Chapter 31: The Road

"Flowing Stance"
"Level Requirement: 20"
"Cost: 20 SP"
"Skill Effect: A unique skill of the Sword Master. Upon activating Flowing Stance, stamina consumption is increased in exchange for enhanced sword aura power."
——
"Flowing Stance: Thrust"
"Level Requirement: 20"
"Cost: 20 SP"
"Skill Effect: This skill can only be used after activating Flowing Stance. It unleashes a powerful thrust at enemies in front, with additional attack effects determined by weapon type."
——
"They're both buff-type skills..."
"That's fine, too."
Liang Yue scanned the skills currently available for him to master. They didn't add new attack patterns, but rather built upon his existing repertoire to amplify combat damage. At the very least, when venturing deeper into the dungeon and facing monsters with higher overall stats, these would allow him to pierce through their defenses.
If there was any real difference, it was that the SP cost increased as he learned higher-level skills.
"The efficiency of experience gain has also decreased..."
What he was more concerned about now was the SP cost for learning and upgrading skills, and the fact that the experience required for leveling up was rising. In exchange, he received extra SP...
Liang Yue felt it was worth it. As for his upcoming plans, if it meant acquiring new combat methods and testing skill effects, he had no objections.
Unfortunately, "Flowing Stance" was merely a combat buff.
After today's long dungeon expedition, all the supplies he had brought—including pure drinking water—were completely exhausted. Continuing to explore while physically exhausted would only increase the danger for no reason.
Liang Yue felt it was better to be prudent. Since the experience required to level up was increasing, and using the Soldier Ants for "fishing" enforcement was becoming less efficient and tedious, exploring deeper into the dungeon was the logical next step.
"It’s about time to properly progress through the floors. To raise my overall stats to S-rank—and if I can strive for even higher levels..."
"That would be the best choice."
"And after that, it will be time for a glorious feat to raise my Adventurer Level!"
If he could become a monster of comprehensive stats, Liang Yue certainly wouldn't mind. According to the leveling mechanics of the Dungeon world, raising one's level required a "Great Feat," which was, in a sense, similar to gaining experience in the dungeon.
It could be interpreted quite literally:
"Accomplish something that makes people think you're incredible."
That meant taking down an opponent even stronger than himself. He hadn't yet set his sights as high as a floor boss like Goliath, but he could target a stronger variant species.
Of course, there were other ways—encountering a monster feast, fighting desperately to find a path to survival, and finally reaching a destination through various hardships. But these concepts were relatively vague.
Considering himself a steady and pragmatic person, Liang Yue tentatively defined a "Great Feat" as defeating a powerful variant species. He picked up the magic stones dropped on the ground.
The leveling of his "Sword Master Template," accompanied by a rich harvest of magic stones, had already filled his coin purse. Converted into Valis, it was nearly 30,000.
With Hestia's debt issue resolved, he could move on to his next plan. After using the doubled effect of the "SST (Short Sword Technique)" with dual daggers, returning to the initial stage felt like...
"Once you've experienced this feeling, your body can never go back!"
——
By the time he dragged his exhausted body out of the dungeon, it was nearly evening. The Adventurer's Guild had long since closed, ending any hope of exchanging his magic stones.
The tedious and repetitive dungeon exploration had become the main theme of his life, but he certainly had no regrets; this was the path he had chosen.
The effort he put in was yielding results, not only in the improvement of his Sword Master job level and strength, but his quality of life was gradually improving as well.
He still lived in the basement of the abandoned church, but his meals had evolved from the leftover potato croquettes Hestia brought home from her part-time job to bento boxes packed from the "Hostess of Fertility."
His next direction... was to optimize his weaponry: the two short swords he used in combat, as well as other types of weapons to deal with various scenarios.
"Is there any way..."
"To make some money quickly?"
Equipping himself with standard third-tier weapons would conservatively cost nearly 500,000 Valis. He couldn't bring himself to keep putting it on Hestia's tab.
Late at night in the labyrinth city of Orario, the streets were somewhat desolate, and even the "Hostess of Fertility" was about to close.
The beautiful girls in maid uniforms were finishing up their cleaning before the restaurant closed. The first to notice Liang Yue's arrival was Mia, who stood at the counter wiping down plates.
Seeing the figure in a cloak enter the restaurant, she looked up slightly. She had a rather deep impression of Liang Yue, as he came in every night to pack a dinner for two before leaving.
He was, at the very least, a regular.
The main reason for the deep impression was that he was the "poor kid" recruited into the familia by the "Calamity" of the North Street.
He went on dungeon adventures every day.
Once the captain of the Freya Familia, she subconsciously held more goodwill toward diligent adventurers. Mia set down the clean plate and looked up, greeting him.
"You're quite late today. There's still some leftover food in the kitchen. A la carte is a bit difficult, but I can manage a dinner for two."
"How about it?"
"Want to try the vegetable stew set?"
"..."
"I lost track of time, I'm sorry, Auntie Mia."
Considering the restaurant was about to close, coming in now was just adding to the workload. A trace of apology hidden deep in his smile, Liang Yue realized that being able to get dinner at all was a stroke of luck.
He nodded earnestly: "Whatever you say is fine, as long as it fills my stomach!"
"Alright."
"I'll have the kitchen prepare it. It'll be ready soon." No one dislikes a customer who is humble and polite in their words and actions.
Mia picked up a glass and poured a drink for Liang Yue. As she placed it on the bar, she noticed the boy's confused expression and waved her hand, speaking directly: "It's leftover drink, it would be a waste to pour it out anyway."
"Consider it the drink that comes with the set meal."
"Thank you."
After finishing her work, Mia looked at Liang Yue sitting quietly in front of her and, without caring that he was right there, commented directly.
"You're very polite, but you completely lack the boldness of an adventurer!"
"..."
Liang Yue had treated her as an ordinary restaurant manager, so his attitude was naturally relaxed.
But the person standing across from him was Mia Grand, the former captain of the Freya Familia and a Level 6 adventurer.
Being a bit more respectful was never a bad idea.
Having finished all the closing duties, Mia, now having some spare time, became interested in Liang Yue and initiated the conversation.
"I remember a few days ago, you were here celebrating with your familia's goddess."
"Kid, how does it feel to be an adventurer?"
"Once the novelty wears off, it inevitably feels a bit dull and tedious." Liang Yue thought for a moment before giving an objective evaluation.
It was a repetitive daily cycle; once the freshness faded, that was exactly what it was.
Not thinking that Liang Yue was spouting nonsense, Mia could even empathize. Exploring the dungeon alone meant that loneliness would be the main theme.
"The upper floors are like that, it's all just those monsters..."
As a piece of advice for a rookie adventurer, she paused for a moment and then said: "Your familia's situation is a bit special."
"You could consider teaming up with adventurers from other familias."
"I've seen many rookie adventurers in this restaurant. Very few return safely from their daily dungeon expeditions, simply because they have no fear of danger."
"Kid."
"Don't push yourself. The restaurant does better business with regular customers like you!"
Mia spoke very directly. He could feel her genuine concern; after all, it was a summary of experiences from a powerful adventurer.
It was useful, but the effect was limited.
He knew clearly that everyone's path is unique and cannot be replicated.
The path Liang Yue was pursuing now was to hone his swordsmanship through a journey filled with danger, heading toward the pinnacle of the sword!
Facing Mia's calm gaze, Liang Yue smiled easily, his tone exceptionally firm as he responded: "Auntie Mia, of course I'm not without fear."
"It's just that, quite simply, I don't want to stop moving forward..."