In the world of Type-Moon, a Heroic Spirit's status is generally composed of four parts.
Basic parameters.
Personal skills.
Class skills.
And their strongest trump card-the Noble Phantasm.
The basic parameters are Strength, Endurance, Agility, Magic, and Luck. These values determine a Heroic Spirit's advantages and disadvantages in direct combat.
Personal skills are abilities inherent to the Heroic Spirit themselves, usually ones they possessed while alive.
Noble Phantasms are crystallized legends from a Heroic Spirit's life. They represent their ultimate techniques.
As for class skills, those are abilities tied to one's class.
In the Holy Grail War, there are seven main classes.
Saber-the Knight of the Sword.
Archer-the Knight of the Bow.
Lancer-the Knight of the Spear.
Rider-the Cavalry.
Berserker-the Mad Warrior.
Assassin-the Assassin.
Caster-the Magus.
Each class comes with its own unique class skills.
Among them, Magic Resistance and Independent Action belong to the Archer class.
"...So I even inherited the Archer's class skills."
Shirou stared at the paper in his hand.
"In that case, I've basically inherited everything from Heroic Spirit Emiya."
"If that's true... then even if I level up again, I won't gain any new skills."
He paused.
"But this is already enough."
Looking at the status sheet, Shirou felt his heart ignite with quiet fighting spirit.
He had inherited everything from Heroic Spirit Emiya.
That meant he had to use this power properly.
To bring happiness to Miyu.
Seeing the faint smile on Shirou's face, Loki-standing nearby-grew more and more annoyed.
"Aren't you happy that you don't need me to update your Blessing anymore?"
Her tone carried obvious resentment.
Shirou stiffened slightly and quickly responded.
"I'm happy because my strength increased. It has nothing to do with Independent Action."
"Besides, whether I need you to update my Blessing or not..."
He looked at her seriously.
"You're my patron deity. I'll always be part of your family."
Loki froze.
Then her resentment vanished instantly.
"...You're right."
"We're family!"
Loki, who was extremely vulnerable to this kind of talk, brightened immediately. Her mood flipped completely.
Laughing happily, she patted Shirou's shoulder again and again.
"You know, you're already famous throughout Orario now, Shirou!"
"...Eh?"
Shirou looked at her, confused.
Loki stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing.
"Oh right. You're basically a shut-in."
"Other than going to the Dungeon, you're either in the forge or holed up in Twilight Manor. No wonder you don't know."
Her grin widened.
"Long story short-your fight with Goliath was witnessed by adventurers on the Eighteenth Floor."
"Now your legend is spreading all over Orario."
"Bards are singing about it. Minstrels are praising you."
"At this point, it's probably spreading outside the city too."
Only then did Shirou fully understand.
...So that's how it is.
I became famous?
A trace of excitement flashed through his eyes.
But more than that, there was satisfaction.
He had achieved part of his wish.
Watching him carefully, Loki felt even more pleased.
Despite gaining fame, there wasn't a trace of arrogance in his eyes.
No conceit.
No intoxication.
This child... who knew what he had already been through.
His mind was calm. Steady. Mature.
And that mindset-
That was the best possible trait for surviving the Dungeon.
Not just talent.
Not just aptitude.
Even his mentality was top-tier.
This guy might...
No.
He definitely would surpass Ottar one day.
Standing at the very top of Orario.
A true hero.
Loki's eyes gleamed as she looked at Shirou.
"Shirou," she said slowly, "this might sound like I'm worrying too much, but you need to be careful of that Freya woman."
"She's not someone you can take lightly."
Even though Freya hadn't made any moves yet, Loki was already on guard.
No one understood that woman better than she did.
The only reason Freya hadn't acted was simple.
It wasn't worth it yet.
But as Shirou grew stronger, Freya's attention would inevitably turn toward him.
Unless-
Another adventurer of equal talent appeared.
And unless that adventurer belonged to a different Familia.
Loki didn't believe that would happen.
So the warning was necessary.
Shirou immediately understood what Loki meant.
Goddess Freya favored adventurers with brilliant souls.
To the point of stealing them outright.
Though Shirou didn't know what determined the brilliance of a soul, he didn't think he was in immediate danger.
Because-
A certain boy was about to arrive in Orario.
Bell.
The protagonist of the original story.
With him around, Freya's attention would shift sooner or later.
After all, the Loki Familia and the Hestia Familia were worlds apart.
"Please don't worry, Loki-sama."
Shirou looked at her directly.
"I won't leave the Loki Familia."
"..."
After a brief silence, the scene shifted.
"So, after careful consideration, you'll participate in this expedition as a rear guard."
"Yes."
"I will."
Shirou answered firmly, facing Finn, with Riveria and Gareth standing beside him.
After updating his Blessing, the three executives had summoned him.
An expedition was a large-scale operation where exploration-focused Familias delved deeper into the Dungeon.
At present, the Loki Familia's deepest confirmed floor was the 58th.
But they hadn't secured a stable foothold there yet.
This time, their objective was to establish control on the 58th floor.
And then push into the 59th.
An entirely unknown territory.
One they had never reached before.
At his current LV.3, Shirou wasn't suited for frontline combat at that depth.
That was why he would be assigned to the rear guard.
Thinking about it, Shirou couldn't help reflecting.
His strength would be difficult to fully display in the deep floors.
Seeing the thoughtful look on his face, Riveria misunderstood slightly and spoke up to reassure him.
"Don't worry, Shirou. We all recognize your strength."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't have invited you to join."
Shirou understood the misunderstanding but didn't correct it.
He simply nodded.
"I trust your judgment."
His concern wasn't about adapting.
It was about performance.
How to contribute more.
How to do better.
After a bit more discussion, Shirou left the room.
According to Finn's schedule, there was still one week before the expedition began.
That week-
He had preparations to make.
After all, he wasn't planning to simply follow along and return.
He wanted to accomplish more.
Much more.
-----More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter