The "Incompetent" Husband

Time flew by, and it was already the next day.

At the first light of dawn, when Thor brought Bell out the door to head out, he found them waiting.

Outside, Ais and Lefiya were already fully equipped, standing quietly in the morning glow as if they had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Thor appear, the two girls bowed in unison, their voices a blend of clarity and crispness: "Good morning, Lord Thor/Mr. Thor."

Thor raised an eyebrow, a hint of helpless amusement in his smile: "Didn't we agree to meet at the entrance of the Dungeon? You two are far too early."

"I—I was just so excited about starting the official special training today... and I was worried about being late," Lefiya replied, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Ais nodded silently beside her, her eyes filled with pure anticipation, showing not a trace of fatigue.

"Lack of sleep is a major taboo," Thor said, shaking his head with a teasing smile. "You're going to have a rough time this coming week, so don't go crying to me then."

"We will persevere!" Lefiya clenched her small fist, her tone resolute.

Although Ais didn't speak, the fighting spirit in her eyes was the best possible answer.

"Commendable spirit." Thor didn't say anything more and stepped forward. "Then, let's head to the Dungeon."

The group walked along the street toward Babel Tower.

Bell looked at the party and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Lord Deity, what about Miss Syr? Is she coming to the Dungeon with us today?"

Thor shook his head regretfully: "Syr still has work to do at the tavern, so she can't join us for now."

He added to himself.

For a deity to enter the Dungeon openly, the Guild wouldn't let it slide easily; it would take quite a bit of effort to negotiate.

The scene shifted, and the group was already on the sixth floor of the Dungeon.

Although it was still the upper floors and the individual strength of the monsters wasn't high, the environment at this moment was exceptionally perilous.

An endless stream of Goblin, Zanyin, and even Hellhound that shouldn't have been on this floor were pouring out of the cracks in the rock walls from all directions, their numbers enough to make one's scalp tingle!

"This number... it's too much!" Lefiya exclaimed again as she watched the dense swarm of monsters surging toward them.

She instinctively raised her staff and began to chant the elven long-form incantation in a rush: "Proud battle—woah!"

The incantation had barely begun when a nimble Goblin broke through the gap in Bell and Ais's defense, howling as it swung its bone club right in front of her!

The threat of death loomed over her, and Lefiya's pupils constricted, her instinct screaming at her to interrupt the chant and dodge backward.

"Keep running! Continue the chant!" Thor's stern reprimand exploded in her ears.

These words seemed to carry magic, instantly dispelling most of Lefiya's fear, and she forcibly suppressed the urge to break her chant.

Gritting her teeth, she struggled to maintain the magic structure in her mind while moving her heavy legs to retreat and create distance.

However, her coordination, suppressed to Lv.1, was far worse than usual, and with her focus entirely on the magic, her left foot caught on a protruding stone. She fell with a loud "thud," kicking up a small cloud of dust.

"Ugh!" The violent impact made her see stars.

What was worse, the Goblin had already lunged at her with a hideous grin, its bone club raised high, aimed straight at her head!

Just then, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air!

"Swish—!"

A beam of pure energy precisely pierced the Goblin's skull, instantly turning it into ash.

A thumb-sized Magic Stone lost its support and fell with a clatter, hitting Lefiya right on the bridge of her nose just as she looked up.

"Ah!" Lefiya cried out in pain. The magic structure she had been maintaining halfway through instantly collapsed from the sudden shock and sharp pain, and the incantation was completely broken.

She clutched her aching nose, her eyes instantly welling up with tears born of pain and a sense of failure.

Thor flashed to her side and extended a hand, asking with steady concern: "Are you alright?"

Lefiya stared blankly at the palm extended toward her, her heart filled with self-reproach and frustration.

She grabbed Thor's hand to pull herself up, not even bothering to brush the dust off her clothes, her voice thick with a nasal, choked tone.

"I—I'm sorry! Mr. Thor... I... I failed again! I couldn't complete the Parallel Chanting..."

Thor let go of her hand, not scolding her, his tone instead carrying a gentle, guiding quality: "Don't be discouraged. No one is born knowing how to run. Parallel Chanting is a high-level technique that requires time to hone."

He looked at the girl's red-rimmed eyes and nose, slowing his pace.

"Start with the basics. Forget about the monsters behind you; pretend they don't exist. Try to chant clearly while moving your legs, keeping your body balanced and the incantation continuous. Remember, I will always be by your side."

That calm and certain voice contained a powerful, soothing strength.

Lefiya looked at Thor's eyes, which held no disappointment but were instead full of encouragement, and the immense sense of loss and shame in her heart faded significantly.

She sniffled hard, bent down to pick up her staff, and her gaze became firm once more.

"Yes!" she replied loudly, as if to turn all her frustration into strength.

Thor patted her shoulder lightly, conveying silent trust: "Very good. Now, the battle continues."

Time slipped away rapidly amidst the intense combat and the rigorous guidance of Thor.

Soon, it was midday.

"Let's rest here." Thor sought out a safe location.

The brief tranquility following the fierce battle instantly enveloped the party.

Ais and Lefiya felt a sense of relief; their tense muscles relaxed, and they immediately found a relatively clean rock wall to sit against.

Hunger surged over them, and both silently took out their prepared rations and waterskins, beginning to replenish their stamina without regard for their image.

The continuous high-intensity combat, especially while suppressed to the Lv.1 state, was terrifyingly draining on their physical energy.

Ais nibbled on her bread, her movements still carrying a trace of cold beauty, though her pace was much faster than usual.

Lefiya, on the other hand, was practically wolfing hers down, her cheeks stuffed full, completely devoid of elven elegance, feeling only the exhaustion of having survived a disaster.

Bell sat nearby as well, preparing to share his own food. Just then—

"Hm?"

A short, clear sound of surprise escaped Thor's throat, breaking the brief silence of their meal.

The sound was not loud, yet it instantly drew everyone's attention.

Ais, Lefiya, and Bell stopped their movements simultaneously, three pairs of eyes turning toward Thor with questions in their gazes.

Thor's eyes were fixed steadily on Ais—or more accurately, they pierced through her slender waist to land on an invisible point deep within her lower abdomen.

That was the Stardust he had "planted" with his own hands.

At this moment, within his special perception, the growth rate of that Stardust was... far exceeding his calculations.

A trace of surprise flickered through Thor's mind.

He attempted, as he usually did, to use the resonance between the Stardust to move his will slightly, trying to summon the Stardust that had completed its "collection" task back from a distance.

However, the moment his mental tentacles reached out, he felt an astonishing sense of "heaviness."

That Stardust seemed to be anchored deep within Ais's life energy, remaining completely motionless.

"It seems it's too heavy..."

It was like drawing water from a deep well.

The Stardust he had given Ais was like a bucket, lowered into the well to draw water.

Normally, to retrieve the bucket, he only needed to guide it with his will.

But now, the bucket in the well had become incomparably heavy because it was filled with too much, too heavy "water."

The "strength" he currently possessed was actually insufficient to haul that overweight Stardust up from the "bottom of the well"!

"What is it?" Ais's cold voice rang out; she had noticed Thor's gaze lingering on her.

Thor snapped back from his brief assessment, meeting Ais's questioning eyes.

He shook his head slightly and said, "Nothing."

Although the growth rate exceeded expectations, it was an interesting variable.

Thor pondered inwardly.

The fact that this overweight Stardust could not be retrieved now did not mean it wouldn't be possible later.

As long as the number of Stardust accumulated within his body reached his target—say, one hundred—that surging power would be enough to easily overcome this "weight" and recover it intact.

This unexpected situation was not beyond his control.

"It's not a big problem," he added nonchalantly.

Soon, Thor thought of the Stardust inside Syr's body last night; the growth rate of that Stardust had also exceeded his imagination.

He finally understood why, in the web novels he read during his second life, those evil cultivators of the Hehuan Sect would seek out "cauldrons" for their cultivation.

The speed of this leveling up was truly fast!

Evening.

Lefiya dragged her heavy body back to the Familia.

Right now, she only wanted to roll back to her room as quickly as possible and throw herself into a bathtub.

"Le~fi~ya~!"

A familiar voice, accompanied by hurried footsteps, came from behind her.

Without needing to turn around, Lefiya's body reacted before her brain could—it was an "alarm" ingrained into her instincts.

It was the goddess Loki.

Sure enough, a figure reeking of alcohol lunged at her with a flying tackle!

The target was precise: her chest!

Within her exhausted body, some kind of combat reaction mechanism, forcibly awakened, began to take effect.

Lefiya spun around almost reflexively, dropping her center of gravity. The heavy staff in her hand was no longer a burden, but the most convenient blunt weapon.

"THUD!"

A muffled sound echoed.

"Waaah—! That hurts!!!"

The sensation of soft, fragrant warmth she had anticipated never came. Loki took the staff blow squarely in mid-air, letting out a miserable shriek before crashing onto the floor.

"Ow, ow, ow, hey! Lefiya!" Loki clutched her head, her signature Kansai dialect laced with a whining, tearful tone.

Lefiya looked down at her deity, who was sprawled on the floor with zero dignity. Just as she opened her mouth to apologize, her nose sharply caught a whiff of pungent alcohol.

"Lord Loki," Lefiya's voice dropped, carrying a note of disappointment she hadn't even realized she felt. "Have you... been drinking again?!"

The question was delivered with the weight of a certainty.

"Ehehe~ just a little! To celebrate everyone's safe return from the Dungeon... hic!"

Celebrating the return from the expedition? That was two days ago!

Loki struggled to climb to her feet, her face instantly switching back to that grinning, lecherous expression, completely unbothered by the pathetic sight of having just been swatted away.

"Lefiya~ come, come! Since you're back, have a drink with me! Pour me some wine! Let's have a heart-to-heart..."

Lefiya's expression darkened.

She immediately thought of how Thor had treated Syr last night.

Then, she recalled Thor's patient guidance in the Dungeon earlier today.

She suddenly felt a gap so wide it was despairing.

Lord Thor was humble, kind, great, and knowledgeable, and he was even polite to others.

Then she looked at her own deity, Loki—lecherous, fond of drink, and unreliable every single day.

She gripped her staff tightly and shouted out the thoughts in her heart.

"If I were suddenly invited... I... I would actually hesitate!!!"

If Thor were to suddenly invite her to switch Familias, she would have refused without a second thought before, but now, she would truly hesitate!

Not to mention the pursuit of the powerful Ais.

If Lord Thor were to truly extend an invitation, Ais would likely accept, wouldn't she?

Loki sobered up instantly upon hearing this.

She opened her eyes, asking in shock like an incompetent "husband": "Huh? Who? What invitation?"

But Lefiya had already turned and walked away.

She had no time to help her deity pull herself together.

She didn't just need a bath; she had to pack her bags immediately to attend the evening training session at Thor's home.