Focused on frying rice, Su Mo didn't notice anything unusual. But beside him, Lefiya did.
"Ais?" she called out hesitantly, puzzled. Why was Ais, who rarely showed any expression, suddenly wearing such an intense look?
If before it was just because the fried rice tasted good, making her somewhat interested, now it was clear that Ais's attention was fully fixed on the owner.
What else did this owner have besides good looks? Lefiya was baffled.
Distracted by Lefiya's question, Su Mo suddenly felt Ais's burning gaze on him.
After packaging the freshly fried rice and handing it over, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"..." Ais was silent for a moment. Then, carefully choosing her words, she said, "You've gotten stronger."
It wasn't a statement nor a question — it was said with absolute certainty.
Su Mo blinked in surprise. Since they'd only met once before, and he hadn't planned to hide his strength, he hadn't intentionally disguised anything; all his movements were natural. He just hadn't expected that with barely any interaction, she could tell he'd changed.
"Why do you say that?" Su Mo asked with genuine curiosity, neither denying nor confirming.
"By the way you picked up the iron pan, I can tell your strength rivals that of a level 2 adventurer." Ais answered obediently. As a swordswoman, she was well-acquainted with the human body and how strength is exerted.
It's hard for adventurers to judge strength by appearance alone, but they can estimate it by how someone handles heavy weapons or equipment.
Seeing Su Mo casually lift such a heavy iron pan with one hand, and stir-fry it for a long time without even seeming to exert himself, Ais roughly judged that this owner's strength was definitely above level 1.
But whether he was level 2, level 3, or higher, she couldn't say for sure just yet.
One thing was clear though: Su Mo was no ordinary person. He was definitely at least level 2, maybe even higher.
Yet, just a month ago, he was a regular newbie, and even after receiving the Blessing of the Gods, he hadn't gotten any obvious enhancements. In one month, he had jumped from level 1 to at least level 2. Such an abnormal speed of growth even broke records that Ais had known.
It was because of this realization that her gaze burned so fiercely.
"Loki told me never to pry into other adventurers' secrets, especially how they grow stronger."
"But I have my own reasons to get stronger." "No matter the cost, no matter the price, I'm willing to pay it all."
Obsessed with power, Ais looked at Su Mo with hopeful eyes. Then, sincerely bowing, she asked, "Could you please tell me how you became so strong?"
Known throughout Orario as the "Sword Princess," Ais was a level 5 adventurer and part of the city's top tier, even a main force within the Loki Familia.
But she wasn't satisfied with her current strength. She'd been level 5 for a long time but was stuck at a bottleneck.
Her stats wouldn't improve, and she had no clue how to level up further.
She'd been struggling for a long time, searching for a way to get stronger but to no avail.
She hadn't expected that simply by coming out to familiarize her juniors with the outside world, she'd discover someone like Su Mo who had such an unusually rapid growth.
Even if it was a bit forward, she wasn't willing to give up on this last straw of hope.
Even if it meant giving up all her wealth, Ais was determined to find a way to grow stronger.
Seeing her like this, Lefiya was stunned. She didn't fully understand why Ais was so obsessed with getting stronger, but the sheer intensity of her desire — that, she finally grasped.
Turning to look at the shop owner, Lefiya watched intently, eager to see how he would respond.
"Hmm…"
Su Mo looked at Ais, who had bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle, her sincerity written all over her face. He stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and asked,
"You just said you're willing to pay any price. Are you serious about that?"
Ais blinked blankly for a moment, just about to nod. But before she could answer, Lefiya panicked.
"Wait! Ais, you can't just agree to something like that!"
The elven girl's face flushed bright red as she hurried to stop her. Who knew what kind of strange and suspicious conditions a man might demand!
As Ais's number-one fan and self-proclaimed guardian of her purity, Lefiya felt a solemn duty to protect her.
But Ais only tilted her head slightly, looking at her in confusion.
"Lefiya… what do you mean by strange and suspicious?"
Having grown up within a Familia, innocent and pure like a blank page, Ais completely missed the implication behind Lefiya's warning.
"Ugh…"
Caught off guard by such a blunt question, Lefiya's face turned an even deeper shade of red. She looked like she was about to burst into steam.
How could she possibly explain that kind of thing in front of everyone?!
Seeing Lefiya too flustered to respond, Ais tilted her head again.
"Lefiya is acting weird…" she murmured.
Then she turned her golden eyes back to Su Mo, gaze full of expectation.
"So… is it possible?"
The blonde girl asked again, hopeful and unwavering.