Bell Cranel's shortswords didn't have any special features; they were just two ordinary enchanted shortswords that looked rather unremarkable. In contrast, the Kagura Suzu in Haruhime Sanjouno's hands was far more exquisite.
Forging Bell's weapons took half an hour, but Haruhime's Kagura Suzu took an hour and a half. The main issue was the bells, which were quite troublesome—Ren Isana had to craft every single one of them by hand.
He had inlaid several high-quality Magic Stones inside the bells and inscribed numerous amplification runes, all designed for support purposes.
Furthermore, the Kagura Suzu was connected to a long ribbon. This ribbon served as a conduit for transmitting Magic Power, functioning similarly to the shaft of a magic staff.
When Haruhime received the Kagura Suzu, a flash of pleasant surprise crossed her eyes. As she took it, she heard a crisp, clear chiming sound.
"Thank you, Lord Ren!" Haruhime bowed to Ren, her face full of joy, her shrine maiden outfit swaying with her movements.
Fox girls really did come with a natural charm attribute. The sight of her creamy white cleavage was almost dizzying. Ren silently retracted his gaze and said, "Tomorrow, show me your magic. I want to see if I can learn it."
Hearing Ren's words, Haruhime paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Understood, Lord Ren. I will definitely show you my best side."
*You've already shown it,* Ren couldn't help but grumble inwardly. *What do you mean, show me your best side?*
"Let's get ready to eat," Ren said after handing over the weapons, walking over to serve the food. Seeing this, the two hurriedly put their weapons away and went back to helping out.
After the group finished eating together, they headed straight back to their respective rooms. Ren did the same. He returned to his room, took a shower, and then prepared to consolidate the numerous magic spells he had mastered.
[Lightness Technique]—this could definitely be merged with [Flight Magic], and while he was at it, why not throw [Ariel・Wind Spirit Dash] into the mix? With this thought in mind, Ren quickly got to work.
These three were actually quite similar. He could strip away the support properties of [Ariel・Wind Spirit Dash] and fuse them with [Flight Magic] and [Lightness Technique]. In the future, he could even integrate other similar magic spells.
After a swift series of adjustments, Ren obtained a brand-new magic spell. After pondering for a moment, he came up with a name for it.
"I'll call it [Wind Spirit Possession]. A support magic that combines [Lightness Technique], [Flight Magic], and [Ariel・Wind Spirit Dash]. It allows for flight, reduces body weight, and makes me as agile as the wind!" After naming his new magic, Ren directly updated his status board.
He wasn't even planning to hide it anymore. The next time Hestia updated his Falna, she was probably going to be completely dumbfounded.
Having finished the first one, Ren moved on to the second. This time, he directly fused [Perception Magic], [Spatial Perception], and [Life Perception]. He merged them all into [Spatial Perception], creating a magic spell on his board called [Spatial Perception], though in reality, it was a Talent.
Next, Ren combined all his elemental magic spells—[Lightning Strike], [Wynn Fimbulvetr], [Wind of Recovery], [Descent of Winter], [Lightning Descent], and the like—creating a single spell called [Elemental Domination].
If he acquired any more elemental magic in the future, he could just fuse them into it. Looking at the magic he had synthesized, Ren nodded in satisfaction.
Riding the momentum, Ren continued to consolidate his other spells. He merged [Protection Magic], [Spatial Barrier], and similar spells to create [Dimensional Barrier].
[Healing Magic], [Mass Heal], and other recovery-type spells were fused together under the simple and straightforward name of [Healing Magic].
[Piercing Magic Bullet] and [Piercing Magic Cannon] were combined into [Piercing Magic]. Then, spells like [Liv Illusion] and [Veil Breath] were merged into [Shield of Sighs].
Finally, the spells Natsuki Minamiya had taught him—[Spatial Teleportation], [Spatial Lockdown], and [Weapon Storage]—were all bundled into one category called [Spatial Magic], which also included the [Storage Magic] he had created himself.
After finishing all of this, Ren finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now, his attribute board looked much cleaner.
His current magic list consisted only of [Wind Spirit Possession], [Spatial Perception], [Elemental Domination], [Dimensional Barrier], [Healing Magic], [Piercing Magic], [Shield of Sighs], [Spatial Magic], [Calming Magic], [Purification Magic], and [Shadow Stealth].
Everything else had been consolidated, much like his [Omni-Weapon Mastery]. The magic displayed now was all post-fusion, and if he learned more in the future, he could simply merge them in.
"But what tier should these be considered? Probably tierless, right? Besides, even if I was willing to teach them, there aren't many people who could actually learn them!" Ren felt the changes in his board, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
These spells could now truly be considered marked with his signature, completely belonging to him. As for his Talents, he would leave them alone for now, since each Talent was unique.
Or rather, from the very beginning, these Talents had actually been integrated with [Jianjigu], so Ren didn't need to bother with them at all.
*I just hope Hestia doesn't get completely shocked by my drastically altered status board next time,* Ren thought to himself. He glanced at the night sky outside the window; without him realizing it, it was already late into the night.
He didn't stay up any longer, instead closing his eyes and entering a state of [Meditation]. The night passed silently. When he woke up the next day, Ren was once again full of energy.
[Meditation] really was a wonderful thing. No matter how late you slept, a little meditation was all it took to restore your spirit. In fact, for someone with super regenerative abilities like Ren, he didn't even strictly need to meditate.
Coming downstairs, Ren ate breakfast and then got busy. The others successively brought over their armor and weapons. Ren's next task was to repair their armor and upgrade their weapons while he was at it.
While Ren was busy, the others gradually began their new day of training. Today's instructor was Shizuka Hiratsuka. She directly taught everyone the [Rankyaku・Tempest Kick], [Shigan・Finger Pistol], and [Geppo・Moonwalk] that she had previously learned from Ren.
Just those techniques alone would be enough for them to study for a long time. Ren hammered away endlessly by himself in the workshop, while Hestia left the house to find her best friend.
When she returned, she brought Tsubaki straight over, along with several members of the Hephaestus Familia.
Hestia excitedly led these people to Ren and said, "Ren, I brought you some helpers! Hephaestus has agreed to form an alliance with us, and she's even willing to lend us some people."
She shared this good news with Ren the moment she got back. This way, Ren wouldn't have to hammer away all by himself; he finally had people to help him out.
Hearing Hestia's words and seeing the people she brought in, Ren was a bit surprised. *Did Hephaestus really invest this heavily? She actually sent Tsubaki over? Or does she have some other plan?*
Ren felt a bit puzzled, but Hestia had no intention of hiding anything. She stepped forward and explained Hephaestus's thoughts: she hoped her people could come to the Hestia Familia to learn magic.
Just like Aria and the others, in return, they would help everyone with anything during their stay here—whether it was repairing gear or forging equipment.
It was equivalent to directly lending these people to the Hestia Familia. A bunch of craftsmen capable of forging weapons and repairing armor—it was a massive show of respect. This was especially true for Tsubaki, who was currently recognized as the strongest blacksmith in Orario.
To think the other party had actually sent her over as well; it truly was a heavy investment. It seemed Hephaestus was very aware of the upcoming changes, which was why she dispatched her own captain.
"Hello, Mr. Ren, we meet again. Please take care of us from now on. If there's anything you need done, just give us the order." After Hestia finished speaking, Tsubaki stepped forward generously and greeted Ren.
Seeing this, Ren nodded and said, "In that case, I'll have to ask for your help. Please repair those pieces of armor. Tsubaki, I'll need your assistance; I need to upgrade everyone's weapons."
Ren wasn't going to stand on ceremony with them and immediately started assigning tasks. Hearing this, the group nodded without a word. After taking a look at the situation and the materials in the workshop, they sprang into action.
Tsubaki, however, looked at the weapons slated for upgrading with curious eyes. A flash of astonishment crossed her gaze before she couldn't help but ask, "Were these weapons... forged by you, Mr. Ren?"
With just a single glance, she saw through the quality of these weapons. Although they weren't Magic Swords or anything of the sort, their potential was limitless. They could still be continuously strengthened by adding various materials?
This line of thinking... was simply absurd. Right now, these weapons could be considered mere blanks—they weren't fully formed at all, yet they were already usable. It was precisely because she realized this that Tsubaki was incredibly shocked.
"That's right. It looks like you've already figured it out. Next, I'm going to add some materials to improve their quality. You can handle that, right?" Ren asked, looking at Tsubaki.
They were both taught by the same master, so it wasn't surprising at all to Ren that she could see it. She should also understand how to enhance their quality; after all, these were just the basics.
"I can. Leave it to me. But do you want to add any enchantment attributes? I feel like we could still add some attributes to these," Tsubaki quickly got into the zone and began discussing with Ren.
Facing Tsubaki's inquiry, Ren shook his head. "Not for now. Just upgrading them step by step is enough for the time being. If we want to add enchantments later, we can just add them separately. The materials are over there; I've already processed them."
There was no need to add enchantments just yet. After all, Ren wasn't in a hurry; there would be plenty of opportunities to add them in the future. Right now, they just needed to raise the base quality.
Hearing Ren say this, Tsubaki didn't say anything more. She entered her working state and began helping Ren upgrade everyone's weapons.
The others started repairing the damaged gear. In fact, the equipment Ren and his group were currently using had been forged by these very people, so repairing them was naturally a breeze.
With their addition, Ren's workload was greatly reduced. It only took them a few hours to repair all the armor, after which everyone joined in to help Ren reinforce the weapons.
It was merely a matter of integrating some materials into the weapons, which was incredibly simple for the members of the Hephaestus Familia. Because of this, Ren managed to finish his entire workload in just one day.
During dinner that evening, Ren announced to the group, "Your gear has all been repaired. Go grab it from over there later."
Hearing Ren's words, everyone's eyes immediately lit up. That was fantastic; having extra hands on deck really made a difference.
After telling everyone to pick up their gear later, Ren turned his gaze to Tsubaki and the others. "Starting tomorrow, you can join us in our studies. We don't have any weapons that need forging for the time being."
Ren was very clear about their purpose for coming, so he didn't hesitate to let them join in directly. He would still need to trouble them with gear repairs in the future, after all.
Hearing this, Tsubaki hurriedly nodded in agreement. After all, this was the very reason they had come here—to learn otherworldly magic. The Loki Familia had already seized the initiative and started learning, so they naturally couldn't afford to fall behind.
Time flew by, and soon it was the next day. Having nothing to do today, Ren decided to learn Haruhime's magic. Furthermore, he planned to take this opportunity to see if he could learn some Advanced Magic.
Natsuki Minamiya still had quite a few spatial spells waiting for Ren to learn. A temporary breakthrough to Tier 5 was still Tier 5; learning a few spells shouldn't be a problem, right?
Ren found Haruhime, who was silently practicing her magic, and explained his intentions. He had mentioned this to her a while ago, but he had been too busy upgrading weapons yesterday and forgot.
Since he had time today, it was the perfect chance to learn. Understanding Ren's purpose, Haruhime stopped her practice and began explaining the details of her magic.
"Lord Ren, my magic is called [Uchide no Kozuchi・Magic Mallet]. Its effect is to raise another person's level. However, this magic can only be cast on others, not on myself, and the effect only lasts for ten minutes," Haruhime explained.
Hearing this, Ren nodded. Right now, Haruhime was only Lv.1, so her magic was still in its initial state. Moreover, she hadn't awakened the [Kokonoe] spell yet, making this magic somewhat one-dimensional.
Its usefulness wasn't that great right now. It would only truly take off once she awakened [Kokonoe], allowing her to cast [Uchide no Kozuchi・Magic Mallet] on nine people at once. Forcibly raising someone's level was an incredibly massive effect—far more practical than applying any other buff.
In the world of Danmachi, the boost from each level up was immeasurably huge. Therefore, Ren had to learn this magic. Even if it could only be used on others, couldn't he just modify it once he learned it?
"Use it and show me," Ren said to Haruhime without hesitation, wanting her to demonstrate the magic first.
Haruhime nodded upon hearing this. Holding her magical focus in her hands, she began to chant: "Grow larger, its power and its deeds. Countless treasures, countless wishes. When the bell tolls, I pray for glory and illusion!"
Following Haruhime's chant, a surge of power acted upon Ren's body. The next moment, the strength throughout Ren's entire body skyrocketed, his power completely crossing into Tier 5 in that instant.
Feeling his current changes, a gleam of pleasant surprise flashed in Ren's eyes. Power was welling up within him, and his overall Magic Power, regenerative abilities, and the like had received an unparalleled enhancement in an instant.
*What an incredible magic!* The boost was simply massive. It could absolutely be used as a trump card. Imagine fighting someone and they forcibly raise their level mid-battle—who wouldn't be terrified?
Next, Ren put on a show of going over the principles of the magic with Haruhime, then demonstrated his learning progress in front of her. After legitimizing his acquisition of the spell, Ren bid Haruhime farewell and let her continue practicing on her own.
Ren, meanwhile, began researching how to make this magic work on himself. Although he hadn't learned [Kokonoe] yet, he had his own ways of using this magic. Modifying it so he could cast it on himself was relatively simple for him.
After learning the magic, Ren tinkered with it for a bit and quickly modified its effects. Once he finished all of this, he nodded in satisfaction.
He now had one more trump card. From now on, no matter what kind of enemy he faced, he wouldn't panic. Having learned this magic, his level was essentially a permanent +1!
"Ren, Ren! If you don't have anything to do next, do you want to come with me to the gods' banquet? An annoying guy came back and is hosting a party, and he invited me to attend." Just as Ren was in a great mood over gaining a new trump card, Hestia came running over.
Hearing Hestia's sudden words, a hint of surprise flashed in Ren's eyes. "An annoying guy? Then why attend?"
If Hestia was calling someone an annoying guy, it could only be that god named Apollo, right? Thinking of this, Ren felt a bit surprised. *He came back at this time?*
"Because it's hard to refuse. Freya was the one who invited me. All the gods were invited, so I can't exactly say no. When I came back before, they also threw a welcome banquet for me," Hestia said, looking somewhat depressed.
Hearing this, Ren raised an eyebrow. He looked at Hestia with some suspicion and asked, "They allow you to bring Familia members?"
Ren felt there was definitely something fishy going on here. The Hestia Familia plus the Apollo Familia... how interesting. Were they planning to make a move on him?
Ren hadn't forgotten the intense gazes Freya had directed at him those few times. And now, taking advantage of Apollo's return, they wanted to drag him into this too?
In reality, the one they wanted to invite wasn't Hestia; it was probably Ren himself, right? It was just that Ren and the other party had never met and didn't know each other at all, so they used this method to get him to attend.
"Yeah, those guys are also really curious about people from another world, so they asked me to bring you along."
Hestia's words completely confirmed Ren's suspicions.