Danmachi: A Despicable Stranger

Chapter 59: What should I do if I suddenly become a semi-celebrity?

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At the same time, Izzy, who had finally returned to his room, was at last able to enjoy the rest he'd been craving.

He collapsed onto the bed like a lifeless fish, sinking into the soft texture of the mattress.

Compared to when he first moved in, his personal room now had a lot more amenities that he had added over time.

For example, while exploring magic and aiming for greater convenience, he had brought in a wooden desk and a small bookshelf, which he decorated with personal touches.

Even the bed and wardrobe had been replaced long ago.

Everything in the room was arranged according to Izzy's preferences.

Though the added furniture left little space to maneuver, in Izzy's view, it gave the room a cozy, lived-in feeling.

He called it fullness.

But his moment of blissful relaxation didn't last long. A sudden thought jolted him from his bed.

"Oh, right… I need to find Loki and update my ability values. Otherwise, with how busy things will be in the next few days, I won't get another chance."

After an expedition, it was routine for many clan members to line up for ability updates from Loki.

This process was a double-edged sword for the goddess.

On the one hand, she felt immense pride in seeing the improvement her children had made.

On the other hand, she braced herself for the financial burden—because increased abilities meant more food.

---

Crossing the sky corridor of the Twilight Manor and heading toward the Central Tower, Izzy calculated Loki's most likely whereabouts.

Given her habits, she was either lounging in the conference room or secretly sipping wine in her private shrine.

The conference room was closer, so he decided to check there first.

---

"Come in," a voice called after Izzy knocked on the door.

"Excuse me," he said as he entered.

Inside, only two people were present. Finn was seated, reviewing a stack of documents, while Loki, as Izzy expected, was slacking off nearby.

"Oh, it's Izzy. Long time no see," Finn greeted him with a warm smile. "It seems you've improved a lot during this time?"

"Long time no see, Captain," Izzy replied with a slight smile. "Congratulations on the successful expedition. As for me… well, I've made a bit of progress~"

The expedition had been incredibly fruitful—this much Izzy had heard from the other Familia members.

He had been surprised at first. After all, in his memory, the Loki Familia had faced several failed expeditions, leaving them perpetually strapped for funds.

But it didn't take long for him to realize.

This is an earlier point in time, he reminded himself.

The Loki Familia had yet to encounter the hardships he remembered. With their current strength, being one of the top factions in Orario, such successful expeditions were to be expected.

---

"A bit of progress?" Finn chuckled, shaking his head.

If Izzy's improvements could be called "a bit," Finn wondered how he should define the word anymore.

By Loki's standards, it was closer to "a billion points of progress."

---

"Alright, enough chit-chat," Loki interjected suddenly, cutting their conversation short. She leaned back with a sly grin, her sharp gaze fixed on Izzy.

"Izzy-chan~ You came here to see me, didn't you? You want your ability values updated, right?"

"Yes, I do," Izzy admitted with a faint sigh of resignation.

But… chan?

The corner of his eye twitched.

It seemed Loki had decided to give him yet another random nickname.

After saying goodbye to Finn, who was still immersed in his mountain of official business, Izzy followed Loki into her shrine.

As always, she locked the door, drew the curtains, and then turned to him with a mischievous grin.

"Shall we begin?"

The scarlet-haired goddess narrowed her eyes, rubbing her hands together with an eagerness that felt oddly exaggerated.

"Um…"

Izzy couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu at the whole setup.

"I wonder how much your abilities will have improved this time," Loki mused, her tone tinged with excitement. "It was you who took down that pterosaur, right? The guild headquarters has been buzzing about it these past few days."

"That's true, but… what do you mean by 'buzzing'?"

"Rumors, of course! The kind of juicy ones kids just love to spread. Apparently, there's talk about a high-ranking adventurer who defeated a pterosaur single-handedly and can summon meteorites with magic. Hehe, congratulations, you're a star now~"

"...Wait, what?"

Hearing Loki's words, Izzy was stunned.

He had somehow become a semi-celebrity without even knowing it?

Semi-celebrity because, while many people had heard about the feat, most didn't even know his name—just his appearance.

Some adventurers who had seen him fight could confirm the rumors, but the rest of the city seemed to be caught between admiration and skepticism.

Still, such achievements were typically verified and announced by the guild when adventurers leveled up, so it wouldn't be long before the whole of Orario learned of his accomplishment. Only then would his fame become official.

---

"Alright, the ability value update is complete," Loki said, her tone shifting to a rare seriousness. "As expected, you're ready for an upgrade."

The update process went smoothly, with divine script glowing faintly on Izzy's back as Loki deciphered it. She carefully recorded every detail, her expression growing more contemplative as she worked.

---

[Adventurer Name]: Izzy Alyward

[Level]: Lv.1 (Upgrade conditions met)

[Basic Abilities]:

Strength: SS1008 → SS1233

Endurance: SS1006 → SS1133

Dexterity: SS1001 → SS1252

Agility: SS1001 → SS1261

Magic: SSS1999

[Development Ability]: None

[Magic]:

Silver Star Adv

Star Magic

Rock Magic

[Skills]:

Starry Night

Heart of the Earth

---

The additional magics—Thousand-Foot Wall, Falling Stars, Heaven Moving All Things, and Star Prison—remained unchanged.

The significant improvement lay in his ability values, which now exceeded the typical limit for a single level.

Defeating an Strengthen species like the pterosaur had clearly fulfilled the missing conditions for leveling up.

If he wished, Loki could upgrade him to Level 2 immediately.

Glancing at the parchment alongside Izzy, Loki's expression turned unusually serious.

A total ability value increase of over 800 points in one update was extraordinary. She couldn't help but reconsider her initial impressions of his skill, Starry Night.

---

"Shall we upgrade now?"

"Well, the conditions are met," Loki confirmed, her sharp gaze shifting to Izzy.

She wasn't surprised by his readiness—he had likely anticipated this before coming.

However, Izzy, hesitated. Looking again at the significant increase in his stats, he made his decision.

"Let's wait a little longer, Loki. It won't take long for me to max out the remaining four stats."

"Oh~ I'm really looking forward to that moment~~"

Following his decision, Loki used a special method to lock his Falna again, preserving his current progress.

Once done, Izzy grabbed his shirt from the nearby chair and started putting it on.

"Then, Loki, I'll leave for now—"

"Wait, huh!? What are you doing?!"

Izzy froze mid-sentence when he turned around to find Loki holding a kitchen knife she'd seemingly conjured from nowhere, playfully waving it in the air.

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