Beyond the Great Tree Cave and the Great Azure Falls lay the safe zone on Floor 28.
With the Amphisbæna at the Falls having been sent back to its respawn timer by Bete a week earlier, the expedition's pace only quickened.
The three-person squads made up of Level 2 adventurers had now been proven in live combat. Their success cemented the formation as viable and, going forward, the standard expedition package. Small squads were easier to mesh, train, and grow together—perfect for internal development within the Familia.
Alongside the regular three-man teams, there were specialized units for special monsters—like the baby dragon on Floor 13, which normal trios were ill-suited to fight. Rather than throw bodies at it, they deployed the higher-odds counter package. The results spoke for themselves.
Bit by bit, the Familia would keep harvesting intel on new floors, codifying monsters across the house and drafting sharper counters for each weakness. Lower the bar to engage, broaden everyone's toolkit, and push deeper.
This kind of modular, combined approach was new for the Loki Familia—and the first try had gone beautifully. Spirits were high when they reached the Floor 28 safe zone.
Who wouldn't be thrilled, seeing their work bear fruit?
All the drilling in the Training Space and Challenge Space hadn't been for nothing—it had settled into their bodies as skill and power. They'd glimpsed results before, but the Joint Expedition was letting those results bloom all at once.
"Good. That's enough for today's push. Tsuna—"
At Finn's word, the puppet named "Dye" appeared before everyone. This time, it was… different. Instead of silence, a flat, low voice rolled out:
"The smiths inside the Rest Space are ready to service weapons and re-hone arrowheads. Food prep must begin now. The smiths are not cooks."
"Eh? Tsuna, you can make it talk?"
Tiona bounced closer, delighted—her first time hearing the puppet's voice. Unlike Tsuna's gentle tone, this voice was cold and deep, nothing like him.
"Infiltration and quiet work don't require speech," the puppet answered. "Speaking draws attention. Unless necessary, I won't make a puppet talk. But the function has always been available."
It stamped once. A zipper split the ground. The puppet tugged, and a doorway yawned open into space.
"Talk later. Enter the Rest Space first."
"Right. File in by groups," Finn ordered. "Once inside, disarm and hand weapons and gear to Hephaestus's smiths. Those of you who can cook, please start dinner. Everyone else, after you strip your kit, get to your rooms and rest."
It was their first time resting this way on a Joint Expedition, so Finn was careful with the details. After they'd done it once, he could delegate the flow to those best suited.
The adventurers entered the Rest Space three at a time.
Unlike the so-called "safe floor," which still spawned monsters—just fewer and less often—there were no spawn points inside the Rest Space. Only clean air and the calm, homelike smell that let you breathe.
They emerged onto open grass before a cluster of treehouses. Off to one side loomed a sprawling brick-and-stone forge complex. Hephaestus's children hustled in and out, faces alight as they ferried supplies—and more than a few wore the giddy smiles of craftspeople in their element.
"Oi—there you are."
A bold, cheerful voice carried from ahead. A woman in white with a red hakama and a black eyepatch over her left eye strode over.
Tsubaki gave the returning adventurers a once-over: sharp auras, fresh from the line, not yet settled. Travel-worn, dust-streaked, with weapons and armor showing wear in all the usual places.
Looked like the fighting was plenty fierce. Confirming as much, she turned and shouted toward the forge:
"Alright, brats! The adventurers are back from the field—come collect their gear!"
At her call, the smiths poured out.
"Let's go! Weapons and armor—now!"
"And the recovered arrows too! Drop everything here and go rest!"
Their enthusiasm was… exuberant.
It wasn't that they loved busywork. It was the new forge—perfect in every standard that mattered: the air, the hearths, the tools. Everything gleamed. The smiths were practically trembling to get started.
The adventurers, meanwhile, stood a bit dazed, unsure when their kit had been stripped off—and then watched a gaggle of cackling smiths sweep up their arms and armor and rush the workshop like gleeful villains.
(End of Chapter)
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