"You're such a dog!"
That evening, Loki rubbed her still-throbbing cheek, her murderous gaze completely unconcealed.
"You washed your hands of everything and dumped all the blame on me, huh?"
Her hands were busy tracing symbols on Eiji's back as the room glowed with a pale blue light.
"But I only stated the facts!"
Eiji shook his head nonchalantly.
"Tch!"
Loki spat in annoyance.
Precisely because it was the truth, even after learning the full story, she couldn't refute it.
"Here!"
She slapped the parchment onto Eiji's back indignantly.
==========
[Eiji Nangou]
[LV·5]
[Strength: D·567 → C·688]
[Endurance: D·543 → C·656]
[Dexterity: C·678 → A·822]
[Agility: A·834 → SS·1009]
[Magic: F·345 → E·411]
[Development Abilities: Hunter (H), Spirit Healing (H), Swordsman (A), Escape (I)]
[Magic: None]
[Skills: Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword, Sword Heart's Valor, Charm]
==========
Another 600+ points gained effortlessly!
All in just two days!
"At this rate, I should hit the limit in about ten days!"
Eiji's spirits soared.
Not only that, but he also felt his swordsmanship was nearing a breakthrough recently.
It seemed like just one more step—one more layer to pierce through—and he would reach a higher realm!
He was likely just one step away from mastering the true Twin Wings Style!
"Happy, aren't you?"
Loki remarked sarcastically beside him. "Such huge gains—must be nice sacrificing me for it!"
"Loki, I really am grateful to you."
Eiji sighed, then turned to face her.
Meeting the crimson-haired goddess eye to eye, he flashed a warm smile and gently lifted her chin with his fingers.
Holy—!
I can't handle this!
Loki gasped internally. She instinctively wanted to flee, but her body refused to obey.
With her chin held in Eiji's grasp, her expression melted into one of intoxicated bliss.
"I need your help. So, be my scapegoat, okay? Sure, it'll be rough—you'll definitely get beaten up a lot—but I'll cheer for you in spirit!"
Eiji leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"Oh, and stop bringing this up from now on. It's annoying."
He might have gone for something more intimate, but when he glanced down and saw nothing, his enthusiasm instantly evaporated.
"Mmm~ Okay, okay~!"
Loki agreed dreamily, too lost in pleasure to care.
Honestly, this wasn't so bad.
The thought of submission flickered through her mind, and her resistance crumbled instantly.
Heh.
Such an easy goddess to handle.
Eiji smirked to himself before turning and striding out of the room with effortless cool.
Only then did Loki snap back to reality, pounding the bed in tearful frustration.
The next morning.
"Eiji, take Ais with you!"
Just as he was about to head to Freya Familia to level up, Riveria suddenly appeared, pushing Ais toward him.
"Finn and I discussed it all night. While we can't easily withdraw from the deal with Goddess Freya, we'll do everything in our power to get you out of this! Until then, Ais will protect you!"
Protect you from Freya's... advances!
Riveria couldn't bring herself to say it outright, but the implication was clear.
"Riveria, Ais..."
Eiji was stunned at first, then deeply moved.
From that day onward, Ais and Eiji went to the Freya Familia together daily, honing their skills through constant battles.
Whenever Freya appeared, Ais would always be on high alert, watching her every move with utmost vigilance.
Fortunately, Freya never seemed to cross any lines—there was hardly even any physical contact—which relieved both Ais and Riveria.
Still, Freya would occasionally display her affection in subtle ways, much to Ais's chagrin.
Of course, they returned to their Familia together every night.
For some reason, over these days, Eiji found his energy levels inexplicably improving.
...
Several more days passed.
On a night when the moon shone brightly and stars were sparse, a grand golden full moon hung in the sky.
Bathing in the glow of magic stone lamps, Eiji and Ais returned to their Familia after a day of battles, their clothes tattered and worn.
After washing away their fatigue, the two headed to Loki's room together to update their statuses.
==========
[Eiji Nangou]
[LV·5]
[Strength: S·989 → SS·1134]
[Endurance: S·903 → SS·1278]
[Dexterity: SS·1134 → SSS·1278]
[Agility: SSS·1567 → SSS·1723]
[Magic: C·601 → C·666]
[Development Abilities: Hunter (H), Spirit Healing (H), Swordsman (A), Escape (I)]
[Magic: None]
[Skills: Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword, Sword Heart's Valor, Charm]
==========
Developmental Abilities and Skills remained unchanged.
"So close!"
Gripping his fresh status sheet, Eiji suppressed the restlessness in his heart.
At this rate, he would reach the limits of Level 5 in just three or four more days!
"That's amazing..."
Ais also glanced at his status.
But unlike before, this time she felt nothing but pure admiration.
"What about yours?"
"Here."
Ais handed over her parchment.
==========
[Ais Wallenstein]
[LV·6]
[Strength: H·110]
[Endurance: H·117]
[Dexterity: H·131]
[Agility: H·112]
[Magic: H·157]
[Development Abilities: Hunter (H), Abnormal Resistance (G), Swordsman (G), Spirit Healing (I)]
==========
"Only a little over two hundred points in total..."
Ais lowered her eyes dejectedly.
She had trained for seven or eight days, yet her total proficiency gains amounted to only about a third of what Eiji achieved in two days.
Admittedly, their levels were different, and the difficulty of improvement varied, but the gap was still too vast.
She really shouldn't compare herself to Eiji.
Otherwise, she'd only end up disheartened.
That's how it had been before—she'd feel crushed for days after seeing his progress.
At least now she didn't react that way.
She glanced at Eiji, feeling nothing but happiness for him.
Strangely, she even felt a bit proud, though she wasn't sure why.
"My Ais-chan is gone..."
Loki watched from the side.
Seeing the faint smile on Ais's face and the way her gaze lingered solely on Eiji, she let out a long, mournful sigh.
"I was never yours to begin with."
Ais retorted.
"See?! You never used to say things like that!"
Loki grew even more indignant.
In the past, Ais would usually ignore Loki, but now she was starting to argue back.
Having a man in her heart really changed her!
Afraid he might misunderstand, huh?
"Ais, Eiji, come here for a moment."
After leaving Loki's room, before the two could return to rest, Finn suddenly appeared and called out to them.
"Don't go to Freya Familia tomorrow. I have a mission for both of you."
The eyes of the prum leader gradually filled with wild intensity.
"Almost all preparations are complete. Starting tomorrow, Loki Familia will officially declare war on the artificial dungeon! But before that, I need you two to do something!"
Finn leaned in mysteriously and revealed the mission details to them.
"Does it have to be these particular days?"
Eiji couldn't help but ask.
In at most four days, he could level up again!
"Don't worry, I understand your concerns."
Finn was completely confident about this—he had already consulted with Loki.
"What begins tomorrow isn't full-scale war, but a preliminary skirmish—we still have too few keys in our possession."