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With Tsubaki's reminder, the despairing smiths who had been drowning in their endless work were finally pulled back one by one.
At the very least, the repair time had been extended from a single night to an entire extra day. And one full day was more than enough to mend even the most battered weapons and armor—no longer would they face the hopelessness of "never finishing in time."
Thanks to that extra day, the craftsmen didn't have to stay up all night again. They could rest early once darkness fell, and after a full night's recovery, throw themselves into repair work tomorrow in their best condition.
"Everyone's really starting to push themselves," Alise said softly.
Through this expedition, she'd witnessed firsthand the unrelenting effort and fighting spirit of the Loki Familia's adventurers. That collective determination was contagious—she could feel it stirring within her as well.
"Kaguya, let's go train too!"
"Calm down."
Hearing Alise's impulsive declaration, Gojono Kaguya sighed helplessly. Sometimes Alise's passion completely took over her brain, and when that happened, Kaguya had to rein her in—or Alise would end up doing something outrageous.
"Don't just get swept up by the atmosphere around you," Kaguya warned. "Remember, we're on a Joint Expedition. This isn't like when you're in the Training Space or Challenge Space—you can't just act on impulse."
"And don't forget—you're the Captain of the Astraea Familia now. You still remember what happened the last three times we were in the Dungeon, don't you? You don't want a repeat of that, right?"
"!?"
Alise's expression changed instantly. The ambush from the Dark Faction last time had left a deep scar. It was her decision during that expedition that had nearly driven their Familia into disaster.
"Kaguya, it wasn't all Alise's fault last time."
Lyra, unable to bear the sight of Alise's guilt-ridden face, stood up to speak in her defense.
"I didn't say it was," Kaguya replied evenly. "I'm reminding her that we've faced death before. We were ambushed, and if not for sheer luck, we'd still be buried in the Dungeon. No—luck wasn't the only thing that saved us. Don't forget—it was Lady Astraea who relinquished her divine authority so we could survive."
Kaguya wasn't trying to blame Alise.
That previous expedition hadn't been anyone's individual mistake. They had followed their plans precisely, without reckless decisions. Every move had been sound, and yet—they'd still fallen into a trap. That was why they needed to be even more cautious now.
Lyra fell silent, because she knew Kaguya was right. On an expedition, vigilance meant survival.
"By the way, you've all heard about what happened to Tsuna, right?"
Kaguya shifted the topic, glancing at Alise.
"Mhm."
They'd all heard the rumors—how Tsuna had encountered an Enhanced Species deep within the Dungeon.
"His luck is truly terrible," Kaguya said, her tone heavy. "He went alone to seek a chance to Level Up, only to stumble upon an Enhanced Species—a monster rarely seen even in the deep floors."
The others listened quietly to the strange undertone in her voice.
"Kaguya, are you saying someone set him up?" Alise's brows furrowed as she emerged from her dark memories, her face growing pale.
"Yes. Enhanced Species are far more aggressive than ordinary monsters. They actively target adventurers. Given how scattered the parties were at the time, there's no reason it would have gone straight for Tsuna alone."
Kaguya had heard the accounts circulating among adventurers—Tsuna's solo battle against the Enhanced Species. From the very start, something about it didn't add up.
"For something like that to happen… it's obvious. Someone was targeting him."
"The Dark Faction."
The grinding of Alise's teeth was audible in her voice.
Rage simmered inside her. Her temper could be as volatile as the flames of her magic, and just hearing that name—the Dark Faction—was enough to make it flare. They were the ones who'd nearly annihilated her Familia before.
Kaguya's eyes gleamed faintly red, a trace of killing intent surfacing. They had been ambushed once already, driven into a corner, nearly wiped out by the Juggernaut those bastards had unleashed. She remembered that debt all too well.
But remembering also made her painfully aware of their weakness.
"Alise," she said quietly, "the reason I told you to calm down is because we're still on an expedition. What we need right now is to recover and prepare for tomorrow's campaign—not burn ourselves out training. Training is preparation before an expedition."
"Now, we focus on restoring our condition—and achieving the real purpose of our expedition."
"Purpose?"
Alise blinked, staring at her in confusion.
"Isn't our goal to see the deeper floors?"
"That's the objective of the expedition," Kaguya corrected. "Our purpose is to break past the wall of Level 4."
She emphasized those last words.
Alise froze, then slowly realized what she meant.
Level 4 was indeed a high rank. In Orario, a Level 4 adventurer was the backbone of any major Familia. But they were only the backbone—not the pinnacle. Level 5 was where the truly elite stood.
In Orario, Level 5 marked the beginning of the first-class adventurers.
"So you're saying… we're going to challenge the Floor Boss!?"
Alise's eyes widened in disbelief.
This woman had just lectured her for wanting to train—and now she was suggesting something far more extreme!
The others were equally stunned, mirroring Alise's expression.
After a long moment of shock, Alise's gaze dropped to the ring on her hand. It was an unconscious motion, but as she looked at it, understanding dawned—this wasn't a hopeless gamble.
She raised her head sharply, meeting Kaguya's eyes.
"It's not impossible."
"If we seize the right opportunity, we can defeat Udaeus. But… not with just the few of us."
"Exactly."
Seeing Alise come to the same conclusion, Kaguya nodded. Their thoughts were aligned perfectly.
Just the Astraea Familia alone wouldn't be enough.
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