Chapter 55: Rewards II

Liam nodded.

"Come here. I’ll help you max out your new skills."

Miriel immediately smiled.

"Can you do it right now?"

"Of course. It won’t take long."

"Then I’ll leave it to you."

She stepped closer and opened her skill list.

Liam started with the three newly acquired Epic-Rank skills.

[Target Skill: Arcane Sword Projection]

[Current Level: 1]

[Skill Level Increased!]

[Arcane Sword Projection — Lv.10 MAX]

A faint golden light enveloped Miriel before quickly fading away.

Liam moved on to the next skill.

[Target Skill: Arcane Sword Manifestation]

[Current Level: 1]

[Skill Level Increased!]

[Arcane Sword Manifestation — Lv.10 MAX]

He then selected the final Epic-Rank skill.

[Target Skill: Arcane Sword Amplification]

[Current Level: 1]

[Skill Level Increased!]

[Arcane Sword Amplification — Lv.10 MAX]

With the three Epic-Rank skills upgraded, Liam turned his attention to the three skills she had obtained through random upgrades.

[Target Skill: Advanced Swordsmanship]

[Current Level: 1]

[Skill Level Increased!]

[Advanced Swordsmanship — Lv.10 MAX]

[Target Skill: Arcane Mana Control]

[Current Level: 1]

[Skill Level Increased!]

[Arcane Mana Control — Lv.10 MAX]

Finally, he selected Arcane Sword Enchantment.

[Target Skill: Arcane Sword Enchantment]

[Current Level: 1]

[Skill Level Increased!]

[Arcane Sword Enchantment — Lv.10 MAX]

In just a few seconds, all six skills had reached their maximum levels.

Miriel stared at the notifications with a surprised expression.

"That was incredibly fast!"

She had expected the upgrades to take at least some time, but Liam had finished everything almost instantly.

"Thank you, Liam. You’ve saved me a lot of time."

"Don’t mention it. It was hardly any trouble."

Liam casually waved his hand.

’Her overall combat ability should have improved considerably. With her evolved class, increased attributes, and max-level skills, she’s already much stronger than an ordinary Tier 2 fighter.’

He took another glance at her status screen.

’Now she just needs some time to familiarize herself with her new abilities.’

Before they could continue their conversation, the trial environment began to dissolve. A moment later, both of them were transported back to Miriel’s room.

Liam glanced around before turning toward her.

"All right. I’ll go complete my own trial now."

Miriel nodded, but just as he was about to leave, Liam seemed to remember something.

"Almost forgot."

He turned toward an empty corner of the room.

"Sylvia, come out."

The next moment, a beautiful woman emerged from Miriel’s shadow.

She had pale skin, long silver hair, and striking red eyes. Her elegant appearance gave her an almost human impression, though the faintly dangerous aura surrounding her made it clear that she wasn’t an ordinary woman.

Sylvia immediately approached Liam and knelt before him.

"Master, you called?"

Miriel looked at the unfamiliar woman in surprise.

’Master?’

Her gaze shifted between Liam and Sylvia before she finally asked, "Who is she? And why was she hiding in my shadow?"

"She’s my familiar. I left her here to protect you while I was away."

Liam briefly introduced her.

"Her name is Sylvia."

Miriel looked at the silver-haired woman again. She hadn’t expected Liam to have another familiar, especially one who looked so much like a human.

"I see. It’s nice to meet you, Sylvia."

She gave her a friendly smile.

"Please make yourself at home. You don’t have to spend all your time hiding in my shadow. You can stay here whenever you want."

Sylvia glanced at Miriel.

’Why is Master taking care of such a frail human woman?’

She couldn’t help wondering about their relationship. However, she kept her thoughts to herself.

"Understood. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miriel."

She gave a polite nod.

Liam watched their brief exchange before speaking.

"You two can get acquainted while I’m away. If anything happens, contact me immediately."

"All right," Miriel replied.

Sylvia also nodded.

Satisfied, Liam opened his system interface.

[Tier Advancement Trial Available]

[Current Tier: 2]

[Next Advancement: Tier 3]

He selected the trial option.

[Would you like to begin your Tier 3 Advancement Trial?]

"Yes."

[Select Difficulty]

[Easy]

[Normal]

[Hard]

[Nightmare]

Without hesitation, Liam selected the highest difficulty.

"Nightmare."

[Difficulty Selected: Nightmare]

[Initiating Tier 3 Advancement Trial...]

[Searching for a suitable trial scenario...]

Liam waited patiently as the system processed his selection.

’Let’s see what kind of trial I’ll get this time.’

A few seconds later, several notifications appeared before him.

[Trial Scenario Found]

[Name: Lesser Flame Demon Abode]

[Difficulty: Nightmare]

[Recommended Strength: Peak Tier 3]

Liam raised an eyebrow.

’Another dungeon?’

Before he could examine the information any further, his surroundings began to distort.

In the next instant, he found himself standing inside a vast underground cave.

Rough stone walls stretched in every direction, while several passages extended deeper into the underground complex. However, this didn’t appear to be an entirely natural cave.

There were crude stone structures built along the walls, uneven platforms, and what seemed to be primitive buildings scattered throughout the area. Although their construction was rather rough, they clearly showed signs of deliberate planning.

Liam took a moment to examine his surroundings.

"Another dungeon. It seems humans and monsters really do get entirely different trials."

He walked forward, studying the strange structures.

’The Lesser Flame Demon Abode, huh?’

Judging by the name, he could already guess what kind of creatures inhabited this place.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Let’s just get this over with."

There was little point in wasting time. The system had recommended Peak Tier 3 strength, which meant the strongest creatures in this dungeon were probably around that level.

Considering his current abilities, they shouldn’t pose much of a challenge.

Liam casually chose one of the nearby passageways and began walking deeper into the dungeon.

The surroundings were surprisingly quiet. He couldn’t hear any footsteps or voices, and the only noticeable change was the gradual increase in temperature as he ventured further inside.

’The flame demons should be somewhere deeper in.’

He continued forward, keeping his senses spread across the surrounding area.

A few minutes later, he finally spotted some movement.

Several small creatures were gathered near one of the crude stone buildings. They had roughly humanoid bodies covered in dark red scales, with sharp claws, pointed ears, and glowing orange eyes. Small flames flickered across their shoulders and backs, giving off a faint heat.

Liam slowed down and observed them from a distance.

’Flame Imps?’

The creatures hadn’t noticed his presence yet.

Rather than approaching immediately, Liam casually opened his system interface and examined their information.