The last night before the "expedition."
Tiona and Tione headed to Loki's room—only to run into Tsunayoshi, who had also come for a status update.
"Tsunayoshi, you're here to see Loki too?" Tiona asked.
"Yeah. I've been researching my ability these past two days—mostly exploration-oriented uses, weapon and armor fabrication, and physical training. I want to update my status before the expedition to confirm where I'm at," he said.
Beyond the necessary production of utility-type and support-type beast constructs, Tsunayoshi had begun crafting defensive beast-arms as well. In the Dungeon, there are countless things to watch for; having reliable defense against monsters is essential.
Armor was for surviving sudden assaults and boosting one's staying power. As for weapons—thanks to "Beast Creation," Tsunayoshi hardly needed custom gear. He could fabricate arms on the fly, and the weapons he made came with a wide variety of special properties.
His gaze drifted to the two Amazoness girls—and settled on the heavy gravity bracelets clasped around their wrists.
"So you two used them."
"Yep! These gravity bands are way heavier than I imagined—honestly heavier than using Urga when I'm exhausted. Keep them on for long and it's like my body's sunk in mud; no matter how hard I try I can't bring out my strength, and I get tired super fast," Tiona said, swinging her arms excitedly as she rattled off her impressions.
"Even just maintaining the 1× setting you mentioned is rough," Tione added. "Even without training, just wearing them makes the body feel unbelievably heavy. These two days it's taken a lot of effort just to keep them active."
Despite the complaints, the spark in their eyes betrayed their mood: excitement.
"Holding 1× is grueling. The body fights it the whole time. But when I turn it off—after the soreness fades—I feel so much lighter. The training effect is honestly beyond expectation," Tione admitted.
Amazonesses are born warriors. Their craving for strength outstrips anyone else's—one could say they're born to fight, born for power.
This kind of direct training, with tangible, immediate results, left both sisters genuinely exhilarated. Feeling themselves grow stronger, they threw themselves into using the gear even more eagerly.
At that moment, Tione found herself unusually interested in the opposite sex—not the crushing interest she had in their captain, but a different kind, the kind that said: this man can lead me and Tiona further down the path of strength. Tione saw things more clearly than her sister; she understood Tsunayoshi could help them climb higher.
"Tsunayoshi, how should we train with these from now on?" Tione asked.
"It's basically about habit. When you're wearing the gravity bands, you don't need to force special workouts. Just maintain the gravity during daily life and extend the duration. Once you're used to that load, add another layer. With habit on your side, you'll get maximum training benefit just by living your day," he explained.
Then his eyes swept over their outfits, curiosity tugging at him.
"Tione, Tiona—do Amazonesses generally dislike wearing armor?"
"Uh-huh," Tione nodded, happy to explain. "I can't speak for everyone, but since I first started training I've hardly worn armor. Among Amazonesses, we tend to see armor as a hindrance—something that gets in the way of our direct, up-close fighting."
"Besides inconvenience," she continued, "there's also how our skills work. The more damage we take, the easier it is to unleash greater power. Sometimes in battle we don't even avoid getting hurt—might even force the issue—to draw out stronger strength."
"I see. So it's habit and combat style," Tsunayoshi said. "No wonder you both dress so… breezy."
Tiona and Tione exchanged a glance and laughed.
"Convenience and style are part of it," Tione said. "But it's also our way of life. We Amazonesses respect wildness in battle. Showing our wildness—showing our strength—is also how we choose mates. Our tribe doesn't bear males, so our mating customs are… let's say more feral."
"That is pretty wild," Tsunayoshi said without judgment. Different races, different cultures; different cultures, different values. The Amazoness way was survival of the fittest—reflected not just in their clothing, but in their whole way of life.
"But going in with no gear at all still seems risky, right?"
"Mhm. In certain situations it's a pain," Tiona admitted. "But if gear fit for Amazonesses gets too heavy, it messes up our fighting. Go too light and most gear becomes pointless."
Tione smacked her sister on the butt, making the "dummy" jolt. Rolling her eyes, she said, "He already brought it up—of course Tsunayoshi has something prepared."
Prompted, Tiona lit up, eyes sparkling at Tsunayoshi. "So, so—are you gonna swap us into new equipment?"
"…Something like that."
Tsunayoshi opened his hand. A long strip of red cloth unfolded into the air.
"I made this for safety over the last two days. It's a defensive piece called Holy Shroud—named for a saint's burial cloth. It offers strong resistance to both physical and magical attacks. It doesn't tear easily, and it also protects against abnormal conditions."
"So many functions?" Tiona breathed, eyes shining. Tione's gaze sharpened, equally intrigued.
"This cloth is so thin, and it can do all that?" Tione asked. "Defense against both physical and magic… I've only heard that Riveria's royal mantle has properties like that. Why not tell Captain about it?"
"Because it's still in testing," Tsunayoshi said. "I don't know how long its effect can last once fabricated. From your gravity bracelets, I confirmed that constructs made without a resident beast core can still persist for a time. Next I need to test how long defensive tools hold up."
"Testing, huh." Tione nodded, studying the red cloth whose functions sounded maxed out. Interest tugged at her lips.
"In that case, Tiona and I will test it for you," she said. "But once the testing's done, our future gear is your problem. Deal?"
"Of course," Tsunayoshi replied without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)
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