Sol, after parting ways with Kousuke in the management layer, went directly to the wolf’s base on the 81st Floor at Nana’s request, rather than returning to the village.
He wasn’t there for the base itself, but for the monsters that appeared on the 81st Floor.
“—Moonlight Judgment.”
As Sol pointed his palm at the opponent and recited the incantation, a single beam of light descended upon the target.
“Gyaaa!”
With just that one attack, the opponent lost its right arm and let out a pained roar.
Then, it charged forward, glaring at Sol with hatred—at which point.
“Is it okay to only focus your attention on me? …Ah.”
Sol spoke to the monster, though whether it understood was unknown. Almost simultaneously as Sol spoke to it, the monster’s head exploded.
Naturally, Sol had done nothing.
The one who had instantly decapitated the monster approached Sol, wagging its tail happily.
“Thank you.”
Sol petted Nana’s head as she rubbed against him, sticking out her tongue as if seeking praise.
Sol had come to the 81st Floor with Nana to test the effects of “Moonlight Judgment,” which he obtained through evolution.
He could have tested it on the floor where the Goblin village was, but since he had the chance, he wanted to use it on a stronger opponent than he had faced before.
“It’s good that the attack power is high, but it’s difficult to aim properly.”
“Bow?”
As Sol inadvertently muttered about his experience using “Moonlight Judgment,” Nana, who was beside him, looked up at him with a tilt of her head.
Nana seemed to be enjoying the hunt and was accompanying Sol in testing his skills.
This was actually the first time Nana and Sol had hunted together, but they were able to subjugate monsters without any awkwardness.
Sol wondered if perhaps some level of coordination was possible between familiars.
He intended to report this, along with his findings on the skill, to Kousuke.
Kousuke was already aware that Sol was testing skills with Nana.
He was supposed to report the results of the tests.
While Sol was internally reviewing how to report to Kousuke, it seemed another monster had approached.
Nana let out a growl to draw Sol’s attention.
“Oh. —Moonlight Judgment.”
Perhaps due to thinking about “Moonlight Judgment,” Sol noticed the monster in his field of vision and activated the skill as if flowing.
However, this time, a different effect appeared than before.
While the light descending from the sky was the same, the targeted monster suddenly froze as if it could no longer move.
It was as if the monster was being bound by something.
No, the monster was indeed bound by chains of light.
This was also one of the effects of “Moonlight Judgment” that Sol had used.
It seemed “Moonlight Judgment” brought about multiple effects with a single skill.
“So far, there seem to be only two… but the conditions for activation aren’t entirely clear.”
Sol was muttering to himself while casually defeating the surrounding monsters. To an observer, it might have been a strange sight, but since no one else was around except Nana, Sol paid it no mind.
However, even if someone had been nearby, Sol would likely only mind if it was Kousuke.
For a while, Sol continued to test the effects of “Moonlight Judgment” on the 81st Floor, but after exceeding twenty uses, he shook his head left and right as if giving up.
“This isn’t working. I won’t know more without further testing. …Nana!”
Convinced that he needed more practice to understand the activation conditions, Sol called out to Nana, who remained happily by his side.
“It’s pointless to continue here, so I’ll go report to him.”
To Sol’s words, Nana looked up as if to say, “Is that okay?”
Sol gently petted Nana’s neck and nodded slightly.
“It seems I won’t understand the activation conditions without more attempts. I’ll end the tests here.”
When Sol declared this, Nana seemed to understand and deactivated her combat mode, returning to her usual small form.
Seeing this, Sol, knowing she intended to accompany him to Kousuke’s place, gently petted Nana’s transformed neck with a small smile.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Upon seeing Sol return to the management layer, Kousuke’s eyes widened.
“Oh? That was surprisingly quick.”
“Yes. I found out what I didn’t know.”
Kousuke tilted his head at the strangely worded explanation.
Seeing this, Sol immediately began to explain the tests he had just conducted.
“So that’s it. You came back because the subsequent tests require quantity, not stronger enemies.”
“Yes. I believe I can discover more by performing numerous tests in the village.”
“I see.”
Based on his experience using the skill, Sol had deduced that he wouldn’t understand anything with just a few dozen uses.
He had decided it would be better to accumulate more uses and discern the timing of activation.
Kousuke nodded a few times upon hearing Sol’s explanation and then looked at Sol, suddenly realizing something.
“Speaking of which, Sol, have you noticed?”
“?”
Sol tilted his head at Kousuke’s sudden question.
“Before you evolved, you would flinch so much from my Divine Power, but now you don’t seem to be like that anymore, do you?”
“Huh? …Ah!?”
It wasn’t until Kousuke pointed it out that Sol realized it, and he instinctively brought his hand to his mouth.
The overwhelming pressure he used to feel from Kousuke now felt no stronger than a gentle breeze.
Seeing Sol’s reaction, Kousuke wore a thoughtful expression.
“I see. So it wasn’t just my imagination. This means that becoming a Divine Race might suppress the influence of Divine Power to some extent?”
Given the example of Shurein and the others, this wasn’t necessarily true, but looking at Sol, it certainly seemed to be one possible answer.
However, Kousuke’s speculation presented a different problem for Sol.
“I-I’m so sorry! It’s not that your Master’s dignity has disappeared…!”
Misinterpreting Kousuke’s speculation in a completely different direction, Sol began to hastily explain himself.
Seeing this, Kousuke inwardly let out a bitter smile and shook his head.
“No, no. I wasn’t thinking anything like that at all. …Ah, you know, it might be better to ask Silvia to explain this rather than me?”
Kousuke looked towards Silvia, who had been silently listening to their conversation, as if seeking help.
Incidentally, Silvia was listening with an amused expression.
“That would probably be best.”
“Yeah. In that case, I’ll leave it to you.”
Deciding that further involvement would only complicate matters, Kousuke gave up on explaining to Sol himself and completely handed the matter over to Silvia.
Of course, if Kousuke were to suddenly disappear from the scene, Sol might misunderstand even more, so he took a step back and waited for Silvia to speak.
After that, Silvia’s persuasion (?) session with Sol lasted for nearly five minutes.
It was judged that leaving things in an incomplete state would affect future interactions. When the conversation ended, Silvia appeared somewhat fatigued.
Sol’s loyalty to Kousuke, when it came to these matters, became a detriment.
However, thanks to Silvia’s efforts (?), Sol’s misunderstanding was safely resolved, and he returned to the village with great joy.
Nana’s attachment to Sol is due to the blessing she received from Jal. It is the effect of receiving the same blessing.
