"Regeneration!?"
This was the absolute worst outcome.
"After getting this far, she pulls this stunt!?"
Bete nearly ground his teeth to powder.
They had reached the final step, yet at the very last moment, they ran into the greatest obstacle.
He had watched every second of Ais's battle.
That explosive strike had nearly drained all of Ais's magic power. Meaning that now, Ais had lost all ability to resist.
If the opponent fully regenerated, Ais's only fate would be death.
"Ugh! We were right at the finish line!"
Tiona was just as frantic.
The battle should have been at its end. Ais's hurricane strike had exploded with unimaginable force.
So how could she still be alive after taking that?
"Miss Ais… What do we do? What do we do?"
Lefiya spun in circles, panicking, yet none of that urgency could reach Ais through the screen.
Finn, unexpectedly, remained calm. His eyes held more surprise—and praise—than worry.
"This child has grown to such a height."
"Riveria, what do you think of Ais now?"
Riveria finally tore her gaze from the Projection. Worry lingered in her eyes, but stronger than that… was relief.
"Ais has completely surpassed the three of us."
"Her fighting style is beginning to form, though it differs a little from what I had envisioned."
Having watched every moment of the fight, Riveria could clearly tell—it was Bell's fighting style.
At the moment of choice, that child hadn't hesitated for even a heartbeat before sacrificing her own arm.
A normal person would hesitate.
But that child didn't. She sacrificed it instantly just to seize a single opening.
A dangerously aggressive decision.
No adventurer would normally choose such an extreme method.
Yet Ais chose the most extreme option.
This ran completely counter to all her previous teachings. Stylistically, it looked more like the guidance Bell had given her.
And Riveria could see that Ais likely couldn't change that style anymore.
That was the most regrettable part.
Honestly, Riveria truly didn't want Ais to fight with such abandon in the future.
Gareth understood Riveria's worry. He knew well that both Riveria and Finn were naturally cautious.
No—more accurately, now that they stood where they stood, at their height, they had become cautious. They could no longer fight like they once had in the Dungeon, staking everything.
Gareth knew why—they had things they could no longer risk losing.
Regarding Ais, Gareth had always felt she was a wolf cub… yet they were training her the way one would train a sheep.
Gareth shook his head lightly.
"Maybe it's precisely because our teaching style was too conservative."
"That child is still at the age where she charges forward. And with Ais's nature—she's a wolf. We never should've trained her with such gentle, docile methods."
"Gareth!"
Riveria's dissatisfaction was clear, but Gareth still needed to speak.
"I understand your worry, Riveria."
"But I think you should also consider Ais's own will."
Gareth looked straight at the projection of Ais standing before despair—and could still see that the child wasn't nearly as hopeless as she looked.
This child understood her limits well.
She was never Albert's equal.
If Albert were the one controlling his own body, he would never have fallen into such a state. Because he wasn't, Ais seized that fleeting opportunity and made such a decisive choice. She knew someone would catch her if she fell. Otherwise, would she fight so aggressively? Did anyone really think she was just charging blindly?
Gareth was sure Riveria hadn't seen through it, but Finn probably had.
"And Riveria, this girl isn't as foolish as you think."
"Ha… ha…"
Breathing hard, Ais stared at her father—still standing, still waiting for his regeneration to complete. There wasn't a trace of despair in her eyes.
Only a hint of helplessness.
'Teacher… I'm still lacking…'
"How is it? The feeling of going all out?"
Bell, who had been beside Aria's body, now appeared silently at Ais's side.
Of course, Aria's lightning-pierced body remained as well.
Ais's gaze briefly flicked to her mother's body, but she quickly returned her attention and shook her head slightly.
"Right now, I'm still far too distant from what Mama and Papa can do."
'If Father could control his body, I wouldn't have had nearly as many openings.'
'If I were facing Mama, I might not even be able to get close.'
Bell didn't deny it.
"After all, your mother is a genuine Spirit."
"Since Spirits were sent by the gods to assist adventurers in conquering Dungeons, they naturally operate on an entirely different level from ordinary adventurers. That difference lies in the key element—the Chant."
"Spirits can use Magic even without chanting."
It was because he knew this that, when facing the 'Corrupted Spirit's Fetus,' Bell's first move had been to seal its Magic, preventing it from using its strongest weapon.
Otherwise, fighting a full Spirit would not be remotely simple.
Right now, Ais clearly didn't have the strength to face a Spirit, let alone the strongest mercenary present.
With such a vast level difference, this outcome was inevitable.
But Ais's growth was unquestionable.
The fact that she understood her own limits proved her mind remained calm—not a reckless charge forward.
Bell traced a few runes in the air. Flesh began regenerating from the severed end of Ais's right elbow.
The pain made Ais grit her teeth.
In mere seconds, her limb regenerated faster than Albert's regeneration—blink once, and her right arm was whole again.
"Ais, you now possess Lv.8 strength."
"No matter how many issues your father had, he still held the peak of Level 8. And you killed him once. That alone proves you've earned your ticket into Level 8."
Bell stepped forward.
"What happens next is no longer your burden."