The gods atop the Tower of Babel fell silent as they watched Ishtar lying amidst the gems, grinning foolishly.
Unconsciously, they recalled the money-obsessed Ishtar from their own world—the disparity between the two versions of her was staggering.
"Does the Ishtar from that other world really love money this much?"
Loki understood the importance of wealth, especially for gods building their own families. But wasn't this otherworldly Ishtar's fascination with gems a bit… off? Her eyes were completely filled with the color of jewels.
"Because she's not a whore, that's why she loves money. Unlike our Ishtar, who still runs the biggest brothel in Orario."
Freya's divine backstab delivered another sharp-tongued jab at the Ishtar who had already experienced Recurrence.
At this moment, Freya found herself less averse to the alternate world's Ishtar. Clearly, she was one of the virgin goddesses. Any virgin goddess typically struggles immensely in the Genkai. But look at Ishtar—she's living it up down there.
The fact that the alternate world's Ishtar still maintained her goddess's integrity made Freya feel considerably more at ease.
Unlike the Ishtar of their world, who was willing to sleep with even a dog.
Well, as long as that dog was willing to pay and knew how to please her, Ishtar probably wouldn't pass him up either.
Anyway, Freya really disliked Ishtar.
Loki couldn't help but laugh at Freya's words.
"Ha! Freya, what you're saying... ...is actually spot on."
"That bitch staying in Orario is just polluting the air. She was just lucky to get caught up in Evilus's business. If she'd been exposed later, what awaited her wouldn't have been a simple Recurrence to Tenkai. She'd have had to leave behind both her Divine Core and her Authority."
...It was true. The gods reflected on Loki's words, then couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Given the brutal nature of the Hestia family's offspring, Dionysus and Sannatos truly killed without hesitation. They even extracted the divine cores from those two, ensuring their complete physical and biological annihilation.
Had Ishtar's situation been delayed, her fate likely wouldn't have been much better than theirs—perhaps even more gruesome.
The second perspective shifted back to Bell.
"Amphisbaena complete."
"This method of application is quite effective, though it still has limitations."
While the application of power was commendable—allowing him to pull individuals from his past Cognition out of their original timelines—it was indeed a temporal manipulation. Yet this temporal manipulation likely exceeded the comprehension of most gods.
Having completed this step, Bell did not linger on that particular application of power. Instead, he chose to explore other types of utilization.
He didn't need anything particularly complex or numerous. What Bell required was the simplest means of wielding power.
How could he study more intricate powers within the Dungeon? Didn't complex power manipulation demand a quieter place?
As for actual combat, the simpler and purer the power, the better.
For only the most straightforward, unadulterated power proved hardest to counter.
Naturally, Bell also began familiarizing himself with his fundamental power.
It wasn't that the "Seven Deadly Sins" became unusable after transforming into "Chaos."
"Chaos" was born from the "Seven Deadly Sins," so "Chaos" could wield the power of the "Seven Deadly Sins" at any moment.
The same holds true for Bell.
"Chaos" expands the scope of his Authority to near-universal reach, yet its core remains the "Seven Deadly Sins."
This parallels "Order"—while "Order" broadens his capabilities to match 'Chaos' in scale, its essence remains the "Hope" inherent to Bell, an unchanging foundation.
"I wonder if I'll get to use it next."
Bell still held onto hope, anticipating the chance to wield that Authority. He figured there should be other targets before that guy who might give him that opportunity.
Moving forward, the next area was the usual deep layers, followed by the "White Palace."
The situation with monsters inside the "White Palace" was different—both the types and numbers varied. However, compared to ordinary monsters, the only thing currently capable of limiting Bell's progress was the floor boss.
The next floor boss should appear on the 37th floor. The 12 floors in between would be filled with the standard monsters of the "White Palace."
As Bell continued his assault, the third projection activated once more.
[Lv.3 Final Attributes
· Strength: ??? 1854
· Endurance: ??? 1823
· Dexterity: ??? 1910
· Agility: ??? 1937
· Magic Power: ??? 2127]
[Achieved the Excelia of Leveling Up one month after the last level-up.]
[Lv.4 Final Stats
· Strength: ??? 1999
· Endurance: ??? 2185
· Dexterity: ??? 1999
· Agility: ??? 1999
· Mana: ??? 2207]
[Achieved the next level-up Excelia one and a half months after the previous upgrade.]
Seeing these two sets of data, the gods' hearts had been utterly numbed by the shock.
"...Less than three months from zero to Lv.5. Even knowing that child is special, this leveling speed is still a bit excessive."
The speaker, Mikoto 017, felt a slight bitterness in his tone.
This leveling speed was truly outrageous. Who could possibly reach Lv.5 in under three months? In just three months, he was already approaching the level of the Loki family's star, the "Sword Princess."
The projection screen swiftly began revealing Bell's progression path.
At Lv.3, he joined Loki Familia's expedition team, where he encountered an enhanced variant of the "Giant Azure Waterfall."
After completing that challenge, he dropped out to level up within the familia before rejoining the expedition team for deeper dungeon runs.
This continued until Bell began operating independently around the 50th floor.
Especially when witnessing Bell single-handedly traverse the Dragon's Vase and reach the 59th floor—home to the "Corrupted Spirit's Fetus"—even Zeus couldn't contain his astonishment.
"This kid is beyond belief!"
Descending the Dragon's Vase without confronting a single monster, reaching the 59th floor in utter silence—such feats could only be described as cheating.
Even Zeus felt Bell's abilities were starting to upset the balance.
"Using that Runic Letters to such an extent? Actually setting up a trap on the 59th floor? And having the guts to play games with the 'Corrupted Spirit's Fetus'? Who taught him all this?"