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Chapter 18: Quest
Intrigued by the unbelievable claim, Finn requested to watch Tsuna spar with Ais to verify his strength with his own eyes.
"Today, I will definitely win."
Ais drew Desperate from its scabbard, instantly dropping into the Middle Stance.
"Come at me with the intent to kill."
Tsuna slipped the '27' mittens onto his hands and seamlessly transitioned into Hyper Dying Will Mode.
Just from his stance alone, I can tell. He is a hardened warrior who has survived countless brushes with death.
While a normal person would be terrified by the sudden ignition of flames on Tsuna's head, Finn simply rested his right elbow in the palm of his left hand, pinching his chin with his fingers as he coldly and analytically assessed Tsuna's combat aura.
"Here I come."
Gripping Desperate with both hands, Ais channeled her strength and exploded forward, instantly breaching Tsuna's guard to deliver a lightning-fast thrust.
"...!?"
But a fraction of a second before the thrust connected, Ais let go of her sword entirely. Gripping her scabbard tightly in her left hand, she whipped it around in a brutal horizontal sweep aimed directly at Tsuna's right cheek. Tsuna effortlessly blocked the heavy strike with his right forearm.
Now!!
Using the momentum of the block, Ais dropped into a low crouch, catching the falling Desperate in her right hand before it hit the ground. Kicking off the stone, she launched herself upward, unleashing a vicious rising slash from below.
It was a perfectly executed Upward Strike, but Tsuna simply tilted his head back, dodging the lethal blade by a paper-thin margin.
Not yet!!
Ais immediately let go of the scabbard with her left hand, gripping her sword with both hands to bring it down in a devastating overhead Head-cleaver. Anticipating the heavy strike, Tsuna blasted a burst of flame backward, instantly teleporting behind her.
"I knew you'd do that."
Instead of completing the downward swing, Ais forcefully twisted her body in mid-air, using centrifugal force to unleash a massive, sweeping slash directly behind her.
After fighting him for five days, Ais had meticulously studied how Tsuna dodged and countered. Based on his previous patterns, she had perfectly predicted that he would evade her overhead strike by taking her back.
"Yeah. And I knew you'd know that."
Eh...!?
But Tsuna was one step ahead of her prediction. Instead of dodging, he crossed his gauntlets, catching the full force of Ais's sweeping slash. Using the sheer kinetic impact of her attack, he launched himself backward into the open sky. Reaching his arms out behind him, he fired a continuous, stabilized stream of flames, completely arresting his backward momentum and stopping dead in mid-air.
"H-He's flying...!?"
To think he was capable of this as well...!
Seeing Tsuna casually hovering in the empty air high above the wall, both Bell and Finn were left completely speechless.
He stopped in mid-air... Is he actually flying!?
Up until now, Ais had assumed he was only using the flames for instantaneous, explosive bursts of speed. She hadn't realized he could continuously emit the flames to achieve sustained, omni-directional flight.
"You're wide open."
"...!?"
While Ais was frozen in shock, Tsuna utilized the flames to launch himself back down to the wall, instantly materializing behind her and pressing a knife-hand strike firmly against her neck.
"You let your guard down. We're still in the middle of a fight."
"I yield..."
Unable to counter his logic, Ais hung her head and admitted defeat. Hearing her surrender, Tsuna lowered his hand and powered down.
"A truly magnificent display."
Finn began to clap slowly, offering his genuine applause for a battle that had far exceeded his expectations.
"And thank you. It was a privilege to witness your power firsthand."
"I don't mind showing you, but what's your real angle here? If you specifically asked to see my power, you must have an ulterior motive."
"Astute. Yes, I do have a rather large favor to ask of you."
"I'll tell you right now, if this is a recruitment pitch, the answer is no. I have absolutely no intention of transferring to another Familia."
"I wasn't planning on asking. Or rather, it's mechanically impossible for me to ask."
"Why?"
"Transferring between Familias—a process known as Conversion—requires the adventurer to have served in their current faction for a minimum of one full year. So, no matter how much I might want you, I literally cannot recruit you right now."
"I see. Sorry for jumping to conclusions."
"Not at all. Now, onto the main topic... I want you to accompany us on our expedition in two days."
"Finn!? What are you thinking!?"
Hearing his true objective, Ais, who rarely showed extreme emotion, shouted in genuine shock.
"An expedition?" Tsuna asked.
"Familias are categorized into various ranks. Factions that reach a certain rank—specifically exploration-type Familias—are periodically assigned Mandatory Missions by the Guild."
"Missions?"
"Mandatory Missions are compulsory quests issued directly by the Guild. In short, they are orders we absolutely cannot refuse."
"So you're asking me to help you complete this Mandatory Mission?"
"Exactly."
"And what exactly are you supposed to do?"
"The objectives vary. It could be establishing a new deepest-reached floor, discovering new harvestable resources or ores, mapping an uncharted territory, and so on. Essentially, we are required to produce some kind of tangible, significant result for the Guild."
"I see. And what is your Familia trying to do?"
"We intend to establish a new deepest floor. Our target is the 59th Floor."
"The 59th Floor..."
Tsuna hadn't ventured deeper than the 9th Floor since his first day. Because Bell was always completely exhausted after his morning training with Ais, they had purposely avoided going below the 10th Floor. As a result, Tsuna couldn't even begin to imagine what the 59th Floor looked like.
"I won't lie to you; I cannot guarantee you will return alive. We have almost zero intelligence on what awaits us on the 59th Floor. It is entirely uncharted territory. It's highly likely we could face casualties before we even reach our target. Therefore, you are completely free to refuse. However, if you agree, I will pay you a massive sum as a commission, regardless of whether the expedition is a success or a failure. And please rest assured, even if you refuse, I will not force Ais to stop training you two. That is a separate matter entirely."
Finn clearly laid out the extreme risks, explicitly stating that Tsuna could decline without any negative consequences, while highlighting the immense financial reward if he accepted.
"Tsuna, you can't. The Deep Floors are incredibly terrifying. The monsters are overwhelmingly strong, and the environments are brutally harsh. Just like Finn said, there is no guarantee you'll survive. I know you're incredibly strong, but it's not a place for someone who just arrived in Orario."
"Ais-san is right. Besides, you have people waiting for you to come home, don't you?"
Both Ais and Bell vehemently opposed the idea of Tsuna risking his life in the Deep Floors.
"If you accept two conditions, I'll help you," Tsuna said, looking directly at Finn.
"Let's hear them."
"First: If the situation deteriorates to the point where I become a liability, I reserve the right to retreat immediately."
"And the second?"
"No one looks into my background."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. My origins, my bloodline, my history, the nature of my abilities—everything about me. You must explicitly order every member of the expedition to refrain from prying into my personal matters. If you agree to those two terms, I will assist you on this expedition."
"Understood. I accept your terms."
Finn had no idea why Tsuna was so insistent on keeping his background a secret, but since the conditions were highly reasonable and didn't hinder the mission, he accepted without hesitation.
"Tsuna!? Are you seriously going!?"
"Yeah. If my strength can be of use, then I want to help."
Tsuna sounded noble, but his primary motivation was the money. He knew that a commission from the Captain of the largest faction in Orario would be astronomical. He intended to use the reward to pay off his debt to the Hestia Familia and make their lives significantly easier.
"I won't be able to dive into the Dungeon with you until the expedition is over. Sorry, Bell, but you'll either have to go with Lili or take a break for a few days."
"Tsuna..."
Feeling the absolute, unshakeable resolve in Tsuna's voice, Bell realized he couldn't say anything to stop him.
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