Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Transformations
Evening.
At the Loki Familia's camp, gathered around a bonfire, all the members roared in unison, "Cheers!" Shirou heartily chugged his cup of alcohol, exclaiming, "Refreshing!" This scene was eerily reminiscent of Uncle Kogoro.
Through their time together, the current Shirou was vastly different from his former self, a stark contrast. In terms of appearance, under the growth promotion of Divine Grace, Shirou had matured considerably. Perhaps it was because more of his inner potential had been awakened.
The current Shirou was more handsome than his original self. Furthermore, his height had increased significantly. His former height of under 1.7 meters had now reached 1.8 meters. (In the original work, Shirou's height is 167 cm, while Archer's is 187 cm, a difference of a full 20 cm!) With the increase in height, Shirou's physique had also seen a tremendous improvement. He used to appear somewhat slender, but now he was muscular. Due to the significant increase in both height and physique, the current Shirou looked much larger than his former self. Such a change might even make acquaintances fail to recognize him!
Besides his appearance, Shirou's demeanor had also undergone a significant transformation. The former Shirou exuded a scholarly air, a characteristic unique to students. However, after experiencing the Holy Grail War, Shirou's temperament had begun to shift, gaining a hint of a warrior's aura. During his time in Orario, the constant battles had imbued Shirou with a palpable killing intent. From afar, he resembled a battle-hardened veteran. This aura was not unique to Shirou; almost all high-level adventurers possessed such a presence. Even if their opponents were monsters, their killing intent would be continuously sharpened. After all, every one of their battles was a struggle for survival, and no one knew if they would live to see tomorrow. A regular adventurer, even if they only killed a hundred monsters a day, would accumulate a killing aura equivalent to ten thousand kills after a hundred days, let alone someone like Shirou.
In addition to these changes, Shirou's habits were also constantly shifting. He used to be a model student, but now, due to prolonged association with these rough adventurers, he himself had become somewhat coarse. He used to be a teetotaler, but now he gulped down large cups of alcohol. He used to avoid discussing girls, but now he often joined other male adventurers in appraising the female adventurers around them. These multifaceted changes meant that even if the current Shirou appeared before old acquaintances, they might not recognize him.
"Refreshing! Another cup, Shirou!"
"Bring it on! Who's scared?!"
"Haha, keep going!" As he continuously competed in drinking with his companions across the table, Ais and Lefiya, seated beside Shirou, whispered to each other and chuckled while looking at him.
Just as everyone was immersed in the joyous scene, the Loki Familia suddenly felt a tremor. Immediately, the roar of a Floor Boss echoed from afar.
"This is... Goliath, the Floor Boss, revived and pursued someone, then blasted the passage to the 18th Floor?" Hearing the trembling sound, the Loki Familia members immediately deduced.
"I'll go check!" Noticing the anomaly at the passage, Ais immediately stood up and volunteered to investigate.
"I'll go too. Think of it as a post-drink stroll!" Though Shirou had drunk a fair bit, for someone of his level (LV.5), this amount of alcohol was not enough to make him dizzy. Furthermore, if his memory served him right, the one arriving this time should be his unlucky apprentice, Bell Cranel!
"I'll go too."
"Me too!" Seeing that Shirou and Ais were both going, Lefiya naturally wasn't to be outdone. Tiona and Tione also joined in. Soon, the group of five departed from the camp and headed towards the passage leading to the 17th Floor. Since their camp was already close to this passage, Shirou and the others quickly arrived.
"What's this?" Looking at the three adventurers lying on the ground, Lefiya and Ais both showed unusual expressions. After all, the white-haired boy at the front was simply too conspicuous.
"Is that Bell Cranel?" Hearing Lefiya's question, Shirou said seriously, "That's right, it's my idiotic apprentice!" Inspecting Bell's injuries, he couldn't help but sigh. He truly is a hero. Even with seriously injured teammates, he never thought of abandoning them. Alone, carrying two unconscious teammates, he stubbornly dragged them to the 18th Floor. Such a guy was truly dazzling!
"Please save my teammates!" Hearing Bell's groggy plea, Shirou responded seriously, "Don't worry, you've all been saved." Placing Bell and Welf on his shoulders, he spoke earnestly to Ais, who was carrying Lili, "Let's quickly return to camp. These three need urgent treatment."
"Mm!" Ais nodded seriously.
---
"They're fine now." After stabilizing Bell and his companions' injuries with healing magic, Riveria stood up and addressed Shirou.
"Thank you, Riveria."
"It's nothing. After all, this child is your and Ais's apprentice, and there's also a Hestia Familia member. Helping them is what I should do." After exchanging glances with Riveria, the two tacitly said nothing more.
It was only then that Tiona, beside them, recognized Bell.
"Isn't that Argo-kun?"
"Argo-kun?"
"Don't you think he resembles Argo from the Argo fairy tale?"
"Now that you mention it, he does somewhat!"
"But why is he on the 18th Floor? He was LV.1 recently, wasn't he?" Hearing Tiona's confusion, Finn, beside them, chuckled, "With his achievements that day, it's enough for him to advance to LV.2."
"But he shouldn't be here even if he just became LV.2?"
"He must have encountered an abnormal situation. An abnormal situation in the middle layers, unable to return the way he came, so he could only keep advancing to the 18th Floor."
Hearing Shirou's "guess," everyone couldn't help but nod. Indeed, that was the only possibility.
"Since we've picked them up, let them rest here in peace."
"But this is your tent, Captain."
"It's fine. I'll just stay in the main tent." The main tent, used for official business, was perfectly adequate for Finn to rest. "So, let's leave it at that for now. Oh, and when this child wakes up, bring him to the main tent to see me. I'm quite interested in him."
"Yes!"
---
"Where am I?" Bell woke up groggily, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. His mind was blank, a blur.
"You're awake? Looks like the surgery was a success!"
"Surgery?" Bell, still groggy, reflexively followed the other's words.
"It means treatment."
"I see!"
"That's right. Anyway, you're a girl now!"
"I see..."
"Ehhh!!!" Bell, upon hearing the bad news, instantly snapped awake.
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