On the 25th floor, a lone figure darted fluidly among countless Blue Crabs, the sharp clang of metal against shell echoing through the air.
Blue Crabs were the most common monsters found in the Great Falls. They had no special magic—only a thick, rock-like armor covering their shells and a pair of sharp front claws.
Individually, they weren't particularly aggressive or fast, but their advantage lay in their sheer toughness and overwhelming numbers.
Adventurers often dreaded encountering these creatures, each over a meter wide. Everyone knew that once surrounded by them, more would keep crawling out from the darkness.
In the end, there were only two possible outcomes—either the adventurers broke through the swarm or were slowly worn down and consumed by it.
Even high-level adventurers tended to retreat when they appeared in large groups.
A figure suddenly leapt out from the Blue Crab gathering area.
"Clang!"
As the figure landed, a chunk of broken iron fell to the ground.
A hand reached down and picked it up.
"Hmm, much better than last time."
"Really!?"
"Only a bit. The sword still didn't last very long."
Even so, Ais didn't feel discouraged. Seeing her own progress—no matter how small—was far better than seeing nothing at all.
Ais understood now that some growth could be measured in visible increases to one's stats, while other forms of growth were invisible, measured only through experience.
It was a simple truth, but one she hadn't understood before. No—she had understood it, but back then, her eyes had been blind to that kind of growth. Her mind, consumed by revenge, couldn't see anything else.
Of course, even now, it had taken her half a month to finally see real improvement.
Bell had sacrificed quite a bit of his own training time for this, but considering it an investment toward earning his ticket to Lv.9, it was necessary. At the very least, when he finally brought the "Sword Princess" before her parents, she couldn't just collapse at the first encounter.
Lv.7 at full capacity was the limit Ais could reach—and the limit Bell could help her attain.
From the very beginning, Bell never believed that the couple would actually harm their own daughter. Most likely, they would do as Silence had—sacrifice themselves to give their child a chance to advance further.
Thus, Bell decided that as long as Ais reached the peak of Lv.7, she would meet the standard.
From that point on, everything else would simply be procedure. Even in the worst case, her parents would be there to catch her—the risk was minimal.
But getting her to that Lv.7 limit was where Bell's effort truly mattered.
Releasing the scrap of metal in his hand, he pulled a previously broken short sword from his dimensional storage.
Both blades were badly worn, the edges chipped and the steel covered in fracture marks—but they differed in one key aspect.
The freshly broken sword on the ground, though full of cracks and notches, still retained its structural integrity. It was in rough shape, but compared to the other one, it was practically pristine.
The short sword retrieved from the alternate dimension, however, was far worse. Its interior had been corroded and hollowed out completely. It could no longer even be called a sword—just a brittle lump of metal that would crumble with a touch.
"It's a clear improvement over before."
"When you used to manipulate wind, the moment you condensed it too densely, it caused permanent damage to your weapons. That kind of damage didn't benefit you at all—it only drained your mana. You just never noticed because the weapons you used were all 'indestructible,' so your magic couldn't destroy them permanently."
Bell's words made Ais think back to the slender rapier that had left her ten million Valis in debt.
Aside from weapons with the "Indestructible" property, every weapon she used inevitably broke down in no time at all.
"So, you want me to learn how not to break my weapons?"
"No. What I want is for you to at least gain precise control over your mana and the 'Ariel' spell you've mastered." Bell corrected Ais's misunderstanding without hesitation. He had no intention of making her undergo meaningless training.
"Your 'Ariel' is one of the rare spells that doesn't require an incantation. It enhances your speed, attack, and defense. In theory, if you can refine your control, this magic alone could let you stand among the top adventurers in Orario."
"So whether you can unleash greater power in the future depends entirely on how well you control your mana and this spell."
Only then did Ais begin to understand why Bell had her train this way...
Bell continued explaining.
"Wind and water are both the gentlest and most violent forces in nature. Their changes are driven by external factors—but for magic, what drives those changes is mana. So the finer your control over mana, the better your control over magic itself."
"Of course, this principle only applies to you and me. Others have to rely on lengthy incantations to use their spells."
Ais nodded but couldn't help voicing another question.
"Then how do others get stronger?"
"Others? Well, their path to strength is completely different from ours. We skip the chanting and focus entirely on mana control and mastery over magic itself. But others have to struggle against the limitations of their incantations, so their way of growing stronger is centered around that process."
"Like the 'Concurrent Chanting' you've heard of. But trying to grow strong the same way we do? That's practically impossible."
Bell's tone was certain, but it left Ais puzzled.
"Why impossible?"
Bell didn't sound annoyed; instead, he calmly explained.
"The reason is simple. Magic in Orario functions almost entirely within the 'Blessing System.' Magic isn't something you can use freely the moment you awaken it. To wield it better—and to increase its power—you need proper training."
"When a spell is being formed, mana flows through the body along fixed paths, then takes shape as real magic through the incantation. That's why mages need stable conditions to cast. Without them, they can't properly control their magic."
"The key difference between us and them is 'adaptability.'"
"Our short chants—or in our case, no chants at all—mean our magic doesn't have a fixed form. We can change it as needed. Your magic, for example, isn't limited to a single effect. It can boost multiple attributes or even turn your weapon into something akin to a magic sword."
"But mages' spells are much more rigid. Their casting can be interrupted easily, and their long incantations demand precise mana control, leaving no room for flexibility. So if they want to get stronger, the only way is to improve the chanting process itself. The more they refine it, the freer they become in battle—no longer just stationary artillery mages."
...
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