Finn stared at the imprint paper in his hand, unable to hide the astonishment welling up inside him.
"I didn't expect my Status to improve this much..."
Strength: I97 → G287
Endurance: H102 → F324
Dexterity: G245 → E467
Agility: G178 → E411
Magic: H165
"Tell me about it," Gareth rumbled, looking at his own sheet with genuine surprise.
"This round was a huge success. The Training Space might've been brutal, but the results speak for themselves."
Strength: G227 → E467
Endurance: G278 → D512
Dexterity: I34 → G226
Agility: I23 → G211
Magic: I56
Out of curiosity, Gareth glanced at Finn's numbers. Each of them had grown in different areas, but the overall improvement was balanced across the board.
That alone said everything—the Training Space's pressure worked evenly across every growth field. It didn't just strengthen one aspect, it hit everything at once.
And that was an incredible feat in itself.
"Yeah, the pressure in there was insane," Finn admitted.
"The environment was deliberately designed to be hellish—customized to push each of our physical limits," Gareth added. "Even standing still for a few minutes in that place felt more effective than spending hours in the Dungeon."
"But I'll give it credit—it works."
Finn nodded in firm agreement. The Training Space's results were almost absurdly good.
From their Status gains alone, the effectiveness of that dimension went far beyond what he'd imagined possible.
Still, that kind of environment wasn't something just any adventurer could handle.
"Trying to make this standard Familia training would be... difficult," Finn said.
"Yeah. Lasting even half a day in there would break most people," Gareth replied, crossing his arms.
He understood Finn's concern. The Training Space was incredible—but surviving it required monstrous willpower.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tsuna, who was still undergoing his update.
"He managed to stick it out, though."
Half a day in that space had felt like an eternity. Even Gareth had barely endured it. But Tsuna—who, by all accounts, had the weakest physique among them—had stayed until the very end.
Now, though, he was barely standing.
"He's running on pure willpower," Gareth muttered.
"Yeah. His hunger for strength... it's stronger than any of us realized," Finn replied quietly.
For someone who'd only just become an adventurer to survive that kind of pressure was nothing short of a miracle.
Finn couldn't help but respect him for it. He knew, from experience, how much sheer determination it took to endure that kind of suffering.
Facing away from Loki, Tsuna's vision had already turned dim and gray. His stamina was completely depleted, and dehydration was setting in fast.
Just lasting until the end of the session was already pushing the limits of human endurance.
"That might've been a bit too reckless this time..." Tsuna admitted inwardly, reflecting on his own impulsiveness.
He'd been training his body for a while now—mountain climbing was nothing new—but the extreme gravity and the environmental pressure in that space had been on a whole different level.
"I just hope the results were worth it."
Despite his exhaustion, curiosity flickered faintly in his thoughts. If he was going to be reckless, he at least wanted to see what he'd gained from it.
Strength: E498 → SSS1101
Endurance: D505 → SSS1101
Dexterity: D598 → SSS1101
Agility: C603 → SSS1101
Magic: SSS2001
"All of them, huh..." Loki's voice broke the silence, her eyes widening.
Even knowing that Tiona and Tione had already surpassed the usual limits—and that Tsuna had extraordinary potential—she hadn't expected this.
Every single stat had shattered the cap.
Slowly, her surprise melted into a grin of pure delight.
"Well, well~ You really didn't disappoint me, did you?"
Four of his basic abilities had gone beyond the normal limit—one of them even surpassing the limit's limit.
That kind of potential was enough to make any god giddy.
Tsuna had already accumulated more than enough Excellia; the only thing holding him back was his Status.
Now that everything had reached the threshold, there was no reason to wait any longer.
"Tsuna, you can Level Up now. Do you want to?"
"Yes."
The instant Loki asked, Tsuna's dulled eyes regained a flicker of life, and his answer came without hesitation.
"Alright, give me a second."
Loki wasn't the least bit surprised by his immediate response.
She got right to work, tracing her finger down his back as the Falna's script shimmered. The number marking his Level shifted downward, and all of his base stats reset to I0.
At the same time, a new category appeared beneath his Status—Development Ability.
Unlike basic abilities, these were specialized traits that reflected a person's chosen path and expertise.
Choosing one defined the direction of an adventurer's future.
For most, multiple options appeared during Level Up, representing the different experiences they'd accumulated.
For Tsuna, however—
[Dying Will Flame]
Loki blinked, then chuckled softly. "Guess there's no need to overthink this one."
If there'd been other options, she might've hesitated. But with only a single choice available, the decision was already made.
...…
The moment she inscribed that line into the Falna, the emblem on Tsuna's back began to shift.
The clown insignia that represented Loki morphed—seven flames of different colors spiraled around a seashell, burning bright and vivid.
This time, the fire wasn't just the familiar orange-yellow of the Sky Flame, but seven distinct hues—each with its own texture and form, all burning in harmony.
The shell at the center cracked open, revealing a pearl inside—still colorless, yet gleaming faintly.
"A symbol of metamorphosis?" Loki murmured.
"So that strange emblem appears now of all times..."
Before she could ponder it further, the symbol reverted back to her own jester crest.
"Tch. Hiding your true mark right after evolving, huh? Clever little brat," she muttered, smirking. "Using my emblem as a disguise right after your Level Up... sneaky."
Her grumbling aside, Loki's interest in Tsuna only deepened.
She glanced once more at the completed Falna, and this time, the previously unreadable section had finally revealed itself.
[Magic]: Dying Will Flame – Sky, Storm, Rain, Cloud, Mist, Lightning, Sun
"Huh. So that's what it was," she murmured. "No wonder his Development Ability turned out like that—it's tied directly to this magic."
"It seems Tsuna and this 'Dying Will Flame' are deeply connected. I'll have to ask him about it later."
Once she finished locking the Falna, Loki pressed the parchment down and took another imprint—just like before, only recording his updated Status.
Everything else... she'd keep for a private conversation later.
Her grin widened, eyes sparkling with amusement.
Now this was the kind of discovery she lived for.
======
[Extra chapter]