After tamping down Ais's over-eager ideas, Tsunayoshi led the three of them on a quick tour of the rest space. The baths in the great treehouse were completely separated by gender, giving bath-loving girls all the freedom they wanted.
There were plenty of rooms for rest—spacious ones at that. Thanks to the nature of the space itself, the sense of security was dialed almost to max. The treehouse also had ample area for storing supplies, and the forest and lawn outside were wide open, more than capable of holding large stockpiles.
A rest space that combined safety, recovery, and storage in one was practically the most crucial link in any Dungeon expedition.
Here, expedition members could rest as much as possible. It could free a large share of adventurers otherwise tied up with supply runs. During the expedition they could also harvest the monsters' drop items to the greatest extent, instead of picking and choosing. That mattered a lot for the Familia's post-expedition finances.
When the tour ended, Tiona stared at Tsuna in open amazement.
"Newbie, your ability is really incredible. You know, our past Dungeon expeditions were a pain—not just resting, but resupplying was always a huge problem. Especially when those special situations happen where the safe floors start mass-spawning monsters—we often have to abandon materials."
"Compared to supplies, life is obviously more important. Supplies are consumables, but life is one-and-done. Trading those consumables for a one-time life is absolutely worth it."
"You're not wrong—exchanging items for lives is worth it. But a few times it happened right at the finish line, and… it just feels lousy. We'd be doing so well, and then the Dungeon douses our momentum like that."
Tsuna's point was something Tiona agreed with. Those supplies guaranteed their lifeline, and abandoning them preserved more living strength—that was worth it. But to have the Dungeon dampen them just as they'd racked up a few wins—it still left her unwilling to accept it.
"That's just the Dungeon."
Hearing Tiona's anger, Tsuna himself didn't see a problem.
"The Dungeon is that kind of place. Adventurers go in waves to chase dreams and goals. Money, fame, power, beauty—you can find them all in Orario. But to get them, you have to face the Dungeon's trials."
"And haven't you gained experience and power with every past failure?"
"Mm… put that way, you're not wrong."
Tiona still felt a bit indignant, but what Tsuna said was also correct. The Dungeon is that kind of place. You face problems at every turn; if you dare to enter, you'd better be ready to shoulder the risk.
"Tiona, since that's how it is, there's no need to overthink it. At least the issues you used to run into—you won't run into them anymore. Just knowing that is enough."
"Whoa~ that sounded pretty cool, newbie."
The gloom on Tiona's face vanished, replaced by her usual brilliant smile. Tsuna only shook his head lightly.
"Nothing special. Where I come from, if you keep fixating on the past, it's easy to slide into depression. A lot of people learn to self-regulate—work on their own state, let go of what's gone, and look forward."
The next second, even as he said the lofty words, Tsuna deflated a little.
"Easier said than done. Not many can actually do it. I'm just… pretty thick-skinned. If you put it less nicely, not very sensitive."
"Is that so?"
Tiona spun back and leaned in, meeting his eyes. In those pupils the color of her hair, there wasn't as much casualness as her words suggested.
"Newbie, you aren't that kind of person. Just my gut—no logic to it. Still, I really liked what you said."
Her smile grew brighter. She wasn't great at thinking through things, but she still felt his words were good.
"With your help this time, the expedition will definitely be easier than before. We'll be able to perform better when it counts."
"So, this rest ground works for you?"
"Of course it does. It checks every box—safe and comfy. Soft beds, clean bath water. I don't think there's a better place to rest in the Dungeon than this."
For once, Tiona's slightly exaggerated take drew nods from both Tione and Ais.
"Agreed. For the Dungeon's environment, this space is basically heaven."
"Mm-hmm. And it'd be even better with training."
You're still on that? Tione and Tiona both glanced at Ais.
Her obsession with strength hadn't changed. Ais's gaze stayed expectant on Tsuna. A moment ago she'd learned he could grant her wish.
"Hmm… If it's not combat experience and just pure physical conditioning, that's not too hard. Ais, you go to the Dungeon to get stronger because fighting monsters raises your stats. But as your Level climbs, you need tougher monsters to trigger growth."
"Mm-hmm."
Ais nodded quickly. That was exactly the wall she'd hit.
"Ais, what Level are you now?"
"Lv.5."
"No wonder. At this Level, you only get training value when you face stronger, more numerous monsters deeper down. If you keep running to the Dungeon and mostly fight things way beneath you, of course your stat gains will slow."
Facing low-tier monsters at Lv.5—it added up that growth would stall. Tsuna made a mental note; he hadn't expected Ais was already at Lv.5.
"Falna grows fastest when you push the body to extremes. If your enemies are too weak, your body never hits that edge and your stats crawl. So—want to try a method that uses external force to push your body into extreme load?"
Tsuna opened his hand, and a pair of black metal bracelets appeared. He held them out to Ais.
"Gravity bracelets. You can adjust the multiplier with the outer buttons. They'll make your body heavier by a set factor. Should fit what you want."
"Whoa!"
Ais's eyes lit up at once. She didn't know what 'gravity' was, but she could tell this would help her train.
(End of Chapter)
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