As time passed, the sensation gradually spread across his entire left chest.
Levi maintained absolute confidence in his "Kure-nai" (Krypton/Gacha) system. He didn't panic, simply adjusting his breathing while waiting for the magic's star-rank evolution to conclude. Roughly ten minutes later, the scorching heat at the epicenter began to recede, followed by the first ring of the periphery, then the second...
When the last trace of the anomaly vanished from his chest, a series of notifications flashed across his vision:
[Mana Burst (Ice) · 5-Star (-)] → [Mana Core (Ice) · 6-Star (-)]
Chantless Casting
Permanent Passive: All basic abilities except Magic receive a massive boost (+1,000). Magic recovery rate is significantly increased.
Active Effect: All other effects remain unchanged (Activation grants an additional +2,000 to four-dimensional stats).
Levi sensed the changes within his body. Even though he had mentally prepared himself for a 6-star upgrade, seeing the actual figures on the status panel made his pupils tremble.
The Mana Core added only one extra line compared to Mana Burst, but that line signified a permanent leap in his baseline combat power. In the world of Danmachi, an adventurer's battle was essentially a collision of total ability values. If your stats were high enough, fighting above your level was trivial. Conversely, if an adventurer "leveled up" prematurely with only D or C-rank stats, they would find themselves struggling even against monsters of their own level by the time they reached Level 3 or 4.
Last night, after hearing from Hephaestus that Freya had fixed her gaze on him—and had even dispatched several of her elites to support Apollo—Levi hadn't been afraid of losing the War Game, but a sliver of anxiety had remained.
Defeating Apollo was one thing; defeating Freya was another entirely. If that goddess threw away her pride and ordered her Familia to the field, Levi's previous plan would have been to grab Hestia and run for the city gates. Even with the "Orion Class Card" as his trump card, Levi figured he could only force a stalemate against Ottar at best.
Freya had help. Allen, Hedin, and Hogni were all Level 6. The Gulliver Brothers, through their flawless coordination, could match a Level 6 despite being Level 5. Then there was a literal army of Level 4s and 3s. Levi was confident he could kill any of them individually, but against their combined might? His chances of victory would have plummeted toward zero.
Fortunately, perhaps due to his recently leveled-up "Luck" development ability—or because the evolutionary path of Mana Burst was fixed from the start—spending five Grimoires and a Star-up Card had paid off.
Levi had finally earned the right to say "no" to the strongest Familia in Orario.
After completing the evolution of Mana Core (Ice), Levi fell into deep thought.
His original plan had been to upgrade "Mana Manipulation." That skill dictated the rank of his "Magic Lead" development ability. Increasing its star-rank would not only allow for finer control over his various magics but also further amplify the destructive power of his spells in combat.
However, everything changed once Freya noticed him.
Levi loathed "Goddesses of Beauty"—no matter which pantheon they came from. These beings wouldn't hesitate to use their innate "Charm" to get what they wanted. To Levi, nothing was more repulsive than having his own will forcibly twisted.
With Mana Core and the Orion Class Card, his combat power now sat firmly at high-tier Level 7. If he factored in the Constellation effects of his Little Cat and Sanqing Bell slots, he could even ambush Ottar with a "First Sight Kill" by negating the giant's buff skills.
Furthermore, he had over a hundred million Valis worth of materials waiting to be liquidated. He could afford another round of targeted strengthening. By then, saying he could hang Ottar up and beat him might be hyperbole, but he would definitely hold the upper hand.
Orario appeared glamorous on the surface—the so-called "Cradle of Heroes"—但 beneath that veneer, it was a den of vice. There were adventurers who clung to justice and order, but their stories rarely had happy endings.
In the original timeline, how was Freya able to charm the entire city so easily? It came down to four words: Might makes right. Because Bell was low-level and weak, he was easily defeated and abducted by Ottar. Because Freya was a goddess of high status who couldn't truly die and possessed a "bugged" Charm ability, she could turn Orario into her private birdcage.
But conversely, if Bell's level had been Level 7 back then—even if he couldn't defeat Ottar, so long as he didn't lose—then the seemingly useless and cowardly Ouranos would have been forced to intervene.
Levi was now at that threshold. Though he relied on external systems, he was effectively standing at the pinnacle of Orario's power hierarchy. Since his raw strength was sufficient, his next priority was resisting the Goddess's Charm.
He first looked at "Divine Protection of the Goddesses' Love." Specifically, the "Goddess of Beauty's Protection" within it. However, this magic was bound to the "Soul Impulse" of his magic page—it had no star rank. Its power only increased based on the number of goddesses registered to the page. After a failed attempt to use a Star-up Card on it, Levi shook his head.
He turned to the permanent Danmachi Gacha pool. Throughout history, Bell couldn't have been the only one to awaken an anti-charm skill. The Dungeon produced monsters with charm abilities—Sirens, Mermaids, and the like. However, those anti-charm skills were low-rank, mostly 4-star or the occasional 5-star. Their effects were mediocre, offering only small to moderate resistance. They weren't even as effective as the "Moon Jewel Craft Essence" he currently had equipped.
Levi figured even if he fused two 5-star skills, he'd likely only get a 6-star skill that "greatly increased" resistance. It would help, but it wouldn't be the decider.
So... he fixed his eyes on the "Edict" (敕令) skill.
Edict was fundamentally a technique for using Talismans (符篆) from the Genshin Impact world. Because it involved interfering with the laws of the world, it—like his Pure Water Mixology—had activated his "Mystic" development ability.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi : I'm Surrounded by Goddesses (132 Chapters, Ongoing)
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Levi had originally planned to wait until his "Genshin" development ability reached F-rank so he could resonate with Zhongli's "Rex Lapis" constellation and harvest the Lord of Liyue's skills wholesale—Talismans, Alchemy, and Inner Worlds. But to counter Freya, he couldn't afford to wait.
This time, when he used the Star-up Card on Edict, he didn't get a failure message. Instead, a semi-transparent list appeared:
[Compatible Materials for 'Edict' Evolution]
Spirit Seals (5-Star) → Talismans (6-Star)
Rune Script (5-Star) → Primordial Runes (Incomplete) (6-Star)
Spirit Seals was a Genshin-derived skill similar to Edict, but more focused on summoning. Rune Script, however, hailed from the Type-Moon world—a modern, weakened version of the "Primordial Runes" Odin discovered while hanging from the World Tree.
'Even Primordial Runes are available?' Levi mused.
He had initially planned to go the "Talisman" route, but the Spirit Seals skill couldn't be pulled directly from the current pool. Rune Script, however, sat prominently in the Level 3 Type-Moon pool as the foundational knowledge of modern magecraft.
'Primordial Runes it is. No loss there.' 'Besides, if I master even the incomplete version, I can try for a Caster or Lancer Class Card later. Maybe I'll pull a certain "Purple Matriarch" or an Odin alt, and complete the set.'
Levi didn't hesitate. He opened the Level 3 Type-Moon pool, set his "Rate-up" to the [Rune Script Grimoire], and burned 12 million Valis instantly. He "missed" the 50/50 and got a Mid-grade Spirit Foundation Exchange Ticket—useful, so not a waste—but hit the guaranteed "Pity" for the Grimoire.
He fed the Rune Script into the Edict skill. In an instant, 24 symbols flooded his mind. Two-thirds were relatively simple to write; the last third were dauntingly complex.
[Edict · 5-Star (11% Mastery)] → [Primordial Runes (Incomplete) · 6-Star (3% Proficiency)]
Gains Development Ability: Mystic (G)
Description: Incorporates Talisman knowledge from the Genshin world. Allows manipulation of the environment and objects through hand-drawing, True Words (Aria), or engraving.*Volume 1: Chapter 68 - Hephaestus: "Let Me See Your Magic!"*
"Original Runes (Fragmented)" initially imparted 16 modern rune scripts, along with 8 original rune scripts to Levi. It also included some talisman scripts from the Genshin Impact world. However, how to use this skill in detail, given its nature as knowledge rather than an application like "Edict," required Levi to spend considerable time researching.
Fortunately, while he might lack other resources, he had accumulated a significant number of proficiency enhancement tickets, capable of turning one second in the conscious space into 10 or even 100 days, thanks to his previous card-drawing activities.
Without hesitation, he began studying the application of rune scripts and original rune scripts. By the time he arrived at Hephaestus's workshop in the afternoon, the related skill on Levi's character panel had already improved to "Mastery 18%," and the development ability "Mystery," boosted by the skill, had advanced to E-level.
The red-haired, one-eyed goddess seemed to have just finished lunch, lounging casually on the sofa in the workshop's hall. Her left leg crossed over her right, swinging back and forth slightly as she hummed softly. Hearing the door open, she turned her head and raised her right hand toward the golden-haired youth entering the workshop. "Yo, you're here."
Levi responded earnestly, "Good afternoon, Lady Hephaestus."
"Come, have a seat," Hephaestus patted the sofa cushion beside her. "The head of the merchant guild I contacted will be here soon."
"...Alright."
Levi approached but chose a single seat instead of sitting beside the red-haired goddess. Seeing his cautious demeanor, Hephaestus couldn't help but curl her lips. "What, afraid I'll eat you? Or worried Hestia will get jealous?"
Levi showed a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about, Lady? I don't quite understand."
Hephaestus countered, "You do know you can't lie in front of a deity, right?"
"I know," Levi shrugged. "But sometimes, a lie is an answer in itself."
Hephaestus chuckled, "Pretending to be an innocent boy when you've awakened that kind of magic!"
"Ha, a little rascal with a dirty mind but no guts." Seeing the boy sitting quietly beside her, she pulled out the Class Card she had studied for an entire night and morning from her jacket pocket, flicking it like a playing card with her index and middle fingers. "Here, take it back."
Levi caught it smoothly, pausing slightly as he felt the warmth emanating from the card, but quickly regained his composure. This didn't escape Hephaestus's notice, and her laughter grew even more joyous.