Chapter 66: The Choice
After training concluded, Shirou, Ais, and Lefiya returned to the Loki Familia. As they arrived at the Familia compound, they gradually separated to attend to their respective matters. Shirou returned to the forging room to continue his research.
However, this time, he was interrupted—not by anyone else, but by himself.
Ding!
With the sound of a ticking hand, a thought suddenly surfaced in Shirou's mind: the energy required to traverse worlds was sufficient. He could travel to another world again.
Shirou's mind moved, and an exquisite golden pocket watch appeared in his hand. This Remote Hourglass was his greatest secret treasure. On the watch, there were twelve marks, from one to twelve. When Shirou traversed worlds, the hand would start ticking from twelve and accumulate power. When it pointed back to twelve, the power would be fully accumulated, and he could travel once more. The hand rested at twelve o'clock, unmoving.
Looking at the pocket watch, Shirou knew it was time to make a choice. Should he stay in this world to accumulate power and level up, or should he travel to other worlds to learn different techniques? The dilemma weighed on him. During his time with the Loki Familia, he had lived comfortably and happily. The harmonious environment was like a family to him, making him nostalgic.
However, his period of rapid growth in this world was nearing its end. While he could still grow, finding suitable "great deeds" to advance was becoming difficult. Shirou's growth speed was rapid, and his ability values were higher than others. He had to push his abilities to the limit before each level-up, which made him almost invincible among his peers. But this also brought challenges—stricter conditions were required for leveling up.
Shirou had achieved LV.2 by solo exploring the 18th floor and returning safely. He had reached LV.3 by killing the Floor Boss, Goliath, alone. His promotion to LV.4 came from playing a significant role in the subjugation battles of the Twin-Headed Dragon and Udaeus, fighting in the deepest layers as a LV.3.
Considering these feats, if Shirou wanted to reach LV.5, he would probably have to solo exterminate Udaeus. To reach LV.6, he would likely need to solo exterminate Balor—an endeavor Ais herself might only take on to reach LV.7! Given the current situation, Shirou could probably only reach LV.6 at most in Orario; LV.7 seemed impossible. Reaching this small single level would require countless hours of accumulation, which Shirou found unacceptable.
He knew that Julian and the others would soon go to Illya's world to retrieve Miyu, marking the time for a decisive battle. He needed to gain power before then. Through the Remote Hourglass, he knew that time moved slowly in his original world. However, this wasn't a reason to waste time in Orario. Even if he reached LV.9, he could only save Miyu. The original Shirou might have been content with that, but now, with the ability to witness countless worlds, he wondered if there were other ways to save not just Miyu, but everyone.
Shirou had already decided that he would destroy a world if necessary to save his sister, but wouldn't it be best if he could save everyone? So, he couldn't stop; he had to keep moving forward. As long as he kept going, the path would continue. Shirou glanced at the pocket watch, having made his decision.
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"You said you want to go to the Dungeon? But didn't you just get back?"
"I want to go hone my skills."
After leveling up, an adventurer's strength undergoes a tremendous change. The increase in power can cause disharmony between their body and techniques, which could be fatal at crucial moments. Ais wanted to go hone her skills to address this.
"Alright, it just so happens I was planning to go to the Dungeon too." Shirou had decided that after this next expedition, he would temporarily leave the world of Orario. Before that, he needed to raise his strength to LV.5. He stopped forging magic swords and focused on conquering the Dungeon instead.
"Then let's go!"
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"Seriously, as soon as I mention exploring the Dungeon, she becomes so enthusiastic." Shirou sighed softly, recalling how Ais eagerly offered to buy potions when she heard he was willing to go with her. She was truly addicted to the Dungeon.
"Huh, where is everyone?" Arriving at Babel Tower, Shirou noticed the meeting spot was empty. He asked in confusion, "Where is everyone?"
"Hello, are you Mr. Emiya?" A voice called out. Shirou turned and saw a familiar face.
"You're Miss Eina Tulle, who visited yesterday, aren't you?" Shirou asked gently, recognizing the half-elf girl. She was Bell's Guild advisor in the original story. Shirou had also seen her when he registered at the Guild. As a member of the Loki Familia, he didn't need a Guild advisor, so he had none. But upon seeing Eina, Shirou remembered that Ais must have gone to the Dungeon to save Bell.
"Yes, that's me. Miss Ais asked me to wait for you here." Eina explained, giving Shirou the relevant information. Shirou, already familiar with the course of events, had no doubts.
"Miss Ais said you could wait for her here, and she'd be back soon."
"Never mind, I'll go find her."
Wait for her to come back? How could she? According to the story's progression, Ais would soon meet the Guild's sage, Fels, and accept their request to go to the 24th floor. Once she learned about the red-haired woman, Ais wouldn't return. Shirou bade farewell to Eina and walked into the Dungeon alone.
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Dungeon's 10th Floor.
Shirou arrived and immediately leaped to a high point, scanning his surroundings with Clairvoyance. The mist on the 10th floor was extremely dense, making it difficult for adventurers to see each other unless they were very close. In the original story, Ais and Bell missed each other because of this. However, Shirou's Clairvoyance rendered the mist useless.
Soon, Shirou spotted two figures, one gold and one black, standing in the mist.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter