Loki sat on her bed, gazing at the sheet of parchment in her hand with a look of deep satisfaction.
"How is it? I recovered fast, didn't I?"
Hearing Loki's pleased tone, Shirou — now fully dressed — turned to her with a faint smile.
"Of course! You're the least troublesome child in the Familia. Whether it's your improvement in skills or your mental fortitude, you're easily one of the best members of the Loki Familia."
Handing the paper over to Shirou, Loki sat cross-legged on the bed, still watching him with visible pride.
To preserve Loki's dignity as a goddess, Shirou refrained from using his unique ability to automatically update his own status.
Unless it was an emergency, he wouldn't use that skill.
Of course, that rule applied only in this world.
Looking down at the parchment in his hands, Shirou couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of anticipation at his own growth.
---
[Name]: Shirou Emiya
[Level]: LV.4
[Basic Abilities]
Strength: S967
Endurance: A985
Dexterity: S932
Agility: S913
Magic: SS1069
[Development Abilities]
Smithing: F
Magic: H
Archery: G
[Magic]
Unlimited Blade Works 『』『』
[Skills]
Reinforcement
『Clairvoyance』
『Mind's Eye』
『Magic Resistance』
『Independent Action』
====================
---
"Three S-ranks, one A, and an SS?"
Analyzing his basic parameters, Shirou nodded with satisfaction.
Although he hadn't unlocked any new skills or magic, he wasn't greedy.
His current abilities were already more than sufficient. And even though he still had two open magic slots, Shirou felt no rush to learn anything new — not even with a grimoire in his possession.
"My basic stats are close to their limits, huh? Then, during the expedition, they'll probably reach their peak."
Looking at his status sheet, Shirou spoke up suddenly.
"Goddess Loki, you've seen my parameters. I estimate that I'll reach my limits during the expedition. Before we enter the 59th floor, I'll need to perform a status update — and I'd like your permission to do so."
Hearing Shirou's words, Loki frowned for a moment before exhaling and relaxing her shoulders.
"Ah~, fine, I'll allow it."
Getting up from the bed, Loki walked over to him, gently patted his shoulder, and said sincerely, "I'm entrusting everyone to you."
"Understood."
Although Loki had once said she wouldn't allow Shirou to update his own status, that was only because such an ability would completely undermine the divine authority she held.
After all, in a world where gods lived among mortals without access to their divine powers, their one remaining connection to their followers was the act of granting and renewing their falna — their divine blessing.
Therefore, an ability that allowed one to update their falna on their own could be considered, in a sense, one of the most blasphemous powers imaginable.
But Loki didn't truly mind. Her so-called "restriction" was more about maintaining appearances than enforcing divine pride.
It was the same as back when Shirou had faced the threat of Revis — when he'd been forced to update his own status mid-battle to boost his strength.
Back then, Loki hadn't objected either.
After all, to her, her child's life was far more important than her pride as a goddess.
That was one of the reasons Shirou respected her so deeply — not just because she was his benefactor who had granted him divinity's grace, but because she truly cared for him as family.
And this time was no different.
The journey to the 59th floor would be fraught with danger — especially that floor itself, shrouded in mystery, where no one could predict what awaited them.
In such an environment, Shirou — a warrior capable of fighting far beyond his level — could make a tremendous difference.
Every level he gained meant a massive leap in combat power.
And that, in turn, meant he could protect even more lives.
So, before he even asked, Shirou already knew what Loki's answer would be.
He had simply wanted to inform her out of respect.
"Don't worry, Goddess Loki. I'll make sure everyone returns safely once we've reached the 59th floor."
"I'll hold you to that," Loki said, her tone half playful, half sincere.
Leaving the room, Shirou looked at the long line of Familia members waiting outside and couldn't help but sigh — thinking to himself how pitiful Loki's fate truly was.
Ever since Ais and Shirou had leveled up, the entire Loki Familia had been training relentlessly.
And with frequent training came frequent status updates.
As a result, there was now a nightly line outside Loki's door.
Still, Shirou knew that this wasn't the ideal moment for improvement.
The real peak would come the following night — the eve of the expedition.
That would be the climax of their growth.
Loki had anticipated this and had told everyone to update their statuses early.
But, of course, hardly anyone listened.
At this point, Loki had simply accepted her fate.
As Shirou walked down the Familia's hallway, ready to return to his room, he suddenly overheard a few voices in conversation.
"You mean the mighty Ottar was spotted on the middle floors?"
"Yeah, that's right. Word is he's been hunting monsters near the seventeenth floor!"
Hearing that, Shirou immediately understood — Ottar was likely preparing a test for Bell.
Because of Shirou, Ais hadn't spent much time with Bell lately.
Even so, Bell couldn't escape the trial that Freya had planned for him.
Shirou wasn't entirely sure whether the new, stronger Bell could defeat the Minotaur.
To be honest, Bell's victory over the Minotaur in the original timeline had been nothing short of a miracle.
Otherwise, the Loki Familia wouldn't have been so impressed by him afterward.
That Minotaur hadn't been an ordinary one — it was one trained personally by Ottar, and even equipped with a weapon.
As everyone knows, an adventurer's strength depends on three factors:
Basic Abilities, Equipment, and Combat Skill.
In terms of attributes, the Minotaur utterly outclassed Bell — it was a higher-level creature, roughly equivalent to Level 2.
On top of that, it wielded a sword provided by Ottar.
As for combat experience, just as Ais had trained Bell, Ottar had trained the Minotaur.
In that sense, they stood on equal footing.
If Bell had any advantage at all, it was his ability to use instant-cast magic — Firebolt.
That's why his victory had been so inspiring.
Despite being weaker in nearly every measurable way, Bell had managed to defeat his opponent through sheer will and determination — and that had earned the admiration of the Loki Familia.
Otherwise, for most of them, defeating a higher-level monster wasn't exactly difficult.
Their equipment and combat experience far surpassed anything a monster could achieve.
"Something wrong?"
"Ah, it's you, Gareth."
Seeing Gareth approach, Shirou smiled, waved to the others, and returned to his room.
After all, that matter had nothing to do with their expedition — if anything, it would work to their advantage.
And Shirou had no reason to refuse such a convenient turn of events.
---
(End of Chapter)