NOVEL WEB Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Leveling Up
[🎉 Shoutout to Alan, Guleid & Simone for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
"Hmm, the dungeon harbors a deep hatred for the gods. Once a deity releases their divine aura within the dungeon's confines, it provokes a violent reaction."
Hephaestus explained, "Such incidents have occurred before."
Emiya sighed inwardly, a suspicion forming in his mind.
After all, the divine level of Heracles, the son of a god, is quite high. The initial disturbance in the dungeon occurred precisely after he projected [Nine Lives] and entered that special state of unity between man and weapon.
'So, projection replication isn't limited to Noble Phantasms, but also includes the abilities and traits of heroic spirits?', Emiya recalled his final battle with the monster using [Hrunting] and [Nine Lives].
He realized that at that time, he was indeed overly excited, with his rationality weakened. Simultaneously, as his rationality diminished, his strength, speed, and stamina seemed to increase.
Clearly, these are characteristics of [Mad Enhancement], albeit a lower level where rationality is only weakened, not lost.
He would need to find time later to thoroughly test how his projection abilities have changed in this world.
"But, it's really good that you're okay."
After venting her emotions, Hephaestus bent down and gently hugged Emiya, "Welcome back, Shirou."
"Yes, I'm back, Goddess-sama."
Hephaestus's embrace was warm, like being bathed in the glow of a bright furnace, dispelling the chill in his heart.
After a long while, Hephaestus finally released Emiya, tilting her head slightly as she asked, "Shirou, the doctor said you need to rest for a few more days to recover?"
Emiya nodded, "Yes, Miss Airmid said I need three more days before I can get out of bed."
Hephaestus thought for a moment, "Hmm, in that case, let's go ahead and update your status first."
Emiya: "Update now?"
"Improving your endurance can increase your recovery efficiency. Perhaps after the update, you'll only need two days to get out of bed."
Hephaestus continued, "Moreover, I'm very curious to see how much you've improved after this crisis."
Hephaestus had only heard a brief account from the Loki Familia, with some details still unclear. She would definitely need to hear the full story from Emiya later.
However, more than words, Hephaestus wanted to see how the "God's Blessing" would reflect Shirou's adventure.
.
.
.
"Oh my god."
Even as a god, Hephaestus couldn't help but exclaim, showing how strongly her heart was struck.
"It's like a dream, no, not even in dreams would one dare to dream such things."
At this moment, Emiya Shirou's status panel was displayed before her.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Emiya Shirou]
Lv.1
Strength: SS1101.
Endurance: SS1129.
Dexterity: SSS1306.
Agility: SS1001.
Magic: SSS1437.
Development Abilities:
Magic.
[Unlimited Blade Works]
Skills.
[Oath under the Snow]
[?????? (Roadless Valhalla)]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
All five basic abilities have reached S rank or above, with three exceeding the normal adventurer's cap of S999, reaching SS rank. Dexterity and Magic have unprecedentedly reached SSS rank.
"Shirou, what kind of battle did you go through?"
Hephaestus asked seriously.
Emiya then detailed everything he experienced in the dungeon.
At first, it was somewhat normal; he single-handedly took on a large number of magical beasts, including two Silverback Apes, and with the help of Lv.4 adventurer Alicia, he slew a young dragon.
Though not something an ordinary Lv.1 adventurer could achieve, it was still within the realm of comprehension.
What happened next was somewhat abstract.
"You're saying that, while activating the skill [Oath under the Snow], you killed at least a hundred monsters with potential abilities at Lv.2?", Hephaestus was momentarily incredulous.
"Yes, there should have been that many.", Emiya said somewhat guiltily, he had concealed some less important details from the goddess, such as the specific ritual to activate [Oath under the Snow].
Children of the lower world cannot lie in front of a god, but Emiya felt this wasn't lying; he just thought some trivial matters were unnecessary for the goddess to know, that's all.
Fortunately, the goddess, shocked by Emiya's achievements, didn't notice these details.
"...Alright.", After a long silence, the goddess finally accepted reality, "Given what happened, this level of growth is reasonable."
As an Lv.1, killing over a hundred monsters with potential abilities at Lv.2 is equivalent to directly infusing the "feats" that other adventurers use for level ascension into his abilities, hence the massive growth, even breaking the limits.
Additionally, the skill [Oath under the Snow] itself has the effects of "accelerating ability growth" and "breaking ability limits." Viewed this way, the extent of Emiya's ability enhancement seems logical.
"Indeed, crisis forges great deeds, trials make heroes.", Hephaestus murmured softly.
Then, the goddess said, "Shirou, you can level up now."
His abilities have undoubtedly met the criteria, and at this point, there's no room for further improvement. Unless Emiya ventures out to fight higher-level monsters again, but that would be both dangerous and inefficient.
His current abilities are more than sufficient to lay a solid foundation for the boy's future.
As for great deeds, there's no doubt; if that level of battle doesn't count as great deeds, then perhaps no adventurer in Orario could ever level up.
"Yes, let's level up.", Though he had anticipated it, hearing the goddess's words, Emiya couldn't help but feel excited.
After much anticipation, he was finally able to level up.
From Lv.1 to Lv.2 is the biggest threshold for all adventurers. Over half of Orario's adventurers are stuck at Lv.1, with many struggling for decades to barely reach Lv.2.
On average, adventurers take less time to go from Lv.2 to Lv.3 than from Lv.1 to Lv.2. The first level ascension holds absolute difficulty and value.
"Though leveling up in a hospital instead of the familia's base lacks a bit of ceremony, given your abilities, completing the level ascension should mean you'll recover fully by tomorrow."
Hephaestus said, "So, let's proceed with the leveling up as soon as possible."
The goddess initiated the leveling-up ritual.
"Development abilities, indeed there are, and multiple options to choose from."
Hephaestus listed them one by one, "[Swordsman], [Archer], [Hunter], [Blacksmith]..."
[Swordsman] and [Archer] have similar effects, both enhancing the adventurer's effectiveness with a certain type of weapon, the former with swords, the latter with bows, both being solid development abilities.
Generally, only when an adventurer has achieved something in the field of a particular weapon and has extensively used that weapon in the previous level would such development abilities manifest.
They are also influenced by the adventurer's cognition and will. Emiya was unaware that Alicia had already ascended from Lv.4 to Lv.5, and if he hadn't shattered Alicia's confidence in archery, her development ability would have been [Archer] instead of [Swordsman].
For Shirou, both [Swordsman] and [Archer] are good choices, but unfortunately, there are two other development skills available.
The development ability [Hunter] enhances the owner's ability to fight against a type of monster they have previously defeated.
For adventurers primarily active in the dungeon, frequently battling monsters, [Hunter] is almost one of the most useful development abilities. Owners of [Hunter] can often sweep through monsters at a speed far above average, gaining higher adventure rewards or growth.
The condition for [Hunter] to manifest is killing a large number of monsters in a short time, making it difficult to obtain, and [Hunter] only appears when leveling up to Lv.2.
This means, if [Hunter] is passed up now, there will be no chance to obtain it later.
As for the development ability [Blacksmith], its importance needs no further explanation; it's a dream for countless blacksmiths.
A blacksmith with [Blacksmith] can add special abilities to their creations, meaning only with [Blacksmith] can one forge high-level equipment.
"[Hunter] and [Blacksmith], it's really a tough choice."
In terms of the value of development abilities, [Blacksmith] is currently more needed by Emiya, but once [Hunter] is missed, there's no chance to obtain it again.
"Goddess-sama, which of these two development abilities should I choose?", Emiya sought Hephaestus's opinion.
"Choose neither.", Hephaestus said, "Because there's another development ability you can obtain—[Mystery]"
The development ability [Mystery] is currently known as one of the rarest and most valuable of all development abilities.
A simple introduction: [Mystery] can activate divine miracles, hence also known as [Divine Skill].
To date, [Mystery] has manifested differently in each of its owners, to the extent that even the gods cannot fully comprehend the entirety of [Mystery].
What is certain is that [Mystery] is a necessary ability for crafting magical tools.
There are no more than five owners of [Mystery] in all of Orario, one of whom is close at hand: Airmid Teasanare of the Dian Cecht Familia, a medical familia.
Airmid's adventurer level is Lv.2, and she possesses only the [Mystery] development ability, lacking the [Alchemy] required by potion makers.
However, [Mystery] not only grants her the ability to craft high-level magical prosthetic limbs but also enhances the effectiveness of her healing magic, even making the potions she crafts more effective than those of many potion makers with [Alchemy].
In the field of medicine, Lv.2 Airmid surpasses many higher-level healers at Lv.3 and Lv.4, standing at the pinnacle of Orario, with [Mystery] playing a crucial role.
In a sense, the development ability [Mystery] can almost be considered a superior version of production-based development abilities like [Alchemy], [Blacksmith], and [Engraving], and [Mystery] can also complement these abilities.
If Airmid could level up to Lv.3 and obtain [Alchemy], the already impressive quality of her potions could reach new heights.
Emiya indeed needs [Blacksmith], and missing [Hunter] is a pity, but in the face of [Mystery], these options pale in comparison.
Without any hesitation, Emiya chose [Mystery] as his development ability.
His level ascension was thus officially completed.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Emiya Shirou]
Lv.1 → Lv.2
Strength: SS1101 → I0
Endurance: SS1129 → I0
Dexterity: SSS1306 → I0
Agility: SS1001→ I0
Magic: SSS1437→I0
—: Development Abilities :—
[Mystery] I
—: Magic :—
[Unlimited Blade Works]
—: Skills :—
[Oath under the Snow]
[?????? (Roadless Valhalla)]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y