(Riven POV – Church Basement Room)
I slowly open my eyes, blinking lazily at the ceiling overhead.
For a long moment, I just stare.
'Did I seriously just fall asleep like that?' I groan inwardly. 'Was there something wrong with the food? Does Predator somehow mess with the ingredients? Maybe I poisoned myself by accident?'
[Answer: Food created through Predator is 100% safe for consumption.]
I almost chuckle. 'Thanks, Great Sage. Your timing is always impeccable.'
That leaves one possibility, since I'm immune to external mind altering effects.
'I was just… that comfortable?'
It feels strange that comfort could just knock me out like that… but it also doesn't really bother me.
Feeling a weight pressing against me, I tilt my head down slightly, and sigh.
Hestia is wrapped around me like a particularly affectionate blanket, her face buried against my side, breathing softly. Her expression is peaceful and content.
There's also a blanket over us both. It wasn't there when I fell asleep… so either she came over with it and joined me, or sleepwalked her way here after tucking me in.
I wonder which is more likely, before concluding that it doesn't matter and adjust myself slightly for comfort.
Hestia latches onto me even more tightly after my movements, making it near impossible to escape her clutches without waking her.
But her warmth is nice, and there's no real reason for me to do so. 'I've got time today. There's no need to rush getting out of bed.'
I wrap my own arm around her body and hug her back, using her as a body pillow in turn, before closing my eyes again.
'I've got no ill intentions. I'm just making the best of my current circumstances.' I convince myself, although I can't deny her body pressing against mine isn't a major plus.
I manage to settle into a peaceful calm… but it only lasts a few minutes before I give up.
'It's boring to just do nothing. Great Sage.' I think, breaking my mental silence. 'I've been considering focusing on hand-to-hand combat. What do you think?'
[Answer: Hand-to-hand combat is not recommended. It is inherently riskier than using a weapon, offering reduced reach, offensive capacity, and defensive utility.]
'Yeah, I figured you'd say that.' I smile faintly.
'But I'm not planning to fight barehanded forever. I'll use gauntlets and design them to cause damage. They can be made of pure Adamantite for defence, once I'm strong enough to carry them comfortably.'
I don't really know why I'm trying to convince Great Sage to think this is a good idea, but I'd like her agreement regardless.
'And I'll still train with other weapons too—but smashing things with my own hands just sounds more fun. Don't you think so too?'
[Answer: I do not view it as fun. However, hand-to-hand combat becomes increasingly inefficient against large or high-tier threats as dungeon depth increases.]
'That's why I want to make it efficient.' I grin to myself.
'I've watched enough anime and martial arts shows to know there are plenty of styles that can be devastating even against larger opponents. Baki, Record of Ragnarok, Kengan Ashura, even stuff like Karate or Systema. Could you analyse the fighting styles I've seen in my memories and help design ones that work for me?'
[Answer: Affirmative.]
I know that a lot of them aren't actually possible for a person to perform, but the principles behind them could be replicated and turned into an actual technique.
'Besides, Great Sage is amazing, and could probably make the impossible possible.'
[Notice: Accessing and parsing relevant information. Compiling feasible combat systems based on observed fighting styles. Adjusting for anatomical limits, dungeon physics, and practical usage...]
'Great. I'll leave it to you.' I try to send a smile Great Sage's way, but I'm not sure if she received it or not.
[Answer: It was received.]
The unexpected answer makes me chuckle a bit. 'I'm glad.'
Anyway, there's no rush. I have plenty of time to improve the technique and figure it out. If I'm going to make hand-to-hand my main focus, then I want to do it right. I can always mess around once I've got the foundation down.
Even with Great Sage uploading the techniques directly to my brain, I'd only get so far before hitting a wall.
Knowledge is useless if it doesn't become instinct, which is the same reason I haven't gotten a perfect combat performance from Great Sage yet. At the very least, I'd need to practice the techniques and build enough muscle memory to use them at their best.
I glance down at Hestia again. Her hand has curled slightly against my chest. Sure, I've got questions, like…
'How'd it get under my shirt, or why is it groping me?' But the only person who can answer that is out cold.
'…Yeah. I'll need to talk to her. But for now, I'll just enjoy her warmth.' I settle silently, hugging her closer as she sleeps.
Finally, after exactly 34 minutes and 12 seconds—not that I was counting—Hestia begins to stir.
I glance down at her just as she shifts against me, eyes fluttering open with a soft groan. She blinks groggily, her hand rubbing at her eyes like a sleepy child, before she freezes, finally registering our position.
Her deep blue eyes widen, locking onto mine. I meet her gaze calmly, watching her brain slowly catch up to reality. She blinks rapidly, as if trying to reset the moment, then squeezes her eyes shut altogether.
When she opens them again… nothing's changed.
"It's not a dream." I say with a smirk, my voice deliberately low and teasing.
Her entire face flushes instantly, turning a vibrant crimson. "Wh-what are you doing?!" She squeaks, voice climbing several octaves as she stares at me in alarm.
"Hmm?" I hum innocently, tightening the arm loosely wrapped around her waist. "Well, I fell asleep and woke up to a certain goddess cuddling me. So I figured I'd make the most of it."
To emphasize the point, I trail a slow hand along her spine playfully, curious about her reaction.
She shivers beneath my touch, but instead of yelling, flailing, or panicking in some other way, she just… ducks her head and stays there, buried against me in silence.
'Did… did I break her?' My smugness drains immediately, replaced by genuine concern.
"Okay—sorry!" I blurt out, hands up in surrender as I gently untangle myself and hop off the couch. "It was a joke. Just teasing. You keep ambushing me in my sleep, and I thought I'd mess with you a little."
She doesn't respond right away.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." I cough, brushing imaginary dust off my pants. "I just… thought it'd be a harmless prank. Light teasing. You can tell I'm not lying, right?"
She finally sits up, the blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon. Her face is still bright red, but now she's glaring, and pouting at me.
'Yeah… she's mad.' I realise bracing myself for the fallout.
"Goddess," I say gently. "You know I didn't mean anything by it. I swear."
Instead of calming, her pout deepens.
"If you're really sorry…" She mutters, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Then you have to agree to any one demand I make. Absolutely anything I want."
"...Nothing's off the table?" I ask slowly, narrowing my eyes.
"Nothing." She replies seriously, leaving no room for negotiation.
'She wouldn't ask for anything unreasonable… right?' I hesitate, then sigh in resignation. 'She definitely wouldn't do anything I'd hate.'
"Alright. I agree. Do you forgive me now?"
She huffs, turning away from me with her arms crossed. "That was just to prove you were sorry. I haven't forgiven you yet."
I narrow my eyes. 'Is she playing with me? Alright, let's play.'
"Very well then." I say dramatically, slumping slightly in false resignation. "What must I do to earn your forgiveness, my lovely and eternally just Goddess?"
Her cheeks puff out as she tries very hard to hold back a smile. "I-I want a… massage." She mumbles so softly it's basically a whisper.
I stare blankly at her, my face deadpan. 'So let me get this straight… I was worried I might have crossed a line… only for her to request I touch her again?'
My eye twitches. "Hestia," I say flatly—dropping the 'Goddess' title, and she immediately flinches.
She glances at me with a sheepish look. "Y-yes?"
"You weren't actually mad, were you?"
Panic flashes across her face for a brief moment… before something in her brain clicks, and she straightens with sudden confidence.
'What could it be? I'm genuinely curious how she'll weasel her way out of this.'
She flashes me a wide, smug grin as she raises her finger accusingly towards me.
"I never said I was mad!" She declares triumphantly. "You just assumed I was! That's entirely on you!"
Thinking back on it…
'She's right.'
At no point did she actually say she was angry. Just glared at me and pouted. Guilt-tripped me into a one-sided agreement.
I sigh, rubbing my temple.
'I really played myself.'
"Alright," I say calmly, accepting my defeat with grace… at least outwardly. "You know, I would've been happy to give you a massage anytime… if you'd just asked."
Her eyes light up like a child on Christmas morning. "Really? Anytime I ask?"
"After this stunt?" I hum thoughtfully, tilting my head and giving her a flat look. "Not so sure anymore. I didn't expect you, of all people, to trick me."
She flinches a little at that, her expression faltering. I catch a flicker of guilt cross her face before she deflates. "…But you're still going to forgive me, right?" She asks sheepishly, trying for a charming, cute smile.
I sigh, placing the back of my hand dramatically against my forehead. "I suppose I have no choice. You're my Goddess, after all."
She exhales in relief. "Do I still get the massage? And my unconditional request?" She asks, an awkward but hopeful smile on her face.
"You're being really greedy now." I say plainly.
"But you promised!" She whines, inching closer on the couch.
"And you tricked me."
"You're the one who made the assumption!"
"And you're the one assuming I said I wouldn't honor the deal." I stare at her calmly, watching her freeze mid-retort.
"Wait—huh?" Her head tilts slightly. Then the delayed understanding hits her.
I smirk. "See how that feels?"
Her eyes narrow, but her lips twitch with amusement. She nods slowly, crossing her arms. "Hmph. As expected of my child. You honor your promises." She declares proudly, as if my sense of honor reflects directly on her skills.
I roll my eyes. 'You're only happy because this works out for you, aren't you?' But I let it slide. She's genuinely having fun—and frankly, so am I.
Without another word, I start removing my shirt, and her eyes shoot wide open.
"Wha—WHAT are you doing?!" She squeals, covering her face with her hands, but not before her fingers spread conveniently wide enough to block nothing.
"…I was going to get my Falna updated?" I say dryly. "You've seen my upper body before, haven't you? So what's with the sudden shyness?"
"Y-yeah… I guess…" She mumbles from behind her makeshift blindfold, even as her voice wavers the entire time.
I raise an eyebrow as I sit on the couch, my back turned to her. 'She's acting like she's got a crush on me… Or maybe she's just overly conscious after I cuddled with her.'
The second one seems more likely. 'If she'd developed feelings, they would've started when I joined her Familia. I haven't done anything romantic to cause her to fall for me now.'
I nod to myself, commending myself for the logical deduction.
Her fingers finally brush against my back, and I feel her shift closer.
Then…
A single drop of blood lands on my back.
[Notice: Falna is being updated. Would you like to distribute Exelia stored in Stomach?]
'Yeah. Try to max out all stats to 999 if possible, and let's distribute any leftover Exelia evenly.'
I killed 317 monsters, and with Predator absorbing Exelia from all of them, it's the equivalent of defeating a horde of over 3,000 solo.
'There's no way that wasn't enough.'
Finally, after a few seconds, Hestia speaks.
"This... This doesn't make sense..." She mutters behind me, her finger hovering midair over my back. "Isn't 999 the highest number…?"
I blink. 'That's it? She's just confused?' I think in disappointment.
I was expecting shock, or some amusing reaction I could laugh at. 'At the very least, give me a dramatic gasp.'
Then I remember… she's still a new Goddess, and probably doesn't realize how amazing it actually is.
"It's not." I reply simply. "Exelia keeps accumulating after it, but it's incredibly hard to increase stats once you reach 999 in any stat. It's about a hundred times harder."
According to Great Sage, which is good enough for me.
Her gasp finally comes. "A hundred?! Then this is… this is amazing!"
I shrug modestly, a small, satisfied smile gracing my lips. "More or less."
She beams, eyes shining with pride. "As expected of my child! Loki can't compare!" She cheers, puffing her chest proudly.
'And you were so mad about what I did yesterday.'
The truth is, it's even harder than I said. The closer you get to 999, the harder it is to gain any Exelia at all. You need to accomplish something truly extraordinary to even gain one point. And if you repeat the same kind of feat, the returns diminish rapidly.
To get a single point at the upper tier of level one, you'd need to survive near-death encounters hundreds of times… and even then, it might not be enough.
'No wonder hardly anyone reaches max stats before leveling. It's basically impossible unless you're Alfia… or Bell.'
"You can level up now, too!" Hestia grins, bouncing on her seat slightly.
But I shake my head. "Not yet."
She tilts her head. "Why not? Don't you want to be stronger?"
"I do. But if I max out all my stats first, I'll be stronger than everyone else eventually. And it's not like it'll take me long." I glance over my shoulder at her with a faint grin.
She doesn't argue. Just watches me for a long moment, then nods with a smile.
"Alright. I trust you."
She finishes transcribing my updated status, handwriting a little shaky from either excitement or residual embarrassment—probably both—and hands me the paper.
I take it and glance at my status.
——————————
Name: Riven Alaric
Level 1 (Can Level Up)
Strength: C698 —⟩ B731 —⟩ SS1001
Endurance: C680 —⟩ B732 —⟩ SS1001
Dexterity: A809 —⟩ A884 —⟩ SS1001
Agility: B702 —⟩ B738 —⟩ SS1001
Magic: C642 —⟩ B702 —⟩ SS1001
<
<
[Blue Papilio Powder]
[Purple Moth Powder]
<
[Great Sage]
[Predator]
[IronHeart]
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A/N: Hello Everyone. Hope you all had a great day.
If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or powerstones. It really helps the book out.
So initially, this chapter wasn't supposed to go on this long, but I think it's essential for proper romance. I've changed the format of the Status panel, so it's easier to read (hopefully you guys agree), and by popular suggestion, I've removed the explanations, keeping it minimal unless there are changes.
Acquired magic and eventually, Acquired skills, are magic and skills he gets from predator or analysis through great sage. This'll be important for merging and sacrificing skills and magics later (just makes things easier later on).
Next, by popular suggestion again, is martial arts. I plan for him to learn everything he can, but he'll mainly use hand-to-hand combat. Why? It's more fun for him. It gains more Exelia as it's kind of a handicap (not really), and so on. That isn't to say he'll be unarmed. He'll get gauntlets, or gloves, that he fights with, and he will use weapons where necessary, like axes, swords, etc, once he makes them. I don't plan to limit him.
As for the martial arts he uses... It won't be OP. I'm willing to use techniques and so on, but they won't allow him to skip 2 to 3 levels unfortunately. He'll dominate at his level (given how OP some of them are), and he can beat someone a level above him, survive 2 levels higher, but likely wouldn't win. I'll do more research on them, and see what extent they can really get to, before finalizing anything completely.
And finally (even getting a warning about community guidelines), is R18 stuff. Ngl, I'm super hesitant and shy to write it. I just don't know how much horny is too much. I kept it tame this chapter, but things would slowly heat up, and I don't want to go overboard. So yeah, that's just my concern, and advice would be nice.
You can also support me and read 10 chapters in advance at p@treon.com/AMV_WEAKLY
It really helps me out, and allows me to upload write more freely, as well as update chapters more quickly. I appreciate all the support regardless (including everyone just reading).
But that's all from me. Have a great day (or night) 😁