'The story's already past the halfway mark—maybe even further.'
Bell allowed himself to relax in his room, easing the tension from days of non-stop plans and action.
The story had advanced far beyond what he once imagined.
His strength had reached Lv.5. He remembered that, in the light novel, he had only just reached Lv.4 by this point. There had been no mention of a breakthrough to Lv.5 yet.
'My power has surpassed where the story left off… but the sequence of events has deviated drastically.'
'Where will things go from here?'
'Most likely, the central conflict will revolve around a war between Orario, the Evilus, and the Corrupted Spirits.'
It wasn't hard to understand.
The Corrupted Spirits now aimed to plunge Orario into ruin—just as they had once guided Adventurers to conquer the Dungeon, they had now fallen completely into its clutches.
Bell gave a slight shake of his head.
'This is a global crisis that everyone must face.'
'The path to defeating the Black Dragon is littered with obstacles. Only by clearing them all can we grow strong enough.'
As long as one was strong, any hardship ahead could be transformed into nourishment for growth.
'But from now on, I won't be able to rely on foreknowledge.'
That was a major issue. The road ahead would no longer follow a visible pattern—it would be uncharted, requiring him to feel his way forward.
'So, I have to keep strengthening myself.'
'The collection of the Seven Deadly Sins—I'm not sure how much the skill will help, but gathering them along the way certainly won't hurt.'
Bell had set the course for his next phase of growth.
Reaching Lv.5 was just a way to ensure his personal safety. With the ability to protect himself, he could at least ease Freya-sama's excessive concerns.
But from here on, his progress would mean confronting true global threats.
...
In the Guild's prison, a young girl wearing a white coat and a pristine white top hat stood frowning.
"No good, Airmid?"
Another girl, dressed in light traveling gear, stood nearby. The soft curve of her brows added a gentleness to her otherwise stern face, and her shapely legs shimmered under her shorts.
"No. The poison in this one is extremely unusual. I've used magic, but I still can't purge it completely."
The girl in the top hat was just as intrigued by the assassin's toxin.
"I really don't understand where the poison is being stored in her body."
"There's only a faint trace of it detectable… but her symptoms are worse than any poisoned case I've seen."
"My antidote and healing magic can purge the visible trace of the poison. But once the reaction disappears, it resurfaces within three minutes."
She raised her hand and pointed at the woman's eyes, still glowing faintly.
"The woman's consciousness is intact. Her voice is sealed, but she can feel every spike of pain vividly."
It had taken over a dozen thick leather straps just to hold the woman down to the hospital bed.
Not to restrain her per se—but to keep her body from writhing uncontrollably under the torment.
As for containment... to be frank, restraining a Lv.5 Adventurer wasn't something done lightly. And given her condition, she wasn't worth the trouble of a more sophisticated effort.
"It's honestly a miracle she hasn't lost her mind completely. I think the person who poisoned her must have done something special to keep her this way."
Another girl glanced at the woman strapped to the hospital bed and let out a quiet sigh.
"Looks like we won't be able to question her."
"Too bad… we couldn't get you the answers you were hoping for."
"No, this is already more than enough. Even if the poison were purged from her body, there's no guarantee she'd talk."
She clearly understood just how stubborn the core members of Evilus were.
That stubbornness seemed to be the only thing left.
She already knew who was behind this, so despite the circumstances, she wasn't disappointed. Watching the Evilus assassin "Arachnia" lying helpless on the bed, reduced to a pitiful wreck awaiting death—maybe that was some small comfort for the sister she had lost to Evilus.
"Airmid, thank you for your help this time."
"Not at all."
Airmid, the girl in the white top hat, shook her head. She didn't consider it any trouble—in fact, she was genuinely interested.
"Shakti, would you mind if I took a blood sample? I'm really curious about the poison in her system. It's so resilient that neither antidotes nor magic can purge it. For some Adventurers, this kind of poison could be instantly lethal."
Shakti hesitated for a moment.
Even a Lv.5 Adventurer with Abnormal Resistance couldn't withstand it—lower-level Adventurers wouldn't stand a chance.
...
"Airmid, you're not planning to run any tests with this blood, are you?"
"No. If this poison ever got loose, it'd be a disaster. I just want to see if I can identify a complete antidote."
After thinking for a moment, Shakti nodded.
"If that's the case, go ahead and take a sample. But be extremely careful during your research. If this thing causes secondary exposure, even a drop could be dangerous."
"I know."
Airmid was well aware of the risk of secondary contamination, which was exactly why she'd take every precaution.
She quickly took a syringe and a sealed blood bag from her side pouch, connected them, and inserted the needle into the woman's arm, drawing a sizable amount of blood.
Once the blood was collected, Airmid sealed the bag tightly.
After thoroughly confirming there were no leaks, she sealed away the syringe and needle as well.
The extraction tools had to be fully sealed too—until they knew whether incineration could neutralize the toxin, burning was not an option.
"Alright then, I'm heading off."
"I'll go with you."
Shakti followed Airmid out of the prison—she still had to return to the Familia and report to Ganesha.
The two parted ways at the Guild's entrance.