Dio was not shortsighted enough to rush into a level-up before building a proper foundation.
That was the kind of decision only an idiot would make.
He still had no idea whether Demeter’s Falna would continue functioning after he traveled to another world, but even so, he had no intention of leveling up so easily.
At the very least, he wanted to push every Basic Ability as close to its limit as possible first.
Besides, raising his status hardly seemed difficult.
If fooling around in a dream caused his abilities in the real world to climb at an absurd rate, maxing them out should be effortless.
There was no reason to waste a gift like that.
His head might have felt ready to split open when he woke up, but the rewards from a single night had been staggering.
Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, and Agility had all risen from I 0 to I 99, while his Magic had shot straight to C 666.
If word of that spread, every adventurer in Orario would lose their mind.
Ordinary adventurers could risk their lives in the Dungeon for months without gaining that much.
Dio had accomplished the same thing by sleeping through the night.
And if he could achieve results like that every day…
The corners of Dio’s mouth slowly curved upward as his imagination began to wander.
Then there was Alfia.
Demeter’s explanation had finally stirred his memories.
He vaguely remembered that Alfia had been Bell’s aunt, a woman once hailed as the strongest human and known as the Monster of Talent.
She had been one of the very few Level Seven adventurers in Orario’s history.
Her strength had been so overwhelming that even Level Eight adventurers had treated her with caution.
Eventually, however, the legendary adventurer had died.
Dio could no longer remember the exact circumstances.
More than a decade had passed since he had watched the series in his previous life, and most of the finer details had long since blurred together.
Still…
If Alfia was dead, how had her Magic appeared on his status?
Had he somehow encountered her soul in his dream last night?
Dio frowned and tried to recover even the smallest fragment of what he had experienced, but his mind remained completely blank.
He could sense that the dream had been long and vivid.
There had been voices, images, warmth, and perhaps even touch, yet every detail was hidden behind an impenetrable fog.
No matter how hard he reached for those memories, they slipped away before he could grasp them.
‘How does that make any sense?’
It had been his own dream.
How could he fail to remember any of it?
“What’s wrong?” Demeter asked with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.
“Are you heartbroken because you can’t remember what happened last night?
Alfia wasn’t merely a genius known as the Monster of Talent.
She was also an exceptionally beautiful woman.”
Her voice carried obvious mockery, along with the faintest trace of jealousy.
Did Dio care?
Not in the slightest!
“Of course I’m disappointed!
Alfia was both powerful and beautiful.
Who would turn down the chance to have some perverted things with a woman like that?”
He answered as casually as though he were commenting on the weather.
Dio genuinely saw nothing wrong with what he had said.
Attraction to beauty was perfectly natural.
Alfia had been a legendary adventurer blessed with both extraordinary strength and striking looks.
Any normal man would have been curious about her.
More importantly, she had apparently given him two incredibly powerful spells without him even knowing it.
What’s wrong with praising her a little?
Demeter clearly disagreed.
The moment she heard his shameless admission, she drove a fist into his chest.
A dull thud filled the room as Dio staggered backward, nearly toppling onto the floor.
He clutched his chest and coughed several times through gritted teeth.
Demeter had restrained herself, but even with her divine power sealed, the physical strength of a goddess was far beyond his own.
The blow left his chest tight and aching.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that a man capable of awakening [Slaanesh] is completely ruled by his desires.”
Demeter planted her hands on her hips and looked down at him as he bent over coughing.
Her expression plainly declared that she had finally seen his true nature.
“You’ve been falsely accused me, Goddess!”
Once Dio caught his breath, he hurriedly raised both hands in protest.
“I’m only being honest!
I said I wouldn’t mind if something happened with a beautiful woman like her.
I never said I was actually going to do anything.
A man is allowed to talk, isn’t he?”
“Hmph.
You had better keep it to talk.”
Demeter rolled her eyes, though the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her amusement at his shameless defense.
She turned around, sat on the edge of the bed again, and picked up the parchment.
After examining his status once more, her expression gradually became serious.
“Joking aside, the fact that Alfia’s Magic appeared on your status after her death means [Dreamwalker] is far more powerful and unusual than either of us realized.”
She tapped the parchment lightly.
“This isn’t merely ordinary dream Magic.
It may involve the soul itself.”
Dio’s playful expression faded as he looked at her carefully.
“So you think I really contacted Alfia’s soul last night…
and then slept with her?”
“Most likely.”
Demeter nodded.
“Alfia has been dead for years, but [Dreamwalker] may have resonated with what remained of her and formed a connection inside the dream.”
“As for why you can’t remember it, your mind may not yet be strong enough to contain those memories.
Another possibility is that something has sealed them away until you fulfill a certain condition.”
“That can happen?”
Dio rubbed his temples and sighed as another wave of pain pulsed through his head.
“Then how am I supposed to know when they’ll return?”
“The answer is probably simple.
Once your Magic or mental strength reaches a sufficient level, the memories may unlock on their own.
You might also recover them by entering the dream again and attempting to contact Alfia.”
Demeter paused, her eyes narrowing in warning.
“However, if you intend to deliberately seek her out, prepare yourself first.
Alfia was a Level Seven known as the Monster of Talent.
She was not someone an inexperienced boy like you could handle casually.”
A chill ran down Dio’s spine.
“On second thought, forget it.
I’ll focus on raising my abilities first.”
He drew his head back slightly and set aside the idea of searching for Alfia, at least for the time being.