Up ahead, an adventurer was locked in combat with a Killer Ant. He had short white hair and a youthful, androgynous face.
His adventurer gear bore a distinctive Familia crest on the back—
The profile of a valkyrie, mirrored on the reverse side with a frontal view, framed by flowers and wheat stalks—a symbol of the goddess who presided over bountiful harvests.
Freya Familia.
Bell Cranel.
The moment Liang Yue saw the boy's face, he recognized him instantly—the "rabbit" protagonist from the DanMachi anime.
What stuck in his memory most was Bell's courteous and earnest personality. Simple and kind-hearted, he would lend a hand whenever others were in danger.
From the perspective of making friends, it was hard to imagine anyone turning down Bell's wholehearted assistance in a crisis.
Liang Yue felt the same way.
However, seeing the Freya Familia emblem on Bell's back stirred a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Had his own transmigration caused the storyline to change?
He didn't rush over to greet him. Instead, Liang Yue quietly pieced together the timeline using key plot events.
Two days ago, Loki Familia had returned from their expedition, and the escaped Minotaur had reached the 5th floor—where it encountered Ais Wallenstein.
Before that…
It had been 17 days since Liang Yue had arrived in Orario and been taken in by Hestia. Rather than idling away her days, Hestia had gone job-hunting, hoping to save enough to cure his left arm's "Kazan Syndrome."
That brief detour had created a butterfly effect—
The end result was that Bell had successfully joined the Freya Familia. Backed by the most powerful Familia in Orario, he now had a much higher starting point than other adventurers.
"So he actually made it into Freya Familia?"
Liang Yue wasn't overly emotional about it. Instead, he observed Bell's fight with the Killer Ants. Compared to the Bell in his memories, this one had clearly changed—no longer the rookie who'd been overwhelmed by a Minotaur in the original anime.
Dodging the Killer Ant's attacks with agility, Bell still wielded his trusty dagger. Every strike managed to deal damage, proving that with the right environment, a gifted adventurer's potential could bloom even faster.
But as the walls around them began to shift…
Liang Yue's eyes narrowed as more armored insect monsters emerged—Killer Ants, their features unmistakable.
Similar in size to large geckos, their upper bodies rose high, each arm bearing four hooked claws. They looked like ordinary monsters but had earned a notorious nickname—"Rookie Killers."
A lone Killer Ant posed little threat to an adventurer. The real danger came from their ability to call for reinforcements when threatened.
If their numbers swelled and you lacked effective crowd-control, you could easily meet your end here.
Right now, that was exactly the situation Bell faced.
"…So this is my chance to meet him in person."
The situation wasn't particularly dire—at least, not for someone in the Freya Familia. Given their wealth, they'd probably had Bell study grimoires to learn magic already.
Even if Liang Yue stood back, he doubted Bell was truly in danger. But the chance to meet the story's main character was right here in front of him.
He wouldn't deny having a bit of self-interest. If he wanted to grow the Hestia Familia, he needed good relations with other Familias. Hestia and Freya didn't have any major conflicts, after all.
With the idea of expanding his network in Orario, Liang Yue made up his mind. His target on the 7th floor was Killer Ants anyway—
Now there was a large cluster right in front of him.
He could gain both EXP and Bell's friendship—a win-win situation.
——
"Just like Lord Asfi said…"
"When threatened, Killer Ants will use a special method to call their kin."
Dodging a hooked claw, Bell watched grimly as more monsters poured from the walls. He recalled the advice from his seniors in the Familia—when in danger, stay calm and adjust to the situation.
Even a single Killer Ant wasn't easy for him to handle—so this massive swarm was a serious problem.
"I need to find a way to break through!"
With his back to the wall, Bell gripped his mithril dagger in reverse, scanning the surroundings for a weak point in their formation.
He didn't regret declining the company of his Familia comrades.
If he wanted to become truly strong, he had to seek growth in dangerous situations. He still had one ace—his quick-cast magic:
"Firebolt."
If he could find a weak spot and push through…
Maybe he could make it!
——
Facing the large swarm, Liang Yue felt excitement stirring within him—and even a daring idea.
Killer Ants, when threatened, called for more allies.
If they yielded decent EXP, then by deliberately provoking them into summoning reinforcements, he could… farm the swarm for fast leveling.
"I can give this a try."
It had been a while since he last used Triple Slash. Doing so again now wouldn't strain his body.
He dashed forward to assist.
When he closed the distance to about five meters, he unleashed Triple Slash straight into the oncoming tide.
The sharp sword aura accompanying each strike tore through even the ants' hard armor, slicing them clean in half.
Charging into the swarm meant becoming their primary target, but Liang Yue didn't falter. Surrounded by scuttling bodies, his blade danced, arcs of pale light cutting down any that approached.
——
Moonlight Slash.
"Fight…"
"…and enjoy it."
Adrenaline surged, sharpening his reflexes. The brilliant crescent of Moonlight Slash swept through the front lines, clearing a path.
More ants surged toward him. Liang Yue sprang back to evade a claw strike—and as he landed, he unleashed a razor-sharp burst of sword aura.
——
Events unfolded differently than Bell expected. From his flank, an unfamiliar adventurer closed in.
Even in the midst of his desperate struggle, Bell didn't want to drag others into danger.
"Don't come any closer!!" he shouted. "There are too many of them!"
But the man didn't stop. Instead, he dove into the Killer Ants' formation, displaying a mastery of swordsmanship that left Bell stunned.
The mithril dagger Freya herself had gifted him could only scratch the ants' armor—hardly enough to end the fight quickly. That was why the swarm had formed in the first place.
Yet the newcomer's sword swings didn't even need to touch flesh—blades of energy erupted with every strike, slicing ants clean in half.
Like an unstoppable war chariot, he crushed any monster that dared to stand in his way.
"…?"
As the Killer Ants' numbers dwindled, Bell's expression grew dazed. He couldn't help murmuring:
"We're both adventurers, but…"
"…isn't this senpai…"
"…a little too strong?!"
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