As I walked down the street, my bloodied appearance and clearly tattered clothes attracted the stares of the adventurers.

However, although they did not hide their contempt for me, they continued with their lives. These sights were utterly every day in <Orario>. Occasionally, adventurers could be seen limping through the streets with some parts of their bodies still unhealed.

After arriving at the abandoned Church, I immediately went to the room, put aside the bag, and lay down on the sofa. Kami-sama did not greet me this time; she was still working.

After all, it was broad daylight.

The wound was continuously healing to the naked eye. The effect of <Gaia's Blessing> played an essential role in the healing, as the <Low-Grade Potion> I took from Lili, with 100% effectiveness, was not much different from a < Medium-Grade Potion>.

After dealing with so many events today, my mind was naturally exhausted. My heavy eyelids, uninfluenced by pain, closed, and my consciousness fell into a deep sleep.

.

.

.

I was unaware of the flow of time. Without opening my eyes, my whole body seemed to sink into fluffy, absorbent cotton, tempting me to fall asleep forever.

But all good things had to come to an end at some point, so I reluctantly opened my lazy eyelids. My pupils were almost burning from the light filtering through the cracks in the ceiling.

It seemed that night had not yet come.

—Huh?

My body felt lighter than usual.

My thoughts stirred as I rose from the couch; quiet as it seemed, I felt no discomfort. Under my battered clothes with dark blood drying, I could see a new layer of skin where that horrendous wound should be.

There were no wounds or scars!

<Gaia's blessing>. Those words floated in my thoughts. It was a powerful healing ability that, while I was unconscious or sleeping, would heal all wounds.

However, I never thought it would heal me in so few hours!

I got up and stretched my body. With my arms flexed above my head, I wriggled like a worm from side to side. Even with this light exercise, I didn't feel any part of my body ache, and even I was full of energy.

Before Kami-sama arrived, I planned to fix a few things.

First, I opened my bag and took out a glass jar, the inside of which was filled with a thick green liquid. It was a <item> that I obtained from my previous forays.

<<Item>>

Frog Shooter's Venom.

<<Grade>>

No grade

<<Attributes>>

No attributes]

<<Abilities>>

[No Abilities]

<<Description>>

A bottle of poison. The one who consumes it goes through a series of muscle pains. Getting used to it will permanently increase the body's endurance.

...

After facing the adventurers in the dungeon, I realized how weak I really was. Of course, not just anyone can take on a group of experienced adventurers while being a novice like me.

But. I had a <system>. A trap that no one else had. Wouldn't it be laughable if, even with this advantage, I turned out mediocre?

For that not to happen, I will use everything I can to make myself strong!

With a renewed will, I uncorked the bottle and let the thick liquid that was not at all rich run down my throat.

I didn't even have time to grimace at the unpleasant taste. I felt my body plunge into a burning fire. I closed my eyes and held back the urge to scream as I experienced the tearing of my muscles.

Helpless, I could only lie on the floor, straining to endure the unpleasant pain. Every fiber of my body was being torn, shredded, and reattached. I tried to suppress the pain, biting my teeth. The sounds of —Tearing— rang out loudly in the enclosed room.

For the next few minutes, I suffered the greatest torment of my life. Not even the pain of the wound inflicted by the enemy sword hurt as much as the muscle tearing.

Breaking and coming together, a cycle that continued for ten minutes that seemed eternal.

The pain gradually ceased, going from a tingling sensation to a sensation of cold water. With my mind sighing, my chest rose and fell as I took several deep breaths.

With my body stiff as a metal bar, I stood up, full of sweat that gave off an unpleasant odor. This is bad; I should take a bath before my Kami-sama returns; she liked to smell me.

At that moment, a blue panel appeared.

<<You have absorbed Frog Shooter Poison>>

<+90 Endurance>

...

Woah! 90 points. My current stamina points completely eclipsed the other Basic Abilities!

For adventurers to gain <Endurance>, they would generally have to go through a series of penalties where their bodies were pushed to the limit, either by running or being beaten.

I, who consumed this poison, causing my muscles to restructure, naturally gained many points.

Staggering, I went to a separate room where a small bathtub filled with water awaited me. Removing my clothes, I immersed myself in the water, reveling in the extraordinary sensation that embraced me, away from the burning pain.

Once my body was clean, I dried off and chose a new set of clothes while throwing the old ones out of the church, as I didn't want Kami-sama to worry.

I opened the bag again, and this time, I took out a metalic-colored sphere. The <Soul Sphere> that I obtained after killing the leader of the thugs. I hadn't had time, but now that I had it, it was time to check its contents.

With a —Crack— sound, the sphere shattered.

<You have obtained a <Broken Ring> by breaking the sphere>>

<<Item>>

Broken Ring

<<Grade>>

No grade

<<Attributes>>

Strength: 10 | Magic: 35

     

<<Abilities>>

[Magic Shield]: a <item> that was broken but possessed an ability to erect a magic shield around the user in times of crisis.

—On activation, it consumes 30 magic points; thereafter, the density of the mana shield will be proportional to the amount of magic the user provides to the ability—

—<Magic shield> can be executed three times a day; after its use, it will be unusable for the next 24 hours—

<<Description>>.

Enemies that do not possess an established <Soul Attribute> or noteworthy weaponry on their bodies will drop any item that has been picked up by <Goccia d'anima>. This gave rise to the <Broken Ring>, an object that once belonged to an influential tank but lost its usefulness over the years.

<Equip>