The next morning, preparations for the return trip were already underway in the safe zone on the 50th floor.
Both the first and second squads of Loki Familia were packing up. By noon, they would begin their journey back.
After a night of rest, Bete's severed right leg had fully regenerated. However, he still walked with a noticeable limp—it would take time to adjust to the reborn limb.
"Bete-san!"
Just as Bete stepped out of his tent, the elf girl was already in his face.
"What is it?"
The Werewolf looked a bit exasperated. This girl usually stuck close to Ais—so why was she suddenly glued to him today?
"Bete-san, has your leg already recovered?"
"...You can see that for yourself, can't you?"
That reply left Lefiya speechless for a moment. Bete waited, but when she still didn't say anything, he turned to leave.
He had his own tent to pack up.
Bete wasn't the pampered type. He handled his own gear—just a matter of habit.
"Please wait, Bete-san!"
"...What do you want?"
Stopped once as soon as he woke up, and now again when he was about to leave. Bete felt like he'd already been plenty blunt, but this elf girl still insisted on coming after him.
So she clearly had something important to say.
Seeing her hesitate, Bete's expression softened slightly, a rare show of patience.
Lefiya took a moment to steady herself. After a deep breath, she bowed low and spoke clearly.
"Bete-san, I'd like to ask for your help in training me."
"...Huh? Why not just go ask Ais?"
Bete hadn't expected this sudden request. He wasn't exactly teacher material. Asking Ais would probably get better results.
"No. If I ask Ais, I don't think I'll be able to truly learn Concurrent Chanting."
Lefiya had finally come to understand: if she wanted to master Concurrent Chanting, she had to let go of all the distractions she'd been holding on to. Otherwise, no matter how hard she tried, it would remain out of reach.
After this trial, she'd learned what it really meant to be a frontline mage.
Even if she couldn't excel at close combat, she absolutely couldn't allow it to be her weakness.
As a turret-style mage, she had to maintain the pressure—be a threat, not a burden.
But right now, she was failing on both fronts. Miserably.
She couldn't manage Concurrent Chanting at all. The moment she started to move, her chanting fell apart. Her rhythm and her body's movements just wouldn't sync.
After seeing what real elite mages could do, Lefiya had realized one thing clearly: a mage who couldn't handle Concurrent Chanting didn't belong on the front lines.
If she couldn't learn it, she'd forever be a third-rate magician, never able to provide real support to her team.
Bete saw the determination in her expression. The corners of his mouth curved upward, just slightly.
He didn't dislike rookies with drive. But there were things he needed to lay out first—especially for a pampered elf like her.
"I don't mind sparring with you. But don't expect me to go easy like Ais. Get ready to be beaten to a pulp."
"Yes!"
Lefiya showed no sign of backing down.
Right now, she knew exactly what she wanted—and standing still wasn't an option.
Moving forward was her only choice.
'...What a rare combination.'
Hiding nearby, Bell watched with mild surprise at the pairing of the Elf and the Werewolf.
One was a front-line fighter focused on speed, the other a turret-style mage reliant on magic. It was hard to imagine how these two could possibly train together.
Still, if a turret mage could overcome her weaknesses, then maybe—just maybe—this Elf really could inherit the mantle of "Nine Hell."
Bell didn't linger outside for long and headed straight toward Finn.
But when he arrived, he found that Loki's top three had already gathered inside the tent.
Rather than walking in directly, Bell gave the tent post a light knock.
"Knock knock knock!"
"Come in."
Inside, Finn sat at the center, with Gareth and Riveria flanking him on either side.
All three looked at Bell with complicated expressions.
After all, this boy had just steered all of them—had shaped everything about their trajectory.
Bell, however, didn't seem fazed by their gazes. Instead, he smiled warmly and said:
"It's hard to believe Captain Finn was able to lead the team out safely after facing such a powerful enemy. Even if I'm a little late, let me still offer my congratulations on passing the trial set by Loki-sama."
"Yeah… I honestly didn't think we'd make it back yesterday."
"Don't say that. I think it's because you, Captain Finn, clearly understood your position, gathered all available intel, and made use of every trump card. That's what allowed you to escape a hopeless situation."
Bell spoke sincerely, discouraging Finn from saying anything so pessimistic. This wasn't luck—this was the result of grit and determination.
You've got a silver tongue, huh.
Finn's face twitched slightly. He'd expected Bell to act oblivious, but he hadn't expected him to commit so fully to the role.
"Ahem!"
Riveria cleared her throat gently, cutting into the conversation. Despite her composure, there was still a faint trace of fear on her face.
"Bell-kun, the truth is, yesterday we were all shocked by the Spirit's strength. We had our strategy in place, but even with Haruhime's support magic, the Spirit's aura still far exceeded our expectations."
"Yeah, I thought that was overkill too."
Bell looked genuinely upset, as if standing up for the Loki Familia members who had participated in the expedition.
"Actually, I sensed something off from the sidelines as well. Based on my assessment, that Spirit had already reached Level 8."
"I never expected it would sacrifice its ego just to skyrocket its power and temporarily match its original form's strength."
Level 8!?
They had suspected it, but hearing it confirmed was still a shock. So it wasn't Level 7—it really had reached Level 8.
Thinking back, Finn and the others now felt like their lucky strike on the Spirit's core had been a once-in-a-lifetime moment, the payoff for years of accumulated fortune.
"But all of this must've been part of an Evilus plot. They prepared so many magic stones for the Spirit—it's clear they wanted to wipe out your core members."
"Maybe the Evilus tampered with things behind the scenes. That's probably what caused the Spirit to go out of control."
That blatant deflection left Finn and the others momentarily speechless.
If Evilus really had that kind of capability, Loki Familia would've been wiped out long ago—just like the Astrea Familia.
"True, this reeks of Evilus tactics. Once we're back, I'll definitely suggest that Loki launch a counteroffensive."
"No need for that. Actually, the Black Dragon incident has already caused massive turmoil in Orario. The gods suspect that Evilus provoked the Black Dragon, so Evilus has already been designated a hostile force in the city."
Bell didn't hold back with this intel.
After all, now that the expedition was over, it was only fair they be updated on what had been happening above ground.