Training Under Load Begins

Thor was still enthusiastically recommending skill techniques to Lefiya.

"I personally recommend [Disintegration Ray]. This magic is quite interesting; it allows you to decompose any existence."

He paused, catching a glimpse of a higher-dimensional vista.

"As long as you are powerful enough, decomposing gods is nothing more than a flick of the finger."

"De, decompose gods?!"

Lefiya was completely stunned.

Magic capable of decomposing gods? Was this really something that could be taught to her so casually?

The mere thought of such power sent a shiver deep from the depths of her soul.

She didn't know how to react to the situation, feeling only absurdity and terror.

She subconsciously took a half-step back, her voice as faint as a mosquito's: "Lord Thor... my magic [Slots]... have already recorded three spells. There is no extra [Slot] space to learn new magic..."

In Orario, the number of spells an adventurer can hold is fixed and limited.

This is determined by the origin of the soul, like a pre-carved stone tablet.

Everyone has at least one [Slot] to record magic, and three is the upper limit.

"Oh, is that so..." He nodded blankly.

"It matters not." Thor's voice returned to its usual calm, "If you truly wish to learn... it is not impossible."

"Eh?"

Lefiya jerked her head up, her clear green eyes widening into perfect circles, filled with shock and disbelief that threatened to overflow.

She wondered if she had damaged her ears during the battle.

Teaching a fourth spell? How could that be possible?!

This was a law of the soul that even the gods claimed could not be altered! It was a destiny branded upon every adventurer at the moment of their birth!

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a sense of utter absurdity washing over her.

"You... you can... teach me... a fourth spell?"

"Naturally." Thor answered nonchalantly, as if stating a trivial matter, like moving a stone, "However, that comes at a different price."

He was the creative will that forged the Starry Heavens.

To him, changing the so-called fixed "talents" of surface creatures or modifying the rules of their soul's capacity was as simple as plucking a cosmic string.

It only required consuming about 100 [Stardust] to accomplish.

Lefiya froze, her mind going blank, the sheer volume of information nearly causing her to crash.

If not for the words Loki had spoken last night.

At this very moment, she would have undoubtedly, without hesitation, branded the Thor before her as the most arrogant, outrageous, and ignorant liar in the history of Orario!

The reality before her was confirming the "greatness" and "phenomena" that Loki had described in an absurd and suffocating manner.

Lefiya opened her mouth, her brain in total chaos.

A fourth spell? Changing the rules of the soul?

This had completely exceeded the boundaries of her cognition, leaving her unable to make a decision immediately.

Thor did not rush her.

He turned to Bell, his voice as steady as ever: "Bell, collect the Magic Stone."

Without needing further words, Bell quickly gathered all the Magic Stone fragments obtained from the recent subjugation and handed them to Thor.

The rewards for this skirmish were quite generous; combined with what Bell had gathered alone last night, the quantity of Magic Stone was just enough to condense a new Stardust.

Thor extended his hand, palm upward.

The pile of Magic Stone collected by Bell instantly turned to powder, countless tiny specks of light rising and converging, rotating and collapsing above his palm.

As Thor blew a gentle breath, as if brushing away dust.

The core of the light suddenly burst into a brilliant glow, then stabilized, a brand new [Stardust] floating silently.

Ais watched the entire process quietly, her eyes focused on capturing every trace of this creation.

Lefiya subconsciously held her breath, watching this dazzling scene.

The light emitted by the birth of the Stardust was not blinding, yet it carried a profundity and magnificence that reached straight to the soul, making them feel as if they had caught a glimpse of the universe's creation.

"So... so beautiful..." Lefiya whispered unconsciously, her mind completely captivated by the tiny speck of light.

Hearing this, Thor smiled: "Thank you for the compliment. This is the smallest unit of my power, and also one of the fundamental forms that constitute the rules of the universe."

After a brief introduction.

Thor extended his other hand, his fingertips lifting slightly, and another brilliant Stardust slowly precipitated from his body, hovering in the air.

He held one in each hand, extending them toward Ais and Lefiya respectively.

"Since I have promised you," his gaze swept over the two girls, "I will fulfill my commitment and train you well. Now, swallow this."

Ais and Lefiya gazed at the Stardust hovering above their palms, its light flowing as if it contained an endless galaxy.

It was breathtakingly beautiful, enough to dazzle and mesmerize anyone.

Ais did not hesitate; she cupped the Stardust belonging to her in both hands and swallowed it without a second thought.

Seeing her senior act so decisively, Lefiya suppressed the reluctance she felt toward such a beautiful creation and followed suit, carefully lifting the Stardust and placing it into her mouth.

The object was impossibly light, to the point where she could not feel any weight at all.

The Stardust felt cool upon entering her mouth, carrying a... well... refreshing sensation that invigorated the spirit; it tasted a bit like... hmm... mint?

Lefiya subconsciously licked it with the tip of her tongue, trying to capture that strange texture.

"Stop tasting it," Thor said with a helpless laugh, "You won't be able to lick my Stardust away."

"Ugh..." Lefiya's pretty face turned bright red instantly, embarrassed by her small action, and she immediately swallowed the Stardust.

The moment the Stardust entered her stomach!

An irresistible, terrifying suction force erupted from deep within her abdomen!

It was as if an invisible vortex existed inside her body, and the strength she had painstakingly trained and accumulated was being frantically drained away at an unprecedented speed!

"Th-this is!?" Lefiya clutched her lower abdomen in shock, her body swaying slightly as it lost the support of her power.

She had no idea what was happening.

At the same time, Ais clearly furrowed her brows and rubbed her own abdomen.

She could clearly feel that powerful suction taking effect within her; the sense of fullness in her strength was rapidly fading, and her body was becoming heavy and sluggish.

Only then did Thor calmly explain.

"My current power has not yet recovered, so I cannot accommodate the intensity of your Lv.5 and Lv.3 levels for special training. Therefore, I am temporarily sealing your strength back to the Lv.1 level."

He looked at the expressions of the two girls, which had instantly turned serious and even slightly strained, and added: "You can think of it as... a special form of weight training."

"I see..."

Ais tried to clench her fist; the surging wind magic she once possessed had vanished without a trace, as if she had never had it at all.

Yet, deep within her eyes, a purer flame ignited.

She had never tried this kind of training method before.

Lefiya also felt as if she had been draped in a heavy leaden cloak, making even breathing more laborious than usual.

What a miraculous power...

Thor watched the two of them quietly.

Unlike when he had Bell swallow the Stardust to use its power to guide him in learning skills, the Stardust the two of them swallowed would continuously collect the magic or energy within their bodies and then begin to refine and "reproduce."

Just as he used the energy within a Magic Stone to refine Stardust, this method would also allow him to condense new Stardust.

He could already foresee that after these seven days of special training, he would be able to obtain over 100 pieces of Stardust.

By then, he would recover a portion of his great power...

"Right, Ais, I haven't asked what skill you want to learn yet?" He had been asking Lefiya what magic she wanted to learn and hadn't yet asked for Ais's thoughts.