Chapter 64

Chapter 65: What is this interesting creature?

Ais, Refia, and the other three nodded in agreement with Izay’s conjecture.

It was indeed so.

Moreover, there used to be significant improvements after expeditions, but now it had unknowingly slowed down.

No one had thought about the reason behind it.

Because everyone was the same, they considered this normal.

“Mr. Izay… could you possibly know the reason?”

Refia looked at him with disbelief.

“It’s not hard to guess~ It’s because the enemies’ strength is getting weaker, the difficulties faced when defeating them are decreasing, so the experience gained after defeating them also decreases…”

“Eh? Why are the enemies getting weaker? Isn’t it the same every time we enter the dungeon?”

As soon as Tiona asked this question, she received a bonk on the head from her sister.

“Stupid Tiona, our strength is increasing, so relatively, the monsters in the dungeon become weaker.”

“Oh~~ I understand now!”

Even though she got hit, Tiona happily smiled.

“So, if we want to continue getting stronger, we just need to challenge stronger monsters, right?”

After the explanation, Ais also understood the logic, and her eyes couldn’t help but brighten.

“Miss Ais… Lady Riviria won’t allow you to go train in the ‘Deeper Levels’ area…”

When Ais seemed eager to try, Refia ruthlessly poured cold water over her enthusiasm.

Just for Ais to frequently run to the ‘Lower Levels’ alone, it took a lot of persuasion to convince Loki and Riviria.

To go further into the ‘Deeper Levels’?

Refia didn’t think Loki and Riviria would be that lenient with Ais.

The average refresh rate there starts with Lv.4 monsters, and they come in large groups; even someone like Ais at Lv.5 wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.

Sure enough.

Upon hearing Refia’s words, Ais’s expression immediately changed.

She looked like a child who wanted to go out to play but was refused by their parents, looking quite conflicted.

And it seemed she was plotting whether to sneak out…

Seeing this, Tiona slapped her chest and encouraged her.

“No problem! We can accompany Ais together~ Might as well drag that wolf along too!”

“…Yeah! With Tiona and the others!”

“Ah, this…”

For a moment, Refia was speechless.

“Hem hem hem, well, I’m telling you these things not because I want you all to adventure in the ‘Deeper Levels’ daily. How about letting me finish speaking first?”

Seeing that they were almost ready to set off, Izay quickly stopped them.

“Eh? Isn’t that the case?”

“Of course not, I just want you to understand that only when facing strong opponents or being in difficult situations can your basic abilities improve. My intention wasn’t for you to explore deeper levels…”

Upon hearing this, Tione’s eyebrows slightly raised.

“Could it be… Izay, you have a way to face challenging situations while ensuring safety?”

“Hmm, this is related to my magic.”

“Additional Magic?”

The sword maiden remembered this clearly.

After all, in the entire Loki Familia, only she and Izay could use Additional Magic.

But she hadn’t heard that Additional Magic could create difficult situations for people?

Once the magic is activated, fighting monsters above your level isn’t an issue…

“Not Additional Magic, another one. Let me demonstrate for you. Is there anyone willing to lend me their hand?”

Izay felt that demonstrating directly would be faster than explaining.

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

Little angel Tiona eagerly responded, about to run over from her chair.

However, Ais, who was closer to Izay, silently placed her delicate hand in front of him, her expression saying “do as you please.”

“Uh…”

Izay glanced at Tiona standing still and then at the tender white hand in front of him.

He might as well take the one right in front of him since it was already there.

“Excuse me…”

Saying softly, Izay held onto Ais’s wrist.

“Ais-sama’s hand! I’ve never held it before!”

Beside him, a certain little fairy unable to accept reality gnawed on a white handkerchief, glaring with longing eyes.

What is this interesting creature?

Catching the reaction of the little fairy from the corner of his eye, Izay’s heart filled with amusement.

Although he felt her thoughts might have some issues, she currently appeared incredibly cute and silly, making him want to laugh~

But soon regaining focus, Izay channeled his magical power, and a small azure magic circle appeared where he held Ais’s wrist.

Tiny azure particles smaller than fine snow floated around Ais’s wrist, then coalesced into a virtual ring.

Gradually, the ring began to contract and shrink until it completely overlapped with Ais’s skin.

Feeling it was enough, Izay released Ais’s wrist, leaving a beautiful star chart glowing brilliantly in its place.

Soon, Ais couldn’t help but lightly frown, her usually calm expression changing.

As a seasoned ‘Level One Adventurer,’ Ais naturally had excellent control over her body.

She slowly felt the pressure applied to her arm.

It wasn’t just the wrist area; her entire arm was being mysteriously squeezed, as if she had put on an armguard forged from adamantite, making any movement extremely difficult.

Her right hand, which she lent to Izay for demonstration purposes, suddenly hung limply, her control over it plummeting drastically.

Unable to resist, she supported her arm with her other hand, trying to make her right hand feel better.

“Ais-sama, what’s wrong!?”

Noticing Ais’s abnormality, Refia couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Hand… can’t move.”

“Eh eh eh eh???!!!”

Not quite understanding the situation, Tiona questioned.

“Izay… did you hurt Ais?”

To be fair, Ais’s one arm was completely hanging unnaturally, her shoulders uneven, easily giving such an impression.

“That’s not the case. I simply compressed the space around Ais’s arm, making it very difficult for her to move it.”

Izay explained calmly.

Magic ‘Starry Prison’

This is a confinement and control magic that unfolds a star chart as an auxiliary and prerequisite condition.

When the star chart is fully unfolded, the magic is complete.

But the essence of this magic is not merely “confinement.”

Rather, it uses the power of the star chart to distort and compress the surrounding space, achieving a controlling effect.

When the target is pulled to the center of the star chart, the pulling effect is greatly amplified, making it hard to move.

So essentially, this is a spatial-type magic that can warp space.

Stars possess great power, and the star chart revealing a corner of the stars also has forces beyond ordinary people’s comprehension.

It’s just that people find it hard to detect and uncover this power.