Chapter 238: Adjusting to the Middle Floors

"So strong! Is this how Bell-kun fights in the Dungeon?"

Hestia stared intently at the image projected in front of her. Her gaze never left Bell for a single moment.

"He's taken Lightning Command to such a level... Using lightning to transform himself and reach speeds on par with gods—that's an impressive technique."

Hephaestus, watching Bell's fighting style on the screen, couldn't help but admire it.

Even in Tenkai, that kind of speed was rare. Aside from a few gods known for their speed, like Hermes, most deities couldn't reach that level of lightning manipulation or movement.

"To wield Authority to this extent... Bell really is an exceptionally gifted child."

"Hmph~ Of course! My Bell-kun is the best there is."

Hephaestus paid no mind to Hestia's smugness. Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on the child within the projection.

"But where did he get those two weapons?"

The extra long sword and short dagger looked unfamiliar, yet their quality was clearly high.

Even through the projection, Hephaestus could easily tell that both were at least First-class weapons.

"Well, Bell-kun did manage to stumble upon a Grimoire in the Dungeon, so it's not all that surprising that he'd run into other rare things."

Hestia had long suspected something, but ever since Bell-kun brought back a Grimoire from the Dungeon, she'd stopped trying to make sense of it all.

"Huh? He found a Grimoire in the Dungeon too?"

Hephaestus looked genuinely stunned.

"Yeah, Bell-kun brought one back last time."

Hestia couldn't help but feel a little helpless. It didn't align at all with what she knew about the Dungeon.

But considering Bell-kun himself was the most illogical factor, anything that didn't make sense elsewhere made perfect sense with him.

"I think it's Bell-kun's luck at work. After all, no one ever said there weren't treasures like Grimoires hidden deep in the Dungeon."

"That's... true."

For a moment, Hephaestus had no argument.

While it was true the Dungeon occasionally dropped rare materials or treasures, most of those were just materials. Grimoires were far too rare to be the sort of thing you'd expect to find there.

Still, "unlikely" didn't mean "impossible."

Thinking about Bell's "Heaven's Luck" skill, Hephaestus felt that this kind of outcome made perfect sense for him. From the very beginning, Bell had proven that his skill could influence even the Dungeon itself.

Given that, the idea of Bell finding a Grimoire or even First-class weapons didn't seem so far-fetched.

At the very least, it was more reasonable than triggering a Dungeon riot.

"Look! Bell-kun just entered the 13th floor."

...

Descending the stairs from the 12th floor, Bell continued forward.

After reaching the bottom, the layout of the 13th floor quickly came into view.

It looked like a massive limestone cavern, with sharp stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stone pillars stretching from the floor to the ceiling. The central ones were thinner, as if worn down by water erosion.

But the air didn't feel the least bit humid. In fact, it was strangely dry.

'So were these pillars shaped by the wind instead?'

Bell wasn't unfamiliar with this.

"Awwooo!"

The distant howl of a wolf was the first sound to reach Bell's ears.

Because this floor was structured like a limestone cavern, every sound bounced between the stone pillars and the ceiling in this narrow space. Even distant noises rang out clearly across the entire area.

Likewise, if adventurers didn't control the sound of their footsteps, they'd quickly attract the attention of the wolves and rabbits lurking here.

'Then, let's start with this.'

Bell pulled a chunk of raw meat from his four-dimensional space and hurled it hard at a nearby stalagmite.

Smack!

The sharp sound echoed across the thirteenth floor.

Bell, suppressing his presence, waited silently nearby.

Soon, four wolves the size of tigers came padding over, staring suspiciously at the raw meat that had slid down the side of the stalagmite.

"Huh?"

The wolves glanced at one another, momentarily unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, a flash of cold light streaked through the air!

The wolves instinctively sensed danger and leapt away—but two of them were still decapitated in a single swing.

"Awooo... chirp!"

The remaining two wolves immediately tried to howl for reinforcements, but before they could even finish, a blade sliced cleanly across their magic stones.

A single sound followed.

Crack!

The magic stones shattered, and the two wolves instantly lost all signs of life. Their bodies crumbled into piles of white ash.

Only after completing all this did Bell release his hidden presence.

'The flesh of mid-floor monsters is clearly tougher than those on the upper floors, and their movements are more agile too.'

If they had been upper-floor monsters, Bell could've decapitated all four in one swing. But that first strike only took down two. The difference in power was staggering.

'So this is the gap between Lv.2 and Lv.1 monsters.'

The difference in base stats was obvious.

Bell began quickly adjusting his stance and rhythm. That first failed strike had been because he swung with the same speed he'd used on the upper floors. If he had just been a bit faster, that one attack would've been enough.

'No wonder they say the middle and upper floors are like night and day. The feel of the monsters is completely different. Adventurers used to the upper floors definitely won't be able to adapt quickly to the middle levels.'

That lack of adaptation could be fatal down here.

Adventurers who haven't adjusted their mindset should form parties when diving into the Dungeon. That greatly increases their chances of survival.

Fortunately, Bell's adaptability to new environments was especially strong. As long as he paid attention to the differences, he could quickly adjust to the middle floors.

After all, it wasn't that Bell lacked the strength to take on wolves or rabbits—it was just a matter of managing that power.

'Alright... time to officially begin the adaptation phase.'

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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