The next morning.
Kokkoro had woken up early and was busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
The clanging of spatulas and the aroma of food gradually filled the entire church basement.
Ying Ping, meanwhile, was outside around the ruins, performing his daily 'Preparation of the Strong' exercises.
He was shirtless, his strong muscles gleaming healthily in the sunlight, as he ran diligently.
A few drops of sweat slid down his back, leaving dark marks on the ground.
When the final few hundred meters of his sprint were complete, the system's voice sounded as expected.
[Ding! The daily quest 'Preparation of the Strong' has been completed.]
[You have gained Status Recovery x1, Random Treasure Chest x1, and an additional 10 attribute points.]
[Attributes have been allocated: 5 points to Strength and 5 points to Agility.]
[Ding! Today's Random Treasure Chest has been opened.]
[Obtained: 500,000 Valis]
"Oh?"
Ying Ping raised an eyebrow as a heavy bag of coins suddenly appeared before him.
"This time it actually dropped gold coins. My luck isn't bad."
Summoner cards like the one for Kokkoro were rare and hard to come by.
As someone with generally bad luck, he felt very fortunate to occasionally have a lucky draw.
Ying Ping wiped away his sweat and walked into the church, carrying the money bag.
Hestia was sitting at the dining table, swinging her legs and waiting for breakfast. Her eyes lit up when she saw Ying Ping enter: "Ying Ping-kun, are you done with your training? Do you need me to update your stats right away?"
"No rush."
Ying Ping placed the money bag directly in front of Hestia, "This is for you."
Hestia curiously opened the money bag and then her eyes widened: "H-how can there be so many Valis?!"
She abruptly stood up, almost knocking over her chair, "Ying Ping-kun! Where did this money come from?"
"It's a secret, just keep it."
Ying Ping smiled mysteriously, taking the towel Kokkoro handed him to wipe his face.
Hestia stared at him suspiciously for a long time, finally sighing: "Alright… I'll take good care of it."
She carefully put away the money bag, then her eyes suddenly lit up, "Oh, right! We've been cooking at home lately, how about we go out for a nice meal occasionally?"
"Consider it a welcome party for you and Kokkoro-chan joining my Hestia Familia!"
Ying Ping took the breakfast Kokkoro brought over and thought for a moment: "Alright, how about the Hostess of Fertility? I hear their food is quite good."
"Eh?!"
Hestia's eyes widened in surprise, "Ying Ping-kun actually knows that place too?"
She clapped her hands excitedly and cheered: "Then it's settled! Tonight, after you two return from the Dungeon, we'll go celebrate together!"
Kokkoro served the last dish and, hearing their conversation, asked curiously: "Goddess-sama, what kind of shop is that?"
"Hehe, it's a very famous tavern in Orario~"
Hestia clasped her hands together, a look of longing on her face, "Their mead and roasted meat are simply a perfect match~"
After breakfast and updating their stats, Ying Ping and Kokkoro set off, fully equipped.
With the experience from the previous day, they easily navigated through the first two floors of the Dungeon and headed directly to the third floor.
Mainly, Ying Ping was simply too strong now.
Having reached LV3 and experienced a surge in his stats, defeating the goblins on the first two floors was as easy as slicing vegetables.
"Today's goal is the fourth floor."
Ying Ping checked his equipment, "But let's warm up here first."
Long-tongued Lizards were still the primary enemies for now.
But in the face of their strength, these monsters no longer posed a threat.
Wielding his steel longsword and utilizing his newly acquired Hawk Eye ability, he was practically one-shotting the lizards.
Before long, Ying Ping had killed almost all the long-tongued lizards in the area, but the system had yet to notify him of a level-up.
"The experience points provided by long-tongued lizards are getting lower and lower. At this rate, I'll probably need to kill over 100 more to level up…"
"That's too inefficient. I don't have time to waste here."
Ying Ping mused.
Through the Shadow Monarch System panel, he could see the experience points required for his next level-up.
If other adventurers in Orario heard Ying Ping say this, they would probably cry.
What? Kill 100 lizards to level up? Is there such a good thing?
Even if it meant killing a thousand, ten thousand, they would be willing!
"Master, should we continue hunting here?"
Kokkoro gripped her staff-spear, still cautiously observing her surroundings.
Ying Ping shook his head: "No, let's go directly to the fourth floor. The third floor no longer poses a challenge for us."
The two advanced cautiously, occasionally dealing with a few oblivious long-tongued lizards, and smoothly entered the fourth floor.
The air around them suddenly became dry, and the temperature rose significantly.
[Dungeon First Day Quest Triggered]
[Kill 40 Kobolds (0/40)]
[Reward: Mysterious Key x1]
"Finally, a quest. So the monsters on this floor are kobolds…"
Ying Ping narrowed his eyes, his Hawk Eye skill easily detecting the figures hiding behind a distant rock wall, "Kokkoro, prepare for battle."
As soon as he finished speaking, three kobolds leaped out from behind the rocks.
They had coarse, yellowish-brown skin, sharp fangs exposed, and their bodies were as tall as adult men.
"Roar—!"
The leading kobold let out a piercing howl and charged forward, swinging its sharp claws.
"Too weak."
Ying Ping's lips curved slightly, and his figure flickered.
"Shadow Step!"
His figure instantly vanished from its original spot, appearing behind the kobold the next moment.
"Splat!!"
The steel longsword cut a silver arc, and the kobold's head flew high into the air.
[Killed Kobold (1/40)]
[Gained 10 experience points]
Seeing this, the other two kobolds angrily pounced on Kokkoro.
The loli elf remained calm, lightly tapping her staff-spear on the ground:
"Holy Light Barrier!"
A translucent barrier of light blocked her, and the kobolds crashed into it with dull thuds.
"Nice, Kokkoro!"
Ying Ping seized the opportunity to attack from the side, cleanly dispatching them.
"Bang!"
The remaining two kobolds also turned to dust, dropping magic stones on the ground.
"Good teamwork, we're getting more and more in sync."
Ying Ping gave Kokkoro a thumbs-up.
Kokkoro nodded happily: "It's all thanks to Master's good command."
"Sure enough, kobolds provide much more experience, twice as much as lizards."
After checking his experience progress bar, Ying Ping showed a pleased expression.
The subsequent battles went even more smoothly.
Ying Ping used Shadow Step to move stealthily across the battlefield, and with Eagle Eye's dynamic vision, the hobgoblins' movements appeared to him as if in slow motion.
Kokoloo, on the other hand, served as a supporter, assisting and collecting magic stones, and their tacit cooperation greatly improved the efficiency of their killing.
[Killed Hobgoblin (20/40)]
When the twentieth hobgoblin fell, Ying Ping suddenly noticed strange marks on the ground: "Is this... a trap?"
He squatted down, and his Eagle Eye ability allowed him to easily identify the cleverly disguised snares and spikes.
If he hadn't discovered them in advance, an ordinary adventurer would likely have fallen victim.
"Master, are these... set by the hobgoblins?"
Kokoloo squatted on the ground, hugging her knees, and asked with great confusion.
"No, these should be traps set by humans."
"Kokoloo, it seems we need to be even more careful."
"Whether it's monsters or human adventurers, we need to pay extra attention."
Ying Ping took a sip from his flask, "In the dungeon, you must never be careless or negligent."
Kokoloo nodded, and her elven ears suddenly perked up: "Master, it seems a big one is coming..."
The ground began to shake, and a giant figure, three meters tall, appeared at the end of the passage.
It was a gigantic hobgoblin wearing crude armor, its greatsword glinting with a cold light.
[Encountered Heretic Hobgoblin Chieftain, Level LV2+]
[Traits: Berserk, High Durability]
"High durability, huh?"
Ying Ping grinned, "Kokoloo, get all buffs ready for me!"
"Oh, Holy Light, protect my Master."
"Aurora Burst!"
Kokoloo obeyed, and the crystal on her staff-spear emitted a dazzling green light, as the Song of Courage and Elf's Blessing were simultaneously bestowed upon Ying Ping.
Ying Ping took a deep breath, feeling as light as a swallow, and simultaneously activated three more skills.
He charged towards the Heretic Hobgoblin with his longsword, roaring, "Die!"
"Puff!!!"
The red sword light struck down like thunder, and the Hobgoblin Chieftain was split in half from head to toe before it even had time to raise its axe.
"Bang!!"
Black ashes flashed, and a larger magic stone, as well as a special drop item, appeared on the ground.
[Killed Heretic Hobgoblin Chieftain]
[Reward: 100 Experience Points]
[Obtained: Fine Steel Bracers (Excellent)]
[Special Kill Reward: Strength +5, Agility +3, Dexterity +3, Durability +3]
Ying Ping immediately checked the drops and found that the bracers fit him perfectly.
[Fine Steel Bracers (Excellent) Effect: Grants wearer Durability +5]
"Good equipment."
Ying Ping saw that this item could increase his stats and immediately put on the Fine Steel Bracers without hesitation.
Kokoloo trotted over, her eyes full of admiration: "Master, that last strike was so cool!"
"Not at all, it was thanks to Kokoloo's magic support."
Ying Ping smiled and ruffled her hair, "Let's continue cautiously. It's still a long time before sunset."
Time passed minute by minute, and they finally killed the fortieth hobgoblin.
As the last monster fell, a uniquely shaped bronze key appeared out of thin air in Ying Ping's hand.
The system prompt sounded again:
[Quest Completed]
[Killed Hobgoblin (40/40)]
[Reward: Mysterious Key x1]
A simple, ancient bronze key appeared in Ying Ping's hand, with strange runes carved on its hilt.
[Mysterious Key: Can unlock a special trial, recommended level LV5.]
"Interesting..."
Ying Ping carefully examined the key, muttering to himself: "A special trial for LV5?"
Kokoloo curiously leaned in: "Master, what is this?"
"A special item."
Ying Ping put away the key, "I'll study it when we get back. Kokoloo, let's push a little harder, I'm about to level up."
Kokoloo immediately showed an excited expression, smiling and nodding: "Yes, I will do my best to assist Master!"