Chapter 26: Passion

A warm afternoon breeze ruffled the ornate clothes of three individuals, who were standing before a wide open space. Wildflowers dotted the field, enjoying the sunny weather. The most powerful of the trio stepped forwards, leaving her colleagues behind. "Make sure to stay back, both of you, you wouldn't want to be caught up in this".

Hit grumbled at yet another warning being thrown at him. He had not seen anyone else use magic, but was sure the elf was being a bit excessive.

Riveria stopped abruptly and placed the end of her silvery white staff onto the ground. Magna Alfs' nine magic stones twinkled in the sun's rays, nestled between mithril and holydite branches.

*Thrum*

A frosty white magic circle sprung to life beneath Riveria, chilling the hearts of her two spectators. It was circular in shape, enclosing a number of smaller circles and Nordic runes. Melodious verses echoed through the air, as the royal elf began to chant.

"~Harbinger of the end, the white snow. Blow with the wind before the twilight...

Sparkling flecks of ice began to materialise all about the field, somehow unaffected by the heat. A chill breeze blew them around the epicentre, in a vortex.

"...Closing light, the freezing land. Blizzard, the three severe winters..."

The temperature dropped, causing Lefiya's teeth to chatter. Birds fled from trees and the floating crystals grew in number. It was a fitting effect for a spell whose name describes the three harsh winters preluding Ragnarök, which would go on to kill all life on Earth. Elegantly, the master mage raised her staff towards the heavens.

"...My name is Alf!~..."

Riveria concluded the chant by extending Magna Alf forwards, the object acting like a death sentence to any being that dared to oppose her.

"«Wynn Fimbulvetr»!"

Immense streams of silvery white ice ruptured outwards from the staff's tip and covered the field. All plant life touched by the conjured ice was killed instantly, frozen in place forever. Lefiya had to shield her eyes due to the sparkling glow and gale-force winds, whilst Hit could not bear to tear his gaze from the attack's magnificence. Nearby guards toppled over due to the shockwaves.

Once the extreme cold magic subsided, a frozen hellscape was left in its wake. Glittery snowflakes danced in the air, celebrating the change in environment. Hit stood for a moment, deeply moved by the beauty of the chant, and radiance of the elemental blast. 'This was only the first level? She also likely reduced the mind usage to prevent collateral damage. Impressive, for a being of this world.'

Frozen grass crunched as Hit walked up to the ice queen. "I take back some of what I said. Your magic is profound, and your singing is... beautiful."

Riveria faltered, surprised at the young boy's brazenness. "Hm... Only some of what you said? And I repeat, it is not singing, Mr Hit."

Hit smirked and made his way off, leaving behind an awed Lefiya and slightly stirred Riveria. "Hmph. I'm off. Do not forget to deliver your magic circle, as promised".

After a bit of searching, and a jagamarukun snack, where Hit opted to simply point at the food, rather than attempt to say the tongue twister name, Hit found his target.

The Hephaestus Familia North West Shop wasn't too grand, instead an unassuming black and white building with a blue slate roof. Although, the fiery pillars of smoke, that had darkened the plaster, and extended into the sky above, revealed its importance. This would be Hit's second armour shop in this world.

'Sorry Byron, but discounts come first.'

He had no real obligation to shop at the man's store. Besides, Hit had purchased a few more items from him, mainly relating to equipment maintenance. Byron had been quite impressed with the care that Hit employed with his tools.

Hit double checked that he had everything he needed, this time carrying a cheque book, rather than a bulging coin bag. Orario did not have banks, with adventurers instead housing most of their funds within familia safes. This granted security and facilitated large purchases. Hit had amassed around 2 million valis since his last major purchase. It was mostly thanks to his frugal nature, and choice to only collect the largest stones and drop items. The loner could have acquired over 3 million if he hired a supporter, but Hit would likely always opt to go alone. It was probably for the best, as Liliruca Arde would have gladly targeted the rookie. Unlike Bell, Hit would have had no patience for her shenanigans and would readily leave her to die.

Metallic clanging sounds greeted Hit as he entered the establishment. The room was lit by a coal fire, casting shadows across the walls. It was spacious, mostly containing barrels and stands full of weapons. A tanned woman was sat next to the fireplace, hammering away at a piece of metal. Hit's red eyes spied an equally red ore, which became intermittently blocked by swinging, squishy orbs.

The woman finished her beating and placed the hammer to the side. "See something ya fancy, lad?"

Hit stopped behind her and chose to ignore the odd feeling of familiarity that made his hair stand on end. "I was admiring the ore you're working on. Is that scarletite?"

The smith got up and faced Hit, giving him a proper view of her. She wore a long red skirt, held together by gold segmented fabric, and nothing but layered strips of canvas to cover her chest. Each breast must have been larger than her head. Silvery black hair was held in a ponytail, and her left eye was hidden by a pitch-black eyepatch. "Good eye, boyo. Although, it doesn't hurt ta look elsewhere..."

The woman held one arm above her, whilst stretching it with the other, which provided Hit with a demonstration of just how little support a few strips of canvas provided. Hit quirked a brow at the aimless statement.

Seeing that Hit wasn't talkative, the voluptuous smith carried on, looking at her chest. "Eh, probably for the best. I don't actually like them myself; these ladies always get in the way when I'm working..."

Hit stared at her, completely lost. "...What the hell are you talking about?"

'Why can't any of these people just be normal, for Zeno's sake?'

The lady grinned and held her hands on her hips. "Fufu. Anyway, lad, what can Tsubaki Collbrande do for you, on this fine day?"

Hit huffed at his prediction being correct. This was going to be needlessly annoying. "Under armour. What have you got?"

Tsubaki nodded, before beckoning Hit deeper into the shop. "Straight to the point, eh? Sure, I've got some. Follow me, kiddo".

Hit frowned and traipsed after the strange woman.

…

"... and here we have our full body armour: light, heavy, whatever ya like! If it's weapons yer after..." Tsubaki was extremely enthusiastic about her craft and gave Hit the grand tour, marvelling at all her creations like they were her own children.

Hit gritted his teeth as Tsubaki just wouldn't stop talking. "I. Told. You. Just show me to the under armour. I don't care about any of this."

Tsubaki clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes at the skinflint. "Tch. Fine... Don't hesitate ta spend more though. Here, this is all I've got."

The duo stopped next to a few shelves filled with metal plates. This was Hit's cue to quickly disengage from his overeager guide, and rifle through the options. 'More expensive than I thought...'

Drop item-enhanced Iron/Steel armour hovered around the several 100,000 valis mark; whereas, the more dazzling items seemed to remain around 4 million for chest pieces, and 2 million for arm guards. Hit sighed; he was not expecting to spend his entire fortune today. A moment of rummaging later and Hit picked out two abdomen/chest plates: a mad beetle, star scarletite piece, and a deep green orichalcum piece. The first was priced at 3.5 million valis, whilst the other was 5.5 million.

"Are you certain these prices are correct? I was hoping to buy a new set of first-class ore armour for 2 million..."

Tsubaki lost some of her friendliness at that, hoping to rake it in today. Hit's eccentric clothes made him look like a top spender. "Wha!? Ya don't just waltz into a major Hephaestus familia shop, with a measly 2 million valis, and expect a full first-class getup!"

Hit placed the scarletite armour back, remembering that 'star' metals were less durable, and presented the expensive orichalcum piece to Tsubaki. "What's the best you could do for a Loki Familia member? We're descending together, are we not?"

The smith looked at Hit in a much more appreciative manner. "Oh, yer part of the Loki familia, eh? I don't recognise you, so ya must be green."

Stars shone in the woman's eyes as she looked at something impossibly far away. "Yeah, descending to the 59th floor is gonna be the experience of a lifetime, and I'm incredibly grateful to Loki. ...But I can't go less than 50%, sorry. Ya can always take out a loan..."

Hit narrowed his eyes, alarm bells ringing. 'Her eyes shine of greed, just like Mia's. I knew I felt something was off. If I take out a loan from her, I'll be paying off the interest for the rest of my life.'

"Really, what was Finn thinking when he recommended this place...?"

Finn knew the boy was an insatiable dungeon diver and could estimate his earnings. However, the pallum did not intend for Hit to choose such an expensive item.

The mention of Finn seemed to excite the previously harsh woman. "Did ya say Finn? That cute sweetheart recommended little ol' me? Such a nice guy..."

Hit stumbled a little at the switch in behaviour before an epiphany struck him. 'An opening! I can exploit her perversion for my own gain!'

"Y-yes, he mentioned that you were a... very sweet and fair individual. I was hoping for a luxury experience, given his status. I even brought some drop items so that I could order a custom piece..."

It was true, Hit's backpack contained a motley of monster drops he had saved just for this: hard armoured scales, killer ant chitin... He decided to keep the Ligerfang fur as a form of respect. Also, it would not confer any useful defensive properties. Concerning Finn's supposed comments, Hit chose to stretch the truth.

Tsubaki raised a hand to her mouth in shock. "He said that!? Well, now I've got ta help ya! I can't let that sweetie down. Throw in those drop items and you have yerself a deal! But only 'cause it's yer first purchase, and since its raw orichalcum: no special designs or drop items added to it."

She extended a hand, which Hit quickly shook. "I accept. I'll have to thank Finn for recommending you."

Tsubaki's cheeks heated up at the complement, if only due to the mention of Finn. "Haha! Great! Come with me and we'll sort out the paperwork..."

...

Hit walked out of the shop with a comforting weight on his chest. The raw orichalcum would be too much for many human level 1s, and some level 2s who did not specialise into strength; however, Hit thought it was perfect for him. The joy of securing a bargain also lightened his steps. Hit had just closed one of the best deals in Orario, all thanks to a perfect storm: the Loki familia dive and Tsubaki's adoration for cute pallums. The piece of armour also wasn't that appealing to normal adventurers, too heavy and plain to stand out, which aided in the woman's acquiescence. The hunk of metal had sat on the counter for years, gathering dust.

Suddenly, a loud bang of a door being flung open sounded behind him.

"I forgot ta say: tell Finn he's always welcome ta share a bed with me!"

Hit smirked at the frenzied woman's words. 'That's for sending me to such an expensive shop, Deimne.'

The following week passed by quite pleasantly for Hit, who got back into his usual routine. Of course, he made sure to intensify his dungeon dives and strenuous training even further. Hit now had a monster rex and underground town to look forward to and wanted to make the most of it. A few more regular Ligerfangs and Minotaurs fell under his might, thankfully all spawning individually. Hit was happy to be over the million Valis mark again; level 2 monsters were amazing! He had nearly died a great many times, forcing him to buy an immense number of healing potions. Naaza was always happy to see him; whereas, Miach was constantly trying to slip him free samples. Somehow, the vials always ended up back on the counter, as if they teleported there.

Occasional private spars with Tiona massively improved every one of his abilities, particularly his endurance. The mischievous girl loved his never-give-up attitude, and relished spending time with her newest friend. On the other hand, meetings with Ais were comparatively rare, since the girl went off to train Bell. Mission dump Ais on Bell, success! Hit didn't even have to do anything… Although, part of Hit did miss the girl. Ordering someone around was always fun. Her presence was also soothing.

Riveria had delivered a page containing her spell, «Wynn Fimbulvetr», to Hit, and the two had shared a few more pleasant lessons. Surprisingly, her spell did possess some similarities to [Time Lag], which allowed Hit to fill in some gaps in his own spell.

On the penultimate day, Hit decided to push his body past the limit again, exercising, and battling against Tiona, while having spare chunks of metal strapped to his body. Loki familia members had gotten used to seeing him more, but this new body breaking exercise was quite the novelty. On a related note, Hit's dungeon dive was cut a little short, as his most annoying enemy appeared: an infant dragon. Hit just couldn't seem to deal quite enough damage to them, although his new weights did not help. Pestering orcs and flying monsters were also much more of a problem than on the deeper floors. The dragon had taken a bite out of him, but only managed to break a few teeth on part of an old iron stove. Hit had allowed himself a smug look, before scarpering.

...

Later in the day, Hit made his way up the Twilight Manor stairs, and headed towards a familiar room. As usual, he did not knock before entering. This time, he wished he had. Hit's eyes were instantly drawn to a figure on the large double bed: Loki.

She was sat in bed, straddling a body pillow, a suspiciously damp one.

*Chuuu* "who's my whittle Aisy-poo?"

Hit was about to turn around when a floorboard creaked under his weight. It was if some divine power rendered his usual soundless footsteps inert.

*Creak*

Loki peered at the doorway, a string of saliva connecting her mouth to the inanimate lover.

.

..

...

The goddess' face paled, and her eyes shot open; however, their red pupils were all but pinpricks.

"Wha!?...Y-you!?...GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Hit shut the door behind him and suppressed the memory the best he could.

Footsteps grew louder as a group of Loki familia members ran to the scene. One of the braver ones piped up. "Uh… I-Is Loki ok? What happened in there?"

Hit's face was pitch black, enshrouded in a stygian aura of despair.

ゴゴゴゴ "Nothing." ゴゴゴゴ

Hit thought now was just the perfect time for dinner and left the worried adventurers to pick up the pieces.

...

Mosquitoes buzzed about the monster stone lights as day fell to night. All Loki familia members, partaking in the dive, were settling in for the night. They had spent the vast majority of the evening pestering Loki for a status update, leading to a long line of adventurers extending throughout the mansion. The overworked goddess lamented how the experience could have been much easier, had her children not put the updates off until the last minute.

Hit decided to turn in for the night as well, since he had drunk quite heavily, in an effort to suppress unwanted thoughts. As he walked down the corridor to his room, Loki was there to block his path, tapping a foot. The two stood awkwardly for some time, waiting for the other to break first.

Loki gave in, anger boiling over. "Did ya tell anyone?"

Hit shook his head.

The little goddess relaxed somewhat, but gave him a stern look. "Do ya promise ta knock from now on?"

Hit nodded.

A heartbeat later, and Loki's usual cheerfulness returned. She skipped behind the especially quiet Hit and beckoned him along. "Great! Let's forget that 'what-shall-never-be-named' ever happened, and get yer status updated! Why else would ya burst into my room?"

Hit huffed and played his part.

…

"Haaahhh... I really should be more surprised at this. Maybe I'm still tired from my earlier... shock. Not to mention all the work I had ta do today! Didn't even get to cop a feel..." Loki had chosen to flop into bed, following the status update, completely done with today.

Hit picked up the piece of paper, left on the table, and skimmed over it. The results were quite pleasing.

Name: Hit

Alias: NA

Level 1

STR – S903

END – F360

DEX – A885

AGL – B750

MAG – C690

Magic-

Time lag: Upon activation, slows the target's time. Can be activated and deactivated at any moment. Chantless.

Skills-

Time Skip: Allows the user to skip time. Upon activation, they diverge from the main flow of time and pass into a parallel, time energy dimension where they can act freely. Their position must be transported into the immediate future, following a maximum of 2 seconds.

Hit's Strength stat had breached into S rank for obvious reasons, and due in part to his new weight training. Endurance still lagged behind, mostly elevated during training with Tiona. Fighting against multiple powerful opponents, whilst having to evade groups of ravenous monsters, had improved his agility greatly. However, Hit's greatest stat jump was in Magic. Intense studying, and the use of [Time Lag] under pressure... or following taunts from Tiona... had paid off. Riveria's pointers had also helped him, providing Hit with a different perspective on this world's magic system. His Time skip had also jumped to 2 seconds! It was not much of a jump, but it was steadily increasing, and synergising with his increasing speed.

Overall, it was a 1211 total excelia gain, which still fell short of Bell's 2012 excelia earned during the very same week. The kid's endurance had even grown from F right to S, thanks to Ais' weeklong beatings. Since Liaris Freese was linked to Bell's feelings, perhaps part of the Rabbit enjoyed it. Bell had also recently become the first adventurer in history to achieve SS in a stat, agility in his case. However, this absurdity was linked to his skill, and restricted to him alone. Hit's natural quick evolution hastened his progress, but did not alter the falna to nearly the same degree that Bell's skill did.

Loki rolled her eyes at her child, noting that he never acted surprised by his enormous leaps in strength. "What even are you, Hit? This shouldn't be possible... I'm not complainin', but part of me's still worried..."

Hit crumpled up his old status sheet, preparing it for destruction, and slipped the new one into one of his pockets. "I evolve quickly. There's nothing more to it."

Loki was getting annoyed at Hit's repeated cryptic comments and beat her legs on the bed. "Grrrr. What does that even mean!?"

Hit looked over to her, sternly. He wished these interactions could go more smoothly from now on. "It means that you should get used to this. Honestly, you people get worked up over nothing."

Loki showed surprising speed and jumped up, bouncing a little on the springy bed. "That's it! Get outta my room, before I have an aneurism! Scram!"

Hit obliged and skulked out of her presence, shutting the door behind him. "Hmph."

'Would her developing an anneurism even be possible? The gods of this world likely don't have internal organs...'

Hit shook the needless thought away and went to bed.

Author's Notes

I chose to call the chapter passion as it shows that people's perversions can be used against them, or become a hindrance to Hit.

Endurance still sucks compared to the others, but Hit doesn't care. Just don't get hit!

Every time I think Hit's jumps in stats are too much, I check Bell's and he's far higher! F to S in Endurance in a week is crazy. He definitely enjoyed Ais' beatings. Or maybe it was the lap pillows…