11 Honored Mentality

After having his status updated, Takemikazuchi found it more prudent to hide it, so that nobody else would be able to look at it.

Not seeing anything wrong with it for now, Noctis accepted, and let him do his thing.

With that being done, he left for his own quarter, since he was rather tired, it was only natural that he should rest.

'A Week, I have a week to level up.' He thought as he fell into slumber.

The reason why he thinks so is that he wasn't so sure about his memory, he didn't know if bell leveled up in 2 months and a half or a month and a half.

Since he wasn't sure, and a month already passed, he was going to level up in a week to be sure, and to do that... some herculean methods need to be used.

The next day Noctis woke up Instinctively at the time he usually do and went on to do his morning routine. After which he went on his way toward the tower of babel.

Buying something to eat along the way, since his stomach was pretty much empty.

Since the adventurer guild was on his way, he decided to sell his stuff from yesterday and then took his leave. He didn't even try to look for his advisor as he was in a bit of a hurry.

It didn't tell long before he arrived at Padme's shop and when he did his eyes narrowed for a moment.

A particular scene he had seen plenty of times this past month was once again happening. Those guys were once again causing trouble it seemed.

Since they had their adventurer equipment maintained here, they came every once in a while for Padme to take care of that, and that's how he came to know how persistent they were.

Perhaps... should he take care of them?

No, he shook his head, she didn't ask for help thus it was not his business to meddle.

Anyway, he made his way inside and the two people arguing came to a stop.

The other guy seemingly already knowing what was going to happen, tried to leave, but while doing so, looked at Noctis in a way that... was not so pleasing.

"Who do you think you are looking at like that?" Noctis stopped him as he put a hand on his shoulder, taking off the glasses he ordered. "Apologise."

"Wha-... I am sorry." He first of course didn't want to, but feeling the pressure bearing on his shoulder, he understood that it wouldn't be wise to antagonize him further... yet.

"See, it was not that hard." Noctis patted the man's shoulder lightly with a smile before putting back the glasses and letting him go.

'...' Padme looked at the scene without a word, this was not the first time something like that happened anyway.

"Hello, Noctis." Already familiar with him at this point she didn't feel him too threatening anymore. Well, as long as you didn't act like the other guy just now.

"What is it today? Maintenance? Or do you want me to make you something?" She went straight to the point since she knew he wasn't much into small talk.

"Another set." He took out his bracers and put them back on the table.

"I see, then I will reforge them and add some more material." She spoke as she took them away.

"How heavy do you want them this time?"

"Add two zeroes behind these ones"

"What? Are trying to kill yourself? How can you go from 5 kg each to 500 kg?" That much wouldn't really be a problem if it was just to lift it, even normal people if trained well enough could do something like that.

But having that on you all of the time would put a considerable amount of pressure on the body. To do something like that at least you gotta be level 2 right? She wasn't sure but she knew it was dangerous.

"Are you going to do it or should I find someone else?" He asked her, not even answering her question.

"..."

"Fine, have it your way, just don't come to me complaining if you get injured." he can have it his way and if something happens, see if she cares.

"Can you finish it for tomorrow? Time is of the essence."

"I will deliver them tonight, prepare the money." She wouldn't call herself a talented blacksmith if she couldn't do that much. Plus she was not far from the level-up.

"Perfect, Take care." Now it was time to go adventuring.

From there, he made his way to the dungeon, he had to get accustomed to the stat increase and get a feel of his current strength and all of that.

...

'Being able to move as I imagine feels great.' Turn out he was also talented at adapting, so it didn't take him much time to figure out his current standing.

'Yeah, that's it, that feeling of being invincible.' He thought as he, from his perspective, just calmly walked toward a kobold and punched his head.

The kobold saw him and tried to react, but it couldn't as Noctis was way faster than he was. The blow ended up being fatal as the monster dissipated away letting away a nail and stone which Noctis picked up.

'Walking around as if I own the place and none being able to do shit about it.' And that was truly basically what he was doing.

Normally one wouldn't be able to easily be fast in anything one does, just because one has the required speed. There are different kinds of speeds after all. That's what separates a speedster from someone who is just fast.

'Anyway, why am I even thinking about that right now?' He wondered as he made his way deeper into the dungeon, still killing everything on his path, but those were just too weak for him to get serious.

He could literally see the time at a standstill if he pushed his perception far enough, that and the inherent difference in speed didn't give the monsters from floor one to floor ten any chance against him.

At this level, the difference in number was inconsequent, as no number of weak opponents can afford to touch even his clothes.

'Let's go lower.' He made his way to the 11th floor for the first time.

There was not much difference except that the fog became thicker and also new kinds of monsters started to appear.

Taking his sword out of his inventory, he unsheathed it and sliced through the neck of an imp.

"Show yourself." He spoke as he bent forward his upper body, dodging the assault of an armadillo-like monster that passed above him.

"A Hard Armored." He shifted his body to the side, evading its next attack.

"Heard your shell is hard? Let me judge the veracity of that." He gripped his sword a bit more tightly and went for a piercing attack.

And as expected, the shell of the monster was indeed hard.

"But just because it's hard doesn't mean I can't break through it." He spoke as he pulled back his sword, his eyes behind his glasses shining for a moment.

He dodged another attack from the monster, before spinning around and killing a Bad bat that was tryna sneak at him.

"Useless." He followed with another attack toward the hard armored, that one confidently putting its shell in the way, believing the human wouldn't be able to hurt it that way.

"How audacious." Contrary to what the monster was expecting, this time the sword pierced right through its defense and impaled it.

"Attacking two times the same, exact spot did work after all." He spoke as he bent forward collected the drop, and at the same time, his sword headed behind and impaled an imp.

"I could have attacked its weakest spot, but that seemed more interesting." He turned around and looked at the group of imps coming at him.

"You all, are no longer useful to my growth." They were too easy for the current him.

He walked through the group as they all died from having their neck sliced through. He became quite masterful with the sword.

"As expected of I." He did what he always did after killing monsters and started heading in a direction where he saw something interesting.

"A silver-colored gorilla... should be the silverback." Or was it a monkey?

Growl*

"How unsightly." Noctis didn't like it one bit, and as such he was going to get rid of it.

Shifting his body to the side after seeing the monster's hand slightly move, he dodged the incoming hand before it was even fully in motion.

As it passed him, he used his sword to cut it off, or at least he tried, instead what happened was that the sword was struck in the monster's arm bone.

At least that arm was now unusable.

"Let's do it the old way then." He said as he ran behind the monster, circling him. He was going to use them hands.

"Your posture is not right." He kicked behind the monster's knee, forcing him onto the ground with a howl.

"That's better." He spoke as he made the monster kneel before him.

Then proceeded to absolutely destroy it with extreme prejudice.

Since he wasn't strong enough to kill it with a single blow, he used a succession of them before finally cracking its head against the ground.

"I need a better weapon." He collected the drops along with his sword as he spoke.

"Perhaps an axe, a spear, or a broad sword." Sheathed his sword before undoing it just after, killing another black bat.

"A sword is simply not it." He started running around killing monster after monster.

Imp, Black bat, Orc, Hard armored, Silverback, none were spared, this floor now had a new owner, and they were clearly not welcomed.

When he felt that he did enough here, he headed to the twelfth floor before repeating the same process.

Jumping and decapitating an orc, he flipped backward in the air to evade the attack of a silverback before landing on the ground and rushing toward it, killing two imps on the way.

His sword ran through the silverback's chest and directly after he reverse-gripped his sword before throwing it toward a black bat that was going to use a sonic attack.

Then his body twisted to the side to evade the claw of an imp, he punched it to oblivion before kicking the other one that was coming.

He then went to retrieve his sword as he back kicked the arm of the orc that just spawned away.

Sword in hand, he cut away the orc's feet before lodging the sword into its head.

As he turned his neck sideway he could see more and more monsters spawning without rest.

They seemingly didn't want to let him catch a break, not that he needed it.

There are way more monsters on those floors than before, that was why it was advised to form a party before hunting there.

A normal level 1 coming solo over there was nothing but suicide.

But well, Noctis was the farthest from that term.

He could easily maneuver his way there. He wanted to fight to his heart's content as he knew he wouldn't be able to move so well tomorrow.

Thus he adventured, he hunted, he killed, with unmatched efficiency with the help of none but his body and sword.

"Move, Dance, and Rejoice as you shall all bear witness and promote my growth." He spoke as his eyes shone brightly.

He had no armor but he cared not.

He had no comrades but he needed not.

He was surrounded but he feared not.

Instead.

His pride was his sole guide.

...

End.