The third projection froze, and the first projection suddenly became clear.
The same youth appeared in the projection, but compared to before, he seemed more mature.
"Hmm, the foundational aspects are mostly in place."
The youth lightly swung his arms, murmuring words that no one could understand.
"Next, we can begin large-scale application of my Authority."
The foundational use of the powers was now in place, and nearly all of their potential had been tested.
"Chaos" was fully under Bell's control. The basic applications of "Cognition," "Learning," "Stealth," and "Adaptability" were now possible, and these four powers were the ones Bell used most frequently. It was precisely because of these powers that Bell experienced such rapid growth.
By using "Cognition" to perceive phenomena, then building on that with "Learning" and combining it with "Adaptability," Bell maximized his growth potential. This synergy accelerated his development.
In just one day yesterday, Bell had already completed the adaptation from sub-five-digit to a four-digit level.
This wasn't something that ordinary Authority could achieve.
Normally, the jump from five digits to four digits requires a significant amount of time to prepare. Beyond Authority, there are preparations in strength, power, and the possibility of failure.
However, Bell, who was still one step away from five-digit status and had no experience at that level, was able to forcibly leap to a high four-digit tier.
And under these circumstances, relying solely on "Cognition," "Learning," and "Adaptability," Bell bridged that gap in just one day.
Now fully prepared, Bell moved on to the 19th floor, entering the "Great Tree Labyrinth."
Spanning floors 19 to 23, this area had no Floor Boss. However, its vast forest was teeming with monsters.
Despite the lack of a Floor Boss, the "Great Tree Labyrinth" remained a dangerous place.
As Bell entered the 19th floor, he was greeted by a sprawling forest and a much broader area than before.
He looked up at the sky.
"Real sky... I didn't expect such a change here."
The floor's internal space had become otherworldly, similar to the "World Beyond" that Bell had created. However, the Dungeon wasn't exactly like the "World Beyond." It was a partial otherworldly transformation within a specific spatial zone of the world.
"To keep me from worrying, can I use my power without restraint?"
Transforming the dungeon into an alternate realm served two purposes: making the sky more realistic and stabilizing the dungeon's spatial integrity.
Now, the dungeon was far less likely to be destroyed.
It was like a "hint" from Mother-sama, signaling that he could act freely.
Of course, the danger level of this floor was incomparable to the previous ones.
"Only 913?"
Bell's "vision" confirmed nearly all of the monsters in his range.
By sensing the energy fluctuations they emitted, he could roughly gauge their strength.
"900 Level 5 Killer Bees.
The rest are 3 Firebirds, 5 Vouivre, 3 Chameleons, and 2 Queen Bees?"
The remaining 13 were Level 7 monsters.
Even in the "Hero Era," a monster horde of this size would be considered absolutely explosive.
Just the Level 5 Killer Bees alone made one's scalp tingle.
For Bell, this situation would've been considered serious "monster stacking" in past games. Such games were usually unpleasant.
At least, Bell never liked them much.
But now, Bell didn't care much about that.
"Let's start by reviewing the skills I've lost."
During his ascension, Bell had discarded nearly everything from his past, with only the concept of his mastered Authority left intact; everything else had been thoroughly abandoned.
So, in order to recover his past techniques, he had to pull them from his past memories.
Snap!
The conclusion was simple, and Bell moved forward with it.
He himself no longer had a past or future, as he was a "point"—not an "existence"—unable to appear in either time. He could only exist in the present.
But he could bring his past self into the present from his memories.
With a snap of Bell's fingers, an identical figure appeared.
His face was covered, almost impossible to see, but from their almost identical clothing, it was clear they were the same person.
"Let's begin."
The version of himself that emerged from Bell's past memories had no independent will. It was simply a fragment of his past self, with the memories and skills of a specific point in time.
This version of Bell was entirely under his control.
It was the self from his memories before he abandoned everything, the self who had reached the peak of Level 9.
"Bell" held the black dagger tightly, devoid of emotion. With a single step, he entered the forest.
Bell followed behind.
But Bell's actions left all the watchers utterly dumbfounded.
"What... what is this?"
Even the gods froze for a moment upon seeing this scene, before falling deep into thought.
"Manipulation of time?"
"No, even we gods can't pull our past selves into the present to help us fight. This child, just like us, surely can't do it either."
Using time to pull one's past self into the present to assist in battle?
Such a feat existed only in theory.
It's not that we don't want to do it—it's that it's fundamentally impossible.
Gods are like anchors for the world. How could those anchors be loosened at will?
If the past were altered, wouldn't the present—which is reality—also have to be rewritten?
To prevent such chaos, the past can't be changed, the future can't be changed—only the present is malleable.
Thus, not even a god can bring their past self into the present moment.
So why can this child, who isn't even a god, do it?
And it's strange to even say he's manipulating time.
It's as if his grasp of time isn't what we expected at all.