Abnormal Situation, Monster Feast!

"Hah!"

On the 15th floor of the dungeon, an excited shout echoed faintly through the space.

Gripping a sharp sword, Lefia charged back and forth among the monster horde, shouting with exhilaration.

Fighting as a warrior—this brand-new experience was absolutely novel for Lefia, who had always aimed to become a Great Mage.

A week had passed since Lefia first transformed into a warrior and began to fight.

Over this week, the inexperienced Lefia had gone from passively receiving enemy attacks to actively charging at them.

From swinging her sword wildly and chaotically to moving with clear technique and form.

In just one week, she had evolved from a close-combat novice into a skilled close-quarters fighter.

All of this was honed through real combat.

"Lefia, always stay aware of your surroundings. Don't let any blind spot slip by."

"Yes!"

Hearing the girl's clear, bright voice, Shirou Emiya, as her teacher, felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

As expected, teaching a talented disciple was truly a pleasure.

As magical power flowed through his hands, the short swords Gan Jiang Mo Ye, under his reinforcement, transformed into two greatswords, one in each of Shirou Emiya's hands.

Gazing at the three Minotaurs surrounding him, Shirou Emiya stepped forward instead of retreating, his feet lightly treading the ground as he instantly appeared before one of them.

"Minotaurs and the like—die already!"

As a devoted champion of pure love, facing these filthy Minotaurs, Shirou Emiya struck with all his might, swinging the two greatswords to their utmost limit.

With a fierce roar of wind, the greatswords, brimming with overwhelming force, sliced the Minotaur cleanly in half at the waist.

Watching the Minotaur's blood spray, Shirou Emiya effortlessly dodged the splatter and turned to meet the pincer attack of the other two Minotaurs.

"ROOOOAR!"

Letting out a powerful roar, lowering its upper body, and thrusting its horns forward, a Minotaur charged straight at Shirou Emiya, aiming to crush him.

But Shirou Emiya was no longer what he once was.

Having reached LV.2 and developed in all aspects, though he still couldn't match a Minotaur in raw strength, the Minotaur could no longer overwhelm him.

Facing the Minotaur charging right at him, the pure-love warrior Shirou Emiya drove his greatsword into the ground to block its path.

Then, as it crashed into the sword, he slid into a low tackle, passing beneath the Minotaur's body, and used the newly projected Gan Jiang Mo Ye to slice open its belly, gutting it.

But it wasn't over yet—another filthy Minotaur awaited his judgment.

Using the momentum of his slide, as Shirou Emiya emerged from beneath the Minotaur, the short swords in his hands transformed once more.

This time, instead of greatswords, a black longbow appeared.

And in Shirou Emiya's hand, an arrow was already nocked, the bowstring drawn to a full moon.

With only the sound of wind splitting, the pitch-black arrow turned into a fierce cannon blast, directly tearing apart the Minotaur's upper body, leaving a curved wound behind.

From identifying the enemies to eliminating them all, Shirou Emiya's movements were filled with ease and grace.

The entire sequence was so smooth, a pleasure to behold.

This was Shirou Emiya at LV.2—a brand-new version of Shirou Emiya.

Though he had yet to reach his peak from the Holy Grail War, his future was undoubtedly brighter than that version of himself.

Because now, he was a well-rounded, all-terrain warrior.

One day, he would match Saber in strength, Berserker in endurance, Rider in speed, and Caster in magical power.

Combined with Unlimited Blade Works, constantly strengthened by Divine Blessings in his magic slot, surpassing the Giant Hero Emiya and becoming the Grand Emiya was only a matter of time.

"Mr. Shirou is so strong! To take down those three Minotaurs so easily—other LV.2 adventurers wouldn't even dare to dream of it."

Having also finished off her own enemy, Lefia panted lightly, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and gazed at Shirou Emiya with sparkling, admiring eyes.

Through this week of teamwork, not only had Shirou Emiya grown familiar with Lefia, but Lefia had also come to understand just how monstrous this man truly was.

Superb Martial Arts, mastery of every weapon.

Terrifying growth speed, with basic stats skyrocketing.

A mature mind, never flustered in any situation.

He was even skilled in strategy, and on top of all that, an excellent cook.

Remember when Tiona and Tione found those dried snacks in Ais's room? They were almost moved to tears by the craving.

Later, in the Loki Familia's dining hall, when Shirou Emiya let loose, he showed everyone what true gourmet food really meant.

If not for Shirou Emiya's strong refusal, he probably would have been saddled with the role of the Loki Familia's head chef.

Behind his back, many of Lefia's close friends called Shirou Emiya the perfect good man, each secretly harboring feelings for him—though not a single one dared to speak up.

Thinking about it now, how lucky she was to be teamed up with Mr. Shirou.

"Nothing to be proud of. These are just basic moves."

The terror of the Dungeon lies in the endless stream of monster attacks, and even sudden unexpected events.

A single monster is absolutely no match for an adventurer of the same level. The Floor Masters are the exception.

Of course, if one person's base stats are at the peak of their level while the other is a fresh newcomer who just entered that level, then I'll take that back.

After all, stat suppression in this world is still very strong.

But this only applies to low levels. At high levels above LV.5, even an adventurer who just entered that level can defeat a monster at the peak of the same level.

After all, everyone who reaches LV.5 can be said to possess the bearing of a hero.

But the Dungeon is definitely not a place for solo combat. It is a slaughterhouse where monsters pour in endlessly.

Hearing Shirou Emiya's words, Lefia's mouth twitched, and her expression instantly froze.

There it was, Mr. Shirou's matter-of-fact attitude.

Over this period, the Loki Familia members who had grown familiar with Shirou Emiya had discovered that whenever they praised him, he would occasionally say things that infuriated people to no end.

Like, "Is that all?"

Or, "Basic moves."

Or, "I'm just too weak. My progress is too slow."

And other such matter-of-fact remarks.

As a result, each of the thoroughly exasperated Loki Familia members no longer dared to casually compliment him.

"Mr. Shirou, you're being far too modest."

"Thump!"

Before Lefia could finish, a dense series of landing sounds reached both their ears.

Then, in this curved cavern, dozens of Minotaurs suddenly materialized, surging out from the surrounding walls.

"This is an Abnormal Situation, a Monster Feast!"

Instinctively pulling Lefia into his protective embrace, Shirou Emiya stared at the densely packed Minotaurs around them, his alertness instantly raised to its maximum.

They were surrounded by Minotaurs.

With this number of monsters, even he would fall into danger if he let his guard down.

And this was the killing move the Dungeon had prepared for the two of them—a Monster Feast after their exhaustion.

"What do we do, Mr. Shirou! It's a Monster Feast!"

Looking at the countless Minotaurs around her, Lefia felt nothing but an icy chill run through her body.

Only Shirou Emiya's embrace could bring her a trace of warmth.

"Calm down, Lefia. To break through this situation, we have to rely on your magic chanting. Even though you haven't chanted once this whole week, I believe the you now is absolutely incomparable to the you from before."

"Mm!"

Glancing at Lefia, who was gradually calming down, Shirou Emiya patted her head, then pulled her staff from the backpack behind him and handed it to her.

"I'll draw the monsters' attention. You chant while I do."

"Use this Monster Feast as the assessment for your training during this period. I don't think there's a better trial than this!"

"So please trust me. I will definitely protect you."

Hearing Shirou Emiya's words, Lefia swung her staff and slammed it hard into the ground.

Her eyes were filled with determination, as if she were no longer the same timid, panicked girl she once was.

The only thing that remained the same was what she had to do next.

"I've always trusted you, Mr. Shirou."