· Fifty Levels

"Ais!"

Riveria watched as Ais walked toward them from the distance, while behind her, Udaios was dissolving into particles of light, leaving behind only a massive Magic Stone and various drops.

She knew this was a path Ais had to walk; defeating an opponent that towered far above her to surpass her own limits and achieve a feat that would make even the gods marvel was an absolute necessity for elevating one's potential.

However.

"I won!"

Ais stood weakly before the group, a faint smile gracing her face.

Thud!

Riveria delivered a sharp chop to the top of Ais's head, glaring at her in anger.

"Ais, how could you go head-to-head with Udaios like that? Don't you know that if you had made a single mistake, we wouldn't have even had the time to save you!?"

"I'm sorry."

Ais reflected on her own impulsiveness, realizing that her desire for strength and her frustration with her slow progress had led her to act without any regard for her own safety.

"Ais, do you think I'm unreliable?"

Ais's pupils constricted slightly at Riveria's words.

"I, along with Tione and Lefiya, all look at you as family."

"Everyone."

Ais looked at Riveria and the others gathered around her with smiles; even Bete, usually the most difficult of them all, was looking at her with genuine concern.

"You are no longer alone. Never forget that. From now on, learn to rely on your companions more."

Riveria gently stroked Ais's hair, her gaze soft and warm.

"Mm, thank you."

Feeling the warmth on her head and the concern of her companions, something shifted within Ais, and she broke into a sweet smile.

"Alright, let's continue moving forward."

Riveria handed a bottle of top-tier recovery potion to Ais, and once she had recovered, the group set off again toward the next floor.

Following this, with Lu Qiming once again taking the vanguard, they pushed forward at high speed toward the fiftieth floor.

The fiftieth floor.

On a massive stone platform, the expedition team had set up a temporary camp and begun to rest as a group.

"Qiming, don't you get tired?"

Tione looked at Lu Qiming with curiosity. Today was completely different from yesterday; the deeper they went, the stronger and more numerous the monsters became, yet Lu Qiming was advancing even faster than he had the day before.

He had slaughtered so many monsters single-handedly without showing a hint of fatigue, even though the rest of them were struggling just to keep up while gathering loot and traveling.

"Tired?"

Lu Qiming finished the food in his bowl in one go and handed the basin to Lefiya, asking her to help him get a fifteenth serving.

"It's alright. With my current stamina, as long as I'm not fighting at full power, I could keep this up for a month without issue."

"What! A month? And you weren't even fighting at full power today?"

Tione slammed her hand on the table, staring at him in shock.

"Mm, though I probably won't be able to hold back tomorrow."

Lu Qiming took the bowl from Lefiya and lowered his head to eat. He had consumed more than half of the energy stored in his body today, but he was telling the truth; aside from his final ultimate move, Musou, he had exhausted every other means at his disposal.

He hadn't expected the number and strength of the monsters on the lower floors to increase so exponentially, but in turn, his mission index and level were rising rapidly as well.

"Qiming, tomorrow you..."

"Alright, Tione, hurry up and eat. Besides, as you can see, eating a lot doesn't necessarily mean you'll grow taller."

Beside them, Tione pulled her sister back, telling her to eat quietly, as prying into an adventurer's strength was considered a taboo.

"What did you say!"

Tione immediately lost interest in Lu Qiming's strength and began playfully bickering with Tione.

After finishing his food and replenishing his energy, Lu Qiming placed the stainless steel basin back in its place, straightened it, and after a brief word to the group, headed toward his tent. There were things he needed to do that could not be seen by others.

Finn watched Lu Qiming's retreating back without saying a word, assuming that the intensity of today's battle had simply left him exhausted and in need of rest.

Inside the tent, Lu Qiming pulled the flap shut and stepped inside.

System, open panel.

Lu Qiming thought to himself.

A second later, the familiar pale blue panel appeared before his eyes.

Mission Index: 890,000/1,000,000
Mission Countdown: 299 days, 6 hours

Name: Lu Qiming (Lv62 (105,600,000/300,000,000))

Spirit: 21.2

Strength: 21.2

Agility: 25.2

Constitution: 21.2

Class: Assassin

[Dual Sword Mastery](LV1), [Musou](max), [Soul Blade](Lv1), [Godspeed Reaction](Lv2), [Weakness Insight](Lv2)

[Moon Arc], [Limit Pursuit], [Flash Shadow]

[Grim Reaper]

Skill Points: 6

Lu Qiming stared fixedly at his mission index; he hadn't expected to complete nearly nine-tenths of it just by breaking through to the fiftieth floor. Once the expedition team finished resting and successfully cleared the fifty-ninth floor, his mission index would surely be completed.

Looking at the 890,000 mission completion index, a sense of immense accomplishment welled up within Lu Qiming. With over two hundred days left until the mission deadline, it was foreseeable that he would definitely complete the system mission in a few days.

The heavy pressure in his heart eased significantly. Once the mission was finished, he could spend the remaining time doing whatever he wanted—hehe!

However, upon seeing his level, Lu Qiming still felt a twinge of melancholy. He had slaughtered his way from the upper floors all the way to the fiftieth. Aside from the thirty-seventh floor, where most of the monsters died during the battle between Ais and Udaios, he had taken care of all the rest himself.

Yet, he was only level 62. Now, at level 62, he needed 300 million experience points to level up, and the experience required afterward would only continue to climb. Fortunately, the strength of the monsters would increase again in the upcoming floors, which meant the experience points he gained would also increase accordingly.

Next, Lu Qiming looked at his remaining six skill points. Currently, only [Musou] was at max level, while [Godspeed Reaction] and [Weakness Insight] were at level 2, and the rest were all at level 1.

To unlock the second tier of skills, all first-tier skills needed to reach level 3. Originally, at level 60, he had possessed 12 skill points, which would have been enough to unlock the next tier, but he had spent four points directly to max out [Musou].

This left him in a position where he could unlock the second tier, but he was still short 1 skill point to light it up.

However, he did not regret it; the [Musou] trump card was worth it. Thinking of the tenfold boost from a maxed-out [Musou], Lu Qiming felt increasingly satisfied with his decision.

"Hehe!"

Lu Qiming grinned, extended his finger to tap on [Weakness Insight] and [Godspeed Reaction], then tapped twice more on [Dual Sword Mastery] and [Soul Blade].

As he withdrew his finger, a tingling sensation rose from his soul, and his body trembled involuntarily.

A few seconds later, Lu Qiming shuddered, feeling completely refreshed. Even the consciousness of [Divine Judgment] within his soul could express itself more clearly.