Chapter 138 Promotion! How powerful are gods?
The night was as dark as ink, and the clamor of Orario gradually subsided.
After successfully resolving the anomaly on the 24th floor, Arthur and his group returned to the surface that evening.
After bidding farewell to the Hermes Familia and Filvis, Arthur sent Bert back to headquarters ahead of him.
He himself stayed behind, using the excuse of handing over the Magic Conduction Crystal ore commission.
When the last trace of another person's presence vanished into the night wind, Fels squirmed out from the shadows of the wall corner, silently bowing.
"The reward, I've left it at the Guild counter; you can pick it up anytime."
Fels's voice was still dry, like gears that hadn't been oiled in a long time.
The other party got straight to the point, without any intention of small talk.
"Thank you again for your help."
"You're welcome."
Arthur picked up the bag containing the Jewel Fetus, shook it in front of Fels, and said with a meaningful tone.
"So, what exactly is this thing? Has the Guild come to a conclusion?"
Once bitten, twice shy, Fels chose to remain silent.
Arthur's eyebrows slightly raised: "Allies, and not even this much information can be shared?"
"Please forgive me." Fels raised a hand to press the brim of his cloak, his voice conveying the helplessness of being unable to defy orders, "I am merely following orders."
"Is that so?"
Arthur nodded noncommittally, then casually tossed the package containing both the Jewel Fetus and the Magic Conduction Crystal ore over.
"Perfect, since you're also going back to report, help me turn in the quest as well."
Fels instinctively caught it, and seeing the full package in his arms, he froze in place, bewildered by the wind.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator had already turned around, leaving him only a dashing silhouette walking towards Twilight Manor.
...
Arthur familiarized himself with the intertwined towers and knocked on the door of the Divine Chamber.
"I knew you couldn't stay idle, come on in."
Loki, who had already anticipated his arrival, hadn't gone to rest; her lazy voice came from behind the door.
Arthur pushed the door open, only to see her cross-legged on a large chair, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Oh ho~ There's a lot more in your eyes than before."
Loki narrowed her crimson eyes, smiling like a cunning fox, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
"It looks like you had a very fruitful journey."
Should it be said, as expected of a God?
Even though Arthur said nothing, she accurately perceived the changes in his heart.
Returning to his homeland, confronting the unknown entity from beyond the stars, learning that Chaldea still existed, his true origins...
All these experiences had indeed caused a slight shift in his thoughts.
Arthur reined in his scattered thoughts, his pupils refocused, and he waved his hand, somewhat unenthusiastically.
"If you want to hear a story, I'm sorry, I'm not in the mood to tell one right now."
Loki blinked mysteriously: "It's alright, no rush, I'm already planning a big scheme."
"A big scheme? What do you want to do?"
A hint of suspicion flashed in Arthur's eyes; his intuition told him that this restless fellow was definitely plotting some earth-shattering farce.
But Loki only smiled more cunningly. She jumped off the chair, patted the back of it, and motioned for Arthur to come over.
"Come, come, let's get down to business first."
Facing the Goddess who deliberately changed the subject, Arthur pouted and, as instructed, took off his Magic Conduction Suit, lying prone on the back of the chair.
As expected, his ability values had already hit the bottleneck for his current level, and even his development abilities had seen astonishing improvements.
And facing this situation, both he and the Goddess had long grown accustomed to it.
After Loki briefly recounted his ability values, she then read out each of the development abilities he had triggered this time.
First Strike, Consecutive Attack, Shatter, Abnormality Resistance, Magic Defense, Healing Power, Fine Healing.
A full seven!
Aside from the adventurer's beginner benefit [Abnormality Resistance], the other six were all considered rare.
Loki clicked her tongue in wonder: "The other world is really lively; it even forced out life-saving abilities like [Healing Power] and [Fine Healing] from you."
Arthur echoed perfunctorily: "You're right, so, can you hurry up?"
The smile on Loki's face instantly froze. She huffily picked up the fine needle and complained.
"Just wait! I'm going to pull off a big stunt sooner or later to scare you to death! Tell me, what do you choose this time?"
Arthur completely disregarded the Goddess's threat, lowered his gaze, and fell into thought.
Unlike Loki's emphasis, possessing the Holy Sword and Avalon meant he was least lacking in recovery abilities.
While [Healing Power] and [Fine Healing] were good, they were merely icing on the cake.
As for [Abnormality Resistance] and [Magic Defense], for him, who possessed the [Symbol of the Red Dragon], the benefits were equally limited.
Then what remained were [First Strike] for a quick attack style, [Consecutive Attack] for prolonged battles, and [Shatter] for purely amplifying destructive power...
"Loki." Arthur looked up, without the slightest hesitation in his eyes, "I choose [Shatter]."
"Alrighty!" Loki's eyes instantly sparkled, rubbing her hands excitedly, "It's time to show off my true hand speed!"
Arthur's face was covered in black lines, and he looked at the Goddess, who once again wanted to challenge the "Zero-Point Map," with a subtle expression.
"You… haven't given up yet?"
Loki: o ( 〝 ▼ dish ▼ ) o
...
Arthur pendragon
LV.5
Strength: I (0)
Durability: I (0)
Dexterity: I (0)
Agility: I (0)
Magic Power: I (0) → I (1)
Miracle: C
Swordsman: D
Magic Conduction: D
Shatter: I
[—Magic—]
[Wind of the King]
· Enchantment Magic, ultra-short incantation.
· Wraps wind around weapons to increase attack power, accuracy, or releases wind pressure as a penetrating long-range attack in one go.
· Incantation: "Invisible Air, Wind King Hammer."
[Star Crystal]
· Permanent Magic, can be activated at any time.
· Greatly increases attack power, defense, and recovery power.
· The Holy Sword that saves the starlight, undergoing transformation.
[Ideal Home]
· Permanent Magic, can be activated at any time.
· Greatly increases defense, recovery power, and healing ability.
· Mimics the immortal Apple Island, its interference level fluctuates with magic power.
[—Skills—]
[Symbol of the Red Dragon]
· Greatly increases Magic Power resistance.
· Greatly increases conscious perception.
· The conceptual manifestation of the strongest fantasy species.
[Eternal Blessing of the Star Spirit]
· Greatly increases external adaptability.
· Greatly increases one's luck value.
· A blessing from the Earth Mother and the primates, praying that the holder will never fall into calamity.
[Brilliant Journey]
· Currently 4 doors have been opened.
· Invites you to cross dimension doors and traverse the unknown in infinity.
[Transparent World]
· Perfect control, complete insight, merging with nature.
· When actively activated, greatly increases perception, gaining extremely high corrections to dexterity and agility.
[Limit Overclock]
· Forcibly extracts source, unleashing potential abilities.
· When actively activated, all attributes are amplified exponentially, gaining extremely high corrections to [Miracle].
...
The promotion ceremony ended. Arthur, now wearing his Magic Conduction Suit again, clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, and nodded slightly.
"It took so long, but I've finally caught up to the first tier of adventurers."
Loki, who had failed to challenge the Zero-Point Map yet again, was sitting on the sofa, fuming. Hearing this, she glared at him and let out a cold laugh.
"If you've got the guts, say that at the breakfast table tomorrow. The scene will definitely be exciting then."
Arthur immediately shook his head. He habitually folded the parchment and put it away, then asked, seemingly casually.
"By the way, Loki. How strong are Gods?"
Loki, who was about to get up to grab a bottle of wine, suddenly froze.
For a moment, Arthur felt the air in the entire Divine Chamber solidify, as if his heart was gripped by an invisible giant hand.
The Goddess's usually playful crimson eyes were now as deep as a burning galaxy, flowing with divine power that mortals could not directly gaze upon.
Her voice was no longer lazy, but had a metallic quality, deep and cold.
"The last time you asked me a question with that tone, the entire Soma Familia suffered."
"Boy, the consequences of angering a God are very severe."
Arthur still wore a gentle smile on his face, raising his palm and pressing it down twice in a calming gesture.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just purely curious about the great power of Gods. Perhaps the situation isn't as bad as I imagine?"
Children of the lower world cannot lie to Gods.
So Loki clearly knew that Arthur was speaking from the heart at this moment.
The suffocating divine power on her slowly receded, but her expression became more agitated than ever. She gritted her teeth and warned, word by word.
"We Gods have long sealed our divine power, becoming beings with zero power. Let alone adventurers, we can't even beat ordinary people."
"But!"
Loki's tone suddenly rose, and the aftershocks of her divine power made the air hum with unbearable strain.
"When Gods return to heaven, they reclaim their divine power. The energy unconsciously leaking out is enough to wipe the surrounding surface from the map! If they actively unleash their divine power…"
"That would be, world destruction."
Arthur nodded understandingly, and deep within his pupils, a flicker of unwilling flame ignited.
'Indeed, power is needed everywhere…'