After receiving the answer that his strength was still "not enough," Bell returned to serious training.
But unlike before, the road ahead was now covered in mist. If he wanted to keep moving forward step by step, he would need to carve out a new path.
The way he had grown up until now was no longer suitable for him. He needed another route.
Then Bell thought of a troubling question.
"If everything granted by that System is going to be taken back, then the 'Tsubame Gaeshi' and 'Runes' I trained will become invalid. Should I still continue down those two paths?"
It was a difficult decision.
The magic he received from the Falna System—"Lightning Command"—was another possible path, but it was deeply intertwined with the Falna. Even if he continued studying it, the most he could gain would be some refinements in lightning manipulation. Meaningful expansion would be extremely hard.
So "Lightning Command" was the first thing Bell decided to let go of.
Even though he would one day have to discard the Falna entirely—and with it all the magic and skills it provided—the sensations and memories gained from Development Ability would not be erased.
Especially when he pushed some Development Abilities to their limits, Bell felt that bone-deep understanding of power very clearly.
Development Ability was the process of discovering an adventurer's role and direction. The Falna System simply made that direction obvious, preventing adventurers from wandering in confusion.
Through Development Abilities, Bell confirmed his growth direction and gained power and memories along that path. Among them, the memories were the most important.
Any unearned power would be taken away, but the memories gained through using that power would remain.
Thus, for Bell, the greatest value of the Falna now was the accumulation of ability and Development Ability.
Understanding this was what made him hesitate about continuing down the paths of "Tsubame Gaeshi" and "Runes."
Memories wouldn't be erased—yes—but that applied only to memories unrelated to those techniques. What about the memories specifically tied to the technique of "Tsubame Gaeshi" and his knowledge of Runes?
Bell's brows tightened as he instinctively imagined the worst.
"No… it absolutely would happen!"
It wasn't a guaranteed outcome, but for Bell, any possibility whatsoever might as well have been certainty.
Bell wasn't a gambler. He refused to bet everything he'd worked for on chance.
So he already believed that part of those memories would definitely be reclaimed.
After all, they weren't powers he truly possessed. It made no sense for him to keep using them for free.
He took a deep breath. A little sadness lingered. No matter what, these were powers he had once gained. Thinking about abandoning them so suddenly left him unwilling.
"Yeah, I don't want to let them go either… but what needs to be abandoned must still be abandoned. I've already decided."
Even if his heart resisted, some things had to be discarded if he wanted to keep moving forward.
As for whether he should continue walking these two paths—
Bell had already made up his mind.
"Since 'Tsubame Gaeshi' and 'Runes' will eventually be taken back, then the experience and memories I gained through them shouldn't be reclaimed, right?"
Yes—Bell had made his decision.
Unearned power felt wonderful… but it was painfully hard to give up.
Yet the strength born from those powers—the part that belonged purely to him—would not be taken away.
And so, he would continue walking both paths.
"Both paths can still continue. No—more accurately, both paths must continue."
Bell hadn't forgotten that aside from preparing to relinquish certain powers, he still had to worry about Artemis.
Her Divine Core had been extracted from that system.
But if he thought about it that way, did that mean the concept of "Robust Health" needed to be completely abandoned?
Bell no longer felt troubled by this. "Robust Health," in the end, was just another kind of strength. Since he had already resolved to give up "Tsubame Gaeshi" and "Runes," discarding "Robust Health" was simply a natural consequence.
So Bell's biggest concern now was still Artemis.
"Looks like… I'll definitely have to meet that person when I get the chance."
After everything that had happened, Bell was almost certain that the one behind the "Type-Moon System" had to be Shiki Ryougi.
"But before that."
"Type-Moon System."
The system interface appeared out of thin air, but this time, Bell noticed a special option displayed on it.
[Destroy Concept?]
Seeing that prompt, Bell immediately smiled.
"Just as I expected."
Concepts could be removed.
What the system extracted merely offered convenience during his period of accumulating strength. Ultimately, those weren't powers he had trained for himself.
And with that realization, Bell felt no psychological burden at all.
The tasks ahead weren't complicated—he simply had one extra person to worry about among the 497: Artemis.
After thinking for a moment, Bell selected the Destroy Concept option.
In the [Select Concepts to Destroy] list, he immediately added the four-star Craft Essence "Iron-Willed Training."
Then, among the three-star Craft Essences, he chose to destroy everything except "Kuji Kanesada," "Hydra Dagger," and "Hidden Blade - Pheasant Reversal."
The one-star and two-star Craft Essences were temporarily left untouched.
He kept the three removed concepts and selected all others for destruction.
The moment Bell clicked "Confirm," he clearly felt something leave his body. It wasn't actual physical strength but something more akin to minor blessings.
After confirming that his body was practically unaffected, Bell shifted his attention to the final concepts that remained.
"'Robust Health' will be the last thing I remove, 'Runes' still needs more research, and of course… Artemis absolutely cannot be abandoned."
There really wasn't much left.
The next thing he would remove would likely be "Hidden Blade - Pheasant Reversal."
Bell needed a more direct sense of what destroying a concept felt like; otherwise, when it came time to remove "Robust Health" and "Runes," he wouldn't have any reference at all.