After confirming that the Floor Boss, Goliath, had not yet revived, Lu Qiming and the others went straight to the safe zone on the 18th Floor.
The scenery here was completely different from that of the other floors. The ceiling was entirely made of crystal, and the countless crystals lit up the 18th Floor. Lush forests spread across the ground, and at the center of the floor stood a town made up entirely of wooden cabins.
The adventurers' town, Rivira.
In an open area near the entrance to the 18th Floor.
"Qiming, let's take a short break here."
"What's wrong, Finn?"
Lu Qiming looked at Finn in confusion. Why were they resting already, when they had only been in the Dungeon for a few hours?
"We need to wait for the second group. To prevent the monsters on the upper floors from going berserk because of our expedition, I split the party into two groups. We agreed to meet on the 18th Floor, then break through straight to the 50th."
"Okay."
Lu Qiming nodded and casually found a rock to sit on. He had no objections to Finn's request. After all, an expedition wasn't something a handful of people could handle on their own.
They also needed a large logistical group to bring enough food, armor, and other supplies. Not everyone had a skill like Soul Blade, which kept their weapons from ever breaking.
Even Ais's Despair Sword, despite its unbreakable quality, would lose its sharpness if overused.
Sitting on the rock, Lu Qiming casually opened his status panel.
After a few hours of killing, his progress had gone from 73,000 to 74,500. Since these were upper-floor monsters, and there had been no rampage, there hadn't been many monsters coming to attack him. He had simply killed every monster he encountered along the way.
His level had gone from Lv. 31 (177700/200000) to Lv. 32 (23000/300000).
Leveling up had raised each of his attributes by another 0.1.
After checking his attributes, Lu Qiming closed the panel and rested. The floors ahead were completely different from the ones above. The strength and number of the monsters there would increase once again.
One careless moment, and the sheer number of monsters could overwhelm them. Thinking of the endless monsters waiting to be hunted, Lu Qiming's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile. Divine Judgment had been murmuring in his soul ever since he entered the Dungeon, yearning for the souls and blood of his enemies.
Don't rush. I'll let you kill to your heart's content soon.
After calming Divine Judgment's restlessness, Lu Qiming looked to the side.
Suddenly, he noticed a beautiful, expressionless face with golden hair staring at him from a rock across the way. Judging by the way she was looking at him, she seemed to have been watching him ever since he sat down.
"Ais, is something wrong?"
"Mm."
Ais nodded, walked right over to Lu Qiming, and took his hand, studying it intently.
"???"
"Ais, what are you doing?"
Lu Qiming looked at Ais in confusion, but her expressionless face gave nothing away. Besides, he didn't think he was so charming that Ais could fall for him in such a short time.
"Qiming, how did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"That technique where you swing your fist and turn the wind into an attack."
"That?"
Lu Qiming smiled and pulled his hand from Ais's grasp. He aimed at a rock in the distance and swung his fist.
Whoosh—Bam!
A strange whistling sound rang out, and the rock exploded.
"See? That's how. Under the pressure of enough strength and speed, the air gets compressed and turns into an Air Cannon. It's a simple little trick. Anyone can do it."
"?"
Ais tilted her head slightly, looking from the shattered rock to Lu Qiming's smile.
Was this really simple? Why couldn't she learn it?
"Qiming, what are you two doing?"
The others, who had been resting, noticed the commotion and came over.
"I'm teaching Ais a simple little trick."
Lu Qiming pointed at the shattered rock in the distance with a smile, then looked at Ais.
"Did you get it?"
"No."
Her golden hair fluttered as she shook her head vigorously.
"Huh? You didn't get it? It's such a simple little trick."
Lu Qiming had completely forgotten that the system had ingrained the movement into his muscle memory. He only remembered that, to him, the technique was as easy as waving his hand.
"Qiming, are you teaching Ais the technique you just used?"
Finn had also seen the shattered rock, and it reminded him of the scene from Lu Qiming's recent battle.
A horde of monsters had roared as they charged toward them. Lu Qiming had lightly punched toward the monsters in front, and all their heads had burst while they were still charging. Their bodies had turned to black ash, leaving only Magic Stones behind.
"Qiming, can you really teach Ais a technique like that?"
As far as Finn was concerned, this technique had to be a secret passed down by Lu Qiming's master. Once learned, it could be applied to weapons, raising one's combat strength considerably without even gaining a level.
"It's fine, it's fine. You can learn it too if you want. They're all simple little tricks."
Lu Qiming smiled casually. In this world, aside from the system's missions and his own strength, he could do whatever he wanted. If he met someone suitable with the talent for it, he wouldn't mind teaching them all his techniques.
"Thank you, Qiming."
"Yeah! This is great! I've wanted to learn it for ages!"
Tiona leaped over to Lu Qiming and threw her arms around him. She'd been itching to learn this technique ever since she saw him use it on the way here. It was perfect for her.
Riveria, on the other hand, sat down off to the side without much interest. She was a Magician, and this sort of physical technique didn't suit her.
Seeing everyone gather around him, Lu Qiming smiled and began to explain.
"My technique is based on the principles of aerodynamics. Using the air as a medium, you accelerate it in an instant with your own strength and speed, converting its pressure energy into an air jet and generating a powerful impact."
"?"
"??"
"???"
After Lu Qiming explained the principles behind the technique, Finn and the others stared at him blankly, their eyes vacant. They had no idea what he was talking about.
"What's wrong? Wasn't that clear enough?"
Stare →_→
Looking at everyone's blank expressions, Lu Qiming realized that this world didn't have anything like aerodynamics. Who knew about the rest of the world, but Orario, with its gods, had never developed anything like science.
"Then I'll put it more simply. Watch closely."
As he spoke, Lu Qiming raised his hand, aimed at Ais's face, and threw a punch.
A breeze-like current of air brushed against Ais's face. Her blank expression shifted as if she had realized something, and she stared intently at Lu Qiming.
"Ais, did you feel the wind?"
"Mm."
Ais nodded unconsciously, then raised her small, pale fist and looked at it.
"Then the rest is simple. Just compress the air in front of you before you punch, then swing."
Hearing Lu Qiming's words, Ais seemed to understand. She stood up immediately and drew the Despair Sword from her waist.
"Awaken, Tempest!"
Before you continue