"Ah~! Blake, you're finally back!"
The moment Blake knocked on the door, it was thrown open, and Hestia leaped into his arms, rubbing against him excitedly. She exclaimed loudly, clearly overjoyed. It seemed Hestia had been waiting in the hall for his return.
"Lord Blake, that move was incredible!"
Liliruca, her face filled with admiration and awe, clung to Blake's free arm and cheered.
"Uh... cough, cough."
Seeing Hestia and Lili so thrilled, Blake didn't feel the usual delight of enjoying their touch. Instead, he coughed lightly, looking a bit bitter.
Although he had taken an expensive potion, the aftereffects weren't so easily dispelled. He was still extremely weak and in dire need of rest.
The Ittou Shura skill had left him in a weakened state for three hours. On top of that, Blake had simultaneously used Enhancement Magic and Ariel, which further amplified the aftereffects.
Still, there had been no other choice. Within acceptable limits, Blake had done everything he could to ensure Apollo's downfall.
The Ittou Shura skill was a desperate move—sacrificing eight hundred for every thousand dealt to the enemy. It allowed for a single strike with hundreds of times his normal power but left him completely drained, both physically and mentally, rendering him unconscious and defenseless for an entire day.
"Blake, are you feeling weak?"
Noticing Blake's unusual state, Hestia paused, her expression shifting to one of concern.
"Yeah, I overused my strength," Blake admitted, exhaling slowly.
"So the aftereffects of that move are really severe... Blake, you were so reckless," Hestia scolded gently, her eyes filled with worry.
Even Lili let go of Blake's arm and instead began supporting him, showing her understanding and care.
"There was no other choice. I promised I would return to you all unscathed and deal with all the trouble," Blake replied earnestly.
"Mm-hmm, I understand. Let's head inside. No need to update your status today—just eat and rest," Hestia said softly, nodding with a touch of emotion. Her blue eyes shimmered with tenderness.
Blake smiled faintly before heading inside with Hestia and Lili accompanying him. It seemed neither of them had caught the deeper meaning in his words.
The next morning, fully recovered, Blake washed up, had breakfast, and was then forcibly dragged by Hestia for a status update.
He could only smile wryly at her insistence.
He hadn't trained at all yesterday, so how much improvement could there possibly be?
Still, with Hestia so enthusiastic, Blake could only go along with it.
But when Hestia sat on his back to update his status, her shocked scream echoed through the room.
"What?! How is this possible?!"
"Hestia, what's wrong?"
Startled by her reaction, Blake raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her, seeing her wide-eyed expression of disbelief.
Even Lili, sitting nearby, was puzzled. Though Hestia had been surprised by Blake several times before, this was the first time she looked so utterly dumbfounded.
"Blake, you should see for yourself..."
Hestia pursed her lips, still overwhelmed with shock, as she handed Blake the paper with his updated status.
Strength: S (952) → SSS (2000)
Endurance: S (967) → SSS (2000)
Dexterity: S (962) → SSS (2000)
Agility: S (987) → SSS (2000)
Magic: S (989) → SSS (2000)
2. One Sword to Rule All
After reading his updated status, Blake finally understood why Hestia was so shocked.
His previously S-ranked stats had all jumped directly to the maximum SSS rank, reaching 2000 in every attribute.
Even more surprising was that Hestia knew Blake hadn't trained at all the previous day—he had only swung his sword once in the ancient city.
To Hestia, it was utterly inconceivable.
"Could it be because I killed Apollo?"
Compared to Hestia's astonishment, Blake's gaze deepened as he began to piece together the cause.
He had unleashed his full power to kill Apollo, who had briefly released some of his divine strength. Such a feat—slaying a god with a mortal body—had translated into an unprecedented amount of growth for him.
"Hestia, can I level up to Level 3 now?"
Blake turned to Hestia and asked directly.
"You can. For some reason, the accomplishments you've accumulated today are utterly astounding. I feel like, as long as your stats are maxed out, even leveling up to Level 4 would be no problem at all."
Hestia spoke with a mix of confusion and awe. She couldn't understand how merely defeating Apollo's Familia could result in such overwhelming feats.
Could it be because Apollo was exiled from Orario? That made sense. After all, Apollo's downfall was entirely due to Blake's actions.
As Hestia recalled this, a look of understanding and relief spread across her face.
Seeing her expression of realization and admiration, Blake exhaled quietly. Although he didn't know what conclusion the wise Hestia had reached, as long as she didn't connect it to the fact that he had killed Apollo, it was fine.
Still, leveling up... to Level 2 in a week and then to Level 3 in just three days felt like riding a rocket, Blake thought with some amusement.
Right now, his strength was already comparable to an average Level 5 adventurer. Once he leveled up to Level 3, he'd probably reach the power level of a Level 6 adventurer.
"Blake, I'll help you level up now~"
While Blake was deep in thought, Hestia pricked her finger and let her divine blood drip onto Blake's back, initiating the ritual for his level-up.
This time, Blake finally experienced a normal level-up. Though he successfully advanced to Level 3, his stats were reset to zero—much to Hestia's odd relief.
Being too extraordinary could sometimes make people worry about potential unforeseen consequences...
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