Chapter 358

Chapter 358: Chapter 358

"That’s some seriously powerful Magic!"

Ais stared at the spot where the mysterious adventurers had disappeared, clearly astonished by what she had just witnessed.

"Magic stones?"

Ryuu leaped down from the fire dragon’s back and picked up the stones scattered across the ground.

Feeling their familiar texture in her hands, she frowned in disbelief.

"Weren’t they human? Why did they disappear like monsters when they died? And why did they leave behind magic stones?"

"The explanation is simple. They weren’t human anymore. They were corpses that had been modified using magic stones."

Kiriya suddenly appeared beside them.

At the same time, the Kiriya who had supposedly been impaled by several swords transformed into a block of wood and disappeared.

The attackers had never wounded him at all; they had merely fallen for a trap involving his Wood Clone.

"Corpses modified with magic stones?" Ais asked curiously. "How does that work?"

"The boss hiding in the Dungeon’s depths can’t leave its territory whenever it wants, but it still needs servants who can move around the Middle and Upper Floors, or even enter Orario. Its solution is to modify the corpses of dead adventurers using magic stones."

Kiriya gestured toward the remains scattered across the ground.

"The original owners’ souls have already ascended to Heaven, but these modified creatures retain the memories their bodies possessed while they were alive. That makes it relatively easy for them to infiltrate the upper floors or blend into Orario."

"So you suspected that was what they were, and that’s why you told me to prepare my Magic?"

Jeanne looked at him with a mixture of realization and annoyance.

"You didn’t have to put yourself in danger like that!"

She trusted Kiriya’s strength completely and knew that a handful of minor enemies would never be able to seriously injure him.

Nevertheless, watching several swords pierce his body had still made her heart tighten.

"Okay, okay. I was wrong."

Kiriya admitted his mistake without attempting to argue.

Then he smiled and smoothly changed the subject.

"But thanks to that little experiment, we finally got to see what your new Magic can really do."

"It certainly is impressive," Ryuu agreed.

Those mysterious adventurers had possessed combat abilities comparable to Level 6, yet none of them had survived Jeanne’s attack for even a single breath.

The destructive potential of Divine Judgment was clearly extraordinary.

"It’s powerful, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem particularly useful against the monsters that keep spawning down here."

Jeanne sounded a little disappointed.

Compared with Divine Judgment, which required its targets to possess sins that could be judged, Flame of Salvation was considerably more practical against Dungeon monsters and other creatures associated with corruption and negative energy.

"Haha! Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of opportunities to use it in the future."

Kiriya offered her a few reassuring words before raising his sword toward the approaching monster horde.

"For now, though, let’s enjoy ourselves and get some proper training done!"

With that, he charged forward, leading his companions straight into the approaching swarm.

Their days soon settled into a demanding routine of exploration, combat, and training.

Before they knew it, three weeks had passed.

...

Level 6

Basic Ability

StrengthI G256

EnduranceI G278

DexterityI G298

AgilityI G295

MagicI G289

Magic:

Forest of All Things

Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality

Blade Storm

Skills:

Strong One’s Wish

Demonbane

Mirror Calm

Divine Will Sharingan

Energy Sensing

Development Abilities:

Mage: F

Luck: H

Spirit Healing: G

Abnormal Resistance: G

Strong Body: H

...

Hearthstone Manor

Kiriya sat with his back exposed, examining the parchment containing his updated Status.

After studying the numbers for a moment, he shook his head with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

"Still a little slow."

"You’ve got to be kidding me!"

Hestia nearly choked when she heard that.

She promptly slapped him on the shoulder and glared at him.

"Show a little appreciation for what you’ve achieved! What other Level 6 adventurer could improve this much in just three weeks? Your five basic abilities have increased by more than fourteen hundred points combined!"

She planted her hands on her hips and stood directly in front of him.

"And look at your Development Abilities! Your Abnormal Resistance and Strong Body have both advanced by an entire rank. What on earth were you doing down there?"

"Nothing particularly unusual. Just some ordinary training."

Kiriya answered with complete sincerity.

After all, he had merely used the breath attacks of Valgang Dragons and giant ice lizards to train his resistance to damage.

He had also removed his Undine Cloth while fighting in the Crimson Lotus Mountains and trained against monsters in the glacial regions without wearing Salamander Wool.

Wasn’t that how adventurers with extraordinary physical attributes were supposed to train?

Just the basics, really.

"I know you have plenty of tricks up your sleeve, but you still need to look after yourself! You can’t keep doing such reckless things!"

Hestia turned toward Jeanne as though she had finally discovered someone who might listen to reason.

"Esdeath is one thing, but Jeanne, you’re different! You should be talking some sense into him!"

"Uh..."

Jeanne responded with an awkward smile, suddenly finding herself at a loss for words.

The problem was that she actually thought their training methods had been quite effective.

She had even enjoyed herself.

Apparently, spending enough time with this little group could change a person’s perspective considerably.

Hestia took one look at their expressions and realized that her entire lecture had been a complete waste of breath.

With a defeated sigh, she lightly knocked herself on the forehead before turning her attention toward updating Jeanne’s and Esdeath’s Statuses.

Fortunately, the results were enough to improve her mood.

Both women had achieved remarkable growth. Nearly all their basic abilities had reached G rank, while a few had even advanced to F, displaying extraordinary potential.

’What’s going on here? Did every genius in the world suddenly decide to join my Familia? Or is this all because of Kiriya?’

Hestia couldn’t help wondering whether the young man was somehow responsible for the astonishing development of everyone around him.

Meanwhile, Esdeath clenched and unclenched her fist, carefully examining the changes brought about by her updated Status.

"So this is the power of a Falna. Fascinating."

"Of course it is!"

Hestia immediately puffed out her chest with pride.

"A Falna is the perfect catalyst for drawing out your hidden potential. All you need to do is keep working hard, and your Falna will take care of the rest!"

"Now you’ve made me even more excited."

Esdeath grinned and turned toward Kiriya.

"Speaking of which, want to come to my room and celebrate?"

She deliberately licked her lips, making the meaning behind her invitation perfectly clear.

Jeanne’s cheeks immediately turned crimson.

"Hmph! In your dreams!"

Hestia practically launched herself forward and wrapped both arms possessively around Kiriya’s.

"I haven’t been with Kiriya for three whole weeks! He’s mine today, and I don’t care what anyone else says!"

Having made her declaration, the petite goddess began dragging Kiriya toward the stairs with surprising determination.

Before anyone could object, she had hauled him up to her bedroom.

BANG!

The door slammed shut behind them, firmly separating the occupants from the rest of the household.

"Honestly, if she’s that desperate, we could always celebrate together. It’s not like I’d mind."

Esdeath sprawled comfortably across the sofa and stretched. Her loose casual clothes settled around her figure as she turned toward Jeanne with a mischievous smile.

"Don’t you agree, Jeanne?"

"W-What are you even saying?!"

Jeanne’s face became even redder.

She immediately turned around and hurried toward the kitchen.

"I’m going to make dinner!"

Although they had spent an entire year together in Esdeath’s world, and the feelings between Kiriya and the girls had long since moved beyond simple friendship, Jeanne still had no idea how to handle Esdeath when she became this shameless.

"She really is too easy to embarrass."

Esdeath shook her head with a sigh.

Given Kiriya’s personality, there would probably only be more women surrounding him in the future.

With Jeanne’s habit of never fighting for attention or demanding anything for herself, Esdeath genuinely wondered whether the girl would ever manage to get what she wanted.

Esdeath herself had no such problem.

She had always been proactive.

As long as she got what she wanted, she didn’t particularly care whether someone else happened to be there too.

In her mind, what mattered was making sure she claimed the largest share in the end.

Hestia’s current situation was understandable, of course. She had spent three weeks waiting and deserved some private time.

But Esdeath had never been the type to sit patiently and wait for opportunities to fall into her lap.

If the right circumstances didn’t exist, she would simply create them.

"Looks like I’ll have to take the initiative next."

A distinctly predatory smile appeared on her face.

Kiriya had originally returned to Hearthstone Manor intending to rest after three exhausting weeks in the Dungeon.

Instead, his schedule somehow became even busier.

Hestia had missed him terribly and wanted as much time together as she could possibly get.

Esdeath was even more demanding, possessing a seemingly bottomless appetite for his attention and frequently insisting on spending long evenings together.

And once Kiriya devoted plenty of time to those two, he inevitably began feeling guilty.

He couldn’t exactly play favorites, could he?

If Hestia and Esdeath received plenty of affection, shouldn’t Ryuu and Jeanne receive the same treatment? And what about Syr, who had been waiting patiently for her own turn?

As a result, Kiriya began making liberal use of Flying Thunder God as he bounced back and forth between everyone, becoming a genuine master of time management.

Fortunately, his Sage Physique was becoming increasingly powerful, and Strong Body had advanced another rank. Without that kind of stamina and resilience, even he might have struggled to maintain such an exhausting schedule.

It was tiring, certainly, but life had never felt more fulfilling.

Kiriya rubbed his aching waist and allowed himself a proud smile.

’What can I say? I’m only trying to make sure everyone gets to have a happy home.’