With his preparations complete, Levi left the Hestia Familia's home base.
While on the surface, he wouldn't casually activate 'Mana Burst: En,' as that would undoubtedly be a provocation to other adventurers.
But precisely because of this, as Levi walked toward the Dungeon entrance, he failed to notice that his figure was currently being watched by someone—or rather, some god.
Freya stood on a high-floor balcony of Babel, a wine glass in one hand and the other resting on the railing, her gaze lowered as she searched the ground below for her 'Odr,' as she always did.
What would be like finding a needle in a haystack for the mortals of the lower world took her, who could see the light of souls, hardly any effort at all—after all, she only needed to look for the most brilliant spots.
But soon, a gasp escaped the gray-haired goddess's lips.
"What's going on with that child?"
Freya had 'discovered' Levi.
To say that might not be entirely accurate. In fact, from the very moment Levi had entered Orario, the goddess had used her 'eyes' to peer into the boy's essence.
The result...
Just as Levi had surmised about himself, his soul was neither dazzling nor tainted—the type that would quickly be forgotten in a crowd.
The only reason Freya remembered him at all was that, about seven years ago, while on one of her routine excursions in search of love, the goddess had disguised herself as a passing traveler and, through a series of coincidences, ended up temporarily staying at the home of Levi, who had not yet left his small mountain village.
Freya had once felt a flicker of curiosity for this orphan who, despite not having received a Falna, had mastered a decent level of swordsmanship, but that was all.
After all, Levi's soul was truly ordinary.
And Freya, though she could take an interest in the unknown, was ultimately driven by the divine authority she commanded, desiring only to collect shining souls for her own.
However, what the gray-haired goddess had never expected...
Even though only a month had passed—no, just the day before yesterday when he returned from the Dungeon, Levi's soul still had that same ordinary appearance.
How had it become so different after just two days at his home base?
To call it 'dazzling' would be a clear exaggeration.
But it had certainly become much cleaner and more transparent.
If Levi hadn't joined a Familia, Freya might not have been able to resist extending an olive branch to him.
After all, no one would complain about their Familia becoming too powerful.
But now~
"Oh, well. He's Hestia's first member, after all. I heard she even confessed to the boy in public. This time, I'll stay my hand."
Freya murmured softly.
She wasn't so desperate as to snatch away every child whose soul showed a glimmer of light.
Of course, if she actually did that, even with the most powerful faction in all of Orario, Freya would most likely be ganged up on by the other gods and sent back to Tenkai.
...
Levi was unaware that he had come dangerously close to being targeted by Freya.
Well... that might not be entirely accurate. After all, the protection of the Goddess of Beauty was already clearly recorded on his status panel.
With money on hand, after leaving his home base, he first went to the commercial district and purchased a set of two-star plate armor.
Then, at the hospital established by the Dian Cecht Familia, he spent nearly 6 million Valis on ten Panaceas capable of curing abnormal statuses and repairing limb damage, 100 potions to restore stamina, 100 high-potions to restore stamina and heal wounds and fractures, and 100 low-grade Mind Potions.
These potions were a safeguard against abnormal statuses in the labyrinth or being dragged into a battle of attrition by monsters.
As always, as an adventurer, Levi's first consideration was how to preserve his own life; maximizing his damage output came second.
Two hours later, the pale-blond-haired young man, his handsome features mostly hidden by a hood, sped all the way to the 13th floor of the labyrinth.
As if to welcome his arrival, the wall to his left crumbled, and four Al-mi'raj crawled out—rabbit-shaped monsters that, despite their cute appearance, could easily pick up and throw axes.
This wasn't Levi's first time facing Al-mi'raj.
However, when he had descended to the Middle Floors the day before yesterday, Tsubaki had been there to protect him.
His mindset then had been somewhat more relaxed.
As for now...
Five cat-paw-shaped ice elemental condensates materialized around Levi. One of them slammed directly into the ground, enveloping its caster in an initial shield.
The other four condensates were controlled to shoot rapidly toward the distant monsters.
As a four-star magic, the effects of 'Icy Paws' were mostly focused on reinforcing the shield.
Its damage was not particularly outstanding.
However, in terms of pure magic power, Levi could now go toe-to-toe with an average Lv.3.
Amplified by his power, a single Al-mi'raj was turned to black ash with a poof after being hit by just two of the paw-condensates.
Another Al-mi'raj didn't fare much better; affected by the cold, its running speed was significantly reduced.
—Signature Mix!
Levi drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and finished off a monster, while simultaneously tossing out an illusory cocktail condensed from ice elements, timing it to the running speed of the others.
And then, well, there was no 'and then.'
If 'Icy Paws,' a four-star combat skill whose main strength lay in its shield, could take out a low-tier Lv.2 monster in two hits, then 'Signature Mix,' a burst magic, could only be stronger—whether in its damage to enemies or its healing effect on allies.
"Hestia, I pray to you now. Please grant me the goddess's protection."
As Levi walked towards the misty cocktail field of icy air just ahead of him, he quickly recited the incantation for the goddess's protection.
A phantom of the black-haired, twin-tailed goddess of the hearth appeared, smiling as it dissolved into light and merged with the body of her beloved.
But that wasn't all. After stepping into the field, Levi drew his Favonius Sword and swiftly slashed his own arm with the blade.
—Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal rang out.
Because his shield was active, the experiment Levi had intended to conduct ended in failure on its first attempt.
'Almost forgot.'
Levi shrugged, touching the Vision hanging around his neck with his will, successfully dispelling the shield. Only then did he repeat the previous action.
Crimson blood splattered.
However, the wound, which was about three to four centimeters deep, began to heal the very instant it was created.
In less than two seconds, it had completely recovered, not even leaving a scar.
'This regenerative power is kind of terrifying.'
Levi was astonished but quickly understood.
It wasn't 'Signature Mix' that was so amazing—or rather, it wasn't just 'Signature Mix.'
Hestia's protection, which could drastically enhance life and mana recovery, was the key to the magic's qualitative change!
'Next, I'll test the shield's durability.'
As the thought flashed through his mind, Levi began to continuously summon the cat-paw condensates, smashing them one by one onto the ground.
_____
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