Chapter 73: Limit Panel? Start investigating the colorful magic stone!
Bang!
The oak door was pushed open with a bang, accompanied by a genuine Nordic curse, breaking the night's silence.
Arthur was chased out of the living room by Loki, holding a newly printed parchment in his hand, his eyes scanning line by line, subconsciously folding it repeatedly.
Tiona, who had been waiting nearby, bounced lightly, came forward and hugged his arm, her big, watery eyes full of anticipation, and asked eagerly, looking up.
"How is it? How is it? Did you successfully advance to LV5?"
Arthur had given up struggling, raised his hand to hand over the parchment, and explained.
"It's not that easy; it's just a few small stages higher than before."
Tiona was slightly stunned. This… why did it sound so familiar?
Soon, her attention was completely drawn by the parchment swaying in front of her. She leaned her small head closer and began to study it intently.
...
Arthur pendragon
LV.4
Strength: G (221) → SS (1145)
Endurance: G (205) → SS (1104)
Dexterity: G (213) → SS (1120)
Agility: G (217) → SS (1125)
Magic: F (346) → SSS (1337)
Miracle: E
Swordsman: F → E
Magic Conduction: H
[[— Magic —]]
[[— Skills —]]
...
If these ability values were on anyone else in the Familia, they would be considered an impeccable, even superior, perfect report card.
But not for Arthur. Such astonishing growth was merely his mid-LV4 stage.
At this thought, Tiona glanced pitifully at her own parchment, where her Magic value had just risen to G-stage, and her small mouth pouted.
"Young Arthur, teach me Moon Call again tomorrow! I feel super good recently; I'm sure I can make rapid progress!"
"This… I'm afraid not."
Arthur shook his head helplessly, rejecting her training request.
"Did you forget that starting tomorrow, the Familia needs to settle commission fees and deal with the mountain of accumulated loot?"
After all, this expedition had almost emptied Loki Familia's coffers, and all kinds of loot brought back from the Dungeon had to be converted into Valis as quickly as possible.
Then, this money would be used to purchase new equipment and armor, and replenish depleted recovery potions.
Such matters were numerous and complicated.
These tasks were intricate and trivial, definitely not something that could be completed in a day or two, requiring a significant investment of time and effort.
Tiona: Σ (° △ ° |||)
"Ah? How can this be… I still want to get stronger quickly…"
Arthur chuckled dryly, with a subtle look in his eyes, and offered a suggestion.
"Don't rush, I remember there's a festival in a few days, and the Familia will also take a break then. How about we set it for after that?"
Tiona's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.
Just as she was about to say something more, her sister Tione gently pulled her aside. The latter waved at Arthur, signaling goodbye.
"Alright, alright, look at the time. Let's talk about it tomorrow morning."
Arthur smiled and waved, watching Tiona, who was still struggling, being dragged away by her sister.
Only after the Amazon sisters' figures disappeared at the end of the corridor did he slowly turn, his gaze directed towards the shadows at the corner of the upper corridor.
"When did you learn such sneaky tricks, Bete?"
"...Tsk, even those two idiotic Amazons didn't notice my presence."
A figure emerged from the shadows, surrounded by faint Moon Call particles; it was the Werewolf Bete.
His sharp wolf eyes were now fixed on the parchment in Arthur's hand.
Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly, casually tossing the parchment to him, and praised.
"Your research into Moon Call is becoming more profound. I'm sure you'll soon grasp a new move, right?"
Bete ignored his teasing and snatched the parchment.
His gaze swept over the contents like lightning, his wolf eyes suddenly constricted, and his tone carried a complex sense of disbelief.
"All ability values have broken through the limit… Magic has even broken through to SSS first!"
"...Hey, Arthur, can Moon Call really help me… break through my bottleneck?"
Arthur calmly extended his hand towards him, and Bete immediately understood.
The other person pulled out a somewhat crumpled parchment from his embrace and casually tossed it over.
...
Bete Loga
LV.5
Strength: B (771) → A (817)
Endurance: C (662) → B (703)
Dexterity: B (773) → A (810)
Agility: S (999)
Magic: I (98) → G (224)
Hunter: G
Punch: G → F
Abnormal Resistance: G
Magic Defense: H
[[— Magic —]]
[Hati]
· Enchantment Magic, Flame Attribute.
· Magic Absorption, Damage Absorption.
· Incantation "King of the Vowed Starving Wolves… Devour it completely."
[[— Skills —]]
[Howl Under the Moon]
· Can be activated instantly under the moon, continuously active with Moon Call until fully activated.
· Beastification, all abilities greatly increased.
· Abnormal status invalid.
[Lone Wolf's Sprint]
· Movement speed enhanced.
[Double Wolf's Pursuit]
· Strengthens Strength and Agility during acceleration.
...
Arthur quickly scanned the parchment, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes, and looked up at Bete, who was full of unwillingness.
It turned out that this guy's Agility value had already reached the peak of S-rank even before the expedition began.
As a result, the other party went on an expedition, fighting bloody battles all the way to the 51st floor.
After successive deadly battles against Balor, Strong Dragon, swarms of Worm Monsters, and even the Super Large Worm Boss.
His Agility value remained motionless, with no sign of a breakthrough?
Arthur shook his head, advising meaningfully.
"The previous Moon Call practitioner went astray because he was jealous of his brother's talent. Don't repeat his mistakes."
Bete's face instantly stiffened at the words, then he glared fiercely at Arthur, growling in a low voice.
"What kind of trash would be jealous of his own brother!"
"I'm just… just angry that I can't break through my limits! I feel like a useless piece of trash!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly, a playful curve on his lips, and his tone was leisurely.
"Oh? So you're not just harsh when you curse others, but you're just as merciless when you curse yourself."
"You monster who broke all ability limits, stop talking nonsense here! Give it back!"
Bete huffily threw the parchment back, shoved his hands into his pockets, and strode away without looking back.
Arthur caught the parchment, watched the Werewolf's figure disappear into the night, shrugged helplessly, and then turned to go back to his room to rest.
The night passed without incident.
At breakfast the next day, Finn began to assign follow-up tasks to everyone.
Ais, Tione, and Tiona were responsible for going to the Dian Cecht Familia.
They would first hand over the commission tasks and, by the way, inquire whether the other party was interested in purchasing some of the drop materials from this expedition.
Finn, Gareth, and Bete would go to the Guild together.
They would first exchange the accumulated Magic Stones from this trip, then return to the Familia headquarters to carefully assess the losses and begin formulating subsequent procurement plans.
As for Riveria, she would take a small portion of the new type of Magic Stones to a familiar shop for consultation.
To investigate what differences existed between these never-before-seen colorful Magic Stones and ordinary Magic Stones.
After listening to Finn's task deployment, Gareth crossed his arms, with a hint of doubt in his brows, and spoke in a booming voice.
"Is this arrangement… truly appropriate? The Guild's control over Magic Stones is…"
His words were not finished, and Finn did not immediately respond.
The Pallum merely unhurriedly took out a Magic Stone shimmering with colorful light from his pocket, idly tossing it between his fingers.
Generally speaking, various resources obtained by adventurers in the Dungeon could mostly be freely sold to the Guild or to other Familias in need.
Only Magic Stones were an exception.
Their buying, selling, and circulation were strictly monopolized by the Guild. All Magic Stones had to be uniformly exchanged for Valis in the central Tower of Babel.
"After all, these are new types of monsters and their Magic Stones that have never been seen before."
Finn's voice was calm but carried a hint of solemnity, his eyes flickering.
"No one can predict whether their appearance will cause unnecessary unrest and upheaval. So, we'll wait and see."
"Besides asking Riveria to sound them out, I also specifically asked Loki. I've asked her to use her divine network to investigate as well, and I believe we'll have clear results soon."
Seeing that the wise Finn already had a plan, everyone said no more.
At this moment, Arthur appropriately raised his hand and volunteered.
"Finn, I'm also quite interested in those new type of Magic Stones. Would you allow me to go with Riveria to investigate?"
Finn heard this, smiled approvingly, and nodded in agreement.
"Of course, no problem. Consider it an early familiarization with the daily work content of a Familia executive."
Arthur nodded slightly, but he had other plans in mind.
'This is Orario, where gods gather. Perhaps among those gods who have lived for countless ages, there might be someone who knows the origin of these strange things.'