Slaying a Minotaur—normally a middle‑floor monster—had yielded a magic stone almost the size of a baby's fist, worth more than all his other spoils combined.
As the prize of victory, Liang Yue didn't even need to turn on auto‑loot. He bent down to pick it up, then looked up—
—only to see a girl walking toward him from the far end of the straight passage. Once her face came into focus, her identity was obvious.
Ais Wallenstein.
A Lv5 adventurer of the Loki Familia, known among the gods as the Sword Princess, a young woman with extraordinary mastery of swordsmanship.
That face, serene and beautiful like a still lake, perfectly matched her image in his mind.
Knowing the current plot beat meant meeting Ais was inevitable, Liang Yue hadn't expected it to happen this soon. Calling out her name would be normal—
—though he still hesitated over how exactly to greet her.
As it turned out, he didn't need to decide at all.
Her emotionless golden eyes studied him carefully. Ais never paid much attention to appearances, but those crimson eyes of his stirred faint ripples in her heart.
Her voice was soft as she asked, "Um… are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"That Minotaur escaped from the middle floors. Our Familia failed to handle the matter properly. I'm sorry for the trouble it caused you."
"Your swordsmanship is unfamiliar to me. I've never seen a style like it before."
Her cool voice was like a clear, melodious note. In the brief battle she had just witnessed, she had felt the sword intent radiating from him—
—an aura no beginner swordsman could possess. Like a hidden blade, both firm and razor‑sharp.
That was Ais's conclusion.
For someone with such a presence, his face was completely unfamiliar. By rights, he shouldn't be an unknown adventurer…
Of course he was a stranger—he used Demon Swordsmanship from the world of Arad.
Facing a Lv5 adventurer, Liang Yue sheathed his blade and nodded lightly, speaking with ease. "Just something I messed around and came up with."
"Does your style have a name?"
"I call it Inner Swordsmanship."
In his original world, most users of this style were from another dimension. As the first to use it in Orario, he felt it worth spreading here.
"Inner Swordsmanship?"
Though they were swordsmen of different schools, her instincts told her that the style this boy had created might one day shine brightly in Orario.
As a swordswoman herself, she knew that only constant breakthrough could lead to the peak. She looked forward to seeing his growth.
"I'm Ais Wallenstein. Your swordsmanship is interesting. I hope we have a chance to cross blades in the future."
"What's your name?"
"Liang Yue."
"I'll look forward to that day."
Liang Yue nodded slightly, accepting her promise of a future spar. Watching her turn to leave, he felt his stamina was nearly spent.
Given the time and the events of the day, it was about right to end his adventure. After all, the trip back would take time too.
By the time he left the Dungeon, it was already late afternoon. The weight of his pouch full of magic stones told him today's haul was quite good.
Exchanging them all for faris at the Guild would let him improve his quality of life.
The Dungeon was full of danger, yet adventurers still flocked to it—not just for fame, but for the surprisingly fast profits.
"First, the Guild."
"Then see where Lady Hestia is working… feels like I could splurge on a nice dinner tonight."
With his plans set, Liang Yue headed straight for the Guild instead of holing up in the abandoned church to train.
This kind of fulfilling life appealed to him—
—having a clear goal, going into the Dungeon to grow stronger, and reaping rewards that improved his daily life.
He could even save up for more weapons. As for the Familia's development, he was happy to let things take their course.
Arriving at the Guild headquarters again, his eyes swept the hall before quickly locking on a familiar figure: a half‑elf in uniform, arms full of thick documents.
She was speaking to a pink‑haired girl beside her.
The workload was clearly heavy; Eina's tired expression made it obvious she'd be working overtime.
When she spotted the boy who had safely returned from his Dungeon adventure, a flicker of delight lit her weary eyes—as though she'd seen a savior.
She promptly shoved the stack of paperwork into Misha Flott's arms.
"Misha. The rookie adventurer I'm responsible for is back. You handle these for now—I'll help you once I'm done here."
"Einaaa!!"
Ignoring her friend's indignant protest, Eina adjusted her glasses with a gloved hand and walked toward Liang Yue.
"Congratulations on completing your first adventure, Liang Yue."
"Miss Eina."
Seeing her speaking with Misha, he hadn't planned to interrupt, but he hadn't expected the responsible Guild advisor to follow up on his progress personally.
She even gave him a playful wink—
—and in a voice loud enough for Misha to hear, invited, "I didn't finish explaining yesterday's tips for beginner adventurers. Shall we continue now?"
Her clear emerald eyes looked at him almost pleadingly, perhaps hoping for a brief break from the mountain of work.
Given her kind and earnest nature, Liang Yue didn't refuse. Smiling, he said, "I'll be in your care, Miss Eina."
"Thank you, Liang Yue."
On the way to the Guild's library, her voice returned to its usual gentle tone. She even poured him a cup of hot tea.
Seated on a soft sofa, she crossed her legs and let her guard down a little. "Sorry for using you as an excuse to take a break.
"The Loki Familia just returned from their expedition, so our workload's skyrocketed…"
"It's not going to delay anything for you, is it?"
Since it was a somewhat private work matter, Liang Yue didn't comment—just sipped the tea and replied seriously, "I think the Guild's tea is excellent. Very relaxing."
Eina finally let out a small sigh of relief. Looking at him—so different from most adventurers, his clothes still stained with blood—it was obvious he'd just come from the Dungeon.
Her gentle smile carried the warmth of an older sister's concern. "You didn't run into any danger today, did you?"
"No."
"That's good."
Judging by his personality, he wasn't the type to take reckless risks. Still, she added, "I heard from several adventurers that some middle‑floor monsters escaped to the upper floors this afternoon, causing quite a stir.
"It seems they were dealt with, fortunately without casualties."
Her tone held relief. Realizing she'd gone off‑topic, she looked back at him with curiosity.
"Liang Yue, why don't you tell me about your Dungeon trip? I'm not an adventurer, but I might be able to give you some advice."
After a moment's thought, Liang Yue smiled lightly. "Nothing unusual—just a normal Dungeon run. Then I ran into a Minotaur."
"…?!"
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