The first time Welf entered the Dungeon together with Renjiro (Aether), it took less than a day, no, barely half a day, for him to confirm three things.
First: His combat skills were, indeed, amateur at best.
Just watching Razor demonstrate the Steel Fang greatsword style from nearby was enough to greatly benefit him.
Welf realized something crucial,
A greatsword wasn't a weapon to be swung with brute strength alone.
With the body as the pivot, lowering one's center of gravity, rotating with momentum,
The entire body contributed to the force of each strike, not just the arms.
This way, every swing naturally flowed into the next…
The attack became smooth, powerful, and continuous.
And because the force came from technique rather than raw muscle, it saved stamina.
One wouldn't exhaust themselves after only a few exchanges.
Of course, this last advantage didn't really show on a Genshin avatar with infinite stamina.
But Welf had talent, and he grasped the core principles quickly.
After that…
"Three orcs on the right. Oh? And a Hard-Arm Mole too."
"C'mon, I believe in you, Mr. Wielding-a-Greatsword Welf~"
"You're a demon, aren't you!?"
Welf was absolutely certain now, Aether was very black-hearted.
Because once the demonstration phase ended and the practical training began, the bastard simply dismissed Razor.
Then, he himself just stood around with a large backpack, acting as the supporter.
Worse, he sometimes strolled around pulling more monsters over.
Just to "add difficulty."
And under that situation,
"A greatsword isn't just the blade. It has weight. If you smash the flat side into someone's face, it works just fine as a blunt weapon."
"And when monsters get too close, don't stubbornly try to swing. You're strong, uppercut it. Be flexible."
"If that fails, use the pommel to shoulder check and knock them off-balance. It hurts just fine."
"You know low kicks, right? Don't use them on orcs, but they're great on little imps!"
...And on and on~
The guy watching from the sidelines was like Spider-Man encountering Flash Thompson and Deadpool.
He just kept talking.
And unfortunately,
Everything he said was actually useful.
More than that, he always timed the advice right when Welf most needed it.
If someone observed carefully, they would notice Razor wasn't actually gone, he was just clearing the excess monsters nearby.
In other words: The number of monsters around Welf was being precisely controlled.
After about ten minutes…
"Huff…"
Welf swung his Nameless Greatblade once more, cutting down yet another orc, only to collapse to the ground next to its fading corpse.
He had completely run out of strength.
This time, he really hit his limit.
Aether also knew when to stop, so he didn't drag more monsters over to "train mental stress tolerance"…
…Well, psychological stamina.
Meanwhile, not far away, a creature feared by all Lv.1 adventurers, a Young Dragon, tried to approach…
Only to have its skull crushed instantly by Razor's claws.
One strike.
Clean, absolute.
With Razor on overwatch, Renjiro (Aether) approached Welf and took out a grilled meat steak.
Yes, despite him rummaging in his backpack dramatically, the food was obviously taken from the Inventory.
Paimon, hidden and undetectable even to gods, went unseen by Welf entirely.
And thus,
"Come, eat something first. You can't re, cough. I mean, rest a bit and think over what you need to improve."
Aether grabbed Welf by the arm and pulled him upright, handing over the oiled-wrapped steak.
The moment Welf smelled it,
His dead-fish eyes widened instantly.
As he unwrapped the meat, he swallowed unconsciously.
"You live like this in the Dungeon?"
"Heh. Of course."
Aether leaned casually against a pale dead tree, arms crossed, smiling lightly.
"My sister can fight on the battlefield and cook in the kitchen. With her around… life is naturally very comfortable."
Hearing him boast,
"So where is your sister now?"
Welf asked offhandedly.
"Oh, her."
Aether shrugged and pointed downward.
"She went to play on the lower floors."
"Cough, "
Welf almost choked.
"Went to the lower floors… to play?"
Honestly, if this had been said by a first-tier adventurer, he wouldn't have blinked.
But the Twin Stars were only Lv.2.
"You're not worried about her safety?"
Half concerned, half curious, Welf asked.
Aether replied casually:
"Don't worry. Lumine can also use Genshin Descent to call for help."
"And we're always connected by long-distance communication. If anything happens, I'll know immediately."
Hearing that explanation,
"…Sorry. Because of my situation, I feel like I've delayed your expedition."
Welf could tell Aether was only staying because he had promised to train him.
To this,
"I said don't worry about it. You made the Universal Shovel for me these past days. We're even."
Aether knew Welf tended to get awkward over favors, so he smoothly shifted the topic:
"Oh, right. Once you reach Lv.2, if I happen to be too busy, I might need you to help guide a good friend of mine."
"Huh?"
Welf blinked.
"A good friend?"
"Yeah. Known him for a long time."
Aether said with a straight face:
"His name is Higashi Renjiro. He just arrived in Orario. His familia has only one member, him. He'll have trouble finding party members."
"You know how things are in Orario. I'd rather not let him team up with strangers. Too easy to get taken advantage of."
"And soon, Lumine and I may join Loki Familia for an expedition, so I might not be around."
Before he even finished,
"No problem, munch, leave it to me."
Welf raised his thumb proudly.
"I've been looking for teammates anyway. If he's your friend, I'm sure we'll get along."
"Just introduce us when the time comes."
"Hoho… good!"
Aether smiled wide.
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