At dawn the next morning, the light had barely broken when the adventurers inside the great treehouse began to stir from their restful dreams.
After good meals and peaceful sleep, with no fear of monsters attacking in the night, everyone had finally regained their strength.
Well—everyone except the craftsmen. To repair weapons, armor, and arrows, most of them had stayed awake through the night, hammering away until every adventurer's gear was restored. Whatever time remained, they spent reforging and sharpening arrowheads.
"Ha~~~"
Early that morning, Tsubaki strode into the workshop. The ringing clang-clang of hammer on steel instantly lifted her spirits. Seeing the weary faces of the craftsmen, she couldn't help but smile.
"How's it feel, tagging along with the main force on a Dungeon expedition? Like being up against a deadline? Spending the whole night fixing weapons while making sure every piece holds up—pretty torturous, isn't it?"
"It's very torturous," one craftsman groaned, stopping his work to complain. It was his first time participating in a joint Dungeon expedition with a full team. He hadn't imagined that weapon maintenance could be so exhausting.
"There's no end to it. Every sword and shield takes damage in battle. Restoring them properly takes forever. I finally realized I'm nowhere near the level of the veterans."
He had just finished repairing one weapon while his seniors had already done two or three—and their quality still outshone his, even after a sleepless night. For the first time, he truly saw the gap between them.
"That's right," Tsubaki said with a grin. "Joining a Joint Expedition is rough on the craftsmen. The moment the team stops to rest is when our real work begins. It used to be even worse, you know. If we didn't have this kind of space now, where do you think we'd be fixing weapons?"
Her laughter was warm, her tone approving. Seeing the shock on the young man's face, she knew the experience would leave its mark. Once you'd been through this kind of grind, you'd never forget how hard the older generations had it.
"But that's how craftsmanship is honed—under pressure. Look around you. Every one of these veterans went through the same thing."
The rookie glanced at his seniors. Despite their fatigue, they all smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Working with the expedition really tests us. A mediocre craftsman won't just fail to earn recognition—he'll lose confidence entirely. We tend to bury ourselves in our work, but sometimes it's only in these extreme conditions that our skill truly grows."
"When there's no time to think, you can only focus. The urgency forces you to pour everything into each strike. Through countless repetitions, your technique refines itself little by little. When this Joint Expedition ends, you'll feel the difference."
The young craftsman nodded, taking her words to heart. He resolved that once the expedition was over, he would return to his Familia and try forging a new weapon—to see for himself how much he had grown.
"Captain, you didn't come to the workshop last night," one of the older craftsmen called out.
"Yeah, that's right! What were you up to, Captain?" another chimed in.
After the rookie's talk, the veterans eagerly turned their teasing toward Tsubaki. They all knew she usually spent every spare moment hammering away, even during expeditions. It was rare for her not to show up in the workshop.
So where had she gone?
Of course, the older ones already had their suspicions.
Tsubaki didn't bother hiding her amusement. When it came to matters of the heart, she was as straightforward as her swing of the hammer.
"Where else would I go? Obviously, I was off meeting my little brother."
"Eh!?"
The veterans all smirked knowingly, while the younger craftsmen gaped in shock, completely unprepared for such a revelation.
"Captain—you have someone you like?" one of them blurted out.
"…Is it really that hard to believe that I might like someone?" she replied dryly.
"N-no, that's not it! It's just… we've never heard anything like that before. You've always been so focused on forging, Captain. No one ever said you were interested in men."
That one clearly had done his homework about her, and Tsubaki could tell.
Of course, she wasn't about to name names—she wouldn't bring up Tsuna directly. But she had no problem admitting the truth itself.
"Anyway, I'm still a woman. Having a man I like isn't strange at all. Even if I've devoted myself to perfecting my craft, once I reach the pinnacle, I still have to pass it on, don't I?"
Her words left several young craftsmen visibly disheartened, while the older ones only chuckled knowingly.
For them, forging wasn't just work—it was passion. But in time, even the greatest smiths would want to hand down their skills, to make sure their flame didn't die out. None of them were in a hurry to settle down yet—but someday, they would.
"Alright, enough gossip. The expedition's about to continue, and your shift's nearly over. Once Finn and the others head deeper into the Dungeon, get some rest until nightfall. Our working hours will mostly be after dark from now on, so take care of yourselves."
"Yes, Captain!"
The craftsmen straightened up at once. Even the most energetic among them could barely keep their eyes open after working through the night. They'd need proper rest to handle another round of repairs later.
With the day's orders given, Tsubaki stretched, rubbed her side, and stepped out of the workshop.
The next stage of the expedition awaited.