After stretching his body slightly, Bell continued descending the floors.
Floors 41, 42... The pace of clearing nearly every floor was remarkably consistent, with little variation in the monsters encountered or the speed of their elimination. Bell didn't clear the monsters on each floor swiftly; instead, he used several divine authorities he had mastered to handle them. His control over these abilities gradually improved through practice, to the point where Bell could now eliminate hordes of monsters using only the strength and speed of an ordinary person, supplemented by his divine abilities.
"Things are going well."
"But judging by the current situation, being a demigod seems like just an adaptation phase they gave me earlier."
Judging by the dungeon's difficulty, this stage seemed designed to help him adapt to his newfound power. The next few floors would likely mark a significant turning point. Upon reaching that threshold, the dungeon would undoubtedly present him with four-digit monsters.
"But what kind of four-digit monsters will I face then?"
Truthfully, Bell couldn't help but feel a bit curious about the four-digit monsters that would appear before him. With this anticipation, Bell slowly arrived at the entrance to the 49th floor.
"Whoosh!"
A beam of light carrying the aura of death instantly locked onto Bell the moment he reached the entrance. His senses sharpened to their peak, time itself seemed to slow to a crawl, and even the natural light streaming in appeared to move with agonizing slowness.
"It's a Curse."
With a single glance, Bell recognized the light's essence. He turned sideways, extending a finger toward the beam. An endless torrent of Curse energy instantly surged into his fingertip, corroding part of it in an instant.
"Oh~"
Gazing at his finger, now eroded down to the knuckle, Bell was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected such a pure death Curse. Anyone exposed to this Curse's light without countermeasures could barely withstand it for five seconds.
"A death Curse? A Curse that exists purely to kill. Once it touches you, even a god would be in trouble."
This pure death Curse was almost equivalent to the Hydra Venom Bell had once wielded. While not lethal to gods, it was utterly repulsive. It easily created situations where a god couldn't even die if they wanted to. Remember, a god's immortality surpasses even such death curses. Once targeted by this death curse, it would absolutely drag down a god's immortality, allowing them to experience a unique taste of death, prompting them to avoid such a foul thing in the future.
"This thing is useless against me."
Watching as the death curse that had just closed in on Bell's knuckles was forced back out from his fingertips, Bell couldn't help but smirk.
"As the vessel bearing humanity's 'Seven Deadly Sins,' I am the most potent curse incarnate. I embody the very darkness of human history. This death curse... is it playing games?"
Bell's index finger and thumb pinched the symbol of death. With a gentle squeeze, the dangerously potent curse was instantly absorbed by Bell. Just as lesser Mysteries submit to greater ones, so it is with curses. Could any other curse compare to the vicious curse of human history? It was nothing but a joke. And for Bell, who bore this curse itself, any curse was but a gentle breeze—merely a trifling matter.
Bell's gaze, tinged with amusement, fixed upon the pitch-black Land Dragon still poised to unleash its death curse.
"Furthermore..."
The beam of death curse struck Bell directly. This time, he made no attempt to dodge sideways as before. Yet unlike the earlier strike that had corroded a segment of his knuckles, this direct hit merely caused his windbreaker to billow slightly.
After the beam dissipated, the smile never left Bell's face.
"I've adapted."
Yes, Bell had devoured that death curse and made it a part of himself. His body had grown accustomed to the death curse, thereby breaking free from death's shackles. Though his physical strength hadn't increased, he could feel himself beginning to advance. So, this was a trial.
"I've endured it. What about you?"
Bell's footsteps halted, and his figure appeared under the black Land Dragon's jaw. Clenching his right fist, he delivered a punch straight to the dragon's jaw.
"BOOM!"
The immense impact instantly reduced the Land Dragon's head to splinters. Yet the head wasn't the Black Earth Dragon's weak point. Monsters elevated to demigod status possessed infinite regenerative capabilities as long as their Magic Stones remained intact.
Of course, this "regeneration" wasn't truly limitless. Once the number of destructions exceeded the energy capacity stored within the Magic Stone, the ability to regenerate would be lost. Rather than granting partial immortality, this ability essentially endowed the monsters with enhanced durability.
Sizzle!
Flesh and blood rapidly writhed and reformed, and within mere seconds, the Land Dragon's head had fully regenerated.
"Roar!!!!"
A furious roar erupted, sending shockwaves radiating outward from the Land Dragon's center. Yet this layer of sound waves was blocked by an invisible wall surrounding Bell.
"I hear it, I hear it..."
Bell found this noise quite irritating. Of course, he wasn't particularly fond of the dragon before him either.
The Black Dragon swiftly lowered its head, opening its massive jaws to bite at Bell.
Bell remained unhurried, waiting for the Land Dragon's jaws to close in before acting. Lightly stepping on the Land Dragon's tongue, he passed through its jaws. Bell's eyes scanned the Land Dragon's neck. A wisp of black mist was seeping out from the Land Dragon's neck. The speed wasn't particularly fast, and the diffusion began in a state the Land Dragon hadn't even noticed.
"As expected, this Curse is quite useful."
Though the Curse of Death couldn't compare to witnessing death firsthand, nor to the vicious curses of human history Bell possessed, it was more than sufficient against ordinary demi-gods and gods.
"Has my own power eluded even my own perception?"
"It seems my earlier adjustment of the power fluctuations was correct."
The death curse Bell's finger had just touched not only gave him a clear understanding of the curse itself, but also provided a rough grasp of the Land Dragon's power fluctuations. Human bodies are highly xenophobic, but his own body wouldn't easily trigger rejection.
"If it spreads too fast, you'll be discovered. Fine, I'll play along."
With that thought, Bell delivered a swift upward kick. The razor-sharp strike sliced cleanly from bottom to top, severing the Land Dragon's neck in one fluid motion.