The hole in the wall was opening into a tunnel a few meters deep. It didn't have torches along the way, but we didn't need them either. In the tunnel, phosphorescent crystals populated each side, illuminating our path with their greenish cyan light.
"They are beautiful." Sarah said while we were walking down the tunnel.
The cave passage ended in a large circular room with a high spherical ceiling. The small crystals were just small rocks compared to the enormous crystals inside the temple, coming from the ground and the ceiling.
"Hey guys, look over there." Sarah pointed to our goal, an enormous statue of a goddess. The eyes of the statue were covered by a veil, and she was wearing an alluring sleeveless dress. Around her bust, her large breasts were accentuated by the beautiful V-neckline. The dress exposed her gorgeous legs, with the sides open, showing part of her thighs.
It was just a statue, but the precision and details near to perfection made that art piece appear to be alive. It was a mesmerizing view.
"So let's get going!" I said to the other two.
"Rick, you should go alone from here." To my surprise, Leo said that bluntly.
He looked tense, as if something was bothering him.
"Why that?" Sarah asked.
"We don't know how that statue works, if she will bless another person nearby. I don't know why, but I feel like that statue is calling."
Sarah seemed surprised by this revelation, but I tried not to look tense. 'Of course you feel this way. You should receive this blessing.'
"Oh right then." My eyes met Sarah's, her worried expression silently telling me to be careful. But I just smiled and said confidently: "See you guys soon."
…
I already knew that the statue was giant, but she got much more intimidating as I got closer. 'I'm just feeling guilty about hiding the truth from Leo. You idiot, I need to do this so I can survive. I'm not stealing this from him, he offered the blessing by his own will.'
It was not the time to be hesitant. I was so close to my objective. I won't back down at this point.
I faced the oppressive statue. The deity that would change Leo, from a F-Rank Swordsman to a legend. The goddess of Love and War, Freya. I bowed my head, waiting to receive such a blessing from her.
Where the statue's eyes should be, below the stone-made veil, glowed with a cyan light. A breath of fresh wind inexplicably came from the statue in my direction. The flowing air surrounded me and entered my lungs, being absorbed by my body, filling me with something new.
I focused my mind on a power to make me as strong as I could be. 'Please grant me the strength to challenge the evil of this world. A War Blessing.'
'I don't think that your body is suitable for combat. You cannot earn a War Blessing.' An imposing feminine voice could be heard directly in my head.
'Eh?' I was taken off guard by this sudden and blunt response.
The goddess' response to me was different from what happened in SCRL. In the story, Leo received a War Blessing that carried him across his entire path.
But Leo and Rick were two different cases. I wasn't a warrior.
'However, I must say that I'm impressed that someone with no fighting prowess has defeated the monster that I put there.' Her voice had a hint of respect. 'Even though I didn't expect that he would go mad. He must've hate you.'
Maybe it was just my imagination, because I couldn't see her with my eyes, but I had the feeling that the war deity was pretty close to me, her gaze trying to guess if I was worth it, smiling with her new toy.
'You seem to have another kind of potential. I shall grant you a new power compatible with your nature, a Love Blessing. Please, try not to make me bored.' She said with a playful tone.
I felt a warm sensation in my chest spreading through my veins until the tips of my fingers. Something really changed inside me.
'Congratulations! You obtained the Valkyrie Tamer System!' The female voice said in a cheerful voice.
'Wait, Valkyrie Tamer System?' I was taken by surprise. That power never appeared in SCRL. 'Tamer… The closest thing that I could gain was something associated with my Tamer skills?'
'Yes. I don't have a relationship with Alchemy, and Assassin wasn't compatible either.' She explained to me, but something still didn't make sense to me.
'But how is Tamer compatible?' I asked her, clearly unsatisfied.
'Because of love.' She responded to me, as it was obvious.
'Love?'
'Yes, love. The affection that makes something reach your true potential.' Freya said to me.
'You're quite poetic for a goddess of war.' I impulsively said, regretting it right after. I had to be careful when talking with gods. "I'm sorry, Lady Freya."
Every god has things they like and dislike, and it is not a good idea to get into a god's bad side. But Freya just laughed at my face.
'Fufuh, you don't have a filter, don't you? I sort of like some insolence here and there, as long as you remember which one of us is the superior being. I'm a merciful goddess, but other deities are quite vengeful. Be careful next time.'
'I'll keep that in mind.' I said, gulping, tense.
'It's all right. You don't need to be worried. I don't want to harm you in any shape or form.' She said in a more casual tone.
Her calm voice made me relax a bit, so I wanted to know more about my new mysterious power. 'But what is this Valkyrie Tamer System exactly? Will I receive a super powerful heroine that will fight for me or something like that?'
'I won't give you free Valkyries. This new power will enable you to cultivate your own heroines.' She explained to me.
'And how am I supposed to do that?' I asked.
'Isn't it obvious?' She said in disbelief. Freya was invisible, but she clearly was making a disappointing face. 'By having sex with them.'
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
'The Valkyrie Tamer System will help you find your way through the heroines and harvest their abilities to their true potential, as long as you continue to be their lover.' She pronounced in a majestic voice. "But be careful, the path of love can't be as bloody as the way of swords."
I was expecting to receive a power to fight on my own, but now I would have to find and train my own bodyguards. 'At least they will be hot babes, so I won't argue.'
'Oh! And for the record, your powers were reset.' Freya said as if it was nothing.
'W-What?'
'It can't be helped. I upgraded you to the Valkyrie Tamer class, but to do that I had to erase your skills.' She explained my situation cheerfully. 'I say upgraded, because it still has the ability of Everyman to use other classes' abilities.'
'Do you mean that I lost Decompose?' I said, still attached to my feat with that skill, hoping that I would keep it.
'Yeah, it's gone.' She said without beating around the bush. Years and years of diligent work were thrown away like it was nothing.
Freya must have noticed my gloomy mood, so she told me this. 'If you want these powers back too much, just find an Alchemist girl and do her. No big deal.' She didn't care at all, but if before I was close to useless, now I was completely so.
'Well, if you have any questions, the system can provide you with orientation, but don't expect to chat with me soon. I'm a busy goddess, so I can't give you personal attention.' She said, ready to leave.
"W-Wait, Freya…" For the first time in a while, I talked using my mouth.
'I don't have time! Bye.' As she said goodbye, her presence vanished into thin air. The statue's glowing eyes went back to normal. 'I don't think that this place can give blessings anymore.'
With nothing more to do, I called out Sarah and Leo to come to where I stood.
Sarah came in my direction, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"So, what kind of power did you receive?" She asked me innocently.
"W-Well…" It wasn't a problem to say it to her, because we agreed to meet later. But I didn't want to tell her about this power in front of Leo. It would be something like: 'Thanks Leo, thanks to your help I have the power to create a sex cultivation harem.'
That kind of power is rather personal. It's something that you keep private. 'Sorry pal, but I can't tell you the details.'
"I gained cultivation power." I said.
"What kind of…" Leo tried to ask me, but I cut him quickly.
"Anyway, the dungeon core might be somewhere in this room. So let's get the job done." I said loudly.
"Y-Yeah…" He said, looking with suspicion.
And Sarah frowned at me, knowing that I was running from the topic. She didn't say a thing, but she wouldn't give up until she discovered what I was hiding.