Chapter 62: The Legendary Weapons of the Girls 2

"Noctis’s Fangs."

Selene crossed her arms behind her head as she walked.

"They absorb light and reduce the perception of mana around their blades. A wound inflicted by them can remain almost undetectable for several seconds."

Adam frowned.

"Long enough for the target not to immediately realize they’ve been hit."

"Exactly."

"That also applies to her."

He counted mentally.

Selene.

Isadora.

Elaria.

Shiora.

Vespera.

Elena.

Lyriana.

There was still one person missing whose name came up regularly in their conversations.

"What about Astraea?"

Selene turned her head slightly toward him.

"You haven’t met her yet."

"No. But Lyriana told me about her." "

Astraea Noctis Sylvermoon.

Lyriana’s mother.

One of the principal guardians of the World Tree.

A woman powerful enough to be considered Isadora’s equal and the others.

"Her weapon is a long gray staff, isn’t it?"

"Yes. The Twilight Pillar."

"A magic staff?"

"Not only that."

Selene smiled.

"Astraea can use it to cast spells, reinforce the World Tree’s barriers, or strike her opponents directly."

Adam pictured a gray staff with slightly curved ends.

"So she probably benefits from both her magic and Blunt Weapon Mastery."

"Exactly."

Adam remained thoughtful.

All these weapons seemed to perfectly suit their owner.

" Selene and her two gigantic swords.

Isadora and her versatile halberd.

Elaria and her enchanted bow.

Shiora and her precise katana.

Vespera and her immense, destructive axe.

Elena and her knight’s sword.

Lyriana and her silent daggers.

Astraea and her guardian’s staff.

Another question then came to her mind.

"Yet I rarely see you carrying your true weapons."

Selene shrugged.

"Because we don’t need them in the city."

"So they always stay in your offices?"

"No."

She raised a hand.

For a fraction of a second, a white and red light appeared above her palm.

The silhouette of a sword hilt began to form.

Then it vanished instantly.

"We can summon them."

Adam examined his hand.

"They’re stored in a magical space?"

"In a way. They’re bound to our soul and our mana. As long as the connection isn’t severed, we can summon them almost instantly."

"Like my inventory, but only for a specific weapon."

"The comparison is apt."

Adam looked around.

"Then why display them in your offices?"

Selene smiled.

"What you see is a partial manifestation. A sort of resting body for the weapon. We can leave it on display, but its essence remains bound to us."

Adam nodded slowly.

"So you could summon it even if someone steals the displayed version."

"Yes. And whoever tried to steal it would quickly regret it."

"I have no doubt."

Selene’s tone became more serious.

"We also avoid fully displaying our weapons because they contribute to sealing our power."

Adam turned his head toward her.

"Do your weapons seal your strength?"

"Part of it."

She gestured toward the bustling streets around them.

"Imagine Vespera accidentally releasing her full aura in a neighborhood full of ordinary people."

Adam recalled the pressure he had once felt in her presence, even when she was probably not exerting herself.

"Many would faint."

"The weaker ones could be injured. Windows would shatter. Some enchantments would become unstable."

Selene continued:

"So we intentionally reduce our mana, our physical strength, and the pressure of our presence when we are in the city. Our weapons serve as the anchor for these seals."

"This prevents you from causing an incident with a simple movement."

"Yes."

She gave a small kick to a stone in the path.

The stone flew further than intended and shattered against a wall.

Selene stared at the piece of rock.

"Even sealed, I sometimes have to be careful."

Adam remained silent.

The tiger-woman had just broken a stone without seeming to use any force.

"How powerful are you exactly?"

Selene gave him an amused look.

"You’re finally asking."

"I already understand that you’re among the most powerful people in the world. But I have no idea of ​​your actual level."

Selene thought for a few seconds.

"Our exact levels vary. But Isadora, Astraea, Vespera, Shiora, Elaria, and I are all around level seven hundred."

Adam stopped abruptly.

Selene took two more steps before noticing he was no longer beside her.

She turned around.

"What?"

Adam stared at her.

"Seven hundred?" "

"About."

"You let me fight someone level 700 during my first training session?"

"I was sealed."

"That’s not reassuring."

Selene turned back to him.

"In the city, we generally limit our power to the equivalent of a level close to 100."

Adam remained motionless.

"You were limited to level 100 when you threw me all over the room?"

"And I was still holding back."

Adam ran a hand over his face.

His own level was only 3.

Even sealed, Selene possessed more than 30 times the power based on the simple difference in level.

And level probably didn’t fully account for the gap in experience, skill, and equipment.

"I understand better why I had no chance of hitting you."

"You’re improving." "

"Against a version of you limited to a small fraction of her power."

Selene smiled.

"That’s already good."

Adam resumed his slow walk.

"And Lyriana?"

"She’s approaching level 200."

"Elena?"

"She just recently surpassed level 140."

Adam frowned.

The gap remained immense.

Elena and Lyriana were already exceptionally strong compared to most of the people he had met.

Yet, they were still far behind Isadora and the others.

"How can there be such a great difference between you?"

Selene resumed walking beside him.

"Age plays a role. But it’s not the main reason."

"Then what is it?"

Her expression gradually lost its amusement.

"Experience."

She looked ahead.

"Isadora, Astraea, Vespera, Shiora, Elaria, and I have lived through several wars."

Adam remained silent.

"We’ve faced armies. Monster invasions. Uncontrollable labyrinths. Creatures capable of destroying a city."

Selene looked up at the sky.

"There was a time when great tides of monsters would crash against the borders almost every year. Millions of creatures would leave the wilderness and attack everything in their path."

"Monster raids."

"Yes."

His voice had grown lower.

"Every fight provided experience. But more importantly, it forced us to push our limits to survive."

Adam understood.

The leveling system in this world didn’t just reward training.

Real combat, powerful monsters, wars, and labyrinths produced far greater growth.

Selene continued:

"Elena and Lyriana were born during a much calmer time."

"They never experienced a major war."

"No. A few skirmishes. Dangerous missions. Operations against monsters or criminals. But nothing comparable to the battlefields we’ve crossed." "

Adam thought of Elena.

She was an extremely skilled knight.

Lyriana was an assassin and scout capable of almost completely disappearing.

Yet, they had never been involved in a conflict on the scale of those their elders had experienced.

"Nor did they participate in the major monster raids."

"The last major raid occurred before they were born."

Selene seemed to hesitate for a second.

"That’s a good thing."

Adam immediately noticed the tone of her voice.

"But?"

"But that also means they never had the opportunity to gain as many levels."

Adam nodded slowly.

"So a high level doesn’t depend solely on skill. It also depends on opportunities to fight enemies capable of providing sufficient experience."

"Exactly." "

Selene added:

"Beyond a certain level, defeating ordinary monsters yields almost no reward. A level 100 character can’t continue to progress quickly by hunting level 20 creatures."

"They need to fight enemies closer to their level or explore more dangerous areas."

"Yes."

Adam looked at his own level.

"That means my progress will also slow down if I only stay in the city."

"That’s why we’ve already planned something."

He immediately turned his head toward her.

"What?"

Selene smiled.

"A dungeon crawl."

Adam blinked.

"For whom?"

"For you, Elena, and Lyriana, mainly."

She continued:

"We’ll probably leave next week."

Adam remained silent for a few seconds.

"You’d already planned this without telling me?" "

"We were just starting to choose the venue."

"So, yes."

"You make funny faces when you find things out at the last minute."

Adam sighed.

That excuse came up far too often.

"Which dungeon?"

"Nothing’s decided yet. We want a place dangerous enough to accelerate your progress, but stable enough for us to control the risks."

Adam immediately thought of the Black Dawn Labyrinth.

Selene noticed his expression.

"Not that one."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You did."

"How do you know?"

"Your face is easy to read."

Adam closed his eyes.

"Vespera told me exactly the same thing."

Selene laughed.

"The Black Dawn Labyrinth is too dangerous for your current level. Even under our protection, you wouldn’t learn anything there. You’d spend all your time trying not to die."

"How’s that different from your training?"

"In my training, I control what tries to kill you."

Adam stared at her.

"It’s not as reassuring as you think."

"Yet it’s true."

She continued:

"We’ll probably choose a progressive dungeon. The first few floors will be at your level. Then we’ll gradually descend as you adapt."

"And Elena and Lyriana will be able to tackle much deeper floors."

"Yes."

Adam thought for a moment.

"Will you all be coming?"

"Probably several of us."

Selene began to count.

"Me, to oversee your fight. Vespera for magic and dungeon formations. Lyriana for traps and detection. Elena to progress with you."

She added:

"Isadora might have to stay in Valoria. Elaria will probably want to gather materials. Shiora could come if the dungeon has some interesting resources."

Adam smiled slightly.

"So Shiora will come." "

"Probably."

"And Astraea?"

"She’s not in Valoria yet."

Selene glanced at him briefly.

"But you’ll certainly meet her soon."

Adam wondered what kind of woman Lyriana’s mother and Isadora’s equal could be.

Considering the others, this encounter was likely to change his life again.

Selene placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don’t think about the dungeon yet."

Adam looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because for now, you need to keep training."

Her smile became dangerous again.

"Your new masteries will allow us to begin exercises with heavy weapons."

Adam remembered the contents of the two books.

"You’re really going to give me a weapon over two meters long when I’m already wearing the bracelets?"

"Yes."

"In the gravity chamber?"

"Naturally."

"With the moving floor?"

"Obviously."

Adam remained silent.

Selene gave him an encouraging pat on the back.

"Consider this dungeon preparation."

"I’m starting to think the dungeon will be more relaxing than your training."

"Perhaps."

They finally turned onto the last major avenue leading to the Adventurers’ Guild.

The massive building appeared before them.

As always, female warriors were coming and going without a break.

Some carried weapons.

Others transported monster cores, bags of materials, or evidence of their missions.

Several adventurers recognized Selene and immediately stepped aside to let her pass.

Adam watched the entrance.

Just yesterday, he thought he was beginning to understand her plan.

Now he knew he would have to learn to wield maces, hammers, halberds, and gigantic weapons.

He had also discovered that his teachers were around level seven hundred.

And that a dungeon expedition was already planned for the following week.

Adam took a deep breath.

"One last question."

Selene placed a hand on the door.

"Which one?"

"Which weapon will I use today?"

The tiger woman’s smile widened.

"All of them."

Adam remained motionless.

"I wish I hadn’t asked."

Selene pushed open the guild door.

"Too late."

They entered the great hall together.

And as Selene led him toward the training rooms, Adam realized that his morning was likely to be particularly long once again.