Passivity—without a doubt, it was the word Bell hated most. It repulsed him just as much as things like "forced power-ups" or "cheating."
Even though Bell himself technically counted as a cheat, the "cheat" he possessed was something he earned through his own efforts during growth. That so-called cheat merely pointed him toward a path he could walk.
"Tsubame Gaeshi" and "Runes" weren't abilities he could use perfectly the moment he obtained them. They were simply steps on the staircase he needed to climb—just steps that happened to be a little lower, making them easier for him to reach.
That was the result of effort.
So Bell had never once, even now, considered himself naturally gifted. He simply had better luck than most people and worked harder than they did.
Because he knew his achievements didn't come from talent, Bell "680" especially despised being forced into passivity—into situations where he could no longer control himself.
Like now.
Realizing that something this enormous had been hiding inside his body made Bell feel like he was on a roller coaster. Except instead of rising and falling, his emotional state was one long, straight plunge.
Yeah… maybe "death train" was a more accurate term.
Even so, years of tempering his mindset helped Bell maintain control.
The situation, to him, was already bad enough—but he still needed to find a way to change it.
"My body must be hiding some kind of special secret."
"Bell, maybe it's not your body. Maybe it's your soul."
Bell's speculation reminded Freya of the glimpse she had taken inside his soul that day, prompting her to speak.
"My soul…"
Bell paused for a moment before understanding what Freya meant.
"You mean the 'Wall of Lamentation' inside my soul?"
Freya nodded lightly.
"That day, I forcibly looked into your soul, but what we saw was only the surface. Your soul has a 'Wall of Lamentation' that shuts out everything—even I was kept outside."
"But you should remember the faint black mist beyond the Wall of Lamentation, right?"
Bell's expression grew solemn as he nodded.
"So the real problem lies within my soul."
Freya agreed.
"If our guess is correct, something hidden behind that 'Wall of Lamentation' is what's acting right now."
"But if that's true, then all external causes should be eliminated."
It was incredibly difficult for anything external to influence the inner depths of a soul—especially a soul like Bell's, sealed layer upon layer.
From her previous experience, Freya understood one thing clearly: not even a god's Authority could affect Bell's soul. This wasn't power granted by the "World"—it was a uniqueness Bell inherently possessed.
Freya's expression grew even more serious.
"Bell, if I'm not mistaken…"
"My soul is the primary cause of this situation?"
Bell's follow-up made Freya nod slightly. Seeing his dazed expression, she couldn't help feeling worried.
She stepped forward, pulled him into her arms, and gently stroked his hair as she spoke softly.
"This isn't your fault, Bell."
"There are secrets hidden behind all this. Maybe your mother knew, which is why she arranged things this way."
"You're probably not at the stage where you can investigate this yet."
Helpless and frustrated, Bell slowly relaxed in Freya's embrace. He knew he wasn't strong enough yet to understand these secrets, so he tried to calm his heart.
'It still comes down to strength.'
It was a harsh truth, and the hardest problem to solve.
Bell knew Freya was right. His power simply wasn't enough; he didn't even have the qualifications to know.
'If only I were a little stronger…'
But he understood very clearly that uncovering the secrets buried deep within his soul required far more than early-stage growth. It would take a final, transcendent step to truly comprehend them.
After thinking for a moment, Bell began to adjust his mood.
Once settled, he placed a hand on Freya's waist and lifted his head from her embrace.
"Freya, I've stabilized myself."
Loki, sitting on the sofa, raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Weren't you just thinking something like, 'If only I were stronger'?"
Bell couldn't help laughing. Loki truly deserved her reputation as a goddess who sees straight into the heart—she grasped human thoughts with uncanny precision.
"I did think that. Anyone would instinctively doubt themselves when facing something like this. If I weren't so weak, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"You're not weak at all."
Loki hadn't expected Bell to admit it so openly, but hearing his self-deprecating tone, she couldn't help rebutting him.
"You're already in the realm of Lv.7. That was a height only Ottar reached in the past. Ever since the age of Zeus and Hera ended, even Lv.7 has been extremely rare. You reached that height not because of luck, but because of your ability."
To stop Bell from sinking too far into negativity, Loki offered firm praise.
Bell gave a faint smile.
"I know."
"I know I'm not weak. It's just that the secret hidden inside me is too incompatible with who I am right now. The level it's concealed at is far higher than my current strength—that's what makes it troublesome."
He took a deep breath and eased his thoughts.
"As for thinking 'if only I were stronger'… my opinion is that too much would be harmful."
"Even though the issues hidden in my soul are a headache, that doesn't change the fact that power still has to be built up slowly. My growth has already been fast enough. If I keep accelerating, I'll only bring more trouble upon myself."
"So don't worry. Even though I feel complicated and irritated, I know that panicking won't change anything."
In short:
"My growth over the coming year won't be much different from before. The only difference is that the questions I need to answer must now be solved little by little."
The secret hidden in his soul wasn't something that existed in the original story.
The plot-guided path ended here. So if he wanted to continue walking forward like before, from today onward he would need to be even more cautious.
And he would have to seek out the answers to those secrets himself.