[Specified Elemental Vision (No Constellations) • 3-Star (Bound): After use, converts into a Vision of the chosen element.]
Items pulled from the gacha—much like the Hestia Knife bound to Bell in the original story—could only be used by Levi. Even if they were stolen or taken by force, they would be nothing more than junk to anyone else. This was why Levi prioritized the Genshin Impact banner over the Standard one. While a Grimoire from the Danmachi world could teach a spell and was worth a staggering 100 million Valis, the lack of buyers meant he couldn't easily exploit it to "flip" money.
Levi withdrew the two new 3-Star items from his inventory. Without hesitation, he used the Skill Book and converted the Vision into the Cryo (Ice) element.
[Hunter's Marksmanship • 3-Star (Novice 1%):]Basic mastery of hunting archery.
[Cryo Vision (No Constellations) • 3-Star (Bound)]
Indestructible
Cryo Energy: 0/100
Active: Convert your own mana into Cryo energy.
Passive: Absorb mana from the environment to store as Cryo energy.
Effect: Consume Cryo energy to convert normal attacks into Ice-elemental attacks.
Effect: Consume Cryo energy to slowly increase ability stats.
Note: Equipping multiple Elemental Visions simultaneously will cause elemental reactions within the Visions, resulting in self-inflicted damage to the user.
Hunter's Marksmanship was straightforward—one more way to attack in the Dungeon meant one more layer of security. The Vision, however, was a game-changer. Wearing it was equivalent to gaining an enchantment spell for free, while also providing a passive boost to his stats.
Levi tested it out and found that fully charging the Cryo Vision consumed less than one-fifth of his current mana pool. Spending 1 point of Cryo energy allowed for a one-minute weapon enchantment. As for the stat growth, it was decent: 1 point of Cryo energy could temper his body for a minute, and 10 minutes of tempering increased Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic by 1 point each. On average, that was one stat point every two minutes.
That totaled 30 points an hour, or 300 points over ten hours. At this stage, it was slightly more efficient than "gold farming" in the Dungeon. However, considering that stats become harder to raise at higher levels, using Valis via the system remained a more stable long-term strategy.
Next.
After confirming the effects of the Cryo Vision, Levi opened the gacha again. This time, he set the "Recurve Bow"—a 3-Star weapon that restores a small amount of HP upon killing an enemy—as his target.
However, perhaps because he had exhausted his luck with the "Double Blue" pull, or perhaps his innate "bad luck" bloodline had finally triggered, his next eighty pulls were a sea of green and white. Even the final pity pull didn't give him the bow. Instead, it gave him a skill book that seemed useless at first glance:
[Mixology • 3-Star (Novice 1%):]Basic mastery of bartending techniques.
Gacha finished, Levi checked his status to tally the harvest. Out of 180 pulls, he had gained three 3-Star items. He also had twenty 2-Star items, including thirteen "+100 Stat Boost" vouchers and seven "100-Day Skill Proficiency" vouchers. Additionally, he had 157 1-Star items, consisting of 92 "+10 Stat" vouchers and 65 "10-Day Skill" vouchers.
Levi didn't hoard the stat vouchers; he used them all at once. His stats shifted significantly:
[Strength: E444 / SS1099][Endurance: E443 / SS1099][Dexterity: E444 / SS1099][Agility: E464 / SS1099][Magic: E446 / SS1099]
As for the skill proficiency vouchers, he intended to burn through those as well. However, after using fourteen of the "10-Day" vouchers and returning from the grey space, a wave of intense dizziness washed over him. This was "Mind Fatigue," caused by excessive mana usage or mental strain in the Danmachi world.
[Mana Manipulation • 4-Star (Master 8%+):]Grants 'Mage G'; allows moderate mana interference, reduces mana consumption, and slightly increases the growth rate of magic proficiency.
The system items were powerful, but the side effects of rapid accumulation were clear. Levi, whose physical and mental state still only rivaled a Level 2 adventurer, couldn't ignore them. Realizing that one more voucher might knock him unconscious, he stopped while he was ahead. He skipped his usual night workout and collapsed onto the bed. Within ten seconds, he was snoring softly.
Half a minute later, the bedroom door creaked open. Hestia, her blue ribbon supporting her ample chest, slipped into the room. The black-haired Goddess climbed onto the bed and gently lifted her follower's head onto her soft lap. As she gazed down at the sleeping boy, a look of maternal warmth bloomed on her youthful face.
"You've worked hard. Now, please, get some rest."
Levi's internal clock was precise. No matter how tired he was, he woke up around 5:00 AM. Immediately, he felt a soft warmth in his arms. Having been around the block in his past life, he knew exactly what was happening. He lifted the blanket to find Hestia curled up against him, fast asleep.
Levi raised an eyebrow. Dropping his playful act, he carefully untangled himself from the Goddess's embrace. Leaving a note—"Breakfast is toast, fried eggs, bacon, and salad; remember to eat"—he stepped out of the room.
As soon as the door closed, the "sleeping" Goddess snapped her eyes open. She glanced at the door and muttered, "Hmph, coward~" Yet, a small smile danced on her lips.
Levi knew she was awake, and Hestia knew that Levi knew. It was just one of the small, playful dynamics of their daily life.
After preparing breakfast and lunch, Levi grabbed a few sandwiches and left. He didn't head to the Dungeon immediately. Instead, he went to the commercial district in Babel, specifically the area for adventurer equipment.
Levi's current "Apprentice Set" was bought on a clearance sale for only 4,500 Valis. While it hadn't been struck by monsters, the leather straps were fraying. Since he planned to go deeper into the Dungeon today, he decided to upgrade to a high-quality chest piece within his budget. Using his system's "Scan" function, he could see the hidden stats of items. After twenty minutes of searching, he found a gem:
[Metal Plate Armor Crafted from Senior Blacksmith's Scraps • 2-Star:]Sturdy; slightly increases Magic Defense.
The price was fair: 10,500 Valis. Levi paid without haggling and put it on. Remembering his new skill, he also spent 3,000 Valis on a hardwood shortbow and 200 arrows (100 normal, 100 elemental-conductive).
Fifteen minutes later, on the path leading into the Dungeon...
Levi walked while burning through his remaining "10-Day Skill" vouchers. After the eleventh one turned to ash:
[Hunter's Marksmanship • 3-Star (Adept 2%+):]Grants 'Archer H'; mastery of hunting archery, slightly increases accuracy.