Isekai Adventure in the Dimensional Cube

What happened in Loki's shrine was known only to the heads of the Loki Familia and their officers—no one else.

However, from that day on, members of the Loki Familia were astonished to find that the officers, seemingly stimulated by something, began running around incessantly every few days.

Bert, Theona, Theone, and even Ais, who had recently become more reticent than before, saw their appearances at the Twilight Manor drastically decrease. They left early every morning, neglecting even the processing of loot and the victory feasts upon returning from expeditions.

This caused considerable confusion among the members of the Loki Familia, sparking widespread discussion.

"What exactly is wrong with the officers?"

"Why have they been running out every day recently?"

"Is there some important matter they need to handle?"

"I heard someone witnessed the officers entering the underground city before dawn and not returning until late at night. Have they suddenly started to strive harder?"

"But why?"

The members were full of questions, and some even went to inquire with the triad at the Headquarters Camp, only to receive a reply that puzzled them even more.

"They're just feeling the pressure. Don't worry about them; let them be," was the unanimous statement from the triad, leaving those who heard it somewhat at a loss.

"Pressure?"

"The officers feel pressure?"

"Who could be putting pressure on them?"

This was the most baffling part.

Regrettably, the leaders had no intention of explaining; they merely smiled and sidestepped the issue, leaving the concerned members of the familia with their suspicions unaddressed.

Reiger was also aware of the matter and, although surprised, was not shocked.

Just as Loki had mentioned, knowing someone superior was chasing them, even those with a slight ambition and competitive spirit felt the pressure, let alone these geniuses who were already officers.

Unlike the triad, who were older and vastly more experienced, it was inevitable that they still had their competitive edges and refusals to concede.

Indeed, speaking of age, the officers were considerably young.

For instance, Theona and Theone, the twin sisters from the Amazon tribe, although already level 5 ranked adventurers at 17, were the same age as Reiger in this lifetime.

Ais, the strongest female swordsman of Orario, who broke the record by reaching level 2 the fastest, was only 16 this year—one year younger than Reiger in this life.

Bert was somewhat older, being 22 this year. However, compared to the triad of the Headquarters Camp, he was still quite young.

Finn, who seemed like a young dwarf, was 42 this year, Grace was 56, and Revilia, being an elf known for longevity, was said to be the second oldest in the familia next to Loki. As for just how old, no one dared say, nor did they ask, fearing they might inadvertently offend the most powerful Magic Guide in Orario and be turned to ash by a spell.

In comparison with such leaders, Ais and the other officers were truly youngsters, hence Grace's complaint about them being impatient and immature.

Given these circumstances, although Reiger was a newcomer, he was in the same age group as Ais and the others.

Therefore, it was only natural that he would be seen as a competitor.

Even though Reiger was aware that, counting his age from his past life, he was definitely an elder among the officers, probably only a bit younger than the triad, but to outsiders, Reiger was undoubtedly still a young junior.

This greatly stimulated the competitive spirits of this group of talented youths.

"Loki must have known it would turn out like this and deliberately used me to motivate them," thought Reiger.

Reiger realized this but didn't object.

It was very natural for the chief god of the Familia to want his subordinates to strive harder and improve.

If his joining could motivate the gifted ones in the Familia to work harder, it would certainly be a good thing.

Of course, considering Loki's personality, that scoundrel of a chief god might also enjoy watching the fun and turmoil.

Because of this, Revilia even protested to Loki for a while, and it took who knows how long with the god giving embarrassed smiles before her anger was appeased.

Reiger, however, did hear Loki murmur once.

"The only thing to worry about is Ais going too far; that girl, if provoked too much, might do something rash, and then I'll probably get my head bashed in by Revilia's magic wand,"

In light of Loki's murmur, Reiger was somewhat concerned.

Because he had noticed that ever since learning the details of his own capabilities, Ais's mood seemed to have become somewhat unstable.

Normally, Ais wasn't very adept at expressing her emotions, appearing somewhat indifferent, which is why others jokingly called her the 'doll princess.' She was very reserved, making it difficult to discern her thoughts.

But after that day, not only had Ais become even more reticent, she also started leaving early and returning late, always coming back filthy. Compared to Reiger, who loved seeking thrills and often returned in a sorry state from floors he couldn't safely explore due to his abilities, she was equally disheveled.

Reiger was somewhat concerned about this.

After all, he was well aware of what kind of person Ais Wallenstein was and understood the sorrowful wishes she harbored in her heart.

When he had asked Ais to teach him magic, Reiger had precisely targeted this aspect, which led him to utter that phrase.

"I truly wish to become rapidly stronger."

This declaration could very well mirror the deepest desires of Ais's heart.

With these words, Ais was moved and agreed to teach Reiger magic.

Thus, Reiger knew very well that Ais Wallenstein, just like himself, was desperately yearning to become stronger.

If his own growth was to provoke the girl into doing something rash, Reiger would feel quite uneasy about it.

Regardless of how he looked at it, Reiger was the mentor who had taught him both magic and swordsmanship, and he truly did not wish for Ais to be driven to distraction by him.

Therefore, Reiger decided to have a serious talk with Loki about this matter.

However, Loki didn't seem to care at all.

"Don't worry, we're all aware of the situation," Loki said while routinely updating Reiger's ability levels one evening in the temple.

"No matter how reckless Ais can be, Finn and the others know her well. They are keeping an eye on her, it's not yet something you need to worry about."

Loki's face showed no concern; instead, he appeared completely relaxed, sliding one hand on Reiger's back and holding a bottle of wine in the other, drinking continuously until his face flushed red.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Reiger asked, ignoring the drunk, his brow furrowed.

"Relax, relax," Loki said drunkenly, smiling, "When it really becomes unbearable to watch, Mama-san will inevitably step in to stop it."

...This Mama-san must be referring to Revilia, right?

Indeed, as the elder of the family, Revilia had a warmth not found in typical royal families and was known for her over-the-top concern for her younger relatives, the most of any family leader.

She was like a mother, watching over many in the family, especially Ais, whom one could genuinely call the child Revilia had raised from a young age; there was almost no difference from her own daughter.

Even for Reiger, who had just joined the family, this Elven royalty had shown a side of warmth and care, and now she must be the one secretly most concerned about Ais's situation.

If so, once Revilia judged that it was no longer appropriate to let Ais continue this way, she indeed might intervene.

"Alright then!"

As Reiger was lost in thought, Loki's lax voice came through.

"Here, this is the latest ability value."

Loki handed the parchment to Reiger.

Reiger took it smoothly and looked it over.

...

Reiger Brillhaut

Lv.1

Strength: D555 → C678

Endurance: D548 → C666

Dexterity: C623 → B772

Agility: C637 → B793

Magic Power: I0 → F314

...

"Tsk tsk, another exaggerated growth," Loki commented while sipping his drink, not sure if he was trying to drown his astonishment at Reiger's rapid growth or if he had grown accustomed to it, still with a smile.

"A total proficiency increase of over 850, especially the 'Magic Power' growth, it could practically scare a god to death. You've been using Ais's magic a lot recently, haven't you?" Loki marveled.

She was right.

For his 'Magic Power' to grow, Reiger had indeed focused on practicing magic recently, using spells very frequently.

In fact, his initial decision to learn Ais's magic was undoubtedly a wise one.

The Super Short Spell made using additional magic quite easy and convenient, activating in just a second and not simply vanishing after one blast like other spells.

The effects of the additional magic would last for a while, meaning Reiger was essentially constantly using magic.

Such frequent use of magic naturally reflected in the growth of his 'Magic Power'. Moreover, because the additional magic allowed him to charge into close combat, it also worked out his other abilities, enhancing everything simultaneously, leaving Reiger without any aspect of his abilities lagging.

"However, the growth rate of the other ability sectors has indeed reduced," Reiger casually mentioned.

"Be grateful, you brat," Loki rolled her eyes, annoyed, "You should see how far your abilities have grown. If they don't slow down, we might start suspecting you're not human but some deity's bastard child instead."

According to the principle that ability growth slows as one approaches the S level, Reiger now had two abilities in the B stage, so it was natural that his basic ability growth could no longer match the pace of the past.

The decrease was completely logical.

"By the way, given your current state, it seems you might be ready to level up soon, right?" Loki said, holding the wine bottle and staring at Reiger.

"What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Reiger fell into deep thought.