"Achoo!"
Wrapped tightly in a thick blanket, Tiona kept shivering uncontrollably.
"So cold… so cold… even the Dying Will Flame can't warm me up fast enough."
"What did you expect? Don't forget we just climbed out of a block of ice."
Tione shot her foolish little sister a glare while rubbing her arms briskly. She didn't look much better herself.
"You two should be grateful you're wearing clothes made from the Shroud of Turin. That material has strong resistance against both physical and magical damage. Otherwise, your frostbite would be far worse right now."
"Here, drink this. It'll warm you up."
Tsuna handed each of them a steaming cup of milk.
The sisters took a sip, and as the warmth flowed through them, the lingering chill inside their bodies eased a little.
"You're the ones who wouldn't let go of me," Tsuna said, exasperated.
"I had armor protecting me. You two only had clothes made from small pieces of the Shroud of Turin. Did you really think you could endure more than I could?"
He looked at the two of them helplessly. He'd wanted to shake them off near the end, but they'd clung to him like their lives depended on it. Anyone watching might have thought they bore some deep grudge against him.
"A fight is a fight. We agreed not to hold back from the start—there's no such thing as letting go at the crucial moment."
"Exactly! We said we'd go all out, no mercy. Of course there's no reason to stop halfway."
The Amazon sisters' resolve was perfectly aligned.
Once they'd decided to fight, there was no room for hesitation.
"They're right, Tsuna," Riveria spoke up from the side. She approved of the sisters' attitude—and of Tsuna's seriousness during the match.
"You approached this test with focus and did quite well. Targeting me first was the smartest move. Compared to Tiona and Tione, my mobility is far weaker, so I'm easier to pin down."
Mages were always the easiest to exploit.
They specialized in magic, and their destructive power was unmatched—but because of that specialization, they were fragile.
Low strength, poor endurance, limited stamina. Only agility and reaction speed made up for it, fitting their magical nature.
Riveria recalled Tsuna's relentless attacks just moments ago. She'd nearly lost her chance to cast even a single illusion spell.
Fortunately, she'd anticipated that possibility and used an illusion to retreat right from the start, avoiding being cornered at the opening of the battle.
"Your movements were incredibly fast, and the way you found my position was just as impressive," she admitted.
"If you'd used more of your other powers this time, neither I nor the sisters would've had any chance to catch you."
Riveria couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
She knew exactly what tool Tsuna had used—a Sacred Gear, said to grant power on par with the Gods themselves.
Whether it truly reached that level remained uncertain.
But this battle had already shown her enough to understand its terrifying potential.
"That Sacred Gear boosted you to the level of a Level 6 Adventurer in an instant," she said.
"If your control over that power weren't so shaky, Tiona and Tione's arms would have snapped from your first strike. I wouldn't have had the chance to turn things around with magic."
"And even then, despite losing control, you instinctively held back your strength."
Resisting that overwhelming surge and keeping it within limits he could manage—it was the right decision. But that instinctive restraint had also kept him from unleashing its full potential.
Tsuna nodded slightly.
"Yeah. My control over that sudden power spike is poor. Even though I made the artifact myself, this was my first time using its strength to this extent."
"Then that explains it," Riveria said, satisfied.
He'd created it, but hadn't familiarized himself with it. That was why, when the power spiked, he couldn't maintain fine control.
"Tsuna, you're planning to walk the path of an all-rounder, aren't you?"
Tsuna nodded again.
"Your abilities are remarkable. You can craft all kinds of tools that summon or mimic monsters, letting you handle almost any situation. But your actual combat experience is still lacking. Most of your battles rely on prearranged strategies."
"In other words, you guide monsters from behind rather than fighting directly yourself."
"You've already developed and explored your powers to a decent extent, and your control is good. From here on, you need to focus on applying that strength in real combat."
Riveria paused for a moment, then continued.
"Your ability is highly versatile, which means you can adapt to any opponent. But fights move fast. When you're alone, you have to control the flow yourself. You need to fight in your own way—using your monsters and creations cleverly, not just brute force like earlier."
"If your power is diverse, then your fighting style must be just as diverse."
"You need to strike where it hurts most. Forget about morals—aim directly for your opponent's weakest point."
Tsuna blinked, startled.
A pure, noble elf telling him to fight more deviously?
He couldn't deny that she was right—but hearing that kind of advice from Riveria was… unexpected.
He muttered quietly, "Riveria, this was just a combat test."
"I know," she replied calmly. "That's why I'm suggesting that when you go into the Dungeon or spar with other Adventurers, you should use the most underhanded methods possible."