Sitting on the Guild lounge sofa, Liang Yue lifted the cup of hot tea Eina had brewed for him, inhaling the rich fragrance.
Looking at the half-elf's serious expression, he straightened his posture.
Putting away the faint smile in his eyes, he replied with equal seriousness, "Of course I'm serious. Miss Eina, do you think I'd joke about something like this?"
"..."
Compared to other possibilities, Eina honestly hoped he was joking.
After all, every floor had a recommended minimum ability level for adventurers—
floors 8–10 were suited for those with E–C ranked stats.
Higher floors meant higher danger.
As for the 11th floor onward, the recommended ability range was B–S.
To explore the 13th floor, a Lv2 adventurer was an absolute requirement.
When she looked at the boy sitting opposite her,
Eina forced herself to remain calm and think back over his Dungeon progress so far.
Facing a Minotaur for the first time, he had beaten it with skill alone.
He had used swarms of Killer Ants to train his stats—something most adventurers wouldn't even consider.
Now he wanted to explore deeper floors.
Somehow… it didn't feel strange.
She had no doubt of his sincerity—only a numb, speechless feeling about how to react.
"So…"
"You're saying your stats have already reached the standard for B-rank?" she asked, lightly pushing up her glasses.
If that was true… then his growth speed would be an unprecedented miracle in Orario!
From registering as a rookie adventurer to now, it hadn't even been a full week—
and he was already aiming to push the Dungeon to the 10th floor and beyond.
Wouldn't that mean that with a single great feat, he could surpass the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein,
to become the fastest adventurer in the world to reach Lv2?
"It should be enough," Liang Yue replied.
Judging from today's exploration—pushing forward two floors in one go,
and even encountering a rare Blue Butterfly swarm—
he already had a rough idea of how much his stats had improved.
Besides, in deciding the outcome of battles,
stats were less important than skills, magic, and techniques.
He wasn't joking.
Eina carefully flipped through his adventurer registration record—
it had only been six days since he started,
and he had grown from a rookie to this level.
Witnessing a new adventurer's meteoric rise with her own eyes,
she couldn't hide the awe in her voice.
"Liang Yue-kun… you're a genius, in every sense of the word."
"Phew…"
"Since you're preparing to go deeper, I hope you take what I'm about to say seriously!"
——
The purpose of a Guild receptionist was to provide support for adventurers and Familias.
Sliding into full work mode, she pulled out a reference manual.
And since the one asking for help was a friend she trusted,
she went into exhaustive detail for safety's sake.
The 10th floor was where the Dungeon began introducing various hazards—
vision-obscuring frost and fog,
and the occasional large-scale monster spawn known as a "Monster Feast."
There were boar-headed Orcs,
smarter-than-goblin Imps in groups,
and bat-type monsters called Bad Bats.
Going deeper, one might encounter Armored Armadillos,
Silverback Apes,
and the rarely appearing rare-species Young Dragons—the floor's de facto bosses.
As for the 13th floor…
only Lv2 adventurers should go there.
Eina didn't have the confidence to give detailed advice,
only referring to it as "the first true deadline."
"That's about it."
Closing the manual, she fixed him with a stern look.
"I want you to remember this, Liang Yue—
until you reach Lv2, do not go to the 13th floor!"
"Of course," he agreed.
After all, the danger level between the upper and middle floors was on a completely different scale.
With caution and thorough exploration, it wouldn't be too risky.
If his stats were close to their limit,
he could ask Hestia for a level-up and then explore freely.
But he always planned for the worst.
If his stats fell short of expectations,
he wouldn't mind using the last day on his "borrowed weapons" to max out his numbers before leveling up.
With a smile that showed his resolve, he reassured her,
"Next, I'll probably focus on exploring the 11th and 12th floors."
"As long as you're confident," Eina replied.
This time she didn't try to stop him—
only looked at him with complex eyes,
realizing that she couldn't measure a genius's progress by the standards of normal adventurers.
After her long explanation,
Eina took a sip of tea and smiled.
"Anything else you want to ask, Liang Yue?"
"Yes."
Without hesitation, Liang Yue pulled out one of today's spoils—
specifically, the drop from the rare Blue Butterfly.
A paper-thin wing, shimmering faintly in the sunset.
He met her complicated gaze and asked,
"For rare monster drops—should I sell them directly to the Guild,
or is there another channel that would give a better price?"
Considering he was about to explore beyond the 10th floor,
it was normal to assume he'd be encountering rare monsters.
Eina didn't answer right away.
Her eyes swept the area to make sure no colleagues were nearby,
then she leaned forward and beckoned him closer.
At this distance, he could see her frosted-lash-like eyelashes trembling,
and the clear sparkle in her eyes.
"For basic materials and magic stones, it's best to sell them to the Guild," she whispered.
"The prices are decent and far more convenient than dealing at the market."
"And for rare drops?"
The Guild's daily operating funds came from buying materials and drops from adventurers at a profit—
anyone with basic business sense knew that.
After all, an adventurer's time was more valuable than anything else.
But Liang Yue was more interested in the sale value of rare drops.
"These Blue Butterfly Wings, right?"
Eina glanced at the pile on the table—at least ten pairs.
That meant he must have encountered a large swarm.
Resting her face in her hands,
she thought for a moment,
then smiled with sly mischief.
"I suggest you just sell them directly to the Guild."
"Selling them piecemeal is a waste of time~"
"...?"
Why did it feel like he'd just been sweet-talked by a sly woman?
Still, with her so close, the faint orchid fragrance reaching his nose,
and that playful, triumphant smile on her lips,
he couldn't muster any annoyance.
Eina, however, felt her cheeks heat from the proximity,
quickly turning her head away before giving a cheeky excuse.
"I learned it from you, Liang Yue-kun—
you're the one who likes to pause dramatically in the middle of sentences!"
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