Chapter 7 A Miracle That Belongs to One Person
Twilight Manor.
The parchment trembled slightly in Loki's hand, the God of Lies staring intently at the newly translated text, her mouth twitching.
On that face, usually accustomed to laughter and scolding, there was now only a mix of frustration and shock, wanting to curse but not knowing where to begin.
Arthur calmly put on his Magic Conduction attire, and seeing his Goddess's performance art, which resembled a Sichuan opera face-change, he retorted,
"I was beaten by a fish for several days straight. I hope you're not going to tell me my Endurance hasn't reached B-rank yet."
Loki first looked down at the parchment, then up at Arthur, repeating this several times before letting out a long sigh and handing it over.
…
Arthur pendragon
LV.1
Strength: A (852) → SSS (1864)
Endurance: G (235) → SS (1075)
Dexterity: B (762) → SSS (1543)
Agility: B (784) → SSS (1582)
Magic: S (959) → SSS (2000)
[——Magic——]
[——Skills——]
…
SSS?
Arthur frowned slightly, his fingertip tapping the glaring text on the parchment.
"Didn't you tell me that basic abilities only go up to S-rank? Is this SSS something you just made up?"
"I'm the one who wants to ask you what's going on, alright?!"
Loki immediately bristled, frantically scratching her vermilion hair and pacing restlessly around the room.
"It makes no sense! We gods have been planning blessings for thousands of years, and we've never had such a mishap. How come with you, kid, everything's gone haywire?!"
Arthur tilted his head towards the disbelieving Loki, wagging a finger to remind her.
"For a God of Lies, are your thoughts really that naive?"
Loki raised an eyebrow: "Hey, kid, that kind of talk is highly disrespectful to me! Even if you're my Familia member, you're not allowed to say that!"
Arthur raised a hand and pointed out the window, where the Tower of Babel Tower, home to the Guild, stood tall in the distance.
"Ability values are an adventurer's biggest secret. Even when reporting to the Guild, they only submit their achievements and level. How can you be sure other Familias haven't held back?"
Previously, Loki's mind had been stuck on the unprecedented SSS-rank ability values. After Arthur's reminder, her equally quick-witted mind immediately caught on.
"So you mean to say…"
"Damn it! I've long felt that flirtatious pig-man was suspicious! So that's what it was all about?!"
"Flirtatious pig-man? Are you talking about Orario's publicly acknowledged ultimate weapon?"
Outa of the Freya Familia, titled the Strongest, was the strongest adventurer currently existing in the entire Dungeon City, and even the whole world.
Arthur had also gained some understanding of his power while reviewing Familia data.
As Orario's only LV7, he wouldn't be surprised if the other party had indeed broken through the S-rank limit.
If it weren't for the fact that a private duel might lead to war between the two Familias, Arthur actually wanted to challenge him to a fight.
Loki also saw through Arthur's thoughts and quickly clapped her hands to divert his attention.
"Alright, alright, don't dwell on things that haven't happened yet. Let's level up first."
"I have high hopes for you, kid. You'll definitely surpass that pig-man in the future."
Arthur nodded: "Then I'll take your words as a divine oracle. Next, I need to choose a Development Ability, right?"
…
Development Abilities are special items that only appear when an adventurer levels up. The types and quantities that appear are related to the situations an adventurer encountered before leveling up.
For example, if an adventurer encountered many poisonous plants or venomous monsters before leveling up, there's a high probability that the Development Ability of Abnormal Resistance will appear when they level up.
These special items are similar to but different from basic abilities. Although they also require accumulating experience, they don't reset to zero upon leveling up but instead slowly improve.
"First, let me say, you've currently activated five Development Abilities in total. You should carefully consider which one to choose."
Loki, who said this, was unusually serious, showing that this seemingly unreliable deity was quite responsible for her Familia.
Arthur nodded to indicate understanding, signaling Loki to continue explaining the situation.
"First are Abnormal Resistance and Hunter. The former is a perk for beginners, while the latter is an option that appears only after eliminating a large number of monsters in a short period."
"As for their effects, they allow you to deal with monsters you've previously defeated more efficiently."
"Then there are Swordsman and Magic Conduction. These two Development Abilities are relatively rare."
Loki paused, then explained.
"Swordsman increases your ability values when you equip a sword-type weapon, while Magic Conduction enhances the power and range of magic, reduces its consumption, and so on."
Arthur was weighing the pros and cons of the Development Abilities when he suddenly noticed Loki's explanation had paused.
"What about the other one?"
Loki's voice deepened, her gaze sharp as a hawk, fixed intently on Arthur.
"The last one—Miracle. This is a Development Ability that has never appeared before."
She took a deep breath, her tone carrying an unbelievable certainty.
"I still can't quite grasp its specific effect, but I can feel it… it's a power that can turn the impossible into the possible."
Although the gods had sealed their great power, their insight from ancient times had not disappeared.
Loki was absolutely certain that Miracle was a unique characteristic belonging solely to Arthur, a brilliant light born from the intense collision of an otherworldly soul and the God's Blessing.
As a god who sought the unknown and entertainment, her heart yearned for Arthur to choose it, but she suppressed the urge to persuade him.
Because, based on Loki's brief understanding of this kid, he would definitely not miss out on something like this.
"Miracle, huh—then I'll choose that one."
"I was waiting for you to say that!"
…
Arthur pendragon
LV.2
Strength: I (0)
Endurance: I (0)
Dexterity: I (0)
Agility: I (0)
Magic: I (0) → I (1)
Miracle: I
[——Magic——]
[Wind of the King]
[Star Crystal]
[——Skills——]
[Symbol of the Red Dragon]
[Eternal Blessing of the Star Spirit]
[Brilliant Journey]
· Currently opened doors: 1.
· Inviting you to cross dimensional doors, to traverse the unknown in infinity.
…
Loki: Σ(っ °Д° ; )っ
Loki's eyes instantly widened, as if she had seen the most incredible treasure.
She snatched the parchment, rapidly making a rubbing of the new ability value information, excitedly bouncing on the spot.
"'Quick! Arthur! Open the door! Open it now! I want to go to another world and play!"
Arthur was slightly distracted, raising a hand to suppress Loki, who was acting like she had rabies, and kindly advised,
"Calm down. When gods return to the Celestial Realm, their blessings become ineffective. What do you think you'd turn into if you went to another world?"
The overexcited Loki was doused with a bucket of cold water, instantly recalling her Familia members who were still on their expedition.
Yes, once a god leaves the lower world, the blessings carved onto their Familia members become ineffective.
If she were to go to another world without a care, most of the children she had spent so much time with would probably die in the Dungeon.
"That's not right! If blessings become ineffective when not in the same world, then how did you, kid, come back?"
Arthur still had that composed smile on his face. He raised a hand and pointed at the [Miracle] on the parchment.
"Don't worry, I'm 'special'."
Then he changed the subject, a deep glint flashing in his eyes.
"And, even without the God's Blessing…"
He paused, then, meeting Loki's incredulous gaze, calmly stated a fact.
"I can still fight."
"Hiss… you… I'm going to…"
Loki's finger, pointing at Arthur, was trembling.
Her expression was like that of a person who had been hungry for three days, seeing a Manchu Han Imperial Feast but being tied to a chair, able to look but not eat, so frustrated she was about to explode on the spot.