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Alex had already carried Artoria away from their previous spot, so the creature had no idea where they'd gone.
Its head was slowly regenerating, and once it grew back, it would be able to see again.
But obviously, Alex and the others weren't about to let that happen.
Without a head, it couldn't use Blue Flame or Red Mist at all.
In other words, magic could finally work on it.
Everyone understood without being told. Spells and magic circles flared to life all at once. Even Roxy and the others who had just been watching rushed over, eager to get their share of the floor boss experience.
Under the barrage of magic, the twin-headed dragon Amphisbaina was killed beyond any hope of revival.
When the smoke cleared, only a massive magic stone remained.
Alex stored the stone, along with the giant sword he had forged, inside Unlimited Blade Works and prepared to leave.
But Hestia, who was watching the live broadcast, suddenly began spamming him with frantic messages.
He heard the notification ping in the group and immediately opened his private chat.
Hestia: "Alex! On your left, on the shore—those are lower-tier corals! Each one sells for three million valis!"
Alex froze for a moment.
He turned toward the shore on his left. Sure enough, countless silver corals were growing there, each with a plump, round pearl nestled on it.
"So it's real. We hit the jackpot this time." Alex grinned.
Artoria noticed his expression and tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
"Lower-tier corals. Each one is worth over three million." Alex pointed.
"What? Three million each?"
Everyone stared wide-eyed.
Goliath's magic stone had only sold for five million, and a single coral here was worth three million?
And there were hundreds of them!
"We're rich! We're seriously rich!" Roxy shouted, trembling with excitement.
A hundred corals meant three hundred million valis.
With three hundred million, they could buy a massive new headquarters, purchase top-tier equipment, maybe even acquire a legendary grimmoire—the kind that lets you awaken magic just by reading it.
In Orario, money really could make you stronger.
"You guys head up to the shore. I'll go collect them." Alex said, then used Shrinking Ground – Divine Foot to cross the distance in a single step.
Without hesitation, he harvested every coral and stored them in Unlimited Blade Works.
Watching the stream, Hestia's breathing turned shaky. She was already imagining her future huge mansion.
After finishing off the floor boss, Alex quickly located the passage to the next level and descended to the 28th floor.
Like the 18th floor, it was a safe zone. But there was no Rivira here, so they found a suitable spot to pitch tents and rest.
Inside his tent, Alex stretched out and replayed the earlier battle in his mind.
His light-footwork evolving into a divine technique had been a pleasant surprise. Shrinking Ground felt practically like spatial teleportation. The only issue was that, for now, he could only traverse distances within about a hundred meters. Unlike Luo Hao, he couldn't yet reach any place within sight in a single thought.
It wasn't that his technique was inferior—it was simply a matter of strength. Just like how he had already mastered his Grandmaster Martial Authority, but without sufficient power, he couldn't display its full potential.
In a cultivation world, even if you mastered martial arts to perfection, a random cultivator who'd never practiced a single move could kill you with one slap.
Power systems set the limits.
So for now, what he needed most was to level up and keep raising his fundamental power through Falna.
"Captain, may I come in?"
Artoria's voice came from outside the tent.
"Come in. What's up?" Alex sat up.
Artoria stepped inside, cheeks lightly flushed, and sat across from him. "Thank you for what you did earlier."
"It's nothing. We're in the same familia. Besides, if our positions were reversed, you'd save me too." Alex waved casually.
"I know. But I still want to thank you properly." Her voice grew serious.
"Alright, alright. I accept your gratitude." He chuckled helplessly.
Only then did Artoria visibly relax, her tense little face softening.
After a moment, she spoke again. "To express my thanks, I'd like to do something for you."
"Uh… do what, exactly?" Alex swallowed. Something felt off about her.
"After a battle, you must be tired. I… I want to give you a massage. To help you relax." She said it as if gathering all her courage.
"Wait—who taught you that?" Alex stared, stunned.
There was no way the King of Knights would say something like that on her own. Which meant, someone coached her.
"It was Merlin. I asked her how to thank someone. She asked whether the person was a man or a woman. I said a man, and she said I could let him use my lap as a pillow and give him a massage." Artoria answered honestly, throwing Merlin under the bus without hesitation.
"A lap pillow? That's… allowed?" Alex felt his heart speed up.
This was the King of Knights' lap pillow.
The face of the entire Type-Moon franchise.
He glanced at Artoria's pale, slender legs wrapped in thigh-high black stockings and swallowed again.
What man on earth could resist that?
"Of course it's allowed." Artoria shifted into a kneeling position.
She had already removed her armor and was wearing casual clothes, which only made the sight more tempting.
"…Then I won't hold back." Alex finally gave in and lowered his head onto her lap.
Instantly, a soft, delicate scent drifted past his nose—light, elegant, calming.
Artoria gently placed her cool hands on his temples and began massaging.
It felt so good that Alex slowly drifted into sleep.
Meanwhile, in the chat group—
[Group Notification: Welcome 'Valkyrie' to the chat!]
[Group Notification: Welcome 'One-Eyed Owl' to the chat!]
Misaka Mikoto: "Wow, more newcomers already?"
Roxy: "Judging from the avatars, two more girls!"
Erza: "What is with this group? Why is Alex the only guy in here?"
Misaka Mikoto: "If he hadn't joined after us, I would've thought he owned this place."
Busujima Saeko: "At this point, it really is turning into Alex's harem group."
Luo Hao: "My little brother is a prodigy. Becoming part of his harem is your honor."
Everyone: "…"
Kurumi Tokisaki: "I think Alex is wonderful, though."
Tsunade: "Anyway, let's welcome the newcomers first."
Shinobu Kocho: "@Valkyrie, @One-Eyed Owl, feel free to ask anything. I can explain how things work here."
Valkyrie: "This chat is extraordinary. It definitely isn't something from our world. Not even the gods could create it."
Roxy: "Your world has gods? Sounds like another strong one just arrived."
Valkyrie: "Is having gods strange?"
Shinobu: "Not really. What's strange is the chat group itself. Everyone in here comes from a different world. Some worlds don't have gods at all."
Roxy: "You can also post missions here. If someone accepts, they can actually travel to your world."
Valkyrie: "I see. Then I'd like to ask all of you for help."
Roxy: "Help with what?"
Valkyrie: "In my world, the gods hold a meeting every thousand years. I learned ahead of time they intend to wipe out humanity. I want your help."
Roxy: "Whoa whoa, you're overestimating me. I'm just a normal mage!"
Shinobu: "Unless it's Luo Sect Leader or Lady Hestia, none of us can fight gods directly."
Valkyrie: "You misunderstand. I'm not asking you to fight the gods themselves. That's impossible—there are too many of them. I want to provoke them, use their pride against them, and host a battle between gods and humans. I want you to help fight the matches."
Roxy: "Ambitious! But besides Luo Sect Leader, I doubt anyone can take on gods."
Erza: "Kurumi might manage."
Kurumi: "No. Until I avenge myself against the Original Spirit, I won't risk anything. And participating in such battles is a waste of the time I've saved."
Hestia: "Your world's gods are too much. How could they even think of destroying humanity?"
Valkyrie: "You're the Hestia of Olympus? I didn't expect your counterpart from another world to be so kind."
Hestia: "Wait—your world also has me?"
Valkyrie: "Yes."
"..."
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