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Chapter 26: Update
"Regardless, it is good that you've made allies. Continuing to dive into the Dungeon alone will eventually push you to your limit," Ryuu said.
"Ryuu, were you an adventurer in the past by any chance?" Bell asked.
"Yes. I used to call myself an adventurer. Why do you ask?"
"How do you... Rank Up?"
Ever since Bell heard that Ais had reached Level 6, he had been endlessly wondering what it took to Rank Up. Until now, he assumed all he had to do was continuously accumulate Excelia, but a lingering feeling told him that wouldn't be enough.
"You must achieve a Great Feat," Ryuu answered simply.
"A... Great Feat?"
"Yes. A Great Deed. An achievement that even the Gods would praise."
"So, you mean doing something that's normally impossible?"
"You must defeat an opponent vastly more powerful than yourself. By acquiring higher-tier Excelia and surpassing a certain threshold, the conditions for leveling up are met."
"Then... you can't Rank Up just by defeating opponents weaker than you?"
"That is correct."
"Wow. Ranking up sounds incredibly difficult, huh?"
Wait... wouldn't that mean Tsuna has already achieved a Great Feat...? Though Tsuna had acted as if the matter didn't concern him, Bell couldn't help but think back to their training. Tsuna had completely overwhelmed Ais. Even if it was just a spar, and even though Ais was at a higher level, Tsuna's sheer strength felt like it easily qualified as a Great Deed.
"Leveling up is the strengthening of mind and body. It is the evolution of your vessel and a matter of principle. The Gods' grace only grants higher qualifications to those who have overcome true trials," Ryuu continued, explaining that the basic abilities built up over time were merely the foundation necessary to achieve that Great Deed. A status rank of D was the absolute minimum requirement to even attempt a Rank Up.
"But fighting a monster stronger than yourself... normally, wouldn't you just lose...?"
"That is where technique comes in to bridge the gap. But I should impart the most common solution to you. You form a party."
"A party?"
"Yes. You compensate for your individual weaknesses by relying on your allies to defeat the enemy. The adventurers of Orario have grown stronger by repeating that very process."
"So you just have to cooperate with others to take down a stronger opponent?"
"Exactly. The Excelia will be distributed among the party members, but it is the most reliable method. That is why you two—Cranel and Sawada—should combine your strength and grow together."
Combine our strength... Tsuna doesn't even need my help, though... Despite Ryuu's earnest advice, Bell was painfully aware that teaming up with Tsuna would only make him a burden. Furthermore, Ais had achieved the Great Deed of defeating a Floor Boss entirely on her own. Bell's ultimate goal was to catch up to her, but he was overwhelmed by anxiety. Could he ever truly reach someone capable of such monumental feats?
"This might just be me being overly meddlesome, but may I say one more thing?" Ryuu asked.
"Ah, yes. Please."
"Mr. Cranel. Mr. Sawada. There are as many meanings to an adventure as there are people."
"What do you mean?"
"I do not know what kind of adventure you two will face. But whatever it is, please do not avert your eyes from it, or the meaning behind it."
""?""
Ryuu's advice as a former adventurer hung in the air, but neither Tsuna nor Bell quite understood what she meant.
"You are both adventurers."
"!?"
Bell gasped, feeling a sudden, inexplicable weight behind Ryuu's words. Tsuna, on the other hand, was still completely lost.
"Whatever it is you desire... I believe you can only obtain it by moving forward."
"R-Right..."
"No... please do not mind me. My intuition is often wrong."
Having said her piece, Ryuu returned her focus to the dishes. The three of them spent the rest of their time diligently cleaning up. Once they finished, Tsuna and Bell finally prepared to leave the Hostess of Fertility.
"Bell! Tsunayoshi!" Syr called out, jogging over to them just as they reached the door. "I'm so sorry about today... and thank you so much for your help."
"No, it's fine... I know we complained at first, but we owe you a lot, Syr," Bell replied with a tired smile.
Even though we completely got dragged into this mess... Tsuna kept his thoughts to himself. He knew Syr had made them lunch as a kind gesture, but she was still the root cause of their current exhaustion.
"Bell," Syr said softly.
"?"
"I'm not an adventurer, so I don't really know how to say this... but maybe you don't have to go on an adventure."
Whether she had overheard their earlier conversation or was just speaking her mind, Syr's words struck a delicate chord.
"Please don't push yourself. I just... really wanted to tell you that."
"..."
Bell didn't know how to respond. Syr's words were the exact opposite of Ryuu's. He wanted to get stronger. He knew that to Rank Up, he had to fight stronger opponents. Yet Syr was telling him to stop. And she wasn't wrong. Fighting stronger enemies meant risking his life. Telling someone to avoid such danger was normal—it was the kindest thing a person could say.
Both Syr and Ryuu were right, which only left Bell feeling more conflicted.
"I think you'll be fine, Mr. Sawada, but please try not to push yourself either," Syr added, turning her bright eyes to him.
"Eh...!?"
Tsuna blinked, completely caught off guard. Why was he suddenly the exception?
"I'm sorry, that was a weird thing to say. But I just had a feeling you'd be okay, Tsunayoshi. Just a hunch!"
"!?"
As she flashed him a cheerful smile, a bizarre sensation washed over Tsuna.
What is this? It's not a bad feeling, but... His Hyper Intuition flared in a way it never had before. It wasn't a warning of danger, but a profound, instinctual realization: Syr was not a normal human being.
"Tsunayoshi? Is something wrong?"
"S-Sorry... it's nothing..."
Syr tilted her head curiously, but Tsuna quickly brushed it off. Still, as they left the pub, the strange dissonance in his intuition refused to leave his mind.
.....
Back at the church, the night had fallen. Tomorrow was the day of the expedition, and Tsuna was currently having his Status updated.
W-What is this...!? Hestia stared at the Hieroglyphs floating on Tsuna's back, utterly speechless. With a trembling hand, she transcribed his updated Status onto a sheet of parchment in Koine.
[Status Window]
───────────────
Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi
Level: 1
Strength: I0 → F350
Endurance: I0 → F300
Dexterity: I0 → G200
Agility: I0 → F330
Magic: I0 → I0
Magic:
[ ]
Skills:
───────────────
"I-Is this real, Goddess...!? These stats...!?" Bell stammered, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Yeah... to be blunt, this is completely insane," Hestia muttered.
"Eh... is it really that surprising?" Tsuna asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Of course it is!! If any other Familia found out about this, they'd lose their minds!!" Hestia shouted, exasperated by his sheer lack of awareness.
"Wait, your Status can increase from things other than fighting monsters in the Dungeon!?" Bell asked, surprised.
"Yeah, it can. The key isn't whether it's real combat or training, but whether your body absorbs it as genuine Excelia. Just playing around or going through the motions won't give you a drop of Excelia. But if you throw your life on the line and train desperately, the Gods' grace will recognize it as true sustenance."
"Even so, this isn't normal at all, is it...!?" Bell pressed.
"Hmm... well, he is a Level 1 who managed to beat a high-level adventurer, so maybe that's why?"
Since she couldn't reveal the existence of Tsuna's unique skill, Hestia feigned ignorance and quickly changed the subject.
"There's no point worrying about things we don't understand. Anyway, let's get some sleep. Tsunayoshi has his expedition tomorrow."
.....
Hestia's Room
"I didn't think it would be this extreme..."
Hestia lay face-down on her bed, completely drained. She had severely underestimated the sheer potency of Tsuna's skill, [Blood of Vongola]. Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling, vividly recalling the rest of the text carved into his back.
[Status Window]
───────────────
Skills:
[Blood of Vongola]
• Accelerates growth.
• Increases in strength with every battle.
• Effectiveness scales with the strength of the opponent.
[Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised]
• Absorbs the opponent's magic and converts it into the user's power.
• Cannot absorb magic mixed with impurities.
• Over-absorption of magic causes self-harm.
───────────────
"Manifesting a second skill in such a short time... and another rare one at that... Give me a break..."
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