"I hope it will make me even stronger."
"I hope it will make me even safer."
"And I hope it can carry me through any adversity, flying out of the underground, straight to the clouds."
When using the Grimoire, Leon had once given voice to such aspirations.
These were the most genuine thoughts drawn out under the effects of the Grimoire—an answer born from his subconscious that could not be faked.
Ultimately, guided by the Grimoire, Leon's aspirations blossomed into a sprout of possibility, giving birth to the flight magic: Comet Chaser.
This magic, capable of continuous acceleration, would undoubtedly make Leon stronger.
This magic, capable of providing continuous protection, would undoubtedly make Leon safer.
Breaking through all adversity, flying out of the underground, and reaching straight to the clouds—this most fundamental desire had transformed this magic into a unique form of flight magic.
Flight, acceleration, and protection; the practical utility of this magic, which possessed all three effects simultaneously, was absolutely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Finn and the others vaguely sensed this point, prompting them to exchange glances.
"As for the acceleration aspect, we caught a glimpse of it just now. It's truly powerful."
Recalling the scene from a moment ago where Leon transformed into a comet streaking across the sky, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye, Finn had to admit that Leon's speed in that state was indeed incredibly fast—fast enough that even he probably couldn't keep up.
He was not an adventurer specializing in Agility, after all, but a technique-oriented fighter with outstanding Dexterity. Within the entire Loki Familia, only Bete specialized in Agility. Not only were Bete's basic status parameters exceptionally high—reaching S at almost every level—but he also possessed skills that increased his speed, resulting in extraordinary footwork that made him second to none within the Loki Familia.
Yet, the speed Leon unleashed right at the start was already not inferior to Bete moving at full throttle. Moreover, he could continue to accelerate over time. As long as his Mind could sustain the activation of this magic, Leon would sooner or later possess a speed that no one could rival, outstripping even that Level 6 adventurer from the Freya Familia who was known as the fastest in the city.
Such an acceleration effect could be called staggering. Paired with flight, it would absolutely turn Leon into a literal speeding star on the battlefield, completely unstoppable.
Only—
"What about its defensive capabilities?"
Finn turned his attention to this question.
"Very strong," Leon replied quite straightforwardly.
"How strong?" Finn raised an eyebrow once more, inquiring with great interest.
"Let me think..." Leon pondered for a moment before offering his reply. "If I had possessed this magic back when I was Level 2, Goliath's full-powered punch probably wouldn't have even been able to break my defense."
The moment these words were spoken, the entire courtyard fell dead silent.
Everyone lost their voices simultaneously, lapsing into silence.
Leon's underlying meaning was easy to grasp: this magic would allow him at Level 2 to ignore the attacks of a Level 4 Floor Boss, completely blocking Goliath's raw power.
This was an astonishing defensive effect that could completely safeguard him even across a gap of two levels.
This was actually not difficult to understand.
Comet Chaser was magic, after all. Since it was magic, the strength of its effects was determined by the height of his Magic parameter.
With Leon's Magic parameter reaching SSS at every single level, his magic was never going to be weak by any means.
Coupled with the triple amplification from Eternal Star Soul, which enhanced magical effects, boosted the utility of Mage, and highly reinforced his Magic parameter, this layer upon layer of amplification meant that Leon's Comet Chaser was naturally only a notch weaker than magic firepower enhanced by a Magic Power developmental ability.
In other words, if Level 3 Leon possessed magical firepower comparable to Level 5, then once he activated Comet Chaser at Level 3, the resulting speed and protection would undoubtedly reach a level comparable to Level 5 as well.
Now that he was Level 4, upon activating Comet Chaser, even if his speed and defense didn't quite reach Level 6, they would absolutely not be far off.
Consequently, the moment he activated the magic, his initial flight speed could stand on equal footing with Level 5 Agility-specialist Bete. As time passed and he continuously accelerated, his speed would eventually surpass Bete's, while the defensive effect would reach a degree where Level 5 attacks completely failed to break his guard.
With this kind of defensive power, even if he faced the pollen bombs of those Demi-Spirits again, he would be able to emerge completely unscathed, wouldn't he?
Furthermore, Leon possessed a set of first-tier defensive gear: the Goliath Robe.
With the two factors stacking together, Leon's current defensive power had already reached a terrifying intensity.
A single thought surfaced in the minds of everyone present, including Finn.
"The utility of this flight magic is probably not inferior to Ais's wind magic."
This was a highly startling realization.
As everyone knew, Ais's Ariel was an incredibly anomalous magic.
Despite being a magic with a super-short chant specifications, it not only possessed all-purpose power functioning as both offense and defense, but it could also grant Ais a mighty efficacy that allowed her to contend against a Floor Boss single-handedly. This had already exceeded the boundary of enchantment magic. Let alone super-short chants, even enchantment magic with exceptionally long chants might not necessarily produce such a grand effect.
Thanks to this magic, Ais, who was originally only Level 5, became the strongest female swordsman in the city, possessing cross-level strength that allowed her to stand on the same peak as the Level 6 veterans.
Now, the utility displayed by Leon's Comet Chaser was already not inferior to Ais's Ariel at all, and was perhaps even stronger.
At the very least, in terms of acceleration, Leon's magic was definitely superior to Ais's, and the same applied to protection.
The only area where Comet Chaser fell short compared to Ariel was in offense.
Unlike Ariel, which excelled in both offense and defense, Leon's Comet Chaser displayed absolutely no offensive power. He could not wrap wind around his body and weapon to reinforce his striking power like Ais could.
This was a flight magic, after all, not an enchantment magic; it was impossible for it to provide comprehensive reinforcement.
However, did Leon lack offensive power?
Quite the contrary; offensive power was the thing he lacked least.
With his magical firepower now completely surpassing Lefiya's, he didn't need any further reinforcement to crush Level 5 or even Level 6 monsters with a single strike.
With the magic Comet Chaser, Leon no longer needed to worry about lacking protection, let alone failing to pull away from enemies. He could completely transform into a flying battery on the battlefield, soaring back and forth like a fighter jet while unleashing rampant magical bombardments, utterly fearless of anyone closing in or attacking him.
If the situation turned sour, he could also rely on the protection of the starlight to rampage all the way through, flying out of the battlefield to escape danger.
Capable of fighting or retreating, capable of close combat or ranged warfare—it could be said that upon acquiring this magic, Leon's strength in both close combat and magic would undergo a qualitative leap.
Precisely because of this, Leon had been in such an excellent mood this morning.
If this newly acquired second magic had merely been an offensive magic, he absolutely would not be this happy.
For someone like him who did not lack firepower, having one more offensive magic merely meant having one more method of attack, offering truly limited improvement to his overall strength.
But Comet Chaser was different. Not only could it turn him into a mobile, flying artillery battery, but it could even play a role in close combat.
With it, he would surely take a solid step forward on the path of a magic swordsman.
This was something he could figure out, and naturally, the others could too.
Standing quietly within the crowd and gazing at Leon the entire time, Ais felt a wave of silence in her heart.
"He has grown stronger again."
The look in Ais's eyes grew complex.
"I keep feeling like the current me is no longer a match for Leon," Raul also muttered dejectedly from a corner.
"You haven't been his match for a long time, right?" Anaakity, the cat-person girl, patted his shoulder and said, "He could solo a Floor Boss back when he was Level 2. You're Level 4 now, and you still can't solo a Floor Boss."
Speaking of this matter, the core members of the second tier also looked at each other helplessly.
They knew Leon could solo a Floor Boss at Level 2, accomplishing a feat that they themselves couldn't achieve even at Level 4. But back then, they could still comfort themselves by thinking it was because Leon's magical firepower had completely transcended the scope of Level 4, and that he had only achieved this by relying on certain methods and strategies, which didn't mean his overall strength surpassed theirs.
But now, they could no longer comfort themselves this way.
As fellow Level 4s, although Leon had only recently leveled up, his magical firepower was already inherently powerful. Now that he possessed this magic integrating flight, acceleration, and protection into one, who could possibly be his match within the same level?
He was absolutely capable of challenging opponents above his level now. Even if the Level 5 first-tier adventurers made a move, they might not necessarily be able to do anything to him.
This person already possessed the bearing of a true powerhouse, wielding the strength to squeeze into the ranks of the first tier.
Thinking of this, many people's emotions became complicated.
"Tch—"
Bete, who had been hiding in the corner all along, instinctively clenched his fists. Looking at Leon standing at the center of the crowd, he clicked his tongue undisguisedly.
Though loath to admit it, deep down, he profoundly recognized one thing.
That was, this small fry whom he used to find eyesores in the past had already caught up.
His strength was likely not far from his own.
Bete simply could not accept this fact.
"How could I lose to a small fry?"
A fierce glint flashed through his eyes. Without a second thought, he turned directly around and left.
The remaining people were also dismissed one after another by Finn and the others, no longer crowding the central courtyard to go about their respective tasks. However, some people clearly had no intention of staying home; they walked straight out the main gates, looking as though they intended to continue pushing themselves in the Dungeon.
In truth, Leon didn't plan to stay home and苦修 either.
"Do you want to head to the Dungeon for some practical combat?"
Finn looked at Leon, who had brought up this idea.
"Yes," Leon nodded, saying, "I've been meaning to put the things you've taught me into practice, Captain. Now that I've obtained a new magic, I need to test it personally to see its practical effects and integrate it into my existing combat style."
To this end, Leon even intended to delve into the deeper floors.
It couldn't be helped; he was already Level 4 now, so continuing to venture into domains like the Middle Floors held no practical meaning.
With his current level and strength, he could roam the Lower Floors entirely on his own. If he wanted to find monsters with enough weight to pose a threat to him for practical training, he would at least have to head into the Deep Floors.
The minimum level required to tackle the Deep Floors was Level 4. Roaming such a place was the only way to find opponents suited for Leon's practical training.
"So, you intend to stay in the Dungeon for an extended period this time?" Finn said thoughtfully.
If it were a same-day round trip, the travel time alone wouldn't allow Leon to reach the Deep Floors, let alone leave him time to explore.
To venture into the Deep Floors, spending the night inside the Dungeon was an absolute necessity.
"Yes." Leon nodded once more, sharing his plan with Finn. "I plan to use the 18th floor as a temporary base first, moving around the Middle or Lower Floors, before heading to the Under Resort on the 28th floor to use that as a base to explore downward. I will most likely stay on the 37th floor for a while."
The 37th floor was the starting point of the Deep Floors, and it was also the floor best suited for the current Leon to explore.
Over there, as long as he didn't encounter the Floor Boss, Udaeus, Leon shouldn't run into any danger.
Although he was only Level 4, barely meeting the criteria to explore the 37th floor, adventuring alone on the 37th floor undoubtedly carried a very high risk. However, now that he had Comet Chaser, Leon could completely manage to advance or retreat at will on the battlefield.
Consequently, Leon would definitely have to stay in the Dungeon for a period of time, and he certainly wouldn't be able to return on the same day.
His intention was to explore the Dungeon for about a week. Unless he encountered some emergency that required his return, he wouldn't come back to headquarters during this period.
In any case, the aftermath of the recent expedition had been mostly taken care of. Even if he wasn't home, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Finn also knew that what Leon lacked most right now was the opportunity for practical application. Only through practical combat and application could everything he had learned recently be perfected, completely transforming into his own strength and foundation.
The only issue was—
"Diving into such a deep place by yourself is truly a bit worrisome."
Finn harbored reservations about this point.
At the very least, he needed to find a couple of teammates, and teammates with sufficient strength at that.
Someone like Line, who was only a Level 2 third-tier adventurer, was fine following Leon around the Middle Floors, but in the Lower or Deep Floors, it was no longer suitable for Line to accompany him.
In such a place, Leon would have no spare energy to protect Line, and Line lacked the capability to protect herself. For the two of them to adventure together like before would be fraught with immense difficulty.
An adventurer capable of accompanying Leon to explore the Deep Floors would have to be at least a Level 4 from the second tier, or someone like Lefiya with a specialized skill at Level 3.
Hearing this, Ais, who had maintained her silence all along, finally raised her head.
"I'll go with you."
Ais spoke these words with exceptional resolve.