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Alex had thought 180 points was a lot.So, out of curiosity, he checked how many points it would take to copy his own abilities.
The result left him completely stunned.
Copying Holy Fire Purification cost 1000 points. Copying Unlimited Blade Works cost 800 points. Copying Magic Circuits cost 500 points. Even Magic Engraving needed 300 points.
That's when he finally realized just how much Hestia had helped him.
At least the spells Roxy had taught him—basic and intermediate magic—were dirt cheap.Copying basic spells cost only 10 points, intermediate ones 50, advanced 100, and high-tier 500.
Just as Alex was checking the point system, three notifications suddenly popped up in the group chat.
[System Notice: Welcome "Insect Hashira" to the group!]
[System Notice: Welcome "Spirit of Time" to the group!]
[System Notice: Member count exceeds ten. Mall function unlocked!]
Yotsuya Miko: "Welcome, newcomers."
Misaka Mikoto: "A new feature already? What's this 'mall' thing?"
Hestia: "Looks like a shop! There's a ton of stuff in here!"
Roxy: "Let's check that later. For now, let's welcome the new members."
Misaka Mikoto: "Just looked at their profile pics. Two more beautiful girls, huh."
Yotsuya Miko: "At this rate, isn't this just turning into Alex's personal harem group?"
Esdeath: "If you want to be my man, you'll have to defeat me first. Conquer me with strength!"
Tsunade: "Speak for yourself. I'm almost fifty, you know."
Yotsuya Miko: "That's nothing. Lord Kamisama here is over a billion years old, and Sister Luo Hao's pushing three hundred."
Hestia: "…"
Luo Hao: "…"
Misaka Mikoto: "Oh no, Miko, you just offended two god-tier members."
Yotsuya Miko: "Waaah— I take it back!"
Erza: "@Insect Hashira @Spirit of Time You two are quiet. Come on out and say hi!"
Insect Hashira: "Damn it… Is this some kind of new Blood Demon Art?"
Spirit of Time: "A chat group like this… could it be the work of the First Spirit?"
Yotsuya Miko: "Uh… what are they talking about?"
Misaka Mikoto: "I think they're mistaking the chat for an enemy trap or something."
Erza: "Guess their worlds aren't very peaceful."
After glancing through the chat, Alex immediately figured out who the newcomers were.He clicked on their avatars—and sure enough.
The Insect Hashira was Shinobu Kocho from the Demon Slayer world. The Spirit of Time was Kurumi Tokisaki from Date A Live.
"Didn't expect them to join," Alex muttered. "Too bad their worlds won't really help me power up."
Demon Slayer's world was low-tier in terms of combat power.Things like breathing styles, marks, or "Transparent World" sounded flashy but were limited in strength—and even harmful to the body.He already had Luo Hao's top-tier martial arts training, so there was no reason to bother learning those.
As for Date A Live, sure, it had magic… but not the kind worth chasing.All the world's mana was concentrated in that First Spirit, Mio Takamiya.To gain power there, he'd basically have to steal Shido's girlfriends.Not worth the drama.
Meanwhile, inside the group chat, after some quick explanations from the others, Shinobu and Kurumi finally got the gist of things.
In the Demon Slayer world, Shinobu had just finished slaying a demon.A rare smile touched her lips."Kanae… with this group, I might actually have a chance to avenge you."
If the members could travel between worlds, she could grow stronger.And even better—she could post a mission and have these powerful people help her destroy Muzan Kibutsuji once and for all.
In the Date A Live world, Kurumi was smiling too."Hehehe… Mio Takamiya, I can already see your death."
Once she gathered enough time, she could fire the Twelfth Bullet—go back thirty years.She'd always worried that even then she might not be strong enough to defeat the First Spirit.But now, with this group chat, she finally saw hope.
Yotsuya Miko: "Alright, now that you understand how things work, maybe change your nicknames? We still don't know your real names."
Shinobu Kocho: "Done! @everyone Hello, I'm Shinobu Kocho."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "@everyone And I'm Kurumi Tokisaki."
Erza: "Welcome! From now on, we're all one big family."
Saeko Busujima: "You mentioned Blood Demon Arts and a First Spirit earlier—what are those?"
Shinobu Kocho: "Blood Demon Arts are abilities used by demons. In our world, man-eating demons exist. They…"
She briefly explained the situation in her world.
Yotsuya Miko: "That's terrifying! Your world sounds so dangerous!"
Tsunade: "Good thing they're not too strong. If you ever need help, post a mission—we'll come."
Erza: "Yeah! Next time you meet a demon you can't handle, just call us."
Saeko Busujima: "So Shinobu's world is Earth too, huh? Japan's Taisho era."
Misaka Mikoto: "Another hometown girl then."
Roxy: "@Kurumi Tokisaki What about your world?"
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Mine's simpler. It's just… a world where Spirits are a threat."
She then went on to explain the Date A Live world—and her grudge with the First Spirit.
Yotsuya Miko: "Another high-risk world!"
Erza: "I'd love to help, but that First Spirit sounds way stronger than me."
Tsunade: "Yeah. The only ones who could probably stand up to her here are Luo Hao and Hestia."
Saeko Busujima: "And good luck getting either of them to help."
Roxy: "Right. Luo Hao only helps her own kind, and Hestia only helps her familia."
Hestia: "@Shinobu Kocho @Kurumi Tokisaki How about joining my familia then?"
Shinobu Kocho: "Would that make me stronger?"
Hestia: "Of course!"
Shinobu Kocho: "Then I'm in!"
[Hestia sent a red packet to Shinobu Kocho]
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Count me in too."
[Hestia sent a red packet to Kurumi Tokisaki]
Yotsuya Miko: "Yay! Our familia's getting stronger!"
Saeko Busujima: "Now we just have to wait for Alex to finish that Holy Grail War, and then we can all meet up in Orario with the goddess."
Misaka Mikoto: "That actually sounds kinda exciting… maybe I should join too?"
At that moment, not just Mikoto—everyone else was tempted to join Hestia's familia.But for one reason or another, they couldn't.
"..."
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