Hearing Borus say that, Cao Ye hadn't even responded yet when Paimon exploded first.
"Who are you calling a hybrid?!"
"Paimon is Paimon! I'm not some elf–pallum mix!"
Though she looked tiny and adorable, her temper was anything but small.
Borus was startled.
He had spent many years in Orario, but this was the first time he had seen something like Paimon.
Looking at her size, she really did resemble a pallum.
And with that cute appearance, calling her an elf wasn't unreasonable either.
But combining both into a half-elf pallum hybrid was a strange guess that even Cao Ye hadn't thought of.
"Uh…"
Being scolded by the fierce little mascot made Borus slightly nervous.
From his experience, creatures this cute were best not to provoke.
Because you never knew who was backing them.
Just like Ais.
Back when she was still small, countless gods had been fascinated by her.
Some even tried to forcibly take her.
In the end, Loki retaliated fiercely.
Several gods were chased out of Orario in disgrace.
"Alright, Paimon."
"Hmph!"
Paimon glanced at Cao Ye and snorted.
Out of respect for him, she decided not to pursue the matter further.
However—
Ais seemed to have actually believed Borus's guess.
She stared at Paimon thoughtfully.
"You're heading to the lower floors?"
"Yeah. Planning to go to the Water Capital Labyrinth."
"The Water Capital Labyrinth?"
Borus frowned.
"Aren't you Level 1?"
Since he mostly stayed in Rivira Town, he hadn't heard that Cao Ye had already leveled up.
In Orario, adventurers had to register level-ups with the Guild, and during the next Denatus meeting they would receive their official title.
"I leveled up recently. I'm Level 2 now."
"Level 2?!"
Borus's eyes widened.
He looked Cao Ye up and down again.
This kid was truly a monster.
No wonder the Goddess of Beauty had personally taken interest in him.
He had already leveled up in such a short time.
At the same time, Borus silently congratulated himself for his earlier foresight.
Fortunately, he had seized the chance to befriend Cao Ye.
At this rate, Cao Ye might soon become Orario's next first-class adventurer.
After chatting a bit longer, the trio continued their exploration.
They passed through the 18th-floor safe zone and soon entered the next layer—
The continuation of the Great Tree Labyrinth.
Rustle—Rustle—
They had barely arrived when they received a warm welcome.
Insects crawled out from the shadows and immediately attacked.
Slash!
Splatter—
Ais charged forward.
Her Desperate Sword became a scythe of death, harvesting monster after monster.
But compared to the upper floors, the monster density here was far greater.
Especially insect-type monsters.
They were creatures that fought through sheer numbers.
"Ais, fall back!"
"Okay."
Although she was confused, Ais trusted Cao Ye's judgment and retreated.
The next moment—
A blazing burst of fire erupted.
The entire surrounding area was instantly cleared.
Beside Cao Ye, a floating gem shattered into pieces.
"Fire magic… without chanting?"
Ais was surprised.
The Loki Familia had plenty of mages.
But she had never seen magic that could be cast without chanting.
Even Riveria needed incantations.
"Gem Magecraft."
"I store magic power inside gems ahead of time."
"When needed, I release it instantly."
"How fascinating…"
To Ais, this seemed like a unique magic belonging only to Cao Ye.
In Orario, most races could not awaken magic naturally.
Only exceptional races like elves had that advantage.
For most people, magic could only be obtained through Falna.
And every magic ability was unique to its owner.
Since the previous expedition, Cao Ye had collected many gemstones.
Whenever he had spare time, he infused them with magic power.
With the Perfect Form skill, he had extremely fast mana regeneration.
He basically had unlimited magical stamina.
Now he treated Gem Magecraft as a practical spell system.
He was even considering creating magic rings similar to magic swords—
Portable items that could release spells.
Unlike space rings, these would be consumable tools.
Space rings were far too expensive for most people.
But consumable magic tools might sell to a much larger market.
Rustle—
Another wave of insects surged forward.
"Gem Magecraft – Flame."
BOOM!
Another gem shattered.
A wave of fire swept through the corridor, annihilating the monsters instantly.
"Ahhh! There are too many magic stones!"
"Paimon can't pick them all up!"
Paimon complained miserably.
Picking up money felt great.
But this was too much work.
For someone naturally lazy like Paimon, lasting this long was already impressive.
"Paimon, you have Imaginary Magecraft engraved in your body."
"You can connect directly to the Imaginary Space."
"You don't need to pick them up one by one."
"Then what should Paimon do?"
"Just absorb them."
Cao Ye waved his hand.
Cracks opened beneath the magic stones on the ground.
In an instant—
All of them were swallowed into the Imaginary Space.
Paimon stared in shock.
She could do that?!
Why hadn't she known?!
She tried it herself.
And discovered that she really could do it.
Her expression immediately turned annoyed.
Why hadn't Cao Ye told her earlier?
She had been working so hard picking them up manually!
Meanwhile Ais watched the two discuss Imaginary Magecraft, slightly confused.
But seeing the magic stones disappear, she assumed it was simply another one of Cao Ye's strange abilities.
Level 2…
Yet possessing so many skills and powers.
At that moment—
Whoosh.
A shadow flashed across the ceiling.
Two eyes stared down at Cao Ye.
Those eyes carried a strange emotion.
But when they glanced toward Ais, their intent became uncertain.
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