Chapter 28: Is it possible that this was meant to help you avoid risk?
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In the Adventurers’ Guild lounge, Liang Yue lifted the hot tea placed before him and took a small sip, savoring the rich flavor of the black tea.
The warmth soothed his weary spirit.
When he looked at the half-elf girl sitting across from him on the sofa, her expression stern but her eyes filled with concern, his mood suddenly lightened considerably.
“Thank you for the hot tea, Miss Eina.”
“It really is delicious.”
Even after hearing Liang Yue’s praise, Eina’s brows remained tightly furrowed. Only when the weariness in his eyes had faded did her expression ease slightly.
Yet her gaze was still full of reproach.
She had no idea what exactly he had experienced in the Dungeon, but it was enough to make Liang Yue—whose maturity and composure far exceeded his apparent age—look so exhausted.
That weariness revealed itself in every aspect of his manner.
Eina knew all too well how heavy a burden the young man before her carried. She could not bring herself to scold him. What filled her heart was concern rather than anger.
“Liang Yue.”
“Have you run into something lately?”
“No.”
Leaning back against the soft sofa, with the hot tea Eina had prepared easing his physical fatigue, Liang Yue noticed the worry in the half-elf girl’s eyes and the way she seemed to have something to say but could not bring herself to say it.
Do not make the people who care about you worry.
For some reason, he recalled the words Eina had deliberately spoken to him while they were eating at the Hostess of Fertility.
They seemed rather applicable to the current situation.
The smile on Liang Yue’s face gradually became more relaxed. Sitting upright, he explained, “The atmosphere in the Dungeon has been a little oppressive, and the monsters…”
“There are simply too many of them.”
“So my emotions have become somewhat numb.”
That was the truth. Leveling up could only be done in the Dungeon. Once it became a daily task that had to be completed without fail, the creatures he spent the most time with each day were monsters.
Of course, it was still different from being in prison. A prisoner who behaved well could have his sentence reduced, whereas good performance at work only resulted in overtime!
A flicker of confusion crossed Eina’s eyes. In the upper levels of the Dungeon, with Liang Yue possessing the talent to defeat a Minotaur, he should have been able to deal with monsters such as War Shadows and Killer Ants with ease.
“Mr. Liang Yue.”
Surely he had not already ventured into the Middle Floors?
She raised her eyes and asked, “Which level of the Dungeon are you currently active on?”
“The seventh floor.”
Liang Yue answered without hesitation.
After receiving a definite answer, Eina’s brows did not relax. “With your talent, you should be able to handle War Shadows and Killer Ants, right?”
“Of course.”
“And the monster density isn’t particularly high…”
Eina carefully analyzed the situation. Then, noticing the bulging coin pouch beside Liang Yue, she came up with a bold idea.
Was he making use of the Killer Ants’ tendency to call their companions whenever they encountered danger…
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To train in the Dungeon?
At the thought, her eyelids began twitching uncontrollably. No other adventurer would willingly do something so dangerous.
But Liang Yue…
With him, it was genuinely hard to say.
On his very first expedition into the Dungeon, he had dared to push his way to the fifth floor. When faced with a Minotaur, instead of thinking about retreating, he had chosen to fight!
Eina’s expression became complicated as she looked at the handsome young man sitting across from her.
“Don’t tell me you used the Killer Ants’ nature…”
“To draw in a huge number of monsters so you could train?”
“Of course.”
Liang Yue nodded candidly. He had not forgotten to add, “I have to thank you for explaining it so thoroughly, Miss Eina.”
“It’s rather troublesome to search for monsters.”
“Making use of their habits is much easier. There were just so many of them that I became a little numb…”
“?”
Eina wore a professional smile as she watched Liang Yue speak freely. With impeccable politeness, she reminded him, “Is there a chance…”
“That my original intention was for you to avoid the danger?”
—
After drinking several cups of hot tea and having a brief, friendly conversation with Eina, Liang Yue’s exhaustion was greatly relieved.
He had not forgotten his main objective.
He exchanged everything he had obtained during the past two days of exploration in the Dungeon for valis.
Total: 41,120 valis.
After deducting his daily expenses over the past few days—most of which had gone toward food, along with the money he had set aside each day for her lunch—Liang Yue’s savings had nevertheless reached nearly sixty thousand valis.
Only he knew how difficult it had been to accumulate that amount.
It was all thanks to the sheer number of low-level monsters.
When he left the Adventurers’ Guild, Liang Yue ignored the faint hostile glances directed at him. The reason was obvious enough.
Miss Eina was the most popular employee in the Guild.
Looking out at the bustling streets of Orario, Liang Yue had already made plans for how to earn more money.
“The debt owed to Lady Hestia can be paid off in a few days.”
Recalling everything he had experienced during this period, Liang Yue felt inexplicably moved.
Tomorrow, his plans for the Dungeon would remain the same. He would raise his Sword Soul class to level twenty, and after mastering his new skills, he would continue exploring toward the deeper floors.
Repeatedly lingering around the seventh-floor area would wear down his enthusiasm to an enormous degree, especially since he was merely increasing the level of his Sword Soul class.
The deeper monsters of the Dungeon also provided more experience!
“I’ll have to trouble Miss Eina again then…”
“I should ask her carefully about the monsters.”
He did not linger. As for taking a proper day off, he had no intention of considering it for now. At the very least, he had to advance to Level Two.
Liang Yue walked along the streets of Orario.
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His destination was the Hostess of Fertility on West Main Street. He had not forgotten the promise he had made to Syr that morning.
He would settle dinner at her restaurant.
With his weary mind thoroughly soothed, his thoughts felt much clearer. He soon formed a general guess about the special purpose behind Syr’s actions.
“…”
“I can conveniently pack a dinner to take home, too.”
Standing outside the Hostess of Fertility, Liang Yue saw that the restaurant was still crowded with adventurers despite the approaching evening. As soon as he entered, he looked left and right, searching for an empty seat.
After finishing taking an order from a customer, Syr quickly noticed the familiar figure. Without greeting him, she quietly approached from behind.
She held a wooden serving tray in both hands.
Her gray hair fell against her fair cheeks, and the anticipation in her eyes brought out her girlish charm to the fullest.
As for her beauty, there was no need to mention it.
A faint smile rested on Syr’s face. The corners of her eyes curved like crescent moons, radiating a playful sweetness. Although she clearly knew Liang Yue’s name, she still addressed him as Adventurer.
“Adventurer, you came?”
“We made plans, after all. Besides, the lunch box you gave me was delicious.”
Liang Yue’s gaze fell upon Syr’s profile, but he quickly looked away and decisively shifted the subject to the lunch she had provided that morning.
Finally, he pointed toward the empty seat in front of the restaurant’s counter.
“There shouldn’t be anyone sitting here, right?” he asked in an even tone.
“This seat was specially kept for you.”
The girl blinked her mischievous eyes and did not forget to tease him. “If you didn’t come tonight, Syr would have been terribly hurt.”
“And also…”
“My name is Syr Flover. What’s yours?”
“Liang Yue.”
“So you’re Mr. Liang Yue. I have to go attend to the customers now. If you need anything, just call for me.”
“…”
Liang Yue smiled and nodded. After taking his seat, he had only just prepared to order when a careless figure entered through the door of the Hostess of Fertility.
He noticed it from the corner of his eye.
Recognizing that familiar figure, he slowly placed the wooden menu on the table. It was no different from the rough guess he had already formed.
Liang Yue’s brows drew together ever so slightly.
“So…”
“This is the real reason Syr asked me to come to the restaurant for dinner?”