72 DanMachi 42

As the girls slept soundly, I decided to experiment with the race system. It had been ages since I acquired the [Phoenix] and [Basilisk] races from the Harry Potter world, while the [Demigod] was new acquisition and now that I had reached Tier 3, I could hardly contain my excitement to try them out. The best place to do this would be the backyard, which was still guarded from watchful eyes and large enough to accommodate even a fifteen-foot serpent.

[Demigod]

+5 VIT, +5 PER +5 CHAR per Global Level

- Gain 40% resistance towards divinity.

- The user's lifespan is extended by 2,000 years.

- Gain the skill [Spec of Divinity], allowing you to accumulate belief.

I tried out Demigod as my first option and noticed a sudden transformation in my physique - my frame shifted, I grew a few centimeters taller, my muscles became more pronounced, and my hair turned golden while my eyes changed to blue. Although the Demigod race didn't provide any innate knowledge, as it didn't have any extra appendages, it did grant me a new skill called [Spec of Divinity] which perfectly complemented my existing skill [Seed of Divinity].

[Spec of Divinity LVL: N/A]

- The user gains the ability to accumulate belief in the form of divine energy.

- The user gains an increased sensitivity to divine energy, allowing them sense the presence of other divine beings and their influence on the world.

Upon unequipping the Demigod race, the next one I experimented with was actually the very reason why I ventured out to the backyard.

[Basilisk] [HP]

+10 STR, +10 VIT, -5 DEX, -5 INT per Global Level

- Gain the skill [Basilisk Venom], allowing you to secret a venom strong enough to erode souls.

- Gain the skill [Petrification], granting you the ability to petrify anything that your sight lands on.

- Gain the skill [Deadly Gaze], granting you the ability to instantly kill anything lower-tiered than you, when you make eye contact with them.

Closing my eyes, I prepared myself for the awkward transformation that was about to occur. My body began to bubble and expand, scales appearing on my skin, and within moments, I had transformed into an almost two-meter-long snake. However, my pride took a hit when I realized my size was much smaller than I had anticipated. Additionally, both my Intelligence and Dexterity have halved, thanks to losing a staggering 465 points, while both my Strength and Vitality almost doubled from receiving 930 free points. Although I attempted to curse, all that came out of my mouth was a feeble "Sha!" which made me laugh out loud.

Had anyone caught sight of me at that moment, they would have died on sight. Not only because of my [Deadly Gaze] but also due to the spectacle of a 2-meter-long gray serpent laughing uncontrollably. It was far from the most gracious sight to behold.

After calming myself down, I realized my mistake. Like all other snakes, Basilisks grow in size as they age. Given that they can live for a few thousand years without any problems, my small size could be considered relatively large, considering that I was essentially a newborn in their eyes.

[Skill: [Basilisk Venom] unlocked.]

[Skill: [Petrification] unlocked.]

[Skill: [Deadly Gaze] unlocked.]

[Basilisk Venom LVL: 1/100]

- Enables the production of a venom potent enough to corrode souls.

[Petrification LVL: N/A]

- Your gaze gains the power to petrify anyone same or lower tier than yourself.

- Petrification can be resisted, with certain skills, spells, or items.

[Deadly Gaze LVL: N/A]

- Your gaze gains the power to kill anyone of a lower tier than yourself.

The skills were quite interesting, allowing me to petrify or kill someone just by giving them a menacing glance, or poison them and erode their souls. I gave the race a little spin, quietly performing some acrobatic maneuvers in the backyards. However, in the end, I felt that the race, except for its skills, was uncomfortable and restrictive. Don't get me wrong, killing stuff disguised as a snake could be fun, but I preferred having hands and feet, over fangs, and a tail.

So switching out the [Basilisk] for the [Phoenix] race, I once again prepared myself to experience an awkward shift. My body once again bubbled, but this time instead of elongating, my frame shrunk, and I became the size of a larger flaming chicken.

[Phoenix] [HP]

+5 STR +10 VIT per Global Level

- Gain the skill [Eternal Flame], granting you high-speed regeneration.

- Gain the skill [Phoenix Tears], allowing your tears to gain a healing and antidote property.

- Gain the skill [Flame Travel], allowing you teleportation to any location that can support an open flame.

- Gain the skill [Phoenix Song], granting your vocal cords the ability to instill courage, support, or comfort.

The second transformation was different from the previous one. My body temperature soared, causing the ground beneath me to scorch as unrestrained heat emanated from my form. Despite the uniqueness of this experience, I was able to swiftly gain mastery over my body's thermal energy thanks to the system's guidance. However, the sensation of being small, reaching only half a meter up from the ground was unsettling and, like my serpent-like form, the absence of my hands made me uneasy.

[Skill: [Eternal Flame] unlocked.]

[Skill: [Flame Travel] unlocked.]

[Skill: [Phoenix Tears] unlocked.]

[Skill: [Phoenix Song] unlocked.]

[Eternal Flame LVL: N/A]

- Provides complete resistance to fire-based attacks and hot environments a tier below you.

- By channeling your vitality, you can increase your body temperature to a sustained, elevated level.

- While your body temperature remains above freezing, you gain a 0.1% regeneration of Health and Stamina per global level.

- When reaching the end of your lifespan, burn away all but 0.1% of all your stats to regain your youth.

[Flame Travel LVL: N/A]

- Enables travel in the Fire realm, granting instant transportation to any known location that can sustain an open flame.

[Phoenix Tears LVL: 1/100]

- Enables the production of tears with healing and antidote properties.

- The efficiency of the properties increases significantly with skill level, able to restore limbs or even cure curses at high enough levels.

[Phoenix Song LVL: 1/100]

- Grants your vocal cords the ability to instill courage, support, or comfort.

Although the skills it gifted me with were fascinating, some of them even seemingly overpowered, the supposedly powerful transformation into a phoenix turned out to be underwhelming for some reason. Despite the race granting me the ability to comprehend flight with my newly grown bright red wings, it wasn't enough to make me want to remain in this form, not for an extended period of time. Perhaps it was my imagination, but for some bizarre reason, I felt weak and fragile, despite the fact that my stats had actually improved. I shifted out of the form back to my human one and gave my new abilities a quick test drive.

I refrained from testing the petrifying and deathly gaze abilities of the [Basilisk] race for obvious reasons, but I did try my hand at creating venom. Fun fact, I wasn't immune to my own poison, and I had to learn that the hard way. The droplet of venom I produced on my palm seeped into my skin without any resistance.

Although [Abnormal Resistance] slowed down the spread of the poison inside my body, its effects were barely mitigated. Even with [Pain Tolerance] at its maximum level, an excruciating level of pain filled me as the flesh around the affected area turned black.

Fortunately, my mind remained lucid, and I quickly devised a viable solution to the predicament. I sliced into my palm and activated [Blood Manipulation], drawing out all the contaminated blood. However, that alone was insufficient. With a quick application of [Acting] and forcing myself to shed a tear, [Phoenix Tears] activated, and a glowing droplet healed the wound instantly. Subsequently, [Troll's Regeneration] and [Halo] activated, and I felt rejuvenated in no time.

I checked my Health status and was relieved to see that it displayed [Healthy]. With a quick cast of [Clean], I removed all traces of the blood covering and surrounding me, eliminating any evidence of my experiment.

The only abilities left to test were [Eternal Flame], [Flame Travel], and [Phoenix Song]. I knew my singing skills were terrible, so I wouldn't be testing the latter anytime soon. As for [Eternal Flame], it could only be tested in combination with [Magical Embodiment], more precisely in its Fire Elemental form. Because the instinctual knowledge I gained from the skill warned me that my current race couldn't handle the heat it produced.

To proceed, I shifted to my Fire Elemental form and activated [Eternal Flame], causing the surrounding temperature to skyrocket to mind-boggling levels. The surrounding air distorted, the ground turned molten, and all the house's windows shattered from the sudden temperature difference. I quickly shut down the skill, and while whistling innocently pretended not to be the one responsible.

Moments later, Olivia emerged from the house, still groggy with red eyes. She cast a quick glance at me and the charred ground before sighing.

"Andrew," she whispered, approaching me. "What are we going to do about all of this?" Her question didn't refer to the mess I had just made.

"Nothing," I replied, shaking my head. "We aren't the real cause of all this. The gods knew what was going to happen when the dungeon core shattered, but they never told us. I think this could be an opportunity for true growth. People are no longer bound to the gods they worshiped, and maybe their civilization can flourish in this way."

Her grimace indicated that she didn't like my answer, but she ultimately nodded. "What about the girls?" she asked.

"I'll figure something out, but they can't come with us," I said firmly.

"Andy...please?" she pleaded with me.

"I'm sorry, Olive, but no. This is a chance for them to live a peaceful life. We'll leave them enough money to buy out the city if they want, and I'll even craft them equipment that could survive several nuclear attacks. You can visit them whenever you want, but we're not taking them with us, and that's final." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she slowly nodded in understanding. The girls deserved a chance at a normal life, away from the all chaos that followed us.

"Okay," she said, her voice shaking. I sighed and pulled her into a tight hug, which she eagerly returned. We stood there in silence for a few minutes until she finally calmed down. She let go of me, wiped her face, and straightened her clothes. Then, with more confidence, she asked, "What's the plan now?"

"I was just about to jump over to the Elven kingdom, raid their library, and hopefully finish my Runic Index," I explained.

She nodded in understanding but added a warning, "Okay, but don't do anything stupid."

"What do you mean by stupid?" I asked.

"Don't accidentally destroy half of their city," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, I'll limit myself to destroying only a quarter of it," I replied with a nod. She snorted and playfully slapped my shoulder.

"You know what I meant," she said with a smile, her mood a bit better. I lean forward and plant a kiss on her lips, say my goodbye, and using my new skill [Flame Travel], appear in the air over the Elven primordial forest.

The two-week-long journey by carriage was shortened to barely a... blink. To avoid arousing suspicion, I shifted my race into a High Elf, and using the [Illusion Creation] skill I acquired from the Zuggtmoy, I made myself appear as if I'm wearing the same clothes as the rest of the population.

The primordial forest below me housed millions of different types of trees, but one of them stood out the most. The World Tree was an impressive natural wonder that stood at the center of the elven kingdom. Its trunk was wider than several mansions put together and simultaneously housed the Elven Royal Palace. Its rough bark was a deep brown, and vines and mosses grew along its sides, giving it a textured and vibrant appearance. The branches of the tree extended outward, forming a canopy that reached all the way to the clouds and provided shade and shelter to the forest below. From where I stood, I could see that the leaves of the tree were a vibrant green, shimmering in the sunlight, and the size of a field.

The World Tree was surrounded by numerous large trees, each housing multiple homes and connected by wooden hanging bridges that were grown rather than built. The elven capital was surprisingly calm, as the news of the disappearance of gods, accompanied by monsters, probably hadn't had the time to reach them.

The Elves were renowned for their plant magic, but it still surprised me that they built their town entirely from plant matter, making it a significant fire hazard. But I held back, I made a promise not to destroy the town, so I won't accidentally burn it down, not even to teach them a lesson.

Using [Celestial Eyes] again, I pinpointed the exact location of the library and without hesitation, I chose to use [Blink] instead of [Flame Travel], for clearly potential fire hazard reasons. In a flash, I appeared behind one of the librarians, then grabbed him by the neck, and used [Mind Arts]. I sifted through hundreds of years' worth of his memories, quickly learning everything I needed to know about his job and the library he oversaw. Once I had the information I needed, I broke his neck, covered myself in a new illusion, and moved on.

An hour and a few more curious elves that asked too many questions later, I had cleared out the majority of the magical section of the royal library, adding 4,000 books related to magic to my inventory. However, I knew from the librarian's memories that there was more to be found. The restricted area and the royal vault were practically calling out to me.

At this point, I abandoned any pretense of stealth and made my way toward the restricted area and the royal vault. I was aware that both places were protected by enchantments that would alert others to my presence. But rather than waste time disabling them, I maintained my guise and pressed on.

Access to this part of the castle was restricted to carefully selected guards and the royal family. So when I encountered the first guard, he drew his weapon and ordered me to leave. I simply used [Conjure Flame] and burned him to a crisp. Leaving his charred body in plain sight, I moved down the hallway.

After a five-minute walk and the deaths of twenty more guards, the hallways fell silent. I stood before the vault, which was protected by an enchanted Mithril door. It seemed odd to me to have such a strong door next to fragile walls. But before I could cast a spell to break through, I had a realization. I placed my hand on the door, willed it into my inventory, and watched as it disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. I stepped into the vault and found myself surrounded by billions of Valis.

"I can't believe how much wealth is stored in this vault," I mutter to myself as I continue to enhance my stats with [Mana's Blessing] to collect the coins faster.

After fifteen minutes, my UC hits over two hundred thousand, and the vault is almost empty. While gathering the currency, I come across some interesting items. A few branches, bark, a seed, and some preserved fruits, all of which, to my knowledge, belong to the World Tree. I carefully place all of them in my inventory, as they supposedly were miraculous crafting ingredients. Gems and ordinary items are ignored, but any rare metal or material, such as mithril or adamantium, found its way into my inventory. I was already thinking of ways to use them, especially the bark. Maybe I'll even combine it with the magic of Olivas's world and create a new and improved trunk.

As I emerged from the hole in the wall, a group of guards surrounded me with weapons at the ready. "Would you believe me if I said I found it this way?" Despite my attempt at a joke, they attacked me without hesitation. Their movements were slow to my sky-high stats, and I easily evaded them without even using any spells, finally after tortu – I mean – playing with them for long enough, I dispatched them with a single [Alter Orb] without even looking back. I knew I was already at the top of the food chain in this world, and currently, there was nothing that could stop me. Ignoring the flood of new notifications, I set my sights on the restricted library, located on the other side of the tree trunk.

The hallway leading to the library was eerily quiet, and my footsteps echoed through the empty space. The door to the library was made of world tree bark, a material with high durability and enchantability, and the ability to self-regenerate when exposed to light. I placed my hand on the door and willed it into my inventory, then dropped it to the side.

The restricted area was sparsely filled with shelves, each holding books with dangerous spells. My grin widens as I effortlessly added each one to my inventory, knowing that I can inspect them later.

Satisfied with what I've acquired, I activate [Celestial Eyes] and spot an army of five thousand elves, mages, bowmen, swordsmen, and spearmen waiting outside the castle, poised to attack me.

I chuckle to myself and say, "They'll be waiting a long time," before using [Blink] to quickly ascend into the air and activate [Fly] to make my way back home, ignoring the chaos I left behind in the royal capital.

As my inventory is nearly full, I decide to do some spring cleaning while in flight, removing any items I deem useless, including monster drops, hides, and fur, as well as potions I'll never use. This clears enough space for me to shift back to my original race without losing any inventory contents. However, my attention is soon captured by the flashing notifications, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

[Class: [Thief] unlocked.]

[Title: [Arcane Book-Thief] received.]

[Arcane Book-Thief]

- Gain the ability to sense the location of rare and valuable books within a certain radius.

- Your knowledge of languages and scripts allows you to decipher and understand even the most ancient and obscure texts.

- Gain the ability to absorb knowledge directly from books and other written materials, allowing you to quickly learn new skills and gain insights into arcane mysteries.

As soon as I gained my new title, I decided to forgo using [Blink] and opted to fly back home instead. With each book I retrieved from my inventory, I only needed to touch them to absorb their knowledge at an astonishing pace. It was as if I was reading the books themselves, and to my surprise, my [Reading] skill level increased. Grinning widely, I utilized [Archive] and [Multitasking] to the fullest, allowing me to absorb the knowledge of multiple books simultaneously before discarding them into the jungle below.

By the time I reached halfway to Orario, both [Multitasking] and [Reading] had reached their maximum levels, and my inventory was 4,000 books lighter. But that wasn't all - I also gained a new title tied to this world.

[Rune Master: DanMachi]

- Your proficiency in rune-crafting allows you to create runes at a reduced mana cost.

- Runes and enchantments created by you have a 10% increase in potency, longevity, and durability.

- Gain the ability to inscribe runes on living beings, granting them powerful magical abilities or augmenting their physical abilities.

- Your knowledge of rune-crafting grants you insight into the magical properties of objects, allowing you to identify and analyze magical artifacts with greater ease.