To effectively raise his stats, battle intensity was key—especially when facing the orc monsters that appeared on this floor.
In that sense, the 10th floor was no different from others… except for the mist traps covering the area, which significantly increased the danger.
"A monster feast…
If I kill enough monsters, will that trigger this Dungeon mechanism?"
Taking the example of killer ants, which call for reinforcements when wounded, Liang Yue wondered if he could try applying the same principle here.
It didn't conflict with his goals. Picking up the magic stones from slain monsters, he slowed his pace and focused on observing his surroundings.
The mist hung heavy all around. Even if he sliced through the air to disperse it, the clarity only lasted briefly before returning to normal.
"A bit troublesome…
Let's move through this area quickly."
Considering that repeated Triple Slash use put heavy strain on his body and drained most of his stamina, Liang Yue set that idea aside.
You couldn't judge the Dungeon with common sense—if he burned through his endurance and a monster feast suddenly erupted, solo exploration would be a death sentence.
Suppressing his frustration with the poor visibility, Liang Yue moved with caution, avoiding any openings for monsters to ambush him.
Progress was slow.
Without clear visual landmarks, he made sure to leave noticeable marks on any dry tree trunks he passed, so he wouldn't end up walking in circles.
No dangerous surprises came—until he reached the outskirts of the area. The eerie silence there immediately raised his guard.
Aside from the orc he'd encountered earlier, he hadn't seen any other monsters. On the 10th floor, that was wrong.
Sure enough, as he stopped to listen, he heard faint rustling—something moving through dry underbrush.
Monsters were coming.
Tightening his grip on his short sword, Liang Yue mentally prepared himself for what was about to appear.
Definitely not bulky orcs.
Which left only one possibility—imps. More intelligent than goblins, they preferred to hunt in tribal groups.
"So it really is you."
Shapes emerged in the mist—small figures, their forms blurred by the haze.
Similar in size to goblins, but instead of green skin, their bodies were covered in red.
Small horns jutted from their heads, remnants of a feature that hadn't fully degenerated, giving them a more savage look.
With higher intelligence than goblins, they adapted well to the environment here, using the mist to hide and ambush adventurers.
What caught Liang Yue's attention most was their number. He'd barely stopped for a moment, yet already dozens had gathered.
"That's quite a crowd."
Setting aside the floor's environmental hazards, this would be a good place to grind Sword Soul Template levels—and might even trigger a monster feast.
Liang Yue scanned them calmly. Monsters slightly stronger than goblins posed no threat to him.
To him, they were nothing but fuel for raising his stats.
In the mist, visibility would always be a challenge. Without it, the fight would be much simpler.
The one who seizes the initiative often wins.
Instead of dual-wielding, he put away his mithril short sword, resting his left hand on the scabbard while his right gripped the hilt.
Lowering into a bow stance, he shifted slightly sideways.
Channeling his strength into his right arm, the short sword flashed from its sheath—too fast for the naked eye—leaving only an afterimage of steel.
Iaijutsu Slash!
Sword energy exploded forth, slicing through the air and tearing the mist toward the imps—briefly clearing his vision.
"Found you!"
Catching the fleeting opening, Liang Yue locked on to his targets. With his boosted stats, his short-range burst speed was far beyond normal.
The imps crouching a few meters away, waiting for their chance to strike, never got it.
A single swing cut down all the monsters in range—even those that had stayed farther back weren't spared from the razor-sharp sword energy.
Exp+91Exp +91
With the area clear, Liang Yue turned toward the mist again.
His self-styled Iaijutsu Slash wasn't as powerful as the real skill, but against large packs of low-tier monsters, it worked just fine.
The practical combat training he was getting here only applied to the Dungeon—once you understood how a monster fought, you could find ways to kill it efficiently.
At present, with Inner Swordsmanship's sword-energy effects, nothing in the upper floors posed any threat to him in PvE.
But against other adventurers—
That was another story.
Against anyone with even a little skill, no one would just stand still and let themselves be hit.
He needed more practice.
First, he had to fully integrate all Sword Soul Template skills and learn to use them flexibly.
Otherwise, no matter how high he pushed his stats, he'd still just be grinding mobs in the Dungeon—winning against an adventurer of his own level would be far from guaranteed.
"In that case…
Let's start practicing right now."
Better to make changes now than suffer for it later in a real fight against another adventurer.
——
For the rest of the imp hunt, Liang Yue deliberately avoided using Ryūshin's range and damage buffs.
Numbers were reliable, but long-term Dungeon training could make one forget what truly tipped the scales toward victory—
Technique.
Right after magic and skills, technique was the deciding factor.
With refined battle technique, you could more easily find an enemy's opening and defeat them—and with high stats on top of that, the effect would be multiplied.
The blueprint ahead was vast. He imagined an adventurer with incredible technique using a dazzling skill to crush an opponent right in the face.
Liang Yue found himself looking forward to that. This was the true path of a Sword Soul—stats mattered, but so did skill.
Using the overall improvements from future status updates, he began breaking down Inner Swordsmanship's basic moves, adapting them flexibly to different combat scenarios.
When monsters countered, he analyzed and responded.
Skills like Moonlight Slash and Backstep Slash found their place in his combat system. This shift in thinking made clearing monsters feel much smoother, even enjoyable.
After confirming there were no survivors, he picked up the magic stones.
But as he turned to leave, a sharp sense of danger froze him in place—it was strong.
Ahead, the mist thickened to fill the gaps.
Through it, he caught glimpses of several massive orcs closing in.
And not just them—low-frequency echo waves began to gnaw at his focus, while the imps he'd already cleared out started gathering again, rustling through the low underbrush.
It was as if every monster on the floor was converging on his position.
Realizing what was happening, Liang Yue didn't feel fear. Instead, adrenaline spiked, and his fighting spirit burned hotter than ever.
"I've been waiting for this…
Monster Feast!"
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