Upon hearing her words, Lynn nodded understandingly.
"No worries. It's about time you hung out with your own teammates anyway," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "My God's trials are inherently unpredictable. Traveling alone is also a vital part of one's cultivation."
Ais nodded, though she only half-comprehended his meaning, before being led away by Lefiya, who was half-urging her along and half-acting like a bodyguard.
"Man, she's treating me like a common thief," Lynn muttered, clicking his tongue as he turned and descended into the Dungeon alone.
As Lynn walked solo through the passages, he felt the air had grown significantly more refreshing. Without Ais by his side, he might have lost a scenic view, but he had also shed a strange sense of responsibility.
He strolled down to the sixth floor, where swarms of Killer Ants and Kobolds began to appear. A group of rookie adventurers was currently surrounded by three Kobolds; they were fighting clumsily, the situation looking quite precarious. Lynn walked right past them without spare a glance.
A stray Kobold spotted him—marking him as a soft target—and charged from the flank with a guttural screech, swinging its rusted blade downward.
A sharp-eyed adventurer nearby was about to shout a warning, but their mouth froze in a perfect "O" shape.
Without even turning his head, at the exact moment the rusted blade was about to bite into his shoulder, Lynn's left hand snapped up. His battered buckler blurred like a phantom.
CLANG!
The metallic ring was sharp and absolute.
The Kobold's movements froze instantly. The momentum of its strike was completely nullified by a clever application of leverage, causing the creature to lose its balance and leave its entire front wide open.
For Lynn, this was a signal etched into his DNA. He pivoted his body, and the cheap dagger in his right hand slid silently into the Kobold's back.
Puch.
Lynn didn't even break his stride. Parrying and counter-killing was a single, fluid motion—as effortless as swatting a fly while taking a walk.
"He parried the attack with a shield?" an elven archer stammered, disbelief written across her face. "I've never seen anyone use a shield like that!"
Lynn didn't bother responding. In the Lands Between, a Parry was basic muscle memory. Thinking back to how many times he had died just to master parrying a Crucible Knight, he felt like his very ashes had been scattered and reformed a thousand times over.
Seventh Floor.
The monsters here shifted to a mixed formation of Shadow Servants and Killer Ants.
"Hmm, the Runes here are actually somewhat respectable," Lynn muttered to himself.
However, just as he finished off a War Bull, a panicked scream from a young boy echoed from deep within the passage:
"Waaaaah! Stay away! Don't come any closer!"
Lynn looked toward the source and saw a boy with conspicuous white hair and red eyes—looking for all the world like a startled rabbit—scrambling and fleeing for his life in Lynn's direction.
Behind him followed a "train" of at least a dozen Goblins, cackling and shrieking.
"Great, we've got a Leeroy Jenkins over here," Lynn quipped.
The white-haired boy clearly spotted Lynn as well. He shouted with every bit of strength he had left, "S-Sir! Help me!"
As he ran, he executed a textbook "flat-ground trip," face-planting hard into the dirt. The lead Goblin let out a sneer and raised its wooden club high.
"Tch, what a pain."
Just as the club was about to descend, Lynn's figure cut into the fray like a ghost. He used a basic Quickstep to materialize right in front of the Goblin, his dagger flashing.
Crack! A one-hit kill.
Lynn had no interest in explaining what "investing in Agility" meant. He plunged straight into the pack of Goblins. Rolling, side-stepping, and back-stepping—the Goblins' attacks couldn't even graze the hem of his clothes.
In less than thirty seconds, the entire passage was cleared, leaving behind nothing but black ash and magic stones.
[Runes +600]
"Hey, kid. You alright?"
The white-haired boy scrambled up, his face flushed red and his eyes filled with pure adoration. "I... My name is Bell Cranel! Thank you so much for saving me!"
"Forget it. That aside, how did a rookie like you end up on the seventh floor pulling such a massive mob?"
"I... I wanted to get stronger faster... I originally intended to take them on one by one..."
"Oh, so you tried to pull one and messed up the aggro range, huh?" Lynn analyzed. "Which Familia are you from?"
Bell puffed out his chest. "I'm from the Hestia Familia! Currently... I'm the only member!"
Lynn shook his head. A goddess working part-time to support her solo Familia member? That sounded tragically pathetic.
"Um... Mr. Lynn! Your fighting style is incredible! Could you please teach me?"
"No," Lynn rejected him bluntly. "Because you're too weak. Besides, my combat style is a trial in service of my God, Hidetaka Miyazaki. Outsiders can't learn it."
"The God Hidetaka Miyazaki... He sounds like an incredibly powerful deity!"
Looking at this rabbit-like boy, Lynn was inexplicably reminded of Diallos from the Lands Between. He let out a sigh, his heart softening slightly.
"You can follow me, but under a few conditions: First, call me Lynn. Second, stay far away during combat. Third, you pick up the magic stones yourself."
"No problem!"
Over the next few hours, Bell witnessed firsthand what it meant to "stroll" through a massacre. Lynn's predictions and counters left him dizzy with awe.
By the time they exited the Dungeon, the bag of magic stones on Bell's back was bulging—it was nearly equal to his entire previous week's income.
"To show my gratitude, please, you must let me treat you to a meal!" Bell offered with total sincerity.
Lynn thought for a moment. Eina was working late tonight anyway.
"Fine. You lead the way."
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Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (Simulpub – Ongoing)
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