“So, I can’t cheat that much. How annoying.” Light grumbled while standing inside her domain, watching the corpse of the drunken man fade beside her. After being put in a position where her life could have ended, she was forced to revaluate her approach to this world.

  Previously, she had been content with building herself up step by step, just like everyone else. However, this world clearly was not going to allow that.

  “So, I can’t use more than two of the same type of accessories at one time,” she muttered. “But that same rule doesn’t apply to every type of accessory… Such a pointlessly convoluted system.”

  Right now, Light was experimenting to see if she could stack multiple pieces of equipment to reinforce herself. So far, the results had surprised her. Unlike game mechanics that typically limited a pyer to wearing two or three accessories at a time, or how reality would work—where nothing physically stopped someone from putting on ten rings at once—her skill seemed to have its own rules.

  She wondered if this limitation would be revoked ter down the line, perhaps if she got stronger or if the skill itself evolved. Who knew? She certainly did not understand the exact rules governing these innate skills.

  Regardless, she had learned that she could only use two of the same type of accessory to enhance herself. Thankfully, Final Fantasy 13’s accessories came in many different forms—rings, amulets, clothing, earrings, sashes, books, and even eggs.

  Unfortunately, the limitation did not apply to individual pieces of clothing. She could not simply wrap herself in two scarves or wear two pairs of boots and expect their effects to stack. Since they fell under the category of “clothing,” she was limited to wearing only one of each type—a rule entirely separate from the accessory restriction.

  It seemed the items from her games restricted her much like those in video games. The only difference was that, aside from shirts, trousers, footwear, and headwear, she could equip two of each additional accessory. So while she could not wear two scarves since they technically counted as headwear or occupied the helmet slot, she could equip two rings, two neckces, two bracelets, two anklets, and so on.

  [You aren’t wrong for finding a way to defend yourself and empower yourself, but this approach may not be as beneficial as you think.]

  Light, who had been scrolling through her equipment list from Final Fantasy 13, paused. “Am I missing something?”

  [In another world, this strategy might work perfectly, but in this one, with its strange levelling system, it won’t be as effective.]

  “Strange?” Light tilted her head in confusion. “Isn’t it just a regur gaming system with talent-based buffs and debuffs? You gain low-quality excelia by defeating monsters around your level, which empowers the Falna inside you and increases your stats. Then High-quality excelia is obtained by defeating monsters above your power level, and that’s what you use to level up.”

  This was Light’s logical breakdown of the Falna system—none of the vague nonsense about “going on an adventure” or “committing deeds that even the gods recognize.”

  [You’re not wrong, but you’re overlooking something important. There is more than one way to grow stronger in this world. Do you recall Bell’s training with Ais? Or Ais’ training with Ottar? Both of them gained massive stat boosts without obtaining any excelia from defeating monsters.]

  “Isn’t that just because those two are special?”

  [The Kali Familia also gained their levels not by fighting monsters but by training against each other and killing their own kin in deathmatches.]

  “So you’re telling me that excelia isn’t just obtained through fighting monsters? I already knew that much,” Light frowned. Not because she was displeased, but because she could not understand what her system was trying to get at. It was going the long way around to expin something. “What does that have to do with me using these accessories to get a boost?”

  [Excelia in this world isn’t obtained through killing alone. It is earned by pushing your body to new heights through strenuous activity. Fighting with your life on the line is simply the easiest way to force your body to adapt.]

  “So falna is a like a muscle… Oh, I get it.”

  Realization finally hit Light. “If I rely on these accessories all the time, my growth will be severely hampered. Every fight within my level will be too easy for me, so my body won’t be forced to improve.”

  Light looked at the ten beautiful rings adorning her fingers, then back at the corpse before her, and sighed. The fight had been ughably easy, even with only two rings active. Without using Tempest Avenger, she had overpowered him with genuine ease. Catching his mace effortless in her hand and crushing it, making her feel like she had truly joined the world of anime.

  “I guess I’ll keep them in case of an emergency.” She grumbled before falling back onto the grass, gazing up at the clear sky. Taking in the stunning view of an unpolluted sky, she decided to fully rex and take it in.

  It seemed anytime she tried to take a step forward; she forced to take a step back almost immediately.

  “So, what accessories can I use that won’t affect my growth…?” She trailed off before turning her attention to the system. “System, do you know if Growth Eggs, which double obtained CP(Final Fantasy 13’s Experience Points), will also work with Falna?”

  [They will. The system will automatically convert the energy signature of CP into Falna for you. Additionally, they should stack with each other, no longer being limited to just one.]

  Light quickly sat up, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “So I’ll obtain four times the amount of Falna just by carrying around a few silly golden eggs?”

  She knew she had to grow stronger quickly. Maybe if she had joined a different Familia, she would have had the luxury of growing at a slower pace—but not here. The Hestia Familia could afford to remain a normal, low-levelled Familia, but the Loki Familia had no such luxury. By joining them, she had already shifted from the regur plotline to Sword Oratoria, the spin-off that had no qualms about killing off side characters.

  “If Growth Eggs and Liaris Freese work in tandem, just how fast will I be able to climb the levels?”

  The only drawback to this line of thought was how the skill operated. Liaris Freese required her to love someone of a higher level and aspire to reach them. Light was not sure how much the skill had been modified, but it would not change at a fundamental level.

  “If I were to fall in love with someone, who would be the best target for the skill…? Ryuu? Nah, she’s only Level 4 right now. Ais? Level 5, soon to be Level 6, so not bad. Riveria? Level 6, heading toward 7. The elven princess might actually be the best candidate, but with Ais’ growth rate, she’ll no doubt overtake her senior given enough time.”

  When it came to natural talent, no one surpassed Ais and Ryuu. The only difference between them was that Ryuu had given up on her journey to the peak, while Ais’ resolve had never wavered.

  If this world were a gacha game, both girls would undoubtedly be of the highest grade.

  “Can’t I just train one of them? If I provided one of them with a Growth Egg or two and gave them access to my domain, they should be able to climb the ranks at a pace comparable to Bell. Then, if my future Liaris Freese were attached to them…”

  Light shook her head. “What am I even thinking? I don’t even have the skill yet.”

  While on the subject, she decided to check the store to see just how much positive karma she had accumuted.

  “Whoa, that’s a big jump.”

  [Your actions of healing Naaza, providing Miach with research material that could save even more lives in the future, and protecting Freya without ulterior motives cannot be underestimated.]

  At the mention of Freya, Light’s mind drifted back to yesterday. After failing to extract any more details from her, Light had simply left the Goddess behind, walking past her guards as if they weren’t even there.

  Out of curiosity, she had gone back to check on the drunk to see if someone had come to collect him.

  When she reached the spot where he had been, she found no one. Looking around a little, she eventually discovered him lying on his back in an alleyway. The only difference? He was now dead—his throat had been sliced.

  Light didn’t know if this was the work of someone from the Freya Familia, the Hostess of Fertility, or simply another person who had a grudge against him. Either way, he was gone.

  Without knowing more about the man, it was hard to say with complete certainty whether he deserved such a fate, but even so the discovery was unsettling.

  [Are you listening?]

  “Eh? Yeah. Healing, research, and protecting. Got it.”

  [You don’t seem as excited as I thought you would be. You’re only forty thousand points away from obtaining the skill you wanted. Also, don’t forget your meeting with Loki is soon.]

  “Oh right. That completely slipped my mind.”

  Light had pnned not only to update her status for the second time in three weeks but also to propose a business cooperation with her Goddess. She had held off updating her status st week, wanting to familiarize herself with fighting goblins in rger numbers—her usual four had increased to nine. She believed getting a stat boost prematurely would have undermined her accomplishment.

  After exiting her domain and returning to her dorm room, Light cast a quick Cleanse on herself before heading toward Loki’s office.

  Name: Light Ashford

  Race: Human

  Age: 18

  Level: 1

  Power: I-11 >>> H-172

  Endurance: I-3 >>> G-203

  Dexterity: I-9 >>> H-199

  Agility: I-10 >>> H-194

  Magic: I-19 >>> G-206

  Innate Skills: [Avengers – SSS], [Fairy Canon – S]

  Magic: [Ariel – SSS], [Dia Panakeia - S]

  Development skills: [Cooking – F]

  To say Loki was amazed by Light’s progress would be an understatement. In just a fortnight, she had climbed out of the slums of being a new adventurer to someone with the stats of an adventurer with about half a year of experience.

  Light was equally shocked. It wasn’t until she truly reflected on what her system had told her earlier that everything fell into pce. The difference between the first week compared to the second and third week was her usage of the domain.

  Additionally, she had been using Tempest-Avenger more frequently, practicing her abilities under the healing aura of her domain. This had given her the time to truly test her limits.

  Never mind pushing her body—she had driven it to its breaking point numerous times a day.

  Although Light’s stat improvements had originally caught Loki’s attention, what truly made her breathing hitch was the moment she discovered Light’s new skills, “Dia Panakeia”.

  Goddess Loki wasn’t delusional. Although people commonly referred to her Familia and Freya’s as the top two in the city, she knew that if it ever came down to an all-out war, the chances of victory for her children would be slim. Their only hope would be if Finn could pull off a miracle by outmanoeuvring their enemies with superior tactics.

  The biggest obstacle to their victory wasn’t even Ottar, the nicknamed King, despite being publicly recognized as the strongest adventurer. No, the real difference between their Familias was that one had the Golden Witch, Heith Velvet.

  Despite being only Level 4, the human healer who could mend anything but certain death made defeating the Freya Familia in a direct battle almost impossible. Imagine taking down Ottar, throwing everything you had at him, only to watch him rise completely healed, as if nothing had happened. That was the power the Golden Witch possessed—and unfortunately, the Loki Familia didn’t have anyone even remotely comparable.

  However, with the skill Loki had just recognized, that nearly insurmountable gap could finally be closed. Immediately her already high opinion of Light increased further. No doubt if she is to be given time to grow, she would become one of her familias pilrs.