The dull sounds of impact echoed in the courtyard.
Unable to dodge in time, Lefiya was directly pinned under her two teammates, letting out a cry of distress.
"It hurts!"
Hearing Lefiya's voice, Aiz, who was at the top of the girl-sandwich, came to her senses.
With a slight roll, she slid off and adjusted her posture in mid-air to land on the ground.
After that, Tiona also kipped up and reached out toward the Elf Maiden.
"Lefiya, are you okay?"
"I'm... I'm fine."
Lefiya grabbed Tiona's hand.
She was still a Level 3 adventurer, after all; she wouldn't be taken out just by being crashed into once.
She just hadn't been mentally prepared, and plus, her nose had been bumped, so she couldn't help but make a sound.
Rubbing her reddened nose, Lefiya recovered from the sudden upset. "Miss Tiona, what happened just now?"
Tiona scratched her head. "I'm not too sure either."
Lynn's movements were too natural; he had thrown her back in less than a second.
"So strong." Aiz was equally shocked.
Recalling everything that had just happened, a startling suspicion suddenly rose in her heart.
"Lynn, did you level up again?"
"Yeah, I leveled up."
Aiz froze. "..."
He leveled up.
Such four casual words.
But like a magic sound piercing her ears, these words kept echoing and magnifying in Aiz's mind.
It had only been a month; she hadn't even been able to accumulate enough merits during the expedition.
Yet Lynn had completed the accumulation of deeds and ability points on the surface, breaking through from Level 3 to Level 4.
If he continued at this rate, Lynn would likely break through to Level 5 and catch up to her by next month.
"Eh? A breakthrough again?"
"So fast!"
Tiona and Lefiya were equally startled by this news.
The former was simply surprised, while the latter, like Aiz, felt inexplicably dejected.
When they first met, she was LV3 and Lynn was LV1.
Now that the expedition had returned, she was still LV3, but Lynn had already broken through to LV4.
"Lynn, 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."
Lynn 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 Education 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, Lynn."
Lynn 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 Lynn, Tiona threw away her integrity without hesitation.
Pressing her hands against Lynn's back, Tiona urged him on while pushing him toward the kitchen.
Seeing this, Aiz and Lefiya, who were still shocked by Lynn'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 Lynn said was true; as long as one has enough strength, all sorts of encounters will happen.
Watching Lynn 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, Lynn 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, Welf."
"Morning, Lady 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 Lynn's true strength, remained full of confidence.
What was the use of having many First Class Adventurers?
She had General Lynn, 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 Lynn 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 Lynn'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 Aiz, who had learned Ripple from Lynn, was there.
"Hello."
Aiz 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 Aiz 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 Lynn.
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 Aiz, 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, Aiz spoke up.
"Lynn, 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?" Aiz 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 Lynn to train me."
Hestia remained vigilant: "Train? Haven't you already learned Ripple?"
Aiz shook her head: "It's not enough. Just Ripple isn't enough for me to achieve my goal. I want to become stronger, to have the power to fight above my level like Lynn."
"Like Lynn?" Hestia hesitated, and most of the hostility on her face dissipated.
She could see that everything Aiz said was true.
But the problem was, this was simply impossible.
Others might not know Lynn'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."
Aiz took out a heavy book from her bosom: "This is the tuition fee! If it's not enough, I can gather more!"
"A magic book?"
Lynn took the book and recognized its true identity.
The difference between a magic book and an ordinary book was quite obvious; one could tell at a glance after having encountered one before.
However, ...
"Where did you get a magic book?"
"...I asked Riveria to lend it to me."
"Lend?"
"Riveria said I can't rely on her too much. This magic book 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 magic book was one of them.
After asking Finn about the order last night, Aiz had sought out Riveria privately.
Initially, Riveria naturally didn't want to lend the money. After all, Aiz was going to use her own money to support a certain someone.
But under Aiz's persistent pleading, Riveria's heart eventually softened, and she lent this magic book to Aiz.
"This magic book is of the highest quality. Riveria said its market price could be around 300 million Valis."
"That expensive?!"
Although Tiona knew magic books varied in quality, the price of 300 million Valis was still too high.
"Wait! I remember your weapon hasn't been maintained yet, Aiz. 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, Aiz's weapon had been constantly exposed to that corrosive liquid.
Even with the power of the indestructible metal, adamantine, the Sword of Despair hadn't been directly destroyed, but its sharpness had still been affected.
The apprenticeship fee paid to Lynn to learn Ripple had already emptied Aiz's savings.
Coupled with the cost of weapon maintenance, where would she find 300 million Valis to repay Riveria?
To this, Aiz 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, Aiz turned her gaze back to Lynn.
"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."
Aiz frowned: "Why?"
Lynn casually tossed the magic book back: "Because that method involves a part of my secret."
The so-called rapid strengthening naturally referred to the Blood of Evolution.
[Blood of 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, Lynn, like Kibutsuji Muzan, gained the power to transform followers.
Previously, experimenting with members of the Ikelos Familia, Lynn gained a general understanding of the Blood of Evolution's effects.
Simply put, the strengthening effect of this thing is influenced by two factors.
Lynn's strength, and the strength of the one being transformed.
Lynn's strength determines the upper limit of the Blood of 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 of 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 Aiz's requirements.
But as a price, those who evolved by receiving Lynn's blood would gain a fixed skill in their blessing.
[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 Aiz's blessing as usual and suddenly saw this skill...
Lynn 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."
Aiz was somewhat puzzled: "War?"
Lynn 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, Aiz fell silent: "..."
To be honest, she didn't quite understand Lynn'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."
Lynn 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 Aiz and very naturally took the magic book back from her hand.
"Let's go! I'll take you to break through to Level 6!"
"...?"
---