Chapter 9 - Miracle!?
After hearing this, Mahiro couldn't help but smile and said, "It seems today's hard work hasn't been in vain."
Using Anti-Morbule to attract all the monsters on the floor had greatly improved his efficiency in killing them.
This allowed him to gain several times the excelia of the previous two days in just one day.
With this massive amount of excelia, Mahiro finally met the requirements to rank up.
"Then let's rank up," Mahiro said with a sigh of relief.
Being able to rank up made him feel quite relaxed.
After all, he had to reach Level 5.
If he couldn't rank up, the main quest would undoubtedly be abandoned.
While there was no penalty for quest failure, missing out on the rewards would be a big loss.
"Mahiro, when you rank up, you can choose a development ability."
"You're aware of that, right?" Hestia asked with a smile.
"Yes," Mahiro nodded.
He'd had a general understanding of this for some time.
Development abilities were additional skills that could only be acquired when ranking up.
Unlike basic abilities, they further enhanced specialized or professional talents.
For example, most blacksmiths could obtain a development ability called Forging, which improved the quality of their equipment and even added unique functions or effects.
Similarly, pharmacists skilled in crafting elixirs could acquire Mixing, enhancing the potency and effectiveness of their concoctions, producing healing medicines with miraculous results.
The type of development ability one could learn depended on the actions taken by the individual receiving the falna and the excelia they'd accumulated.
Mahiro was neither a blacksmith nor a pharmacist, so naturally, he couldn't obtain Forging or Mixing.
If someone didn't accumulate high class excelia, they might not gain any development ability upon ranking up.
Conversely, with sufficient and high class excelia, it was possible to have multiple development abilities to choose from, though only one could be selected at each rank-up.
"Hestia, you didn't rank me up immediately."
"That means there are multiple development abilities for me to choose from, right?" Mahiro asked.
"You guessed it!" Hestia nodded and held up four fingers.
"Four. Right now, you have four development abilities to pick from."
"Even I didn't expect you'd have so many options when ranking up, Mahiro."
"Most adventurers are lucky to get even one development ability, but you have a full four to choose from!"
"Which four are they?" Mahiro asked, his curiosity piqued.
"The first is Swordsman," Hestia said, raising one finger as she explained slowly.
"This development ability suits adventurers who wield sword-like weapons."
"It only appears for those with exceptional swordsmanship talent."
"If you have a sword-related skill, it boosts its power, improving the speed, strength, and precision of your strikes. It's a solid ability."
Swordsman? Mahiro felt a spark of interest.
After all, he typically used swords as his weapon of choice.
This development ability would undoubtedly be a great asset to him.
"The second is Hunter," Hestia continued, making a two-finger gesture.
"This ability appears for those who defeat a large number of monsters in a short time—a rare and challenging feat to unlock."
"It strengthens you when facing monsters you've previously fought or encountered."
"It's perfect for dungeon expedition and highly valued."
"Most adventurers aiming to conquer the dungeon dream of getting this ability."
"The third is Mage," Hestia said, extending a third finger.
"Similar to Swordsman, this ability enhances your control over magic."
"Honestly, I'm not surprised at all that Mage and Hunter showed up."
"With your skill Infinite Magic, it's clear you have exceptional talent."
"And as for Hunter—given how fast you've been killing monsters, it's only natural."
"What's the last one? It must be something rare if you saved it for the end," Mahiro said with a smile.
"Exactly!" Hestia nodded enthusiastically.
"The final development ability is Mystery—a super-rare one at that!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke.
"Mystery?" Mahiro tilted his head, intrigued.
"Yes, Mystery!" Hestia said brightly.
"I've heard there are fewer than five people in all of Orario with this ability."
"It's not just rare—it's incredibly powerful. In simple terms, it's the ability to create miracles."
Hestia spoke with reverence.
"For a blacksmith, it could mean crafting something more valuable than normal weapon, with extraordinary effects."
"For a pharmacist, it might allow them to concoct elixirs capable of bringing out people from death's door."
"Long ago, someone with this ability even created a legendary item that granted immortality."
"To us gods, it's a development ability that borders on the divine!"
"A miracle, huh?" Mahiro mused, his interest deepening.
This ability truly stirred something in him.
"Yes, a miracle!" Hestia waved her small hand excitedly.
"I think it's a perfect match for you."
"So, what do you say? How about choosing this one?"
She blinked up at him expectantly, her cute expression almost impossible to resist.