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Chapter 19 - "A Vengeful Maiden's New Power"

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Of course, there was no way it could "break."

Carving a holy seal was a necessary step in forming the contract.

While Miko Yotsuya stood there, face tense with worry about the unknown, Rosen calmly thrust the spear of light into her abdomen.

She expected there to be blood—but the spear slid in as if it were intangible, passing straight through her body.

A strange foreign presence filled her insides, leaving her a bit uncomfortable, but there was no pain.

Then, as divine power surged, golden lines began forming across her skin, weaving together into an ornate pattern that couldn't be erased.

Somewhere beyond conscious thought, a mysterious link took root—connecting Rosen's soul with hers.

When Rosen finally withdrew the spear, Miko blinked in surprise, only now realizing she'd been holding her breath.

She glanced down at the mark.

An intricate, unfamiliar design now graced her skin.

But more than that—was that… it?

She had expected something… more dramatic.

"How do you feel?" Rosen asked.

It was his first time contracting someone, so even he wasn't sure what changes to expect.

"I… I feel like my whole body's brimming with power. Like I could punch a cow into paste."

At his words, Miko took a moment to focus inward.

Her eyes widened—her body, which had always been run-down from the constant interference of spirits and lack of rest, felt healthier than it had ever been.

The dark circles under her eyes, the bloodshot whites, the constant fatigue—gone. She was in perfect shape, both body and mind.

And it wasn't just that.

Her limbs felt strong, her body so light it was like she could take off at any moment.

And in fact—

As soon as she thought that, her body really did start floating upward.

At the same time, Rosen's Life Tree system displayed a brand new panel:

[Contracted: Yotsuya Miko]

 [Rank: Novice Divine Envoy]

 [Strength: i0 |

 [Endurance: i0 ]

 [Dexterity: i0 |

 [Agility: i0 | 

[Divinity: i0]

 [Skills]

Vengeful Maiden Greatly boosts physical abilities when fighting undead enemies, and adds bonus damage to undead.After upgrading, can designate any target as a "revenge target."

Spirit Sight Can distinguish between the living and the dead. Enhanced vision, night vision, and dynamic sight.Small chance to glimpse up to three seconds into the future.

Brave Heart Maintains perfect calm in all situations. In this state, thought speed and physical reaction speed are greatly increased.

"Three abilities right out of the gate?" Rosen muttered, genuinely surprised.

"Spirit Sight I get, but Vengeful Maiden… is that because you hate undead so much?"

Come to think of it, it made perfect sense.

Anyone who'd been tormented for months—forced to act weak in front of spirits—would be overflowing with resentment.

If she'd died in the original story, she'd probably have become a powerful vengeful ghost herself.

And that second clause—being able to treat anyone as a revenge target—was basically just another way of saying, 'I think you look like a dragon.'

As for Brave Heart, it was probably linked to how she'd always managed to suppress her emotions and act calm when she saw spirits.

Even if it was all an act back then, it had now solidified into an actual skill.

The rank thing, though—that was new.

If there was a "Novice Divine Envoy," then was there an Intermediate? An Advanced? And after that—what? Or was that the cap?

Not that rank really mattered to him.

He was his own branch of divinity—the god of his own system.

Still, after contracting Miko, Rosen could feel his own power growing—across the board.

Both his Word Magic and Reality Manifestation abilities had gotten a clear boost—his words carried more weight now, and his manifested creations lasted longer and came in more varieties.

The rest of the numbers didn't surprise him.

As a transmigrator, he knew this status system wasn't that different from DanMachi's blessing system—just with a few tweaks.

Strength measured raw power, Endurance was stamina, Dexterity was flexibility, Agility was burst speed, and Divinity determined the ability to use special powers.

Like in DanMachi, all stats started at the beginner tier—i0.

From lowest to highest: i, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A, S.

Usually, once any stat hit D, you could rank up.

But in the Life Tree system, the requirements were stricter—though the growth per point was greater, making contracted followers far stronger overall.

Once he'd finished going over her status, Rosen passed the display to Miko.

"..."

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