Dungeon, Floor 8.
Sakura led the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia along the return route back to the surface.
As the captain—a Level 2—Sakura walked at the front, clearing the way.
"Strange. Why are there so few monsters on Floor 8 today?"
"It really is off," Chigusa said, scanning the surroundings.
From the moment they reached Floor 8 until now, they'd only run into a single wave of monsters. That was abnormal.
"There's movement over there," Mikoto suddenly said, stopping and looking to the right.
"It sounds like a lot of monsters gathering."
As the party's scout, Mikoto's judgment was trusted. Hearing that, everyone halted and looked to Sakura.
Sakura thought briefly. "It's probably another Familia being surrounded."
The dungeon spawned monsters without pattern. Getting swarmed happened constantly—Sakura ran into it eight times out of ten.
"Let's check it out. If we can save them, we save them. Might even earn a little extra."
"Got it. I'll go first!" Mikoto—whose sense of justice ran hottest—was already sprinting.
Like Sakura, she was Level 2.
On a relatively shallow floor like 8, even if monsters clustered, she was confident she could handle it.
She dashed at full speed and soon reached a massive cavern room.
Hundreds of killer ants had gathered, surging endlessly toward the cavern interior.
On the surrounding open ground, other monsters drawn by the battle noise had also arrived—purple moths, needle rabbits, gray-armored lizards… a chaotic menagerie.
Facing the astonishing scene, Mikoto didn't hesitate for a heartbeat. She charged straight in.
Steel flashed through the air. The monsters in her path were cut apart one by one. Like a spearhead, she split the swarm and broke into the cavern.
"The people inside—hold on! Don't give up! I'm here to save you!"
"…Huh?"
Lin Dong, happily farming like a demon, froze.
"…Eh?"
Mikoto froze too.
After hacking down the killer ants blocking her line of sight, she finally saw what was inside.
But it wasn't a group of rookie adventurers being cornered.
It was a black-haired man she didn't recognize, calmly carving killer ants—one cut, one kill.
"Mikoto! We're here!"
Sakura's voice came from behind.
At the passage outside the cavern, Sakura rushed in with several Familia members right on his heels.
Lin Dong: "..."
More people here to steal my XP.
Lin Dong inhaled sharply. The muscles across his body tightened. His presence surged.
Thunder Breathing — Sixth Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Rumble and Roar!
Blade marks streaked through the air like lightning. The monsters swarming him were shredded in an instant.
Then he became a blur, surging forward. The six sword forms of Thunder Breathing unfolded in succession.
In only a few minutes, the army that had filled the cavern was wiped clean.
Only then did Lin Dong stop and look toward Sakura's group, who wore awkward expressions.
"We're not here to抢 the loot!"
Sakura raised both hands immediately.
Not every adventurer was decent. The kind of scum that kicked you while you were down was common enough.
In a moment this sensitive, declaring your position mattered.
"I trust the Takemikazuchi Familia's character," Lin Dong said, sheathing his blade.
"Huh? You know us?" Sakura looked surprised.
Orario was the world's center, packed with high-level adventurers.
Even with two Level 2s, Takemikazuchi Familia was still a small Familia in the grand scheme—one of countless.
Normally, only acquaintances would recognize them.
"I've heard stories," Lin Dong replied. "A war god from the Far East founded your Familia, and every member is skilled in battle."
In truth, this wasn't "by chance."
After arriving in this world, Lin Dong had crammed a lot of minor canon details.
The emblem stamped on Sakura's party gear—he'd already seen it. As an ally Familia in the original story, Takemikazuchi Familia left a strong impression.
The moment he recognized them, a plan began to form.
"I'm Lin Dong, captain of the Hestia Familia. Captain Sakura can just call me by name."
...
After some introductions, Lin Dong gathered the loot and returned with Sakura's party.
On the way, Sakura and Lin Dong walked at the front—clearing the route and talking.
"Lin Dong, are you on a quest collecting killer ant materials?"
"No."
"Huh? Then why gather so many killer ants?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
As a Level 2 adventurer, Sakura knew the killer ants' trait well.
Thinking back, he realized the earlier swarm wasn't accidental. Lin Dong had deliberately maimed ants to trigger their pheromone call, pulling more and more into one place.
"I'm training," Lin Dong said.
"Training?" Sakura blinked.
"Yeah. And grinding status points."
Facing hundreds of monsters at once was dangerous even for Lin Dong.
But under that pressure, the "training effect" was maximized—status gains rose fastest.
"Lin Dong… forgive me for asking, but… are you Level 1?"
Mikoto, listening while watching their flank, couldn't help blurting it out.
Lin Dong nodded. "Level 1."
"You're Level 1?!"
Sakura was stunned.
He'd seen Lin Dong's gear—exceptional, not something a normal Level 1 could afford.
And Lin Dong's performance had been absurd. Sakura had unconsciously assumed he was Level 2.
Now it made sense why Sakura had gone blank when Lin Dong called it "training."
A normal Level 2 wouldn't use killer ants as training targets.
But you're telling me… you're Level 1?
Recalling Lin Dong's calm control—one sword, hundreds of monsters, no panic—Sakura wanted to shout:
That's Level 1?!
"Remarkable," Mikoto murmured.
Level 1 wasn't a single standard. When she had been Level 1, handling several dozen monsters alone already felt impressive.
Compared to Lin Dong… she wasn't even in the same category.
"Same age, yet that much power… Captain Lin Dong must have suffered greatly in daily training."
"It's nothing more than a little hardship," Lin Dong said, hands behind his back, expression calm.
My achievements are all thanks to perseverance and effort.
What? You're asking where the sweat is?
On the monsters' heads.
-------
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