Ren Isana's explanation made it clear to everyone: if they didn't have enough Magic Power, they could just chug Blue Potions to make up for it. Blue Potions were essentially the fuel for this spell. Once everyone grew stronger, they wouldn't have to worry about this issue anymore.
Realizing the immense benefits of this spell, everyone began studying it in earnest. It was simply too valuable to pass up. With Sora being the first to finish learning it, the others slowly began to catch up and grasp the concepts.
Whenever they encountered something they didn't understand, they asked Ren directly, and he answered their questions on the spot. Afterward, Ren began teaching everyone the second spell, [Calming Magic]. Yukino Yukinoshita, however, didn't need to learn this one.
Since she could forcefully calm herself down anyway, it didn't matter whether she learned it or not. Ren held the same attitude toward the others—he was teaching it, but whether they actually chose to learn it was entirely up to them.
Once Ren finished teaching both spells, Riveria saw that he was finally free and walked over. "Mr. Ren, I was wondering if our Loki Familia might be allowed to learn this spell? We are willing to pay any price!"
Riveria was straightforward with her request, even going so far as to offer *any price*. That alone showed just how serious she was.
Because this spell was truly worth it. If Ren was willing to teach them, they would pay whatever price they could afford.
Hearing Riveria's words, a flash of surprise crossed Ren's eyes. He glanced over at Natsuki Minamiya and, seeing that she had no intention of intervening, immediately understood.
Natsuki intended to leave this matter entirely in his hands. With that in mind, Ren calculated for a moment before speaking up. "No problem. If you want to learn it, we can teach you."
Seeing Ren agree so readily, Riveria was momentarily stunned before she couldn't help but ask, "Then what price must we pay? As long as it is something the Loki Familia possesses, just name it."
She knew perfectly well how important this spell was, so she was fully prepared to bleed her wallet dry. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
"Since you put it that way, there actually is something I want. Does your Loki Familia have any high-tier materials? I want to forge a magic staff, but I haven't been able to find the right materials," Ren said directly.
The weapon currently in his hands was already considered top-tier, only needing divine blood to take it a step further. However, he didn't have a staff yet. This was the perfect opportunity for Ren to ask for some crafting materials.
Hearing Ren's request, Riveria thought for a moment before replying, "I can provide you with five top-tier Magic Gems, some refined metal, as well as Holy Emperor Ore and a Holy Emperor Branch. Would these materials suffice?"
The materials she listed were all of the absolute highest quality. The staff in her own hands had been forged using these exact same materials, though her weapon utilized nine top-tier Magic Gems instead.
Although she wasn't offering Ren quite as many gems, she was substituting the missing ones with an additional Holy Emperor Branch. It was safe to say that the items she was offering were comparable in value to the very weapon she wielded.
Listening to the list of materials, Ren's eyes instantly lit up. This was basically providing him with a complete set of materials to craft a top-tier staff! He was extremely satisfied with this outcome.
Besides, Ren wasn't a greedy person. Since the other party had already shown such immense sincerity, what was there to be dissatisfied about? From what he knew, the crafting cost of Riveria's staff was a staggering 340 million Valis.
And that didn't even include the market price of the Magic Gems. In other words, Riveria was essentially handing over hundreds of millions of Valis just to purchase his [Perception Magic]. He couldn't be happier.
All he could say was that the woman standing before him was a true sugar mama. The Holy Emperor Ore and Holy Emperor Branch were likely provided from Riveria's own personal stash. After all, she had another identity: Elf royalty.
Furthermore, she was highly revered among the Elves, so it wasn't surprising that she could provide such items. Things that were incredibly precious to others were quite easy for Riveria to get her hands on.
"Then it's a deal. I can teach you this spell, and you're free to pass it on to others!" Ren knew very well that she wasn't paying such a massive price just to learn it for herself.
If she were the only one learning it, there would be no need to pay so much, nor would it be worth it. Seeing Ren agree, Riveria let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. I will go back and fetch the items right now," Riveria said before immediately turning to leave, not wanting to waste a single second.
The sooner she gave the items to Ren, the sooner she could learn the spell, and the sooner they could put it to use. Watching her leave, Ren didn't say anything. This arrangement worked out perfectly for him.
Over on Natsuki's side, seeing that Ren had finished his business, she looked at Lefiya and said, "Let's go. Today, I'll continue teaching you some simple spells. First, you need to understand the magical logic of our world."
Since the deal was settled, Natsuki began her instruction. She hadn't been joking earlier—the magic systems of their two worlds truly were fundamentally different.
Yesterday, she had taught Lefiya how to use [Meditation]. However, in their world, that was merely the absolute basics of magic. As for the underlying logic of how magic operated, the people of this world hadn't learned any of it.
About an hour later, Riveria reappeared at the Hestia Familia's headquarters, carrying a chest in her arms and a box slung over her back. Seeing her arrive, Ren shifted his gaze toward her.
Riveria walked up to Ren, set the items down, and said, "These are the items you requested. Everything is here."
After putting down the chest and box, Riveria looked at Ren. She had brought everything; the materials were all complete. When she had gone back, she had told Finn Deimne about the spell.
He had agreed to the trade without a second thought. After all, the spell was simply too useful. Thinking of this, she kept her eyes on Ren.
Seeing this, Ren didn't bother inspecting the goods too closely. Instead, he said directly, "Lefiya is already learning over there. You can go see if she's gotten the hang of it yet. Instructor Natsuki is teaching her right now."
Hearing this, Riveria looked over at Lefiya. She nodded and walked toward them. *She's already being taught? It seems they started right after I left.*
Stowing the materials away, Ren glanced at the group before heading straight for the workshop. Many of them had already learned the spell, and those who hadn't could just be taught by the others.
Ren took the materials and ducked into the workshop, preparing to forge his staff first and foremost. Seeing this, the others didn't say anything. Ren had already taught them what he needed to; the rest depended on their own comprehension skills.
Entering the forging workshop, Ren got to work. He inspected the materials Riveria had provided. The Holy Emperor Branch was perfect to use as the main body.
He would carve some Magic Circuits into it, then melt down the refined metal to coat the entire branch. The remaining metal would be used to encase the Magic Gems.
As for the design, he decided to base it on a certain Scummy Merly's staff. These materials were more than enough to replicate that look. Plus, if necessary, it could totally be used as a blunt weapon to bash people's heads in.
With a plan in mind, Ren began processing the Holy Emperor Branch. He focused entirely on his work in the workshop, while the people outside diligently studied the spells he had taught them.
For the next few hours, Ren was constantly busy. Because of the high quality of the materials, he hadn't even finished the preliminary prep work by the time lunch rolled around.
It wasn't until Asuna came to call him for lunch that he finally stopped. Looking at the materials in the workshop, especially the branch, Asuna asked curiously, "Is that branch really that hard to process?"
When she walked in, she saw Ren stubbornly grinding away at the branch. Its hardness seemed to be beyond imagination. From the looks of it, Ren had only managed to process about a third of it.
"Yeah, they're all top-tier materials, so it's taking a bit longer." Saying this, Ren looked over at the refined metal currently melting in the furnace, unable to stop himself from nodding in satisfaction.
"That's ridiculous. Let's go eat first; you can deal with it later," Asuna clicked her tongue and told Ren before turning to leave.
Seeing this, Ren followed her to the dining hall. On the way, he couldn't help but ask, "How are Riveria and the others doing with their studies? Have they learned the spell yet?"
Ren was actually quite curious about this. It was the first time people from another world were learning the magic of their world. He wondered if they would actually be able to grasp it.
"They've already learned it. I have to say, Elves are truly amazing. Once they figured out the magical logic of our side, it only took them a moment to master that [Perception Magic]." Mentioning this, Asuna felt a wave of envy.
Lefiya's talent was also off the charts. After understanding the magical logic, she learned it just by listening to Instructor Natsuki explain it once. The same went for Riveria.
Hearing Asuna's explanation, Ren nodded. This wasn't entirely unexpected. Both of them were geniuses; as long as they understood the underlying logic of the magic, learning it wouldn't be difficult.
The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the dining hall. Loki and Hestia were also there. Both of them were sporting black eyes and bruised faces, though they didn't look quite as disheveled as before.
Ren's arrival immediately caught Hestia's attention. She hurriedly stood up and shouted, "Ren, Asuna, come over here! I've already gotten your food for you!!"
Her Ren was here! Today, she was going to show off hard. Loki acted like Ais was some irreplaceable treasure, but Hestia had Ren and the others, and that was more than enough. Ren alone was worth more than the entire Loki Familia!
As for Ais? She was just another Asuna. Give Asuna some time, and she would definitely surpass Ais. Hestia was extremely confident about this, so that bastard Loki didn't need to worry about her stealing her precious little doll.
Because she didn't care! She had plenty of treasures of her own. Who gave a crap about Loki's people?!
Seeing this, Ren and Asuna walked over. As soon as they sat down, Hestia shot a provocative glare at Loki. The message in her eyes was crystal clear: *I have Ren! I don't give a damn about your Ais!*
This petty little display instantly pissed Loki off. She glared right back, and the two goddesses ended up locked in a fierce staring contest across the dining table, neither willing to back down.
Faced with these two idiots, Ren couldn't be bothered to care. It wasn't like they were actually fighting, so what was there to watch? He might as well hurry up and eat so he could get back to working on his staff.
And so, while the two goddesses were busy glaring daggers at each other, Ren rapidly scarfed down his food and left without looking back, eager to get back to his own business.
Seeing this, Asuna didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But she also understood how these two were—if Ren had actually engaged with them, they probably wouldn't have gotten to eat lunch at all today.
After Ren left, Asuna silently picked up her tray and moved to another table, no longer wanting to interrupt their "affectionate" staring contest. She went over to Yukino Yukinoshita and the others to slowly enjoy her lunch.
The members of the Loki Familia couldn't be bothered with Loki either. Right now, all three of them were completely immersed in what they had learned today. The knowledge Instructor Natsuki had imparted to them was simply too useful. Who had the time to babysit Loki? As long as she didn't die, it was fine!
After finishing his lunch, Ren went back to tinkering with his staff. Crafting a magic staff was an entirely different beast from forging other weapons. The most important aspects of a staff were the Magic Circuits carved into it and its enchantments.
This time, Ren planned to imbue his weapon with a true Indestructible attribute, along with a whole series of magic-assisting enchantments.
There were a total of five top-tier Magic Gems. Ren could easily engrave five different enchantments onto the gems, turning this staff into a genuine mage's divine artifact.
Ren had already decided on the five enchantments: Energy Conservation, Amplification, Range, Penetration, and Stability. These were all he needed. Combined with the staff's innate Indestructible attribute, that made six enchantments in total. Or perhaps seven?
After all, these top-tier materials naturally possessed a Magic Overload property, allowing them to withstand a vastly greater injection of Magic Power.
Energy Conservation: reduced the fixed Magic Power consumption. Amplification: boosted the output of Magic Power. Range: extended the distance of spells. Penetration: specifically targeted creatures with high magic resistance. Stability: reduced the environmental interference on Magic Power.
A staff packed with so many enchantments could undoubtedly be called a top-tier weapon. With a clear plan in mind, Ren got to work in earnest. It wasn't until dinnertime that he finally finished putting the staff together.
When Asuna came to call him for dinner, she saw how focused he was and noticed he was nearing the end of the process. Deciding not to disturb him, she went to the dining hall and asked them to set aside a portion of food for Ren, planning to bring it to him later.
Besides Asuna, Megumi Kato and the others had also come over. Everyone was actually quite curious about the second weapon Ren was crafting. For him to be so focused on it for nearly an entire day, it had to be something incredible, right?
Watching Ren carefully embed the five gems into the staff, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. This staff looked a little too luxurious.
Moreover, the gems weren't all clustered together. They were embedded in a specific sequence, and in the end, they were even encased in the refined metal.
Everyone watched as Ren assembled the staff piece by piece. When he completed the final step, they finally saw the staff in its entirety. It was entirely silver-white, with the gems completely embedded inside.
If it weren't for the small "windows" intentionally left open to reveal the gems, one might suspect that the staff had no gems embedded in it at all.
Looking at the staff he had just created, the corners of Ren's mouth couldn't help but curl upward. This weapon looked exactly like a certain Scummy Merly's staff. At this moment, Ren was thoroughly satisfied.
"Congratulations!" Seeing that Ren had finished, the crowd that had gathered immediately offered their congratulations. With this, Ren had finally completed his main and off-hand weapons, and both were absolutely top-tier.
Hearing their words, Ren smiled and said, "Thanks. Right now, I'm terrifyingly strong. You guys hurry up and master your spells. Once you do, we'll head back into the Dungeon. This time, we're going to the deeper floors."
Ren looked at the staff in his hand, feeling more satisfied the longer he looked at it. At the same time, he urged his classmates to hurry up. He was already itching to dive back into the Dungeon.
Hearing Ren's words, everyone nodded. They were already working hard. More than half of them had mastered it today, and the rest would likely have it fully learned by tomorrow or the day after.
"Does this staff have a name?" Asuna asked, handing him a bottle of water as she stared at the weapon in his hand.
Ren blinked at the question. Merly's staff didn't actually have a name. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I haven't given it a name yet. We'll figure that out later!"