As Luo Shu remained by the window...
Not far away on the floor, black-red ripples began undulating like disturbed water.
From within them, a girl in an exquisite black dress slowly rose - delicate and adorable in appearance.
"So that yokai is the one you've taken an interest in, Shu-kun?"
Kurumi Tokisaki inquired with mild curiosity after fully emerging.
"For now, she's merely a candidate under observation."
Leaning against the window frame, Luo Shu replied calmly:
"Truthfully, she's not an indispensable figure. It's simply that her forthcoming actions may potentially become part of my ascension ritual."
"An ascension ritual..."
Kurumi repeated the phrase with faint envy colouring her tone:
"How wonderful. Though the conditions are arduous, successfully completing the ritual allows one to grasp the essence of power, unlike incomplete existences like myself, who can't even properly control our abilities."
Kurumi had ascended to Demigod Rank without undergoing any ritual.
While the system's power and the convenience of returning to the Kabbalah Tree's essence had made her a complete Demigod, to this day, she still couldn't properly master her strength.
A normal Demigod who underwent the Hero Rank ascension ritual would gain control over their Class's conceptual power.
Following the Demigod Ritual, they could then grasp a fragment of divine authority, wielding portions of a deity's power.
Yet none of this applied to Kurumi in her current state.
Not only had she skipped the Demigod Ritual - she hadn't even undergone the Hero Rank ceremony.
This was precisely why she'd never once defeated her Demigod Rank simulated self in the Dream Simulation Chamber.
Her foundations were too weak. Though the towering structure stood complete, it was built on unstable ground, requiring extensive reinforcement at the base.
This also explained why Hagoromo Gitsune had immediately detected Kurumi's irregularity upon meeting her, easily discerning the disparity in their strength.
Hearing Kurumi's words, Luo Shu turned his head curiously:
"Still haven't deduced your preliminary Class?"
As an irregular case who directly became a Demigod, Kurumi's Class was unique - possessing only the Demigod Rank without any preceding stages.
Among the five tiers—Common, Excellent, Elite, Hero, and Demigod—Kurumi occupied the solitary peak.
This lopsided development naturally affected her future growth, which was why Kurumi had recently been immersing herself in the Dream Simulation Chamber, desperately using points to shore up her foundations and complete her development in the shortest time possible.
For this purpose, she'd even borrowed substantial points from Luo Shu.
As for the results... Luo Shu believed they could be universally applied among the Spirits connected to Kurumi's Sefirot.
This was why he'd been willing to lend the points.
Though to be fair, he'd never refused any request for help from Familia members.
"Only the first basic Class has been deduced so far."
Kurumi sent the information to Luo Shu through the system's integrated forum.
Class: Spirit (Common Rank)
Abilities: Ageing Delay, Spiritual Power Affinity, Nature Affinity, Space Affinity.
Upon receiving this line of information, Luo Shu couldn't help but feel surprised:
"Completely lacking in abilities, only affinities?"
"From the most basic adaptation perspective, this is already the maximum number of talents that can be added."
"Any more, and a mere Common Rank simply wouldn't have sufficient capacity to bear additional abilities."
While researching Classes, Kurumi Tokisaki had already identified the issue.
Namely, that each rank of Class has a different capacity.
Higher ranks can bear stronger powers, while conversely, lower ranks can only accommodate more ordinary abilities.
For special spirits like Kurumi Tokisaki, derived from the split of a Divine Class, the uniqueness of their abilities can only manifest at Elite or Hero Ranks.
At Common and Excellent Ranks, their strength doesn't show. In fact, their formidable nature requires these two ranks' capacity to expand their own volume.
At this point, Kurumi raised her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, seemingly with a headache:
"All ten Sefirot spirits possess different abilities, so at Common and Excellent Ranks, they need corresponding lower-tier abilities to expand their own volume."
"What I'm telling you now is the Common Rank standard shared by all ten spirits. By Excellent Rank, based on my deductions and system verification, each would need to adapt to their own lower-tier abilities."
"For me, at Excellent Rank, I'd likely only gain Time Affinity, allowing limited manipulation of my own and others' time – though not particularly strong, at most capable of reducing someone's lifespan by a month."
"So throughout Common and Excellent Ranks, I'm essentially just an ordinary person with powerful talents."
Hearing this, Luo Shu immediately understood: "The crucial point starts from Elite Rank?"
Kurumi blinked, then smiled:
"Correct. Starting from Elite, I begin possessing time manipulation abilities – whether summoning versions of myself from the timeline to create clones, replacing my injured present self with an undamaged past version, stealing others' time, or creating clones. These are all things achievable at Elite Rank."
"So the characteristics of powerful Classes become apparent at Elite Rank?"
Luo Shu thought of his own Class, Calamity Bringer.
This, too, had gained the Calamity Absorption ability at Elite Rank, directly becoming the most resilient Class Luo Shu had encountered thus far.
Even the tempered body of a Hero Grade Great Yokai couldn't compare to the damage-negating passive brought by Calamity Absorption.
Similarly, Kurumi's Class at Elite Rank was equally cheat-like in its invincibility.
"What about Hero Rank?" Luo Shu asked curiously. "Would that be equivalent to before you became a Demigod?"
"I wouldn't know." Kurumi smiled sweetly as she reached out towards Luo Shu. "So right now, I need just a tiny bit of assistance from you, Shu-kun."
Seeing this, Luo Shu paused, then said helplessly: "How many points do you need?"
"Eight thousand... no, five thousand should suffice this time." Kurumi made what sounded like a gambler's statement.
Hearing this, Luo Shu shook his head, transferring ten thousand points to Kurumi before saying:
"Here's a bit more to round it up. Make more use of dream simulations to experiment, since you're currently our Familia's strongest fighter."
Kurumi Tokisaki blinked in surprise at his words, then smiled meaningfully:
"Shu-kun seems to have quite the talent for being a househusband."
Hearing this, Luo Shu rolled his eyes: "I give you extra points, and this is how you repay me?"
"It's not repayment."
Kurumi pointed at her chest, right where her heart would be:
"This is actually a big plus point here."
"So that was just teasing?" Luo Shu raised an eyebrow dismissively. "I'm a man who's tasted real meat. You think that move would work on me?"
"Give me something more substantial."
Kurumi chuckled lightly before replying:
"Substantial things aren't for giving. I'm not like Kisara, foolishly handing everything over only to watch her share get snatched away by others."
"But giving nothing at all wouldn't be fair to Shu-kun either."
"Let me give you a hint then."
As she spoke, Kurumi pressed a finger to her lips:
"The skies over Tokyo occasionally carry a presence that feels strangely familiar to me."
"If Shu-kun can successfully recruit them, our Familia might gain its second Demigod."
"You're dangling bait now, aren't you?"
Luo Shu laughed while scolding, though the mention of a presence in Tokyo's skies that Kurumi found familiar did stick in his mind.
'Could there be a Spirit in the skies above?'
As Luo Shu pondered this, Kurumi sank into the ground, descending to stabilise her condition below.
Luo Shu paid this no mind, simply shaking his head as he headed home to prepare.
Tonight, he still had a gathering to attend at Tōtsuki Resort.