Lying on his left and right sides, Hestia and Hephaestus clearly noticed the change in their beloved.
They immediately smiled and said, "Congratulations, Levi."
"Perhaps in the future, you will walk further than us gods."
Levi nodded, a flash of inspiration crossing his mind.
Yet, he did not voice it.
Since Hestia and Hephaestus chose not to speak of many matters, they naturally had their reasons for doing so.
When his strength was sufficient, and his understanding reached a certain level, he would naturally comprehend and grasp it.
Over the next few hours, after lulling the two goddesses to sleep, Levi began to increase the proficiency of his newly acquired 'Chakra Control'.
A total of 12,000+ Proficiency Increase Tickets were successively consumed, in exchange for the skill advancing all the way from proficient to expert, then to master, and finally to max level.
[Chakra Control · 6-Star (-)]
[Obtained Development Ability 'Mage S']
[Further details omitted]
And this was not all.
As a sliver of light appeared on the horizon, Levi took out 10 Law Crystals and the 'High-rank Skill Star-Up Card' he had obtained after completing Main Quest 4:
(Chakra Half-Progenitor, Image! Image!)
Compared to the sudden internal energy shift when 'High-Rank Mana Manipulation' previously transformed into 'Chakra Control', this time, the advancement manifested quite smoothly.
Levi could feel that his control over Mana had reached a certain limit.
With just a slight thought, a large number of Primordial Runes would generate within his body or on its surface.
He could even faintly absorb the Mana circulating in the air, converting it into Mana, and then breaking it down into Mind and physical energy for replenishment.
After pondering for a moment, Levi got up and went to the training ground.
He then deactivated the 'Dress of Heaven' Possession state, which he had kept continuously active.
In the next instant, his right forearm suddenly erupted with dazzling blue-white light.
One Primordial Rune after another was inscribed along the boundaries of Ainsworth's Magic Crests, then began continuously spreading across his skin.
The entire modification process was more than four times faster than when he previously possessed 'High-Rank Mana Manipulation'!
"Hephaestus really hit the nail on the head," Levi curled his lips, "The combined effects of two 7-star skills, in terms of sheer power, might not be much inferior to an 8-star skill anymore."
Having acquired a skill that allowed him to self-compile 7-star Magic, he naturally couldn't do nothing.
Over the next two days, Levi multi-tasked, with his main body completing the modification of 'Magic Core (Ice)' to 'Heaven's Feel (Fragment)'.
Meanwhile, the six Spirit Clones differentiated through the 'Valkyrie Class Card' each had their own tasks.
The first one took Alise and Gojouno Kaguya to farm gold and slay monsters on the 30th Floor. The second one independently guarded the Colosseum on the 37th Floor. The third, fourth, and fifth continued to reinforce the stronghold.
As for the sixth one, after spending several days finally climbing to the 50th Floor and leaving Teleport Rune Stones in multiple hidden corners, it first made a trip to the Dian Cecht Familia. There, it treated all the previously disabled members from medium to large-sized Familias who had purchased the Hestia Familia's quarterly treatment package, reaping countless expressions of gratitude.
Then, it single-handedly knocked on the door of Twilight Manor, the Loki Familia's stronghold.
More than a month ago, Levi had signed a party-service agreement with Finn, stating that after the mandatory quest ended and he returned to Orario, he would seek out the Loki Familia within a week and assist them in exploring a Deep Floor area beyond the 49th Floor.
At that time, the Hestia Familia was still very tight on funds, so Levi naturally chose to generate income wherever possible.
Even now, he wouldn't casually give up an opportunity to earn 300 million Valis in three days.
The Loki Familia, or more precisely, Loki herself as the head goddess of the Familia, saw the Spirit Clone dispatched by Levi, and her eyes, which had been narrowed into slits, instantly widened.
"You are a Spirit?!"
"To answer, Lady Loki, I am a clone temporarily created by Levi. I can use most of the main body's Magic and skills. For ease of distinction, you, and everyone in the Loki Familia, may call me — Slúthr."
Levi, or rather, Slúthr, replied with a smile, as if speaking of a minor matter.
However, Spirits are, after all, not ordinary beings.
Referred to as 'God's Incarnation,' their status in the Lower World is quite high.
Aside from the lunatics of the Evils, both humans and demi-humans alike would show them immense respect.
And so it was at this moment.
"Levi, no, Master Slúthr, you truly do spring surprises on people."
Finn bit his thumb, his tone a little helpless.
Gareth laughed heartily and clapped his friend's shoulder:
"Isn't this good too? It allows us to experience the treatment of ancient heroes."
Riveria was more serious; she stood up and bowed to Slúthr:
"Greetings to you, Master Slúthr."
The core members of the Loki Familia also reacted.
Each one was either surprised or filled with admiration.
Especially the 'Sword Princess' Ais Wallenstein, whose exquisite, doll-like face uncharacteristically revealed her emotions.
It was a complex expression, mixed with reminiscence, yearning, nostalgia, joy, and a trace of resentment.
Clearly, Slúthr, or rather the existence of a Spirit, reminded Ais of her mother.
But Slúthr, however, couldn't be bothered with such minor matters.
After about half a minute, seeing that the Loki Familia members had calmed down again, she spoke once more:
"If your expedition preparations are complete, then around 8 AM tomorrow, I will return to your stronghold and, using Magic mastered by the main body, directly transport you all to the 49th Floor."
"..."
!!! (Everyone gasped)
Although it wasn't the first time, upon hearing that Slúthr could help them bypass the interference of the preceding 48 floors and proceed directly to the 49th Floor, Finn, Riveria, and the others couldn't help but reveal expressions of astonishment.
Fortunately, they were also adventurers who had weathered many storms.
After their surprise, they nodded in succession:
"Then it's settled."
After seeing Slúthr off, the Loki Familia's executives and captains did not immediately disperse. Instead, including their head goddess Loki, they held a small meeting in the captain's office.
When Finn had previously signed the party-service agreement with Levi, he had heard the latter mention that Familia members would be dispatched to accompany them.
He had originally thought that Levi would achieve the terms of the party-service through some special magic items.
He never imagined that the captain of the Hestia Familia would be playing such a grand game.
"Loki, this might be redundant, but regarding Slúthr's race, you couldn't possibly be mistaken, right?"
The red-haired goddess with narrowed eyes glanced at her captain upon hearing this:
"I am a goddess; how could I not recognize a Spirit? However..."
"However, what?" Finn asked.
Loki's face held a trace of hesitation:
"The Hero King's clone, let's just call it that for now. While it is indeed a Spirit, there's still something crucially missing from her body."
_____
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