"Isn't it good to want to get stronger quickly?"
Ais asked Eiji very seriously.
"Generally speaking, it's a good thing."
Eiji pondered for a moment, organizing his words.
"Becoming stronger requires motivation. Excluding talent, motivation is the most direct factor that affects how fast a person becomes stronger. Strong motivation can push oneself to advance more quickly."
In this regard, Eiji was the same.
He also yearned for strength, which was why he buried himself in the dungeon, engaging in high-intensity battles every day. This allowed him to achieve in four days what would normally take an average person about a month.
"But rushing for success can also leave more obvious flaws."
"Flaws?"
"Yes, flaws in the heart."
Eiji nodded and explained, "Once someone discovers your inner weakness during a battle, your heart will inevitably waver, affecting the speed at which you wield your sword."
In other words, an excessive pursuit of power leads to a lack of mental tempering.
A powerful swordsman must also have a strong heart. No matter what kind of torment they face or how disadvantaged they are, their heart will not easily falter. They will only focus on calculating how to turn defeat into victory.
If one does not practice mental cultivation, they might indeed develop superb combat skills, but once their heart wavers, it's easy for them to collapse.
Is my heart easily shaken?
Ais asked herself.
She didn't know because she had never experienced it before. Most of the enemies she had encountered in the past were crushed by her storm-like attacks.
"How does one practice mental cultivation?"
Ais continued to ask, like a diligent student seeking knowledge.
"Zazen, or meditation... it's all the same."
Eiji recommended directly.
When he first started practicing swordsmanship, his master, the God of War Torajirou Nangou, had also required Eiji to practice mental cultivation, simply put, to sit in zazen.
However, with his unreasonable talent, he achieved success in just ten to fifteen days and entered the mental state of "still water, clear mirror."
Now, he followed his master's teachings and passed them on to Ais.
"Meditation... I see. Thank you."
Ais pondered for a while, then thanked Eiji sincerely.
"It's nothing. You practice first, I'm leaving."
Eiji waved his hand indifferently, then left the courtyard and headed towards the bathhouse.
Ais watched his back until it completely disappeared from sight before slowly retracting her gaze.
She let out a soft sigh of relief.
Today was the first time she greeted him, and thankfully, it went well.
***
Breakfast ended.
Eiji packed his luggage into a large backpack and waited at the entrance of the Familia.
He was wearing a set of black, easy-to-move-in attire, with silver light armour on his chest, shoulders, elbows, and legs. He looked very dashing.
Soon, two figures walked out together and came to Eiji.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Both were undoubtedly beautiful girls.
One of them was the golden-haired elf he had met yesterday. She was dressed the same as yesterday, in a pink corseted long dress paired with a red shawl and white suspender stockings, looking very pure and cute.
She held a radiant magic wand in her hand and also carried a backpack on her back. When facing Eiji, she still seemed a bit reserved.
The other had long black braided hair, wore round glasses, and carried a small waist bag slung over her shoulder. Her gentle features made her very likeable.
Her name was Line Arshe, a Level 2 healer that Tiona had introduced. Her healing magic was quite powerful, and she quickly agreed to join the team after Eiji approached her yesterday.
"I'll be counting on you today."
"Not at all, I didn't have much to do today anyway."
"No, no, I should be the one saying that..."
In response to Eiji's polite greetings, Line smiled while Lefiya hurriedly waved her hands, returning the politeness a hundredfold.
"Let's set off then."
Eiji rallied his spirits.
***
At the entrance of the Tower of Babel.
Eiji put on his cloak and, together with Line and Lefiya, entered the dungeon entrance under the gaze of nearby adventurers.
"Is that the Loki Familia's 'Thousand Elf'? And the 'Lokolite' next to her?"
"Are they going in as a team to explore?"
"Anyway, let's not provoke them."
The two beautiful girls seemed to have some level of fame. Just being recognized made the surrounding adventurers keep their distance.
When exploring the dungeon, to avoid conflicts, different Familias would not easily interact unless they encountered danger, as it could easily lead to opposition between Familias.
In fact, a Familia was really like a family. Whether it was forming teams or exploring the dungeon, it was almost always done with members of the same Familia.
Even when it came to love and marriage, people generally chose partners within their Familia because if people from different Familias married, it would be a headache to decide which Familia their children would belong to.
Therefore, in Orario, Familia companions were undoubtedly the most united relationships.
"Wait a moment, before we start exploring, let's confirm our roles."
Seeing that Eiji and Lefiya were about to enter the dungeon, Line quickly called out to them.
"Roles?"
Eiji turned around and looked at her in confusion.
"That's right."
Line wanted to retort, asking what else he thought forming a team was for, but she decided against it.
"We are a team of three, the smallest team formation, so we only have three positions: vanguard, middle guard, and rear guard. Relatively speaking, the vanguard will encounter more monsters, but the middle guard has to support the vanguard and take care of the rear guard, so the pressure is greater. The rear guard is the most relaxed..."
"Then I'll be the vanguard!"
Eiji said without hesitation.
"Well, you're the only swordsman in our team, so you'll have to be the vanguard."
Line seemed very experienced. She thought for a moment, then looked at the orange-haired elf girl beside her.
"Then, Lefiya, how about you take the middle guard position? After all, your level is the highest."
Actually, a mage was most suited for the rear guard position, but the team needed a vanguard with strong close combat abilities, so this task had to fall on Lefiya.
Compared to Line, Lefiya's level was higher, so her physical abilities were definitely stronger.
With Level 3 physical abilities, facing monsters with a threat level of at most 2 should be relatively easy, at least more suitable than a healer like her.
"Understood!"
Lefiya raised her magic wand, her expression serious and determined.
"I'll make good use of this wand's power!"
Eiji looked at Lefiya and couldn't help but fall into thought.
Her demeanour seemed less about making good use of the wand's power and more about making good use of her staff techniques.
However, since Riveria had allowed her to come, it meant that the difficulty around the 13th floor shouldn't be too much for them, so there was no need to worry too much.
"Let's go!"
***
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