My Angel Can't Level Up

"So this ability, Arcane As- Asken—uh, whatever..." Ryven squinted at the glowing text floating in the air.

"Arcane Ascendancy," Lyria corrected, her voice calm but firm.

"Yeah, that. How does it work?"

"Well... I haven't actually used it on anyone before, since you're my first bond," Lyria admitted, hesitating slightly. "But from what I was told, when I cast it on someone, their experience gain from monsters increases, and their magic casting time decreases."

"PERFECT!" Ryven suddenly shouted.

"Wh-What?!" Lyria flinched, staring at him in shock. "Aren't you upset? I'm a Lesser Angel—literally the weakest rank. And my ability isn't even that great. Experience gain can be boosted by gear, and casting speed isn't that big of a deal for strong mages. I don't even know how someone like me is supposed to be a guardian angel..." She looked down, her voice growing softer.

"Upset? What are you even talking about?" Ryven scoffed. "I don't care how strong you are. What matters is that ability you're hiding. Finally, I'll be able to catch up to other mages in casting speed!" He grinned, completely ignoring the tension in Lyria's voice.

Lyria blinked, caught off guard by his enthusiasm. "...You're really that happy about it?"

"Obviously!" Ryven crossed his arms, nodding. "Also, uh... what's this 'experience' thing?"

Lyria stared at him. "What? You don't know about experience? You know, the thing you get from hunting monsters? It makes you stronger and improves your stats."

"There's something like that?" Ryven tilted his head. "Wait—stats?"

Lyria's mouth dropped open. "YOU'RE KIDDING, RIGHT?! HOW CAN YOU DREAM OF BEING A SLAYER WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING THE BASICS?! HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK?!"

Ryven scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well... all I've done for the past years is learn magical formulas and train them. I haven't really had time to learn anything else—aside from some language studies from my mother. I knew stats existed, but I thought they only applied to angels."

Lyria groaned, rubbing her temples. "Unbelievable... Still, if you want to be a Slayer, you should at least know the basics!"

She took a deep breath before explaining, "Everyone is born with base stats that can be increased through training. It's the same for angels."

"You can raise stats by either physically training for them or by earning experience points from defeating monsters. Once you get enough experience, you can assign those points to whichever stat you want to level up."

"But here's the catch," she added, pointing at him. "You can only do that once you're bound to an angel."

"Oh, so that's what all this is about," Ryven muttered, scratching his head. "So, how do I check my stats?"

"For us angels, we just say 'Status Window,' and it opens. At least, that's how it worked for me back in Eden," Lyria explained.

"Oh, well then—worth a shot."

[Status Window]

Suddenly, a translucent blue window flickered into existence in front of Ryven.

[Ryven][Strength: 21][Perception: 13][Stamina: 12][Vitality: 10][Intelligence: 66][Mana: 71][Skills: None]

"WOAH!" Ryven's eyes widened. "This is insane! These are my stats?! They look pretty cool!"

Lyria leaned forward, trying to peek. "I can't see it unless you let me, remember?"

"Huh?" Ryven blinked. "Wait, you can't see this?"

Lyria sighed. "No, only the caster can see their status window unless they allow someone else to view it."

"Oh… uh, how do I do that?"

"Just think about allowing me to see it. It's that simple."

"Alright then—done."

The moment Lyria saw the numbers, her wings twitched.

"Wait… what?"

At the same time, Lilia, who had been watching quietly, let out a sharp breath. "Sixty-six intelligence and seventy-one mana?!"

Rial, who had remained silent up until now, let out a quiet hum. He folded his arms, studying the numbers carefully.

"...I see."

Lilia turned to him, eyes wide. "Rial, this isn't normal! Even prodigies don't start like this!"

Rial's expression didn't change much, but his brows furrowed slightly. "It's high. No doubt about that. But considering his training…"

Lilia still looked unconvinced. "Even with training, children his age barely reach thirty-two in both intelligence and mana! This is double that!"

Lyria kept staring at the numbers, almost lost in thought. "This… this isn't normal," she muttered. "This level of growth shouldn't happen naturally…"

Meanwhile, Rin, Ryven's little sister, tilted her head, looking between them with a confused expression. "Uh… are these numbers good or bad?"

Ryven scratched his cheek. "I mean, I knew my magic was strong, but…" He turned to Lyria. "Honestly, the reason I got so excited earlier was because of your ability."

Lyria blinked. "Huh?"

Ryven sighed. "I can use a lot of magic, and my firepower is really good, but my casting time is—how do I say this—awful. It's basically the same as a toddler learning magic. That's why when you said your ability speeds up spellcasting, I got excited."

Lyria's expression softened. "I see…"

But despite her words, she still looked a little down.

Rial finally clapped his hands together, breaking the tension. "Well, regardless of how this happened, the fact remains that your stats are high. That means you'll have to train even harder to control that mana properly."

Ryven groaned. "Ugh, more training?"

Rial smirked. "What, you thought being strong would make things easier?"

Lilia still looked concerned, but she didn't argue further. Lyria remained quiet, deep in thought.

Rin, on the other hand, just pouted. "So… does this mean dinner's gonna be late again?"

Ryven laughed. "Priorities, Rin. Priorities."

Rial placed a hand on Ryven's shoulder. "This is your last stretch of training before the academy. Make sure you're ready."

Ryven nodded. His time here was coming to an end. One way or another, he had to make this last month count.

Ryven glanced at Lyria, noticing the way she kept looking down. He frowned. "Hey, uh… what about your stats?"

Lyria's wings tensed. "M-My stats?"

"Yeah. You saw mine, so it's only fair I see yours, right?" Ryven gave her a small grin. "Come on, let me see."

Lyria hesitated, her fingers fidgeting slightly. "There's… not really a point."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

She sighed, avoiding his gaze. "...Fine."

[Status Window]

A faint shimmer appeared in front of Ryven as Lyria allowed him to see her stats. His eyes skimmed the numbers—then blinked in surprise.

[Lyria][Strength: 3][Perception: 7][Stamina: 2][Vitality: 10][Intelligence: 10][Mana: 1]

Ryven stared. "...Whoa."

Lyria winced. "...I told you it wasn't worth looking at."

"No, I mean—" Ryven paused, struggling for words. "...This is… kinda low."

"Really low," Rin added unhelpfully, peeking over his shoulder despite not actually being able to see the window.

Lyria's wings drooped further, her expression darkening. "...Yeah. I know."

Ryven scratched the back of his head, realizing he had stepped on a sore spot. "I didn't mean it in a bad way! Just, uh… I wasn't expecting—"

"It's fine," Lyria cut him off. "You don't have to sugarcoat it." She took a deep breath before continuing. "This is why I said I shouldn't be a guardian angel. I'm weak, my mana is one, and my ability isn't even that great."

"Hey, hey, hold on." Ryven waved his hands. "Didn't you hear what I said earlier? I like your ability. It's literally perfect for me!"

Lyria still didn't look convinced. "Anyone could increase their experience gain with the right gear or enchantments. My ability isn't special."

"Yeah, but those cost a ton, right?" Ryven countered. "And besides, no artifact can actually decrease spellcasting time. Your ability does. That's what I need the most!"

Lyria blinked, surprised. "...Really?"

"Yeah! My firepower is great and all, but my casting speed is awful. I take as long as a toddler learning their first spell!" Ryven groaned. "With your ability, I can finally catch up to everyone else."

Lyria hesitated, her wings twitching slightly. "...I see."

But even though she said that, she still looked a little down.

Rial, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke. "Stats aren't everything."

Lyria flinched, looking up at him.

Rial continued, his voice calm but firm. "It's true that strength, intelligence, and mana matter. But experience, adaptability, and mentality play a bigger role in battle. Your ability is unique, and Ryven clearly values it."

Lilia nodded. "You were chosen as a guardian angel, Lyria. That means you have potential, even if you don't see it yet."

Rin tilted her head. "So... she's like a support character?"

Lyria's eye twitched. "I am not a support character."

Ryven laughed. "I dunno, you kinda are."

Lyria groaned, but a small, reluctant smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Rial clapped his hands. "Alright, that's enough. Ryven, you still have training left before the academy. No slacking."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ryven stretched. "But first—" He turned to Lyria. "You're my partner now, right? So stop worrying so much. We'll get stronger together."

Lyria blinked, then slowly nodded. "...Right."

For the first time since seeing her stats, she didn't look as down.

Ryven grinned. "Alright then. Let's get back to training!"