Chapter 16: Leveling Up, New Skills and Techniques
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The somewhat unusual “first date” with Aina came to a close in a pleasant atmosphere, with no further events following. Liang Yue wasn’t exactly sure about the precise time. However, the Oraeli Street remained bustling; adventurers and residents alike were enjoying the leisure of the evening.
“Miss Aina.”
Concerned about Aina’s safety returning home alone, Liang Yue looked toward the gentle smile of the half-elf beside him and immediately offered, “Shall I escort you back?”
“No need to trouble yourself.”
“Oraeli is quite safe at night. Instead, Liang Yue, don’t return too late—don’t make those who care about you worry.”
Through his conversation with Liang Yue, Aina gradually formed a basic impression of the unfamiliar deity, Hestia: one who cared for her followers and offered help within her means. Although after dinner, she’d simply strolled around Oraeli with Liang Yue and found it quite enjoyable, she still considered things more comprehensively.
The followers who ventured into dungeons often returned late—naturally, they would worry about safety.
Aina’s gentle smile radiated youthful charm as she assessed the situation matter-of-factly: “Today was a date between a guild staff member and an adventurer.”
“I can only give you a 60 out of 100!”
Her reasoning was simple: firstly, the overall time was too short; secondly, their conversation revolved entirely around Hestia. Had no one ever mentioned this to him before?
As she prepared to leave, Aina couldn’t help but remind him, “When dating other girls, the biggest taboo is to mention other men.”
She worried it might dampen Liang Yue’s enthusiasm.
Reaching the entrance of the Bountiful Mistress restaurant, the girl waved brightly, “And also... Liang Yue.”
“See you tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
Watching the half-elf’s figure fade into the distance, even Liang Yue couldn’t help but smile softly, finally understanding why Aina was so popular at the adventurer’s guild.
Perhaps it was this sweet feeling of first love.
Just then, a girl dressed in a leaf-green maid’s dress with a white apron tied at the front stood before him, her expression conflicted. Summoning her courage, she gently poked Liang Yue with her finger to get his attention.
“Adventurer, your packed dinner is ready.”
“Thank you.”
Liang Yue withdrew his gaze, but when he turned to look clearly at her face, his eyes unexpectedly softened and drifted away for a moment.
The girl naturally exuded a lively and charming aura.
She wore the “Bountiful Mistress” restaurant’s maid uniform; her gray hair was simply tied back into a single ponytail.
Her graceful face radiated youthful vitality.
“Ciel Floir.”
As the restaurant’s most popular hostess, Liang Yue found it quite fitting to have met Ciel.
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The dinner prepared for Hestia was already packed in a lunchbox.
Pointing to the boxed meal, Liang Yue smiled and asked, “How much is this bentō, plus the dinner order?”
“Although Ciel would like to help you...”
Her gaze swept over the dinner bill, then she looked up at the clear-headed young man before her, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“But the half-elf lady just paid the bill.”
“?”
“Alright then.”
The outcome caught Liang Yue somewhat off guard; he hadn’t expected Aina to have paid the bill in advance. Most importantly, they had agreed that he would treat her to dinner.
Realizing her intention, a helpless smile crept onto Liang Yue’s face—perhaps she wanted to take care of this fledgling adventurer, as Aina had said.
Don’t let those who care about you feel troubled.
Picking up the boxed meal from the table, logically, Hestia should be off work by now, likely waiting for him at their clan’s dwelling.
Clutching the dinner box, Liang Yue’s mood was inevitably strange—he was supposed to be the one treating, yet his date had paid the bill and even packed food to take away.
“It’s time to eat, brothers!”
“When I find the time, I’ll definitely treat you back.”
“Welcome to visit again.”
Watching Liang Yue leave, Ciel at the door of the Bountiful Mistress restaurant revealed a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
A very unfamiliar face among adventurers.
“Liang Yue.”
While wiping glasses at the counter, Ciel had overheard Aina referring to the young man by his surname.
—
As for what happened next, it unfolded just as Liang Yue had anticipated.
After finishing his part-time job at Hephaestus’s weapon branch, Hestia went straight back to the clan’s abandoned chapel.
She did not rest in the basement.
Instead, she sat patiently at the chapel’s entrance, waiting to see the familiar figure she cared about return home. All her worries vanished the moment she embraced Liang Yue.
Blinking her sparkling eyes, she couldn’t help but ask, “Liang Yue, was today’s dungeon adventure successful?”
“Carrying the hope of revitalizing the clan.”
“Hestia, no matter what, I won’t put myself in danger,” Liang Yue said as he picked up the boxed meal, feeling the softness of the girl’s embrace.
He explained the reason for his late return: “There’s a guild staff member who helped me a lot, so I treated her to a meal.”
“Building good relations, then?”
Hestia didn’t really listen to the latter part of his explanation for being late; all her attention focused on the first sentence:
“Carrying the hope of revitalizing the clan, no matter what, I won’t put myself in danger.”
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All the burdens fell on Liang Yue.
She, as a goddess, could offer no help—her fame was too small, she couldn’t even recruit followers.
Hestia suddenly felt a pang of guilt and released her hold on him. “If I were more useful, things would be a lot easier for you, wouldn’t they?”
“Thank you for your hard work, Liang Yue.”
“Hestia is irreplaceable to me. Though revitalizing the clan is challenging, if we succeed…”
“The sense of accomplishment will be tremendous.”
Liang Yue’s smile was relaxed, but his gaze was particularly resolute. Looking at Hestia’s hand clutching the edge of his clothes, he gently took it in his own.
“Let’s go home.”
“If we wait any longer, the dinner I prepared for you will get cold.”
—
The dungeon exploration process was dull and tedious, but Liang Yue remained passionate, preparing all the necessary arrangements for his adventures ahead of time.
Watching Hestia sleeping soundly on the sofa, he set out again on his dungeon journey.
Having already explored the first seven floors yesterday, he was clear about the dangers and his plan for today.
The shadow warrior, a novice killer, yielded a decent amount of experience points, but more importantly, the magic stones and monster materials dropped after each kill could fetch a good price at the adventurer’s guild.
The shadow warrior was relatively troublesome for other adventurers and hadn’t been deliberately cleared out, so their numbers remained sufficient.
This was good news for Liang Yue.
He had mastered an efficient way to deal with them.
In the following time, Liang Yue chose to grind here intensively, steadily gaining experience, watching the progress bar slowly climb.
He had lost track of time.
The high-intensity combat gradually conditioned his muscles.
What truly made Liang Yue pause was a prompt from the Sword Soul interface:
Level up to 15!
“Hard work does bring rewards…”
Opening the Sword Soul interface again, Liang Yue’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as he whispered, “So, what skills can I learn now?”
—
“Liang Yue”
“Level: 15”
“Experience: 0.1%”
“Skill: Ghost Sword Technique (Mastered)”
“SP: 140”
“New skills are available for learning. Would you like to view them?”