Three days later, Fati and Jeanne dArc took the time to visit Tsubaki’s workshop to retrieve their custom equipment.
Inside the workshop, Fati stroked the rejuvenated armor with affection, marveling, “This craftsmanship is truly incredible!
You can’t even see the repair marks where it was damaged before; it’s practically like new!”
Tsubaki leaned to the side with her arms crossed, scoffing, “Stop sucking up.
Even if you praise me to the heavens, I won’t charge you a single cent less.”
“…”
On the other side, Jeanne dArc had already put on her custom armor, carefully adjusting the fit and testing her range of motion in her joints.
“How does it feel, Miss dArc?” Tsubaki’s gaze was scrutinizing.
Jeanne dArc clenched her fist, feeling the thin, breathable, and almost weightless perfect wrap of the gauntlets.
She exclaimed, “It’s amazing, no discomfort at all!
Miss Cobrand’s skills are admirable!”
Tsubaki straightened her back with pride and let out a hearty laugh.
“Smithing is amazing, isn’t it?
But compared to Lady Hephaestus, I still have a long way to go.”
“Goddess Hephaestus…” From Fati’s introduction, Jeanne dArc knew that this goddess who specialized in forging had top-tier skills even in the heavens.
Even if her divine power was sealed in the lower world, her forging skills alone in the ‘Domain of God’ produced items far beyond the reach of the lower world’s inhabitants.
Afterward, Jeanne dArc tried the feel of her primary and secondary weapons, and was equally satisfied.
Seeing this, Fati readily paid the balance and additionally purchased the ‘Maintenance Oil’ and ‘Whetstone’ needed for weapon and armor care.
Only then did the two bid farewell to Tsubaki and return to their base…
In the following days, while waiting for the staff to be finished, Fati once again devoted himself entirely to Jeanne dArc’s rigorous training.
“Why are you tensing your body?
Relax.
Let your body relax.
Only by relaxing can you exert force freely and change moves more fluidly.”
“I told you not to raise your shoulders.
Why are you tensing up?
Lower your center of gravity; your lower body must be stable.”
“Distance!
Watch the distance!
In close-quarters combat, you must control the distance.
Use the advantage of a long-reaching weapon to suppress short-range ones.
You are practicing staff techniques, not short swords!”
The Holy Maiden’s merciless instruction made Fati feel as if he had returned to his student days under the terrifying shadow of a dean.
“Teacher Jeanne~” Fati intentionally drawled his words, “If you wore a pair of glasses, your authority would be perfect.”
“You…
what are you daydreaming about!
Concentrate!” Jeanne dArc’s cheeks flushed slightly as she raised her voice in annoyance…
Time flew by like a white horse passing a crevice, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed.
During this period, Fati could be said to be in a state of painful bliss.
His daily routine consisted of either being beaten by Jeanne dArc or being on the way to being beaten by her.
Even the three daily meals and housework were mainly handled by Jeanne dArc due to Fati’s accumulated fatigue; Fati could only help out on the side.
If it weren’t for his skills turning him into a perfect sandbag, and Jeanne dArc’s strikes being extremely measured, he might have had to go to Amide’s place to “spend money” again.
Reflecting on the hardships of the week, Fati sat at the stone table, opened his panel, and sighed with satisfaction: “Despite the thorns along the way, the harvest is bountiful.”
…[Name]: Fati Tirtiberne
Strength: G223→G273 (S923) +50
Endurance: G266→F355 (S966) +89
Dexterity: G278→F348 (S978) +70
Agility: G258→F329 (S958) +71
Magic: E411→E491 (S989) +80
…Through his own hard work and sweat, combined with the power amplification of the skill ‘Scholars Learning Heart’.
Under Jeanne D’Arc’s encouragement, he grew rapidly, and his basic attributes all made more or less significant progress.
‘Strength’ 50 points, ‘Endurance’ 89 points, ‘Dexterity’ 70 points, ‘Agility’ 71 points, ‘Magic’ 80 points.
Totaling 360.
While it was a bit of a pity not to gain any ‘Experience’, that was all.
The gradually filling numbers on his status panel left Fati quite satisfied, greatly catering to his vanity.
Looking back, those frustrating days of being unable to increase a single attribute point no matter how hard he tried—because he lacked the money to improve his potential—were gone forever.
Compared to that, the current sense of satisfaction made the corners of his mouth turn up involuntarily.
Raising his hand and clenching his fist, admiring the gradually shaping lines of his arm, Fati grinned and said, “This feeling of getting stronger is truly great.”
Jeanne D’Arc held her teacup, her long, straight legs together and tilted to the side as she sat gracefully and silently opposite him at the stone table, taking small sips.
Fati’s narcissistic appearance left her exquisite face full of speechlessness.
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes slightly and mutter softly, “Is it really that exaggerated, you narcissist?”
“Uh…” Fati’s inflated expression froze instantly, and he slumped onto the table in defeat.
This week, he wasn’t the only one getting stronger.
Jeanne D’Arc, who was undergoing the same intensity of training as him, had an improvement speed that could only be described as ‘terrifying’.
Every time Fati updated her ability values, the soaring numbers on the panel dealt him tons of emotional damage.
“Only after personally experiencing the chasm of talent do you know the meaning of despair,” Fati thought with mixed feelings.
As a ‘newbie’ who had just received favor, Jeanne D’Arc was in the fastest growth period for every level stage.
She was already highly skilled and experienced, like a veteran player starting a new character.
Having a clear and efficient path to getting stronger, her rapid progress was only natural.
But when combined with the Experience boost provided by the skill ‘Favor Crest’—triggered by the rapidly warming intimacy between the two—the chemical reaction produced by the two factors was so strong that even though Fati was mentally prepared, he couldn’t help but be dazed after updating Jeanne D’Arc’s favor that evening.
[Name]: Jeanne D’Arc
Strength: I0→G299
Endurance: I0→G284
Dexterity: I0→F343
Agility: I0→F355
Magic: I0→F399
…Six days, just six days.
In such a short time, Jeanne D’Arc’s ability values had actually increased by a total of 1680 points!
Those who didn’t understand the inside story simply couldn’t imagine how exaggerated this number was.
For example, ignoring potential values, to max out ability values to 999 in all attributes before leveling up would only require 4995 points.
Yet Jeanne D’Arc had completed over a third of that progress in just six days!
This showed how shocking Jeanne D’Arc’s changes were.
Knowing this terrifying fact, Fati earnestly and repeatedly warned her, “Never, never, never tell anyone about the speed of your ability value growth, do you understand, Jeanne?”
“Even if your level increases later, you must keep it hidden.
Don’t worry about the Guild’s investigations.”
Isn’t this deceiving those above and hiding from those below?
For Jeanne D’Arc’s deep-rooted sense of morality, it was a bit hard to accept.
“Is that…
okay?”
Fati’s eyes held a playful glint, his tone carrying a faint, imperceptible trace of mockery:
“Jeanne, your moral standards are still a bit too high.
To survive in Orario, a flexible moral baseline allows us to live better.
You need to adapt.”
After saying that, Fati explained to Jeanne D’Arc:
“Do you think we’re the only ones who hide or misreport levels?”
“Then you underestimate those old fogies who have lived for who knows how long.
Aside from the few major powers everyone watches—who have to follow the rules on the surface because they carry the glory and responsibility of their Familia, and because they cherish their reputation—which other power doesn’t have a few tricks up their sleeve?”
“Everyone has a tacit understanding of this; it’s just a basic operation.
Only those naive fools would believe the information displayed on the surface without question.”
“Especially the Hermes Familia; they are masters of this.
We should learn from them.”
“Hermes Familia?” Jeanne D’Arc heard another unfamiliar Familia name.
Especially since it received an ‘excellent’ evaluation from the mysterious Fati, she immediately cast a curious gaze.
Fati chuckled and said:
“The Hermes Familia, their schemes run very deep.”
“This Familia is very special.
Their specialty is information gathering—not just about the Labyrinth City, but gathering intelligence from across the entire continent.
Therefore, they enjoy a privilege similar to the Ganesha Familia and Demeter Familia: the right to enter and leave Orario freely without needing Guild permission.”
Speaking to this point, Fati smiled and raised an eyebrow at Jeanne D’Arc.
“Although the Hermes Familia is registered with the Guild as a commercial-type Familia rather than an exploration-type, don’t look down on them because of it.
Other families might hide the level of an individual member, hiding at most one level.”
“The Hermes Familia’s operations are exaggerated.
Not only do they hide the levels of everyone from the captain down to the recruits, they don’t just hide one level, but an average of one to two levels.”
“Ah?
This…” The girl was dumbfounded by this perception-shattering operation.
Wasn’t it agreed that levels should be made public after leveling up?
What was this!?
Fati leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Jeanne D’Arc, his tone meaningful: “Naive, aren’t you, girl?
The waters in Orario run deep.”
Jeanne D’Arc took a few deep breaths, trying to digest this shocking, secret information.
“So that’s why your style of doing things is so cautious and steady, Fati…”
She could already imagine it.
A trump card is a trump card because of its unpredictable, unknown nature.
Just like the Hermes Familia—if anyone tried to mess with them without accurate intelligence, they would definitely be taught a profound lesson by that group of schemers, with zero chance of a positive review.
After being ‘educated’ a bit by Fati, Jeanne D’Arc puffed out her cheeks and looked at him, feigning dissatisfaction:
“Then let me ask you…”
“If my situation is considered special, what about you?
You’re the most mysterious one, aren’t you?”
“Exercising the power of a god with the body of a mortal…”
“And inviting me here from another world…”
“These things…”
Fati chuckled, stood up, and leaned toward Jeanne D’Arc.
Under her gaze and slightly reddening cheeks, he extended his index finger and gently pressed it against Jeanne D’Arc’s soft lips.
“Shh—!”
His voice carried a hint of playful amusement.
“Secrets make a man more charming!”
Feeling the temperature of the man’s fingertip on her lips, Jeanne D’Arc’s body stiffened instantly, and her cheeks flushed deep red.
“I…
I hate you!”
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”