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Chapter 58: Return
The day after the battle with the masked figure. The members taken down by the Poison Worm's toxins were completely healed, and the time had come to return to the surface.
"Sorry, Tsunayoshi. To end up asking something like this of you."
"I don't mind at all. But are you sure it's okay for me to head back alone?"
It was early morning. Tsuna was currently the only one fully prepped and ready to depart.
Hestia had originally issued the rescue quest through Eina because Bell had gone missing. Consequently, Eina was still completely in the dark about their safety and was likely sick with worry. When the topic of Eina's concern was brought up, Finn suggested that Tsuna, being more than capable, should return alone to deliver the news as quickly as possible. With Finn's endorsement, everyone agreed that having Tsuna go ahead as a messenger was the most efficient plan.
"It'll be fine. We have the Loki Familia and a very reliable helper with us, after all."
Since this expedition was a massive joint operation between the Loki and Hephaestus Familias, they had split into two groups upon entering the Dungeon, agreeing to rendezvous on the 18th floor. Now, they were doing the reverse—splitting into an advance and a rear guard to head back up. Bell and the others were scheduled to travel with the rear guard.
"Alright, I'll see you on the surface."
"Yeah. See you later."
Tsuna said his goodbyes to Hestia and made his way toward the entrance leading out of the 18th floor.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi."
Just as he neared the tunnel, Finn approached him holding a single sheet of parchment.
"I thought I should give this to you."
"What's this?"
"A map detailing the route from the 18th floor back to the surface. You might not need it, but it doesn't hurt to have."
"Thanks."
"Also, be careful. There's a Floor Boss named Goliath waiting just beyond this entrance. Though, I assume you'll be fine."
"Yeah. Got it."
"Lastly, I still need to hand over your reward for this expedition. Would you mind visiting our home base at a later date? I'd like to discuss that masked figure with you then. I'll send a formal letter to your Familia."
"Understood."
If Tsuna exchanged his deep-floor drop items at the Guild's exchange counter, it would immediately expose the fact that he had ventured into the deep floors. To avoid that, Finn decided to personally hand over the reward and use the opportunity to invite Tsuna to the Loki Familia to discuss the Evilus.
"I'll see you later."
Having relayed his message, Finn turned and headed back to the campsite. Once Finn was out of sight, Tsuna ignited his Hyper Dying Will Mode and shot toward the surface.
.....
In Hyper Dying Will Mode, Tsuna entered the connecting passageway leading to the 17th floor.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
The moment he stepped into the massive room, a colossal, ash-brown humanoid monster standing over 7 meters tall unleashed a deafening roar.
"So this is Goliath…"
The sheer force of Goliath's roar shook the atmosphere inside the room, but Tsuna stared up at the giant without a shred of hesitation.
Goliath crouched low and lunged, smashing its massive fists into the ground and obliterating the terrain as it charged straight at Tsuna. Tsuna was immediately swallowed up by a violent storm of catastrophic punches.
"!?"
However, Goliath realized it hadn't felt the impact of crushing a human body. It ceased its rampage, scanning the area for the boy who had suddenly vanished.
"OOOOOOOOOO!!"
Frustrated by its inability to find its prey, Goliath began blindly hammering the ground around it in a fit of rage. Its relentless strikes cratered the floor, sending deafening shockwaves and tremors echoing throughout the 17th floor.
So this is a Floor Boss…
While the giant mindlessly destroyed the room, Tsuna hovered quietly near the ceiling behind it, calmly analyzing its strength.
In that case…
Having formulated a plan, the flame on Tsuna's forehead shifted from orange to yellow. Goliath finally sensed his presence and whirled around.
"[X-Impact]"
Tsuna fired his thrusters, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Hovering right in front of Goliath's chest, his right hand flared with the Sun flame. He drove a heavy palm strike directly into the giant's sternum. However, the strike didn't leave a single scratch on Goliath's tough exterior.
"Gah…!?"
Despite taking zero external damage, Goliath suddenly gasped in agony. It swayed on its feet before slowly toppling forward, crashing face-first into the rubble. A moment later, its massive body burst into ash and disappeared completely.
"I guess that was a bit reckless…"
Tsuna winced, feeling a sharp ache in his right arm. A palm strike is a technique that uses kinetic shock to bypass outer defenses and damage the internal organs. Boosted by the Sun flame's Activation characteristic, the kinetic force of the palm strike had traveled straight through Goliath's body, cleanly shattering the magic stone hidden deep within. However, rapidly enhancing his arm's muscle fibers with the Sun flame—even for just a split second—carried a heavy recoil, proving that even Tsuna couldn't use such an extreme physical buff without a physical toll.
.....
Twenty minutes after defeating Goliath, Tsuna finally reached the surface.
"The surface…"
Stepping out of the dungeon, Tsuna immediately threw his arm over his eyes to block the blinding sunlight. He had been trapped in the sunless underground for so long that the natural light felt overwhelming.
"I really made it back…"
While immersed in those memories, the reality of being back above ground set in, and the events that had happened during the expedition flashed through his mind in rapid succession.
"I need to go to the Guild."
Shaking himself out of his daze, Tsuna remembered his primary objective: checking in with Eina to relieve her anxiety about Bell. He headed to the Guild.
.....
The moment he entered the Guild, Tsuna headed straight for Eina's counter and delivered the news of Bell's safety. Hearing Tsuna's report, all the tension drained from Eina's body as she let out a massive sigh of profound relief.
"Mmm…"
After finishing his report, Tsuna took advantage of the shower facilities located inside Babel before leaving the Guild. He was currently walking through the city streets, stretching his arms over his head as he made his way back to their home base at the abandoned church.
"Ah. Sorry about that."
Navigating the bustling crowd, his shoulder accidentally bumped into someone else's. Tsuna immediately apologized.
"Likewise... Wait, you're!?"
"Eh?"
The person he had bumped into was a long-haired, black-haired elf. The moment the elf saw Tsuna's face, their expression changed drastically. Tsuna looked back in pure confusion.
"S-Sorry… I mistook you for someone else…"
With a deeply apologetic expression, the elf apologized and vanished into the dense crowd.
What was that about?
Tsuna felt a strange sense of dissonance regarding the elf's bizarre reaction but ultimately brushed it off, assuming they had simply confused him with an acquaintance. He continued his walk back to the church.
But Tsuna did not know. He didn't know that a sinister threat was rapidly closing in on Bell and the others who had remained in the dungeon.
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