When facing an adventurer they couldn't defeat, they would instinctively flee.
The very first Minotaur he had encountered as a newly registered adventurer was one that had been driven off into the upper floors by Loki Familia.
"The deeper you go, the harder it gets."
After using his speed advantage to take down the last Minotaur in the wide tunnel, Liang Yue began to think about how to improve his combat efficiency.
He couldn't afford to waste time and effort picking them off one by one every time he stumbled across an "EXP bonus room."
If he couldn't wipe out all the monsters in a short time, there was a high risk that Takemikazuchi Familia would swoop in and steal his kills.
"I really need a 'Draw Slash'…"
The occasional Minotaur that managed to escape vanished down the maze-like tunnels, and Liang Yue didn't bother chasing them. The harvest was already more than enough.
In just two days of exploring the middle floors, he had racked up kills and experience—especially from the massive number of Minotaurs he'd encountered—enough to raise his Sword Soul class template to Level 29.
That was definitely good news for him. His goal during this forced Familia expedition was to learn as many Sword Soul skills and raise his stats as much as possible before leaving the Dungeon.
When the fight—his fight—ended, Mikoto, noticing the blood on his clothes, walked over of her own accord and looked at Liang Yue, whose eyes still burned with battle fervor.
Mikoto hesitated for a moment, then, deciding there was no point hiding her straightforward nature, spoke honestly:
"Thank you for saving me just now."
"If it weren't for you…"
She trailed off briefly, at a loss for how to express her gratitude.
She had never been part of a "hero saves the maiden" story before. Growing up as an orphan, such things had been far removed from her world.
But that didn't stop Liang Yue from taking a special place in her heart—different from the respect she felt for her god, Takemikazuchi.
It was… perhaps a little bit of affection?
Liang Yue waved it off with a light smile.
"We're all expedition teammates. Helping each other is only natural."
"Thank you."
Even so, Mikoto stubbornly insisted on thanking him again. But behind that was guilt—not just for needing to be rescued, but for slowing down the expedition's progress. She opened her mouth to apologize—
"Uh…"
"Let's move."
Liang Yue didn't give her the chance, casually gesturing for the expedition team to press on deeper into the Dungeon.
Thanks to a good night's rest, Liang Yue was in prime condition. He wasn't in a rush to finish the expedition; his focus was on training and raising his stats.
Following the Minotaur-filled passages, he pushed deeper, targeting every monster along the way.
With Takemikazuchi Familia there as a safety net, he held nothing back in battle. Hours of grueling combat passed, and Liang Yue lost track of time.
The constant stream of EXP dulled his mind and kept him going. When his stamina finally ran out, he stopped to recover—then dove back into the Dungeon again.
It was less "exploration" and more "monster slaughter."
Raising the Sword Soul template's level was, for Liang Yue, swordsmanship training. He honed his body and sword energy without reservation, testing his limits, and sharpening techniques under real danger.
"Man, this feels amazing!"
It wasn't boring—he was almost addicted to it. It wasn't just improving his sword technique; it was building pure combat instinct.
To him, this was routine.
But to Takemikazuchi Familia, who weren't familiar with him, the sight was shocking.
A Lv. 2 adventurer who had never set foot in the middle floors shouldn't be able to fight like this… and yet, for Liang Yue, it was perfectly reasonable.
His skill against monsters didn't come from raw talent alone—it came from unimaginable training intensity.
This constant repetition was also causing a qualitative change in his stats.
Realizing the huge gap in ability between them despite both being Lv. 2, Mikoto couldn't help but feel discouraged.
But the more time she spent with him, the more her perspective shifted.
Staring at his back, she spoke with a kind of awed conviction:
"Suddenly, I feel like Liang Yue having this kind of strength… makes perfect sense!!"
"Must be a talent gap," Kashima said flatly, though his eyes betrayed a complex emotion.
He didn't want to admit it, but the truth was right there.
Despite being their age, Liang Yue's personal strength had already surpassed every member of their Familia.
But Mikoto disagreed. Her expression turned serious, more than Kashima had ever seen from her.
"Maybe he does have more potential than us. But to chalk it up to 'talent' alone… isn't that a bit too convenient?"
"…"
Kashima looked at Liang Yue again, watching him dispatch monsters with brisk efficiency, and felt even more deflated.
Having talent was already depressing enough.
Having talent and dedicating all your effort to Dungeon training? That was just unfair to the rest of them.
He wanted to grumble—but in the end, Kashima only gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"If you've got talent and you're willing to work for it, then yeah—you deserve to be that strong."
Unaware of their conversation, Liang Yue cleared every monster in sight, not even keeping count anymore.
The only measure of his progress was the Sword Soul template's EXP bar.
The muscle aches, the fatigue—all ignored.
After two days of high-intensity expedition training, the sheer number of monsters on the middle floors pushed his Sword Soul template up to Level 30.
"So…"
"Do I get a new combat skill now?"
Skills like Flowing Heart and Extreme Blade Breaker boosted damage well enough, but they were still just the basics.
Now, with a level-up, he was eager for something new. Without hesitation, Liang Yue pulled up his Sword Soul template.
Liang Yue
Level: 30
EXP: 0.001%
Skills:
Triple Slash (Lv 5)
Moonlight Slash (Lv 4)
Backstep Slash (Lv 4)
Flowing Heart (Lv 5)
Flowing Heart: Thrust (Lv 1)
Extreme Blade Breaker (Lv 3)
Mastery:
Ghost Swordsmanship
Weapon Control
SP: 100
New skill available for learning. View now?