Chapter 26: A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall, and he, least of all, is a gentleman.

"You should be more concerned about your own safety."

Lili inexplicably thought of her own predicament. Her desire to leave the dungeon was purely out of fear of trouble from the adventurer she was currently partied with. Losing her weapon during a battle—she knew all too well what her fate would be if he found her. Even if she were to use her "Cinder Ella" magic again inside the dungeon, she could only transform into a supporter of similar build; she would be easily identified. Furthermore, Lili sensed an underlying meaning in Liang Yue’s words, as if he had seen through things she had done in the past.

His nonchalant attitude stung her sensitive, inferiority-ridden heart. As she prepared to set off and return to Orario, she stopped in her tracks, driven by a strange impulse. When she turned back, Lili’s smile was self-deprecating. Her words were disjointed as she asked, "If you were stuck in a muddy swamp, what would you do?"

"..."

Had Lili not chosen to harm other innocent adventurers, Liang Yue might have felt some pity for her circumstances. Even if that hadn't happened in this current timeline, his preconceived notions could not be changed. He had no interest in testing human nature. After a moment of thought, he answered her bizarre question directly: "Save myself."

"What if everyone around you is just someone who wants to exploit and bully you?"

"That's simple."

In truth, the moment he spoke, Liang Yue understood the subtext of what Lili was trying to express: leaving the muddy swamp of the Soma Familia. "A gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall." Besides, he had never claimed to be a gentleman, and choosing to help was out of the question. As for offering advice on self-preservation, however, Liang Yue felt that was fine.

With a relaxed smile, he gave a sincere suggestion: "First, I would try to reason with them. If reason doesn't work, then you can use physics. Of course, the principles of chemistry—like poison—could work too."

"..."

"But in any case, it should never involve harming those who have kindly helped you."

Returning to silence, Liang Yue watched her figure depart. As for the methods he suggested, he was, of course, speaking from his own perspective. If one cannot resist through strength, then one must use craftiness.

Now that the plot had shifted, whether Bell, as a member of the Freya Familia, would still choose to save Lili remained an unknown. Rather than dwelling on these irrelevant interludes, Liang Yue was more concerned with how to rapidly increase his strength. He cast his gaze toward the killer ants not far ahead, their bodies severed. He had been waiting for a while, and no new swarms had appeared; it seemed there was no hope in continuing to exploit the dungeon's "bug." Was the killer ants' trait of calling for reinforcements limited only to their specific cluster?

"I'll have to keep looking."

Liang Yue quickly made his decision. His exploration of the dungeon had only just begun, and with the increase in his "Endurance" stat, fighting the ant swarms didn't consume much stamina. During lulls in combat, he could feel his recovery speed significantly increasing. He decided to push through and reach level 18 in one go.

***

Remaining vigilant against unknown dangers, he continued his exploration of the current floor. Thanks to the techniques he had honed through constant fighting during this period, he had mastered the weaknesses of various dungeon monsters, resolving encounters in the simplest ways possible. Using skills could speed up the clearing process, but Liang Yue felt it wasn't necessary to prioritize efficiency at the cost of wasting stamina and shortening his combat duration. Moreover, after switching to sharper weapons, the sword qi emitted by his "Secret Sword: Mastery" had significantly increased in power. Even ordinary sword qi slashes could easily tear monsters apart.

Monsters that tended to act alone, like dungeon lizards or war shadows, were not his primary target, but he wouldn't let them pass if he encountered them. However, the bulk of his experience points still came from the killer ants that called for backup when threatened; a small-scale cluster usually consisted of over twenty monsters, while larger swarms would double that number. As time slowly passed, Liang Yue lost track of how many swarms he had cleared and the exact number of monsters he had slain.

The good news was... his level had increased effectively!

"..."

"Feels about right."

After finishing off the last few killer ants in the area, he was overcome by the hunger caused by sustained physical exertion. While taking a break to eat the bento Hestia had given him, he checked the progress bar of his "Sword Soul Template."

—
[Liang Yue]
[Level: 17]
[Experience: 43.7%]
[Skills: Secret Sword: Mastery, Triple Slash (+), Moonlight Slash (+), Backstep Slash (+)]
[SP: 130]
—

He had successfully reached level 17, nearing his final goal for the day. The experience bar was nearly halfway full, but what ultimately caught Liang Yue’s attention were the plus signs appearing behind his active skills. It was the same as it had been with his Secret Sword: Mastery. He could consume SP to upgrade his skills. This was within his expectations—he gained skill points with every level-up. If he couldn't spend them, the SP function of the Sword Soul Template would be useless.

"Skill upgrades..."

"What kind of effect will they actually bring?"

If it followed the game’s settings, upgrading skills would increase damage and reduce cooldowns. Now that it was in the world of Orario, he was genuinely curious about the specific effects.

***

—
[Consumed 20 SP]
[Triple Slash (Lv1) upgraded to Triple Slash (Lv3)]
—
[Moonlight Slash (Lv1) upgraded to Moonlight Slash (Lv3)]
—
[Backstep Slash (Lv1) upgraded to Backstep Slash (Lv3)]
—

He had spent a total of 60 SP to bring all his skills, aside from the mastery skill, to their current level cap.

[SP: 70]

He kept the remaining skill points in reserve for whatever new methods he might acquire once the Sword Soul Template reached level 20. As the skill levels increased, Liang Yue didn't immediately feel a drastic change, and he frowned in thought. While his skills didn't have cooldown time restrictions, they manifested in a different way. High-mobility maneuvers like "Triple Slash" placed a heavy burden on his body and could not be used continuously. In a sense, the "cooldown" was already reflected in his stamina consumption and physical strain.

"If..."

"If upgrading skill levels can reduce stamina consumption and decrease the physical burden, then spending these SP points is well worth it!"

At this thought, Liang Yue was filled with anticipation. He quickly finished his bento, felt his stamina recovering, and slowed his exploration pace in the current area, treating it as a post-meal stroll. Plus, since he wasn't familiar with the area, cautious exploration was necessary.

However, it wasn't long before some killer ants appeared not far ahead, drawing Liang Yue's attention. He chose his familiar approach: using sword qi to deal non-lethal damage, then letting the endangered ant call for its massive swarm. He called this behavior... "fishing for trouble."

The wait wasn't long. As the rock wall ahead continued to collapse, what greeted his eyes was a massive swarm of killer ants, summoned by the special signal.

"Once I finish this batch..."

"My leveling goal for the day will be successfully completed."

He was almost becoming desensitized to the killer ants. Gripping his two short swords, Liang Yue’s eyes swept calmly over the congregated monsters. Of course, before ending his adventure, there was one more thing he needed to confirm: whether the upgraded skills would reduce his stamina consumption during use. This point would dictate his future combat style!