Morning, Glenbagen Family, Dark Guard Dormitory Area.

Harriman, who had already woken up, saw that the sun was out, and Liens and Ben were still not awake, so he volunteered to take on the task of waking them up.

He first woke up Ben, then walked to Liens's bed, ready to wake him up.

"Wake up, Liens, wake up quickly... The sun's already shining on your butt, and you're still sleeping."

Harriman said, reaching out to pat Liens awake.

And then...

"Clang!"

Liens, who had been lying flat on the bed, suddenly sat up, simultaneously drawing the longsword in his hand.

The longsword swung, instantly attacking Harriman, seemingly about to cut down the unprepared him.

However, this sword strike ultimately did not proceed.

Because Liens woke up...

Liens opened his eyes, stopped his attack, withdrew his longsword, and reinserted it into its scabbard.

"Sorry, sorry... Harriman, I had a nightmare, and I overreacted a bit."

"I'm truly sorry... My behavior just now didn't scare you, did it?"

With a very apologetic expression, Liens apologized to Harriman, whose face was a bit pale.

"Haha... It's fine, haha, it's no big deal, how could I be scared."

"However, Liens, aren't you afraid of accidentally hurting yourself with the sword if you sleep with it on the bed?"

Harriman laughed it off, changing the subject.

How could he admit that he was scared? What kind of boss would he be then?

"I've always lacked a sense of security since I was young, especially when I've just arrived in a new place, even more so."

"So, I sleep with my weapon; only then can I fall asleep."

Liens responded earnestly to Harriman.

"Is that so... That habit of yours isn't good, it's too dangerous."

"No matter what, longswords are too sharp; what if you accidentally draw it out while sleeping and cut yourself?"

"So, if possible, why don't you change your habit?"

Harriman advised Liens with a concerned expression.

"Hmm, it's fine, I have good sleeping posture; I won't move around."

"Mainly, it's because I just arrived here and lack a sense of security; it'll be fine in a few days. By then, maybe I won't sleep with a sword on the bed anymore."

Liens casually brushed off Harriman's concern.

"Haha... That's good."

"Oh, right, I came to wake you up. Since you're awake, get up. The sun's already out."

Harriman smiled, seemingly having forgotten the unexpected incident just now.

After speaking, he turned and quickly left Liens's bedside, his steps hurried, clearly not as unconcerned as he claimed.

Liens watched Harriman's receding figure, pondering what had just happened.

Clearly, it must have been the "Sword Tendency" at play.

Without his own approval, anyone or anything approaching him would be deemed to have hostile intent, and his body's instinct would retaliate.

And the moment his body changed, he would wake up from the instance and regain control of his body.

With such a 'combo,' the safety of his body when he entered the instance would be significantly guaranteed.

He finally didn't have to worry about being ambushed while he was 'asleep.'

"The reaction time just now was still a bit slow; I almost killed Harriman."

"However, it's normal to be a bit slow to react when instantly returning from a battlefield of intense fighting to a peaceful dormitory."

Liens thought to himself.

He wasn't genuinely apologetic towards Harriman; as someone who considered himself a scoundrel, he wouldn't feel any psychological burden because of it.

What he cared about was his reaction time when regaining control of his body.

In a truly critical moment, every second is precious.

What if that slight difference in reaction time caused him to be killed?

Therefore, Liens cared deeply about this and decided he must train his reaction speed in this regard.

He aimed for a seamless, delay-free transition between the instance and reality.

Speaking of which, to test whether his idea could be achieved?

Last night, before entering the instance, Liens had specifically reminded Ben not to wake him up.

As for who would end up being the test subject, as long as it wasn't Ben, he didn't care.

Even if no one woke him up in the end, he could change the time and place and restart the test.

Anyway, there were many opportunities; he wasn't afraid of not finding one.

...

"Is that why you told me not to wake you up last night?"

Ben had also witnessed what had just happened, so after Harriman left the dormitory, he stepped forward and quietly asked Liens.

"Hmm... Yes."

Since the test was successful, Liens didn't intend to hide it from Ben anymore, so he nodded in affirmation.

"I remember I don't think I've ever told you about the different levels of Sword Tendency."

"Coincidentally, let me take this opportunity to explain it to you properly."

"Perhaps, after understanding the path ahead, you too might have a chance to advance further in Sword Tendency."

"Currently, the two levels of Sword Tendency I know are, first, Sword Tendency, and second, Sword Style." Help us out by reading on *.

"As for whether there are higher levels of Sword Tendency existence beyond that, I'm not sure."

"First is Sword Tendency, which is the realm you are currently in. The characteristic of this stage is that your personality influences your Sword Tendency, meaning you use your sword differently."

"Just like your Sword Tendency, you like to overpower others with strength; Alger likes to continuously and quickly slash."

"And this... is your respective Sword Tendency."

Liens paused for a moment, giving Ben some time to think, then continued.

"Then there's Sword Style, which is the stage I'm currently in."

"The characteristic of this stage is that Sword Tendency is integrated into the body's instincts, meaning reactions are faster and sword usage is more fluid."

"Of course, each Sword Style should have its own unique characteristics, which I won't elaborate on."

"I want to keep some privacy, and talking about it would also affect your understanding of your own 'Sword Style.'"

"You just need to know the importance of body instinct and strive in that direction."

"Remember, instinctive Sword Tendency and Sword Tendency instinct are two different things."

"The former is a habit, the latter is a way of thinking."

Liens quietly explained the key points of Sword Tendency to Ben.

Although only the two of them were in the dormitory now, the significance of such knowledge was too great, and Liens didn't want others to hear it.

It wasn't that he was afraid of them learning it, but rather that he didn't want others to know his strength.

If he was constantly guarded against, how could he scheme behind people's backs?

If it weren't for Ben's current dangerous situation, requiring an increase in strength to deal with potential crises.

He wouldn't be telling Ben these things now.

The truth was, besides Sword Tendency, he currently had no other means to help Ben improve his strength.

Liens looked at Ben, who was deep in thought, genuinely hoping he could advance further in Sword Tendency.

However, comprehending one's own "Sword Style" is a very difficult thing.

He also had the experience of the instance and his past accumulation, only then did he have a sudden enlightenment, and then experienced death after death, finally forming his current "Simplicity."

Liens didn't expect Ben to be able to quickly comprehend "Sword Style" like him.

That's unrealistic; Ben doesn't have the conditions, and his accumulation in Sword Tendency isn't enough.

But with a direction to strive for, Sword Tendency should progress faster, which is also a kind of advancement in strength.

"Alright, these things can't be figured out in an instant; there's no rush, you can take your time to think about them later."

"Let's go have breakfast first, and then go check out the warehouse and the Mission Hall."

Liens saw Ben starting to frown, so he interrupted his contemplation and suggested.

Continuing to think wouldn't lead to any conclusions, so it was better to clear his mind first.

Perhaps he would figure it out on his own during his leisure time.

"Okay, what you said is a bit profound; I need some time to slowly think about it."

"Harriman might still be waiting for us outside; let's go meet up with him first."

Ben thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.