Princess Knight [Dropped]

[32] (2/3)

Shell questioned back.

"Tell me, do you know about a certain thing called a 'breakthrough'?"

"No," Maria shook her head.

Shell sighed.

"A breakthrough is what we adventurers like to call it when someone breaks through their limits and increase their stats."

"How much do the stats increase? Two levels? One?" Maria raised a brow.

"You don't understand," Shell shook her head with a slight chuckle.

"The stats don't merely just jump in level, no, with every time you break through your limits—every single one of your stats increases by a single minor rank."

"An example would be from A- rank to the A rank."

"That is why being born with such strong stats as all A ranks is an extreme advantage. Afterall, It has been said that ninety-eight percent of people would only be able to breakthrough 2 major ranks in their lifetime and that no matter how much more they continue to try as they might—they will never be able to break through any higher."

"Which is quite something seeing as you can toy with someone in any plate if you happen to be 2 major ranks higher in that specific plate."

At that moment, something clicked within Maria's head.

"What ranks were you born with?" She questioned at the next moment.

Shell's expression crumbled.

A light smile made its way to her lips.

Maria could tell immediately that it was forced.

She turned away, her back faced Maria

A sigh rang.

She turned right back around, "C minus across the board."

Maria's eyes opened a wider at that moment as realization dawned.

"Yes," Shell hummed a nod, her eyes focused and crystal clear.

She looked down for a moment.

"I've already reached a full plate of B rank. I'm gonna reach the end of my limit soon. My stats can only ever reach the A minus rank in the future."

"This is why I would advise you to put experience and battle awareness above all. Afterall, that can make up for even a bit of shortcoming and increase your overall rank."

Momentarily, her right-hand gentle placed itself atop Maria's head.

She produced a hollow laugh, "I guess, after you fully obtain battle experience and awareness, you will always be stronger than me in the future."

She roughened those strands of peach blonde hair a bit.

"I'm..." Maria couldn't find the right words.

Was she sorry? The answer would be no...there was no reason for her to be, it wasn't her fault, she knew that much.

Then what was she?

"What are you being sympathetic of me for!?" Shell laughed.

Yes...that was it.

"You just gotta learn to live with and accept the rules of the world, you know?" She scratched the back of her head.

"Let's just continue on with the dungeon!"

"Oh?" She turned to glimpse at Arthur's sitting figure.

"It seems he's reaching the end?"

"Ah, I would learn magic too...if I had any talent in it. Eh, but I'm not too good at reading diagrams. Who the hell even created those books anyway?"