"So what should I do?"
After hearing Shirou's analysis, Ais's eyes lit up with anticipation.
Since Shirou's research into the Divine Blessing was so thorough, did that mean he had a way to accelerate her growth?
Looking at Ais, whose gaze was filled with expectation, Shirou stood up, refilled their drinks, then spoke calmly.
"Normally, if the external pressure is too small, then you increase the external pressure."
"But stronger enemies are deeper in the Dungeon. You can't dive that deep frequently."
"So the only thing left..."
"You start with yourself."
"Start with myself?"
Ais lowered her head and looked at her hands.
Confusion surfaced in her eyes.
"Since you can't increase the enemies' strength," Shirou continued, "you lower your own."
"Through self-limitation, you raise the danger level of your opponents, forcing your growth rate to increase."
He paused briefly.
"But this method is dangerous."
"It's best to only do this when you're with Tiona and the others. Doing it alone could easily put you in real danger."
"Self-limitation..."
After hearing this, Ais finally grasped a vague direction for her future improvement.
For someone who pursued strength as intensely as she did, this advice was crucial.
Seeing her deep in thought, Shirou said nothing more and let her think quietly.
Self-limitation as a training method wasn't new.
In other worlds, it was already a well-established concept.
The most famous example was Rock Lee from the Naruto world.
During the Chunin Exams, when he removed his weights, the explosive speed he displayed was the embodiment of self-limitation training.
A more advanced case was Son Goku, repeatedly breaking his limits in a gravity chamber.
In the DanMachi world, however, this method hadn't truly appeared yet.
The reason lay in the nature of adventurers.
Here, practical combat was valued far more than isolated training. With the Divine Blessing acting as a catalyst, as long as adventurers kept fighting, their basic stats would inevitably rise.
As a result, the top powerhouses of most Familias were rarely young.
Take the Loki Familia.
Finn, the captain, was already over forty.
And Ais?
She was only sixteen.
So how many people in Orario were as desperate for strength as she was?
I want to be stronger.
If other adventurers heard that from her, they'd probably think she was mocking them.
The room fell quiet.
Both of them were lost in thought, occasionally sipping from their cups and picking at their food.
For a brief moment, the atmosphere was unusually warm.
Unfortunately, it didn't last.
"Ais-tan!"
A scream pierced the air.
The voice was filled with such despair that anyone who heard it would instinctively feel sympathy.
Before Shirou could even react, the door was kicked open.
A figure rushed in, wailing at the top of her lungs.
"Ais-tan is mine! Even you, Shirou, can't steal my Ais-tan away! Even if you take her body, her heart still belongs to me!"
"..."
"Eh?"
Loki stared at the scene in front of her.
Ais and Shirou were sitting across from each other at the table.
Fully clothed.
Calm.
Normal.
Loki fell into deep thought.
Under their questioning gazes, her confidence rapidly crumbled.
"Huh...? Who just told me that Ais-tan and Shirou were being intimate?!"
Flustered, Loki immediately turned toward the door, trying to identify which scoundrel had dared to prank her.
"I never said they were being intimate," a voice from the crowd outside replied instantly. "I just said Ais went to Shirou's room. Everything else was your imagination."
The words landed like a finishing blow.
Loki froze.
Complete despair.
Looking at Loki's stiff expression and the dense crowd gathered outside, Shirou let out a helpless sigh.
"Loki-sama," he said gently, "could you please fix my door?"
He glanced at the shattered lock.
"Yes!"
Terrified by Shirou's gentle smile, Loki immediately fled to find tools.
"Not a single peaceful day..."
Watching the crowd disperse with Loki, Shirou stood up and began gathering his things.
"I'm heading to the forge. What about you?"
"I'll go back to my room."
Ais stood up calmly.
The chaos Loki caused didn't affect her at all. She was already used to it.
"Alright."
Shirou packed some of the snacks he had prepared earlier and handed them to her.
"Take these with you. If you run out, you can always come by. I never lack these."
"Mm."
A faint smile appeared on Ais's usually expressionless face.
"Thank you, Shirou."
"It's nothing," he replied. "We're comrades."
Seeing her obedient expression, Shirou instinctively reached out to pat her head.
Halfway through the motion, he froze.
What if she got angry?
Loki's miserable fate flashed vividly through his mind.
Shirou quickly checked Ais's expression.
No resistance.
No displeasure.
Relieved, he continued gently stroking her head.
For a moment, the warmth returned.
"...What was I even doing?"
As Ais left, Shirou finally reacted.
"How did I unconsciously treat Ais like my own sister?"
A trace of lingering fear surfaced.
If Ais had reacted the way she did with Loki, he would've been done for.
Fortunately, she hadn't resisted.
Then another memory surfaced.
Earlier in the Dungeon, he had treated Lefiya the same way.
He had also patted her head without thinking.
That realization made Shirou pause.
Could it be...
Am I missing Miyu too much?
No.
That couldn't be it.
Still deep in thought, Shirou headed toward his forge.
-
After a full day of work, Shirou's newly forged armor for Lefiya was complete.
Unlike the previous modifications of old equipment, this set had been forged entirely from scratch.
The dimensions fit Lefiya's body perfectly.
As for weapons, her armament had been changed to a longsword, similar in style to Ais's Despair Sword.
For Lefiya, who idolized Ais, this would surely be a pleasant surprise.
"It's so beautiful...!"
Wearing the armor Shirou had forged and drawing the longsword at her waist, Lefiya's heart brimmed with joy.
The armor and weapon weren't just high quality.
They were exquisite.
Every detail aligned perfectly with elven aesthetics.
For an elf known for her beauty, this was the best possible gift.
"I'm glad you like it."
This was Shirou's finest work so far.
It fully reflected the growth he had achieved in forging during this period.
Perhaps influenced by lingering traces of Senji Muramasa, his progress in forging was astonishingly fast.
Through Projection Magic, he absorbed the techniques and experience of other blacksmiths.
Combined with his near-divine understanding, his advancement felt unstoppable.
Lefiya's armor and weapon had already reached Tier 2.
In Orario, equipment of this level would sell for several million Valis.
Unfortunately, Shirou still lacked reputation in the forging world.
Because of that, his creations couldn't yet fetch their true value.
But Shirou was confident.
Sooner or later-
His name would echo throughout all of Orario.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter