· Joining the Loki Familia Expeditionary Force

"Alright then, get ready, I'm coming."

After confirming Lu Qiming was ready, Finn flicked his spear, shifted his legs into a staggered stance, and bent his knees slightly.

Swish!

He vanished from his spot in an instant. The sharp spearhead appeared before Lu Qiming's throat, glinting with a cold light as it thrust forward with lethal intent.

Clang!

Lu Qiming raised his left hand, batting the spearhead away from his throat, and without a moment's hesitation, he brought his right hand down in a chop aimed at Finn's neck.

Facing the incoming strike, Finn remained unfazed. He pivoted on his toes, reversed the momentum of his deflected spear to block the blow with the shaft, and launched a kick toward Lu Qiming's stomach.

Before he could connect, Lu Qiming's own foot lashed out in a counter-kick.

BOOM!

Finn was sent flying like a cannonball, slamming into the ground with such immense force that he left a crater in the earth.

"Captain Finn, that move of yours wasn't very effective."

Lu Qiming retracted his leg, smiling as he watched Finn crawl out of the pit. As a Pallum, Finn's legs were shorter than his; he had been sent flying before he could even land his own kick.

"Cough, cough. I got careless."

Finn stood up, leaning on his spear and rubbing his chest, coughing a few times to catch his breath. He had assumed Lu Qiming was just a novice and, as a top-tier Level 6 adventurer, he hadn't taken the fight seriously. He had paid the price for his arrogance.

"Then I'm getting serious now. You'd better make sure you survive this!"

A wild, excited grin spread across Finn's face. Surging magic power erupted from his body, and his high fighting spirit began to saturate his form. His physical capabilities skyrocketed, and his spear ignited with magical flames.

Hell Finegas

Finn's ultimate move: a magic that boosts all abilities significantly by igniting a fierce fighting spirit, at the cost of losing calm judgment.

"Spear Thrust!"

Finn transformed into a streak of light, charging straight at Lu Qiming. His spear became a gale, raining down rapid-fire strikes at Lu Qiming's vital points—the heart, the throat, the brain. At such terrifying speeds, Finn's figure vanished from sight, leaving only an endless blur of spear strikes surrounding Lu Qiming.

The sheer speed and power made even his basic thrusts devastating; the ground beneath Lu Qiming began to disintegrate, forming a massive pit.

At the edge of the plaza, Hestia tugged on Loki's sleeve, pointing at the two combatants.

"Loki, aren't you going to stop Finn? What if he actually kills that boy, Lu Qiming?"

"Shorty, look closer! It's Finn who's on the back foot right now."

Loki watched the scene with a grave expression. Behind her, the top-tier adventurers of the Loki Familia were already prepared to intervene and rescue Finn the moment he couldn't hold on any longer.

"Finn is on the back foot?"

Hestia blinked in surprise at Loki's words, took a few steps forward, and peered closely at the pair.

She saw Finn's spear raining down like a torrential storm, but Lu Qiming, caught in the center of the onslaught, had his eyes closed. His body moved with fluid grace, effortlessly dodging most of the strikes. When he couldn't dodge, he would simply raise a hand or flick his dual blades to deflect the spear.

While the ground around him was being pulverized, the spot where he stood remained completely untouched.

"This..."

Hestia stared at Lu Qiming in a daze. It was her first time seeing a child this strong. He was handling a Level 6 adventurer's all-out assault with such ease, as if he were merely playing with a child.

That was exactly it—it was like watching someone play with a child. She realized that from the very beginning, Lu Qiming had only launched a single attack; the rest of the time, he had stood there as if it were all a game.

"This child might actually reach the ultimate expectation of us gods!"

Freya leaned in toward Hestia, her eyes growing increasingly hazy as she gazed at Lu Qiming. She hungered for him more than ever, wanting to drain him dry every single day.

"Our ultimate expectation..."

The surrounding gods heard Freya's words and were stunned. They looked at Lu Qiming again, realizing that this boy might truly be capable of reaching that height.

In the distant past, when the gods descended to the lower world, they bestowed Falna upon their "children" to help them grow. The ultimate expectation of the gods was for a child to use that Falna to grow until they stood on equal footing with the gods themselves. A god!

"I must have this child!"

As Freya spoke, she pressed her hands to her chest, her legs tangling and rubbing together. She leaned back against Ottar, the Boaz behind her, as if her strength had completely left her.

"Yes! My Lady!"

Ottar didn't mind Freya's state. He stared at Lu Qiming with unwavering resolve. Even as the strongest adventurer in Orario, a Level 7, he wasn't confident he could handle Lu Qiming. But as long as it was his goddess's command, Ottar would not hesitate, even if it meant his death.

In the plaza, Lu Qiming dodged the incoming spear with ease. Only now did he realize how much power he had gained after clearing the floor boss. If he were the version of himself from this morning, before entering the Dungeon, he would have needed to activate Musou to defeat Finn. But now, with his enhanced neural reflexes, Finn's attacks felt slow, weak, and powerless—like a child's.

He could even close his eyes and dodge entirely based on the sound of the spear and the flow of the air. To everyone else, Finn had vanished, but to Lu Qiming, he was just a blur jumping around him.

He had started with his eyes open, but seeing the Pallum Finn leaping around him with such a serious, battle-hungry face had nearly made him burst out laughing.

To save Finn some face, he had been forced to close his eyes; otherwise, he wasn't sure he could keep from laughing mid-fight.

Ten minutes later.

The effects of Finn's skill faded, and his lost reason gradually returned. The man who had been attacking like a madman stopped in embarrassment. He wanted nothing more than to find a hole and crawl into it.

He had gone all-out against Lu Qiming for so long, only for the boy to remain completely unscathed—and fighting with his eyes closed, no less.

Thinking back to his opening line, "You'd better make sure you survive this," Finn felt so mortified he wanted to travel back in time and spear his past self.

"Um, Captain Finn, can I join your expedition team now?"

Lu Qiming looked at Finn, who was standing there awkwardly, and spoke first.

"Mm, sure."

Seeing Lu Qiming take the initiative, Finn nodded hurriedly and walked toward Loki with his spear in hand; he was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be so embarrassed he'd want to strike himself down.