Thud. Thud.
Dull sounds of impact echoed throughout the courtyard.
Unable to dodge in time, Lefiya was directly pinned beneath her two teammates, letting out a pained cry.
"It hurts!"
Hearing Lefiya's voice, Ais, who was on top of the accidental pile, snapped back to her senses.
With a slight roll, she slipped off and adjusted her posture mid-air before landing lightly on the ground.
Soon after, Tiona also sprang up and extended her hand toward the Elf girl.
"Lefiya, are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine."
Lefiya grabbed Tiona's hand and stood up.
After all, she was still a Level 3 adventurer. Getting knocked over once wouldn't take her out.
She had simply been caught off guard, and her nose had taken a hit, which was why she cried out.
Rubbing her slightly reddened nose, Lefiya gradually recovered.
"Tiona, what just happened?"
Tiona scratched her head.
"I'm not really sure either."
Cain's movements had been far too smooth.
From the moment she attacked to the instant she was thrown back, less than a second had passed.
"So strong..."
Ais was equally shaken.
Replaying the scene in her mind, a startling thought suddenly surfaced.
"Cain, did you level up again?"
"Yeah. I leveled up."
Ais froze in place.
"..."
He leveled up.
Just three simple words.
Yet like a spell echoing endlessly in her mind, they repeated and expanded without stopping.
It had only been a month.
During the expedition, she herself had not even accumulated enough excelia to meet the requirements for leveling up.
And yet Cain had already completed the accumulation of excelia and ability values, advancing from Level 3 to Level 4.
At this rate, it was entirely possible that by next month, Cain would reach Level 5.
And stand on the same level as her.
"Eh? A breakthrough again?"
"So fast!"
Tiona and Lefiya were equally startled by this news.
The former was simply surprised, while the latter, like Ais, felt inexplicably dejected.
When they first met, she was LV3 and Cain was LV1.
Now that the expedition had returned, she was still LV3, but Cain had already broken through to LV4.
"Cain, how did you do it?"
Tiona looked curious: "Do you have some kind of trick for fast breakthroughs?"
"I have a skill that accelerates growth."
Cain didn't hide it this time and gave the answer directly.
At this point, there was no need to hide it anymore.
With his current strength, the only adventurers who could give him some pressure were Ottar and Leon from the school district.
With enough confidence, appropriately disclosing some information could actually help him confuse others' perspectives.
"Accelerated growth?"
Tiona was stunned by the explanation: "So there's a skill like that. No wonder you can break through so fast, Cain."
Cain shrugged: "Remember to keep it a secret for me, Miss Freeloader Small-Fry Tiona."
"Uh, did that weird title get longer?"
"This is the price of defeat. If you give up the idea of freeloading, I can change it for you."
"Hello, I am Miss Freeloader Small-Fry Tiona. May I ask when we're eating?"
Honor is precious, secrets are worth more.
But for the sake of food, both can be cast aside.
In order to freeload meals from Cain, Tiona threw away her integrity without hesitation.
Pressing her hands against Cain's back, Tiona urged him on while pushing him toward the kitchen.
Seeing this, Ais and Lefiya, who were still shocked by Cain's breakthrough to LV4, snapped out of it and subconsciously followed.
Before leaving, Lefiya saw Bell picking up his weapon and returning to the courtyard to swing his sword.
"Aren't you coming?"
"No, today's morning practice isn't over yet."
Bell nodded with great enthusiasm.
Everything Captain Cain said was true; as long as one has enough strength, all sorts of encounters will happen.
Watching Cain leave surrounded by the three girls, he swung his weapon again and again like a heartless training machine.
The next goal is to reach the twelfth floor within a week!
...
Half an hour later, Hestia Familia Dining Hall.
Having slept in until mealtime as usual, Hestia finished washing up while yawning and headed toward the dining hall.
Because they had incorporated the Soma Familia and Ishtar Familia, the number of members in the Hestia Familia had grown rapidly.
To ensure everyone had a seat, Cain commissioned people from the Goibniu Familia to expand the dining hall.
When Hestia arrived, the first-floor area of the dining hall was already packed.
"Good morning, Goddess Hestia."
"Morning, Chandra."
"Morning, Loli Goddess."
"Morning, Aisha."
All sorts of greetings came from all directions.
After responding to each one, Hestia's drowsiness faded a bit, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
Thinking back to six months ago when she first descended to Orario, she had been mocked by Loki, who said forming a Familia was a difficult task.
Now, half a year later, the Hestia Familia had grown strong, and its member count was not at all inferior to the Loki Familia.
Although they were slightly lacking in high-end combat power, Hestia, who knew Cain's true strength, remained full of confidence.
What was the use of having many First Class Adventurers?
She had General Cain, who could slay everyone in the Loki Familia!
"Goddess Hestia! Over here, over here!"
Just then, Lili's voice came from upstairs.
"The people from the Loki Familia are here."
"If they're here, they're here. Let Cain go slay... hmm?"
Hestia, still immersed in her fantasy, was stunned for a moment.
Who's here?
Following the direction of the voice, Hestia looked up toward the third floor.
At the staircase railing, two heads poked out over the edge.
The person on the far left was Lili, who was waving to signal Hestia to hurry up.
As for the one on the right...
"Freeloader Amazon!"
"Good morning! Goddess Hestia!"
Tiona waved happily: "Come up quickly, I've been waiting for you until my stomach is growling!"
Hestia: "?"
Why are you acting so familiar?
Hestia's eye twitched, but she quickened her pace.
The third floor of the dining hall was about the same size as the first and second, but there were no members of the Soma Familia here.
Perhaps because Cain's strength was too great and his growth rate was abnormal, many people held him in awe.
When eating on normal days, the Familia members would tacitly crowd onto the first two floors, leaving the third floor for the Hestia Familia's use.
"Eh? Why is the Sword Princess here too! And Lefiya!"
When Hestia reached the third floor, she noticed there were exceptionally many people sitting there.
Besides Tiona and Lefiya, who often came to freeload meals, even Ais, who had learned Hamon from Cain, was there.
"Hello."
Ais nodded silently.
Perhaps she hadn't yet moved on from her recent defeat, as she still seemed a bit dazed.
Seeing this, Lefiya helped explain.
"Good morning, Goddess Hestia. Miss Ais and I are here to place an order with the Hestia Familia."
"Place an order?"
"The Compressed Biscuits we bought during the expedition were very useful. Captain Finn decided to buy more."
"Oh, I see."
Hestia sat down next to Cain.
Although Lefiya had given an explanation, her gaze toward Lefiya and the others was still full of vigilance.
Can't be careless! Hestia!
Back then, Lili and Haruhime were just like these people, looking harmless!
In the end, her home was snatched the moment she wasn't looking. This time, she couldn't let it happen again no matter what!
...
The breakfast, full of intrigue, came to an end.
Facing Hestia's constant monitoring, Tiona kept her head down and focused on eating, successfully clearing the table.
As for Ais, she was distracted the whole time. Aside from finishing her own breakfast, she hardly said a word.
On the contrary, it was Lefiya, who had joined temporarily, who became the person who communicated most with Hestia at the table.
Of course, she didn't really want to chat with this Loli Goddess.
Like a prisoner being interrogated, Hestia asked her everything from her birthplace to her hobbies, and even intentionally or unintentionally asked about her criteria for a partner.
By the end of the meal, Lefiya was sweating from the questioning and even considered fleeing the dining hall directly.
However, just then, Ais spoke up.
"Cain, are you free?"
"Hmm?"
Hestia's attention was instantly diverted.
"Wait! What are you planning to do!"
"Let's get this straight, our Familia is super, super against inter-Familia marriages! It's impossible for you!"
"Marriage?" Ais paused.
Even someone as slow as her could understand the true meaning behind Hestia's words.
With a look of embarrassment on her face, she quickly replied: "I wanted to ask Cain to train me."
Hestia remained vigilant: "Train? Haven't you already learned Hamon?"
Ais shook her head: "It's not enough. Just Hamon isn't enough for me to achieve my goal. I want to become stronger, to have the power to fight above my level like Cain."
"Like Cain?" Hestia hesitated, and most of the hostility on her face dissipated.
She could see that everything Ais said was true.
But the problem was, this was simply impossible.
Others might not know Cain's growth trajectory, but how could she, as his primary Goddess, not know?
When he said he was cheating, he was really cheating, without any ambiguity.
That bizarre leveling speed was something even the great heroes of the ancient era who received divine blessings might not be able to match.
"I know it's hard, but I want to try."
Ais took out a heavy book from her bosom: "This is the tuition fee! If it's not enough, I can gather more!"
"A Grimore?"
Cain took the book and recognized its true identity.
The difference between a Grimore and an ordinary book was quite obvious; one could tell at a glance after having encountered one before.
However...
"Where did you get a Grimore?"
"...I asked Riveria to lend it to me."
"Lend?"
"Riveria said I can't rely on her too much. This Grimore is only a temporary loan; I'll have to find a way to return it later."
As a member of the Elven royal family, Riveria had quite a bit of private savings, and this Grimore was one of them.
After asking Finn about the order last night, Ais had sought out Riveria privately.
Initially, Riveria naturally didn't want to lend the money. After all, Ais was going to use her own money to support a certain someone.
But under Ais's persistent pleading, Riveria's heart eventually softened, and she lent this Grimore to Ais.
"This Grimore is of the highest quality. Riveria said its market price could be around 300 million Valis."
"That expensive?!"
Although Tiona knew Grimores varied in quality, the price of 300 million Valis was still too high.
"Wait! I remember your weapon hasn't been maintained yet, Ais. Do you really have the ability to repay this money?"
After the initial shock, Tiona thought of another matter.
To deal with the mutated monsters encountered on the 50th floor, Ais's weapon had been constantly exposed to that corrosive liquid.
Even with the power of the indestructible metal, adamantite, the Sword of Despair hadn't been directly destroyed, but its sharpness had still been affected.
The apprenticeship fee paid to Cain to learn Hamon had already emptied Ais's savings.
Coupled with the cost of weapon maintenance, where would she find 300 million Valis to repay Riveria?
To this, Ais gave her answer.
"I will work hard."
"That's not a solution at all!"
"Getting stronger is more important."
Pretending not to hear Tiona's complaint, Ais turned her gaze back to Cain.
"You said before that you had a way to make me grow stronger rapidly in a short time. I want to purchase that method."
"Unfortunately, the method you want is not for sale at the moment."
Ais frowned: "Why?"
Cain casually tossed the Grimore back: "Because that method involves a part of my secret."
The so-called rapid strengthening naturally referred to the blood evolution.
[blood evolution: Sharing one's own blood with others can cause changes in their physique, making them stronger, with a certain probability of awakening special abilities.]
After taking the perfect evolution potion, Cain, like Kibutsuji Muzan, gained the power to transform followers.
Previously, experimenting with members of the Ikelos Familia, Cain gained a general understanding of the blood evolution's effects.
Simply put, the strengthening effect of this thing is influenced by two factors.
Cain's strength, and the strength of the one being transformed.
Cain's strength determines the upper limit of the blood evolution's enhancement.
The strength of the one being transformed determines how much blood their body can withstand.
The stronger the physique and the greater the potential, the more blood one can withstand.
After receiving the enhancement from the blood evolution, an adventurer's physical abilities would likely increase by roughly over half a level.
Combined with the newly awakened ability and the regenerative power gained after transformation, fighting an opponent one level higher wouldn't be a problem.
Judging by the effects alone, it indeed met Ais's requirements.
But as a price, those who evolved by receiving Cain's blood would gain a fixed skill in their Falna.
[Blood Curse: A powerful curse is inscribed within the bloodline, life and death controlled by the source of the curse.]
Putting oneself in their shoes, if Loki updated Ais's Falna as usual and suddenly saw this skill...
Cain let out a soft chuckle: "Don't count on a method for rapid strengthening in a short time. I don't want to start a war."
Ais was somewhat puzzled: "War?"
Cain nodded: "The side effects of getting stronger would be so significant that God Loki would lead Finn and the others to surround the Hestia Familia."
"Following the procedure, the next steps would be convening the Denatus, publicly revealing my secret, and launching a War Game."
"Although I'm confident in winning, it's better to avoid such an unnecessary battle."
After listening, Ais fell silent: "..."
To be honest, she didn't quite understand Cain's words.
But since he described the consequences so gravely, even she understood that the method to get stronger this time couldn't be purchased.
Bzzzt~!
At that moment, a faint vibration sound rang out.
"One moment, please."
Cain called out to everyone, took a crystal from his chest, and walked towards the corner of the cafeteria's third floor.
After a short while, he returned to Ais and very naturally took the Grimore back from her hand.
"Let's go! I'll take you to break through to Level 6!"
"...?"
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.