The team's dungeon exploration turned out to be even easier than Liang Yue had expected.
Passing through the safe floors of the Babel Tower, they only ran into low-level monsters—goblins, ugly trolls, and the like.
Liang Yue didn't even need to make a move.
Kashima, a Level 2 adventurer wielding a giant axe, easily smashed apart any monster that tried to block their way.
Supporting him in the offense was Yamato Mikoto, who also fought with sword techniques.
Compared to the flashy sword aura slashes of Riki-style swordsmanship, Mikoto's style was plain and unadorned—no dazzling special effects, just pure sword skill.
Liang Yue had a fairly deep impression of this black-haired, side-ponytailed, clear-featured girl in samurai attire—mainly because of her magic, Futsunomitama.
It could create a gravity field that restricted the movements of both enemies and herself, and could even temporarily seal off a floor boss's skill effects.
This would be extremely useful in the coming Familia expedition.
Team exploration in the dungeon could never match the speed of going solo, but the benefit was that low-level monsters didn't waste the party's stamina.
Being familiar with each floor's layout meant they avoided detours.
Before long, Liang Yue and Lili's group pressed on without stopping, making their way straight to the more dangerous 11th-floor region.
A fog trap shrouded the area.
For most adventurers, the best choice was to wait for the mist to clear. In previous expeditions, that's exactly what Kashima had done.
But seeing Liang Yue's unhesitating steps, his brow furrowed.
As a fellow Level 2 adventurer, he knew this was common sense:
"Are you sure you want to keep going?
The Familia expedition has no time limit—there's no need to rush and put the whole team in danger."
If they were in the same Familia, Kashima would have stopped him outright as captain.
But as a hired hand, all he could do was warn them.
If they ran into danger, he would help as much as possible. If it was beyond their ability, they'd just have to retreat.
Lili answered in his place—she knew exactly how Liang Yue trained and was already searching for the more "interesting" monster banquets.
This kind of training method was completely outside a normal adventurer's frame of reference.
She didn't force Takemikazuchi Familia to join them. Smiling, she said:
"You can wait here. Once the fog clears, we can meet at the floor's passageway."
Kashima had already guessed this might be a Forced Expedition event, which meant this generous commission wouldn't be easy to earn.
But he hadn't expected disagreements to pop up right at the start.
Watching Liang Yue and Lili head deeper, he turned to Chigusa and Mikoto, his expression serious:
"Let's follow them first. After all, we've already been paid.
If we really do run into a Monster Feast, we'll help as much as possible.
But if they keep putting the team in danger, I'll speak up. Otherwise…"
The meaning was clear enough. A Monster Feast—an overwhelming swarm—was something even Level 2 adventurers would avoid.
Mikoto looked toward the two figures disappearing into the mist.
She readied her weapon and followed, speaking calmly:
"Our luck… probably won't be that bad."
Compared to Liang Yue and Lili's steady advance, Takemikazuchi Familia moved more slowly, wary of possible monster ambushes.
The mist grew even thicker, visibility dropping to almost nothing.
Kashima's expression tightened—he couldn't see Liang Yue at all, only hearing the growls of monsters nearby.
Faint shapes emerged—beastmen, heavily armored creatures, small demons clawing their way out of the ground.
A Monster Feast.
The worst-case scenario had come true, and his heart sank.
He didn't waste time complaining about Liang Yue's recklessness—right now, the only choice was to retreat.
But just as he was about to suggest it—
The dense fog ahead split open, revealing a gap.
And through it, they saw a lone figure amidst countless monsters, each slash of sword aura tearing through the horde with ease.
Not far from him, Lili stood calmly, waiting.
Kashima forgot about the danger, gripping his axe and ready to charge in—at least to fulfill his duty as a hired guard.
Noticing the approaching adventurers, Lili glanced back warily, relaxing only when she saw it was their own allies.
"Why did you come over?"
"Lili…"
Mikoto frowned, sensing that things weren't as bad as expected, and asked:
"What is he doing?"
"…Hmm."
Lili thought for a moment, trying to ease the tension. She turned and explained:
"Well… it's a bit complicated.
Let's just say… this is his usual dungeon training routine?"
"??"
Kashima and Mikoto stared at each other in disbelief, watching Liang Yue dispatch monsters effortlessly with each strike.
Their earlier fears of danger vanished, replaced by wide-eyed shock.
Wait, hold on.
Using a Monster Feast as daily training? They'd been adventurers for years, and had never even heard of such a thing!
"Can you… actually train like that?" Kashima asked bitterly, feeling his worldview crack.
"In theory… it should be possible."
After a pause, Mikoto decided she should clarify before her captain got the wrong idea. She pointed toward Liang Yue.
"Provided, Captain Kashima, you can fight like that."
The god Ganesha, who was presiding over the gathering of the gods, gave no explanation for the destruction of the Soma Familia.
The answer that could keep Orario stable was definitely not what the gods wanted to hear anyway.
After all, this gathering ultimately came down to the adventurer from Hestia Familia—Liang Yue.
"The purpose of today's gathering is simple: to grant an adventurer a title."
Ganesha didn't bother with suspense, speaking in his usual boisterous tone.
Seeing the skeptical looks from some gods who had just returned to Orario, he gestured for the documents to be distributed.
"Normally, there's no need to make such a fuss over naming an adventurer.
But what if I told you… this child from Hestia Familia has broken the record of Loki Familia's 'Sword Princess' Ais Wallenstein for the fastest level-up?"
He paused for effect, then dropped the real bombshell:
"And—shortened that record to just ten days."
"Wouldn't you call that the birth of a miracle?!"
Orario wasn't short on geniuses—years ago, the hottest name had been Ais Wallenstein.
But when the gods heard that Liang Yue had cut the fastest level-up time down to ten days…
The hall went silent for a moment.
Then, once the documents reached the gods and they saw the record for themselves, the room erupted.
"Hah? No way…"
"Even breaking the Sword Princess's record is hard enough, and you're telling me someone did it in ten days?"
"Ganesha, are you and Ouranos teaming up to prank us?"
"In all of Orario—no, in the entire world—this is unprecedented!"
"Hestia's only been down here for half a year. How'd she get so lucky to pick up a kid with hero potential? Meanwhile, my Familia's full of nothing but pervs!"
Every god in the room turned to look at Hestia, the noise swelling like a marketplace crowd.
For a moment, she felt dazed.
So these high-and-mighty gods could actually be just as noisy as Orario's street merchants.
"Next, I'll hand the stage over to Hestia and her Familia member…"
Though clearly reluctant, Ganesha still gestured toward Hestia, who didn't even have a fixed seat.
Finally, with great pomp, he announced the name of the adventurer who had created this miracle—
"Liang Yue!!"
"And the title personally bestowed by Ouranos—
'Sword Soul'!"