After the lively banquet ended, Shirou finished washing up and stepped into the hallway, intending to return to his room and rest.
He didn't make it very far.
"This really isn't right," Shirou said helplessly as he was physically herded forward. "You're all seniors. Shouldn't you be updating your abilities first?"
The destination ahead was unmistakable.
The God's Room.
Blocking his retreat were three figures, staring at him with unmistakable intensity.
Tiona.
Tione.
Ais.
"This is your seniors' goodwill," Tione said firmly, arms crossed, eyes sharp. "You'll accept it properly."
"Exactly!" Tiona added, planting her hands on her hips. "You know, normally this is Ais's privilege!"
Ais didn't speak.
She simply stared at Shirou, eyes filled with curiosity, her thoughts written plainly on her face.
"...Alright."
Knowing full well that arguing was pointless, Shirou gave up immediately and accepted reality. He turned and walked toward the God's Room.
I'm just a normal high school student.
Why is everyone so focused on me?
He sighed inwardly.
The moment the door to the God's Room closed behind him, several figures quietly emerged from a nearby corner.
Clearly, the three girls weren't the only ones paying attention.
Finn.
Riveria.
Gareth.
Bete.
The core executives of the Loki Familia had all gathered without anyone noticing.
"Eh? Shirou?" Loki's voice rang out the moment he entered. "Why is it you? Where's my Ais-tan?"
The lament came instantly.
With the return of the beautiful girls in the Familia, Shirou's mental image of Loki as a composed deity was rapidly collapsing.
"Sorry it's not Ais," Shirou replied calmly as he sat down and turned his back toward her. "But I didn't come willingly either."
He sounded genuinely helpless.
"I was planning to update tomorrow. They intercepted me on the way."
"Hahaha!" Loki laughed loudly. "That just proves everyone's curious about you!"
Her earlier despair vanished immediately.
When facing male Familia members, Loki quickly reverted to her usual demeanor.
Only cute girls could make her lose control.
"After all, you're someone who went from LV.1 to almost LV.2 in just a month," Loki continued. "That's unheard of. Completely unprecedented. There won't be another like you!"
Faced with her praise, Shirou couldn't help but roll his eyes slightly.
Unprecedented might be true.
But "no one like you again" was questionable.
After all, there was still that cheat-like protagonist, Bell.
Then again.
His own growth wasn't exactly normal either.
Loki pricked his finger and pressed it against Shirou's back.
Blood smeared across his skin.
The hidden Divine Blessing immediately surfaced, lines of divine script glowing into existence.
As she worked, Loki kept gasping exaggeratedly.
"Ooh-oh-oh!"
Her narrowed eyes widened further with every passing second.
"This is impossible," she muttered. "I get that people can gain skills when they level up, but... two at once? What kind of nonsense is this?"
Even Loki couldn't hide her shock.
Shirou's changes were simply too drastic.
[Name]: Shirou Emiya
[Level]: LV.2
[Abilities]:
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
[Development Abilities]:
Forging: I
[Magic]:
『Unlimited Blade Works』
・Projection Magic
・Reality Marble
・Structural Analysis
・Incantation:
[I am the bone of my sword.]
[Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.]
[I have created over a thousand blades.]
[Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life.]
[Have withstood pain to create many weapons.]
[Yet, those hands will never hold anything.]
[So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works.]
[Skills]:
『Innumerable Brazes』
・Increases weapon stats when wielding self-forged weapons.
・Self-forging, accelerated growth.
・Greatly enhances the above effects due to forging characteristics.
『Clairvoyance』
・Significantly increases line of sight distance and precision.
・Immunity to environmental effects on sight.
・Greatly increases bow and arrow abilities and precision.
『Mind's Eye』
・Greatly increases insight.
・Predicts opponent actions based on acquired information.
・Able to seize opportunities and execute tactics for any possible reversal.
"Clairvoyance... and Mind's Eye."
Looking at the status sheet Loki handed him, Shirou's expression was calm.
Almost expected.
"Just as I thought."
These two skills weren't random.
They were innate abilities belonging to Heroic Spirit EMIYA.
Red Archer.
That Heroic Spirit possessed three inherent skills.
Magic (C-rank).
Clairvoyance (C-rank).
Mind's Eye (True) (B-rank).
The Magic skill was absent for some unknown reason.
But Mind's Eye and Clairvoyance had clearly carried over.
This was something Shirou had anticipated.
He had once used Class Cards.
Residual traces of Heroic Spirits still lingered within him.
Though faint, those traces had now reacted under the catalysis of the Divine Blessing, manifesting as proper skills.
One by one.
Perhaps in the future, he would be able to draw out even more of a Heroic Spirit's power.
That thought caused the corners of Shirou's mouth to lift slightly.
Just a little.
Watching this, Loki suddenly exploded.
"That's it?" she shouted. "You gained two skills at once and that's your reaction? Can't you look a little more excited?"
"But I am excited," Shirou replied honestly.
Despite his words, his expression quickly returned to calm, even carrying a trace of helplessness.
"Argh! I can't take this!"
Loki lunged forward and grabbed Shirou's cheeks, pulling them outward.
"Smile, damn it! I'm screaming from excitement and you're just standing there like nothing happened. Doesn't that make me look stupid?"
"I am smiling," Shirou protested weakly as he tried to pry her hands away.
Of course he wouldn't overreact to something he had already expected.
Just then-
The door to the God's Room was pushed open.
Several figures rushed in.
"Loki," Riveria said coolly, "how can you bully a newcomer like this?"
She stepped forward, pulled Loki away, and glared at her sternly.
"I'm not bullying him!" Loki snapped back immediately. "Riveria, this brat is bullying me!"
She snatched the status sheet from Shirou's hand and waved it angrily.
"Look at this! He gained two skills at once! I was so excited, but he looked at it like it was nothing. That expression alone is mocking me!"
"It really isn't that amazing," Shirou said calmly. "Just two skills."
Compared to these two skills, what he truly wanted was something else entirely.
His grandfather's Noble Phantasm.
Unlimited Blade Works-Tsumugari Muramasa.
After all, traces of Senji Muramasa still remained within him.
The moment Shirou said those words, the room went silent.
Completely.
Everyone stared at him.
"...You're serious?" Loki asked slowly.
She genuinely could not understand his way of thinking.
"Of course," Shirou replied without hesitation. "I never lie."
Faced with his unwavering tone, everyone who had already read the status sheet looked at him speechless.
His growth was indeed astonishing.
Pleasing, even.
And yet.
For some inexplicable reason-
They all felt extremely annoyed.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter