From the four-dimensional space, Bell retrieved the soul that had been forcibly severed from the "Corrupted Spirit's Fetus."
His fingers moved lightly through the air. A ring of runes formed, weaving together into a small altar that enclosed the drifting soul.
"Connect."
At his utterance, a link instantly formed between the soul inside the altar and its original body.
'Aaaaaah! IT'S YOU!'
The nearly thoughtless soul erupted in a feral scream.
'It's you! It's you!'
Its rage and madness were unmistakable to Bell.
"So the soul's tearing has made its mind unstable?"
Judging from the Corrupted Spirit's Fetus's deranged state, this only reinforced Bell's earlier conclusion that it was at its weakest.
If it weren't weakened, it wouldn't be this emotional while trying to repair its soul.
Clearly, the soul's recovery was proceeding painfully slowly—so slowly it had already driven the Corrupted Spirit's Fetus to the point of losing emotional control.
'Seems the soul damage has pushed it into a dangerous state.'
'The more anxious it gets, the slower the repair. And with its guardian dead, there's no one to bring it food. That only worsens the cycle.'
And this situation pleased Bell greatly.
For him, it was the optimal scenario.
He didn't need the Corrupted Spirit's Fetus to be rational at all. Its current madness was perfect.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like you're in terrible shape."
"No one to find food for you anymore, huh? Well~ since I killed your guardian, falling into this mess was inevitable."
The Corrupted Spirit's Fetus, mocked right to its face, immediately exploded with rage.
'AAAAAAHHH!!!'
'It's all your fault! If not for you, my lo—'
Bell cut it off with a laugh.
"Your little 'action plan' with those Evilus scum?"
"So you really believed that would succeed?"
"The last thing Evilus wanted was for you to be part of their operation. Your existence only messed up their entire strategy. And you're nothing more than a spirit that can be thrown away at any moment. Once you lost your value, did you really think your plan would still work?"
'You… you…'
It was furious to the point of collapse.
But everything Bell said was true.
Whether Evilus or Orario won their conflict, the Corrupted Spirit's Fetus would never play any meaningful role either way.
In the end, a spirit was nothing more than a tool.
And tools were only tools—a truth some gods would never revise.
So the so-called "long-cherished wish" of the Corrupted Spirit's Fetus? Nothing more than self-delusional rhetoric.
Bell saw no point in continuing this conversation with a lunatic.
His gaze dropped to the altar, which had already locked onto the Corrupted Spirit's Fetus's exact location.
'It's not far—80th floor.'
'I should be arriving soon.'
At this point, Bell didn't feel any need to rush. At Ais's current rate of growth, reaching the 80th floor area wouldn't take more than half a month.
'Let's stabilize things for now.'
Half a month wasn't long, and Bell didn't need to accelerate travel. A steady pace would suffice.
Although acquiring Excelia was important for him, Runes' theft of Authority was equally critical.
He also needed time to think about the domain of Authority he aimed to master. Extra free time for contemplation was meaningful.
"That's enough for today."
"Try to live a little longer, Corrupted Spirit's Fetus."
With a snap of his fingers, the frantic curses hadn't even fully traveled through the link before Bell severed the connection.
The soul—previously raging—fell silent like a broken recorder stuck mid-play.
Bell then began building the shelter.
Just like the previous floor's shelter, the construction wasn't complicated. Cutting out blocks of frozen earth from the ground provided the raw materials he needed.
For a training floor like this, Bell never bothered building anything comfortable. There was no need for comfort.
A temporary, hidden dwelling only needed to be livable. Everything else was something the inhabitants were expected to endure themselves.
Once the wall-mounted shelter was finished, Bell sat down on his designated bed.
Ais's exploration would still take time.
Even with her speed, the immense size of the floor meant covering every area would take several hours at least.
And these hours were perfect for Bell's quiet reflection.
"So. What I need to consider next is choosing my direction."
The first thing he thought of was his Development Abilities.
The development abilities within the Falna System represented his best paths for growth. He could use them as guidance for his future.
For someone not inclined toward abstract thinking, development abilities provided clarity.
Thus, the very first he considered was the earliest Development Ability he had gained—"Stealth."
"Indeed, that's an excellent direction."
Given his cautious, careful nature, Bell felt an Authority aligned with "Stealth" would be ideal.
"Next is Desire."
Because he possessed the Seven Deadly Sins, pursuing the direction opposite desire was undeniably correct.
"Space and Time are powerful directions as well."
"And Hope and Despair."
As he thought it over, Bell realized several directions suited him quite well.
"Next, I need to consider how to use these directions to obtain an Authority that is truly mine."
Authority could not be obtained through normal means.
Not even gods could choose their own Authorities—so gaining one was anything but ordinary.
Which meant Bell needed to turn his attention back to the crucial orbs.