reached: Floor 27
Basic Abilities:
Strength: I0 → G277
Endurance: I0 → G249
Dexterity: I0 → F359
Agility: I0 → F391
Magic: I0 → E488
Development Ability: Mage H
Magic: Omitted
Skills: Omitted
Equipment: Updating
...
A growth curve much like Laurier's, even though the former was a magic swordswoman and the latter a pure Mage.
Because of their levels, the two had been kept in the Supporter role within the party under Jeanne's arrangement.
In combat, they usually used shortbows to cover and harass, occasionally casting Magic depending on how the fight was going. Add in the racial bonuses elves got, and it was perfectly normal for their Agility, Dexterity, and Magic to shoot up.
As for Strength and Endurance? As Supporters, they couldn't get by without enough muscle and stamina. While it wasn't the explosive drain of combat, it was a steady, lasting test, the difference being roughly that between a hundred-meter sprint and a marathon.
So while these two didn't climb as much as the talent-boosted Agility, Dexterity, and Magic, they'd still taken a big step forward on the road through Lv.2.
...
"Here, Aura. Congratulations, this time your gains are just about neck and neck with Laurier's. She might have a slight edge in physical stats, but when it comes to Magic growth, you're the faster one."
"Thank you."
Tidying her clothes briskly, Aura respectfully took the parchment imprinted with her Falna info, gave Leon a small bow, and then walked out of the room at a slightly quicker pace.
Clearly, even someone as cool-tempered as Aura couldn't hide her joy at a moment like this, eager to share the happiness with her companions.
After all, a joy shared is a joy doubled.
Sure enough, before long, Laurier's startled cry came from outside the door:
"Huh?"
"Aura... how did your Basic Abilities go up this much too?"
"What?"
"So my talent wasn't one of a kind after all!" Leon, walking out after them, shook his head with some amusement at the sight, then turned to Jeanne, Rose, and Kureha.
"You three are up."
...
...
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