Chapter Summaries

Greg took the group to the Second Floor of the Dungeon for specialized training, where ancient ruins stirred questions in Lilith and Melina. Victoria began a solo fight against a Phantom Stalker, tasked with discovering its weakness and defeating it.

• Greg announced that the group would travel to the Second Floor for training tailored to each person's strengths and weaknesses.
• Lilith and Melina reacted with curiosity to the expedition, and Greg led the group through the ancient ruins of the Second Floor.
• Melina noticed patterns on a broken stone slab that reminded her of the Mother Goddess, while Greg inferred that she knew about the Outer Gods.
• Greg chose Victoria to fight a Phantom Stalker and instructed her to study its mechanics and defeat it without his help.
• Sylvia, Vivian, and Lilith encouraged Victoria, while Melina wished her safety in an intimate tone that prompted hostile stares from Vivian and Sylvia.

Victoria discovered how to exploit the Phantom Stalker's defenses and defeated it, earning Greg's praise. As Greg and Victoria shared a familiar, affectionate moment, Lilith remembered when he had praised her as a child and wished she could hear him do so again.

• Victoria tested the Phantom Stalker's defenses and learned that it became intangible to evade attacks but grew solid before releasing a psychic blast.
• Victoria pretended to tire and baited the Phantom Stalker into preparing an attack, then struck its solid body with a fire tornado and destroyed it.
• Greg praised Victoria and ruffled her hair, while Victoria protested and asked him to compliment her properly.
• Lilith watched Greg and Victoria together, remembered Greg's childhood praise, and wished he would praise her again.

Sylvia overcame her fear of undead monsters and cleared them out with Light Element Magic, earning Greg’s praise. Vivian then faced the Frost Giant Lizard alone and defeated it by striking the vulnerable spot in its throat.

• Greg led Sylvia to an area filled with Skeleton Warriors and told her to clear them out alone.
• Sylvia used Light Element Magic to destroy the Skeleton Warriors despite her fear, and Greg praised her efforts.
• Greg took the group to a frozen area and sent Vivian to face a Frost Giant Lizard she had fought before.
• Vivian dodged the lizard’s attacks and used its frozen teeth to expose its vulnerable throat.
• Vivian pierced the Frost Giant Lizard’s throat with an Ice Crystal Spear, killing it.

Vivian defeated the Giant Lizard, and Melina then used her senses and a precise Wind Blade to kill a Phantom Web Weaver. After Melina asked Greg for praise and received it, Lilith realized she could ask him for praise too.

• Greg praised Vivian for her tactics and improvement after she killed the Giant Lizard.
• Melina went first, entered a cave, and asked Greg to promise he would protect her if she was in danger.
• Greg identified the monster inside as a Phantom Web Weaver and stopped Lilith from rushing into the cave.
• Melina closed her eyes to defeat the creature's visual illusions, sensed its location, and killed it with a Wind Blade.
• Melina asked Greg to praise her, and he complimented her clever approach.
• Lilith watched Greg praise Melina and realized she could ask him for praise herself.

Lilith faced a Lava Armored Beast resistant to her strongest magic and drew confidence from her friends’ encouragement. She entered the lava-covered arena determined to defeat it on her own.

• Greg explained that Lilith had to find a way to defeat the fire-resistant Lava Armored Beast.
• Lilith worried that her fire magic would be ineffective, but Victoria teased her until her nerves eased.
• Melina and Sylvia encouraged Lilith, and Vivian told her not to put too much pressure on herself.
• Greg reassured Lilith that he would protect her if she was in danger and urged her to learn from the fight.
• Lilith rejected Greg’s offer of protection and walked into the lava-covered terrain to face the beast.

Lilith defeated the Lava Armored Beast by unleashing a devastating Flame Explosion, surprising everyone with her power. Afterward, she shyly asked Greg for praise, and Vivian became more wary of her feelings for him.

• Lilith's Blazing Spears and Flame Chains failed against the Lava Armored Beast, which broke through her defenses and knocked her into a pillar.
• Vivian stopped Greg from intervening, trusting Lilith to keep fighting, and Lilith gathered her remaining magic for a powerful spell.
• Lilith's Flame Explosion destroyed the Lava Armored Beast, revealing a level of destructive power that surprised Greg, Melina, and the others.
• Lilith asked Greg to praise her, then leaned into his hand when he patted her head.
• Vivian saw Lilith accept Greg's affection and resolved to watch her younger sister more carefully.