Only one name lit up on the pitch-black door—the world of DanMachi.
It seemed no new worlds had been rolled yet, so Eiji had no choice but to continue growing stronger in the same world.
Of course, returning to DanMachi was still a great outcome.
After over two months of battles and training, his strength was bound to skyrocket with the help of his Falna.
Moreover, just thinking about people like Freya, Freya, and Freya made Eiji's heart itch uncontrollably—making this return trip absolutely necessary!
"This is the environment of the Dungeon's tenth floor. Looks like I've returned exactly where I left off."
The moment Eiji stepped out of the black door, he found himself in the misty grasslands of the Dungeon's tenth floor. A few orcs wandered nearby—this was precisely where he had last exited.
He pulled a black robe from his backpack and draped it over himself, swiftly dispatching the orcs blocking his path before charging straight toward the Dungeon's exit. In less than ten minutes, he was back on the surface.
Exiting the Tower of Babel, Eiji tilted his head to gaze up at the fifty-story white monolith behind him, then lowered his head in brief contemplation.
"Freya must have been lonely while I was gone. I should go comfort her emptiness before heading back. Ah, I'm such a considerate and kind person!"
With this noble thought in mind, Eiji strode back into the Tower of Babel.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, a figure in a black robe finally emerged from the tower under the murderous glare of a cat-person.
Having eavesdropped for hours, the cat-person seethed with hatred for the man who had Freya-sama wrapped around his finger, obediently striking whatever pose he demanded. The source of this content ɪs N()velFire.net
"What are you staring at? Once I level up, if you keep glaring at me like that, I'll slap you!"
Eiji grumbled internally as he made his way toward North Street.
For now, though, having just eaten his fill, he was in a Zen-like mood and couldn't be bothered to act on his irritation.
After poking his head through the entrance, Eiji strode into the Loki Familia's base, Twilight Manor, and called out loudly.
"Prince-sama is back!"
Like a pot of boiling water, Eiji's return sent the entire Loki Familia into an uproar.
The moment he stepped into the hall, a swarm of beautiful girls rushed toward him, showering him with concern, pouring tea, offering water, and even sneaking in massages and gropes.
Surrounded by soft limbs on all sides, Eiji maintained a serene expression as he posed his question.
Sorry, ladies. I'm in post-clarity mode right now—no extra thoughts to spare. If anyone wants to make a move, try again tonight.
"Loki's in her room. She got drunk again last night," Alicia, the golden-haired elf, declared triumphantly as she pulled him into a hug, her face brimming with pride.
"So sneaky, using your Level 4 strength to push us away!"
"Weren't elves supposed to be aloof?"
Complaints laced with resentment rose from the surrounding girls.
"Uh, I'll go update my status first."
With great difficulty, Eiji extricated himself from the sea of warm, soft embraces.
He then ascended the spiral staircase along the tower's inner wall, reaching the top floor, where he knocked on the sole door.
"Mmm… What's all the noise? I'm still sleeping…"
Loki's grumbling voice drifted from inside.
Eiji pushed the door open.
"Whoa, that's a strong smell of alcohol!"
The pungent scent of alcohol immediately assaulted the senses.
The curtains were drawn, leaving the dim room with little light, and the floor was littered with empty bottles.
Loki sat up in bed wearing pajamas. The crimson-haired chief goddess lived up to her divine title with her striking beauty, yet despite her disheveled appearance, Eiji felt no desire whatsoever.
"It's you? You're back?"
She rubbed her temples, looking like she had a splitting headache.
When she saw Eiji walk through the door, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, well, I thought you'd kicked the bucket in the Dungeon! I couldn't even sense your Falna!"
Gods could vaguely sense the state of their Falna.
To be more specific, while they couldn't perceive other details, they had a faint awareness of whether their children were alive or dead—a unique divine response to the Falna.
When Eiji left this world, his Falna naturally vanished from existence, leaving Loki utterly shocked.
But since she hadn't sensed his death either, she was completely baffled about what had happened.
Only now, with Eiji actually standing before her, did she quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"I had my own troubles to deal with."
Eiji brushed it off with a vague reply before walking over to Loki's bedside and starting to undress.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
Loki was startled, then suddenly grew bashful.
"I'm not feeling great right now. Maybe tonight?"
"Why wait till tonight? It'll only take a few minutes anyway."
Eiji shot back with a barrage of question marks.
"I meant updating my status. Don't even think about getting any ideas!"
"Huh? Oh, oh, my bad, my bad…"
Loki's face flushed red.
She realized she'd jumped to conclusions.
Maybe it had been too long since she'd met a man who caught her eye—lately, she'd been showing signs of getting a little too... eager.
Eiji pulled up a chair and sat with his back to Loki.
Loki straightened up, grabbed a needle from the bedside, pricked her finger, and let a drop of divine blood fall onto Eiji's back.
As the lock on his abilities was released, rippling light spread across his back, revealing sacred text alongside the image of a jester.
Loki first erased the old status before using her divine blood as a medium to draw out the new one.
Then, her gaze inadvertently landed on the updated values.
She had assumed that ten days wouldn't have made much difference in his growth.
But the moment she saw the new stats, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
[Strength: H·178 → SS·1198]
[Endurance: H·134 → SS·1107]
[Dexterity: G·211 → SSS·1499]
[Agility: G·257 → SSS·1999]
[Magic: I·79 → B·567]
[Skills: Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword, Sword Heart's Valor, Charm]
[Development Abilities: Hunter (H), Spirit Healing (I), Swordsman (A)]
"What kind of monster?! How are you already Lv.5?!"
Loki gaped in disbelief before throwing her head back and shouting in shock.
Her voice echoed throughout Loki Familia, instantly setting the entire household into an uproar.
"If you can level up, then just do it already!"
Loki was stunned for quite a while. She first imprinted the old status values onto parchment before completing the level-up ritual for him.
[Skills: Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword, Sword Heart's Valor, Charm]
[Development Abilities: Hunter (H), Spirit Healing (H), Swordsman (A), Escape (I)]
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