It was late at night when Cecil finally received the "guest" the Goddess had spoken of. She was already pulling an all-nighter, so it didn't matter.
In the small workshop in the backyard, the girl was carefully inspecting the armor and weapons Isagi would be using in the Dungeon tomorrow, maintaining them in optimal condition. For an adventurer, equipment failure in the Dungeon is a fatal accident.
On nights like these, Cecil would be exceptionally serious, checking all the armor and weapons the boy would use over and over, several times, to ensure nothing was amiss.
Until she heard the Goddess call her name.
Only then did she hurry out of the workshop. By the well in the backyard, she washed her face and small hands with the cool well water drawn up in a wooden bucket, then returned to the somewhat cramped living room.
Isagi and Lefiya had gone to bed long ago.
Under the dim glow of the magic stone lamp, only Astrea was still sitting quietly on the somewhat messy long sofa, a book in her hands—it was about cooking. Was she planning to cook at home every day from now on?
Cecil felt a bit troubled by this, because the Goddess's cooking skills were about the same as her own. To say it was completely inedible would be an exaggeration, but to say it was edible was a bit uncertain.
"It'd be better to let Isagi cook."
This was Cecil's true inner thought, because while the boy didn't make complicated dishes, they were at least delicious.
Of course.
Now was not the time to talk about this.
"Hello, Lady Goddess Astrea. Hello, Miss."
A tall, thin figure in a black robe completely obscured his true appearance, and his voice was hoarse and aged.
"Is he really human?"
Such a question couldn't help but surface in Cecil's mind.
"Hello."
The girl greeted him a bit reservedly, while the Goddess at her side simply offered a smile.
"This is Fels, an envoy of Lord Ouranos. Let him see those things, Cecil."
"O... Okay..."
"Yes."
She once again placed the materials with special magic power that Isagi had previously obtained from the Dungeon on the table.
Fels stood and looked for a while. Then he sat down, tentatively picked one up, and continued to gaze at it for a long time.
"How is it, Fels? If even you don't know what this is, there should be no one among the children of the lower world who does..."
"You flatter me, Lady Astrea. I am but a fool. As for what this is, I truly do not know either."
Because I have long since been fixed in [Eternity].
"And this should be something of the future, the possibility spoken of by the gods."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmm..."
Looking at the bewildered girl and the curious Goddess, Fels seemed to be considering how to explain.
"Miss Cecil."
"Yes!"
"You want to know the specific use of these materials and apply them to forging weapons or equipment, correct?"
"Yes."
Cecil nodded. Materials were always meant to be used on equipment and weapons, but what confused the girl now was that she didn't know the specific function of these materials with special magic power.
Therefore, she was worried about wasting them or failing to achieve their optimal effect.
At the same time, she also stated her own view, the one she had told Isagi about during the day, that the magic in the materials did not belong to the magical elements represented by the first six Great Spirits...
"That is indeed the case."
Fels nodded.
"Theories about the origin of magic abound, but what is certain is that Spirits can use magic innately, and later, some Elves also began to wield it."
"Spirits of different attributes use different magic, but there are more than just the six major elements. Or rather, one shouldn't be confined by the elements that magic represents."
"The Elves have a saying that summarizes it well: [The essence of magic is imagination]."
One research viewpoint holds that when people first saw fire and imagined it could burn monsters, they obtained magic capable of releasing fireballs.
Then, here comes the question.
"Why release a fireball, instead of making the opponent's body directly combust?"
"Eh?"
Cecil felt as if Fels were a teacher giving an endless lecture. The girl blinked, thought for a moment, and realized it seemed to be true!
Both methods use high temperatures to burn an enemy to death, so why release a fireball instead of making the opponent's body spontaneously combust?
"Because it cannot be imagined."
Fels gave the answer.
"Condensing a high-temperature ball of fire is easy to imagine, but making a completely different object burn out of thin air is another concept entirely."
"A stone and a tree, both burning, have completely different prerequisites. And stones have numerous differences among themselves, just as trees have numerous distinctions between them."
"Not to mention people and monsters. A Lv.1 adventurer and a Lv.5 adventurer may look similar, but in reality, they are fundamentally different beings."
"Do you understand?"
Cecil was dumbfounded. She had never expected to suddenly be attending a "Magic Theory Class" in the middle of the night!
As for the other side, the Goddess was already immersed in her cookbook!!
"But if I were to say it, magic is not imagination."
"???"
Isn't that the "law" summarized by the ancient Elven sages! How could it be overturned just like that!!
"Or rather, [Imagination] is still not close enough to the source. I believe the essence of magic is the [Soul]."
"The [Soul]?"
"That's right."
Fels nodded.
His prosthetic-like iron gauntlet, etched with intricate patterns, gently fell upon and brushed against the throbbing, crimson heart dropped by the Meat Cup Princess.
"People feel light and find it glaring, so light-attribute magic always has a blinding side effect. Light also brings heat, so some light-attribute magic also carries a burning effect..."
"Just as a purely flame-attribute magic will not be cold, earth-attribute magic is always related to rocks, and wind-attribute magic is always flowing rather than stagnant."
The expression of magic is people's instinctive intuition about all things.
Fels collectively referred to this as the [Soul].
"So, without light, there would be no light-attribute magic!"
Cecil's spontaneous remark made the black-robed sage feel that she was a teachable child.
"Correct. The Dungeon has no light, so the magic born from it is naturally completely different from that of the surface world."
"This is a brand new [Magic System]..."
Fels sighed with emotion.
Although he could feel that the magic in these materials was very shallow and crude, only at the "most basic stage," there was no doubt that it contained magic born and bred by the Dungeon itself, different from that of the surface.
Fels's interest was piqued as well. He too was curious about what kind of things could be crafted from these magical materials born in the Dungeon.
Today's "Magic Equipment," whether weapons, armor, or accessories, either enhances the user's own magic efficiency and total amount, or assists in improving magic stability, filling speed, and increasing defense against or the power of magic.
That was all there was to it.
But he had a feeling that the things before him could do far more than that.
Would it be a magic sword, a weapon that could use magic without chanting? Or perhaps, some new kind of equipment or item with special effects?
"If you don't mind, Miss Cecil."
The ancient sage made a "presumptuous" request.
"May I participate in the forging of these materials?!"
"Ah..."
Cecil nodded, not quite understanding why this envoy of Lord Ouranos was so excited.
"Alright."
"That would be for the best. In that case, please come to my workshop tomorrow, and we can begin some experiments..."
Rising to bid farewell to the Goddess and the girl, the ancient sage left the Astrea Familia's headquarters.
The late night of early summer was still a bit cool.
Walking through the intricate streets, Fels, hidden beneath his black robe, was already a distant and ancient ghost, yet the "heart" that had long ceased to exist was inexplicably stirring.
Recalling the strange magic he had just felt, a magic he had never seen in centuries, nor ever read about in books.
Perhaps, it wasn't just about creating new equipment or items.
But rather...
What Fels felt was something even more "distant"—
"Revolution."
Because of the gods' arrival, the methods for the people of the lower world to "become stronger" had been fixed.
Receive a Falna, increase ability scores, obtain skills and magic, level up—
But in the distant past, people did not know of these things.
Heroes grew stronger by training themselves, or by receiving the blessings of Spirits.
There was a disconnect here. Heroes grew purely through talent and combat.
In the fight against monsters, those who could survive would become ever stronger.
They had no time to summarize a method to cultivate and guide new successors before the gods arrived in the lower world and gave the children a complete set of "definite answers."
But are the gods' answers absolute?
Is an adventurer's strength really determined by level, ability scores, skills, and magic?
Then between two adventurers of the same level, same ability scores, and with no skills or magic, who is stronger?
The question of magic is the same. An adventurer who receives a Falna and obtains magic has only acquired the method of use, but has no understanding of what [Magic] truly is.
This is a question worth pondering.
And contemplation brings new "answers." Regardless of right or wrong, the world will no longer remain as it was.
"A hero will usher in a new era."
Fels remained silent.
He understood now why he felt such surging excitement, because just a moment ago, he had truly participated in the process of a new era...
...
On the same late night.
Having already received the news from Isagi during the day that they would be going to the Dungeon again tomorrow, Tiona was too excited to sleep.
In the deserted garden, beside the tall and majestic Twilight Manor, all the lights were already out.
Her Familia companions who weren't on the expedition had long since fallen asleep.
Only the Amazon girl stood before a large tree, pondering something.
Tiona was recalling the previous battle.
Facing the blades and claws of the Meat Cup Princess, the girl, who hadn't thought much of it at the time, now realized in retrospect that it had been a rather perilous process.
One careless move, and she would have died.
And under those circumstances, she was still punching back.
The feeling at that time was a bit different. What was different from usual?
The girl couldn't quite put her finger on it.
But things had indeed changed, because after returning, she had trained with her sister Tione for a bit two days ago.
And then, she was teased that her punches had become heavier, and asked if the nutrients had gone to her muscles instead of her brain or chest.
Damn it! So what if they're big!!
They were twins, so why was the difference so huge?!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and then Tiona gave her sister a good "beating"!!
She was no match for her at all!
Tiona was shocked.
Her sister's level was the same as hers, and while there was some difference in their ability scores now, it wasn't enough to be a complete steamroll.
Their previous training sessions had been evenly matched, but these past few days, she just couldn't beat her.
She even muttered that when Tiona fought, she became "very scary."
Hmm...
Puffing her cheeks, the Amazon girl thought adorably, completely clueless as to what her sister meant.
"Tiona's gaze is so scary."
Gaze?
The girl tilted her head slightly. What flashed through her mind was the change in the Meat Cup Princess in the Dungeon, from madness to fear—it had been afraid of her then.
Why?
The mad dog head beneath the silver-gray long hair appeared in Tiona's mind again. Its deep red, once incomparably frantic eyes, had turned to terror in an instant.
Over and over, recalling the process of its gaze changing and what was happening at that moment, the girl sensed something.
This is it, that's right, this is it!
Like an invisible thread, Tiona, relying on instinct and talent, grasped it in this brief moment.
And then, she threw a punch!
!!!
The great tree stood unshaken, but after a few seconds, it suddenly exploded.
The roaring boom even caused many lights in the originally dark Twilight Manor to suddenly turn on.
Many of the remaining Loki Familia members thought they were under attack!
And at this moment, Tiona was just staring blankly at her own bloody right hand.
The wound had already stopped bleeding, and it didn't hurt, nor did she even feel cold.
It wasn't that her hand was injured from the recoil of breaking the great tree, but that before her fist even touched the trunk, her right hand had already started bleeding first.
What's going on?
My body injured itself voluntarily? Then, because of my skill [Berserk Fury], it enhanced the attack power of this punch?
Tiona's small mouth opened wide, realizing she had made a remarkable discovery!
This...
Could this be the [Special Technique] that fellow Loki was talking about?!
Not a skill, nor magic.
But a "finishing move" honed by an adventurer through their own techniques!
Tiona had seen it before.
Miss Ais had one.
She could instantly gather all her power at the tip of her sword, unleashing a "Lil Rafaga" with astonishing destructive power and attack force!
So...
"He-he-ha-ho! Why isn't it working anymore?"
Tiona kept trying, but she couldn't replicate the feeling she just had.
And then.
She realized everyone upstairs had opened their windows and was looking at her with terrified eyes.
"Eh?"
"Tiona, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Not just her sister Tione, even Loki was shrieking in terror from upstairs.
"We're screwed! Tiona, Riveria is definitely going to be angry when she gets back!!"
With her main god's words, the Amazon girl finally noticed that the great tree she had just shattered with one punch was one that Lady Riveria had raised since it was small—the Elf princess, a lover of nature, was usually responsible for all the maintenance of the flowers and plants in the Loki Familia's garden.
Furthermore, the exploded tree trunk had made a mess of the surrounding flowerbeds and woods.
...
The girl quickly put her hands behind her back, pretended she knew nothing, and chose to run away!
"I'm going to the Dungeon with Isagi and the others, sis, Lady Loki, see you next week~"
...
...
The next morning, Isagi saw Tiona waiting for him outside Daedalus Street.
The Amazon girl looked like a homeless uncle, curled up and sound asleep in a corner of the long street, making him think for a moment that he was seeing things, wondering how Tiona could be here.
As it turned out, after waking her up, he learned that the girl had run over last night, but because Daedalus Street was too complex, she couldn't find his place no matter what, so she could only wait outside.
"Didn't we say we'd meet at Central Park in the morning?"
"Ehehe~"
Instead, it was Lefiya at the side who narrowed her eyes, feeling something was strange about the Amazon girl!
In the middle of the night, why did she come looking for Isagi?!
Did she plan to come straight to the Familia headquarters? It couldn't be a night raid, could it!!
The pure Elf girl, once again, couldn't help but blush. Indeed, Amazon girls are too scary!
Thinking of this, Lefiya immediately let out a huff and squeezed between Isagi and Tiona, separating the two.
Time to set off.
Following the flow of people along East Main Street, they headed towards the distant Babel.
The sun was gentle, slowly climbing up from the side of the city's high walls, seeming to promise that today would also be a fine day.
Arriving at their "usual spot" in Central Park.
Isagi sat on the bench, giving the bento the Goddess made this morning to Lefiya, and also sharing some with Tiona.
"It's not good."
The Amazon girl quickly gave her sharp critique, then swiftly cleared out the bento box.
This child was easy to raise, she'd eat whatever she was given.
Hmm...
It really wasn't very good.
Even the fried egg had turned into a black, charred substance. He had no idea how the Goddess managed that.
But progress can be made slowly.
And at least it wasn't poisonous.
Thinking this, Isagi felt that the bento made by the Goddess's own hands seemed to have become much more delicious.
"This time in the Dungeon, first, we'll explore the 5th floor area again to see if we can find a way to deal with the Lightless King; second, we'll head to the 7th floor's [Hybrid Zone] to explore. Of course, if we don't find anything, we'll just go back to the Colosseum to grind ability scores..."
Setting the adventure goals before departure.
And just as the three finished their breakfast and were about to set off, a woman who seemed to have been waiting there for a while took the initiative to walk up to them.
"Isagi."
She knew him. Following the voice, Isagi saw that it was indeed an acquaintance.
She was the captain of the Hermes Familia, the intermediary who often helped him and Ryuu deliver letters and establish contact, and also one of the few adventurers with the [Mystery] development ability.
"[Perseus] Asfi."
The woman wore a pitiful expression of "I can't help it either," and said somewhat mournfully,
"Please let me join you on this adventure, will you?"
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