Tremendous Improvements Across The Board

Although she had been very nervous at first, completely unable to lie still, Lefiya soon realized that none of what she had somewhat 'feared' had actually come to pass. Her chest hadn't been fondled, her neck hadn't been teasingly licked… it was a far more relaxing and secure experience than Loki's usual 'update procedures'. Just thinking of those usually made her shiver uncomfortably.

Of course, she had been convinced that it would be like it was currently - that had been the main reason that she had chosen to trust Isaac over her oh-so-honourable goddess, after all. While a part of her felt a little bit disappointed at not having been taken advantage of, that was just a very small and insignificant one. For the most part, she felt relieved and happy.

Even the shame she had felt upon showing her exposed back to a man had quickly faded. And that was despite the fact that she had been anxiously clutching her clothing in front of her breasts, almost entirely hiding them from view.

There was nothing more reliable than a professional - and that was exactly the feeling that Isaac gave off. In his eyes, there was nothing but the Status update, plain and simple. His hands didn't wander, neither did his eyes. Not that he would have wanted to ogle the young Elf anyway.

[ Name: Lefiya Viridis ]

[ Familia: Loki Familia ]

[ Race: Elf ]

[ Level: 3 ]

[ Age: 14 ]

[ Stats ]

[ Strength: I-63 -> H-115 (909) ]

[ Endurance: H-157 -> G-243 (1860) ]

[ Dexterity: H-191 -> G-288 (2111) ]

[ Agility: G-230 -> F-334 (2514) ]

[ Magic: A-892 -> S-987 (8313) ]

[ Magic ]

[ Arcs Ray ]

[ Fusillade Fallarica ]

[ Elf Ring ]

[ Skills ]

[ Fairy Canon ]

[ Development Abilities ]

[ Mage: H ]

[ Abnormal Resistance: I ]

During this past expedition, Lefiya's newfound self-confidence and the change to her fighting style had given her both far more excelia than normal and a relatively huge number in stats that weren't just Magic. Previously, she had been quite cowardly and often didn't manage to successfully use her Magics in combat, leading to her relatively slow growth. She also had been leaning extremely heavily into one stat, causing all others to be underdeveloped, dangerously so.

While a part of the reason for this happening was her fear of monsters, which made it difficult for her to fight them in close quarters, the Loki Familia had also enabled this behaviour and turned her into a protected Magic turret that would crumble with the slightest breeze. Even though 'trusting in others to protect oneself' sounded nice, it was just an excuse to neglect growing stronger until one could stand proudly on one's own two feet. Yes, it wasn't inherently wrong for different party members to have their own distinct roles, but one should always at least have the ability to protect oneself in case of an emergency.

That was the exact reason why Lefiya had wanted to learn from Isaac in the first place, and while the gains could still be argued to be a bit little, her training had already started to pay off. Her growth had been sped up significantly and stats besides Magic had begun to develop as well.

Still, Isaac couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Lefiya's slow growth, despite the tens of thousands of higher Level monsters that she had slain during this expedition, just further highlighted the downsides of party play in this world - and even more than that, it showed the odd position that Magic was in.

Magic allowed the weakest of adventurers to overcome a gap of multiple Levels with ease. Even the laws of this world were aware of how imbalanced it was and regarded it as overpowered. Therefore, the excelia gain when one eliminated a monster using Magic was far, far lower than usual. It might not even be a tenth of a percent of what would have been gained should it have been slain in another way. Magic had explosive power, but it came with a heavy price and a burden to carry.

To clarify things, support- or enchant-type Magic didn't get discriminated against by the very world. They could be freely used to raise one's combat power and to tear one's enemies apart. But once one used attack-type Magic, one would be subjected to an extremely scarce excelia gain.

For Lefiya, it would have been far more effective to just bash monsters to death with her staff rather than to follow the expedition party and use her Magics. But of course, that was only if the only one that was taken into account was herself. As expeditions were attempts by the familias to delve deeper into the dungeon, it was inevitable that some people would lose out and stunt their own growth for the group's greater good.

Before, Isaac had had a vague idea about the heavy restrictions that attack-type Magic was bound by, but now that he had actual proof, he felt a bit disgruntled. He would have been lying if he had stated that he didn't want to use large area destructive Magics, just for the spectacle of it. Thanks to this current intel, however, he was now sure that he should only look into those once he had reached the limits of the Falna - if there even was one. Until then, he would continue to prioritize support- and enchant-type Magic. The next one he had in mind was, after all, an enchant-type Magic, and it would be a great boon to him in combat. If he could create it. As he already had a pretty good idea of how it should work, he felt confident.

Another part of his student's Status that was hard to miss was the abundance of Magics and her Skill. As he was sure that she wouldn't mind, he took a glance at them just to familiarize himself with them. It was always good to know about one's allies' capabilities, especially when it was time to make plans and to assign roles.

[ Arcs Ray: Forms a single arrow made out of pure, non-elemental mana and launches it at a specified enemy. Will track the target and can be manually controlled by the user. Will require 50% less focus if activated via the chant.

Chant: "Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow. Shoot, sniper of the fairies. Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy." ]

[ Fusillade Fallarica: Forms arrows made out of fire and launches them at enemies present in a specified area. Can be manually controlled by the user. Will require 50% less focus if activated via the chant.

Chant: "Proud warriors, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows. Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages." ]

[ Elf Ring: Enables the user to use any Elf's or High Elf's Magic if certain conditions are met.

Condition 1: This Magic has to be activated first.

Condition 2: The user has to be sufficiently knowledgeable about the Magic they are trying to use. At minimum, the chant and effects of the Magic have to be known.

Will require 50% less focus if activated via the chant.

Chant: "I wish upon the name of Wishe. Ancestors of the forest, proud brethren. Answer my call and come to the plains. Connecting bonds, the pledge of paradise. Turn the circle and dance around. Come, ring of fairies. Please - give me strength." ]

[ Fairy Canon: Due to the user's ancestry and outstandingly pure bloodline, they have a closer connection to nature and mana itself.

The effect of any Magic gets increased by 50%.

If the Magic used is attack-type, this doubles. ]

When Isaac handed Lefiya her Status sheet, an ecstatic expression spread on her face and after putting her clothes back on properly, she clutched the sheet of paper to her chest while sporting a bright smile. The growth she had just experienced was one that she hadn't seen in years. For a long time now, her development had been rather slow. But now, she knew that the path she had chosen to follow wasn't wrong.

"Taking you as my teacher was the best decision of my life!"

Grinning from ear to ear, the overjoyed Elf tackled Isaac and gave him a hug, causing him to smirk slightly and pat her head once or twice. A few seconds later, Lefiya finally came to her senses and started to blush, then she hastily distanced herself and bowed a little, before rushing out of the room.

"Excuse me!"

Isaac stayed back, helplessly shaking his head slightly. It was truly baffling how this girl could be so lewd and innocent at the same time. But maybe it was because of that odd combination that he found her to be so endearing and amusing? In any case, he truly hadn't minded that hug just now. There had been no seductive thoughts behind it, just pure delight. If only that other person with the habit of tackling him could behave in such a way…

While he had been thinking to himself, Mina had made her way here and had already lain down on the sofa with her back exposed. She didn't have any reservations at all and didn't even waste a single thought on being ashamed in front of her lord. She was well aware of her role and wouldn't ever think of overstepping her boundaries. Still, as she was thinking back to yesterday's bliss, her tail began to wag in glee.

After pacifying her with a quick few head pats, Isaac dripped a drop of blood on her back, then he finally took a look at her Status properly. He had only glanced at her Devotion before and had deliberately held back from reading the rest as he intended to look at everyone's Status in one go.

[ Name: Mina Teagle ]

[ Familia: Isaac Familia ]

[ Affiliation: Isaac Blackshaw's Subordinate (Retainer, Familia) ]

[ Race: Chienthrope ]

[ Level: 1 ]

[ Age: 16 ]

[ Loyalty: 100/100 ]

[ Devotion: 24/100 ]

[ Stats ]

[ Strength: G-288 -> B-739 (+ 5348 x 0.0024) ]

[ Endurance: G-218 -> C-646 (+ 5310 x 0.0024) ]

[ Dexterity: F-307 -> A-829 (+ 5368 x 0.0024) ]

[ Agility: G-266 -> B-701 (+ 5345 x 0.0024) ]

[ Magic: I-58 -> G-270 (+ 5330 x 0.0024) ]

[ Magic ]

[ None ]

[ Skills ]

[ Reverential Resonance ]

[ Development Abilities ]

[ Can be chosen from when ranking up: Abnormal Resistance, Swordsman ]

Isaac was very satisfied with both Kalin's and Mina's growth. They could have grown even more had he been present to update their Status when their excelia gain had slowed down, but alas, he had been holed up in the dungeon for too long, letting them 'rot' at their current state.

Noticing the very small bonus his follower was currently getting, he smirked - it was barely more than a dozen points per stat. But once his own strength increased, Mina would probably be shocked at how much power she would be capable of wielding.

When he handed the good girl her Status sheet, he made sure to properly explain the effects of her new Skill, causing her to grow absolutely euphoric. Not even in her wildest dreams had she dared to imagine that her feelings for her lord could transform into a tangible form, something that could help her in combat, even!

Just by having mentioned the Skill's details to her, her Devotion stat increased by another two points. Seeing how relatively slow its growth was compared to the Loyalty stat from before, it seemed like it would take a very long time for it to be maxed - but Isaac had already expected as such.

Shortly after Mina had left, Quinn entered the room. He quickly did as he was told and obediently let a drop of blood hit his upper back.

[ Name: Quinn Graham ]

[ Familia: Isaac Familia ]

[ Affiliation: Isaac Blackshaw's Subordinate (Retainer, Familia) ]

[ Race: Cat People ]

[ Level: 1 ]

[ Age: 14 ]

[ Loyalty: 75/100 ]

[ Stats ]

[ Strength: I-9 -> H-152 ]

[ Endurance: I-4 -> H-144 ]

[ Dexterity: I-15 -> H-163 ]

[ Agility: I-6 -> H-148 ]

[ Magic: I-2 -> I-74 ]

[ Magic ]

[ None ]

[ Skills ]

[ Berserker ]

[ Development Abilities ]

[ Can be chosen from when ranking up: Swordsman ]

The cat boy's growth had run into the same stumbling block as most of the other subordinates - Isaac's absence. Still, it was absolutely ludicrous growth, percentage-wise. Compared to the insignificant stats that he had had before, his current ones were like day and night. While this transformation couldn't even begin to compare to Isaac, of course, it still might have even more potential than a certain white-haired protagonist's hack-like Skill.

Quinn's Skill enabled him to catch up to and possibly quickly surpass the rest of the subordinates - if they didn't put in a lot more effort, that is. Well, considering the stat buff that Mina would receive from Isaac, maybe they would both still be about equal. In any case, just as he had expected, this boy would surely grow into one of the most powerful weapons in his arsenal.

A content smile played across his lips and he patted Quinn's head a bit, mostly out of habit, causing the boy to look at him in confusion. It wasn't like he hated or disliked this treatment, but even such a simple thing as a pat on the head was entirely foreign to him.

"Here you go, have a look. I'm proud of you."

The words that accompanied Isaac's handover of the Status sheet almost caused Quinn to involuntarily break down crying, so for some time, he found it a bit difficult to read what was actually written on there. It had to be stated that his comprehension speed when it came to picking up how to read was exceptional - he had actually long since graduated from being illiterate. When he finally blinked the tears away, he got absolutely stunned by his own progress. He had known that he had become far stronger - but never would he have expected such a massive increase!

After the Status update, he had felt a peculiar feeling that he was unfamiliar with. It somewhat seemed like he was bursting with power, but at the same time, all of his senses had also improved. All of this now turned into a warm memory in his heart, one that he would always be proud of. This… It was his first step.

Standing up in an effort to excuse himself, Quinn used a little bit too much strength and almost fell over, so Isaac caught him and helped him steady himself.

"I'll have all of you grow used to your new and improved selves later. Let's first return to the rest and inspect your homework."

Slightly embarrassed about his blunder, Quinn compliantly followed behind Isaac and the two sat down in the common room again shortly after. A bit of jovial banter later, Isaac had Jakk, Kalin, Mina and Quinn submit their homework, a huge stack of books. There were a total of 76 of them, ranging from poetry to scientific journals, from fairy tales to tax returns. Wait, why tax returns? Who the hell would even sell those, and why? Oh well, nevermind.

What caught Isaac's attention the most was a certain book that was part of Mina's stack - Dungeon Oratoria. Ais also owned this book, and it was a huge part of what had motivated Bell to want to become a hero. While it certainly wouldn't be the most enrapturing story that Isaac would ever read, he supposed that it wouldn't hurt to at least read it once. He did read basically anything, after all. So although he wouldn't gain much from it, the book still held symbolic significance.

His momentary focus on this specific fairy tale didn't mean that he was dissatisfied with the rest of the books, not at all. In fact, he was secretly a little overjoyed. He didn't feel like going out of his way to buy books himself yet, as he really didn't have enough time for that. Or maybe he was just too 'lazy', having gotten used to the comfort of his past world's delivery services… causing him to come up with this 'homework' for his subordinates and students, turning them into glorified delivery men. And best of all, he wouldn't know which books he would end up getting, it was almost entirely random. It felt a bit similar to a certain genre of games that he had dabbled in occasionally.

Anyway, he decided to first put the books into his inventory. While he could read them extremely quickly, he decided to save them for his nightly AP grinding sessions. What could be better than strolling - or rather, sprinting - through the dungeon with a book in hand, absentmindedly slaying monsters? Adding the Eyes of Hermes into the mix, it sounded like both a mentally and physically exhausting time - it was perfect.

"Well done, all of you. But don't think your homework is over. I still expect to receive books from you regularly. As before, buy them using my money. Aselina and Lefiya, this also applies to you. You can either present them to me daily or every week, or even every month. As long as you bring me an average of one book per day, you're good."

Even though Jakk had been tempted to ask about what would happen if they didn't fulfill these conditions, he chose to keep quiet. While he was sure that Isaac wouldn't outright harm them, he might just refuse to teach them anything for a week or so, causing them to lag behind and potentially get hurt. Running around town to search for books for him wasn't that troublesome anyway, especially because they didn't even have to pay out of their own pockets.

Secretly, he envied Averin a little. Due to his sensitive identity, the rooster couldn't just walk around town in the open and was therefore exempt from homework duty, for now. But considering how he would have to turn into some kind of monster instead of his suave and handsome Hume Bunny self should he want to be treated in the same way… yeah, the current situation wasn't that bad.

Once the homework-related business was dealt with, Isaac led the group to a training area, giving a few pointers here and there while everyone was mainly familiarizing themselves with their improved capabilities. During the hours that passed by, he often sneaked a look at his abundant AP reserves.

'Should I, or should I not?'

-----

Around noon, Loki was sitting in her study, with a huge number of Status sheets all over the table. She was currently clutching four of them: Ais', Bete's, Tiona's and Tione's. During the time when she had been busy updating everyone's Status, Ais had dropped by and left her own results here for her goddess to take a look at later. Thanks to this, only now did Loki finally understand the magnitude of the massive change that her familia had gone through.

An elated smile spread on her face and soon after, cackling laughter resounded as she was cuddling with the four sheets of paper and kissing them all over.

'They did it! They finally did it!!'

Although to an ignorant observer she may often seem like she didn't care too much about the matters of her familia, she was actually heavily invested in the lives of all of her children. Seeing four of them taking such a huge step in their development almost brought her to tears, tears of joy! It took her a couple of minutes to calm down, then a sinister smirk played across her lips. Her eyes opened ever so slightly.

"I bet this will be a huge surprise to these morons at the Denatus."

It wasn't a secret that a fair number of the gods hadn't made use of their eternity at all and consequently had quite underdeveloped mental faculties, to put it nicely. Sure, there were many that were extremely smart and slippery, and ones to watch out for. But all of them always seemed like idiots in her eyes. She respected a few of them as her opponents, but she had never truly put any of the gods in her eyes. Only the far more ancient ones amongst them, the previous generation, the primordial gods - and the ones that came before even those - truly made her afraid.

Now that she had a chance to present four of her beloved children's feats to such a huge audience of her kind, and to shatter lots of the plans that they undoubtedly had been hatching before they could even bear any fruit, she felt amazing.

For years now, she and Freya, while they were allies, had had a strained relationship, mostly due to the goddess of beauty's whimsical nature and her propensity for stealing other deities' children away. Sadly, Freya's familia had been half a step above hers in strength, sometimes forcing her into an uncomfortable position. But now, that gap had practically been closed.

Thinking about all of this, she suddenly remembered something. Or rather, somebody. She hadn't accounted for the massive impact that the newest addition to her familia, Isaac, would have. Now that he had returned from the expedition, he would undoubtedly take a short leave of absence… and his obscene rate of growth would shatter all previously-held beliefs. All of the gods would aim for him, either out of curiosity, a desire to have him defect to their familia or, well, more sinister goals. Freya would undoubtedly be amongst the lot, as she was basically addicted to searching for and snatching talents.

'That's strange, why am I not worried?'

Considering her rival's charm and her ability to have both men and women do her bidding, which even worked on most of the gods, Loki felt like it would only be reasonable to assume that Isaac would also be somewhat affected. But a strange premonition had appeared in her heart. She… somehow felt like it wouldn't be a problem. And she couldn't explain why.

Even though it would normally make her anxious to have limited information about something, it actually felt comforting this time. Smirking to herself, Loki sighed.

"What a strange child. My curiosity is killing me! He'd better not make me wait for too long… I want those answers."

While her words contained threats, she didn't intend to act upon them. After all, she would never betray or harm her children - unless they planned to backstab her.