"The Curse of Death—not bad."
What Gluttony devours transforms into energy that Bell can absorb directly. Of course, the souls within are mere remnants to him. Once Gluttony consumes the energy, the remnants are discarded without hesitation.
Souls are not what Bell needs. Only the madmen desire souls like these. Bell is a man, not one of those crazed individuals. Naturally, souls hold no value for him, even if they can be converted into a form of energy.
"Lust—absolute control over the soul's essence."
"Had I known the node was here, I should have adapted sooner."
Bell realized his earlier judgment about the node was still a bit too cautious.
Initially, Bell had assumed that this node would appear after the 64th floor, with adaptation to the "Seven Deadly Sins" starting tomorrow. But instead, the node had appeared on the 49th floor—striking straight at the core.
"Today's battles were quite numerous."
Having advanced from the 18th to the 50th floor, Bell had slain two demigod Floor Bosses in a single day. Even Bell felt some weariness.
"My mastery of divine powers is solid now. A few reliable ones will suffice. They should prove useful even against four-digit gods later on."
"If only I could know who the next gods to appear would be."
Unfortunately, Bell knew that his wish wouldn't come true. Mother would surely give him a massive surprise.
This left Bell feeling helpless.
"Mother, couldn't you just revel in seeing surprise on my face?"
"My usual expressions are quite expressive enough. You don't need to go out of your way to surprise me with these things."
Sadly, Bell knew that even if his inner thoughts reached Mother, she'd probably pretend not to have heard them.
"Ugh... I need to get to bed early tonight."
Controlling his power was exhausting, and with no clue what kind of four-digit monster awaited tomorrow, conserving his strength for the next day was essential.
Click!
"Mother, that's all for today."
Bell proactively cut off the connection.
Meanwhile, the gods of the Tower of Babel watched with rapt attention. Their earlier emotions had faded, replaced by palpable anticipation.
"His wielding of the authority is quite impressive. And it seems the child has discovered something—he intentionally used those specific powers."
The final authority Bell used was unique, of course. Everyone knew that "Gluttony" and "Envy" were part of the "Seven Deadly Sins." Yet, these authorities had never been revealed by the child before.
But he brought them out in the final confrontation with Balor. Clearly, the child had sensed something and brought them out early.
"Hestia, what do you think your child discovered?"
"Why are you asking me? How should I know?" Hestia retorted irritably. Yet, the question lingered in her own mind. Bell must have realized something significant to unleash the "Seven Deadly Sins" only after executing that Land Dragon—otherwise, he would never have revealed his powers so readily.
"Though I don't know what that child realized, tomorrow's dungeon strategy is bound to get more exciting."
Freya's face showed intense curiosity and interest, her eyes still fixed on the frozen projection.
"The dungeon's strategy is definitely not as simple as we imagined. And even if 'The World' intends to provide this child with a stepping stone for further advancement, it wouldn't leave the enemies at the demigod level. They should at least be on par with us, or even on par with that child."
"Moreover, that child has consistently wielded powers on a small scale. The number of abilities used remains extremely limited, primarily focusing on practical, readily usable powers."
"Balor's light was devoured. That child could even channel the same power through Balor himself. Did you notice? Until that child unleashed the power of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' upon Balor, he had been treating Balor as nothing more than an experimental subject."
"Only after Balor exhibited certain traits deemed crucial by the child did this experimentation cease. What followed was the testing of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' powers—as if deliberately preparing for tomorrow."
Freya emphasized the significance of tomorrow.
Today's strategy might have been effective, revealing many intriguing aspects, but the true crux lay in tomorrow.
Ah, so that's it. The gods finally understood.
Recalling the child's series of actions earlier, it seemed he'd been striving to master useful powers all along. Especially during the final confrontation with Balor—they could clearly see the child wielding Balor's power.
The projection appeared deliberately designed for them to witness it, even slowing down the footage of the child utilizing those powers.
How could Denatus not notice?
...
Facing Balor, Bell had clearly intended to proceed cautiously, perhaps even testing the extent of Balor's power. Yet in the end, he abruptly ended Balor's existence by using the power of the "Seven Deadly Sins." Frankly, it felt far too sudden.
It was hard not to see it as an impulsive act—a change of plan triggered by confirming something crucial.
But if it was preparation for tomorrow's strategy, it made perfect sense.
"Preparations for tomorrow."
"Freya's conjecture is sound. If 'The World' exists to fuel that child's growth, then the demigods merely serve to help the child adapt to newly acquired power. The true god is the key to propelling that child further."
"In that case, the first and second days were merely preludes. The real campaign likely won't commence until tomorrow."
"No, to be precise, it truly begins when the divine-tier Monster makes its appearance tomorrow."
This realization sent a wave of excitement through the awakened Main Gods.
"This... this is more thrilling than any previous year!"
"Indeed. Unlike our squabbles in the divine realm, the trials 'The World' presents are no simple matter. Tomorrow promises even fiercer battles."
"But I'm more curious—what kind of Monster will 'The World' present to that child as his trial tomorrow?"