The day of the Joint Expedition was drawing near once again.
As the date approached, every Adventurer participating in the expedition was diligently tuning their condition in preparation.
Tiona and Tione were no exception.
Having just reached Level 5, the sisters had already adjusted the imbalance in their bodies through training in the Challenge Space. Their newly strengthened bodies now moved in perfect sync.
Because they needed to stay ready for the upcoming expedition, it had been nearly a month since they last visited the Training Space. They worried that pushing their growth too far again might throw their coordination off balance.
Which meant, for the moment, the two Amazon sisters had a lot of free time on their hands.
"Haah~"
Tiona sprawled across her bed in a great star-shaped pose.
"Ugh, I'm so bored lately…"
"Everyone in the Familia's busy preparing for the Joint Expedition," Tione replied. "Either they're tuning up their bodies or repairing their weapons. The others haven't leveled up yet, so they don't need to worry about growth imbalances. But we just did."
Tiona let out a dramatic groan of despair. Propping herself up with both hands, she flipped upright from the bed with a springing motion.
"But seriously, it's way too boring these days!"
She slumped onto Tione's shoulder, only to notice her sister holding a delicate little box and dabbing something onto her face.
"Hm? Tione, what's that you're using?"
"This?" Tione lifted the box slightly. "It's a new product from the Dian Cecht Familia. Supposed to moisturize the skin and help heal wounds faster. The effect isn't quite as strong as an All-Heal, so it's still in testing."
The Dian Cecht Familia was one of the largest production Familias in the Labyrinth City, responsible for nearly sixty to seventy percent of all restorative potions in Orario.
Besides crafting the finest All-Heal potions, their other medicines were also top-tier.
In addition to the usual Adventurer recovery potions, they had also developed skincare products specifically for women.
While most of their goods were aimed at Adventurers, that didn't mean they ignored other markets—especially cosmetics.
Naturally, such products didn't have much effect on Gods and Goddesses, but for ordinary women, they were quite popular.
"Eh~"
Tiona tilted her head. She didn't quite get the "moisturizing" part—her skin felt fine—but she understood the "healing wounds" part.
"If you need something like that, why not just go to Tsuna for it? I bet what he makes is better than anything Dian Cecht produces."
"Of course I know that!"
Tione's fingers pressed unconsciously harder against the little metal tin, leaving clear indentations.
"But that stupid wolf, Bete, keeps barging into Tsuna's room early every morning. He stays there until late at night! I haven't had any chance to see Tsuna at all."
The sisters were frequent visitors to Tsuna's room—often dropping by for no reason at all.
Now that Bete had basically monopolized his time, Tione was understandably irritated.
"Bete, huh…"
Tiona thought about her own boredom, and how it had been nearly half a month since she'd last gone to play with Tsuna. A flicker of annoyance crossed her eyes.
She wanted to do something, anything—but thinking about the current situation, she could only give up with a sigh.
"I heard from Alicia that Bete's been spending over half the day in the Training Space and Challenge Space lately."
"Yeah. I think he was frustrated by our progress, so he's dead set on reaching Level 5 before the expedition. That's why he's been pushing himself nonstop."
"And since the person who understands and controls the Dying Will Flame best is Tsuna, he's been pestering him constantly."
Tione sighed helplessly.
"I know, that's why I haven't gone to bother him recently. Things probably won't calm down until the final few days."
That dumb wolf was no doubt making the most of the last bit of time before the Amphisbaena respawned—planning to challenge it head-on.
After that fight, he surely wouldn't be hogging Tsuna's time anymore.
Once the battle against Amphisbaena ended, there'd be less than a week left before the Joint Expedition.
Only one week to stabilize his body after leveling up? That was cutting it close.
Tione remembered that it had taken nearly half a month for her and Tiona to fully adapt after their own level-up.
"Phew…"
Bete sat cross-legged in midair, adjusting his state of mind.
Beneath him, an invisible current of Dying Will Flame supported his body, letting him float as though defying gravity.
"Bete, your control over the Dying Will Flame has far surpassed most others," said Tsuna calmly. "Right now, I'd say you're only slightly behind Riveria."
As the one who'd introduced the art of manipulating the Dying Will Flame, Tsuna knew better than anyone how well others handled it.
To be able to levitate without any magical tools—especially using the most destructive flame type, Storm—was proof of extraordinary mastery.
Bete slowly opened his eyes.
"So I'm still a step behind that old hag Riveria, huh?"
"Um…Bete, I'd recommend being careful about how you refer to Miss Riveria," Tsuna replied, his lips twitching. "All elves, especially long-lived ones, tend to be… sensitive about age."
"If she heard you just now, she might actually kill you."
Just hearing "old hag" made Tsuna's expression tighten. From the corner of his eye, he noticed someone sneaking closer—and his face darkened immediately.
Dead man walking…
Bete's neck stiffened. He remembered all too clearly the screams that had once echoed through the entire Familia, when Riveria had given Ais her "special training."
He didn't dare say the word "old hag" again. Not unless he wanted Riveria to appear out of thin air and hit him with a spell.
"Tsuna, what do you think of my current condition?"
"I'd say you're fine. The greater danger now lies not with the Floor Boss, but with the Dark Faction."
"Those bastards…"
Bete's expression turned grim.
He knew about the attack on Tiona and Tione in the Dungeon—not just a random ambush, but one led personally by Valletta. If the sisters hadn't been ready, they might've been taken.
"That's why for the next challenge, you'll need Finn and Gareth with you," Tsuna continued. "Doing it differently from last time will also make the Dark Faction more certain that the previous incident was part of Finn's plan."
Tsuna hadn't forgotten to tie up the loose ends with the Dark Faction.
Having Finn and Gareth participate this time would make it clear that the Loki Familia wasn't continuing to bait them.
It would also reinforce the idea that the earlier "trap" had only been set to draw Valletta out.