CHAPTER 214: CHAPTER 214: LEVEL SUBLIMATION, DEVELOPMENT ABILITY [FATE]

"Dionysus has already been killed by me," Emiya said in a low voice, "From today onwards, live for me."

[T/N: Ding! Harem Protagonist-EX Activated Successfully]

Beside Filvis’s ear, Emiya said words that the girl could not refuse.

These words were taught to him by senior Friana.

("Apart from magic, history, and divine script, actually, I’m also a professor of psychology,") Friana said so.

Friana’s lifespan was really too long, and the years she had experienced were too many, giving her enough time to explore and delve into different fields.

As an elf with royal blood, her lifespan was much longer than that of ordinary elves. Moreover, she had received the Falna, which made her vitality even stronger.

Friana had even mastered a skill that could further extend her lifespan.

Professor of psychology, senior Friana, gave Emiya detailed guidance, especially on how to deal with Filvis’s mental state.

Her deep analysis mentioned many professional terms, such as dissociative identity disorder, psychological substitution mechanism, etc. which made others present confused and unclear.

Friana let out a helpless sigh often directed at her students, ("In short, the best method is for you to replace Dionysus’s place in that child’s heart.")

Her explanation was: Filvis’s problem of extreme dependence on Dionysus could be broken down into two parts: one was her strong mental dependence on others, and the other was that the target of this dependence was precisely Dionysus.

The former was difficult to resolve, caused by the girl’s mental and psychological internal flaws; but the latter could be changed, especially now that Dionysus was dead, making things a bit easier.

("Just right, you are also the one who personally ended Dionysus’s life. From the perspective of psychology and sociology, it will be easier to replace his position—")

Filvis was absolutely a strong person in terms of strength, but in terms of psychology, she was a weak dependent on Dionysus.

And now, that "powerful" Dionysus had been defeated by the even stronger Emiya, naturally making it easier to psychologically complete the replacement. This was the opportunity Emiya needed to utilize.

("Imagine what Dionysus would say, and you must treat her in the same way,") Friana instructed Emiya, ("Now the most important thing is to maintain her mental [continuity] and [stability].")

The vast knowledge of the [Thousand-Year Sage Staff] Friana made even [Sage] Fels glance at her with amazement.

It had to admit, although it lived longer, in terms of knowledge depth and breadth, Friana had already surpassed it.

As an elf, Friana’s magical talent was exceptionally outstanding, and her research efficiency was far higher than that of humans. Moreover, in the past few hundred years, Fels had been busy with guild affairs and had almost no time to deeply study new topics.

However, watching Friana seriously lean into Emiya’s ear, softly teaching him the speech techniques of "mental manipulation (PUA)", the atmosphere in the room became slightly subtle, and everyone’s expressions gradually became strange.

Everyone couldn’t help but mutter in their hearts, ’Is this really okay? And...senior, how do you even know this stuff?’

And now, Emiya was gently holding Filvis into his arms, feeling her body trembling slightly.

"Dionysus, he just saw you as a tool, using you to achieve his goals," Emiya spoke softly.

"You should understand, right? He never truly thought you were beautiful, but rather enjoyed the process of destruction and chaos," Emiya’s voice was very calm, stating the cold facts.

"You said, only Dionysus praised your beauty, only he was willing to embrace your filthy body... But, Filvis, what he praised and embraced was never you, but the filth and power dwelling in your body."

"Don’t you...admit this?"

Filvis’s body trembled slightly, "I...I..."

The girl was, of course, very clear about this, but being bluntly exposed by Emiya like this made her spirit even more broken.

And at this moment—

"Filvis, only I truly want to embrace you... regardless of whether you are beautiful or not."

"So, for me, live on."

———

Meanwhile, outside the room, the expressions of those eavesdropping became even more subtle. Riveria turned her head, looking at Friana with cold eyes.

"What exactly did you teach him?", Her eyes clearly said.

Friana felt a little guilty being stared at, simply turned her head away, and softly defended, "This is not my fault, it’s because his talent is too good."

———

[The Next Day]

"Aki, congratulations on leveling up!"

At the Loki Familia’s residence, today was full of laughter and overflowing joy.

[Noble Cat] Anakitty Autumn successfully leveled up to Lv.5, becoming the ninth first-class adventurer in the familia after [Pristine Garden] Alicia.

Aki, amid the crowd, smiled a bit shyly.

Her exploits originated from the [Knossos] subjugation battle, where Aki served as the front-line commander and vanguard, leading the team to break through the complex dungeon.

Aki’s performance was outstanding, not only showing sharp judgment and excellent combat ability but also displaying remarkable leadership.

Before this, Aki’s ability values had already been sufficient. After this battle, she accumulated a large number of exploits and finally leveled up successfully.

Everyone offered Aki congratulations, and Raul also stood at the back of the group, clapping sincerely for Aki.

There was not a trace of jealousy in his eyes. Although his peer who joined at the same time had already far surpassed him, Raul did not generate negative emotions because of this. This was also the greatest strength of the [Super Ordinary Guy].

Among the second team adventurers of the Loki Familia, three others also achieved level sublimation in this [Knossos] subjugation battle. One of them upgraded from Lv.2 to Lv.3, and the other two upgraded from Lv.3 to Lv.4.

Although other adventurers didn’t level up, their ability values also improved significantly.

In the first team, Loki Familia’s princess [Sword Princess] Ais, her ability values and exploits had already satisfied the upgrade conditions.

However, both Goddess Loki and Ais herself believed that her ability values still had room for improvement, so the upgrade ceremony was temporarily not performed.

Ais hoped to temper herself more sharply before leveling up, pursuing a higher limit.

As for [Braver] Finn and [Heavy Champion] Gareth, they did not directly participate in the intense front-line combat in this battle but served as trump cards for command and support.

This strategic decision ensured a steady advance of the front line. However, it also meant that if no accidents occurred, they would leave the powerful enemies (experience and exploits) to the juniors, allowing them more opportunities to grow in battle.

As a commander, Finn still gained enough exploits to level up, becoming the second Lv.7 in the Loki Familia. Gareth’s exploits were slightly lacking but not far off. His endurance and strength had also reached the astonishing level of S995 or above.

He probably only needed one more expedition for the [Heavy Champion] to reach level sublimation and become a top-tier Lv.7 adventurer.

In addition, Alicia, Bete, Tiona, and Tione, these Lv.5 adventurers, although they hadn’t met the upgrade conditions, all saw significant improvements in their ability values.

Especially Alicia, who was the main force in the subjugation of [Monster Revis], her magic rose by more than 200 points.

It was foreseeable that the Loki Familia would usher in a wave of level sublimations in the near future.

"Ryuu should also be able to level up. Her performance in that battle was much better than mine," Alicia sighed.

Thinking back to when both of them were at Lv.4, their actual combat power wasn’t very different, but after reaching Lv.5, with [Gale] Ryuu’s strength accumulated over the years fully bursting forth, she suddenly leaped to the pinnacle of the same level.

Now, she had even surpassed in level.

Tiona curiously asked, "Say, Ais, what do you plan to do next for training? Going to the dungeon, or sparring with someone? Do you want us to train together?"

Ais had set her goal: Strength and Endurance at least D level, aiming for C level if possible; Agility, Dexterity, and Magic at least two A and one S, preferably all three reaching S level.

This standard was extremely high for any adventurer and achieving it would not be easy.

Ais lightly nodded and replied, "Mm, it’s already decided. I’ll be sparring with someone."

In the girl’s mind, a shocking dragon shadow appeared.

Now, Wiene possessed Lv.7 upper-tier strength, far stronger than herself.

Thinking of this, as the "older sister," Ais couldn’t help but feel pressured.

Meanwhile, on the balcony of the mansion, Goddess Loki, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, three people and one god, were sitting at the table, conversing privately.

Loki: "Everyone’s ability values improved a lot this time, but for now, we still can’t catch up to the Freya Familia."

"Ottar leveled up to Lv.8, and Hedin also leveled up to Lv.7," Gareth couldn’t help but sigh, "That’s amazing."

Finn nodded, "Yes, Ottar’s upgrade feat was a solo expedition from the thirty-ninth floor to the forty-ninth floor, and he single-handedly defeated the One-Eyed Giant, Balor."

Riveria added, "Hedin’s [feat] was solo challenging and defeating a [Strong Dragon], and on the fifty-second floor, he pierced through a floor-spanning hole with lightning magic and killed a [Cannon Dragon]."

For the major factions, adventurers’ ability values were always confidential, belonging to internal secrets, but the challenges they overcame and the upgrade feats were often publicly announced to show off the faction’s power and increase influence in the dungeon city.

Gareth chuckled, "Thanks to them, those three corrupted spirits didn’t cause serious harm to the city. But if they had been in the Knossos, I probably could’ve leveled up too."

These words made Finn nod. His intuition was that if Gareth had defeated one more corrupted spirit clone, he would’ve had enough feats to upgrade.

Finn muttered, "Yeah... but speaking of it, Ottar and Hedin’s upgrades this time seem to have one person’s shadow behind them."

Riveria raised an eyebrow, "You mean Shirou, right?"

Finn nodded, "Ottar’s new weapon is clearly Emiya’s work. One glance and you can tell it’s something extraordinary, and it reminds me of an old acquaintance."

Ottar’s new weapon was a black greatsword, black as ink overall, rough in design, with a thick blade full of primal power, like a ferocious beast exuding terror.

Irregular runes were carved on the blade, like beast claws tearing flesh in the dark. Just one glance gave the impression of a ’devourer.’

When Ottar stood with the sword, the ferocious aura it emitted almost turned him into a beast.

Like a warrior emerging from the abyss, holding a sword that could devour everything, waiting for the order to crush enemies with overwhelming power.

Gareth, upon hearing this, set down his wine cup, "Zeus Familia’s [Gluttony]."

"Exactly. If that sword is as I suspect, with the ability to restore stamina while injuring enemies, it’s practically tailor-made for Ottar," Finn said.

"It’s certain that Ottar being able to defeat Balor is inseparable from that greatsword. As for Hedin’s upgrade feat... that scorpion’s subjugation, he also played an important role."

Loki squinted, took a sip of wine, and pouted, "Tch, the Freya Familia is taking advantage of my son-in-law... ow."

Bonk!

Just as she finished, Riveria unceremoniously smacked her with her staff.

Finn laughed and said, "If you put it that way, actually the Freya Familia had earlier contact with Shirou."

After all, when Emiya first arrived in the city, he stayed at the [Hostess of Fertility] inn. Seriously speaking, the Freya Familia had quite a bit of grace toward him.

"Emiya-kun’s existence has far exceeded my initial expectations," Finn looked into the distance.

"Getting a weapon made by him basically guarantees absolute advantage among peers. This overwhelming strength lets adventurers boldly challenge stronger enemies, thus earning [feats] and leveling up."

"And if I’m not mistaken, in this Knossos subjugation, he should’ve already gained enough feats to level up."

"If Emiya levels up again, his level will reach Lv.5," Riveria said, her voice slightly rising, "That is to say, a first-class adventurer."

Leveling up four times within one year, the fastest leveling first-class adventurer.

After he upgrades, even that [King] may not be able to surpass him.

———

[Hephaestus Familia Residence, Etna Volcano]

Emiya quietly sat before Goddess Hephaestus. Just as Finn predicted, having defeated Filvis, he had already gained qualification to level up. Moreover, Emiya’s ability values had also grown enough.

Goddess Hephaestus raised her fingers and seriously looked at Emiya, listing the development abilities he could choose this time, "Shirou, this time you can choose development abilities like [Swordsman], [Archer], [Pugilist], [Strike], [Mage], [Chain Attack], [Penetration]..."

Every time Emiya leveled up, multiple development abilities would appear. This time, there were especially many options.

[Swordsman] and [Archer] always appeared but were never chosen; [Pugilist] and [Strike] appeared due to fierce boxing battles with the Argana sisters; [Mage] related to high magic power; [Chain Attack] suited to Emiya’s fighting style; and the rare [Penetration]...

Emiya seriously considered each possibility. Among these, he was likely to choose between [Mage] and [Penetration].

However, Goddess Hephaestus continued, "Also [Fate]."

This rare, or rather unique, development ability appeared again.

"Do you want to choose this?", Goddess Hephaestus looked at Emiya and softly asked, "Even though, as a god, I have an instinct to chase the [Unknown], this development ability does fascinate me, but ’fate’ as a concept always makes people uneasy... Still, it’s up to you."

Emiya slightly closed his eyes. After a moment, he answered, "I’ve decided, I’ll choose this—"

Development Ability: [Fate (Fate)]

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[Emiya Shirou]

[Lv.4→Lv.5]

— Strength: SSS1311→I0

— Endurance: SSS1325→I0

— Dexterity: SSS1417→I0

— Agility: SS1002→I0

— Magic: SSS1469→I0

—: Development Abilities :—

[Mystery] F→E, [Forging] F→E, [Dominion] I→G, [Fate] I

—: Magic :—

[Unlimited Blade Works]

—: Skills :—

[Oath Under the Snow]

[Knight of Goddess]

[Roadless Valhalla]

[Innocent Monster]

[Mind’s Eye · True]

[Golden Physique]

[Enuma Elish] [T/N: F**k]

— [Enuma Elish] : Based on divine permission, the wielder can borrow divine armaments or elevate their own weapons to divine level.

— Existing permissions: Flame God’s Roar, Bow of the Firmament, Justice Judgment, Futsu no Mitama, Deceptive Mask, Seven-Headed Warhammer, Grape Chalice, Serene Sanctuary, Valkyrie’s Ring, Crown of the Queen of Heaven, [#$&@&] (Also includes hidden effects that cannot be parsed)

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Looking at Emiya’s new skill, Hephaestus was speechless.

This skill, [Enuma Elish], was highly tied to gods, and the recorded permissions all originated from Emiya’s close relationships with certain gods.

Hephaestus could understand the sources of some permissions. [Flame God’s Roar] was related to herself; [Bow of the Firmament] belonged to the moon goddess Artemis; [Justice Judgment] was the blade of star and justice goddess Astraea.

[Futsu no Mitama] came from the blessing of Takemikazuchi, a sword Emiya used to defeat many enemies. Loki’s [Deceptive Mask] was due to the deep connection between Emiya and the Loki Familia. [Seven-Headed Warhammer] was Ishtar’s war weapon.

[Grape Chalice] was probably related to Dionysus. Though that guy was a p*rvert, he did have a strange "affection" for Emiya.

[Serene Sanctuary] should be Demeter’s permission, as Emiya and the goddess of fertility were neighbors and often researched recipes together.

[Valkyrie’s Ring] came from Freya.

What puzzled Hephaestus was the [Crown of the Queen of Heaven].

This treasure clearly originated from Hera. But the problem was that Emiya had never met Hera, so why did his new skill have a connection to her?

Gods’ intuition was always sharp, and Hephaestus instinctively felt that something was off.

"Shirou, try projecting [Crown of the Queen of Heaven]," Goddess Hephaestus said.

Emiya nodded. Golden light gradually gathered in his hand, finally forming a crown of utmost nobility.

The golden crown was inlaid with dazzling gems. Its craftsmanship perfectly displayed Goddess Hera’s dignity and inviolability. However, after careful observation, Hephaestus frowned slightly.

"This crown, apart from looking beautiful, seems to have no other additive effects."

Emiya also noticed this. The crown did have the aura of a divine artifact, exuding undeniable majesty.

But beyond that, this [Crown of the Queen of Heaven] seemed to offer no real power enhancements, neither for ability value boosts nor additional magical effects.

This was clearly suspicious, but for now, there seemed to be no negative effects.

"In any case, keep an eye on Hera. She should still be in the lower world," Goddess Hephaestus reminded.

Hephaestus relaxed a bit. After all, the control of this skill was still in Emiya’s hands, and Hera was a righteous god, so there was no need to be too tense.

"Then—"

[#$&@&]... In Emiya’s skill list, there was still a divine weapon that even Goddess Hephaestus couldn’t understand.

Not to mention guessing which god it was linked to, it was completely unreadable gibberish.

Emiya couldn’t project it either, [#$&@&] wasn’t the true name of a Noble Phantasm. It was more like a segment of corrupted data, mysteriously stored in Emiya’s [God’s Grace].

Compared to the [Crown of the Queen of Heaven] that clearly points to Hera, this thing is even more disturbing.

It’s just that, even after Emiya and the goddess Hephaestus studied it for a long time, they ultimately gained nothing.

Goddess Hephaestus, "Anyway... we have to properly celebrate, celebrate that you’ve become a First-Class Adventurer."

Having confirmed that there was no way, continuing to be entangled was a waste of effort, at this point, it could only be put aside for now.

"Besides, Tsubaki also just leveled up to Lv.6, and her banquet hasn’t been held yet either," the goddess said.

Emiya’s growth rate far exceeded expectations. From that inexperienced rookie adventurer back then to now standing among the First-Class Adventurers, it took less than a year. Tsubaki, also influenced by Emiya, made further progress in her forging skills, and by creating works that surpassed the limits, achieved a level elevation.

"I will prepare rich wine and delicious food, today we must properly celebrate!"

[T/N: The Silk Song is real!]

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