Chapter 26: A Gentleman Doesn't Stand Under a Dangerous Wall, Besides, He Isn't One
"Should be more worried about your own safety, right?" Lili inexplicably thought of her own situation. Wanting to leave the Dungeon was purely because… she was worried about being found by that adventurer she had partied with.
Losing a weapon during combat.
She knew very well what kind of fate awaited her if she was found.
Even if she used her "Cinder Ella" magic again in the Dungeon, she could only transform into a supporter of similar build.
She would be easily identified.
Moreover, Lili also heard a somewhat unclear meaning in Liam's words, as if he had seen through what she had done.
Especially his calm and indifferent attitude.
It instantly stung her sensitive and insecure heart. As she prepared to set off back to Orario, she stopped in her tracks as if guided by some unseen force.
When she turned her head again, Lili's smile was somewhat self-deprecating.
Her words were disjointed as she asked casually, "If you were in a muddy swamp, what would you do?"
"."
Regarding Lili's plight, if she hadn't chosen to harm other innocent adventurers, then Liam would still hold some pity for her.
Even though it hadn't happened in the current timeline, his ingrained impression couldn't be changed.
He had no interest in testing human nature. Regarding Lili's inexplicable question, Liam thought for a moment and then answered directly, "Save myself."
"What if everyone around you only wants to exploit and bully you?"
"Very simple."
Actually, as soon as he said it, Liam already understood the underlying meaning Lili wanted to express – escaping the muddy swamp that was the Soma Familia.
"A gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall." (Idiom: A wise person avoids unnecessary danger.)
Besides, he had never proclaimed himself a gentleman. Choosing to help was even more impossible. As for providing some advice on self-rescue.
Liam felt there was no problem with that.
He smiled, his tone light yet earnest as he suggested, "First, I would try to reason with them. If reasoning doesn't work, then I can use physical means."
"Of course, it could also be the working principle of poison."
"."
But no matter what, it wouldn't be to harm those who had kindly helped him.
Returning to calm once more, Liam watched the figure depart. As for the method he provided, it was, of course, from his own perspective.
Since one couldn't resist with strength, then one should use cunning.
Now that the plot had already diverged, whether Bell, as a member of the Freya Familia, would still choose to save Lili.
Was currently an unknown.
Rather than caring about these unrelated interludes, Liam was actually more concerned with how to quickly improve his own strength.
He cast his gaze towards the Killer Ant not far ahead, its torso severed.
After waiting for some time, no new Killer Ant swarms appeared nearby. Continuing to exploit the Dungeon bug was probably hopeless.
And the Killer Ant's trait of calling companions was only limited to its own colony?
"Still have to keep searching."
"."
Liam quickly made his decision. Today's Dungeon exploration had only just begun. With the improvement of his "Endurance" ability.
Fighting ant swarms didn't consume too much stamina.
During lulls in combat, he could feel his recovery speed had significantly increased. Then, he would push through in one go and raise his level to 18.
Always maintaining vigilance against unknown dangers, he began exploring the current floor.
Thanks to Liam's continuous battles during this period, the skills he had honed, and his mastery of the weaknesses of various Dungeon monsters.
All sorts of monsters encountered were dealt with in the simplest way.
Using skills could speed up clearing, but Liam felt there was no need to pursue this bit of efficiency, wasting stamina and reducing combat time.
Moreover, after changing to sharper weapons, the power of the sword aura accompanying Secret Sword Art was significantly enhanced.
Even an ordinary sword aura slash could easily tear monsters apart.
Monsters like Dungeon Lizards and War Shadows, which tended to act alone, although not the main targets of his exploration.
He wouldn't miss them if encountered.
And the main contributor to experience points.
Was still the Killer Ants that called companions when in danger. A small-scale colony was estimated to have more than 20 monsters.
A slightly larger scale.
The number of Killer Ants would directly double.
As time slowly passed, Liam had already forgotten how many ant swarms he had cleared, or the specific number of monsters.
The good news was…
His level had been effectively raised!
"."
"Feels like it's about time."
After killing the last few Killer Ants in the current area, the hunger caused by continuous stamina consumption had already enveloped him.
While resting, he took out the bento Syr had given him. Taking advantage of the free time while eating. Liam checked the changes in the "Sword Soul Template's" progress bar.
「Liam Moon」
「Level: 17」
「Experience: 43.7%」
「Skills: Secret Sword Art (Mastery), Triple Slash (+), Moonlight Slash (+), Backstep Cut (+)」
「SP: 130」
His level had smoothly risen to 17, approaching today's final goal.
The experience bar was about to pass the halfway mark. However, what ultimately caught Liam's attention was the plus sign appearing behind his active skills.
It was the same situation as with Secret Sword Art back then.
SP could be consumed to upgrade skills. This was something he had anticipated. He gained skill points with every level up.
If he couldn't add points.
Then the SP function of the Sword Soul template would be completely useless!
"Skill points allocation..."
"What kind of effect will it specifically bring?"
If it followed the game's settings, upgrading skills would enhance damage and reduce cooldown. Now, placed in the DanMachi world.
The specific effect…
Liam was truly quite curious.
「Consume 20 SP」
「Triple Slash (Lv1) upgraded to Triple Slash (Lv3)」
「Moonlight Slash (Lv1) upgraded to Moonlight Slash (Lv3)」
「Backstep Cut (Lv1) upgraded to Backstep Cut (Lv3)」
A total of 60 SP was consumed, upgrading all current active skills, except for the mastered Secret Sword Art, to their current level cap.
「SP: 70」
The remaining skill points were saved for mastering new methods after the Sword Soul template reached level 20.
And with the increase in skill levels, Liam didn't really feel any obvious change. He frowned slightly, contemplating.
Although skills didn't have a cooldown time limit, it manifested in another way.
Using strong dashing methods like "Triple Slash" would put a great burden on the body and couldn't be used continuously.
In a sense…
The skill cooldown time was already apparent in terms of stamina consumption and physical load.
"If..."
"Upgrading skill levels can reduce stamina consumption and lessen the physical burden, then these consumed SP points are well worth it!"
Liam was full of anticipation at this thought.
He quickly wolfed down the bento, feeling his stamina constantly recovering. He slightly slowed down his exploration speed in the current area.
Consider it a post-meal digestive exercise.
Plus, he wasn't too familiar with the current area; cautious exploration was very necessary.
But soon.
Killer Ants appearing not far ahead attracted Liam's attention. He still chose his familiar method of dealing with them.
Using sword aura attacks to inflict non-fatal damage on the monsters.
Then, using the endangered Killer Ants to attract a large swarm. He called this behavior…
"Entrapment."
The waiting time wasn't long.
As the rock wall ahead continuously collapsed, what immediately came into Liam's view, summoned by the special signal, was.
An extremely vast number of Killer Ants!
"After finishing this batch…"
"Today's level goal will be smoothly completed."
He was almost desensitized to Killer Ants. Gripping the two short swords in his hands, Liam's eyes indifferently swept over the finally gathered monsters.
Of course.
Before ending his adventure, there was one more thing he needed to confirm.
And that was…
Whether the various skills, after their levels were raised, would consume less stamina when used. This concerned his future combat style!
(End of this chapter)