Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 65: What kind of interesting creature is this?

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Ais and the other two nodded in disbelief at Izzy's guess.

It was true.

In the past, their improvements after expeditions were significant, but recently, the pace had slowed without them even noticing.

No one had ever questioned why.

Since everyone experienced the same thing, it was simply accepted as normal.

"Mr. Izzy... do you know the reason behind this?"

Lefiya stared at him, her tone filled with disbelief.

"It's not hard to guess. As your enemies grow weaker in comparison to you, the difficulty of defeating them decreases. Consequently, the experience gained from defeating them diminishes as well."

"Huh? Why would the enemies get weaker? Aren't they the same every time you enter a dungeon?"

As soon as Diona asked this, her sister gave her a light slap on the head.

"Idiot, Diona. It's not that the monsters are getting weaker—it's that we're getting stronger, so the monsters seem weaker, right?"

"Oh, I see now!"

Despite being smacked, Diona still grinned happily.

"In other words, if we want to continue getting stronger, we just need to challenge stronger monsters, right?"

After some explanation, Ais finally understood, her golden eyes lighting up with realization.

"Ms. Ais... Lady Riveria won't allow you to train in the 'deep' areas under normal circumstances..."

When Ais looked as though she was ready to spring into action, Lefiya hesitated but couldn't stop herself from dampening her excitement.

Even now, Ais frequently trained alone in the "lower levels," and that alone had required immense persuasion of both Loki and Riveria.

To go even deeper?

Lefiya couldn't imagine Loki and Riveria agreeing to something so reckless.

The monsters in the deep levels were all at least Lv.4 and came in swarms. No one could withstand them alone—not even Ais at Lv.5.

Indeed, Ais's expression fell upon hearing Lefiya's words.

She looked like a child who wanted to go out and play but was denied permission by her parents, her face twisted in inner conflict.

She might even be planning to sneak off...

Seeing this, Diona thumped her chest with confidence.

"It's fine! We'll go with Ais~ At worst, we can bring the wolf too!"

"...Yeah! With Tiona and the others!"

"Ah, this..."

Lefiya was rendered speechless.

"Ahem, well, I'm not telling you all this to encourage you to venture into the 'deep' areas. Why don't you hear me out first?"

Seeing that they were about to act, Izzy quickly stepped in to stop them.

"Huh? So that's not what you meant?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to explain that basic abilities can only improve when facing strong opponents or in challenging situations. My intention isn't for you to dive deeper into the dungeon..."

Hearing this, Tione tilted her head slightly.

"Could it be... Izzy, do you have a way for us to face difficult situations while staying safe?"

"Well, it has something to do with my magic."

"Additional magic?"

Ais's interest was piqued.

After all, in the entire Loki Familia, only she and Izzy possessed additional magic.

But she had never heard of additional magic being able to create challenging situations.

Wasn't its purpose to enhance one's strength to defeat high-level monsters?

"It's not the additional magic. It's something else. I'll show you. Is anyone willing to lend me their hand?"

Izzy figured that a demonstration would be far quicker and more effective than trying to explain.

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Diona, ever enthusiastic, sprang up from her chair, ready to help.

However, Ais, who was one step closer to Izzy, silently extended her slender hand toward him with an expression that seemed to say, "Please, go ahead."

"Uh..."

Izzy looked at Diona, who was standing there eagerly, then at the delicate hand extended in front of him.

Since it was already offered, he decided to proceed.

"Excuse me..."

Murmuring softly, Izzy gently placed his hand on Ais's wrist.

"Miss Ais's hand! I've never held it before!"

Nearby, a certain little elf seemed unable to accept the reality. She was biting a white handkerchief, her eyes filled with envy and longing.

What an amusing creature, Izzy thought, glancing at Lefiya's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

Although her thought process seemed a bit skewed, her current silly yet endearing demeanor was enough to make anyone want to chuckle.

But he quickly refocused, channeling his magic.

A small azure magic circle appeared where his hand met Ais's wrist. Tiny blue particles, resembling delicate snowflakes, materialized around her wrist before condensing into a translucent ring.

The ring gradually shrank and tightened until it merged with Ais's skin completely.

Satisfied, Izzy released her wrist, revealing a faintly glowing starry band encircling it.

Moments later, Ais's calm expression faltered as she frowned slightly.

As a highly trained "first-Class adventurer," Ais was incredibly in tune with her body. She immediately noticed the strange sensation in her arm.

It wasn't just her wrist; her entire arm felt as if it were being constricted, as though encased in an unyielding diamond brace. Moving it became an arduous task.

Her right hand, which had been extended for the demonstration, suddenly fell limp. Her control over it diminished drastically, leaving her unable to lift it.

Instinctively, she used her left hand to support her right arm in a futile attempt to alleviate the discomfort.

"Miss Ais, what's wrong!?" Lefiya's voice was tinged with alarm as she noticed Ais's unusual behavior.

"My hand... I can't move it," Ais replied in a strained tone.

"Eh? Hey, hey, hey!?"

Not fully grasping the situation, Diona tilted her head in confusion.

"Izzy... did you hurt Ais?"

To be fair, Ais's current posture—her right arm hanging unnaturally low, with one shoulder higher than the other—gave the impression that something was seriously wrong.

"No, it's not an injury," Izzy replied calmly. "The space around Ais's arm has been compressed. Moving it now is incredibly difficult."

He spoke plainly, but his explanation only added to their astonishment.

The magic, Star Cage, was an advanced form of confinement and control magic.

Its activation began with the unfolding of a star map, which served as both its visual manifestation and its prerequisite.

Once the star map was fully deployed, the magic took effect.

However, the core of Star Cage wasn't just about "confinement."

By harnessing the power of the star map, the magic distorted and compressed the surrounding space to exert control.

When the target was drawn toward the center of the constellation map, the effects of compression and restriction were amplified dramatically, making even basic movements a challenge.

Essentially, Star Cage was a type of spatial magic, manipulating the space around the target to achieve its effects.

The stars hold immense power, Izzy thought to himself. The star map, a fragment of the vast cosmos, carried an incomprehensible force, one beyond the perception of most people.

And yet, even a glimpse of that power was enough to awe those who encountered it.

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