I'll Only Demonstrate Once

"Wait! Isn't the number of monsters here just absurd?"

Lefiya exclaimed, her voice cracking.

A massive chamber on the fifth floor of the Dungeon had transformed into a boiling nest of monsters.

The shrieks of Goblins, the low growls of Hellhound, and the silent movements of War Shadow converged into a suffocating tide of death.

From the tunnel entrances, behind rock pillars, and even from cracks in the ceiling, black shadows of every shape and size poured out in an endless stream, far exceeding the scale of any encounter expected on the upper floors.

Lefiya's palms were slick with cold sweat from the tension.

This—this number is just too ridiculous!

The confidence she once held as a Level 3 mage had vanished completely. Being forcibly suppressed to Level 1 strength made her feel her own insignificance and fragility with painful clarity once more.

That long-forgotten sense of dread tightened its grip on her.

Yet, amidst this sea of despair, two figures stood like bedrock, calmly meeting the crashing waves of monsters.

Bell moved with the speed of lightning, weaving through the ghostly, coordinated attacks of several War Shadow.

A shadow claw tore through the air silently, striking from the flank.

In the nick of time, he used Flash Step again!

Swish!

Bell's figure vanished into thin air, as if he had never existed.

The next instant, he appeared abruptly behind the ambushing War Shadow, his short blade piercing its core with a decisive, cold glint!

The movement was fluid, and while it still carried the awkwardness of a novice, his decisiveness and timing were far beyond what they had been yesterday.

Having just finished off one, Bell's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the battlefield on the other side.

Not far away, Ais faced several War Shadow and a surging horde of Goblins simultaneously, her expression as calm as a frozen lake.

Her lips parted slightly, whispering a brief incantation: "Awaken."

Ariel!

In an instant, countless visible streams of cyan wind manifested out of thin air, wrapping around her limbs and slender waist.

The air shrieked, and her golden hair danced wildly in the violent currents.

Without a word, her body transformed into a cyan bolt of lightning that tore through the field of vision!

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Her sword light was too fast to track, with only a few cyan trails flashing by.

Before her, whether it was an ordinary Goblin or the War Shadow—the "Rookie Killer" whose eerie speed terrified novice adventurers—the outcome was identical.

The cold blade pierced their Magic Stone cores with unerring precision!

Their bodies didn't even have time to react before they were ground into dust by the swirling winds, leaving behind only rolling Magic Stones and scattering debris.

Bell was astonished.

Is this what a top-tier adventurer from Orario is like...

Even with her power forcibly suppressed by Lord Thor to the same Level 1 as me, the combat instincts honed through countless brushes with death and the ultimate refinement of her technique are this formidable...

This massive gap made Bell feel his own weakness once again.

He focused, a burning fighting spirit reigniting within him.

Behind the trio, Thor watched their combat.

Since he had accepted the payment, he would perform his duties as an instructor; that was the most basic of courtesies.

Bell went without saying; as the first member of his Familia, having become an adventurer only days ago, his technique and combat instincts could still only be described as raw.

It would take quite some time to properly polish this uncut gem.

As for Ais, a top-tier Level 5 adventurer, there was nothing to guide regarding her combat techniques.

In terms of magic, her only spell was the short-chant magic she had just used, Ariel.

She possessed two skills: Avenger, which provided a massive boost to attack power against monsters, and Lil Rafaga, which allowed her to coat her blade in the magic of Ariel for a single strike.

Her skills and magic were few, but her proficiency with them appeared exceptionally high.

As for Lefiya...

In Thor's eyes, this mage was the genius closest to Bell.

The young girl's soul shimmered with the brilliance of mana; she was like a star of magic, with a mana density at least three to five times that of a mage at her level.

Despite being only a Level 3 mage, her firepower reached that of a Level 5.

Furthermore, among the three spells she possessed, one was a summoning magic called Elf Ring.

This magic was incredibly broken, allowing Lefiya to use any magic that other elves could learn, provided she met certain conditions—she had to fully master the effects and incantations of the target spell.

While others were limited to three spells at most, Lefiya could use dozens, or even hundreds, of elven spells.

It was for this reason that she was known as the Thousand Elf.

It was about their performance in battle...

Just as Thor was observing the group, Lefiya, positioned in the rear, was targeted by monsters.

Several Goblins and a Hellhound seized the moment she was focused on her incantation, lunging from the flank with a stench so foul it nearly hit her in the face!

"Proud warriors, archers of the forest. The encroaching plunderers are before you, take up your bows. Respond to your kin..."

Lefiya's chant was rapid and high-pitched, but faced with claws and fangs mere inches away, the cumbersome Elven long-form incantation seemed far too slow and fragile.

Her heart constricted sharply, and fear seized her in an instant.

It's over! There's no way to finish the chant in time!

At that critical juncture, a beam of pure energy whistled through the air!

It pierced the skull of the leading Hellhound with pinpoint accuracy, shattering it instantly!

It was Thor, who had used Mystic Shot to save her.

With a flicker of movement, Thor appeared by her side.

Lefiya possessed immense talent, but her combat experience was severely lacking, to the point where she struggled to unleash her terrifying firepower on a real battlefield.

Thor bent down to quickly pick up a crude wooden club dropped near a Goblin corpse, giving it a tentative swing.

The club's durability was acceptable.

However, the crisis had not been averted.

Precisely because of Thor's deep penetration and the inherent malice of the Dungeon, the rock walls surrounding Thor and Lefiya began to emit a grinding sound.

In an instant, more cracks split open!

Goblins and War Shadow, several times more numerous than before, surged out like a tide, roaring as they surrounded them on three sides.

"Ais, Lefiya." Thor's voice was not loud, yet it clearly pierced through the monsters' roars, reaching Ais in the distance.

Hearing this, Ais instantly dispatched the last War Shadow before her with her rapier. She turned immediately, her gaze locking onto Thor.

Thor swept his eyes over them and said, "I am going to demonstrate the skills and combat techniques I intend to teach you. Watch closely; I will only show this once."

Is it time to learn skills?

Ais opened her eyes wide, determined to see as clearly as possible.

When Thor had asked her earlier what skills she wanted to learn, she hadn't been able to answer, simply telling him to decide for her.

She hadn't expected that in just over ten minutes, Thor would have already made up his mind.

Lefiya also clutched her staff, her heart beginning to fill with anticipation.