Naturally, Leon had no way of knowing what Tione was thinking at this moment.
All he knew was that he was thoroughly enjoying the battle right now.
The swordsmanship taught by Ais and the combat philosophy and tactical principles taught by Finn were being gradually applied by him over the course of real combat. They were even starting to blend together seamlessly, forming a combat style that belonged uniquely to him. This made Leon feel as though his entire body had truly come alive, fighting with increasing exhilaration and fluidity.
He no longer constrained himself to rigid, individual moves, nor did he deploy predefined combinations. Instead, he struck exactly how he pleased and unleashed whichever technique he felt like using. Although it appeared somewhat chaotic at the very beginning, his body adapted to this rhythm with astonishing speed as the fighting progressed, causing his style to completely stabilize.
By the latter half of the engagement, Leon felt as though he didn't even need to process thoughts anymore. His body naturally reacted to the enemies' offensives—either parrying, dodging, or simply launching a counterattack, striking them down before their blades could even touch him. The execution was flawlessly smooth.
Every single one of his movements appeared increasingly natural.
Every single one of his techniques appeared increasingly agile.
One movement leading into the next, one technique flowing into another—over time, even the briefest pauses between them vanished. A movement or a technique would be executed and instantly link into the next, fully igniting his physical strength and endurance without leaving the slightest opening.
"This is what real combat feels like."
Leon became deeper and deeper immersed in his physical activity and the cadence of the battle.
By the time he came to a halt, all the Minotaurs had been entirely wiped out, leaving behind nothing but a field covered in magic stones and dropped items.
Around him, the girls had gathered at some unknown point, all staring at him with highly peculiar expressions that made him feel rather self-conscious.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Leon couldn't help but ask out loud.
The girls remained silent, merely exchanging glances with one another.
"You seem to have become a bit different from before, Leon."
Tiona was the first to break the silence, unable to keep quiet any longer.
"Different in what way?"
Leon's heart stirred, but he refrained from revealing anything, simply countering with a question of his own.
"Didn't you notice it yourself?" Tione spoke with a trace of inexplicable displeasure. "Your movements are on a completely different level compared to before."
"Yes, exactly!" Tiona nodded repeatedly, chiming in, "It's not that your basic abilities have gotten stronger, but rather that something more fundamental has changed."
Tiona didn't know how to articulate it properly, so she simply blurted out the thoughts in her mind.
Ais, who had been watching him silently, summarized it in a single sentence.
"Aside from your Level, you have grown stronger in other areas as well."
As for what areas those were, it was a matter of personal interpretation.
In any case, it certainly wasn't a matter of simple technique. It encompassed his mental state, mindset, philosophy, and various other dimensions—otherwise, Leon wouldn't have experienced that profound realization just now.
Leon didn't deny it either.
"It really is different." Leon looked down at his hand gripping the Dragon-fang Sword. As he slowly tightened his fist, he smiled and said, "It feels as though I've broken free from some sort of cage, finally understanding the true meaning of strength and combat."
This was the greatest transformation Finn's guidance had brought him—not merely growth in raw technique, but an advancement in his core philosophy.
The girls observed Leon's unhidden, joyful smile, each harboring different thoughts.
Tiona and Tione found this person truly terrifying; his rate of growth was becoming faster and faster, reaching increasingly unimaginable heights.
Ais merely experienced a sense of melancholy and envy, as though watching her own child gradually become independent and no longer needing to rely on her.
As for Lefiya—
"—How deceitful."
Yes, she simply found this man too deceitful. He always underwent a transformation whenever she wasn't paying attention; every single time she gathered her courage to furiously chase after him, she would find herself left far behind in the blink of an eye, cruelly reminding her of the massive gap between them.
This left a rather unpleasant taste in Lefiya's mouth.
"This area is cleared. Let's keep moving forward."
Leon paid no heed to the complex emotions of the girls. He called out to the group and continued walking forward.
Seeing this, the others suppressed their emotions and followed suit.
Traversing the wide caverns and eliminating numerous monsters, the party of five gradually reached the deepest section of the 17th floor, arriving before that familiar, cavernous chamber.
That was the end of the 17th floor, the location of the passage leading down to the 18th floor, and simultaneously the room of the Floor Boss, Goliath.
Stepping into this place once more, Leon was able to maintain perfect composure.
Although he had once engaged in a life-and-death struggle against the Floor Boss known as the "Monster Rex" here, he had only been a Level 2 at that time. Now, he was already a Level 4, and he had passed through here during the expedition as well. Thus, returning to this chamber did not stir any special sentiments within him.
The primary reason was that upon arriving this time, he didn't encounter that colossal figure blocking the path of adventurers. Instead, a large number of regular monsters native to the 17th floor were roaming aimlessly around the area.
"The Floor Boss isn't here." Tiona noted the scene and whispered, "Has it already been defeated?"
Goliath, the Floor Boss of the 17th floor, possessed the shortest respawn interval among all Floor Bosses, requiring a mere two weeks.
It had been roughly a month since Leon had single-handedly defeated Goliath.
In other words, Goliath could have respawned at least twice during this period. Even if they had run into it here today, it wouldn't have been surprising.
But whether it was a stroke of fortune or misfortune, Goliath's silhouette was absent from the chamber at the end of the 17th floor. Instead, the area was occupied by a pack of wandering wild monsters, which indicated that the Floor Boss had already been subjugated and had re-entered its respawn cooling period.
"Well, unlike the ones further down, the floor Goliath resides on is too close to the upper levels. Any Level 2 adventurer will eventually reach this floor wanting to press onward. Since that's the case, its presence right here is far too obstructive."
Tione spoke with a lack of interest, explaining to everyone that Goliath generally died for one reason only: causing a traffic jam.
Adventurers wanting to go down needed to defeat it, adventurers wanting to go up needed to defeat it, and even those crooked merchants running businesses in the town of Rivira on the 18th floor constantly worried that its presence here would scare off their customers and hinder their profits. Therefore, the adventurers in that town would regularly form raiding parties to come and subjugate this Floor Boss, opening a convenient gateway for those passing through.
That meant not running into this Floor Boss was actually the most normal outcome.
Leon, however, felt a bit disappointed.
"I was hoping to use it to practice my skills a bit more."
The current Leon finally possessed the qualifications to make such a statement.
"—How arrogant."
A certain Elven girl grumbled under her breath with a trace of indignation.
Using a Floor Boss to practice your skills?
Look at you go!
Lefiya was envious, but Lefiya wasn't going to say it out loud.
In any case, with her current strength, she certainly wasn't in a position to make such a claim.
Ais, without uttering a single word, drew her sword and charged straight into the massive chamber that lacked its master, hacking into the monsters before they could even formulate a proper reaction.
Leon and Tiona quickly joined the fray, while Tione remained at the rear to keep guard, working alongside Lefiya as supporters to gather the magic stones and items dropped on the ground and pack them into their bags.
Before long, the skirmish concluded smoothly. The group advanced to the deepest part of the large chamber, entered the tunnel opening in the wall, and made their way down to the next floor.
"Excellent! We've reached the 18th floor!"
Arriving on the safe floor where monsters did not spawn, Tiona immediately cast aside all her complicated thoughts and let out a cheer.
The expressions of the others relaxed as well.
The pleasant light filtering down from above bathed the group. Although it lacked the warmth of genuine sunlight on the surface, the gentle radiance and fresh air still brought a sense of tranquility, causing them to unconsciously relax their bodies and release their tension.
"What should we do next?"
This beautiful scenery allowed Lefiya, who had been muttering to herself, to finally regain her composure. A youthful yet beautiful smile bloomed on her face, her tone carrying a hint of excitement.
"Yeah, are we going straight down to the 19th floor?"
Tiona looked over at Leon as well.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, this small party was being led by Leon, much like their previous journey to the 51st floor.
After all, he was the original initiator of this venture.
The rest of them could be considered as having joined the party Leon assembled, so they naturally deferred to his arrangements.
"What are your thoughts?" Leon didn't make an immediate decision, choosing instead to consult everyone's opinions. "Do we need to take a break?"
If he were entirely on his own, he would certainly lean toward heading straight down to the 19th floor.
Sprinting all the way from the surface to the 18th floor wasn't completely without exertion, but it was hardly exhausting enough to leave them stranded. Furthermore, only half a day had passed, meaning it was likely around noon on the surface and still far from nightfall. Naturally, Leon wanted to keep pressing downward.
Unfortunately, he wasn't alone right now; he had to factor in the preferences of the others.
"We should probably deal with the loot first." Tione frowned, gesturing toward the backpacks on her and Lefiya's shoulders. "We've gathered quite a few magic stones and dropped items along the way. We need to sell this loot first, otherwise our luggage will be completely overflowing once we hit the lower floors."
The moment those words were uttered, Tiona's face instantly slumped.
"We have to go to those rip-off shops and get fleeced again? How annoying!"
The little angel practically had her resistance written all over her face.
"Stop whining, I don't want to go either, but we have no choice. Otherwise, how are we supposed to manage the lower floors?"
Tione looked thoroughly displeased as well, which went to show just how deeply unpopular the rip-off shops and dishonest merchants in the town of Rivira truly were.
Seeing Leon manifest a look of curiosity, Ais softly offered a remark.
"You haven't been to that town yet, right?"
Hearing this, Leon nodded.
"I've only been to the Dungeon safety points three times; this is my fourth."
The first time was over a year ago when he had just arrived in this world; at that time, he had merely followed Ais upward and hadn't veered toward the town.
The second time was during the forced march of the previous expedition; back then, he had been entirely occupied with accompanying Ais to the forest to reminisce about the past, and upon returning, he had immediately joined the main expeditionary force heading down into the 19th floor, leaving zero opportunity to visit the town.
The third time was during the return journey after the expedition concluded, where they had only rested here briefly before continuing their ascent back to the surface.
Therefore, this was indeed Leon's fourth time setting foot on the 18th floor, but he had never once had the opportunity to visit the town of Rivira itself.
"Let's go take a look together."
Ais knew Leon hadn't been there, and seeing his curiosity, she made the suggestion.
"Alright."
Leon smiled and offered Ais a nod.
Lefiya naturally had no objections either, continuing to follow closely behind Ais like a well-behaved sidekick.
Once the group confirmed their destination, they emerged from the southern forest and headed toward the west.
A brilliant blue lake sat in that direction, with a massive island floating upon its waters. After crossing a makeshift bridge constructed from large logs spanning the lakeshore, Leon's group arrived on the island and made their way toward its highest point.
The town of Rivira was established near the summit of the island, situated on the eastern side facing the lake. It sat atop a precipitous cliff that stood at least two hundred meters high, completely encircled by defensive walls constructed from crystals and rocky terrain. Massive boulders could be seen strewn about at random—boulders that were clearly thick and high, intended to serve as barriers against monster assaults.
The town as a whole possessed no striking architectural merits whatsoever. Instead, it was visibly dilapidated and ancient. Nearly all the structures were crudely assembled from timber. The entrance featured an archway constructed from wooden pillars and banners, bearing the inscription "Town of Rivira (334)," causing Leon and his companions to pause their steps.
"That number, '334'..."
Lefiya manifested a somewhat delicate expression.
"That is, of course, the number of times the town of Rivira has been rebuilt since its original construction."
Tione replied with a twitch of her lips.
Even though this was a safe floor where monsters did not spawn natively, as had been mentioned before, it didn't mean monsters were entirely absent. Certain creatures would wander up from the lower floors or descend from the upper floors. Coupled with abnormal situations that could arise at any given moment, this solitary town established on this floor inevitably fell victim to assaults.
The dishonest merchants here were exceptionally shrewd. The moment they detected a crisis, they would immediately abandon the town and flee, returning to rebuild and resume their businesses once everything concluded, completely unfazed.
Since it was merely a primitive town crudely assembled from timber and lacked any civilian inhabitants, it could easily be rebuilt even if it were utterly obliterated, resulting in virtually zero structural losses. Naturally, these cunning merchants wouldn't mount a desperate defense here, leading to the town being destroyed three hundred and thirty-three times. The current structure standing before them was the three hundred and thirty-fourth generation of the town of Rivira.
Stepping through the archway, the group encountered numerous tents, small wooden shacks, and vendor-style stalls. These storefronts and stalls were erected along the sloping cliffside in overlapping layers—all low-cost structures designed for easy town reconstruction. Virtually none of them could be dignified with the title of a proper building. Calling this place a town was actually a massive overstatement; Leon preferred to view it as a primitive wilderness outpost. Only the surrounding growth of white and blue crystals added a touch of resplendent beauty to the area, which, when combined with the blue waters of the lake and the gorgeous scenery of the floor, kept it from being completely eyesore.
Naturally, the arrival of Leon and his companions drew the attention of quite a few onlookers.
"Isn't that the Loki Familia?"
Many individuals turned their gazes toward them.