[109] Loki's Blessing

Due to Tiona's shout, many people had already gathered in the living room.

The Loki Familia hadn't taken in any new members for a long time, and they were all very curious about what made this newcomer so special.

"Gulp!"

"Gulp!"

For a moment, the sound of swallowing could be heard one after another.

Tiona, like a protective mother, held up a tablecloth and stood beside Eiji, casting a wary look at her fellow familia members.

Loki: "..."

She had a premonition.

Before seeing Eiji face off against Freya, her own familia might suffer first.

She picked up a thin needle and pricked the tip of her index finger. After a drop of crimson blood seeped out, she extended her finger toward Eiji's neck.

The moment her fingertip touched his skin, Loki's heart trembled, and her expression tightened, trying her best to appear serious.

Then, with practiced movements, she began to draw a special symbol. The divine blood traced a unique pattern on Eiji's back.

If one looked closely, what Loki was drawing was actually a group of scarlet characters resembling inscriptions. They were a collection of complex characters written horizontally, looking like both a stone tablet and an emblem.

These were the "Divine Script" used by gods, something very few mortals could understand.

The Divine Script that Loki was drawing on Eiji's back was the blessing she was bestowing upon him—his Falna.

That's right.

The essence of a blessing is Falna.

It is a way to quantify an adventurer's various abilities and potential in clear numerical values, much like a game. It extracts an adventurer's experiences and achievements into abilities, allowing them to uncover potential that might otherwise have remained hidden for a lifetime.

In other words, it is the quantification of abilities.

These ability values are invariably inscribed on the back of a familia member. Since they are akin to a lifeline, the gods never disclose this information publicly. Even when reporting to the guild, only the adventurer's level is revealed.

"Alright, it's done!"

Loki let out a breath and wiped the nonexistent sweat from her forehead.

She then took a piece of parchment and placed it on Eiji's back. With a slight movement of her fingers, she transferred the Falna from his back onto the parchment and handed it to Eiji.

"Put your clothes on first!"

As soon as the blessing process ended, Tiona immediately handed Eiji's shirt over, acting like a fussy mother.

"Sigh..."

A series of sighs echoed around the living room.

The eagerly awaiting girls didn't get to see what they had hoped for, and each of them looked disappointed.

Eiji, the center of attention, was now focused on the parchment in his hands, carefully examining it.

Tiona also leaned her head over to take a look.

Finn, with a calm expression, also looked over. Being shorter, he had to tilt his head slightly to see the contents of the parchment.

==========

[Eiji Nangou]

[LV·1]

[Strength: I·0]

[Endurance: I·0]

[Dexterity: I·0]

[Agility: I·0]

[Magic: I·0]

[Skills: None]

[Magic: None]

[Development Abilities: None]

==========

Falna is divided into three categories: Basic Abilities, Skills, and Magic.

Among these, Basic Abilities include Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic—five subcategories that correspond to an adventurer's physical capabilities.

Each of these subcategories has its own proficiency level, divided into ten ranks represented by letters: I, H, G... A, S. Each rank corresponds to a numerical range. For example, I corresponds to 0–99, H to 100–199, and so on, with A corresponding to 800–899 and the highest rank, S, to 900–999.

Generally, the experience gained from combat or training becomes the fuel for increasing proficiency. The more a particular ability is exercised, the more its proficiency will increase.

"Normally, the maximum proficiency is 999, but very few people reach that level. Reaching D rank, which is around 500 points, is already considered quite good," Tiona explained enthusiastically, clearly eager to share her knowledge about falna with Eiji.

"Newcomers start with 0 in all Basic Abilities, but there's a rapid growth period right after receiving a blessing... However, your Magic column is a bit strange!"

That's right.

Eiji had also noticed this.

For some reason, there was a strikethrough in his Magic column.

"Generally, everyone has latent magical talent. When receiving a blessing, the Magic column will show magic slots—at least one, up to three... I've never heard of someone having none," Tiona continued, her tone puzzled.

Not only did he have none, but the entire Magic column had been crossed out.

It was as if it was saying... he had no magical talent at all.

"...A bit lopsided, but it's not a big deal," Eiji said after a moment of thought, pretending to be nonchalant.

This was a lie.

He had actually been hoping to have one or two spells. Such a cool and powerful long-range ability was something he really needed right now.

But he ended up with none.

Although he had somewhat expected this, seeing it in front of him still made his heart ache.

"Haha, but Eiji, you're already an amazing swordsman! As a normal human, you managed to dodge my punches. If you also had magical talent, it would be unfair to ordinary people!" Tiona quickly tried to comfort him, seeing his tense expression.

"There are plenty of people in the world who can't use magic. In fact, those who can are rare. Even in our Loki Familia, only a few can use magic. For example, Tiona here is already Level 5, but she can't use magic either," Finn chimed in, his expression calm and showing no disappointment. Instead, he joked about Tiona, skillfully shifting the topic and making himself likeable.

"Besides, the good news is that your Skills column is fine. With your level of skill, you're bound to develop powerful abilities in the future."

Skills refer to special abilities that activate under specific conditions, providing unique effects or enhancing one's capabilities.

The appearance of Skills and Magic is largely unpredictable. They can awaken at any time, but it's also possible to go a lifetime without gaining any.

Fortunately, unlike Magic, there's no limit to the number of Skills one can have. Some powerful adventurers even possess five or more Skills, which is considered quite exceptional.

In Finn's eyes, Eiji, who was already so outstanding as a normal human, would undoubtedly develop powerful Skills in the future.

"I hope so," Eiji said, though he was still heartbroken, he had no choice but to accept the reality.

"Now, Tiona, tell me about how Eiji managed to dodge your punches," Finn said with a kind smile, though his eyes were anything but gentle as he turned to the suddenly stiff Amazoness girl.

"I believe I only asked you to bring him back, not to fight him. What were you thinking, using your Level 5 strength against a normal human?"

***

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