"Pfft!"
The sound of a blade slicing through flesh rang out.
A flash of silver cut through a Jester Demon's neck. Its bizarre head fell from its shoulders and hit the ground.
Wielding his greatsword, Liber charged straight into a crowd of Jester Demons.
The numerous Jester Demons surrounded him, reaching out with their sharp claws.
Their wild expressions brimmed with impatience as they hungered for Liber's flesh and blood.
But Liber ignored both their sharp claws and their overwhelming numbers.
He gripped his sword and bent his legs slightly before leaping over the monsters, breaking free of their encirclement.
His body should have fallen after leaping into the air, yet he remained perfectly still.
Suspended above the monsters, he picked out an opening at the edge of the crowd.
Then he dove toward the area where the monsters were sparse.
While still in midair, he cut down the monsters at his landing point.
After landing, he spun around and cleared a wide space around himself.
The monsters that had been staring at Liber finally reacted.
They charged furiously toward where he had landed.
Liber lowered his body slightly.
With a little force, he shot away from the monsters at bullet-like speed.
As he crossed paths with them, his sword swept through the Jester Demons in a flash of silver, severing the limbs of many monsters.
From a distance, Liber's figure seemed to appear and disappear like a phantom amid the horde.
Then the monsters' screams rang out from another spot.
His figure flickered around the monsters, accompanied by flying limbs and their anguished cries.
He flashed through the horde, cutting the monsters open. From afar, it looked like a one-sided massacre, a sight that left any onlooker utterly stunned.
On a nearby rock, not far from the scene of slaughter, a greatsword hovered as if firmly anchored in place. Beside it stood a seemingly delicate elf girl with camellia-colored hair.
"..."
Lefiya stood frozen, clutching her staff as she stared at the scene.
The elf girl, who had planned to chant a spell and provide magical support, had completely forgotten her duty.
She simply stared, dumbfounded, at Liber cutting a swath through the monsters.
Earlier, when they had spotted the Jester Demon horde ahead, Liber had told her to find a spot with a good view from which to support him. He had also left his greatsword beside her after reinforcing it with magic.
Saying he would draw their attention, he had charged ahead on his own.
Watching Liber deliberately draw the monsters' attention, she had hurried to the rock.
But just as she had found her footing and prepared to chant a spell, she had witnessed this dazzling scene.
His agile body darted everywhere, swiftly and precisely decapitating his enemies.
Such polished combat. Such a clean slaughter.
Could a rookie adventurer really do this?
Even on their way deeper into the Dungeon, she had already seen how skillfully Liber fought his enemies.
But watching him dispatch monsters so casually, as though he were toying with them, had still left Lefiya utterly shaken.
Were all the rookies this strong now? What was the point of me being on the team?
Lefiya's thoughts spiraled into chaos.
As she watched Liber's nimble form, a sense of familiarity gradually stirred within her.
The battle ended quickly.
Under the flashing silver gale of his sword, not a single monster survived.
They all became scattered limbs and corpses. Liber sheathed his sword and stood alone amid the blood-soaked ground.
Seeing that the battle was over, Lefiya came to her senses, jumped off the rock, and ran toward Liber.
Watching her approach, Liber controlled the greatsword to follow behind her all the way from the rock.
When Lefiya reached him, breathing lightly, he stowed the greatsword in his space.
He looked around and stored all the Jester Demon drops he spotted. Feeling the items pile up in his space, he wore a satisfied expression.
Lefiya looked at Liber. His gear was intact, save for a little monster blood splashed on it.
"Um..." Lefiya hesitated.
As soon as she spoke, Liber turned to her with an attentive expression, waiting for her to continue.
With Liber watching her, Lefiya swallowed the question she had been about to ask and began to stammer.
Seeing her retreat into her shy shell again, Liber couldn't help feeling helpless. "You can just say what's on your mind. Did you notice something strange, or was there something wrong with those Jester Demons?"
The monster group they had just wiped out—the Jester Demons.
They were a type of monster commonly found in the Dungeon, much like Goblins.
They were weak individually and lived in groups. They had bizarre, frightening faces and sharp claws.
Their drops, Jester Monster Claws, were more useful and valuable than the teeth Goblins commonly dropped.
Like Goblins, they were mostly found on the first five floors of the Dungeon.
"Liber, that movement you used earlier... Was it something Miss Ais taught you?"
At Liber's prompting, Lefiya gritted her teeth and blurted out the question she had been holding back.
Seeing how excited Lefiya looked, Liber puzzledly scratched the back of his head.
He answered casually, "You could say that. I picked it up by watching her when I trained with Ais."
"That's nice." Remembering what she had seen in the Familia courtyard, Lefiya said enviously.
Liber looked puzzled by her envy. "I'm not sure about other people, but if you asked one of the executives, I'm sure Ais could train with you too."
"Really?" Lefiya looked delighted at first, then a little worried. "Actually, never mind. I'd be afraid of bothering Miss Ais. Besides, a Mage's training is quite different from everyone else's."
He spread his hands and shrugged, as if to say there was nothing he could do.
After resting briefly, the two continued exploring.
As they moved forward, Liber watched their surroundings and asked Lefiya, "By the way, you seem pretty fixated on Ais. Are you two close?"
"N-no... I'm not...!" Lefiya's face flushed red again, and she stammered out a reply.
By now, Liber was used to Lefiya getting nervous whenever she felt shy.
Unlike before, he didn't fumble for a response. He ignored her flustered reaction and waited for her to calm down.
They walked on for a little while. Lefiya seemed to have recovered and settled her nerves, then answered Liber's earlier question.
"I really admire Miss Ais." A happy expression returned to her face.
"We're about the same age, but compared to timid, frightened me, Miss Ais is always so strong and brave."
"She's incredibly powerful, and so cute. When we went on that short expedition into the Dungeon, she was always protecting everyone."
"I want to be like her and become someone everyone can look up to." As Lefiya spoke, she gave herself a little pep talk.
Listening to her, Liber realized he had underestimated Ais. It seemed she meant something different to each person in her Familia.
The two continued talking and getting to know each other in the dim Dungeon.
Suddenly, Liber sensed something strange ahead and reached out to stop Lefiya from moving forward.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Ignoring her question, Liber drew his greatsword from his space and held it in front of his chest.
Beside him, Lefiya gripped her staff tightly and swallowed.
A figure was rapidly approaching Liber, its footsteps growing louder.
As the sound of movement grew, the figure gradually came into view before them.
A young adventurer appeared in front of the two.
Seeing them standing warily in his path, he slowed his steps.
Then he seemed to remember something and sped up again, rushing past them.
His face was tense. Without a word, he ran quickly by their side.
As Lefiya watched him pass, she let out the breath she had been holding.
She was just about to continue forward when Liber stopped her again.
She looked at him in confusion and saw that he was still on guard, eyes narrowed as he stared ahead.
Just as she was about to ask him why, the quiet path ahead began to tremble.
First came a vast cloud of dust, then a crowd of figures of varying heights.
Liber's narrowed eyes suddenly widened. He turned, picked Lefiya up, and sprinted back the way they had come.
"Ah!"
Lefiya cried out in fright as Liber suddenly lifted her and carried her over his shoulder.
Embarrassed, she struggled against the arm wrapped around her legs.
"Stop moving."
With Lefiya slung over his shoulder, Liber ran at full speed, focused on the path ahead. Feeling her struggle, he snapped at her.
"Take a closer look behind us."
At Liber's scolding, Lefiya stopped struggling and squinted, trying her best to see through the dust billowing behind them.
"Ah!" She cried out in alarm again.
A few short Goblins were sprinting through the dust behind them.
Close behind the Goblins came dozens of tall, black monsters.
The black monsters reached forward, brutally tearing apart the Goblins in front of them without slowing down as they continued charging toward the two.
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