The blue swirl of wind slowly parted, revealing the Magic Stone wrapped inside.
This was no ordinary Magic Stone.
Regular Magic Stones were purple, while new variants had an eerie green glow at their core. But this one emitted a strange white light within its purple shell.
It caught Bell's attention.
The wind surrounding the Magic Stone transformed into a pair of hands made of wind elements.
Bell wasn't foolish enough to touch something so uncertain with his bare hands. What if the monster still had some hidden trap inside?
Being cautious and careful was the right move.
The elemental hands deftly rotated the Magic Stone, allowing Bell to examine it closely.
After a simple check using Runes, he confirmed that this was indeed the Magic Stone from the enhanced monster earlier.
It hadn't been tampered with, but the core still contained the essence of the creature from before—
A Moss Huge.
'No wonder that monster could regenerate so easily. That wasn't its actual body—just something it grew for hunting.'
'Its limbs were merely the product of the Moss Huge's growth. While they had some strength and attack power, they weren't vital. It only needed a bit of energy from the Magic Stone to regenerate endlessly.'
Realizing this made Bell feel a bit disturbed.
Looking again at the Magic Stone, it was barely the size of a thumb. That alone made it nearly impossible to destroy with normal attacks.
Even now, the monster wasn't truly dead.
As long as this Magic Stone had time, the Moss Huge inside would keep growing, eventually forming the enhanced monster all over again.
'With a base level of 4, if this thing is allowed to grow, it might keep going... maybe even reach level 5, or level 6...'
Bell thought for a moment and made his decision.
He'd use it as nourishment.
But some cleanup was needed first.
His eyes swept over the pits in the ground and the scattered bones. With a light stomp, the earth trembled slightly, and the holes began to fill in on their own.
With a wave of his hand, a breeze rose and slowly purified the stench in the air, making the area harmless again.
Once the cleanup was done, Bell walked over to the Vouivre and released the barrier around her.
"Everything's taken care of, let's go."
The Vouivre was still a little dazed, as if her consciousness had completely drifted away. It wasn't until Bell walked over that she finally snapped back to reality.
She lifted her head and looked at Bell.
"That was amazing..."
She was a newborn Vouivre, but even she had a sense of what power was.
That level of battle was far beyond her ability to participate in—just the slightest impact could mean death.
She couldn't even fully follow the speed of that fight with her eyes.
Bell gave a small smile in response to her praise.
"You think I'm amazing, but you've only just been born. There are plenty of people far stronger than me. Compared to those big names, I'm just like you—another person trying to survive."
"There are a lot of humans like you?"
The Vouivre's eyes widened. She already thought Bell was strong, but now she was imagining even more people stronger than him.
Bell had no emotional reaction to this. It was simply the truth—there were many people stronger than him, and as an adventurer, he was only just getting started.
"Of course there are."
"Then will they save us too?"
"Well... probably not. They wouldn't do something that gives them nothing in return."
Bell paused for a moment, then explained.
"Without any kind of endorsement for your identities, the people of the upper world would never accept you."
"To them, helping you would be the same as betraying humanity."
"So don't expect those people to come and save you."
"Maybe the only thing they're thinking is whether killing you special species would drop some rare loot."
It was cruel, but it was the truth.
The Vouivre froze at his words, then slumped, disappointment and sadness written all over her face. She looked like she was about to cry.
Bell showed no emotional reaction. This was the path every Xenos had to walk.
As reborn Xenos, the first thing they had to understand was this: never assume adventurers are good people.
Anyone who approached with sweet words was almost certainly dangerous.
"Don't think of adventurers as good people. No one is kind for no reason. So, whenever you meet one, treat them like they're bad."
After hearing Bell say that, the Vouivre finally looked up.
"Are you a bad person too?"
Bell was glad that she was actually listening to him.
"That's right. It's best if you see me as a bad person. That's what it means to struggle to survive."
But the Vouivre stared at him for a moment, then firmly shook her head.
"No. You're not a bad person."
Maybe she didn't have the best judgment as a newborn Xenos, but she could feel that Bell wasn't bad.
Unlike those who chased her down, Bell had never once shown any intent to kill her.
She might not be strong, but she could read people's eyes.
From the moment they met, Bell had never shown even a trace of desire.
Maybe that was what he meant by "motivation."
Seeing how determined she was, Bell only shook his head slightly. He still believed it would be better if she thought of him as bad.
"Don't think like that."
"The moment you let your guard down around someone, that person might be the reason you die."
"Don't let anyone become your weakness. Only by staying wary of everyone can you hope to survive."
But the Vouivre didn't waver.
"I don't think you're a bad person."
No matter what Bell said, she refused to see him as bad.
Bell gave up. He had only wanted to teach her how to survive in this man-eating dungeon, after all.
With a small sigh, he let it go.
"Fine, do as you like."
The stubborn Vouivre smiled when she saw Bell give in.
She didn't know whether others were good or bad, but she was sure of one thing—this person was definitely a good one.
Others wouldn't lift a finger for them, but this person had made a promise to her.
So in her heart, she firmly believed that this person was good.