Chapter 1: The Hidden Boss Assesses Her Level
It was now autumn, and it would soon be time for my first harvest festival since moving back to Dolkness county.
Even though it felt like I'd been here for years already, not even a year had passed since I had graduated from the Academy. A lot had happened since then, from stopping Duke Hillrose’s grandiose attempt on his own life to the appearance of Yumiella 2, a version of myself from a parallel world—having such an eventful life probably messed up my sense of time.
Around a month had passed since I had taken down the god of evil. I had largely recovered from using up all of my magical energy turning back time in the parallel world—physically, at least. Mentally, I was still recovering both from the ordeal itself and from the new knowledge I had gained from my final visit to the parallel world...
What the hell even is the Holy Empire of Dolkness..? Whatever, I should forget about 2’s speedy empire-founding. I should think about more fun things. Something fun, something interesting... With that thought, the face of my fiancé Patrick popped up in my mind. Oh, that's it! I should do a level assessment!
We happened to own one of those crystal-orb-like magical instruments that were used during the level assessment that was part of the entrance ceremony at the Academy.
Everyone should have one in their home.
It was quite expensive, but I couldn’t not buy it. I sometimes brought it out, held it between my hands, and smiled at the “99” that popped up —it was a hardworking, useful appliance.
I can also assess Patrick’s level. He’s probably close to 99.
Once he maxed out, we were going to celebrate. I’d tried to plan a surprise party to congratulate him on becoming level 99, but it had suddenly been swapped for a wedding, so his level 99 party would have to be a quieter affair.
I also wanted to check my own level. It had slipped my mind after the shock of everything that had happened with 2, but since I was now a being that surpassed the level cap, I wanted to know by exactly how much.
I wonder if I’m in the hundreds, or the thousands, or even in the millions!
My level cap had been 99 before, but I wanted to know if there was a new maximum, or if the sky was the limit—there was a lot I wanted to know.
“My level will increase, forever and ever,” I belted out. “There’s deviation in the asymmetry between the hearth and the bamboo grove.” I was singing my fully original song, “The Leveling Song,” on my way to grab the crystal.
Just in case the first half of the verse matched an existing song, I made sure that the latter half wouldn't infringe on anyone's copyright— I devised unique, original lyrics so that no one could even think of lashing out at me for copying a song.
I also made the melody eccentric to dispel any allegations that this was just a parody song. The melody was like a mix of folk and metal.
I was finally at the chorus. I tried to sing it using a mix of techniques from Japanese enka and Western opera.
“The villainous device teaches the hunter meteorites,” I sang.
"Please stop! You’re scaring me!” a voice pleaded with me, bringing my happy singing to a stop as I came face-to-face with Eleanora in the hallway of the estate. I’d known Eleanora, daughter to the former duke of Hillrose and current freeloader in my home, since we were at the Academy together, but I’d never before seen her make such an obviously displeased face.
Looking back on it, when I used to sing at karaoke in my past life, my friends gave me some candid advice about my singing. My singing has also been referred to as “strange transmissions ” I suppose it’s possible that I might be unaware that I’m tone-deaf.
"Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. “My singing must have been bad.”
"I mean, it wasn’t not bad, but...” Eleanora hesitated. “I think it was actually in a realm far past 'bad.'”
I’d apologized with the expectation that she’d say that I wasn’t that bad, but Eleanora had instead dealt a critical hit.
If I’m in a realm past being bad... Does that mean...?
"Do you mean that I’m so bad that I’m actually good?” I wondered hopefully.
"Not at all,” she said with a dark expression. “I meant that you’re so bad that I was about to lose my mind.” It seemed like there was a part of her that was actually angry with me.
Eleanora was surprisingly knowledgeable when it came to the arts. She probably couldn’t forgive my half-baked song. The lyrics were definitely fine, but perhaps the melody was a bit too odd.
“Which part in particular was bad?” I asked. “Was it my singing or the melody?”
“The worst part was the lyrics!” she exclaimed. “The words were so deeply nonsensical that they sent shivers down my spine!” She’d even rejected the lyrics, which I’d had such confidence about.
She doesn't have to be that harsh.. Even I would be hurt by that. It hurts even more coming from someone as kind as Eleanora.
A normal person would give up here and never sing in front of others again, but I wasn’t going to give up. I was going to practice and become good enough for Eleanora to praise me.
"Understood. I’ll perform for you again at another time, so I hope you’ll listen.”
My determination didn’t have the desired effect either, because she immediately changed the subject. “Were you on your way somewhere, Yumiella...?”
“Yes, I was going to get the level assessment crystal—” I started to explain before she abruptly cut me off.
“I want to see it! I want to see that crystal as well!”
Huh?I didn’t expect Eleanora to be so interested.
She had never seemed that interested in the crystal before, so I wasn’t sure why her attitude had suddenly changed. Was she perhaps leveling up in secret? I could understand her enthusiasm if it was because she wanted to check her own growth.
“Well then, why don’t we assess our levels together?”
“I would love to!” she responded enthusiastically. “I love level assessments!”
Ah, it’s so nice to have friends who get really into the same interests as me. There's something about assessing our levels together that feels like an appropriate activity to do with friends. I don't care about singing that much, so I'll leave the practicing for later. Onward to the crystal!
I began striding forward once more, when I heard a voice mumbling something behind me.
"Phew, I’m saved...”
I turned to regard my friend. “What? Did you say something?”
“We have to focus on the level assessment!” Eleanora exclaimed, her smile seeming strangely fixed. “Hurry, Yumiella!”
As my level increased, my hearing abilities were also enhanced, but I didn’t always catch everything everyone said. If their voice was too low or too quiet, it was like the frequency didn’t match, and my brain wouldn’t process it. Besides, if I was processing every sound my Yumiella Ears heard twenty-four hours a day, my brain would probably short circuit.
And so, in the end, I didn’t know what Eleanora was mumbling about, and I decided that it didn’t matter. We continued down the hall together.
"The crystal is the same sort of instrument that everyone used at the entrance ceremony, correct?” she asked. "I didn’t know you had one at home.”
“Yes. That’s correct. It’s nostalgic to think back on it...” I felt wistful for a moment. “Though it was also the reason I became the center of attention.”
“Center of attention? I don’t remember much about the entrance ceremony.”
“You mean the entrance ceremony during which there was a huge commotion over me being level 99? You must’ve been watching too, Lady Eleanora.”
Eleanora considered this, her brow furrowing prettily for a moment, before shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I only remember hearing about you a little after the entrance ceremony. I assumed you were at the entrance ceremony, but I don’t recall seeing you.”
While reminiscing about the past together, shocking news had been revealed: seeing someone who was level 99 wasn’t a big enough deal to burn itself into Lady Eleanora’s memory.
I’d assumed that this was the moment when every student at the Academy took notice of me, but Eleanora was, in a sense, in a whole different realm. I was honestly impressed.
“Speaking of the entrance ceremony!” she suddenly cried with a cheerfulness that sounded suspiciously forced. “Isn’t that the moment where you and Sir Patrick had your first, fateful meeting? Did you feel something for him at first sight?”
“Oh, I didn’t notice Patrick at the entrance ceremony,” I said dismissively. "Though I do vaguely remember thinking that there was someone with a slightly higher level than others...”
“What? Didn’t your heart start beating the moment you locked eyes, or anything wonderful like that?”
“No, I don't remember any reaction in particular.”
Eleanora seemed disappointed by my answer and its complete lack of romance.
That’s just how real life is. People rarely fall in love at first sight.
We'd reached our destination as we'd reminisced. It was a room on the first floor of the estate that we had turned into a storage room, full of things like unused pieces of furniture. Rita didn’t like me going to the storage room myself, but I always felt much more awkward calling over a servant to get something for me.
“I don’t remember where I put it after using it last time... Oh, there it is.” Since the crystal was used often, it was on a shelf right by the door. I picked it up with both hands and showed it to Eleanora. “Now we can assess our levels.”
“That does indeed appear to be the case,” Eleanora replied, a little stiffly.
Oh? She was so excited about the level assessment just a second ago, but now her response seems dull I want her to go into this excited. I need to hype things up somehow...
“Maybe a song?” I wondered aloud.
“Wow, it’s the crystal! Yay! Let’s assess our levels!”
“What? Uh, okay.”
Eleanora’s excitement levels had suddenly shot back up. It seemed she wanted to check her level after all.
She can go first then.
Of course, we’d be doing it here. I was too lazy to bring the crystal to my room. I was the kind of person who ate my takeout in the parking lot.
I caught sight of a tall, narrow desk nearby, which seemed like it had no other use than to display a flower vase. I moved the vase, placed the crystal on the desk, and encouraged Eleanora to put her hand on the smooth surface.
“Here you go! All you have to do is place your hand on top.”
“Okay...” Eleanora said, nodding as she reached out her right hand.
I’d always assumed that Eleanora was level 1. That seemed like a reasonable expectation of someone who had never before defeated a monster. But considering how interested she seemed in the crystal, I suspected that she may have been secretly level grinding.
That’s why she must’ve been going out with Ryuu. That's it! Being with the strongest dragon also guaranteed her safety. I wonder what her level is...
“Oh, you’re level 1.” I was only a little bit disappointed.
“Well, yes, of course.”
She was level 1, and she’d known it all along.
Why? Why did you want to assess your level?
As my mind filled with questions, the weakest of noble ladies moved away from the crystal.
"Next is your turn,” she said.
I shook my head. “I’ll go last, after Patrick.”
“What?” She looked at me quizzically. “Are you not feeling well yet?”
“I have my reasons, of course..."
My hesitation was enough for her to suspect I was feeling unwell.
I mean, I guess I usually want to go first when it comes to the crystal, so her concern makes sense.
Of course, I had a reason as to why I wanted to go last. After recent events, I had surpassed level 99.1 was definitely past level 100, and my level could possibly be in the thousands or millions.
I was on a completely different level—I basically possessed a strength so immense it felt like I was cheating. I was in a situation one could describe with a ridiculous title like My Stats Are What Now?! I’m the Only Person Who's Level 999,999,999 in a World Where the Max Level Is 99.
I’m sorry if there’s actually a book like that out there. Even if it's not exactly the same, I’m pretty sure there are some with similar titles I myself am in the ridiculous situation of being a villainess who’s level 99, so please forgive me for any unintended copyright violations.
Things were starting to get off topic. Back to the crystal—in these types of stories, it was common for an object like this level assessment crystal to break. The magical instrument couldn’t handle the person’s powers after they’d surpassed the world’s limits.
I expected that there was an eighty percent chance that the crystal would break—I wasn’t sure if it would just shatter or explode into pieces, but I knew it would break. As for the remaining twenty percent... There was a ten percent chance it wouldn’t be able to assess my level and just display an error message, and a ten percent chance that a level above 99 would be displayed.
I wouldn’t be disappointed by either of the latter options. An error message wouldn’t be that diiferent from the crystal breaking, but if I got to actually see my numerical level, that would be great.
This was my somewhat long-winded reasoning for having Patrick use the magical instrument before me, and when I explained the gist of things to Eleanora, she seemed to understand.
"I see, it’s because you’ll break something again.”
“Break something again?!” I echoed.
“Um, that’s pretty common, isn't it...?”
I'm not constantly breaking things... is what I wanted to argue back, but then I began to recall all the things I'd broken in the past. I’d broken many various things, from dangerous artifacts to rare objects. I didn't want to affirm that I was Yumiella the Destroyer, so I decided to respond to Eleanora’s question with silence.
"So...” I needed to change the subject. “Let’s go look for Patrick. Though I feel like he’ll appear soon even if we don’t go searching for him.”
"I don’t think Sir Patrick would appear before us so conveniently," Eleanora said, seeming skeptical, but I knew that the probability of Patrick conveniently appearing was extraordinarily high.
Every time I just thought, “Oh, won’t my darling Pat-Pat just show up?” he would suddenly materialize. He was just a convenient man...hmm, that didn’t sound quite like the compliment I intended it to be. A man with good timing? No, that wasn’t it either.
Hm... Oh!He’s a man that swiftly appears in a crisis! That's the kind of man Patrick is!
“Help me, Patrick!” I called.
“Couldn’t you say ‘help me’ with a bit more emotion?” Eleanora suggested.
“He’ll still come. He’d come quicker if, say, a child had been kidnapped.”
“Is that so...”
Yes. He'll come. I know he'll come. As long as I believe, hell show up.
Five minutes had passed.
“He’s not here,” I said.
“That appears to be the case,” Eleanora responded.
He didn’t come. Reality was cruel. Happiness wasn’t something that came to you, but was instead something you had to find for yourself. The bluebird of happiness was in Tyltyl and Mytyl’s home all along, but their journey to find the bluebird was no doubt meaningful.
Happiness might be closer than you think, but what’s most important is the will to go and search for it yourself. Oh, right, this was originally a train of thought about how the person I live with isn't showing up at the right time...
As I was pondering the philosophy of happiness, Eleanora picked up the crystal.
“You must be having strange thoughts again. Come, we’re leaving.”
"Please don’t drop it,” I said.
Eleanora seemed inappropriately casual in the manner in which she held the crystal and walked off.
Please don't drop it. I’m planning for the crystal to break, unable to bear the brunt of my strength I can't have it falling and shattering on the ground.
Eleanora and I walked around the estate looking for the bluebird of hap—no, Patrick. He wasn’t in his room, and Daemon was the only one in the office. As I wondered where else my boyfriend could possibly be, I heard voices in the entryway. It seemed that he’d been out and had just returned.
I intercepted him. “Welcome home!” I said cheerfully. “Do you want to eat, take a bath, or—"
“Welcome back, Sir Patrick. Here, please place your hand on this crystal."
Eleanora interrupted the most important part.
Whatever, it’s fine. I just said it out of habit, since that's the line that usually follows “Welcome home. ”
Eleanora was holding out the crystal with both hands, a beaming smile on her face. She was adorable. I couldn’t believe the fact that Patrick didn’t seem too happy about the magical instrument being thrust before him.
“Thanks. Uh, let’s do that later. It’s not something I have to do right -"
“If you don't go first, then it’ll never be my turn,” I said, speaking quickly, knowing he would otherwise refuse based on his expression.
I grabbed his wrist with both hands and brought it to the crystal. He resisted and tried to pull away, but it was no use. Eleanora held up the crystal and pressed it against Patrick’s palm. It was perfect teamwork, a combination move between us.
I'll name this move “Forced Level Assessment.” It’s a move where you forcibly assess someone’s level.
"Alright, good job, Lady Eleanora!” I crowed. “Check the number!”
“Um, it’s... 99! It’s 99! That’s incredible, Sir Patrick!” Eleanora said, jumping up and down with joy in response to seeing the number displayed on the magical instrument.
Please don't drop it, I prayed. I definitely can't have the crystal dropping and shattering on the ground, okay?
Despite my concerns, I understood why Eleanora was so happy. I felt as happy as if this were my own accomplishment.
Oh, Patrick, you've grown so much...
"I feel like a mother seeing her son’s growth,” I cooed.
“Who are you calling your son?” Patrick snapped.
He must be in his rebellious phase. If you're going to join a biker gang, Patrick, then Mommy would appreciate you riding a CBX400F.
I thought about showing off my excellent impression of a straight-six engine, but instead, I decided to genuinely celebrate his accomplishments. I’d save the impression for another time.
“Congratulations, Patrick,” I said with a smile.
“Thanks...”
Despite reaching the max level, Patrick didn’t seem too happy. He had also refused to do the assessment of his own volition, and I felt a little confused about why that might be.
Come to think of it, he hasn't really talked about his own level recently. Why not, Patrick? You're level 99! You’re probably only the second person in the entire world to reach it. We’re the strongest couple in the world... Wait. You don't need two “strongest” people. I was number one until yesterday, but now we’re both at the top. We need to hold a competition to determine who's the strongest. The battle's already begun.
I took a dramatic pause before saying, "It appears the time to determine who's the strongest in the world has come.”
"I knew this would happen,” Patrick said with a sigh. “That’s why I didn’t want to do it. I’m fine with you being the strongest, so can you stop bracing for a fight?”
“Hey! That’s something that a protagonist who’s the self-proclaimed weakest character would say! You say that, but you’re secretly the stronger one! It’s like I’m the underdog who just says they’re the strongest!”
In most stories, the one who wanted to figure out who was stronger was the weaker character. The peaceful character who said, “come on, we don't need to fight,” usually turned out to be the stronger one.
And in this case, that's not true. I’m the stronger one.
I was ready to fight, but Patrick appeared to have no intentions towards doing so. He looked at me with pity.
“Weren’t you a bit more level-headed when we first met? I feel like you’ve become more violent lately.”
"I don’t think I’ve changed that much.”
I think I've always been like this. He’s probably just seeing different sides to me because we've been together for a while. I don't think I have a violent side though.. Oops, I was about to get off topic again. We're in the middle of competing for the title of strongest in the world.
I inched closer to Patrick and took another dramatic pause. “This is the result of my level-headed thinking. Generally speaking, the one with the higher level is stronger. If we’re the same level, then we have no choice but to directly fight and see who’s stronger... See, isn’t it a logical train of thought?”
“Logical...?” Patrick echoed, as if he were interrogating the meaning of the word itself.
Since we were both level 99, we had no choice but to fight to see who was stronger. Perhaps the one with the higher base potential—in other words, innate skill—would win. Or, perhaps elements outside of our levels, such as swordsmanship and precision with magic, would decide the winner.
If it's only two people, I reasoned, we won't have to worry about extra people turning things into a Mexican standoff, and we can fight to our heart’s content.
Come on, Patrick. Let’s have the most powerful lover's quarrel of all history!
Right when my excitement had built up, Eleanora chimed in.
“Yumiella, didn’t you say you were above level 99?”
I felt myself deflate slightly. “Oh.”
"Isn’t that why you wanted to use this crystal? It was only a moment ago that you mentioned that. Have you already forgotten?”
“That’s right.”
Right. I’m not level 99 anymore. I’d completely forgotten about it until dear Eleanora pointed it out.
The fact that I’d surpassed 99 slipped my mind because I’d been wanting to battle Patrick to determine who was stronger when he reached my level. My feelings got me carried away.
There are just those times where you still want to go through with a plan, even if the situation has changed and it's not necessary anymore. It totally happens.
In my previous life, when I was a domestic college student, I had purchased a power bank I wanted to bring on a trip, even though the trip itself had been canceled. I had no other reason to go to the electronics store, but I forced myself to go anyway, and it was only when I got home and unboxed the power bank that I realized I didn’t need it.
My increased level slipped my mind. Does this mean I just get to keep being the strongest person in the world? Should we still settle things with a battle anyway, just to be sure?
As I mulled over whether or not to keep my battle stance up, Patrick decided this was his moment to convince me to choose peace.
Just how badly do you not want to fight, Patrick?
"That’s right!” he said, mustering up his enthusiasm. “You’ve surpassed the maximum level. That means that you’re stronger than me, a normal person who is level 99, which is the limit. Right? So we don’t have to fight, do we?”
“Am I number one in the world?’’ I wondered.
“Yeah, you're number one, Yumiella.”
“What if I was the second strongest in the world?”
“Then you’d be number two, wouldn’t you...?”
Number two was number two after all. Even if number two was number two, number one was number one, and I was number one, not number two, which meant I was number one.
I see, so there’s no need to decide who’s the winner between us.
As I relaxed my stance, Patrick let out a sigh of relief.
“You saved me. Thank you, Lady Eleanora.”
"Did you forget about Yumiella’s level increasing as well, Sir Patrick?” she asked, genuinely curious.
"I had been concerned that something like what happened just now would happen, but I didn’t realize that the prerequisites for that to happen had changed...”
Oh, Patrick had a “it totally happens” moment too. It seems like his occurred because he expected I would want to fight. That doesn’t sit right with me... How could a boy not be interested in being the strongest person in the world? Whatever, it's fine. Patrick’s done with the crystal now that he's reached the max level, which means I’m free to destroy it as I please.
"All right then, my turn,” I said.
“Why were you waiting for me to get home?” Patrick wondered. “I would’ve expected you to assess your own level first.”
I guess I just seem like someone who’s eager to use the crystal.
I summarized the explanation I gave to Eleanora for Patrick, explaining how there was a possibility that the crystal might break.
“And that’s why I think the crystal might shatter,” I finished.
“Even if they’re sold in the markets, it’s still a rare item. Don’t break it,” he admonished.
"Like I said, it’s going to be an inevitable accident!”
"Just don’t do it willfully, okay?”
Why would I do that? The only three possibilities here are the crystal physically breaking due to an inevitable overload, an error message being displayed, or a three-digit number being displayed. I would never willfully break a precious magical instrument. How absurd to think I would.
Patrick’s suspicious gaze felt as if he was saying, "she’s going to break it on purpose,” and it was painful, so I decided to get the assessment over with as quickly as possible.
“I’m going to check my level now,” I announced.
“Yes, go ahead!” Eleanora said with a smile as she held out the crystal for me.
If the crystal exploded while Eleanora was still holding it, her hands would become a bloody mess. It would be terrible if the flying shards hit her in the face.
I found a table near us and moved the vase that was sitting on it.
"It may explode, so please set the crystal down here.”
Eleanora seemed slightly displeased, but she set the crystal down where I instructed. Then she took several steps back, as if she were afraid of it exploding. In contrast, Patrick cautiously took a step closer.
It’s all right, I’ll absorb all of the damage from the impending explosion. All right then, countdown to detonation: three, two, one, blast off!
“Huh?"
I lightly touched the crystal, but nothing happened. There were no signs of it exploding.
What's happening?Is it option two, an error message?
As I blankly scanned my surroundings, my eyes met Patrick’s. He looked relieved.
I didn't realize you didn't want it to explode that badly. Whatever, there's nothing that can be done.
I collected myself and looked down to see if the crystal was showing an error message or a three-digit (or above) number.
Before I could turn my attention back to the crystal, Eleanora slipped past Patrick. She’d probably decided that it wasn’t dangerous anymore, and so she’d gotten close without anyone stopping her. She was right across from me, with the crystal between us. She bent down to look at the crystal.
"It says...13!”
"Pardon? 13?” I echoed.
What do you mean 13. How could my level be so low. Oh wait, it's not 13, it's “13!” It's factorial thirteen, so it's thirteen times twelve, times elven, times ten, and so on, so... It would be factorial ten multiplied by eleven through thirteen... So about six billion?
I felt a sense of pride about being level six billion. I hadn’t realized that I’d accumulated so much extra experience after reaching the maximum level.
As I stood there, trembling with emotion, Patrick got closer and stared at the crystal.
"Oh, it really does say 13. What does this mean...?”
"It’s fine, it’s 13! Isn’t it?” I said, attempting to communicate the factorial symbol through my volume and excitement.
Although do they even know what a factorial is here...?
“Why did you suddenly yell?” Patrick asked.
The way that he had said it made it seem like it was just 13.
Wait. What does it actually show on the crystal?
I couldn’t imagine that the factorial symbol would show up on the crystal, but if the full six billion number was showing, why would Eleanora have rephrased it?
I just remembered, Eleanora is a person who would confidently say that one hundred minus seventy-seven is thirty-three. She would probably freeze up seeing a number over a million, and then do her best to count backwards from the one’s place.
I have a bad feeling about this. It's not even hot, but I feel sweat running down my back.
I ignored the feeling and looked at the crystal. My hand was still on it, and I leaned over the crystal as the results came into view.
"Thirteen...?”
The number before me was 13. It was a natural number, more than 12 but less than 14. XIII in Roman numerals. There was nothing else displayed—it was just the devil's number on the crystal.
I let go of the crystal and then put my hand back on it to reassess my level, but the result was the same. I considered the possibility my eyes were just deceiving me, so I decided to check with Patrick.
"It says 13, right?”
“Yup, it’s 13,” he confirmed.
"It said 13,” Eleanora added.
My world felt like it was twisting, and my vision was spinning, but I was the calmest person in the room. I was calmly accepting that I was level 13. I was calm. And so, I calmly, quietly, coldly explained what I needed to do next.
"All right, let’s destroy the world.”
“Calm down, Yumiella,” Patrick said automatically.
My only objective was to prove that the results of the level assessment were incorrect. I was going to find proof that I wasn’t level 13, no matter what.
“I’m calm. It’s just that if I can’t find proof that these results are wrong, I’ll destroy everything in the world.”
“That would just be taking your anger out on the world...” Eleanora said.
If I couldn’t prove that the result was incorrect, then I would destroy everything. A person who was only level 13 wouldn’t be able to destroy an entire world, so I would prove that the results were wrong by doing just that.
“Exactly,” I said with a decisive nod. “The world will disappear not as a result, but as a process. It’s a necessary sacrifice in order to prove these results wrong.”
"I’ll prove it for you, so just calm down,” Patrick said, trying to placate me.
You don't have to get so serious. As long as my thinking is correct, it should be all over soon.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a shadow wobbling, and a prepubescent boy’s high-pitched voice rang out.
“Hold on, miss! There’s no way that you’re level 13, so just hold off on destroying the world!”
I chuckled to myself internally, glad that my plan worked.
I would never actually want to do something as cringy as destroying the world. My statements were a trap to lure out the person with the most knowledge about the magical instrument used for the level assessment, an instrument which had not been constructed by mortal hands. He—the god of magical instruments, dreams, and darkness—was nearby at this very moment.
“Hello, Lemn,” I said cheerfully. “I knew you’d come.”
The black-haired boy jumped out of my shadow. It was Lemn, the god of darkness. I would’ve noticed earlier if he had been hiding in my shadow all along, so he probably transported himself here from somewhere outside of my perceivable area. This god was rotten to the core, and he didn’t care about humans on an individual basis, but he got desperate when the stakes got high enough to affect the entire world.
Lemn appeared to realize what my thought process had been, and his expression of panic softened into one of disappointment.
"Oh, what a waste it was for me to hurry here,” he grumbled.
"I didn’t think you were going to fall for it so easily,” I said.
"Of course I’d take this sort of thing seriously. You could do something to the entire world, miss.”
"Do you think I’m the kind of person who would take their frustration out on others just because their level decreased?”
"I do,” he said without the slightest pause.
I see, you do think that, huh.. But Lemn doesn’t even really make an attempt to understand human emotions. Also, I haven’t known him for very long. Patrick surely knows that I’m not that kind of person.
“You knew, right, Patrick?” I asked, turning to my boyfriend. “I see now, you were just acting when you were trying to stop me. You read my mind, didn’t you? I knew I could count on you, Pat—”
"I was serious about stopping you.”
“Oh. I see.”
It appeared that he thought that I would destroy everything I could just because my level might have decreased, but that was only because both he and Lemn were obsessed with safety. They both constantly assumed the worst case scenario. It was usually unnecessary worry, but I thought their cautiousness was valuable.
The one who truly understood me was Eleanora, who was more spontaneous and adventurous. I turned to her, my last hope.
"I-I... Even if you became level 13,1 believed you wouldn’t do anything strange! Of course, I wouldn’t think otherwise!” Eleanora said, darting her eyes back and forth, avoiding eye contact as she spoke.
Oh. I see. I now understand what everyone thinks of me on a regular basis. I’m not some member of a warrior race where my only form of identity is how high my level is.. I guess people can’t understand each other after all. Is there no way to truly understand someone and be understood...?
Though I was busy lamenting the imperfections of the creatures known as humans, I had something I needed to do right now. I needed to solve the mystery of my level. There was no way that I was level 13. I had felt an extraordinary increase in mana within my body than when I had surpassed level 99.
"I know that I didn’t become weaker, so the magical instrument must be malfunctioning. That’s the logical conclusion, right?” I asked, trying to keep the hint of desperation from my tone.
“Well, yeah. The strangest thing would be to think you’re actually level 13,” Patrick agreed.
“Right? See? I’m calm, just like I said.”
“I don’t know about that,” Patrick said, unsatisfied with my claim of composure.
I’m calm. I’m composed, and I need to prove that I'm not level 13. I’m not in a hurry, but I can't leave this for later.
“Come on, Lemn,” I wheedled. "Please take a look at this. Quickly. Is this magical instrument operating properly?”
“Miss... You seem irritated. You’re calm, right?”
“I’m calm. I’m composed. So please, can you find out what happened? You’re the god of magical instruments, right?” I said, my legs calmly trembling as I calmly glared at Lemn, because I was so very calm.
The god of darkness poked at the crystal as he spoke slowly.
"This artifact is outside of my purview... It already existed when I was born. We oversee the world, but we weren’t that involved with the creation of it.”
"I just want to know if this is operating properly,” I insisted. (Calmly.) “If it is, we will start narrowing down the reasons why it showed I was level 13.”
"I guess I can tell that much... Can you put your hand on it one more -"
“Okay,” I said, quickly placing my hand on the crystal before he finished his statement.
Hurry up, quickly! But I’m not in a hurry. Nor am I irritated. I’m completely calm.
Lemn curiously stared at the magical instrument and took a hefty pause before speaking.
“The instrument is operating correctly, which means you're level 13. You’ve become so weak, hell heh. 13... I mean, there are even children at that level,” Lemn chuckled.
“Grrrggggaaargh.” I couldn't keep my emotions in check, and magical energy began to flow throughout my body. With great effort, I stopped the dark magical energy from leaking out, but at this rate, I knew that I could suddenly explode at any moment.
I whirled around and fled outside to let off some steam by shooting off some random spells...but I couldn't. Even though my stores of mana had increased, my actual output ability hadn’t changed that much. It was like the faucet was still the same, but the water tank had gotten bigger.
I don’t know if casting Black Hole at maximum force would even drain my excess of energy in time. I just have that much mana surging up within me.
Everyone was reacting to my strange behavior, but I couldn’t even respond properly.
“Oh no, Yumiella!” Eleanora exclaimed. ‘Yumiella’s broken!"
“Are you okay?!” Patrick called to me. When he didn’t get a response, he rounded on Lemn. “Hey, why did you goad her like that?”
“It was just payback for always causing me trouble, or something like that...?” Lemn seemed genuinely repentant. “I didn’t think this would happen though. Sorry.”
“You think you can get away with a ‘sorry?’”
With nowhere to go, the magical energy building up within me finally shot out of my body.
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