Just stepping out of the dungeon, Eiji's expression was still somewhat dazed.
He had never encountered such high-intensity combat in his life. Even though he had already left the dungeon, when he saw someone passing by, he still felt an itch in his hands, wanting to slash out with his sword.
Listening to the hustle and bustle of the city, standing quietly within it, it took a while before Eiji finally calmed down, and his demeanour returned to peace.
However, the fatigue still couldn't be erased.
He had spent the entire day lingering on the tenth floor, not even venturing into the eleventh.
He had thought he could at least make it below the thirteenth floor, but he had overestimated himself.
His strength was indeed genuine; even without using his special abilities, he was at the level of Level 2. But compared to a true Level 2, his physical shortcomings were still too significant.
A Level 2 adventurer facing a group of small monsters wouldn't need to expend much energy to defeat them and could then proceed to deeper levels as if nothing had happened.
But Eiji couldn't do that. He wasn't very good at group battles. Dealing with a group of small demons required a lot of energy, and then facing a giant monster like a half-orc left him stretched thin.
His excellent swordsmanship allowed him to challenge higher levels, but the difference in physical energy made it impossible for him to handle groups of enemies at his own level, especially in a dungeon-crawling game where physical energy advantages could make a huge difference.
"But, I can feel that I'm getting stronger..."
Eiji clenched his fist.
From within his body, a force stronger than in the morning emerged, about half a level higher, much more efficient than training with the gravity array of Nene.
His control over his body was quite strong, so he could detect such subtle changes.
This was probably the result of the blessing, storing all the experience points he gained from fighting monsters throughout the day, waiting to update his ability values for a significant boost.
"Let's eat, then go back and update my ability values first!"
Eiji yawned and stretched.
He first went to the guild headquarters. Misha had already left work, so he didn't look for her. At the exchange, he sold all the magic stones he had earned throughout the day, totalling about 5000 Valis.
"It's a pity my backpack isn't big enough; I couldn't bring out many magic stones, otherwise, it could have been at least double!"
Eiji felt a pang of regret.
Although he had the support of the rich lady from afar, with jewellery worth at least five to six million Valis, because he lacked a talent for making money, he had long developed the good habit of "never throwing away money that can be obtained."
What?
Why could he earn 5000 Valis without a talent for making money?
Picking up magic stones is something anyone with hands can do; it really doesn't require any talent.
***
Loki Familia.
Tiona, holding a large dual blade, stood at the entrance of the familia, keeping watch.
She looked towards the direction of the Tower of Babel, her eyes filled with deep anxiety.
It was already past eight in the evening, and Eiji still hadn't returned.
Although she was confident in his abilities, she couldn't help but worry. The dangers of the dungeon came from all sides, making it hard to guard against; it wasn't something that could be managed with just swordsmanship.
The magic stone lamp illuminated the familia's entrance, and a handsome figure approached from the distance, bringing a look of joy to Tiona's face.
No mistake, although the dim light made it hard to see his face, that figure, whose very outline made one feel ashamed, could only be Eiji.
"On guard duty, Tiona."
The youth returned to the main gate of the familia's base, greeting Tiona with a somewhat tired expression.
"Wow, you're finally back!"
Tiona's eyes teared up, she dropped the large dual blade in her hands, and buried herself in Eiji's chest, causing his face to pale.
Wow, a Level 5 headbutt is no joke!
"It's not like I wasn't coming back."
"But I was worried about you!"
No matter how Eiji tried to pat her, Tiona clung to him, refusing to let go.
What a clingy girl!
"Where's Loki?"
Eiji gave up resisting and asked about the main matter.
"Loki is in the familia now, her room is on the top floor of the central tower, but if you want to update your ability values, you need to make an appointment first."
When it came to serious matters, Tiona instead chuckled and let him go.
"An appointment?"
"Yeah, after all, our familia has quite a few members, and updating ability values is quite a bit of work, and it consumes a lot of divine blood. If Loki were to return to heaven from losing too much blood, that wouldn't be cost-effective, so the number of updates per day is limited, and Loki is also very lazy, often unwilling to update..."
Tiona kept complaining about her familia's god.
Loki was like a typical slacker student; she usually didn't bother to update her familia members' ability values, only cramming to update everyone's ability values at once when an "expedition" was near.
Usually, she was just slacking off.
"If I make an appointment now, when can I get it?"
"You'll have to ask Loki about that, because I rarely update my ability values now."
Tiona was a Level 5 adventurer.
The higher the level, the harder it is to improve. For a Level 5 like Tiona, it's common to go many days without being able to increase a few ability points; updating once every half month is considered diligent.
"Then I'll go ask Loki."
Eiji bid farewell to Tiona, entered the central tower, and reached the top floor via the spiral staircase.
There was only one room here, clear and straightforward. Eiji walked up and knocked on the door.
"I'm here, come in!"
Loki's voice came from inside.
Eiji opened the wooden door.
Immediately, a strong smell of alcohol hit him, making him frown sharply.
Eiji had never drunk alcohol in both his lifetimes; the smell of alcohol was as unpleasant to him as stinky tofu.
Loki's room was a mess.
This very spacious room was crammed with all sorts of clutter.
Heavy books and short swords were piled up like small mountains, even the bed was covered with clothes and other clutter, and the table was set with what looked like valuable feather pens and white crystals emitting a rainbow glow.
But the most numerous were undoubtedly the bottles of alcohol, some carefully placed in a small storage area in the corner of the room, and many others scattered around the room. Looking around, almost every corner had bottles, many of which were empty, too lazy to be disposed of.
At this moment, Loki was sitting on the bed, lovingly holding a bottle of alcohol, her face full of a perverted smile like a creep meeting a beauty.
"Oh, it's you."
Seeing that it was Eiji who entered, Loki immediately showed a look of disappointment.
Was she expecting a beautiful girl from the familia to come in, leading to some drunken mishap?
"What's up?"
"I came to ask about updating my ability values. If I make an appointment, when can you help me update?"
"Oh? You just entered the dungeon for the first time today, right?"
Loki's squinting eyes curved even more.
"Sit down, let me help you update and see!"
***
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