An extraordinary birth is one of the basics of a hero’s narrative.
For example, being raised on wolf’s milk, being the child of a god’s affair, or somehow having two-thirds of divine blood, or being a mammal that hatches from an egg and drinks flowing breastmilk, and so on.
It’s quite common to hear tales of heroes whose origins are anything but ordinary.
In that sense, I had high expectations for the phrase “divine bloodline” in a world where gods actually exist.
I thought it might be a tremendously cost-effective power, even if the rank is low…
2-star: Power – Divine Bloodline
The effect is simple.
You can exude a divine atmosphere.
…Surprisingly, that’s it.
“What? What am I supposed to do with this?”
If I had to put it into words, it feels like a lower-quality version of the Avatar of Love’s power.
Dumbfounded, I dug a little deeper for more detailed information on the power.
Interestingly, divine bloodline isn’t something left behind by a specific god.
It’s a pure accumulation of the powers of countless gods who perished in the War of the Gods, power that has nowhere to go. Some of it becomes bound to a person, which is truly the meaning of ownerless power.
Since it is a mass of pure power without subjectivity, it had no noteworthy effects. There’s just a tiny bit of divinity left from the divine power.
“So, it’s not because I’m a god’s offspring, but just because weak divine power flows through my blood and is called a divine bloodline…?”
I was well aware that in the gacha, not only the gods of the labyrinth but also the powers of the dead gods from the War of the Gods could be drawn.
Right now, I’m effectively using the power of the God of Gluttony, who met his end outside the labyrinth.
But I never expected to draw a power that had become so fragmented that its original form could barely be recognized… one that has no meaning other than binding to a mortal’s body.
“Well, I should at least try using what I’ve got…”
Based on my past experiences, even powers and skills that seem mediocre can sometimes have great supplementary effects.
For instance, the pickpocket skill granted me tremendous agility based on my physical specs back then, and the skin-enhancing ability actually helped heal wounds on my skin quicker.
Thinking that there might be something, or rather desperately wishing there should be, I activated the power.
Voom—
An atmosphere suddenly shifting enough for me to feel it myself. It’s somewhat different from when I activated the Avatar of Love. Back then, I felt strongly like a messenger of the Goddess of Love, but now I feel like I’m just me, but at a higher level.
However, besides that, there’s not much effect…
“Huh?”
A moment of unease. The divine bloodline is basically passive, but I could also activate it for a certain period, like now.
During the activation, controlling divine power became more free-flowing.
“…Is it because the divine power is flowing in my blood?”
It became easier not just to move the divine power and gather it but, more encouragingly, the power’s strength has slightly increased.
Of course, it’s just a slight increase. Maybe 1.1 times at best… perhaps even 1.2 times?
But since the divine bloodline has slight cooldowns and no significant consumption when activated, it feels like I got a costless buff to my power.
“Well, this should be worth 2-star.”
The feeling that had plummeted is slowly returning to normal. It’s not perfect satisfaction, but it’s decent enough.
Next up is the 3-star power: Loved by Death.
Unlike the divine bloodline, this has rather varied and complicated effects. To summarize simply, it enhances controlling the undead, prevents being ambushed by the undead, and allows me to survive longer with fatal injuries.
That should be about it.
I had already acquired the undead enhancement before, but it was useless against monsters that were mostly mechanized.
It should strengthen my call to the dead. Although it significantly drains mental energy, it is a power that allows me to resurrect corpses and control them.
In other words, it lets me do necromancer-like things. Since it’s 4-star, the performance ought to be outstanding, even if the efficiency isn’t great.
If I could enhance that even further, it would be something to welcome with open arms.
Next, the ability to not be ambushed by ownerless undead is usually a useless effect.
How often would you encounter wild undead in the first place?
However, the story is different on the Fourth Floor. All the undead there are minions of the God of Death, but the God of Death perished, buried in the labyrinth.
Therefore, all the undead monsters on the Fourth Floor are treated as wild undead.
It’s not that I won’t be attacked, but I won’t be ambushed, so while I can’t just attack them freely…
The ability to prevent ambushes and potentially strike first gives me a considerable advantage in itself.
Considering that undead have very faint auras due to their life activities being halted, it’s a rather tricky tier for adventurers like me who explore with all their senses.
Not anymore.
The final effect allows me to survive for a while longer while gravely wounded.
“The more survival options, the better…”
For now, it may not directly help in battle, and I have yet to get seriously injured.
But life isn’t always predictable. You never know when you might encounter a dangerous situation. It’s best to have plenty of insurance for when that time comes.
While the divine bloodline may have somewhat weak effects, it’s a versatile buff that anyone can utilize. In contrast, Loved by Death has less versatility and is subtly tailored more for support than attack, but in the case of the Fourth Floor, it’s an incredibly useful power.
“The last one… it should be something to look forward to, right?”
My first-ever 4-star magic: Radiant Purification.
It’s simple yet powerful magic.
A large, intense sphere of light incinerates all malignancy in its path.
Think of it as a more powerful area-effect casting of the effect of the Unicorn Dagger.
What the criteria for malignancy are only the creator of this spell knows, but undead are certainly in that category, so I don’t need to worry.
Since powers are etched into the soul, as long as I can withstand the pain of my soul tearing, I can accept 5-star powers.
But skills are etched into the body instead of the soul.
If I take on too many skills at once, the backlash to keep up will be tremendous.
In fact, not long after obtaining the 3-star magic, I thought my heart would explode when I got this 4-star magic.
The now amplified mana is nearly three times my previous amount. But…
“…I’ll collapse from mana exhaustion after just one use, anyway.”
That’s the nature of growing specs through skills. When the rank is low, it might be somewhat manageable, but the higher the rank, the worse the forced growth becomes, usually pushing it to an extremely narrow level.
Once you cast it, that’s often it.
It’s the same this time. It’s not a sustained type requiring a lot of mana upkeep, nor is it a supportive type that requires no further attention after activation.
It’s an instantaneous active-type magic—one glance at it and I should be careful or I’ll simply collapse after using it.
“Still, I need to test it out, so I’ll have to try it in the labyrinth.”
I’ll pop a mana potion in my mouth and use it while getting some backup from Benny.
While I won’t be ambushed by undead, I might still run into some who haven’t fully perished or adventurers turned raiders.
Nodding, I tossed fallen Mana Herbs and Recovery Herbs into my mouth as much as I could.
This time, I didn’t find as many herbs as I had expected, but I was able to stuff all of it into the enhanced Gluttonous Stomach.
On the other hand, I got an overwhelming amount of Holy Water, and I pondered what to do with it…
“I guess I’ll swing by the Cradle Association and borrow a subspace container.”
Till now, I had been going in and out of the labyrinth in one day without feeling the necessity of an overnight stay.
But in large clans, they sometimes stay for days and explore the long term.
That in itself counts as an achievement, granting bonus growth, but often the goal is to thoroughly investigate something or gather resources.
For such people, small containers that can hold a few liters are created, so borrowing one shouldn’t be an issue.
Since I will only be using it once this time, it doesn’t matter whether it’s used or a second-hand model.
As I gathered up the strewn items and prepared to leave, I suddenly noticed an old wrist crossbow.
“Oh right. I almost forgot about this.”
I immediately took it and connected it with the existing crossbow to upgrade it.
With a shining light, the appearance of the wrist crossbow began to change.
The basic shape hasn’t changed much, but the material has changed drastically.
“Just as I thought. The tension is different.”
It’s probably strengthened a bit. I’ll have to test it in the labyrinth too.
Considering how many pulls for 200 gold isn’t remotely substantial, at least I’ve firmly prepared for the Fourth Floor.
Isn’t this a profit?
With a giggle, I exited the training hall.
Right beside the door, I found Benny and Shadow crammed onto the wall, sulking.
“Why are you sitting there looking so pitiful, Benny…?”
“Jonah, it’s because of you…!”
Benny’s justified back smack rained down.
Whack!
That’s just too harsh.
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