"Riveria, you don’t need to get so worked up."
Finn actually felt it was a good thing for Ais to team up with Bell.
"I think Bell has always acted alone. In that sense, he and Ais are quite similar.
He should be able to teach Ais a lot when it cos to operating independently."
That was exactly what made Riveria uneasy.
"I don’t doubt that at all.
Bell has always adventured solo, so he definitely has plenty of combat experience and knowledge about Independent Action. He can teach Ais a great deal about acting on her own. But if Ais learns too much of it, do you really think she’ll still be able to move with the group during expeditions?"
The question left Finn and Gareth without words.
They both knew that once Ais’s strength rose even further, her speed and mobility would separate her from everyone else completely.
Ais had the power to take on dangerous tasks, but the others simply didn’t have the sa level of capability. During group operations, her sheer mobility would make her disappear in an instant.
Her overzealous behavior during expeditions wasn’t about showing off or seeking attention. She simply wanted to slay more monsters, gain more experience, and raise her Status as quickly as possible.
"We understand why Ais is so driven, but knowing that doesn’t solve anything."
That was exactly what gave Riveria headaches. Just thinking about it made her forehead throb with a dull thump-thump-thump.
"Ais is now learning a lone wolf fighting style from Bell. That might influence her even more."
"And among those..."
"!?"
Riveria suddenly felt her nerves jolt as a faint wave of magic spread through the room.
That inexplicable sense of being watched made her brow tighten.
’Soone’s here.’
She shot a glance at Finn and Gareth.
The three veterans understood each other instantly. Finn and Gareth grew alert without a word.
"Zzz—"
The door eased open. Finn and Gareth couldn’t see anyone, but Riveria could already sense magic spreading across the entire area.
The scattered mana left her unable to pinpoint the source or locate the gaze watching them.
It felt like the presence was everywhere within the magic, completely nullifying the sensory ability she was so proud of. She was practically blind.
"Riveria."
A familiar voice echoed from within the faintly shimring mana, startling all three.
Ais suddenly appeared in front of them as if materializing out of thin air.
The trio’s faces twitched involuntarily.
They had just been discussing whether leaving Ais with Bell would cause problems—and in the blink of an eye, the problem had arrived.
Even Finn, dense as he could be at tis, felt the nerves in his forehead pulsing thump-thump-thump.
At this point, he could already see it: Ais might really beco Bell the Second.
"Ais, how did you end up using the sa technique Bell uses?"
Finn reached up to smooth the vein pounding on his forehead as he asked the most crucial question.
"It’s a thod my teacher taught . It’s very effective for avoiding hidden monsters."
Ais answered without a hint of hesitation.
"Oh... is that so?"
Finn’s headache only grew worse. Was this really Ais after Bell’s training?
"Ais, what I’m asking is why you’re still using that technique to hide yourself after coming ho."
Ais froze for a mont, clearly not expecting that question.
"Because my teacher told I must always be aware of my safety. Concealing myself is important... in case soone tries to stab in the back."
Paranoia.
At this mont, Finn could clearly tell that Bell’s lessons had planted an even bigger issue in Ais.
Using this technique at ho... to prevent getting backstabbed?
That reason sounded like a complete joke. Inside Loki Familia, who would dare stab Ais in the back?
To put it bluntly, Finn thought, aside from Bell, who in all of Orario even had the ability to do such a thing?
’She’s practically identical to Bell.’
’Did she really get assimilated in just three months?’
Finn took a deep breath, silently chanting to himself, ’That’s not the point, that’s not the point,’ trying to ntally shove aside the unpleasant revelation.
A stiff smile forced its way onto his face.
"Ais, have you and Bell been in the dungeon together for the entire three months?"
"Yes."
Finn studied Ais carefully. At this mont, she didn’t give off even a trace of her usual sharpness. She felt like a sheathed blade, almost... ordinary.
’Is this change in Ais the result of Bell’s training?’
’Her aura really has shifted. Ais seems... purer.’
He hadn’t seen this change in real combat yet, but Finn could already sense that Ais was starting to move in Bell’s direction...
"You went to deeper floors?"
"Yes. The deepest was the 76th floor."
Good grief. Finn nearly blurted it out loud.
Even their familia’s full expedition only reached the 59th floor. Who would’ve thought that in just three months, Ais had followed Bell all the way to the 76th?
The Dragon’s Vase on the 50th floor was already enough to give them a nightmare—what would the deeper floors even look like?
Gareth’s hand nearly tore out his own beard as he stroked it. Curiosity flickered in his eyes.
"Ais, what are the later floors like? Are there as many monsters as the earlier ones?"
Ais thought for a mont, then lightly shook her head.
"After the 65th floor is a frozen world. Before the 65th, there are many Monsters, and ’Monster Feasts’ happen often. But after the 65th floor, ’Monster Feasts’ no longer occur."
"No more ’Monster Feasts’ after the 65th floor?"
Gareth was genuinely surprised.
"Yes. After the 65th floor, it isn’t a place normal people can survive. Like the ’White Palace,’ huge areas are covered in ice and snow, and the temperature is extrely low at all tis. If you’re even a little careless, your body will fall into hypothermia."
If anyone else said that, it might have sounded like a joke. But coming from Ais’s sowhat chanical tone, it didn’t sound like a joke at all. It sounded like cold fact.
"A world of extre cold... that really is important information."
Exploring deeper floors always required solid intel, but until now Finn had never had any ans of learning about the unknown floors.
"Looks like if we plan to explore the unknown floors next ti, we’ll need to bring proper cold-resistant gear."
"Ais, just how severe is the situation in that frozen world?"
Even Ais didn’t really know how to answer that.
She knew exactly how dangerous that frozen world was—she had felt the bitter cold on her own skin. A mont of carelessness could leave you freezing to the point of unconsciousness, losing all body heat, and before you knew it, you’d fall asleep in the snow and never wake up.
But she couldn’t quantify how severe it was. She wasn’t like Riveria, who could describe things with clear and easy words. All she could offer was her own experience.
"My first near-death experience happened fifteen minutes after entering that frozen world."
"Pff—!"
That answer was intense.
The three present were all stunned by Ais’s blunt response.
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