Chapter 20 - The Experience of Being Carried by [Silence]
The Thousand Feathers Staff now seemed to come alive.
From the hollow eye sockets of the skull at its head, white glowing pupils lit up, while the jaw clicked and clacked intensely.
Its surface shimmered with twinkling particles of starlight and iridescent hues.
Moments later, the glitter transformed into countless dazzling rainbow-colored feathers.
Thousands of light-feathers spiraled around Alfia's body, constantly spinning and dancing.
It was like…
Falling cherry blossoms wrapping gracefully around her.
In that moment, Alfia's figure looked absolutely divine and enchanting!
"So badass…"
Raven Eltharion was completely stunned.
It was even flashier and more stylish than Bell's Argonaut: Holy Flame Slash from the original story!
The first trait of the Thousand Feathers Staff:
→ Exceptionally high magic conductivity.
It was also very easy to infuse with magical energy!
"Let's go. Watch how I use it."
"We're going straight to Floor 17."
With that, Alfia led Raven down a forward passage.
"ROAAAAR—!!"
"SCREEEEECH—!!"
The moment they entered the corridor…
They were swarmed by a mob of Hellhounds, Armored Mice, and Axe-Wielding One-Horned Rabbits.
At the same time—
Dungeon Worms burst through the tunnel walls, drilling their way out.
Altogether, there were over a hundred monsters.
"Watch closely."
Alfia raised the magic staff.
With a single thought, she channeled her sound-based magic into it.
The Thousand Feathers Staff instantly blazed with unmatched brilliance.
All the swirling rainbow feathers converged and formed a giant phantom skull.
Alfia swung the staff forward.
The massive skull's mouth opened wide—unleashing an invisible shockwave.
In the blink of an eye—
The air erupted with successive sonic booms.
Countless sound blades sliced through the air like invisible swords.
The waves of force spread outward, violently tearing through everything in their path.
One layer of sound pressure pushed against the next, sweeping across like a typhoon.
It was like a tsunami crashing down, demolishing everything in front of them!
Everywhere the soundwave passed—
Monsters, floors, ceilings, walls—all were obliterated instantly.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the entire floor.
The shockwaves were so loud it felt like they'd tear through your eardrums.
Dense clouds of dust engulfed the scene, blocking all visibility.
Eventually…
The smoke cleared, and the floor's tremors subsided.
"Unreal… how strong!"
Raven stared wide-eyed at the destruction, unable to hold back a gasp.
Before him stretched a massive, cylindrical tunnel, everything inside shattered and destroyed.
And at the very end, the path was completely open—not a single monster in sight.
"This staff really is a top-tier artifact," Alfia said calmly.
"I didn't expect that using only a fraction of its power…"
"…could unleash this level of destruction."
Such a powerful staff…
Had just recently been used by Raven as a spear to poke at monsters.
By comparison—
Seeing [Silence] wield it properly made Raven's attempts look like a child playing pretend.
After speaking, Alfia handed the Thousand Feathers Staff back to him.
Raven received it, staring at its restored state with disbelief in his eyes.
Alfia added, "Come on. Let's go farm and train your stats."
"Afterward, I'll teach you how to properly enchant your weapon."
"Got it."
Raven shook off his daze and nodded. "I'll definitely level up before today ends!"
And so…
The two of them smoothly advanced to Floor 16.
Every time a group of monsters appeared—
Alfia would instantly wipe them out.
Raven followed behind, picking up an endless supply of magic stones and item drops.
Being carried by a top-tier player just felt amazing!
Through his Data Eye, Raven noticed—
His stat growth was incredibly fast, especially in Magic!
All his basic attributes had now exceeded 1000.
And his Magic stat had already reached SSS level!
This was thanks to the sixth passive of his [Demon King's Might] skill:
"Stat growth is enhanced beyond limits, allowing you to easily break through standard attribute caps."
Every time Alfia, [Silence], defeated a Level 2 monster—
Raven, a mere Level 1 adventurer, would randomly gain 10 to 30 stat points.
Just then—
"MOOOOAAHHH—!!"
"MOOOO—AAHH!!"
A group of more than ten Minotaurs, each over two meters tall and wielding giant battle axes—
Towered over Raven and [Silence], letting out fearsome roars.
Their skill, Roar, was a special ability.
Its effect: inflicting psychological terror on humans to paralyze body and mind.
"Gospel."
Alfia responded.
An invisible sonic blast surged outward.
All thirteen Minotaurs instantly turned to ash and vanished.
They left behind a pile of magic stones and two rare drops: Minotaur Horns.
Raven picked everything up and stored them in his virtual inventory.
At the same time, his Data Eye displayed a transparent blue screen:
Endurance +25
Dexterity +32
Strength +16
Agility +20
Magic +59
Just one fight earned him over 100 stat points.
So satisfying!
Like nonstop cheating—pure bliss!
However, for [Silence], who was Level 7—
These Level 2 Minotaurs provided no experience at all.
To help Alfia level up—
They would have to venture to the Deep Floors, or even into unknown zones.
Only by defeating far stronger foes—Level 8 or Level 9 monsters—could she hope to level up again.
"Alfia, I've got about a quarter of my magic and mental energy left."
Raven was starting to pant. "Let's go to Floor 17 and take down Black Goliath."
"I think defeating it will finally max out my stats."
Max out?!
Even though Alfia understood the terrifying nature of his skills—
She was still a bit surprised by what he said.
'Maxed out' meant hitting the absolute stat cap: SSS / 1899 in every category.
If Raven could truly reach SSS across all attributes…
He would be the greatest prodigy in history!
In the world of DanMachi—
Aside from [Silence] Alfia, who once achieved SS in Magic—
No one else had ever broken into the SS rank.
"Then let's keep using shortcuts."
Alfia spoke as she turned her beautiful eyes toward a nearby vertical shaft leading further downward.