Thanks to Vester 1 became a member of 🥇 Shibai - The Divine Reader
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When Roy got up, the grimoire that had been pressed beneath him was revealed. The strange characters on its pages had already disappeared, leaving behind nothing but blank sheets of paper.
Ryuu's sharp eyes immediately caught sight of it.
"A grimoire?!"
True to her reputation as an experienced adventurer, the elf girl instantly understood what had happened after linking it with Roy's earlier dizzy state—he had read a grimoire.
This boy was far too mysterious. By this point, even if he pulled out a grimoire worth over a hundred million valis, she would not be too surprised, nor did she feel any interest in probing its origins.
"Did you succeed?"
Ryuu asked. But seeing the excitement written all over Roy's face, the question felt unnecessary. Out of courtesy, she offered her congratulations.
"Congratulations. And now, you should get up from Lady Astraea's bed."
Once she knew that Roy had fainted onto Goddess Astraea's bed because of reading the grimoire, the icy tension on Ryuu's small face finally eased back into calm.
Although he was reluctant to part with Astraea's soft, fragrant bed, the joy of obtaining magic far outweighed everything else. Immersed in that excitement, Roy paid it no mind and dashed out of the room.
After dinner, Roy could hardly wait and left the Court of the Stars, heading straight for the Dungeon. On the surface, who knew what kinds of monsters or ill intentions might be watching him?
Testing magic inside the Dungeon was safer.
Standing by the window, Ryuu watched Roy's figure flash through the darkness, faster than a startled rabbit.
During dinner, she had already learned that Roy had reached LV.2 and awakened magic. Such terrifying growth speed was almost unbelievable.
Ryuu did not know when Roy had first received a blessing, but watching his status surge again and again, she was certain that the time it took him to advance from LV.1 to LV.2 was even shorter than Ais Wallenstein's.
"…Sigh."
The elf girl let out a helpless sigh, silently picked up her wooden sword, draped on her cloak, and left the Court of the Stars, following after Roy.
Newcomers who had just awakened magic often got overly excited and recklessly cast spells until their mind was exhausted and they collapsed. At night, in Orario or the Dungeon, that could easily lead to danger.
After fighting together so many times, Roy's calm and steady image had already been deeply ingrained in her mind. She had thought he would be able to restrain that impulse.
Now it seemed there was a side of him she did not yet know. With her strong sense of responsibility, she could not just stand by and watch.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Seeing Ryuu secretly following and protecting Roy, Goddess Astraea wore an indulgent, aunt-like smile.
…
Before the last War Game, a Guild staff member named Ramel had come to the Court of the Stars to confirm Roy's familia affiliation and, incidentally, complete his adventurer registration.
Roy could now enter the Dungeon openly.
In the spacious plaza of Babel Tower, Roy felt several gazes land on him.
That was nothing unusual.
Through the War Game against the Rudra Familia, Roy had become famous in a single battle. Although he was only LV.1 at the time, his reputation in Orario rivaled that of some LV.2 adventurers.
Of course, most people treated him as nothing more than Ryuu's accessory. A mere LV.1 would just be cannon fodder in a War Game—no one believed he was actually useful.
No matter what, he was famous now.
Among those gazes, Roy sensed disdain, mockery, and a faint trace of malice.
Adventurers were among those who valued fame and profit the most. Roy was like a dark horse that had appeared out of nowhere.
LV.1 adventurers felt it was unfair—if everyone was LV.1, why was he stealing the spotlight? LV.2 adventurers were also unhappy that Roy's fame surpassed theirs.
A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Roy's mouth. He did not take these small fry seriously at all.
They did not dare make a move on him anyway.
If some hotheaded fool actually rushed at him, Roy might even think more highly of them. But these seasoned veterans valued their lives too much—they would never have that kind of courage.
After entering the Dungeon, Roy did not go too deep. He stopped at a chamber on the fifth floor. This time, he was here to test his magic, not to explore.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The wall cracked open, and seven or eight goblins and earth spirits leapt out, immediately locking onto Roy.
Lord of Thunder!
An excited smile appeared on Roy's face. With a thought, he mobilized the magic within his body.
After awakening magic, the method of using it appeared in his mind immediately, like an instinct etched into his very being.
Generally speaking, casting magic required chanting and consumed a corresponding amount of mind (magic power). The longer the chant, the greater the spell's power.
But his magic was extremely rare. It required no chanting—only the activation of magic power.
Crackle! Crackle!
Magic surged within Roy. Golden lightning burst across the surface of his skin, crackling loudly. He looked like a thunder god descending to the earth.
Then, all the golden lightning on his body converged into a single point, forming a golden humanoid figure whose outline closely resembled his own, its surface flickering with tiny arcs of electricity.
"Go—kill them," Roy said.
The lightning incarnation sprang into action, darting forward like true thunder and plunging into the monster group, unleashing a brutal slaughter and rapidly killing the monsters.
Roy carefully observed the lightning incarnation's combat.
He had consumed fifteen percent of his mind. This lightning avatar was equivalent to a LV.1 adventurer with A-rank overall abilities, and its attacks were imbued with lightning attributes.
It was more than enough to deal with monsters on the fifth floor.
Bang!
At that moment, the wall beside Roy cracked open again, and three goblins leapt out, lunging straight at him.
"Transform."
Roy merely glanced at them, his expression unchanged, his lips moving slightly.
In an instant, the lightning incarnation transformed—from a humanoid shape into a giant wolf. It dropped to all fours, stood about a meter tall, and its eyes gleamed brightly.
Just as the goblins were about to reach Roy, a golden wolf's shadow flashed past at incredible speed. Its ferocious jaws snapped shut, biting off the heads of all three goblins.
Roy seemed to realize something. The smile on his lips grew wider as he walked up to the golden wolf and placed a hand on its head.
"Transform again."
He imagined the shape of a greatsword.
Sure enough, the lightning wolf's form changed once more, becoming the greatsword he envisioned. Golden currents of electricity coiled around the massive blade.
Wielding this thunder greatsword, Roy swept through the Dungeon monsters as if he had activated some kind of cheat—one strike, 999 damage, instantly wiping out large groups of enemies.
In the end, the greatsword transformed into a golden ball of lightning that landed in Roy's hand. He casually tossed it out.
Boom!!
The golden lightning sphere exploded the moment it fell into the monster horde. The terrifying power instantly annihilated thirty or forty monsters, leaving not even magic stones behind.
"Hahahahaha!"
Roy could no longer suppress the joy in his heart and burst into wild laughter.
A magic that controlled thunder.
Thunder that could freely transform into any form. As long as he had enough magic power, he could continuously cast spells—perhaps even summon an entire army.