Chapter 5: The Attack Now Carries Sword Qi—At Last, in This Lifetime!

After a brief adjustment to his next objective, Liang Yue quickly arrived at the second level of the dungeon. So far, the cave environment remained unchanged. However, the knowledge he had previously acquired from the Adventurer’s Guild and from Aina about monsters and dungeon characteristics proved useful now.

The most threatening creature underground—the subterranean lizard—was completely different from what Liang Yue had known. Covered in grayish-brown scales, its body length matched that of a human. It excelled at using its size advantage to charge. Geckos, on the other hand, were smaller in every aspect but tended to attack adventurers in groups, roaming along the labyrinth walls and cave ceilings. These latter creatures required special attention.

Liang Yue cautiously explored the current area alone—a clear drawback of solo adventuring was the lack of teammates to divide tasks. Safety was solely his responsibility. Yet, he wasn’t overly anxious; rather, he was eager to test his “Inner Ghost Sword Technique,” which had just reached a mastery level.

As a Sword Soul, a master of weapons in every sense, he could wield any sword-shaped weapon. In this world, the Inner Ghost Sword Technique changed its final effect depending on the weapon used. With skill upgrades, once he mastered the technique, the most immediate benefit was that he no longer needed time to adapt when switching weapons—he could switch seamlessly.

“This world... probably doesn’t have lightsabers,” he mused. “Once I have the money, I’ll buy a katana and pair it with my broadsword for dual-wielding. That should boost my combat power.”

“Though the monsters seem fewer than expected—perhaps adventurers have already cleared this area.”

As he continued exploring, Liang Yue’s brow remained furrowed. Many adventurers passed through this floor, yet he hadn’t encountered a single monster blocking his path. There was no opportunity to use his newly leveled skills. Pausing briefly, he pondered whether to delve deeper.

Then, faint rustling sounds reached his ears.

Suddenly, he turned sharply to see a massive lizard perfectly camouflaged against the cave wall with its gray-brown scales. If not for its huge mouth filled with sharp teeth and the flicking tongue resembling that of a venomous snake, Liang Yue might not have recognized it immediately.

Was it... dozing off, waiting for someone to bring a pillow?

After failing to ambush him, the subterranean lizard abandoned all disguise, revealing its massive, human-sized frame and unleashing a swift burst of power. Its sharp claws gripped the wall as it lunged toward Liang Yue.

This was the lizard’s usual attack method. Its tough scales could withstand ordinary weapon strikes, and using its size advantage, knocking an adventurer down meant an end to the fight.

Liang Yue had prepared for his dungeon adventure in advance. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on his broadsword and slashed downward at the lizard, skillfully applying the combat techniques of the Inner Ghost Sword Technique.

Like a crescent moon, the sword energy surged forth. The blade didn’t even touch the lizard directly—the strike imbued with sword intent split the creature in half. Its body exploded into dust instantly.

A magic stone, slightly larger than a thumb, fell to the ground, its crisp sound heralding the lizard’s death.

“Exp +34.”

“Sword energy!” Liang Yue exclaimed. He had worried whether his weapon could pierce the lizard’s defense, but unexpectedly, his casual slash unleashed sword energy!

The monster’s body turned to dust swiftly. His sharp eyes briefly caught the details of the strike—the front half of the lizard was cleanly cut. This confirmed that sword energy could extend the attack range of a short sword.

The lingering memory of death still assaulted him.

The Inner Ghost Sword Technique combined with a short sword released sword energy. Liang Yue hadn’t expected that mastering this skill to proficiency would have such an effect even in this new world.

“Hard work in youth brings sword energy to attacks.”

“That’s a promise for life!”

Bending down, he picked up the magic stone from the ground, his heart stirring with excitement. Though he hadn’t mastered other skills yet, having sword energy to extend attack range was a breakthrough.

From now on, his leveling speed would surely quicken, restoring the game’s original design and speeding up dungeon clearing. Most importantly, the sword energy extended attack range without extra stamina consumption.

With the promise of rapid leveling, Liang Yue had no thought to rest. As a novice Sword Soul, his hands itched for more intense battles.

“One push—let’s reach level 5 today.”

—

Having learned the lizard’s attack patterns, the following exploration proceeded smoothly. Unfortunately, these monsters didn’t drop crafting materials. The silver lining was the generous experience points gained.

With sword energy integrated into the Inner Ghost Sword Technique, even when facing numerous gecko monsters, he handled them with ease.

By the time he reached the fifth floor, the dim caves blurred the sense of time. His only feedback was the steady increase in experience points.

As his stamina waned, the small amount of energy from breakfast had long since been consumed.

After clearing the gecko colony residing in a dead-end cave, Liang Yue chose not to push on, maintaining a good state. Even against many monsters, he could now confidently sweep through.

But upon opening the pauper’s lunch set he’d bought from Oralie’s stall, the joy from leveling up vanished instantly.

The leafy greens were simply blanched in hot water, with not even a trace of oil on the surface.

Paired with a dark whole wheat bread that looked tough to chew, the only protein came from an egg.

“After this meal...”

“I’m definitely ordering from a decent restaurant from now on!”

Spending 300 Farli on this was a waste. For just a bit more, he could have enjoyed a hearty, filling lunch at “The Bountiful Mistress.”

His plan to buy a katana could wait. Improving his diet was the priority.

Chewing on the flavorless pauper’s meal, swallowing it down with cold water to help it go down, Liang Yue took advantage of a brief pause to check his “Sword Soul Template.”

——

“Liang Yue”

“Level: 4”

“Experience: 51%”

“Skill: Inner Ghost Sword Technique (+)”

“SP: 30”

——

“Tomorrow, I’ll bring some energy-boosting food and then consider heading to the sixth floor to hunt and level up...”

Good food was important. If the pauper’s meal was only to fill his stomach, there was no need to waste time.

After finishing the last piece of whole wheat bread, Liang Yue gulped down cold water and leaned against the wall, giving his stomach some time to digest. Suddenly, he faintly felt vibrations beneath his feet.

From deep within the cave came the subtle sound of heavy footsteps.

Instinctively, he gripped his weapon. Subterranean lizards and geckos wouldn’t make such noise. Could there be another monster?

Rising, he stepped out into the open tunnel.

“This can’t be...” Liang Yue scanned his surroundings and followed the direction of the sound.

What appeared before his eyes was a creature that should never have been on this floor.

A massively strong humanoid monster.

Atop its broad shoulders sat a bull’s head, unmistakably identifying it.

The Minotaur.