When that warm male body, carrying a solid weight, settled fully against her without any barrier, Tsukuyo's delicate face, half buried in the pillow, flushed red in an instant. A short, suppressed cry escaped her throat before she could stop it.
Even though she had prepared herself and knew that this ritual was necessary to gain power.
The sensation of skin against skin, and the posture of being completely under someone else's control, were overwhelming for a girl who had grown up secluded and had barely interacted with boys her own age.
"Don't move," Haimer said softly. "This isn't a game. If it shifts even slightly, your status might end up engraved somewhere it shouldn't be."
He felt the tension in the girl beneath him and teased lightly, but the moment passed quickly.
His expression turned solemn.
If this was a contract, then as a god, he would show the proper sincerity.
Haimer raised his hand and took out a specially prepared fine needle from his pocket. The tip pricked lightly.
A bead of bright red blood slowly welled up at his fingertip.
It was divine blood, power sealed within it, the link between the laws of Heaven and the Lower World.
Haimer leaned forward and held the drop of divine blood suspended above Tsukuyo's back.
Drip.
The blood fell and merged into her body.
"Ah!"
Tsukuyo's body trembled violently, her fingers digging into the bedsheets.
In that instant, a low hum filled the air and a glow burst forth.
Her once flawless back shimmered with deep crimson light. The radiance was not chaotic; guided by Haimer's divine power, it gradually formed lines of complex, sacred text along with the unique emblem of the Haimer Familia.
They engraved themselves deeply into the girl's back.
The other girls stared in stunned silence.
At its core, a blessing was simply a god using their own blood to open a hidden door within a mortal. Through that door, potential that had once been unseen and intangible, locked away by the limitations of the flesh, was brought forth and converted into visible data.
Living beings have always been obsessed with quantifying everything, from measuring wealth with shells, to dividing time with hourglasses, to judging intelligence with scores.
It is as though something only gains value once it becomes a number.
The gods of the Lower World take that fascination to its extreme. They compress the weight of the soul, the limits of the body, even the trajectory of fate itself, into a small engraving on one's back, turning it into numbers.
…
"It's done."
Haimer stepped down from Tsukuyo and picked up a sheet of parchment. He copied the newly revealed data from her back and then held it up for everyone to see.
"This is Tsukuyo's current status."
[Name: Inaba Tsukuyo]
[Race: Human]
[Level: Lv.1]
[Abilities:]
[Strength: I-0]
[Endurance: I-0]
[Dexterity: I-0]
[Agility: I-0]
[Magic: I-0]
[Development Abilities: None]
[Magic: None]
[Skills:]
『Magatsu-ko』
『Momentary Bloom』
『Short-Lived Sword Demon』
Seeing the string of zeros, Amou raised a brow.
"Everything except skills is zero?"
"So this is the blessing?"
"Don't rush." Haimer pointed at the letters. "In Orario, when someone first receives the Divine Blessing, no matter whether they were a peerless warrior or a frail scholar before, their ability values start at zero under a god's measurement."
"All initial stats begin at I-0. The ranks go I, H, G… all the way to S. I represents 0–99, H is 100–199, and so on. S is 900–999."
『TL/N: Here's the complete reference 』
Here's the thing, the standard highest rank for all adventurers is S-rank. However, in the original series, only the protagonist reaches SS and SSS ranks because of his unique skill, Liaris Freese. This skill removes the normal cap and allows him to surpass the S-rank limit and reach SS and SSS ranks. That said, SS and SSS ranks are not exclusive to Liaris Freese itself, it's just that throughout the series, Bell is the only one who actually manages to achieve them. (Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)
『Rank Number』
I: 0-99
H: 100-199
G: 200-299
F: 300-399
E: 400-499
D: 500-599
C: 600-699
B: 700-799
A: 800-899
S: 900-999
SS: 1,000-1,099
SSS: 1,100+
"That's the mountain you'll be climbing."
"Every increase means you've surpassed your former self."
"When one of your stats reaches D rank, over 500, and you accomplish a feat that even the gods acknowledge, you can break the limits of the human body and advance to Lv.2."
He paused briefly.
"However, even though D is enough to level up, I recommend pushing your abilities to A, 800, or even S, 900, before considering it."
"In this world, potential has capacity. These stats are your foundation. The deeper the foundation, the higher you can build."
"A Lv.2 who advanced with all stats at S can easily crush a Lv.2 who advanced with all stats at D. And that gap only grows wider at higher levels."
"Those who rush for quick advancement are destined to remain the base of the pyramid."
The girls nodded, half understanding.
The idea of "great feats" still felt distant, but not losing at the starting line was a concept these fiercely competitive girls understood perfectly.
"And more importantly," Haimer continued, tapping the bottom of the parchment, "this."
Skills.
Under Tsukuyo's three skills, lines of explanation glowed faintly with a sharp aura.
Skills were the manifestation of one's physical traits, experiences, and even the desires of the soul, transformed into special effects.
Even knowing her background, Haimer was shocked by Tsukuyo's three skills.
Skill: 『Magatsu-ko』
Permanently sacrifices Vision. In exchange, Hearing and Perception are elevated to extraordinary levels. Greatly enhances detection of killing intent, aura, and pre-attack movements. Grants qualification to awaken the rare Development Ability Mind's Eye.
In combat, has a high probability of discerning enemy openings and granting a Preemptive Strike effect.
All abilities receive additional bonuses in darkness.
Skill: 『Momentary Bloom』
When drawing the blade, Agility and Strength gain explosive boosts proportional to charge time.
After the burst, the body falls into brief stiffness.
Skill: 『Short-Lived Sword Demon』
Endurance growth rate is drastically reduced and extremely difficult to raise.
In exchange, Agility and Dexterity proficiency gain speed is doubled.
Even Haimer's pupils narrowed slightly as he looked at them.
"What an extreme build…"
He murmured softly, his finger brushing across the words.
Tsukuyo's background was no secret to him.
A child born from close blood relatives, Narukami Tadakatsu and Inaba Akatsuki.
Fate had taken her sight. It had taken her health, leaving her like a fragile flower that could wither at any moment.
But when one door closes, life will always struggle to break a hole in the wall just to survive.
Tsukuyo was the clearest embodiment of that truth.
These three skills perfectly reflected her life.
Especially 『Magatsu-ko』 and 『Short-Lived Sword Demon』.
It was as if her destiny had been carved directly into her soul.
Endurance growth drastically reduced?
No problem.
If her body was fragile and couldn't withstand a blow,
Then she would cut down her enemy before they ever had the chance to strike.
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