"130: Drop Materials and Su Mo’s Level"

The King of the Fomorians—Balor. While perhaps not widely recognized, his legend had been retold countless times in mythology and adaptations as the Demon of the Evil Eye. According to legend, Balor possessed two eyes, one of which remained perpetually shut, hiding his eyeball from view. When this sealed eye opened, anything within its gaze—whether mortal or divine—would instantly perish.

In the Celtic myths, during the second war between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the sea giants of the Fomorians, Balor's evil eye annihilated everything it saw, even slaying the former king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Nuada of the Silver Arm. In fact, Balor's eye was far more infamous than Balor himself. The concept of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception from the Nasuverse was even inspired by Balor's death eye.

Among gods, Balor's power held a special place because his eye could slay even divine beings. However, in the divine city of Orario, there was no god named Balor. Instead, in the Dungeon, there existed a level 7 monster bearing that name. This distinction had always intrigued Su Mo. In myth, gods and monsters sometimes overlapped and sometimes remained distinct. Clearly, in this world, Balor had been categorized as a monster.

That said, Su Mo muttered under his breath, "A mere level 7 monster shouldn't possess the original Evil Eye."

"What evil eye?" Ais asked curiously, unfamiliar with Celtic mythology.

"It's a skill that allows one to attack with their eyes," Su Mo casually explained. As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Balor's lone eye, which glowed ominously red. After sensing its energy fluctuations, Su Mo detected no real danger. "Seems like a low-grade version," he said, somewhat disappointed. Had it been the true Evil Eye, he might have hoped for a valuable drop—perhaps even acquiring Balor's death eye itself. But this wasn't the original legendary artifact. Still, he had half-expected this outcome. A level 7 monster couldn't possibly wield the kind of power that could slay gods.

By Su Mo's estimate, this creature might be strong enough to destroy a mountain, but that was likely its limit. Compared to true divine beasts, it was still far inferior. Even if it did possess some variant of the Evil Eye, it wouldn't be capable of piercing the anti-magic defenses of a Campione. In the end, it simply wasn't worth getting excited over. Having reached that conclusion, Su Mo saw no reason to observe any further and prepared to advance.

Just then, Ais suddenly drew her sword. "Su Mo-sensei! Allow me to probe the enemy first. You can formulate a strategy while I engage it!"

Following the cooperative tactics she'd grown accustomed to with her usual companions, Ais planned to engage the monster and create an opening for Su Mo, who was clearly much stronger than her. However, before she could charge forward, Su Mo grabbed the collar of her outfit and pulled her back.

"Let's put the 'sensei' title aside for now. This monster doesn't require your intervention," he said calmly. "We agreed earlier, didn't we? You're here as my supporter—just focus on collecting the magic stones."

"Huh?" Ais froze for a moment. "You're going to handle this alone?" She stared at the enormous creature before them—a level 7 monster, and a floor boss no less, whose strength surpassed ordinary level 7s. How could a level 6 possibly face something like that alone?

Wait… her eyes widened sharply. Could it be… Su Mo wasn't a level 6 at all? Had he already reached level 7? Was it possible that Orario now had not one, but two adventurers who had ascended to the highest rank?

The mere thought of that possibility left Ais breathless.

Ais widened her eyes, carefully observing Su Mo's every move, hoping to deduce whether her teacher had truly reached level 7. However, the scene that unfolded next completely shattered her expectations. Su Mo glanced up at the towering monster before him, then calmly took a single step forward and brought his hands together. A magic circle appeared around him, quickly expanding to cover the entire clearing and enveloping the floor boss Balor within its intricate lines.

Without any hesitation, Su Mo chanted, "Fairy Law!" Instantly, merciless light erupted, utterly annihilating the monster. In less than ten seconds, it was over. Balor's massive body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Ais stood frozen, her mind blank. If struggling in an evenly matched battle against a floor boss like this was the hallmark of a level 7 adventurer, then what did it mean when someone could defeat it instantly with a single spell? Was this even the power of a level 7? If not for the giant magic stone resting dozens of meters away as evidence, Ais might have thought she was dreaming or hallucinating. The sheer might Su Mo displayed felt far more divine than anything a mere adventurer could accomplish.

Her heart trembling, she couldn't help but ask hesitantly, "Su Mo-sensei… are you really human?" Her eyes were filled with uncertainty.

"Of course I am," Su Mo answered casually, glancing at her. Perhaps in the future there would be versions of him known as God Su Mo or Demon Su Mo in other worlds, but as long as even one version of him remained human, his identity as a human would never be in doubt. Besides, in every world thus far, he had never stepped outside the bounds of humanity.

Hearing his firm confirmation, Ais let out a small sigh of relief. Yet almost immediately, her gaze burned with passion. "A human… can become this strong?" It felt as if her entire worldview had been rewritten.

After a brief moment of thought, Su Mo offered a responsible answer, "At least, the strength I've shown isn't beyond what a human can reach." To him, instantly killing a level 7 monster was hardly extraordinary. Whether in Orario or any other world, this was still far from transcending humanity's limits. In the world of Danmachi, human potential was by no means low.

"That's amazing!" Ais clenched her fists in excitement. If she could one day become this strong, perhaps she could even surpass her father. The lifelong wish she carried—to grow stronger—might not be so impossible after all.

Just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, Su Mo's voice called her back to reality. "Why are you standing there spacing out? Do I need to do your job for you as well?" His merciless prompting snapped Ais back to her senses. With a small gust of wind, she leapt forward like a blur, dashing toward the large magic stone left behind by the fallen floor boss.

After stuffing the massive crystal into the enormous bag Riveria had given her before their departure, Ais noticed something else sparkling nearby—a drop item. She picked up the small, fist-sized, brilliantly shining object and hurried back to Su Mo, holding it out to him. "Sensei, I found a drop item."

"Huh… a crystal?" Su Mo muttered in slight surprise as he examined the item. It was a transparent gem resembling a faceted diamond sphere, its many surfaces catching the light, glowing with a deep crimson hue that closely matched the glow that had emanated from Balor's eye.

"Could this be material from Balor's Death Eye?" Though he wasn't entirely sure how the item could be used, Su Mo was certain it was connected to the Evil Eye in some way.

"Maybe it can be used for a magic staff?" Ais speculated, recalling how Riveria and Lefiya's staves often contained similar gems embedded in their designs.

"A staff that fires death beams, huh?" Su Mo chuckled, muttering to himself. Avada Kedavra, anyone? he joked inwardly.

"What's that?" Ais asked in confusion, not understanding his strange reference.

"Nothing—just something from my home," Su Mo waved it off, not bothering to explain. "In any case, a monster of this level wouldn't be able to produce something like the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. This probably isn't anything too valuable."

Confident in his judgment, Su Mo didn't think much more of the item and casually stowed it away before continuing to lead Ais deeper into the Dungeon.