Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five: Ability Values Breaking Limits, Item Drops

The sky was a clear and tranquil blue, with comfortable breezes blowing gently.

Sunlight peeking from the eastern sky climbed over the city walls, illuminating the streets of Orario, casting warm hues of dawn onto the buildings.

Twilight Manor, upper floors of the Central Tower.

Not in the Divine Room, but in the meeting room usually used for combat discussions, the deity Loki gazed at the white chalk giant tower extending upwards from the center of the city.

This meeting room, which should have been occupied by four people regularly, now only had Loki herself present.

“It’s been two weeks… calculating the time, they should be returning soon?”

In front of the south-facing window, the Red-Haired Goddess rested her chin on her hands and murmured softly.

Loki had rarely been so calm, not draped in her usual mischievous exterior. Unprecedentedly, she exuded an air of serene beauty.

What she spoke of concerned her Familia members who had gone on expedition.

Expeditions were something very familiar to Loki’s Familia.

Whenever the Familia’s funds were nearly depleted, they would embark on expeditions deep into the Dungeon to gain rich rewards.

Behind these bountiful rewards lay significant risks.

But Loki, confident in her children’s abilities, wasn’t overly worried about their safety.

However, during this period of the expedition, Loki was utterly bored.

She couldn’t see her beloved Ais-chan, nor receive comfort and care from Mama Mia of the Fairy King clan, and she couldn’t even tease the girls in her Familia.

Such a life was pure torture for Loki.

At least there was Izay still around.

Every night, dragging him off to Mama Mia’s place for drinks became one of the few pleasures Loki had during this time.

Speaking of Izay…

Loki noticed the blonde figure just leaving the gates of Twilight Manor below, seemingly remembering something delightful, and immediately smirked with a mischievous glint in her eyes and an unmistakable sense of anticipation.

“Once the kids return and see how much little Izay has changed, they’ll surely be shocked! Ah… just imagining their wonderful expressions then makes me eagerly anticipate it~”

Looking down at that somewhat diminutive back from above, Loki recalled the situation when she helped Izay update his ability values yesterday.

[Adventurer Name]: Ize Alward

[Level]: Lv.1

[Ability Values]: Strength: SS1008 | Durability: SS1006 | Agility: SS1001 | Dexterity: SS1001 | Magic Power: SSS1999

[Development Ability]: None

[Magic]:

“Silver Starfall”

“Stellar Magic”

“Earth Magic”

[Skills]:

“Celestial Favor”

“Heart of the Earth”

……

Apart from all five abilities surpassing the S-class limit, there were also four additional development magics: “Wall Rising to Immense Heights,” “Starfall,” “Celestial Movement of All Things,” and “Starry Prison.”

Even though Loki had already highly estimated Izay’s growth rate, she was still momentarily stunned by this.

Upon reflection, it felt almost unreal.

It’s only been half a month!

Izay had already surpassed the ability value threshold required for leveling up.

However, he hadn’t leveled up yet, partly because he lacked sufficient Great Deeds experience.

For high-level monsters, Izay’s existence was akin to a tiger among sheep, slaughtering freely.

Such battles did not meet the requirements for “Great Deeds” necessary for leveling up.

Adventurers need great achievements to level up—accomplishments that not only impress mortals but also earn praise from the deities.

Defeating opponents stronger than oneself… gaining higher-level experience points, and exceeding a certain quantity—this is the condition for increasing levels.

“One reason is the ‘Great Deeds’ requirement, and another point is that Izay hasn’t reached the Lv.1 limit yet.”

Izay’s personal Lv.1 limit could be referenced by his own magic power value—double that of an ordinary S-class.

From this, it can be inferred that the limits of Izay’s other four abilities should be similar.

Regarding this point, both Izay and Loki believed that the ability values should be raised to their limit before “leveling up.”

A better foundation would make Izay’s future even stronger.

The deity observing her child from atop the tower sighed and chuckled expectantly:

“There will definitely be lively times ahead～～～”

…………

The location was in the district between North Street and Northwest Street.

Izay walked through the deep alleys with a backpack full of “item drops.”

The arrangement of houses here was chaotic, the passages narrow and dark, far from luxurious.

To say it was dim and damp wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Yet, precisely in such a place, there stood a blacksmith faction.

[Gubernue Familia].

A faction handling the repair and creation of weapons and armor.

Although its fame and scale were far inferior to the large enterprise [Hephaestus Familia],

the performance of the weapons they produced could be said to be comparable, making them a robust and steadfast Familia.

Most of their work came from commissions, and having many core adventurers (loyal customers) was one of their characteristics.

Three hammers were engraved on the emblem decorating the doorframe.

Izay arrived at the door, glanced at the wide-open entrance, hesitated slightly, then stepped inside.

“Is anyone here?”

Inside the building fittingly called a workshop, Izay called out without concealing his voice.

The indoor area nearby looked as dim as outside, emanating a scorching heat.

There were blacksmiths stationed near the furnaces, others using tools to carve metal, and several craftsmen fully engrossed in their tasks.

Upon hearing Izay’s call, someone immediately stepped out from indoors, possibly still working, and wiped sweat off his chest as he crossed the threshold.

He clearly carried a fiery aura.

The burning sensation of someone who had long been sitting in front of a furnace.

“Welcome to [Gubernue Familia]. Are you here to have a weapon crafted? We mainly support custom orders.”

The man wiped his sweat as he emerged from the room. Seeing that Izay was unfamiliar, he gave him a slight hint.

In essence, if Izay was here to buy finished weapons, they didn’t have any.

“That’s not why I’m here. I’m not here to buy weapons. I come from the [Loki Familia] and am here to sell ‘item drops.’ Do you accept them?”

Understanding his implication, Izay shook his head and explained his purpose.

“[Loki Familia]!? Never seen your face before. Are you new?”

Hearing this, the man looked at Izay suspiciously.

In terms of Familia relations, [Gubernue Familia] and [Loki Familia] were allied Familias with long-term cooperation.

Simply put, if needed, [Gubernue Familia] would prioritize crafting weapons for members of [Loki Familia].

Conversely, items brought from the lower or even deeper levels of the Dungeon would need to be prioritized for [Gubernue Familia].

Thus, they maintained a mutually beneficial relationship.

This relationship also manifested in daily interactions.

For instance, small discounts when purchasing weapons and equipment.

Izay chose to come here to sell ‘item drops’ for this reason.

After all, the relationship between the two Familias was excellent.