"Not bad results."
In the courtyard of the Twilight Mansion, Riveria was assessing Lefiya's progress after a day of training.
Riveria swung her staff with such force that it whistled through the air. Just as Lefiya was halfway through her spell incantation, Riveria's eyes sharpened, and she suddenly struck out with her staff.
Lefiya didn't stop chanting, but her body instinctively dodged the attack.
Under Riveria's sincere praise, Lefiya herself looked bewildered. Her spellcasting came to an abrupt halt, causing the disrupted mana to surge wildly within her body. Her face turned pale, and she immediately collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.
After a while, she finally recovered, her complexion returning to normal.
During the process of practicing parallel chanting, mana misfires were a common occurrence. As long as she could control the mana within her body in time, it wouldn't lead to a fatal explosion. Lefiya had already grown accustomed to this kind of pain.
"What kind of training did you do today?"
"...Being chased by monsters?"
Riveria fell into deep thought.
Lefiya also looked incredulous.
Was it because she had been chased for half the afternoon, getting used to running away, that her body instinctively reacted to the attack?
"Perhaps I've been too lenient with you before."
Riveria let out a somewhat melancholic sigh.
She had been teaching Lefiya for a long time, yet Lefiya had never managed to learn parallel chanting. But after just one day with Eiji in the dungeon, she had already shown signs of initial mastery.
Although it was clearly not yet proficient, as long as she continued to practice, it would only be a matter of time before Lefiya fully mastered parallel chanting.
This even made Riveria feel a bit of a sense of defeat, and a hint of melancholy appeared in her expression.
Lefiya couldn't help but shiver.
Daily homework, constant tests, and getting her hands or bottom smacked if she didn't perform well—could that really be called lenient?
Riveria, please don't let that man's teaching methods influence you!
That man isn't normal; don't follow in his footsteps!
A tiny version of Lefiya screamed in her heart.
"Um... can I not go tomorrow?"
Lefiya cautiously looked up, hoping to see even a hint of mercy on Riveria's face.
"No."
Riveria gave her a dignified smile and firmly rejected her request.
"Your training with Eiji has been very effective. As long as you continue, you will surely become an excellent mage."
"But training with him could easily get me killed!"
"You were chased all day today, and you're still fine, aren't you? I believe he wouldn't do anything to harm his companions."
Riveria spoke with absolute certainty.
No.
Lady Riveria, where did this inexplicable trust in that man come from?
Lefiya's face fell, and she inwardly lamented her misfortune.
The next day.
Reluctantly, Lefiya joined Eiji and Line, and the three of them ventured into the dungeon once more.
That day, half training and half exploring, they passed through the 13th floor without injury and entered the 14th floor.
Several days later, they advanced to the 15th floor, and then the 16th.
Soon.
Half a month had passed.
***
17th Floor.
This floor was filled with an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia and oppression. The uneven walls were dark and gloomy, and the stalactites hanging from the ceiling resembled inverted sword tips.
The walls of the passage were lined with fist-sized stones spaced irregularly, emitting a faint phosphorescent light that illuminated the short space.
"—Arrow of liberation, bow of sacred wood, I am the master archer! Snipe! Fairy Archer!"
In the dim, cavernous hollow, Lefiya continuously moved her feet, swaying left and right to avoid the charging attacks of the saber-toothed tiger. Despite her movements, her chanting never stopped.
From her natural expression and fluid movements, it was clear that she had fully mastered the technique of dodging while chanting.
"Pierce through, arrow of certainty!"
From the tip of her staff, a flaming arrow shot out, accompanied by a cannon-like roar.
She didn't specifically aim, simply waving her staff casually. The flaming arrow didn't fly straight but instead curved mid-air, making a 180-degree arc before striking the saber-toothed tiger beside her, blowing half of its body to pieces.
This was one of Lefiya's three spells—Arc Ray. As the chant suggested, it had a guaranteed hit effect, never missing its target, making it highly practical.
On the other side.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar echoed.
Even among Level 2 monsters, this one was undoubtedly a powerful foe.
It stood over two meters tall, with copper-red fur that provided high resistance to both fire and ice. Its muscles were as thick as tree trunks, and its black horns were incredibly hard.
Its entire being exuded a ferocious aura, with an overwhelming pressure that could suffocate anyone.
Minotaur!
Also known as the Bull-man, it was undoubtedly the strongest monster in floors 1 to 18, aside from the dungeon bosses. Even a Level 2 adventurer could be killed by it in a direct confrontation.
Boom!
The Minotaur stomped its foot, shattering the rock beneath it, and swung its arms at Eiji with no mercy.
Whoosh!
However, Eiji simply crouched slightly, and the Minotaur's powerful arms missed him entirely.
"Roar!"
The Minotaur, refusing to give up, widened its eyes and swung its arms like a wheel, attacking from all directions—up, down, left, and right.
But faced with its fierce onslaught, Eiji remained calm. Within the range of the Minotaur's attacks, he continuously dodged, maintaining an exquisite distance that allowed him to evade every strike.
Slice—!
When the monster's attack slowed, Eiji countered with a slash.
The blade followed the muscle fibers from bottom to top, cutting through the Minotaur's right arm like slicing fish, leaving a deep gash over half a meter long.
The difference in size between the two was immense.
Given the Minotaur's size, it could have easily crushed Eiji underfoot.
But in actual combat, the Minotaur was like Tom facing Jerry, completely outmaneuvered. No matter what it tried, Eiji effortlessly countered.
Compared to his fight with the Bear Strength half a month ago, Eiji's movements had become much more natural, exuding an indescribable grace. His progress was evident.
Even against a mid-tier Level 2 monster, he didn't falter, instead played with it like a toy.
Slice!
Slice!
Several more slashes followed, the blade's wind howling as it severed the tendons in the Minotaur's arms, before delivering a final, merciless cut to its throat.
"So tough."
Eiji muttered to himself.
The Minotaur's muscles were incredibly dense. Even with his strength exceeding 600 points, cutting through them felt like slicing through rubber. The sword he had bought was already heavily damaged, clearly on its last legs.
***
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