"I might have a way to solve this problem..."
Looking at Lyra's expression, Elise was not in a good mood either. But soon, she thought of something she had recently created using the development ability Mystery.
Stigmata.
And no, this Stigmata was not quite the same as that other Stigmata.
Though in a certain sense they were very similar, and Elise had indeed used that as her inspiration, this creation was fundamentally different from the one in that particular game.
First of all, this world did not possess Honkai Energy. The primary power source of the Stigmata was the mana inherent to the DanMachi world itself.
In other words, at its core, this thing was merely a magic item.
More specifically, it was equipment-type magic item capable of increasing ability values.
It was precisely because Elise had once played that game and possessed a certain level of understanding about such things that she had managed to create a prototype Stigmata in such a short period of time.
And for some reason, this was currently the only kind of magic item she could make. She was temporarily unable to create anything else. Perhaps that would only become possible once her Mystery development ability improved further.
"Elise, are you saying... that Stigmata you've been researching can increase an adventurer's ability values?"
Astraea was the first to react. The goddess cried out in shock, and even Lyra stared over with a stunned expression.
Although Lyra was not yet truly an adventurer, she still understood the Blessing of the Gods. Back in the Prison City, she had already received Falna. Thus, joining the Astraea Familia had not been a direct enrollment like Elise and Alise, but a conversion, just like Kaguya.
Whether in Orario or elsewhere, increasing one's ability values even by a single point was extremely difficult.
That was why high-level adventurers were so rare.
Orario merely had more of them because of the Dungeon, that so-called sacred land for leveling. Even then, the higher the level, the fewer the adventurers.
But what Elise had just said overturned their understanding of the adventurer system.
If ability values could be raised through Stigmata, then what was the point of risking their lives fighting monsters in the Dungeon?
Not only Astraea and Lyra, but also Alise and Kaguya, who were eavesdropping outside the door. The two had already noticed the commotion yesterday, but they never expected to overhear something this shocking.
"You two can come in as well. Let's test out my results together."
Naturally, Elise had long since noticed the small movements outside the door.
But she had no intention of hiding it.
From the very beginning, she had planned to eventually customize a Stigmata for every member of her Familia.
This would simply let them witness the power of Stigmata ahead of time.
...
The surrounding walls glimmered with starlight, making the entire place resemble a beautiful starry sky.
This was Elise's laboratory.
To guarantee its safety, she had deliberately reinforced the room with numerous barriers made from the Power of the Stars.
Judging from Elise's current strength, it would require at least someone on Ottar's Level 7 level to break through these barriers. Ordinary explosions would not even create a ripple.
Yet no one's attention was drawn to the beauty of the starlight.
Instead, everyone's eyes were fixed on the object resting atop a table.
"So this is the so-called Stigmata? It looks pretty beautiful! And it's even the same color as a fiery beauty like me. Hehe!"
"I can definitely feel some kind of special power from it. Can it really increase ability values?"
"If Elise says it can, then it absolutely can."
Displayed before them was an exquisite pattern composed of various interwoven shapes.
While creating it, Elise had adjusted the Stigmata's size, compressing it into a circular design no larger than ten centimeters in diameter.
That way, when engraved onto the body, the visible pattern would not be too large.
Moreover, Elise had once suffered greatly because of the Spirit Crest formed when she signed a contract with Est. Thus, she had deliberately chosen the engraving location for the Stigmata to be the chest.
More specifically, the same location as Seele's Stigmata in Honkai Impact 3rd.
"Although it's still in the experimental stage, its safety is guaranteed. It won't show much effect on me, but if we use it on Lyra, her strength should improve considerably."
Elise picked up the Stigmata and looked toward Lyra, who seemed eager to try it.
The Stigmata's enhancements were divided into two categories: special effects and ability value boosts.
The Stigmata in Elise's hand was merely a prototype.
It possessed no special effects whatsoever.
From the perspective of Stigmata, it was a blank template.
Yet even as a blank template, it was still a magic item that any adventurer would desperately covet.
All ability values +50.
Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic—all five stats.
That was the enhancement effect.
An ordinary adventurer could gain a total increase of 250 ability points simply by obtaining this Stigmata.
For a monster like Elise, 250 points was basically insignificant. Even if she became stronger, the difference would hardly be noticeable.
But for a Level 1 adventurer like Lyra, the effect would be far more apparent.
"I'm ready!"
Lyra nodded seriously.
Then she heard Elise's next sentence.
"Very good. Then take off your clothes. Especially around the chest area."
"Huh?"
Not only Lyra, but even Alise and Kaguya looked shocked.
There?
"Why there?"
Lyra glanced around at everyone else's chests.
Elise and Astraea were the largest.
Alise and Kaguya were somewhere in the middle.
The smallest were herself and Est...
At least Elise still seemed to have room to grow, but Lyra was a Pallum.
How was she supposed to grow bigger?
And even if she did, given a Pallum's proportions, it would look horribly unbalanced.
In short, it would be ugly.
The thought of taking off her clothes in front of all these overdeveloped women made Lyra extremely unwilling.
In response, Elise calmly explained:
"Because this is the most suitable location. It's closest to the heart, allowing the Stigmata's power to be fully utilized."
"Fine."
No matter how reluctant Lyra felt, there was no reason to reject something that could raise her ability values.
Being looked at was not a big deal.
They were all women anyway.
At worst, they would mock her figure.
And Astraea was a pure goddess.
There was no way some man could disguise himself as a woman and infiltrate their Familia, right?
"The Stigmata only needs to be placed against the chest. It'll merge on its own. So Lyra, do you want to do it yourself, or should I?"
"You should do it. You invented this thing, after all. If I break it, I definitely can't afford to compensate you."
"You could always compensate me with yourself, Lyra."
"Hah? Don't tell me you're planning to beat me up again?"
Lyra pulled open her clothes without the slightest concern about exposing herself.
The person before her was someone the gods themselves referred to as the Saintess.
How could she possibly be a man?
"So small. Very cute, though."
"You motherf—%*!?!?"