Liliruca had already collected all the magic stones and dropped items. The mist of mechanisms shrouding the current area gradually dissipated, and there was no reason to linger.
As the leader of this familia expedition, Liang Yue decisively led the team deeper into the dungeon. Upon reaching the 12th floor, they weren't lucky enough to encounter another boss hatchling.
Any monsters they came across along the way, of course, were swiftly dealt with. These stronger monsters yielded noticeably more experience points once defeated.
Their overall progress was steady.
At the far end of the 12th floor, Liang Yue turned to the guide, Liliruca, and asked,
"From here… this is the Middle Floors?"
"That's right."
"The first dead line. The dungeon's difficulty will see its first qualitative leap here. Monsters from now on will use ranged attacks similar to magic."
During the wait for the familia expedition, Liliruca hadn't been idle. By following Guild employee Eina, she had learned detailed information about the monsters in the Middle Floors, allowing her to give timely assistance when needed.
"Hellhounds and Almiraj are the monsters you'll see most often on these floors."
From the perspective of someone hired for the job, Kashima could only describe his feelings as complicated. This conversation was loaded with crucial information.
They were about to begin exploring the Middle Floors—
And yet, looking at Liang Yue now, he seemed… like a rookie adventurer who had never set foot here before?
"?"
The same thought popped into the minds of all the Takemikazuchi Familia members:
Liang Yue, a level 2 adventurer, has never been to the Middle Floors?!
It was hard to believe. Could it really be that Liang Yue had raised his level so quickly only by training through those "Monster Feasts"?
An adventurer who had only developed in the Upper Floors… yet possessed this kind of strength—this was the part they found even harder to understand.
Liang Yue paid no mind to their strange looks.
After gaining a basic grasp of the upcoming monsters' traits from Liliruca, he gave his orders with a trace of anticipation in his voice.
"Let's go."
"Proceed with normal exploration, prioritize safety."
He said this mainly for the Takemikazuchi Familia's sake—and secondarily to test how much experience points Middle Floor monsters would yield.
If the rewards were still good, they could begin extended exploration from here. Completing the Guild's mandatory expedition was important, but slowing their pace to boost his own stats and sword-soul level was also worthwhile.
"...Alright."
When Liang Yue said "normal exploration, prioritize safety," Kashima could only feel that it was absurd—his eyelids twitched violently.
He couldn't tell if Liang Yue was being considerate toward the others… or if the same Liang Yue who trained through Monster Feasts was now no different from an average adventurer when faced with an unfamiliar environment in the Middle Floors.
In the end, it seemed to come down to considering the needs of their supporters.
Kashima took a deep breath to steady himself and said frankly,
"From a hired hand's perspective, I'm glad you're thinking of the whole team."
Liang Yue didn't answer.
Liliruca looked up at Kashima Sakura, this level 2 adventurer, and truly didn't want to ruin Liang Yue's image—but if she went by his usual style, she really wanted to say:
"Don't celebrate just yet—you're happy way too early!"
The path to the "first dead line" didn't have a dramatic change in scenery—it was still mostly cavernous, the real difference being the floor height.
Stepping into a brand-new zone, Liang Yue once again felt that sense of anticipation.
After the earlier Monster Feast, his sword-soul template level was about to reach 28, thanks also to having two other high-ranking adventurers in the party.
He quickly surveyed his surroundings.
Visibility here was much better than on the 11th and 12th floors—the blue lantern fruits growing along the walls gave off a faint glow, improving visibility somewhat.
"So it starts here…"
Without minding Kashima and Mikoto following behind, Liang Yue pressed forward. Dungeon exploration battles were a way to hone his techniques—
Though in different situations, the methods naturally changed.
With "Rikigiri Swordsmanship" providing sword energy, he had long since abandoned fancy techniques, simply using overwhelming raw stats to crush monsters.
As the wielder of this template, Liang Yue naturally restrained his use of sword energy.
Gripping a short sword in one hand, he followed Liliruca's lead to open the way for the party. When they rounded a bend into a wider passage—
A monster silhouette came into view.
A new denizen of the dungeon—
Hellhound.
Though canine in form, its body was the size of a small calf, its hide pitch-black, and its head twisted into a fearsome visage.
Given their fiery nature, "arsonist" would be a more fitting name than "Hellhound."
They were the primary reason adventuring parties were often wiped out on the 13th–14th floors—capable of unleashing long-range attacks akin to magic.
The sound of the party's footsteps drew their attention.
More and more Hellhounds began to gather. Their numbers weren't as extreme as in a Monster Feast, but there were still over a dozen—and they were clearly stronger than Upper Floor monsters.
The situation was becoming dangerous, and Kashima couldn't make sense of it—
It was as though the dungeon gave Liang Yue special treatment, with monsters always being unusually active wherever he went!
First on the 11th floor, he'd run into a Monster Feast by sheer luck—and even on the 12th floor, the situation had been similar.
"Chigusa, you protect the supporters."
Having a basic idea of Liang Yue's capabilities but facing Hellhounds for the first time, Kashima forced himself to stay calm and took command.
Gripping his greataxe, he said to Mikoto,
"We'll coordinate with Liang Yue—let's see if we can take these Hellhounds down first."
"Got it!"
Mikoto, equally ready for battle, was about to warn Liang Yue not to rush in recklessly against Hellhounds—lest he get surrounded—
When the cloaked youth suddenly exploded forward at blinding speed, too fast for the naked eye to track, charging straight at the converging monsters.
Mikoto gritted her teeth, sensing something was off—but still forced herself to provide support.
The scene that unfolded next, however, made her freeze in her tracks, her anxious expression replaced by pure bewilderment.
With no mist obscuring his view, Liang Yue's target was crystal clear.
Closing the distance in a burst of speed, he stopped just short of the Hellhounds and, without hesitation, unleashed his "Triple Slash" skill.
Three consecutive slashes, each paired with a powerful lunge.
It was a direct breakthrough against the Hellhound formation—
Discarding sword energy entirely, it was a combat approach no swordsman had ever conceived of.
Two consecutive strikes so fast they left nothing but afterimages—moonlight-like trails tearing apart any monster that dared block his path!
"This is… someone's first time in the Middle Floors?"
Mikoto, gripping her katana and frozen mid-step, was left in a daze.
What exactly was the point of supporting Hestia Familia's expedition?
She was now seriously doubting—
This was clearly a paid expedition just to flaunt strength!
Hestia's divine message seemed to be: let me show you the vast gulf in talent between adventurers.