Bell successfully defeated the Minotaur, achieving the first great feat of his life.
The courage and determination he displayed in that battle shocked even Finn, who bore the title of "Brave."
Compared to that, what techniques or strategies Bell used didn't matter at all.
The group carried the completely exhausted Bell—both physically and magically drained—back to the surface.
Welf took responsibility for escorting Bell to Hestia's abandoned church, while the others went their separate ways.
It was safe to say that none of them would forget the image of that white-haired boy fighting like a hero any time soon.
Charles had known that Bell would leave a strong impression on these first-class adventurers—but he hadn't expected just how deeply it would affect one person in particular.
When Charles returned to his workshop and had just set down his gear, he heard a knock at the door.
Opening it, he saw Ais standing outside.
Charles instantly understood why she had come—and his expression darkened. This girl was too impatient. She had clearly turned around to find him for training halfway through her return to Twilight Manor.
Charles sighed. "If it's training you're after, I still need to prepare a few things. Come back tomorrow."
Ais looked a bit unwilling but still nodded and left.
Charles wasn't brushing her off—he really did need to prepare.
As he had said before, helping Ais improve was far more difficult than helping Bell.
For an adventurer to grow stronger, the only way was through gaining experience. Battles and training were merely means to that end.
And the stronger one got, the harder it became to gain experience efficiently. For top-tier adventurers, even gaining a dozen attribute points from a dungeon expedition was already a good result.
Since Charles had agreed to train Ais, he had no intention of doing it half-heartedly.
What he was preparing was a type of magical device to aid in her training.
The inspiration came from a trope that had been used endlessly in countless novels and anime—gravity equipment.
In his past life, people had used sandbags and other weights for resistance training. But for top-tier adventurers, conventional weights were practically useless.
If he used normal gear, she'd need to carry something the weight of a house to feel anything.
But with [Mystery] and [Forge], Charles could create magical devices that were both practical and effective.
And after experiencing Valleta's "Kasharod," Charles had even more inspiration.
He picked out an appropriate hammer and ran his fingers across the materials on his shelf, quickly finding what he needed.
Mithril—a rare metal with excellent magical affinity.
Charles had bought a good stock of rare materials after making a fortune from Loki Familia—not just monster drops, but also orichalcum, adamantite, mithril, and fine gold.
He summoned Fahr, who immediately transformed into an unfeeling smelting machine, climbing into position and breathing fire without needing instruction.
The rare metals Charles had purchased were already refined into high-quality ingots—ready for forging.
The hammer struck down. Sparks illuminated Charles's face as the ingots began to take shape according to his vision.
…
Early the next morning, Ais knocked once again on Charles's workshop door.
Charles opened it, glanced at the rising sun, and said, "Knew it was you. But everything's ready now—let's head to the city walls for training."
Ais looked at the box in Charles's hands and quickly followed him to the same wall where he had trained Bell and Welf before.
Charles opened the box in front of her. Inside was a pair of silver bracers.
Their design resembled royal crowns, with a purple gem set in the center.
"What are these…?" Ais asked, picking one up curiously.
"Try them on. You'll see," Charles replied.
Ais obediently strapped the bracers to her forearms—and the moment they clicked into place, she felt a sudden heaviness. Her waist buckled slightly.
Biting her lip, Ais forced herself upright again.
"Not bad," Charles said. "You adapted quickly. These are compression bracers I crafted myself.
The technical explanation might be long-winded, so just know this: these bracers apply full-body pressure—on muscles, bones, even your organs and magical circuits.
Training under these conditions will yield more noticeable results."
He didn't bother explaining any further—because Ais clearly only cared about that last part. As long as it could make her stronger, that was all she needed to know.
She looked at Charles and asked, "What now? How do I train?"
"Combat, of course," he said. "Your fundamentals are already solid—there's no need to start from scratch.
What you need now is to consolidate and internalize your scattered sword techniques—and actual combat is the best way to do that."
Charles wasn't flattering her. Based on his observations, even Ottar might not outclass Ais in sword technique alone.
Of course, Ottar's overwhelming stats gave him a massive edge—but technique-wise, Ais stood among the very best of first-class adventurers.
That's why she was called the "Sword Princess."
After all, her father was none other than the mercenary king Albert Wallenstein—the last hero—who once blinded the Black Dragon in one eye with his swordsmanship.
Even if Ais had only learned by watching her father train, her foundation was already extraordinary.
Charles couldn't help but regret that he'd never had the chance to see what kind of swordsmanship the final hero possessed.
The strongest swordsman Charles had seen so far was [Twin Wings]. He wondered how Albert would compare to that pure-white Valkyrie.
Lost in thought, Charles assumed a battle stance and motioned for Ais to attack whenever she was ready.
Ais drew the Desperate Sword and charged forward, thrusting straight ahead.
Though it was her first time fighting Charles as an opponent, she didn't dare take him lightly—not even when he was unarmed.
From the moment Charles had taken his stance, Ais had been trying to spot an opening—but even after drawing her blade, she found none.
She had already witnessed Charles's strength on the 24th floor—but now she understood him on a whole new level.
As the tip of her sword approached, Charles raised his hand and smacked the blade aside with his palm.
The sword missed his face by the width of a fist as Charles stepped in. His other hand formed a fist and drove toward Ais's abdomen.
She hurriedly retreated to dodge, but her footing faltered slightly.
Charles didn't miss a beat. He stepped forward again and threw another punch.
Ais barely raised her sword in time to block, and the impact rang out like a hammer striking steel—sending her flying backward.
At that moment, she fully experienced the effect of the compression bracers. With them on, every movement felt laborious and heavy.
But she didn't complain—because she noticed Charles also wore a pair of bracers on his arms. Though they looked different, she could tell they functioned the same.
She understood—Charles was far stronger than her, and her goal now was to catch up to him.
So, ignoring the pain in her hand, Ais charged again.
------------------
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