Sitting on the couch, Judas traced his hand across the metal gloves, feeling the texture with his fingers.
'Bell's knife was around 200 million valis, right?'
A weapon that grew stronger alongside its user, a durable knife that even impressed Bete.
Together with the armor, which Lyra said cost around 40 million valis, the Astraea Familia had basically given him gear worth nearly 190 million.
'If I sold these, I could almost buy the Hestia Knife.'
He frowned as his gaze lingered on the obsidian gauntlet.
'But... it's too small to fit my hands though.'
Nevertheless, he slipped the gloves on.
"It grew bigger?"
The moment he wore Járnglófar, it adjusted perfectly to his size. His surprise was obvious.
"They gave me these so casually... was it really right of me to accept?"
He had been reluctant to take such expensive gifts, but the women of the Astraea Familia were persistent and persuasive, leaving him with little choice.
'To think Ryuu had companions other than the waitresses at the Hostess of Fertility.'
Ryuu, the stoic elf he remembered from the anime, was smiling freely in the presence of her familia.
'I wonder what happened that made her quit being an adventurer.'
As far as he could recall, her backstory hadn't been explored much.
The story mostly followed Bell's perspective and his journey.
'Wait, there was that one scene, back in season one...'
The graveyard of swords on the 18th floor.
Just before the battle with the Black Goliath, Bell and Ryuu had visited the place, and there she had told her story.
'I see now. Alise and the others were supposed to die back then.'
Judas pieced it together in his mind.
'Funny, I can remember a short anime scene from my past life but not what happened five years ago. My brain works in strange ways.'
He rose from the couch, carrying the gear into his room.
'Now... what should I do about my current situation?'
His magic circuits were a mess, and the flow of mana in his body was disrupted.
'I pushed myself too far. At the moment, I can't use any of my magic.'
Sitting in a lotus position, Judas peered inward.
'My mana core is damaged... but not beyond repair.'
A faint white glow wrapped his body as he carefully mended his circuits.
In his chest, five small glowing orbs flickered weakly, spinning around the fractured core.
He calculated the time it would take for a full recovery.
'This might take months.''
He frowned.
'Does that mean I'm completely powerless in the meantime?'
Sighing, he raised his hands, staring at them.
"Now that I think about it... even after I got my falna, I've mostly been using the magic system from my old world to cast my spells."
His eyes narrowed as realization struck.
"What if... I use mind instead?"
The thought clicked. He could already feel it—mind responded to him almost as easily as mana.
"I think it should work."
Leaving his room, he wandered until he found the training grounds after asking around.
Standing at the center, he faced a target dummy.
"Let's start with a 1st-tier spell."
With an outstretched hand, Judas cast.
『Mana Arrows』
Magic circles bloomed into existence.
From thin air, dozens of arrows made of energy formed and shot forward, impaling the dummy from every angle.
"That worked well."
He walked closer, frowning.
"It didn't pierce all the way... disappointing."
Rubbing his chin, he muttered.
"The power is weaker. Is it because I'm only level 1?"
He scratched his head.
"I'm pretty sure this spell was stronger even when I was just a 1st-tier mage..."
He clicked his tongue.
'It can't be helped, Danmachi is such a weak verse. In Estelon's world, there were multiple multiversal-level beings, while here, I don't think a single person could destroy a planet.'
"Let's try higher-tier spells."
One by one, he tested them.
2nd-tier.
3rd-tier.
4th-tier.
5th-tier.
In Loki's bedroom...
Loki lay sprawled across the bed, clutching an almost empty bottle of wine.
Her cheeks were flushed red, an idiotic smile plastered on her face... completely intoxicated.
"La la la~"
"One more..."
Just as she raised the bottle to her lips, a sudden boom shook the room.
"Huh? Why is everything shaking?"
It felt as if the entire mansion had been struck by an earthquake.
The bottle slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
"My drink! That thing cost me an arm and a leg!"
As the bottle shattered and the remaining wine spilled across the floor, Loki looked ready to cry.
Then another tremor hit, followed by a loud explosion.
"Ah! We're under attack! Guards!"
She scrambled to her feet, shouting for the guards as she rushed out of the room.
Meanwhile, at the training grounds, steam rose from Judas' hands as he extended his arm.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he let out a long sigh.
"Looks like it failed."
His attempt to cast a 6th-tier spell had strained his body, and the magic circle collapsed before completion.
If not for his control, he would have triggered an Ignis Fatuus that might have knocked him unconscious.
"Looks like I can only use up to 5th-tier magic. 6th-tier is still out of reach."
The rows of obliterated dummies were proof of his efforts, but he remained unsatisfied.
"As I thought... using mind weakens my spells. I should've expected this."
Still, he looked on the bright side.
'Better than being completely powerless.'
"Now that part's over... let's move on to the next."
He set up more dummies, then took his stance.
"Alright. Gather mind, spread it through my body... reinforce myself."
A surge of mind energy spread across him.
With a punch, the dummy was launched dozens of meters away.
"I could probably contend with a level 2 like this... but still too weak. What if I push further?"
An idea surged in his mind.
Veins throbbed and muscles coiled like steel as he forced his body beyond its limits.
『Physical Boost』
『Sturdy Body』
『Strengthening Magic』
『Invigorate』
『Kinetic Amplification』
He layered every enhancing spell his body could handle, ignoring the splitting pain in his head.
"Take this!"
His fist collided with another dummy, sending it crashing into the wall with cracks splintering outward.
The dummy shattered into pieces as it hit the ground.
"My head... hurts."
He clutched it, feeling his mind sting sharply.
'Mind Zero.'
Numbness spread, his vision darkened, and he collapsed unceremoniously.
"What the hell was that noise?"
Loki entered with a guard, stopping when they found Judas sprawled on the floor. She sighed.
"Seriously? Even if you've got a recovery skill, it hasn't been that long since you were hospitalized."
She glanced at his sleeping face, then at the wreckage of the training ground, shaking her head.
"This kid seemed mature, but he's just as troublesome and reckless as Ais. He's got the experience of an old man, but the hot-bloodedness of youth. No regard for his health at all."
A grin tugged at her lips.
"With him around, things won't be boring while everyone's gone."
She chuckled, turning to leave.
"Looks like Mama Riveria has another one to babysit when she gets back."
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