Chapter 54, Level Up Finally!

After getting cleaned up and taking a quick rest so the day would pass sooner. The hour was almost upon us and all three of us climbed into the cabinet knowing that if Hephaestus got the letter and thus the cabinet. We would have the only working 'teleportation' system in the world of Gekai.

And, after sitting in the cabinet for a couple minutes I felt some vertigo as my vision spun before light hit our eyes and my goddess eyes met mine outside the cabinet as light from a bright light streamed into the dark cabinet the three of us were scrunched into with Tina sitting on my and Tamamo's lap.

Tina quickly hopped out of the cabinet along with myself pulling Tamamo out as Hephaestus silently waited for me to get out. And once I got out of the cabinet, Hephaestus sighed. "I wish you gave me a letter or something but, with how Hera's Familia is hunting your ass down, I can't exactly blame you for not wanting to be their crafting slave." 

She leaned in and gave me a soft side hug with her strong smithing arms giving me a hearty squeeze as she said more happily. "I am glad you and Tina are both ok, don't tell me where you guys went as heaven knows if some divine could cuss it out of a hair being out of place or something." She told me more firmly at the end.

I nodded in understanding as she gave my shoulder another squeeze and then she went and checked on Tina and seeing she was A-Ok she smiled with her giving the Pallum a pat on the head earning a glare from the murderous midget. "And I am glad you still have your fire Tina. Now who is this lovely... Renard?" Hephaestus asked with her voice becoming confused as she looked between me and Tamamo with confusion.

With a wry smile, I said. "Tamamo is... Complicated and her origins are best left unsaid besides that she is loyal to myself and she needs her own Falna if you are willing Hephaestus."

My forge goddess's singular eye gave me a glare before she rolled her eye as she drawled out. "Really feeling the love here my child... I cannot help but wonder if the only reason you came home was to have your Falna updated so you could level up."

Just to be an ass, I wolf-whistled 'innocently' making Hephaestus snort before she looked to Tina and said. "Bah, this fool is being an ass still. But as his minder, I will tell you that there is two members of Hera's Executives roaming Orario and the countryside looking for your owner." She told Tina making my lips twitch as she was being petty and not directly telling me.

But with that news, I asked bluntly. "So which ones are they?" 

Hephaestus's face twisted into a scowl, though not at me and instead of the information as she replied in annoyance. "The Sword Saintess, and the Chaste Huntress who have special abilities to hunt things down with their own skills... The Sword Saintess being blind has some ability to 'see' souls and magical energy so she can pick up people through walls and even from great distances in a crowd of other people. And the Huntress can pick up a scent that's weeks old and be able to track it."

I froze as I didn't do anything to throw off a scent besides just some simple things that wouldn't work on a legendary tracking-based adventurer. But seeing as this Huntress hadn't tracked me to Melen, then somehow we got away from her.

I took a breath and then said. "Well... Then I suppose we cannot really stick around here for too long then." 

Hephaestus gave a tired small smile. "Yes, I am afraid that is so Jake. Now, let me help you and Tina Level up while putting a Falna on Tamamo was it?" She asked the kitsune who nodded bowing her head.

"Yes lady Hephaestus, I wish to join your Familia." Tamamo said earnestly and most importantly with honesty making Hephaestus give a wane smile before she snapped her fingers and said. "Alright! Tina, shirt off. We are leveling you up now." 

Tina with zero hesitation knowing I was the only guy in the room pulled her top over her head completely exposing her ample breasts being held up in a sports bra. And Hephaestus got behind her, with the forge goddess pricking her finger with a little instrument she took from her pocket as she seemingly knew we would want our level up.

A gentle glowing light emanated from Tina's back as Hephaestus began working on her Falna and Hephaestus made a noise before she chuckled saying. "I would offer to tell you the other Development Abilities you have... But with your Blood Fury Spear Skill, you basically automatically acquired the Spearman Development Ability. It would be a waste for you to ignore it as it will help your power scale so much better."

There was a moment of silence as Tina obviously was thinking things through and she nodded as Hephaestus told her of the less important Development Abilities she had available like Hunter, Abnormal Resistance and a couple of others.

And with that update, Tina moved from the chair so I could get my own Falna updated as we were on somewhat of a time crunch due to a couple of overpowered adventurers possibly tracking us down.

After throwing off my shirt, I felt Hephaestus's hands fall onto my back as I sat down and she hummed before I shivered feeling her divinity sinking into my body as she activated my Falna and my past experiences in Excellia was turned into strength. "Well, well Jake... You always do the oddest things don't you." 

And Hephaestus quickly said. "Hold on... There is a good bit to read here, so let me get an idea of what you got going here and you also got a skill as well Jake!." 

I rather impatiently waited with my eyes closed as I tried to pass time as quickly as possible and after what seemed like a couple of minutes, Hephaestus spoke again. "Alright you have a couple Development skills I have never seen before so I needed to look into what they actually did... Now the first one you have is Luck, which basically acts as a form of plot armor, and minor probability manipulation to make things go better for you. Which can be an amazing thing in the dungeon honestly as you can never have enough good luck in the dungeon." 

But then her voice became strict as she said more seriously. "On the other hand... The other development skill is something to do with your fusion magic. Its name is literally 'Fusion II' And it enhances your fused items further and encourages you to do something called 'fusion quests' with better rewards for that."

Ah yeah, the fusion quests which I hadn't been able to take advantage of due to my inability to go into the dungeon. But the Dark Souls and Elden Ring-themed weapons I made did have quests and such attached to them that required me to do some crazy stuff in order to gain minature skills and such tied into wielding those weapons from their boss counterparts. 

Frankly... I didn't want to tangle with any 'SoulsRing' boss until I actually hit level 2 at the very least so I had been ignoring those.

 But with such a juicy development skill that was clearly aimed at my prime skill anyway. I didn't need Bell's literal double stack of plot armor skill so I said more confidently. "I want the fusion magic upgrade!"

Hephaestus made a noise of agreement and I shivered feeling her divinity seep more into my body as I was elevated from level 1. To a level 2! 

With Hephaestus saying with some smug happiness in her voice. "Congratulations Jake Barris... You broke Alfia's record as the fastest adventurer to reach level two in the course of merely a month and some change."

And in turn, as I spoke with an evil grin. "Great... Now my goddess, just imagine Hera's face when she hears that Haha! As remember, the Denatus for the naming of Adventures is this weekend as well."

I took my Falna paper from Hephaestus and gave it a quick inspection only seeing the development skill [Fusion II] Added to the new section where the development skill slate was. Still, I had no dedicated magic beyond the magical effects I could use with my own enchanted items and the actual fusion spell system thing.

Jake Barris

Level 2

Strength 0 I

Endurance 0 I

Dexterity 0 I

Agility 0 I

Magic 0 I

Skill- Endymion Poiménas- Passively boosts all creatures physical and magical strength tamed by host by fifty percent. The longer the tamed beast follows the host, the higher the boost will become over time.

Magic- Fusion Of All Things- Grants the user the control of a pocket space, the user may place things in the pocket space and when desires, he may activate the pocket space that will fuse all things within the space to make a single object that is better than all things that were in the pocket space prior put together. Pocket space will level up with more abilities with subsequent levels of Falna and accomplishing secret quests. Rank H

"Well now let's give you your Falna Tamamo... I rather the Sword Saintess not look over here from her bedroom window and see your soul signature Jake." Hephaestus said snappily and after getting a nod from me, Tamamo undid the knot in her kimono so she could slide the back down her shoulders.