บท 225: CH. 227: Level up
[—Sandalphon: Affection +5]
Both Seraphs were having tons of fun dancing to the rhythm of the anime opening. Even with a bombshell body, Gabriel pulled off the awkward dance steps. Sandalphon went a mile ahead and converted a loli's dance into art with her super flexible body.
They were like teens who had seen a naked woman for the first time, they were infinitely excited about exploring every nook and cranny.
(That example was horrible.)
'Ugh…'
God was chuckling at the show. "I have never seen them so happy."
"They do seem… lovely."
Well, sometimes the smallest things brought the biggest smile on someone's face. This was one of those times.
—x—x—x—
Out of the suffocating dungeon, we arrived at Familia's manor. The sun burned at its peak in the sky. This was a speedrun-worthy speed despite Natsumi overusing her mana again and attempting to lead us into closed paths in the dungeon, pouting that she wanted to spend more time with her "Master." She was sincere about it, making me amused about the effect of the oath. Could it make someone fall in love? It was yet to be seen.
I entrusted her with the duty of investigating everything about this Evilus.
Astraea had left a note outside the manor, saying she went to Hephaestus. The beautiful blacksmith goddess who created the dagger for Bell. I wonder when we will meet.
Alise and her group went to their mansion. Ryuu in particular scurried like a squirrel. Did I lewd the innocent elf without having any intentions to do so?
In our room, I plopped on the bed and crossed my legs. The cozy bed whispered sweet words to me, but I resisted until Rika tackled me. "Aa-chan, let's go on a date."
"Where do you want to go?"
"Far East."
"Huh? Isn't that kinda far?"
"I want to see how close it is to the Sengoku period in Japan."
Shiori snuggled to my side. "Same. I hear a lot about it."
"Yeah," Saeko also agreed.
"Alright. We'll go after dealing with Evilus' problem here."
"Thank you, Aa-chan," Rika said and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. She slid down and rested her head on my chest. "Good night~."
"Nao, Grayfia, Saeko, Rini… join me."
Grayfia lightly shook her head. "I cannot. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, trading… I have so much to do."
Rini looked between me and Grayfia with reluctant eyes, finding it harder to choose one. She took a step toward Grayfia.
"Onii-san, I need to do my maid duties."
"Have fun."
"Awww, bummer," Shiori muttered.
Nao bashfully laid beside me while Saeko joined Shiori. Enveloped in the intimate fragrance of the girls, I couldn't help but smile.
I took a nap until Grayfia informed me of Astraea's arrival. She headed to the main mansion first. Saeko and Shiori had left with Rika to buy something, while Grayfia and Rini went to Maya's world to help Nee-san in cooking.
Nao and Aimi slept beside me. Aimi clutched my shirt as if she was afraid I would leave her here. Nao, well, even in sleep, her breasts gave her an irresistible sex appeal.
I lightly brushed Aimi's hair until I heard footsteps approaching the shrine. It was even possible to dissect the sound and pattern with my senses if I concentrated enough. Astraea's heavy breathing was a sign of exhaustion or arousal. I doubt Astraea would be aroused in the open without a solid reason.
She must have a rough trip.
I gave a light kiss to Aimi and got up to welcome Astraea.
"You returned early," Astraea said as soon as she entered.
I took her hand and dragged her to the bed. She followed me with a confused expression.
"Asahi?"
"Just sit. Aren't you tired?"
This bed also healed exhaustion. Both physically and mentally.
"Thank you." She gave a grateful smile. "I heard about your fight with Goliath… don't act so recklessly. It would be difficult if someone else saw that fight."
"I just wanted to let off some steam. My bad."
Astraea shook her head once and smiled. "Beating the giant in its own game—you did well. I'm proud of you."
Scolding me and then encouraging me—she was using the classic tactics of carrot and stick. More importantly, she did it with pure eyes and no evil desire.
"Can I get a status update later?"
"Of course. I came here to do that. Now show me your back."
"It's not that urgent—"
She pricked her finger. I sighed and took off my shirt. She did the usual process of taking her blood and tracing it on the hieroglyphs on my back.
[Falna updated. Status is updating to reflect the changes…]
[Strength +6, Constitution +3, Defense +3, Dexterity +4, Magic +9]
That's quite less than I expected it to be.
The brunette goddess gasped in shock, and I realized the reason. My status must be above S at the very least.
"Astraea?"
She quietly passed me the paper with the status.
Asahi Marikawa
Strength: EX-1400
Endurance: SSS-1180
Dexterity: SSS-1130
Agility: SS-1090
Magic: SS-1099
EX-rank… that's new. Must be the result of kicking Goliath around.
"I don't know what to say," Astraea said with a wry smile. "You have enough Excelia to level up."
Should I do it or see my limits?
"It will get harder and harder to increase stats at your current state. I advise leveling up right now to gain appropriate Excelia in your battles."
She was right. It's not like S or EX-rank did anything special for me. Both gave me the same amount of stat points, so leveling up was easier.
"Level up."
"Wise decision. We will need to report it to the Guild. If you level up again this year… you will get the curiosity of many gods and goddesses."
"Well, I won't halt my growth for a cowardly reason like that. I'm not troubling anyone, but it doesn't mean I'll let them roll over me. After all, I have to maintain a strong image as a man with a harem."
[—Astraea: Affection +9]
"A man…" Astraea muttered and trained her eyes on me, forgetting to even blink in her dreamy state.
I waved my hand in front of her eyes.
"Sorry to daze out like that," she said, averting her eyes. "...It's happening a lot lately. I should see someone…"
I had to give it all to hold my laughter. I turned around and took deep breaths. Astraea started to work on the Level up process.
[You learned a new skill 'Monster Hunter]
This skill; I saw it on Ais's status. It will increase my attack power against any monster I hunted before.
Astraea gently patted my back. "Congratulations on your level up."
Well, she is trying her best to treat me like a normal adventurer. That's really something.
"I will try to get a worthy Alias for you in the upcoming Denatus."
"Denatus?"
I felt like I heard this word before.
"The meeting held by gods every three months to choose a befitting Alias for adventurers who level up."
Bell received Rabbit Foot or something. I might die if someone called me that. Even the thought made me cringe.
I grasped Astraea's hands, looking up at her with innocent eyes. "Don't take some strange nickname please."
"I-I will try my best to not disappoint you."
"Thank you, goddess."
***
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