Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?-Chapter 833: The Challenge to Her Parents
"Ais, don’t appear out of nowhere like that next time."
Riveria looked down at Ais, who was buried deep within her embrace. This time, she hadn’t sensed her presence at all, which said everything about how far Ais’s techniques had advanced. And at that moment, Riveria found herself thinking the exact same thing as Finn and Gareth.
’Great. She’s really become Bell the Second.’
"Oh."
Ais responded with a very perfunctory "Oh."
Changing this habit was impossible. Once altered, a pattern of behavior would never shift back, no matter what. So, while she might agree to something, whether she actually followed through was another matter entirely.
Riveria clearly understood Ais’s current stance perfectly well. She sighed, her heart already accepting that Ais could never return to her former self.
’Three months... and she’s already undergone a qualitative change?’
The real turning point had likely been her previous return.
Back then, Ais had transformed from a blade that seemed detached from its sheath into one quietly stored in its scabbard. Now, her transformation was even more pronounced.
She was no longer a sheathed blade—she had lost all perceptible "edge" entirely. From any angle, Ais felt completely harmless, almost like an ordinary person.
Of course, Riveria would never mistake Ais for a harmless child.
The only explanation was that this was a change brought about by Be440er’s influence.
Elven senses were extremely sharp, and only now did Riveria notice the faint sulfuric scent clinging to Ais.
Not a foul odor—simply something that clearly wasn’t her own.
"Ais, is that smell from the dungeon’s environment?"
Three months ago, Ais hadn’t had this scent at all.
"That’s the smell of magma."
Magma?
Only then did Riveria recall—it was indeed the distinct smell that came from molten rock.
"So Ais, where exactly are you and Bell now?"
"Floor 87."
All three pillars present twitched visibly.
Three months had passed, and they’d leaped over more than ten floors just like that.
The time span wasn’t particularly long, but the floor progression was tremendous. This wasn’t a jump between Middle Floors or normal Deep Floors—it was a leap from Floor 74 to Floor 87.
To be honest, this speed was a bit too fast.
Especially because the three knew how difficult the later layers were. They were certain the deeper floors wouldn’t be something one could simply rush through. For a party, the time and effort required would be unimaginable.
Factor in resource consumption, and each subsequent floor would demand enormous commitment to advance.
And yet these two had breezed through them so casually that Finn almost wanted to ask Ais for travel tips.
But setting those concerns aside, Finn had a more urgent question.
"Ais, is it about to begin now?"
"—!"
Ais paused, surprised he’d ask so directly.
After thinking briefly—her teacher hadn’t told her to keep it secret—she nodded in confirmation.
"I see... I didn’t expect your growth to be this fast."
Fionn looked at Ais with a trace of satisfaction. Though she still looked like a child, her growth had already far surpassed that—she was running ahead of them all now.
A direct challenge against Albert and Aria was no simple matter.
That pair were true front-and-rear adventurers with seamless coordination. Challenging them was practically the same as facing two Lv.8s simultaneously—an absurdly high difficulty.
They couldn’t give Ais much meaningful assistance. The gap in strength was far too wide.
"Have Albert and Aria’s locations been confirmed?"
"Mm. On Floor 90."
"The final floor of the dungeon, huh?"
Placing two Lv.8 opponents there was practically a hellish arrangement for any challenger.
Having once faced the fake Lv.8, Finn had a rough grasp of the true power of a Level 8. For a Level 6 adventurer, it was an insurmountable mountain.
No—calling it a mountain wasn’t enough.
The gap was so vast it felt like something that would crush you just by sensing it.
With this understanding, Finn finally grasped how reckless their challenge against the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus had been. It was essentially suicide.
Though they ultimately won, that victory had been arranged from the start, not earned through normal means.
And the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus had likely had its power heavily suppressed at the time, hadn’t it?
Back then, Finn didn’t know exactly how much its strength had been Freeze Frame during the battle.
But now that he’d entered the Lv.7 realm, he understood clearly.
At that time, the Corrupted Spirit’s Fetus was likely only at Lv.7.
But for Ais, things should be fine.
After all, Bell would be going with her for his own reasons, so Ais had a very high chance of passing.
However, attempting to pass in the manner Ais most desires might make things dangerous.
Finn had a clear grasp of the situation.
"Has the exact time been decided?"
"Not yet."
Ais shook her head. The timing depended on her teacher’s arrangements.
"This time, we came back to check my stats."
"To be honest... even if Dad and Mama go easy on me, if my strength is too far from theirs, I won’t be able to withstand even their ’holding back’."
Ais understood her situation very well.
With her current strength alone, she couldn’t overcome the towering wall that was her parents. So she would inevitably face a weakened challenge.
But even weakened, her parents’ power would still be immense. One small mistake could mean total defeat.
Finn nodded. Ais was prepared. Now it depended on Bell.
"That leaves Bell."
"Come to think of it... Bell has already stepped into the Lv.8 realm, hasn’t he?"
"Yes."
Ais answered without hesitation.
Finn, Gareth, and Riveria weren’t particularly surprised. They’d suspected that Ais’s parents might be the condition Bell needed to enter Lv.9.
Naturally, to qualify for Lv.9, one must first reach Lv.8. Otherwise, how could he continue upward?
"How long ago?"
Ais paused, thought carefully, and then gave a fairly precise answer.
"Two and a half months ago."
