Among the members of the Freya Familia present, there were only a few familiar faces.
Liang Yue was one of the ones he knew fairly well.
A blue-haired, mixed-blood Pallum adventurer, level 4—Pain.
Given the current timeline, Bell possessed the prematurely awakened Heroic Desire skill and had endured baptism in the Wilds of Battle.
Even so, it was unlikely he could level up to Lv.2 in just half a month.
A brief observation of Bell's fighting style showed that he had found his approach: speed was his core.
"He should be fine."
Here, "fine" referred to soloing the floor boss.
There were no other monsters inside the boss chamber. With Hestia's Futsunomitama skill effect, even the Goliath could be affected.
In close combat, it too would be bound by the gravity magic's restrictions.
What Liang Yue needed to consider now was whether his Selfless Sword Aura could break through the Goliath's defenses—and how to craft a strategy.
From vague memories of the anime,
the Goliath's actual strength wasn't particularly high. It was a common target for mid-tier familias and Rivira hunting parties, known for strong regeneration.
Its main form of attack: sheer physical might.
After working out his battle plan, Liang Yue had no intention of lingering. If he waited for the Freya Familia team to get into trouble, there'd be no time to take down the boss.
He glanced at the girl beside him, whose expression showed some hesitation, and said lightly:
"Leave the rest to me."
"You really don't need help?"
She was also a Lv.2 adventurer, though Liang Yue was absurdly stronger. Looking toward the distant floor boss, her face grew grave. She didn't wait for his reply—
—because as soon as that familiar figure darted forward, her heart leapt. Expectation shone in her eyes.
"If it's Liang Yue, even a Goliath won't be a problem!"
Even with the intense "baptism" of the last few days and clear stat growth, Bell was still bound by his level limit.
Against the massive Goliath, his only real edge was speed.
While dodging its attacks, he used his dagger and magic to inflict minor injuries—but killing it was far beyond his reach.
He was well aware: with his current strength, it was impossible.
He didn't even consider asking Pain—his nominal master—for help. Fighting the boss had been his own idea, driven by the urge to catch up to Liang Yue.
Firm in his resolve, Bell prepared to attack again.
But just as he steadied his breath, the Goliath's huge arm came crashing down.
The solid stone floor cracked into a spiderweb pattern under the impact. With debris flying toward him, Bell's instincts saved him—he leapt aside at the last second.
"Challenging a floor boss with my current strength really was reckless." He felt no sense of defeat—only recognition of his limits.
And then, in the gap after the Goliath's attack, he saw a cloaked, black-haired figure he recognized.
The figure lunged toward the boss!
The gray-brown cloak whipped in the wind, the left hand unnaturally pale—
Liang Yue.
"Is that Mr. Liang Yue?"
Bell froze for an instant, then smiled in admiration. Surely Liang Yue could handle the Goliath.
There was no reply—only the Goliath's roar of pain, and the sight of that figure's sword unleashing countless rainbow-lit strikes!
From a distance, it was hard to gauge the boss's true power. At the very least, the Goliath—like an "Attack Titan"—was several times Liang Yue's height.
Its massive size meant thick hide, but also slow attacks that could be dodged with enough speed and agility.
"Finally, a true boss fight!"
He ignored Bell, who was still keeping the Goliath busy. Dragon-Breaking Rising Strike was good for clearing normal monsters quickly, but far too draining for a boss fight.
Instead, Liang Yue activated Zeal of War and Flowing Heart. If he was going to farm a boss, he'd go all out.
"Edge-Breaker Blade"—
Now leveled to Lv.5, this was his go-to power strike. It worked by altering the Selfless Sword Aura's final form, channeling it into the blade to unleash much greater force.
The cost: the sword's durability plummeted.
"With all buffs stacked, this should work nicely."
In the boss's brief recovery window, he dashed forward with blinding speed, gripped his dagger in both hands, and struck—testing the Goliath's defense.
Zeal of War boosted attack power with every swing, at the cost of mental stamina. The faster the strikes, the higher the damage—no fancy swordplay, just overwhelming augmented offense.
Even his first probing strike exceeded the normal damage limit for his level, cutting a deep wound through the Goliath's hide.
Dark red blood gushed from the wound—and even began to heal, albeit slowly.
Enraged, the monster stomped down toward him. The air itself compressed from the force.
"Too slow."
With a backward leap, he struck again—his sword aura slicing the creature's foot to the bone.
The pain sent it toppling backward into the wall.
This was the perfect whetstone for his strength—he charged again, drawing his blade in a ready stance.
Striking repeatedly, each blow left a gash in the monster's flesh. The air grew thick with the smell of blood.
The strain on his mind was real, and his dagger's blade—though forged by Tsubaki and strengthened—was now spiderwebbed with cracks from the constant Edge-Breaker Blade use.
"That's enough."
The boss was nearly dead—only its heart remained intact. The fight had gone more smoothly than expected; in truth, the boss wasn't that strong.
Focusing his strength into his legs, he leapt high, aiming his final Draw-Cut at the Goliath's chest—
—and sliced it clean in half.
Blood sprayed skyward, only to dissolve into gray-black dust before touching him, absorbed back into the Dungeon.
"Over."
He landed lightly and sheathed his nearly ruined dagger.
[Exp +5661]
The kill had also granted a huge boost to his Sword Soul template.
[Level: 35]
[New skill available. View?]
"An unexpected bonus from this run, I see." Liang Yue forced down his anticipation and looked at the drop items.
"What… the hell?"
Bell had already left the field when Pain arrived—and quickly recognized Liang Yue.
This was the man who had taken Bell to the Hostess of Fertility and was known for breaking world records with his rapid rise to Lv.2.
Freya herself had warned Pain not to seek Liang Yue out—only to help if necessary.
He hadn't imagined their true meeting would be here, in the mid-level boss room, with Liang Yue soloing the Goliath… as a Lv.2 adventurer.
"…This!"
Pain's feelings were mixed. Liang Yue's constant rainbow-lit strikes seemed magical in nature, and his combat sense was razor-sharp. If they fought, Pain—Lv.4—wasn't sure he'd win.
Bell, however, felt no tension—only calm admiration. To him, Liang Yue's solo boss kill felt entirely natural for the record-breaking prodigy.
Even without the kill, Bell thought "Hero" fit Liang Yue perfectly—especially given his defiance of fate despite his illness.
After all…
Even though Liang Yue had registered as an adventurer only one day before Bell, his strength was unquestionable.
When Bell turned to Pain with a bright grin—
"Mr. Pain, this is the man I told you about—Mr. Liang Yue, who broke the world record and created a miracle!"
Sheepishly, Bell added, "With my current strength, defeating a floor boss is tough. But Mr. Liang Yue—who became an adventurer just a day before me—can handle the Goliath easily…", before concluding with a satisfied smile:
"I think that's only natural!"
Pain, though reluctant, had to admit—gritting his teeth—
"Liang Yue is… very strong."
Bell's talent was exceptional—enough to stand out in the Freya Familia. But compared to Liang Yue…
Pain could only think: This guy is a complete monster!
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