The next day, around noon.
Levi opened his eyes, a fair white thigh resting on his stomach.
He carefully slipped out of Hestia's embrace and headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch. As he did, he changed the designated rate-up item in the Lv.3 Genshin gacha pool to the Intermediate Artifact Exchange Ticket.
Then, 7 million, 8 million, 14 million, and another 14 million—a total of 43 million Valis—were consumed.
This yielded four more Intermediate Artifact Exchange Vouchers, plus a 'Primordial Jade Cutter' and a 'Forest-Treader's Footfalls: Magic Skill Book'.
He set aside the magic skill book for now, as he had no immediate use for it. The newly acquired one-handed sword, however, could be equipped right away:
[Primordial Jade Cutter]
[Indestructible]
[Attack Greatly Increased]
[Endurance Greatly Increased]
[Attack is supplemented and enhanced by the wielder's Endurance ability value]
...
Next, Levi took out the Artifact Exchange Voucher he had drawn yesterday, along with the four he had just obtained. Without hesitation, he used all of them at once.
As for which set to exchange for, after a moment of thought, he still chose 'Tenacity of the Millelith'.
[Tenacity of the Millelith Set · 5-Star]
[Indestructible]
[Soul-Bound Equipment]
[Flower of Accolades/Plume of Martial Prowess/Golden Bronze Sundial/Goblet of Pledged Oaths/General's Helm: Endurance/Strength/Dexterity/Agility/Magic Greatly Increased]
[2-Piece Set Effect: Endurance Greatly Increased]
[4-Piece Set Effect: When a magic or active skill hits an opponent, Strength and Shield Strength are greatly increased for a short period. This effect does not stack.]
...
At this point, his gacha pulling session after his Falna reached Lv.3 had finally come to an end.
Levi glanced at his inventory. He had just over 65 million Valis left. As for his ability value exchange vouchers, he now had 121 1-star, 197 2-star, 562 3-star, and 69 4-star vouchers.
The number of proficiency enhancement vouchers was even more absurd: 194 10-day vouchers and 11,374 100-day vouchers. As long as he didn't learn skills recklessly, he would basically never run out.
Levi flipped a pan, turning over a fried egg with crispy edges. At the same time, he activated the ability value exchange vouchers in his inventory one by one.
As usual, he used them in order from the lowest level to the highest.
By the time he served the brunch to Hestia, who had been waiting for a little while, the ability value section of his status panel had already changed to:
[Strength: SSS1599+500/SSS1599]
[Endurance: SSS1599+1500/SSS1599] (Primordial Jade Cutter +500, Tenacity Flower +500, Tenacity 2-Piece Set Effect +500)
[Dexterity: SSS1599+500/SSS1599]
[Agility: SSS1599+500/SSS1599]
[Magic: SSS1599+500/SSS1599]
"1599..."
Looking at the sacred text revealed before her, Hestia's lips twitched.
"A god's wisdom tells me that if you want to gain enough excelia to level up, challenging an opponent of Lv.5 or higher is your only option right now."
In truth, Levi planned to do so even without his goddess pointing it out.
His current stats, not counting his accumulated potential from Lv.2 and before, and only considering his current level, had already clearly surpassed the limits of a Lv.3.
Even among Lv.4s, he would likely be considered quite formidable.
Factoring in 'Mana Burst,' a magic that could enhance all stats except Magic or push a single stat to its absolute limit, plus the four spells he had mastered through 'Constellation Resonance,' if he truly encountered a Lv.5, he was fully capable of achieving victory through careful planning.
However...
Ordinary Lv.5 monsters were located on the 49th floor of the Dungeon and below.
Levi certainly couldn't get there alone right now. Even with Tsubaki, it would only change the number of casualties from one to two.
As for the Floor Boss on the 27th floor—the two-headed dragon 'Amphisbaena,' with potential reaching Lv.5 and its combat ability in water reaching Lv.6—it would be a suitable challenge for Levi.
But about two weeks ago, that creature had been taken down by the Loki Familia upon their return from an expedition. Under normal circumstances, it would take another two weeks for the labyrinth to spawn it again.
And while the main characters in the original story always seemed to run into respawned Floor Bosses, the reality was that for Familias with Lv.4, Lv.5, or even higher-level adventurers, bosses like Goliath and Amphisbaena were merely targets for farming high-tier drop materials or helping their members accumulate excelia.
They were often tracked down and killed shortly after respawning.
To put it another way, it was like guilds in the online games of his past life monopolizing world boss spawns.
Levi's current strength was not to be underestimated. In all of Orario, based on combat power alone, he could easily rank in the top two hundred.
But to have him face medium- to large-sized Familias like the Loki Familia, Freya Familia, or Ganesha Familia all by himself would clearly only lead to one outcome: defeat.
Therefore...
Having completed his Falna update, Levi turned to his goddess and said, "Hestia, I'm about to do something insatiably greedy."
...
"That child's soul... it has grown brighter again."
In the hanging gardens of Babel, Freya watched Levi emerge from the Hestia Familia's home, her cheeks gradually turning crimson as she murmured.
"Ottar."
"I am here."
The undisputed strongest individual in Orario at present, 'The King,' who had already pushed his stats to the Lv.7 limit and needed only enough excelia to reach Lv.8, and also the goddess's most loyal boar-man warrior, stepped out from the nearby shadows.
As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly, his expression as stern and indifferent as ever.
Freya, long accustomed to this, paid it no mind and simply continued on her own, "What should I do, Ottar? I suddenly want that child so much."
"I will go and bring him here." It wasn't the first time, so Ottar simply replied as such.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he was met with the goddess's refusal.
"But I can't." The goddess, with waist-length gray hair and rather revealing attire, caressed her cheeks. She looked like she was in heat, yet her brow was furrowed with a hint of conflict. "That child confessed to Hestia in public at The Guild. I heard from the other gods that Hestia didn't refuse him."
"While I do not fear Hestia, confronting her directly would be, to be honest, somewhat troublesome."
As was said before, stealing a god's child of outstanding potential and stealing a god's lover were two entirely different matters with completely different consequences.
In the former case, the gods might sigh or feel regret, but they could ultimately choose to let it go.
But if it were the latter...
...then even Freya couldn't guarantee the other party wouldn't go berserk.
Especially Hestia. In the heavens, she was responsible for guarding the sacred flame. If something were to happen to that, not only the mortal world but even Tenkai would be thrown into chaos.
"Then, my lady, what do you intend to do?" Ottar asked.
Freya gently brushed her long hair back from her ear and, upon hearing his question, smiled confidently. "Ottar, you seem to have forgotten. I am the Goddess of Beauty."
____
🔥 New releases are live! 🔥
New Story: Anime Crossover: A World of Reversed Common Sense
🤪 Generosity Overload: Our calculators glitched and told us to give you 25% off!
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan