LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 17: Watch Me Fly High Grass Slash!
Chapter 17: Watch Me Fly High Grass Slash!
The day after the Denatus.
Inside an Upper Floor monster corridor in the Dungeon, a white-haired boy wielded a short sword, fighting against multiple Killer Ants.
Looking at his movements, both the force used in his sword strikes and his footwork during maneuvering were completely off, but the sword style the boy used was quite exquisite.
Coupled with his not-weak attribute values, he fought quite well against those Killer Ants, not losing ground at all.
"See, Lili? Although Bell always acts very easygoing, if you underestimate him because of that, you'd be too naive..."
Standing at a nearby cave fork, Luke held his longsword inverted, wiping the bloodstains off the blade while speaking to Lili, who was busy collecting Magic Stones.
"Hmph... Even so, he's far from comparable to Luke-sama!"
A sharp dagger slid into the gap between the Killer Ant's joints, then with a light flick, a pale purple Magic Stone fell into Lili's hand.
Weighing the Magic Stone in her hand, she glanced at Bell who was still struggling in battle, her small nose wrinkled, then continued: "If it were Luke-sama, you could finish them off with one strike."
After speaking, Lili put the Magic Stone into the cowhide pouch at her waist, pulled over another Killer Ant's corpse, and started working again.
Around her, hundreds of monster corpses overlapped, almost covering the entire ground.
And all these monsters died at Luke's hand.
From drawing his sword and charging into the overwhelming monster frenzy, to clearing out the entire floor of the Dungeon, Luke could now do it with considerable ease.
Not only did he not get a single drop of blood on him, he even had the leisure to leave a few Killer Ants for Bell to practice his swordsmanship.
"Clearly partners in the same Familia, why do you dislike Bell so much, Lili?"
Looking at Lili burying her head collecting Magic Stones, Luke asked with some confusion: "Could it be that little brat did something to you?"
"Hmph, he wouldn't dare!"
Denying Luke's guess without thinking, Lili lowered her head and continued: "Dislike just means dislike, Luke-sama, please stop guessing randomly..."
Why does she dislike Bell?
In terms of personality, Lili didn't dislike boys as pure and kind as Bell; rather, she should have a good impression.
But in fact, she really, really hated this guy named Bell Cranel.
Although Luke didn't show it, Lili could vaguely feel it—compared to herself, the white-haired brat called Bell actually weighed much more in Luke's heart.
But why?
In the beginning, the one who first appeared beside Luke-sama, who walked alone through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was her!
But in the blink of an eye, this guy named Bell appeared beside him!
Annoying white-haired smelly brat!
Relying on having a bit of combat talent, shamelessly sticking to Luke-sama's side every day, even calling him "Senpai, Senpai," simply too shameless!
And although she wasn't very good at combat, as a supporter, Lili was confident she was top-tier.
She could even keep up with Luke's insane monster grinding speed.
In the entire Orario, there were definitely no more than ten supporters comparable to her!
In terms of contribution to the Familia, she contributed more than Bell, not less.
But why, why did Luke-sama always favor that guy more?
Even when entering the Dungeon, his gaze lingered more on him!
Just a mere white-haired brat...
While grinding her teeth and mentally adding another mark against Bell, Lili's dagger stabbed fiercely into the monster's corpse, twisting continuously as if venting some resentment.
—Sooner or later, I will snatch Luke-sama back from you ahhhhh!!!
And regarding Lili's complex inner thoughts, Luke was naturally completely unaware.
He was currently moving constantly through the caves and monster corridors, swinging his sword to kill the newly spawned monsters.
The longsword, just wiped clean of blood, was once again stained with hot fresh blood.
While grinding monsters, Luke looked at the high-spirited Bell, his gaze somewhat emotional.
Perhaps because he had intervened in the plot, Bell didn't use a dagger as his weapon like in the original story.
Instead, he chose a short sword, following in his footsteps, embarking on the path of a swordsman.
But even though the weapon he used changed, the talent Bell showed didn't change at all—although his sword technique was still slightly immature, his sharp instinct for battle made even Luke feel somewhat inadequate.
Moreover, during the renovation of the old church, Bell had fatefully discovered the magic book from the original story in the Hostess of Fertility tavern, and successfully learned [Firebolt].
Even though Luke had significantly altered the original story's plot, Bell's growth trajectory remained almost unaffected.
As expected of the protagonist indeed!
Soon, just after Luke killed all the newly spawned monsters on the floor again, Bell's battle also reached its conclusion.
"Clang—"
The bright silver blade slashed down like lightning, making contact with the Killer Ant's hard exoskeleton, leaving a shallow white mark on it.
Didn't penetrate the defense... but this was expected.
Having tangled with the Killer Ants for so long, Bell understood their body structure and strength very well.
Furthermore, these Killer Ants were the enhanced versions spawned by the Dungeon specifically targeting Luke, so he never intended to end the fight with this single strike from the beginning.
"Screech!"
Struck on the carapace by the sword, the half-man-sized Killer Ant instantly shrieked and tilted its head back, its sharp mandibles snapping fiercely towards Bell.
However, facing the Killer Ant's menacing strike, Bell didn't retreat.
Instead, he ducked low, narrowly dodging the pair of ferocious mandibles, simultaneously bending down and charging into the Killer Ant's lower abdomen area!
As insect-type monsters, Killer Ants inherited almost all the characteristics of ants: sharp mandibles, immense strength, and a hard, thick shell.
But at the same time, their relatively soft abdomen and fragile joints became their weaknesses.
Bending low and charging into the Killer Ant's lower abdomen, Bell didn't hesitate to turn and stab his sword into its soft belly, then mustered his strength to slash the blade downwards.
"Rip!"
A sound like tearing leather came from the Killer Ant's abdomen, followed by a large gush of dark green viscous fluid, pouring right onto Bell.
Seeing this scene from afar, Luke couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
The monsters in the Dungeon... how should I put it, whether humanoid, insectoid, or strangely shaped types, they all had one commonality: their body fluids smelled very strong.
If it was blood, it was slightly better.
After all, although the smell of blood isn't pleasant, it's not too disgusting.
But the body fluid of insect-type monsters was different...
To make an analogy, the smell was like boiling the unwashed smelly socks of the entire football team for ten days in a pot.
The first time Luke killed an insect-type monster, he accidentally got a little of their body fluid on the back of his hand.
As a result, that hand emitted a faint foul smell all day, leaving a rather deep impression on him.
And now, Bell was actually doused head-to-toe.
Luke felt somewhat uncomfortable just watching.
But Bell himself seemed oblivious to the strange smell on his body.
He nimbly dodged the falling corpse of the Killer Ant, then raised his sword and charged towards the next Killer Ant.
A moment later, after finishing off all the Killer Ants using the same method, Bell's head and body were already covered in green viscous monster fluid.
"Senpai! Senpai! I did it!"
Showing a happy smile, Bell, like a child eager to show off completed homework to their parents, quickly ran towards Luke.
And seeing Bell approach, Luke's expression suddenly changed.
His peripheral vision caught Lili still collecting monster Magic Stones nearby.
A flash of inspiration struck him, and he shouted: "Bell! Collect the Magic Stones first! Otherwise, these corpses will be reclaimed by the Dungeon later and nothing will be left!"
Under tension, he even forgot his usual "white-haired brat" moniker.
"Got it, senpai, leave it to me."
Hearing Luke's words, Bell didn't think too much, stopped his steps, patted the light armor on his chest, turned around, and started collecting Magic Stones from the monster corpses.
"Phew..."
Seeing Bell didn't foolishly rush over directly, Luke let out a sigh of relief.
What an obedient good child...
...
From entering the Dungeon in the morning until evening, Luke, Lili, and Bell had been in high-intensity combat continuously.
Lunch was just casually chewing some dried meat, without even leaving the Dungeon.
Because he was in a team, Luke didn't enter the [Solo Player] state.
His overall attributes were only at the level of a Lv.2 I-rank adventurer.
Although this attribute value was enough for him to handle Upper Floor monsters, it couldn't withstand the consumption of being in combat status all day long.
"Clang!"
A black sword light flashed, cutting the last monster in front of him in half at the waist.
Luke felt the deep fatigue and soreness in his muscles, sheathed his sword, turned around, intending to call Bell and Lili to leave.
"—Tat tat tat tat tat tat"
"Hm?"
However, just as he took his first step, a burst of rapid footsteps from the vertical passage leading to the deeper floors behind him made him stop.
Bell and Lili, also hearing these footsteps, turned their gazes towards the inter-floor vertical passage.
"Tat tat tat, tat tat, tat tat tat tat, tat tat..."
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Amidst the rapid and messy footsteps, the sound of a girl's panting gradually became distinguishable.
Under the gaze of Luke and the others, a girl with black hair tied in a side ponytail and crimson eyes like fire ran out from the vertical passage, her movements slightly clumsy.
The set of violet armor the girl wore, which should have been very sturdy, was now mostly damaged.
A scabbard was tied at her waist, but both the scabbard and her hands were empty, her sword nowhere to be seen—clearly, this was a lucky survivor who had escaped from monsters.
His gaze swept over the girl's flustered face, and Luke couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
He recognized this girl.
Yamato Mikoto, a Lv.2 adventurer belonging to the Takemikazuchi Familia.
"Bell, Lili."
Watching the girl running towards them with staggering steps, Luke gently placed his hand on the sword sheath, simultaneously instructing: "Feed her some water later, then retreat back into the floor's vertical passage."
As his voice fell, he gripped the sheath tightly and rushed towards the direction the girl had fled from at high speed.
Yamato Mikoto, fleeing desperately, saw a black shadow coming towards her.
Before she could react, she had already passed by the other party.
"You're safe now, rest assured."
Beside her ear, it seemed like such a low whisper lingered.
Safe... now?
Yamato Mikoto's eyes, almost completely occupied by fatigue and despair, lit up again with the black shadow's words.
But immediately after, her eyes widened suddenly.
She turned to look at the pitch-black figure rapidly rushing into the next vertical passage, her face filled with terror.
"No, that's—"
"Adventurer-sama, please have some."
Standing behind Yamato Mikoto, Lili tugged at the corner of her clothes, simultaneously handing over a waterskin.
Feeling her clothes being pulled, Yamato Mikoto looked down at Lili, somewhat puzzled: "You are?"
"Hestia Familia, Lili, Luke-sama's supporter."
Briefly informing the other party of her identity, Lili shook the waterskin in her hand, repeating: "Please have some water, adventurer-sama. With Luke-sama here, no matter what monster is chasing you, there will be no problem."
"Right! Needle Rabbits!"
Prompted by Lili's words, Yamato Mikoto instantly remembered the monsters that had chased her all the way from the Middle Floors to the Upper Floors, her face filled with panic as she urgently said to Lili: "Those are Middle Floor monsters! You can't handle them. That person just now already rushed over, I can't save him even if I want to. You guys quickly run with me!"
"Save?"
Hearing Yamato Mikoto's words, a flash of dissatisfaction appeared in Lili's eyes, but she still maintained politeness, saying: "Adventurer-sama, you might not understand the situation yet, but... mere Lv.2 monsters, Luke-sama will deal with them quickly. Let him talk to you later."
"What nonsense are you talking about! Lv.2 monsters and Lv.1 monsters are completely different. No, you must quickly follow me..."
Just as Yamato Mikoto wanted to forcefully drag this Pallum girl and the pleasant-looking white-haired boy beside her to escape, screams reached her ears.
"Eek!"
Not human screams, but monster screams.
Needle Rabbit screams.
...
Passing by Yamato Mikoto, Luke rushed into the vertical passage without hesitation at high speed.
Inside the pitch-black vertical passage, only the cave walls emitted a dark green glow—the unique light of the Middle Floors.
Besides that, there were several pairs of red eyes glowing in the darkness.
Needle Rabbits, Lv.2 monsters, often appearing on the 13th and 14th floors, the Dungeon's delicacy to welcome newly promoted Lv.2 adventurers.
Coldly observing this small group of Needle Rabbits in the vertical passage, upon reaching the end of the sprint, Luke leaped down directly from the top of the passage.
While still mid-air, he had already drawn his longsword.
"Clang—"
The pitch-black blade danced into a circle, descending from above into the Needle Rabbit group.
However, unlike the Upper Floor monsters, facing such a straightforward attack, the Needle Rabbits didn't foolishly charge forward, but chose to evade.
Countless newly promoted Lv.2 adventurers had fallen prey to this trick.
Accustomed to dealing with Upper Floor monsters whose attacks didn't vary much, suddenly facing Middle Floor monsters that could change tactics, it was easy to expose fatal weaknesses due to missed attacks.
But, that was only for ordinary adventurers.
Seeing they had dodged Luke's imposing vertical heavy slash from his leap, the Needle Rabbits revealed a quite human-like cunning light in their eyes.
However, just at this moment...
"Voom—!"
The sword strike that had originally missed, upon reaching its lowest point, pivoted around Luke's sword hand, drawing a pitch-black sword trajectory in mid-air, forcefully swinging back up from bottom to top.
The next moment, the sharp cold edge rapidly approached in the Needle Rabbits' eyes.
"Eek!"
Amidst the Needle Rabbits' screams, Luke swung his sword continuously.
With each strike, large amounts of hot, scalding blood splattered onto the surrounding walls of the vertical passage.
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