The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

Koya was as flitting as a butterfly under the attacks of the three monsters. Although the wooden clubs would fall around him every time, they could never hit him. This wasn't because Koya had suddenly mastered some form of agility, but simply because the monsters' pre-attacks were so obvious. Each time they lifted high and then brought down fiercely, he could easily dodge them by carefully watching the direction of the weapons' fall.

Left - then right, then he took a step back, swung the long sword in his hand, slashing horizontally, slashing downwards, stabbing, one, two, three, Koya's sparring partners fell one after another; the monster's swinging movements were so large that even a novice among rookies could observe the weakness that was completely exposed by the monster, but not every adventurer had the courage to face the monster and send the weapon into its chest.

Just two or three walls away from Koya, the rising star of the Loki Familia, Aisi's little secret, and the embarrassing elf girl Lefiya were also training here. Normally, no amount of training would be useful for high-level adventurers like her at the bottom, but Lefiya was an exception. She trained here not to improve her attributes, but to overcome her inner fear of monsters.

"Ah!" "So disgusting!" "Don't come over here!" "Ms. Ais, save me!"

It was obvious that today's training had failed again. Although Lefiya had excellent talent, she was unable to truly become an independent adventurer because of this weakness. Now that the Loki clan was about to embark on a great expedition, the more high-level adventurers who could be put to use, the better.

This time, Livilia decided to let Aisi and Lefiya visit the dungeon. Lefiya has always admired Aisi, so letting Aisi take her to train might be effective. However, letting Aisi enter the dungeon alone is a very dangerous thing. Aisi is a child who gets carried away easily in the dungeon and often runs into the monster pile alone to kill them. But on the higher floors, there is no need to worry about this. Even if Aisi kills a whole floor of monsters by herself, she will not be hurt.

"Lefiya, don't be afraid of them."

"Ms. Aisi...I really can't do this."

"Then why are you afraid of them?"

“Because they’re scary.”

"But you can kill them with a single spell, so you shouldn't be afraid of them."

"But Miss Aisi, they are really scary—"

Lefiya didn't know how to describe the fear in her heart, and Aisi was the kind of stubborn and innocent person, so the two of them got stuck in the bug...

Chapter 26: [War Dance]

Boom——Boom——

On the seventh floor of the dungeon, a sudden roar echoed through the passageways. Adventurers less confident in their own abilities immediately disengaged from the battle and began to retreat upwards. They didn't care what caused the noise; they simply wanted to escape this dangerous dungeon safely. Another group of adventurers, more confident in their own abilities, acted as if nothing had happened and continued to kill monsters and collect magic stones.

People like Ais, who were so powerful that they didn't care about what kind of trouble the dungeon might cause on this floor, followed their curiosity and took Lefiya towards the source of the sound.

"Ms. Aisi, is that a special species?"

"Ah."

It was an unusually tall monster, at least two heads taller than its peers, with unusually developed muscles in its arms. However, the most striking thing about it was the gigantic, long-handled, double-edged axe it held in its hands. This weapon... was crafted with a fairly mature forging process, and was not one of those crude weapons produced by the [Maze Weaponry]. Special monsters were already quite rare, and this type of 'armed monster' was an even rarer minority, as armed monsters usually killed adventurers and then seized their weapons. If one was unlucky enough to encounter an armed special monster, adventurers were generally advised to simply wait for death on the spot.

At this moment, the adventurer who faced this monster was Koya.

The giant axe slammed down on the ground from top to bottom. If there was a person standing under the axe, he would have been cut in two. Koya was standing two steps away from the attack. The splashed gravel fell on the chest armor with a tinkling sound. Koya's face did not show any expression, but he was very panicked in his heart.

【oh!!】

The monster's scarlet eyes stared at Koya. The monsters in the maze were unintelligent, which was the consensus of all adventurers. But the surging murderous intent in the eyes of the monster before him made Koya feel that he was really facing a "human", a crazy "human".

The monster in front of him was slightly slower than him, but all other attributes were better than his. There were five or six ordinary monsters around him, eyeing him covetously. He didn't dare to fight this monster at all. Even if he killed this special monster, the remaining monsters would be enough to take down his remaining health.

Koya's spirit became increasingly tense. He quickly scanned the surroundings for a way out, but—

What's going on? This should be a tunnel with clear front and back passages, but when? When did this change?

Looking at the thick rock wall, Keya felt a little hopeless for a moment.

"Miss Ais! Abnormal events and specially armed monsters, is this really on the seventh floor?!"

"The dungeon wants to kill him. The dungeon is afraid of him..."

"what?"

"Lefiya, let's go help..."

"Wait, Miss Aisi, that gentleman doesn't seem to need our help."

If you don’t want to die, fight hard!

This was the only thought in Koya's mind at the moment. He couldn't understand why the dungeon would target a Level 1 adventurer like him, but he knew it had become a gladiatorial arena, a life-or-death struggle! Fear? Of course. Koya didn't want to die, which was why he confirmed his relationship with Hestia. Having a goddess as a girlfriend was such a joy! He hadn't even shown off to his friends back home yet! He wanted to take Hestia back to visit his grandmother's grave. He was terrified of death!

"Huang Long Transformation!"

Koya wasn't the type to hold back his cards until the very end to seal the victory, and the current situation didn't allow him to hide them...

Black scales that grew naturally began to cover Koya's limbs. Violent energy was transmitted to all parts of his body with the rapid beating of his heart. Crackling red arcs of electricity flashed in the air, followed by pain like slow slicing. Koya's fragile body was now unable to withstand this surging energy, even though it was less than one percent of its peak.

Fighting desperately? Without a doubt. Koya had now placed his life on the line, and on the other side of the scale was the monster holding the giant axe!

With a clang of sound, smoke and dust rose up, and small gravel fell to the ground, making a tinkling sound. Where Koya had been originally, only a shallow pit was left, and the pit was surrounded by cracks that were distributed like spider webs.

In the blink of an eye, Koya appeared next to the special monster. As he swung the sword in his hand, blood gushed out from the monster's chest.

【Ohhhhhh! 】

The giant axe fell into the air again, and the monster roared again. The continuous misses had made the monster, which had little patience to begin with, completely lose its mind. The giant axe in its hand was no longer wielded in a rhyming manner, but was just chopped randomly, not caring at all whether there was an enemy in front of it or not.

【oh! 】

Finally, the feeling of the sharp blade cutting through flesh and blood reached the monster's brain, and it made a sound of surprise, but when it looked carefully, it found that the one falling under its axe was not the annoying flea, but its own little brother.

【Ohhhhhh! 】

Koya stood not far away, panting slightly. His Brilliant Dragon Transformation had granted him extreme speed and strength, but he wasn't yet accustomed to it. Just now, when he rushed to the monster's side and struck it with his sword, he'd intended to sever its arm, preventing it from holding its weapon. But a momentary sting caused the sword to deviate from its path, slicing through its torso. A wound so deep that you could see the bone wasn't fatal to the dungeon's monsters, as they couldn't understand the fear of death.

Just like how Koya had previously used his trickery to grind the demon pigs to death, they continued to pursue their target even after their blood had been drained. The same was true of the monster before him. The wound on its chest hadn't affected its movements at all, and in fact made it even more terrifying.

"almost……"

The body has adapted to this force, the spirit has endured the pain, and the sword in the hand will no longer miss!

Koya once again stepped into the arena. The sound of fierce collisions rang out. The monster wielding a giant axe and the young man holding a long sword in this dim dungeon, with the symphony of weapons, performed a war dance called "Hero".

Speed, strength, weapons, skills and will, Koya put everything he had on the scales of victory or defeat. Now there was only one thought in his mind, he wanted to survive, he wanted to kill the monster in front of him, he wanted victory to come to him!

"Ms. Ais—is he really only at Level 1?"

"...He is really strong. Why is he so strong?"

Chapter 27: The Monster's Victory

The battle continued, but at this moment, there was no fear in Koya's heart. He had never thought that the beating of his heart would be so loud. Every collision with the monster made Koya feel his own strength. The fear in his heart had long been driven away by the high fighting spirit.

The blood-soaked monster, wielding a giant axe, was truly terrifying. A child would likely burst into tears if they saw it. Koya remained wary of the monster. While it was true that he had gained power comparable to the dragon through his transformation, this increase in power was limited in time. Furthermore, Koya noticed that the wound on the monster's chest had already healed without him noticing.

"Miss Aisi, I remember the monsters on the seventh floor have a very strong recovery ability, right?"

"Well... these monsters don't have the strength and defense of the Minotaur, nor the speed and swarming of the Army Ants, but their resilience is unmatched among the upper-level monsters. That's why I brought you here to train."

The monsters on the seventh floor were still LV1, but those who operated there were mostly high-level LV2 adventurers. The reason for this was what Aisi had just mentioned: in the eyes of these high-level adventurers, the monsters on the seventh floor were just sandbags, posing no danger other than a slower spawning speed.

This particular species's resilience had been enhanced, allowing it to heal from such a deep wound in a fraction of a second. This was no big deal for Koya. While the Rhodes Island standard longsword was sharp and tough enough, the damage it could inflict was still too low for the monster before him. Only by severing flesh, crushing its head, and ripping out its heart could victory be achieved. Koya understood this well, and he happened to have just such a weapon in his possession.

Instead of using weapons skillfully, why not use your hands?

Facing the monster charging towards him, Koya threw away the sword in his hand without hesitation. Having completely adapted to the body of Huanglong, he knew very well that his hands covered with scales were the sharpest weapons at this moment!

Facing the charge, Koya met it without hesitation. He dodged the monster's giant axe gracefully and crashed into the monster's arms. The next second - a dull sound was heard, and Koya's hands were embedded in the monster's heart and abdomen.

Feeling the powerful throbbing of his right hand, Koya crushed it without hesitation. With his left hand, he grabbed the creature's intestines and pulled them out fiercely, then attacked again—lungs! Spleen! Liver! Koya didn't care about his demeanor. At this moment, he was the most ferocious beast, his hands constantly crushing everything of the monster. At this moment, he was more like a monster than a monster!

【oh……】

The monster's roar was no longer ferocious. Instead, everyone could hear its despair and weakness. This was the wail it made in the last moments of its life. When the monster faced a monster stronger than itself, it had no other thoughts except to wait for its own death in despair.

"Go to hell!"

Koya grasped its flesh tightly with both hands, then stretched his arms out to both sides with all his strength. Blood splattered on Koya's body, and then instantly evaporated by the high temperature emanating from his body. Only dark red stains remained on his body, echoing his dark scales.

Ais and Lefiya looked at the mad Koya, the monster in his hand that turned to ashes, and the magic stone that fell in front of him... They were speechless for a moment.

The scales on Koya's body were slowly disappearing. At this moment, his body seemed to be trampled from top to bottom by a monster. The pain even made him unable to control his mouth and tongue, and he couldn't even utter a wail. The transformation into a dragon did give him unparalleled power, but the violent energy also made his body tattered.

Fortunately, Koya was not holding his sword at the moment, otherwise his trembling hands would definitely not be able to hold it tightly, and when the sword fell to the ground with a clanging sound, the ordinary monsters around him who were eyeing him covetously would probably rush up and tear him to pieces.

"Wake up (Tempest)——"

As an elite and experienced adventurer, Ai Si understood Koya's current situation in an instant. Without any hesitation, she possessed herself with the wind spirit. Like a gust of wind sweeping away fallen leaves, the monsters surrounding Koya quickly turned into ashes and returned to the embrace of the dungeon. The moment all the monsters disappeared, the trial of the dungeon also ended. The passage returned to normal, and the rock wall that suddenly appeared disappeared.

"...Thank you, Miss Ais."

"I'll take you back."

Before Koya could say yes, Ai Si had already carried Koya on her shoulders, like she was carrying a torn sack, with Koya's head hanging on Ai Si's back... How should I put it, the design of Ai Si's armor is quite interesting. Koya's mouth was already touching that fair skin, and he subconsciously kissed it lightly. It smelled really good.

"Ahhh, you pervert, what did you do to Miss Ais!!!"

"Ahem, sorry, sorry, it was really subconscious."

"Wow, Miss Aisi has been defiled by a stinky man."

"Hey, don't say such excessive things!"

Ais was a little confused about the quarrel between the two people, but she could see that Lefiya and Koya seemed to have a good relationship. After all, people with a bad relationship would not keep talking all the way.

By the time they reached the third floor, Koya felt he'd recovered enough. Although he still felt a little sore and weak, he should be able to walk without any problems, so he asked Aisi to put him down. Although he enjoyed some small benefits along the way, it was still uncomfortable to be carried like a sack on his shoulders.

After being put down, Koya's legs went limp, but fortunately he grabbed Lefiya's arm in time and did not fall to the ground.

"Hey, pervert, are you okay?"

Perhaps because the battle just now left a deep impression on Lefiya, this elf lady actually cares about Koya very much, of course, the premise is that Koya does not force Ai Si with her.

"It's okay...Okay, sorry to bother you two."

Koya stood up straight, and after adjusting to his own weakness, he finally let go of Lefiya's arm. He took two tentative steps, and then he was back to normal. It can only be said that the talent that Jizi bought for him is really useful.

"Lefiya...you didn't resist Koya's touch."

"Eh? Um... Ahhh, wow, Miss Aisi, I'm not clean anymore either. Let's just kill him here."

"Don't say such horrible things in front of me!"

The sounds of Koya and Lefiya playing and fighting could be heard along the way. Ai Si silently thought to herself that Koya and Lefiya really had a good relationship.

Chapter 28: Status Update

"Loki, you really made a mistake this time."

At this moment, the senior adventurers of Loki's family gathered around a table. Finn, Livilia, the Amazon sisters... they were all listening carefully to the descriptions of Ais and Lefiya. Although language could not make Finn and the others feel the shock of being there, Finn understood what Loki missed just from a few words.

"I didn't expect that. The boy is indeed quite handsome, but he's already in his twenties and doesn't seem to have any special talents. I have no reason to let him join the clan."

Loki's tone was slightly aggrieved. She didn't really care about Koya's talent. After all, so many people became adventurers every day, but how many of those with talent could make it to the end? Loki was aggrieved that her own child was actually scolding her.

"You... forget it."

Finn didn't continue. As the leader, he knew full well that the Loki Familia might seem prosperous, but the only outstanding adventurers of the younger generation were Aisi and Lefiya. Aisi lacked the ability to lead a Familia, and Lefiya was actually afraid of monsters. If all the Level 6 adventurers of the Loki Familia perished in a major expedition, like the Zeus and Hera Families, the Loki Familia would likely suffer the same fate.

But there is really no need to blame Loki now. After all, Koya has already joined other clans, and regretting it is useless. Finn just hopes that Loki's eyes can be opened a little more in the future. As the main god, she should know what Loki's clan is like. It's just that she has not thought about the next generation of the clan at all. For gods, a hundred years are just a blink of an eye, and gods only focus on what is in front of them.

But for Finn and his friends, the issue of inheritance for the next generation is already before them. Lefiya is the next steward of the Loki family decided by Livilia, and Finn has not yet found the next leader he wants to train!

"Speaking of newcomers, I recently met a very interesting little guy. He's as cute as a rabbit. He doesn't have a Familiar yet. Loki, why don't you take him in as one of your Familiars?"

"Tiona, have you reached that stage yet? I'll be there to help you. Just being cute won't do."

"Hehe, Bell is really cute, and his dream is to become a hero. He is very motivated."

"Ah, no, don't do that to Diona because she has someone she likes. I won't agree to that!"

"If you don't agree, Loki, I'm going to change my nationality. We Amazon girls will do anything for love!"

"Well... well, bring him back! I want to see what kind of man can make my Diona so crazy!"

·Dividing line·

"Keya~~"

"Hestia, stop clinging to me. It's dirty."

"Hehe, shall we take a bath together~~"

Afterwards—Koya lay on his soft bed, contemplating life. Entering Sage Time, he pondered where he had come from and where he was going, and why Hestia was so irresistible... These past few days at home, he'd been either doing it or sleeping. Was there something wrong? Was he such a lustful man?

"Keya~~Keya who only belongs to me~~Hehe I love you the most~~"

Hestia was lying on Koya's body, her hands were restlessly touching everywhere. If the genders were reversed, she would definitely be labeled as obscene, but considering that Hestia is a super beauty, her behavior can only be called romantic.