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"Goliath."
Liang Yue was quite familiar with this type of monster. Compared to the young dragon he had encountered in the upper floors, this was a completely different league in terms of power.
Its ability value was classified as Lv4.
As for the latter half of Lili's report, he wasn't surprised. To leave the Dungeon, they would have to pass through the 17th floor.
With the Loki Familia's strength, taking it out along the way made perfect sense.
Thanks to the effects of his War Zeal skill, all his buffs were in full swing. With his current strength…
Could he take down a Goliath? Liang Yue was indeed curious.
Looking at Lili's still-somewhat-childish yet serious expression, clearly waiting for an exact answer, his face grew equally serious.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
"Then that's fine."
With that assurance, Lili put away her serious look and once again led the team toward the 17th-floor area.
The familiar cave environment stretched ahead.
As the main combat force in the expedition's monster-clearing, Liang Yue naturally took point. There were no new monsters in the area at present.
Draw Slash.
In this zone, it was an absolutely overpowered technique. Just by standing at the other end of a tunnel and taking a moment to charge up, he could savor the ultimate grass-cutting pleasure.
When large groups of monsters appeared, Mikoto's Futsunomitama gravity magic shone, restricting their movements for a short time.
Once the charge-up was complete, a slash infused with his No-Self Sword Aura easily wiped out every monster in the area.
Of course, there was a cost.
Liang Yue could clearly feel his weapon's durability decreasing, and it wasn't hard to guess why — compressing and channeling his No-Self Sword Aura inevitably put some strain on the material.
The good news was that this weapon could be repaired for free, without limit, at the Hephaestus Weapon Shop.
After the monsters were dealt with, Lili and Chigusa, acting as supporters, quickly collected the dropped magic stones and loot. Everyone in the expedition had their assigned tasks.
The only exception was the Lv2 adventurer, Kashima Ouka.
She should have been a core member of the Familia's expedition… but instead, she had been coasting along as a tag-along.
"Why do I feel like I'm just here as a third wheel?"
With her honest, simple face, she looked at Liang Yue with a bitter smile and addressed him with the kind of respectful tone one might use for a god.
"Liang Yue, shouldn't you at least give me some way to contribute in this expedition?"
"You want to contribute?"
As they paused briefly to rest, Liang Yue raised his head at her request, his expression a little strange. He didn't reject it outright.
Instead, analyzing from a professional standpoint, he quickly came up with an idea.
After a moment of thought, he looked up again, his tone unusually serious.
"Actually, there is something only you can do."
"Leave it to me!"
Kashima thumped her chest with confidence, not even asking for details. As long as she wasn't dead weight, that was enough for her.
The expedition continued down the tunnels.
As the sound of footsteps drew near, Mikoto began chanting her spell, preparing her magic.
Coming toward them was… Kashima Ouka, expression blank, running toward the group without a weapon.
Behind her, drawn by the sound, was a massive horde of monsters.
She had been turned into bait to lure monsters.
Never in her dreams had Kashima thought that Liang Yue's "way for her to help" would be something like this — though admittedly, she'd done it plenty of times before in past Dungeon runs. The difference was… this time it was voluntary.
"No—
This is not the kind of contribution I was asking for!"
Following the clearly marked path Lili had designed, Kashima dove behind a rock, gasping for breath.
Unable to hold it in, she loudly complained about Liang Yue's so-called "arrangement."
Immediately afterward, Mikoto's gravity magic locked the monsters in place, and Liang Yue's Draw Slash mowed them down in one stroke.
"This is the contribution you wanted. Now that you're part of it, you're not happy?"
From a results perspective, using a stranger to stall monsters so others could escape was called a "monster offering." So using your own teammate to gather monsters for a mass wipe… wasn't that just a more advanced form of fishing enforcement?
With all the monsters drawn in, his mowing efficiency went way up. Everyone's stats got solid training out of it.
Liang Yue saw it as a win-win.
Looking ahead at the empty cavern beyond, he felt a twinge of regret.
"Shame there's no one-click sweep function."
Following the tunnel toward the 18th-floor safe zone, they passed the empty Boss chamber.
The Wall of Lamentation — a pristine, perfectly smooth white wall.
Even from a distance, Liang Yue could see the giant form of the floor boss Goliath gestating inside. It was nearly seven meters tall.
It wasn't time for its respawn yet.
Besides, even with their current party, the difficulty of fighting a floor boss like Goliath was still extremely high.
"Keep moving."
Without stopping, Liang Yue led them down the stairs to the 18th floor safe zone — and the scenery changed drastically.
A crystal-filled underground world.
Natural landscapes remained, the area at least half the size of the surface city of Orario, and light actually reached here.
The north held wide wetlands, the south and east dense forest.
Lili led them toward an island in the east. Most parties who stopped in the safe floor stayed here to rest.
On the island's east side was a small street known as Rivira.
Liang Yue was already familiar with this "Dungeon Amusement Park" thanks to the events in the original story.
With Lili's short briefing, he had an even clearer grasp of the area.
Beyond this point lay the Great Tree Labyrinth — with abnormal status effects, poisonous monsters, and traps becoming common from here on.
After days of training in the Dungeon, even this makeshift party had built some basic teamwork.
While Lili and Mikoto set up a temporary camp, Liang Yue finally relaxed, sinking into a soft sofa and gazing at the crystal-studded ceiling of the safe floor.
"Time to think about the rest of this expedition."
The immediate goal was simple: kill the signature monster on the 24th floor and bring back its drop. That would mark the expedition's completion.
The monsters ahead were ones Liang Yue had at least some knowledge of — swift Baku Bears (like a fast Minotaur), Dark Mushrooms, Trolls…
The biggest threats were the Gunflies, which usually appeared in swarms. There were also brute-force giants, elite-killer Death Wasps, and rare Moss Giants.
The deepest parts of the Middle Floors required ability scores from C to S.
That didn't bother him — his Sword Soul template could offset any stat requirement.
With the 18th floor safe zone as their base…
"If we travel light, a two-day round trip to the 24th floor shouldn't be too hard. As long as we get the drop from the 24th floor monster, the expedition will be wrapped up."
Even unexplored territory didn't faze him. With his sheer numbers and mechanics, it was worth trying.
When the cooking in camp was done, hunger hit him right on cue.
Compared to the usual rations, this meal was far more lavish — with the rare sight of vegetables.
"This is pretty fancy."
Sweeping his gaze over the dishes, he quickly locked onto Mikoto.
She was the best cook present.
"Since we have the means here, I thought I'd make some hometown dishes," she said, looking away slightly as her face turned faintly red under his gaze.
Not knowing his taste, she'd made dishes she was confident in. Some ingredients had been bought in Rivira — at an inflated price, of course.
But she thought it was worth it. With no other way to repay Liang Yue for saving her, she used her best skill to provide a better rest stop on the safe floor.
"I just don't know if the taste will be to your liking…"
"Thanks. Judging by how it looks, I doubt the taste will disappoint."
The best way to show respect to a cook was to enjoy the meal — and Mikoto's cooking was indeed excellent.
After replenishing their stamina and resting briefly, Liang Yue decisively led the party into the new area.
The Great Tree Labyrinth.
A stark contrast from the caves so far.
The first enemies were mushroom monsters that constantly spread toxic spores — but against overwhelming stats, they were no trouble at all.
Draw Slash wiped them out effortlessly, and they advanced at a steady, deliberate pace.
With no healer on hand, and the threat of traps nearby, Liang Yue refrained from using his Breaking Army Rising Dragon Strike to rush forward.
They passed the 19th floor without issue, and his Sword Soul class level reached nearly 32.
20th floor: Encountered Gunflies — fast attackers in swarms, but still helpless before his sword aura.
21st floor: Eight-meter-tall brutes — the biggest monsters of the Middle Floors, thick-skinned and slow. Too tough for Draw Slash to one-shot, but his Sword Soul agility made short work of them.
22nd floor: Death Wasps, upgraded Goblins with saw-like teeth, and Lizardmen. Mikoto's gravity magic plus his sword cleared the way without resistance.
By the 23rd floor, their progress had been productive.
Not only had everyone's stats grown, but Liang Yue's Sword Soul class had reached level 34.
After wiping out another swarm of Death Wasps, he looked at the tunnel leading to the 24th floor — the expedition's final goal.
"Let's end our exploration right here."
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