Three hours later, Bell, who had been sleeping on the ice bed, opened his eyes again.
As he sat up, Bell turned his head—and found Ais, fully dressed, sitting on his bed and staring straight at him without blinking.
What’s with this kid? Bell looked at her, baffled.
He had actually regained awareness earlier when Ais returned, but since he was still ntally exhausted, he hadn’t paid much attention. Who would’ve guessed Ais would just sit there silently, staring at him nonstop?
If he didn’t know for certain she had no other thoughts, he might’ve genuinely been concerned.
"Ais, is there sothing on my face?"
Bell couldn’t help wondering whether sothing was wrong with him.
But Ais shook her head lightly.
"Teacher, I was thinking about the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’."
Huh?
Bell froze the mont he heard the na, his expression turning even stranger.
You were staring at like that... while thinking about the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus?
Is that thing so important?
You sat there for three hours thinking about it?
"Three hours... Teacher, did you not sleep at all?"
Realizing the implication of that exact ti, Ais reacted instantly.
Bell waved his hand.
"I was asleep the whole ti. It’s just my habit. Since I’ve lived in the Dungeon for so long, I’ve gotten used to maintaining Runes awareness of my surroundings even in deep sleep, just to stay safe."
"Oh!"
Ais’s eyes brightened. Being able to stay aware while asleep? What a skill.
But her wandering thoughts quickly returned to the main issue, and the worry on her face didn’t fade.
"Teacher, will you really be okay facing the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’?"
Bell blinked, then finally understood why she had been staring at him so intensely earlier.
Although he was happy she cared about him, there was also a trace of helplessness.
"Ais, next ti you think sothing like that, just say it."
Ais blinked again, then nodded earnestly. Her eyes remained fixed on him, clearly waiting for an answer.
Seeing how much she wanted to know, Bell didn’t disappoint her.
"In terms of raw base attributes, I’m definitely inferior to the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’."
"The Dungeon’s corruption can invert a spirit from the inside, but that sa corruption also strengthens it."
The logic was similar to the common description: being "blackened" triples one’s strength.
Corruption was like unlocking all the hidden chanisms inside a creature’s body. Even previously lacking physical qualities could be dramatically boosted.
This wasn’t re guesswork on Bell’s part. As soone who had mastered "Desire," he possessed the ability to corrupt others—and even temporarily increase their power.
Of course, that kind of enhancent ca with a price.
A price few could endure.
"But that superiority in raw attributes is actually what I want."
"Why?"
"To gain Excelia, of course."
Bell’s matter-of-fact tone left Ais montarily stunned.
Then she recalled how her teacher had arranged her past promotions.
It made sense.
"So Teacher wants the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’ to be stronger, so it can serve as your Excelia for promotion."
"But what if the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’ becos too strong? What if it goes beyond what Teacher planned? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?"
Bell nodded slightly. He didn’t avoid the reality.
"If left unchecked, it would be dangerous. But that’s only if I don’t manage it."
"I fully understand the quality gap between humans and monsters. Naturally, I’m not going to foolishly rush into a head-on clash with the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’ without preparation."
Even the dumbest idiot wouldn’t do sothing so reckless.
Bell acknowledged he excelled in nearly every aspect, with Status values near 2,000 at each level—and Magic and Endurance even surpassing that limit.
But even so, he didn’t believe his raw abilities could compete with a monster’s.
Monsters inherently surpassed adventurers in base strength.
So charging a monster directly would be suicidal.
"That one had part of its soul torn away, and even lost its guardian. It doesn’t even have anyone who can help it gather food. In that state, regaining its lost soul is extrely difficult."
A faint smile tugged at Bell’s lips.
"It wouldn’t be good if he stayed too weak. So, I plan to return his soul to him."
With a snap of his fingers, Bell released the fragnt of the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’s soul.
The ritual last ti had linked this fragnt to the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus, leaving a mark. Once released, the fragnt would naturally follow the mark back.
Perfect timing—it would give the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus so ti to prepare to receive the soul before Bell arrived.
"???"
Ais stared blankly, a row of question marks over her head.
"Teacher... the ’preparation’ you ntioned is returning its soul to it?"
As expected, the girl didn’t get it. Bell rubbed his forehead—he’d better be more straightforward.
"Ais, imagine your soul was torn. You’ve been nurturing the remaining part for a long, long ti, and it still hasn’t healed. Then one day, the torn fragnt suddenly returns. Wouldn’t you be happy?"
"Yes."
"And you’d want to quickly reintegrate that fragnt into your soul, right?"
"Yes."
Guided step-by-step, Ais paused, then understanding dawned.
"So that’s it—Teacher manipulated the soul."
Attacking the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’ from other angles was troubleso, but targeting the torn-off soul fragnt made it incredibly easy.
Ais knew Bell had been holding onto that fragnt all along.
Acting through the fragnt was without doubt the best option.
"But... what if the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’ is smart enough to notice?"
If it’s a trap, wouldn’t avoiding it solve everything?
Even Ais felt she could see through it—would the ’Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus’ really be too blind to?
"No need for him to figure it out—because I never planned to hide it."
"But if it knows why you’re returning the soul, and its soul is still incomplete, can it even fight you?"
"He never had a choice from the start. He has to step right into the trap I set. If he doesn’t seize this chance, he’s finished."
That was why Bell never feared the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus refusing the bait.
As long as it didn’t want to die, it would gamble.
What if?
What if the bicycle turned into a motorcycle?
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