Training? That could wait until after the expedition. Bete wasn't about to push himself during something as serious as this. He didn't think he was strong enough to get cocky yet—especially not with tomorrow's seventeenth-floor boss fight looming. There was no way he'd skip the chance to hunt Goliath.
Everyone washed up early and retreated to their rooms for the night.
The next morning, spirits were high. The group gathered in the Tree House's dining hall, waiting for breakfast, and the chatter started immediately.
"Slept like a rock last night."
"Yeah. Back on expeditions, rest was always a pain. You'd be crammed into a tent with four or five others, taking turns on watch duty. Sleeping through the night? Forget it."
"And the bath. Who the hell gets to take a bath on an expedition? Normally we just jump in a stream near the Great Falls and splash around for a bit."
"That's us men. You think the women are gonna do the same? Jump into some creek half-naked?"
"Hiss—honestly, I'd love to see that. Especially Lady Riveria."
"Bullshit! Who wouldn't want to see that!"
Riveria had always been the picture of elegance and beauty within the Familia. Elves in general were known for their good looks, but among the royal bloodline, she was exceptional. Plenty of adventurers carried a torch for her—same as the women who had crushes on Finn.
"Too bad Lady Riveria's too classy for that. Can't even imagine her splashing around in some stream."
"Yeah…"
The conversation veered wildly off course. Even a male elf chimed in.
"Alright, that's enough about Lady Riveria. This kind of talk is disrespectful. Besides, what do you think happens if she hears you? You'd be dead."
"…"
The room fell silent.
Yeah. Every man present suddenly felt mortality creeping up on them. They exchanged glances and dropped the topic entirely.
"That rookie who made this space—I always knew his ability was crazy, but I didn't expect it to go this far. The guy operates purely on imagination. Doesn't even play by the rules."
"For real. It's completely unreasonable. But when you think about how someone that broken is actually our Familia member, I can't help grinning even when I'm lying in bed. Now I kinda get why the captain and the others are so worried."
Someone like that couldn't be poached by another god. That fear was shared by everyone.
"Bete's pretty reliable—except when he drinks. But personality-wise, he's not gonna blab. If someone asks him anything, he'd just give them that nasty look and say, 'Hah? Why the hell would I tell you, you little shit?'"
"Whoa! That impression was spot-on!"
The speaker even nailed Bete's signature scowl. You could tell he'd been watching closely. But honestly, Bete's foul mouth was reassuring in moments like this.
As long as he didn't drink, Bete was solid. Everyone agreed on that. The other big mouth, though… that one was worrying.
"Speaking of which, is Raul actually gonna be okay? That guy's unreliable as hell. I've always thought he'd end up dying because of a woman someday. Hopefully not one of those Amazons from the Pleasure Quarter."
"Not gonna lie, I'm starting to think he's already halfway gone."
"Nah, nah. Lady Loki's punishment should be enough to scare him straight. Raul leaked Familia intel before because those girls scrambled his brain. But now that Lady Loki's given him a direct order—if he screws this up, she'll cut him for sure. Maybe not just half, either."
"Plus, Raul's the poster boy for hard work. Getting to Level 4 doesn't mean he's an idiot. He's not that controlled by his dick. With Lady Loki's command, even if he's a terrible actor, he'll make those Pleasure Quarter girls believe him."
"True. Raul's not gonna fail something this simple."
Everyone knew where Raul was unreliable. But they also knew how hard he worked. Even without skills or magic, his effort put most adventurers to shame. Not many people leveled up once a year for four straight years.
It was their first morning in the Dungeon with this much comfort, so naturally, people were more talkative than usual.
In a corner of the dining hall, Finn sipped his tea, eyes fixed on the anxious figure sitting across from him—Raul.
"Heard all that?"
"Yeah. I heard."
Raul's expression was tight. He took a deep breath and worked up the courage to ask his senior.
"Captain… if I don't pull this off…"
"Loki will be furious. Right now, Tsuna's more important to her than even Ais. The three of us combined don't matter as much as keeping his information locked down. So, Raul—just this once, don't screw up. Got it?"
I'm screwed. Raul felt the sky collapsing. Lady Loki wasn't joking. Captain Finn was warning him seriously. This wasn't his imagination. If he failed, he might not even be able to stay in the Familia.
"Finn, stop messing with him. You know Raul's gonna take everything you say literally."
Riveria shook her head. Finn chuckled.
"He's the one who leaked Familia intel last time. He needs to understand how serious that is. Maybe then he'll use his brain next time he visits the Pleasure Quarter and stop blabbing everything."
"Wait—so all that was a lie?"
"No. It was all true."
Finn's denial sent Raul spiraling again.
"But Loki thinks you're a bit unreliable, so she had Tsuna prepare a special package to make sure you follow through."
…Why does that sound dangerous? Raul felt a chill. His instincts screamed that this "package" wasn't going to be something he could handle easily.
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Note: Some powerstones, perhaps… zzzz
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