Leveling up wasn't as simple as just reaching the next threshold of strength like in video games despite what the falna shows. It was a very literal refinement and evolution to a higher existence. This meant all parts of a person are enhanced and made into stronger forms of themselves. That included whatever type of energy you used for your magic stat which in my case was cursed energy. This was also why the same magic showed wildly different power after one leveled up. Simply put the fuel for this magic had improved and so the effect of the magic itself also improved.-
After leveling up my cursed energy had also become more pure and refined so I was able to do more with less. There was one thing though that bothered me ever since I got my falna, a detail that felt off.
{Heavenly restriction: In exchange for the ability to wield mana and magic one gains access to cursed energy and cursed techniques.}
At first glance this description has nothing wrong with it or out of place if you looked at it from the perspective of this world but that changed with my knowledge from earth. Techniques, as in more than one. That one word bothered me as from what I knew of from Jujutsu Kaisen you got ONE cursed technique and that was it. But this very specific wording on my skill made me think that just maybe I could be the exception to this rule. The trick was that I simply had no clue how I would even begin to understand how to accomplish this if it was true. I wasn't like everyone else with the falna who could naturally manifest new spells when they leveled up or use a grimoire to force the process.-
Or could I? It dawned on me that I honestly didn't know how a grimoire would effect me. It could in fact work perfectly fine and simply cause a new technique to appear or it could be like my first drink of mana potion where I was gambling with my life. Grimoires were meant to bring forth magic in an individual which was based in mana that was a higher form of energy than cursed energy. I had a theory that before I could even attempt to use a grimoire I should raise my cursed energy to match at very least the normal mana of a level one.-
I wasn't sure when that would be possible but I assumed when I could consume an undiluted lesser mana potion without risk that I had reached that point. For now though I focused my attention on cursed tool crafting and my current cursed technique. I still had so much to master that even thinking about getting another technique was foolish of me. For example out of all of the cursed tools that I had brought to the dungeon the simplest ones were the only ones that passed the test.-
One of those tools was literally just a container for my cursed flames that exploded on contact. The only tools worth celebrating about was the communication tokens that let me talk with Hestia who was in the church on the surface while I was in the twelfth floor of the dungeon and the metal detector compass. Those tokens in particular were Hestia's favorite creation of mine even if they were a bit creepy with the ear on one side and the mouth on the other. It was thanks to them after all that she knew about what had happened mere moments after it happened.-
While I was tinkering with making another token set for Bell we got a visitor that we hadn't expected.
"Hroldar? Awfully late to be making a visit no?" I asked seeing the dwarf outside the church.
He shrugged "Nothing for it lad this was the only time I knew I'd be able to catch you here. You are usually in the dungeon for most of the day. Or at least you were before you went an leveled up, quite the surprise that." he said honestly.
"Just got unlucky enough to have to fight a minotaur to death is all, most of my time was spent raising my stats till I was satisfied with them after that." i said honestly.
"Aye, that'd do it if you won which you clearly did." Hroldar said nodding in understanding.
"That reminds me but why'd you take so long to visit anyways? I was stuck here for nearly a month after I leveled up but didn't see hide nor hair of you." I said curiously.
"Ah, that was bad luck really as you leveled up right before my familias annual expedition to the middle floors to stock up on resources. We just got back a couple of days ago and I had been busy going over our inventory till now." he said with a chuckle.
"Well please come in and make yourself at home, assuming this is a social visit that is." I said opening the door widely.
He shrugged "Bit of both actually, came to put in a few commissions as well to see how you were doing. You seem well enough, gotta ask though whats up with the tattoos anyway?" he asked curiously.
"They are symbolic." I said not lying but also not really saying everything.
"Not the strangest tradition i've ever seen, met a Pallum once that had a tree he'd lick for luck before delving each day. Didn't seem to work since he got killed by a green dragon after his lover betrayed him." Hroldar said with a shrug.
I couldn't help imagining the scene he described with an odd expression.
"Well regardless whats this about a commission?" I asked changing the topic as we took a seat on the restored pews of the church.
"After lady Hephaestus confirmed you weren't lying about your crafts lord Ogun and I decided we'd go to you if we needed something made and as it happened we just got a new level four after this expedition and you also leveled up so we assumed you grabbed blacksmith as a developmental ability and could add effects to your works. After that well here I am." he said honestly with a smile.
"You are right I did grab smith when I leveled up and have been experimenting with it since I got it with mixed results. If you want any of the standard properties though it shouldn't be an issue." I said honestly.
"Good on you lad so what we need is a sword but the best you've got in you. We will of course provide the drops and have half the payment upfront, two hundred thousand Valis." Hroldar said as he showed me the sword he brought with him and it was a fairly simple arming sword about a meter long.