When Adam thought he could smoothly team up with Bell and grind for experience points in the Dungeon to increase their rank, he discovered they weren't suitable as party members.
In just two hours, they had arrived at this floor.
In the previous floors, Adam hadn't made a move, letting Bell handle all the monsters alone to increase his proficiency.
On the Dungeon's 5th Floor, the monsters remained the standard fare of the upper floors — Goblins, Kobolds, and Dungeon Lizards.
But from this floor onward, everything changed. The monsters' strength had increased.
In the dark, narrow passages of these square-structured floors, only the glowing stones on the walls illuminated their surroundings. The humid air clung to their bodies, and the cramped space bred anxiety and impatience.
Bell exemplified this tension. His hands gripped his short dagger tightly, face tense and eyes fixed on the Kobold before him. The monster's face twisted in a grimace, foul-smelling saliva dripping from its mouth.
Man and monster faced each other — one with grave determination, the other with glowing red eyes and savage excitement.
In the Dungeon's domain, monsters possessed superior vitality and better adaptation to these dark, confined spaces.
Yet Bell stood his ground. As Captain in front of his Familia member, his pride wouldn't let him retreat.
With a howl, the Kobold lunged at Bell, its gleaming silver claws slashing toward his face — a strike that would surely leave a scar if it connected.
Bell rolled aside the instant it pounced, effortlessly avoiding the attack. His agility abilities were clearly developing.
In the brief moment after the Kobold's lunge, he seized his chance to strike from behind. Lacking raw strength, he relied on momentum — jumping to convert potential energy into kinetic force as he drove his dagger toward its nape.
But this monster was no giant, and its nape wasn't a weak point. More critically, Bell's strike lacked depth.
Having failed to finish the Kobold cleanly, he quickly stepped on its back to escape. When the monster tried to counter while shaking its shoulders, Bell slipped through an opening in its guard, driving his dagger deep into its chest.
A crisp 'ding' echoed as Bell's strike penetrated the monster's defense, his sharp blade finding its magic stone.
With a light sound, the Kobold turned to dust, scattering throughout the Dungeon.
"Phew~" Bell exhaled softly and turned to Adam, who had been quietly observing his performance, "From the 5th Floor onward, the monsters are about this strong. I can handle one alone, but if they come in groups, we'd both need to run."
He was clearly trying to warn his Familia's new member not to carelessly venture down to the 5th Floor.
Hmm, very Captain-like behavior.
However... Captain, what are you doing, Captain!
Watching Bell struggle in an even match against trash monsters that he could one-shot, Adam realized he couldn't level up alongside him.
—The efficiency was far too low!
Now Adam understood why Hestia hadn't told Bell about his strength. It wasn't that she distrusted him; even without a demonstration, she knew he wasn't lying.
Perhaps she hadn't told Bell because she feared he would ask for guidance?
Adam recalled how she had warned him not to teach Bell, saying his time shouldn't be wasted here. Now he understood her meaning — about giving constantly since joining the Familia, having to look after 'children' despite being powerful, wasting time...
Was she hoping he wouldn't coddle Bell too much, allowing both their growth to proceed naturally?
As expected of Orario's most understanding Goddess — she was truly considerate.
But Hestia wasn't wrong. Adam really couldn't afford to accompany Bell as he slowly built his proficiency, not when he desperately needed to summon Beatrice!
Despite Bell's impressive growth rate, he still couldn't match Adam's pace — who now trained his parameters on 30th~40th Floors.
So, sorry, Bell. I'm going solo!
But before leaving, I should train him a bit, teach him some self-defense so he stays safe.
After a moment's thought, Adam had an idea. He stood up and addressed Bell, who was collecting the Kobold's magic stone, "Bell, would you like to explore a few floors deeper?"
"Why?" Bell looked up, concerned, "Let's not, Adam. With my current strength, I can't protect you. We should stick to the upper floors."
If Adam weren't present, Bell might have risked venturing lower. But as Captain, he couldn't endanger a new Familia member.
"Worried I'll get hurt? Well, I'm done pretending — I'll be honest with you." Adam sighed, touching the Nichirin Longsword at his waist, "Bell, I'm actually very strong. Stronger than you can imagine."
"No, even if you say so..." Bell's disbelief was evident.
How could someone who'd just joined the Familia and received Goddess Hestia's Falna be incredibly strong, let alone unimaginably powerful?
"That's understandable — such doubts are natural." Adam replied calmly, "In that case, let me show you my strength."
As if on cue, five Kobolds spawned behind Bell — a group large enough to force his retreat at his current strength.
As Bell watched in confusion, Adam's hand came to rest lightly on his sword hilt.
"Adam, what are you—"
◈ Thunder Breathing, First Form ⫸ Thunderclap and Flash, Fivefold ◈
A brilliant flash of lightning streaked past Bell, moving faster than his eyes could follow. The lightning trail lingered in the air, illuminating the passage.
Within that lightning was Adam himself, transformed from the person who had just been speaking beside him!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five rapid-fire sounds rang out in less than a second. All five Kobolds instantly crumbled to ash, scattering throughout the narrow passage.
The five magic stones fell almost simultaneously, creating a single clear sound as they struck the ground.
"Eh...?!" Bell gaped at Adam, who now stood ahead of him with his back turned, as if he had teleported there in an instant.
His mind went blank, unable to process what he had just witnessed.
But Adam didn't give him time to recover. He simply turned around and asked, "Bell, want to go down and take a look? Are you coming or not?"
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