"Drake's Stats"
Hephaestus pricked her finger with a long needle, a drop of blood falling onto Drake's back.
As Hephaestus chanted, a symbol identical to the flame and hammer emblem on the mansion appeared on Drake's back, glowing characters floating above it.
This was the Divine Blessing, a contract bestowed upon mortals using the god's blood as a medium.
As Drake expected, the Divine Blessing manifested as a character sheet, like in a game.
The glowing characters were sacred script only gods could read, detailing Drake's abilities in numerical form.
Drake, facing away from Hephaestus, couldn't see his back. He only felt a unique power flowing into his body.
Under this power, he felt a transformation, yet simultaneously, nothing seemed to have changed.
Then, silence. Drake wondered why Hephaestus was silent, then sensed the goddess's unease.
Drake's curiosity was piqued; what had she seen to be so shaken?
Since encountering Hephaestus, Drake's ability to read auras had seemingly failed, unable to gather any information about the goddess.
Being a god, Drake wasn't surprised he couldn't perceive her.
But he could sense her unease, indicating her astonishment.
"My Lady, is it not finished yet?" Drake asked.
Hephaestus, realizing her lapse, cleared her throat. "My apologies, Drake's stats are… astonishing!"
She covered Drake's back with a sheet of paper, tracing characters on it. The sacred script translated into common language, imprinted on the paper.
"There! See your abilities!"
Hephaestus smiled, handing the paper to Drake; she was clearly delighted to have such a prodigious talent in her Familia.
Drake took the paper and read:
"Drake Dragneel"
Level 1
Strength: EX (7542)
Endurance: EX (6875)
Dexterity: EX (6122)
Agility: EX (7134)
Magic: EX (7953)
Magic:
[Fire Dragon Slayer Magic]
• Spell-less casting.
• Immunity and absorption of fire-attribute damage.
[A#×*nj]
• XN>%`K, H4#LW_
Skills:
[Dragon Slayer]
• All abilities increased when fighting dragon-type enemies.
• Increased damage against dragon-type enemies.
[Innate Spirit Equipment]
• Creates indestructible equipment using magic power.
• Strengthens all attack techniques."
Drake understood Hephaestus's shock. These stats weren't just exceptional; they shattered the gods' understanding of mortal adventurers.
Hephaestus said, "You may not know what these stats mean. Other gods might even start a war if they saw them."
She wasn't exaggerating. It was entirely plausible.
Gods weren't always harmonious; relationships between Familias were complex.
While alliances and cooperation existed, they were based on shared goals or interests.
Generally, Familias of the same type were competitors. This seemingly heroic world had unimaginable darkness.
For Familias, talented adventurers were paramount. Gods like Apollo and Freya had used extreme measures to acquire desirable talents.
If they saw Drake's stats, even Hephaestus would worry about their actions.
Drake, anticipating his strength, remained calm. Hephaestus, thinking he didn't understand, felt obligated to warn him.
"For adventurers, talent and fighting ability are best reflected in magic and skills.
Ordinary adventurers, upon receiving their Divine Blessing, have no magic or skills. Even after leveling up, awakening them is difficult."
Drake realized he'd underestimated the rarity of his skills and magic.
His acquaintances all had magic or skills, but those named individuals were a minority in Orario; most were Level 1 or 2 adventurers.
Many adventurers didn't even have a magic slot, lacking the aptitude for magic.
Hephaestus continued, "Finn, the hero of the Loki Familia, awakened one magic and two skills upon joining, considered a once-in-a-century genius.
You have two magics and two skills, one being an unprecedented spell-less magic, and another I can't even analyze.
No one in my memory compares to you. Perhaps only the 'Incarnation of Talent' could."
Drake guessed the unanalyzable magic was World Magic; gods couldn't cross worlds.
Since receiving the Divine Blessing, his grimoire had reacted strangely. He'd investigate later.
The spell-less Fire Dragon Slayer Magic was also unique.
This world's magic required incantations, categorized as long, short, and ultra-short spells.
Long spells were usually large-area annihilation magic, powerful but requiring long chants, needing protection from other adventurers.
Short and ultra-short spells had shorter chants, requiring less preparation, but were less powerful.
Beyond that were instant spells, like the rabbit's Flame Bolt.
But Drake's Dragon Slayer Magic was fundamentally the application of Dragon Force; techniques like Dragon Force were merely derived from it. The stats only showed the spell-less magic.
This meant no distraction, allowing greater focus in battle—a significant advantage.
Drake was more interested in the "Incarnation of Talent."
Her name was Alfia, title 〈Silence〉, a prodigy who amazed even the gods.
Before the Loki Familia and Freya Familia dominated Orario, the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia ruled.
Orario's current "Twin Kings" were no match for the Zeus and Hera Familias in their prime.
The Zeus Familia once had two Level 8 adventurers. The Hera Familia, while lacking Level 8 information, had a Level 9 adventurer, a demigoddess.
This absolute strength allowed them to undertake the Gods' Three Great Quests:
Slaying three monstrous beings that had plagued the world since the age of the gods.
The Zeus and Hera Familias defeated Behemoth and Leviathan, but were annihilated challenging the final monster, the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
This led to the rise of the Loki Familia and Freya Familia.
Alfia was a member of the Hera Familia; at Level 7, she could fight the Level 9 demigoddess head-on, a clear testament to her talent.
She possessed three highly practical and powerful magics.
This wasn't what amazed the gods; she, a rear-guard mage, often fought as a front-line warrior.
No warrior could defeat her in close combat.
Alfia's talent was astonishing; she could learn any technique or skill after seeing it once.
Her most impressive feat was using large-area annihilation magic to instantly kill Leviathan.
Hephaestus believed Drake's potential was at least equal to Alfia's.
"Your base stats are also incredible, EX, exceeding specifications? I've never seen such stats.
Usually, adventurers' stats upon receiving a Divine Blessing are I-rank 0, meaning your power surpasses even the Divine Blessing itself."
In this world, adventurers' stats ranged from I to S. Only the best adventurers reached S-rank in their specialized attributes; A-rank was usually the limit.
Stats reset upon leveling up, so an adventurer's true strength was the sum of their stats at each level. A Level 2 adventurer with S-rank 1000 Strength, leveling up and reaching S-rank 1000 again, would have 2000 total Strength.
Drake, though Level 1, already surpassed Level 6 adventurers who'd maxed out at S-rank at each level.
No one in Orario had maxed out at S-rank at each level; even Ottar of the Freya Familia might not surpass Drake's stats.
Drake now understood his strength. Next was acquiring abilities.
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