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Chapter 40: 59th Floor (Destination)
Having cleared the 58th floor, Tsuna and the others tended to their wounds and replenished their mana with potions, taking a short break before breaching the 59th floor.
"And then! Tsuna's flames just totally punched right through the Valgang Dragon's fire!!"
"..."
Tiona animatedly recounted the events of their freefall to the rest of the group. Those who hadn't witnessed it stood with their jaws unhinged, utterly speechless.
Currently, Tsuna was hovering in the air to keep a lookout for any irregulars, while Ais, Bete, and Tiona kept watch on the ground.
"He can produce flames that surpass a Valgang Dragon's artillery…?"
"Just how many times is he going to leave us completely stunned…?"
"I have a feeling he's going to shock us even more before this is over…"
Listening to Tiona, even the seasoned veterans—Gareth, Riveria, and Finn—couldn't hide their astonishment.
"He also invented a new technique down here," Gareth added.
"The one he used just now? But he developed it during the short time we were separated…?"
"Aye. I also realized something else. The stronger his opponents, the more his growth rate spikes."
"So that's why he was able to birth a new technique in such a dire situation…"
They finally understood. The reason Tsuna had developed new skills between the 52nd and 58th floors was entirely because the enemies pushed him to his absolute limits.
"It's shocking, sure, but considering we have no idea what awaits us below, it's incredibly reassuring," Tsubaki noted casually, running a whetstone down the edge of her blade.
Finn looked up at Tsuna floating in the air.
Just who in the world are you?
It was a question he had harbored since he first saw Tsuna fight, but witnessing this impossible growth made the curiosity burn even stronger.
Ten minutes later, Finn called everyone together and began final preparations to enter the 59th floor.
"What's wrong, Finn? Did you notice something?"
As the others got ready, Tsuna noticed Finn staring at the entrance to the 59th floor with a deeply troubled expression.
"According to the Zeus Familia's records, the floor beyond this point should be a Glacier Territory…"
"Right, the place with freezing glacial rivers that slow your movements, and a frigid cold that saps your stamina, correct?" Tione asked.
"Yes. That's exactly it."
"A Glacier Territory, huh… Sounds like it'll make moving a pain."
Tsuna frowned. Based on Finn and Tione's conversation, the upcoming battle was going to severely restrict their physical capabilities. Tsuna had zero experience fighting life-or-death battles in sub-zero environments. Furthermore, for a fighter who relied on hyper-speed mobility, extreme cold was a natural enemy.
"No worries! We brought Salamander Wool for cold resistance!" Raul cheerfully assured him, pulling a thick crimson cloth from his backpack.
"A terrifying cold capable of freezing the movements of first-class adventurers… Then why hasn't a single draft of cold air reached us, even though we're standing right at the entrance?" Finn muttered.
"Ah."
Tsuna instantly understood why Finn had been staring at the tunnel with such dread.
"You think something's up?"
"I don't know… but I highly doubt the Zeus Familia exaggerated their reports."
While Bete and Gareth finished their preparations, they glared at the dark tunnel. The tension was palpable; they were already on edge about diving into an uncharted floor, but realizing the environment itself had inexplicably changed only spiked their anxiety.
"C-Captain… what should we do…?" Raul asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Finn rubbed his thumb—it was throbbing with an intense premonition. He made his choice.
"Leave the Salamander Wool. All hands, we move out in three minutes."
The three minutes passed, and the expedition stepped into the connecting corridor leading down to the 59th floor.
"It's not cold at all…"
"It's actually… humid…"
Instead of freezing air, the tunnel was thick with heavy moisture. Tiona and Lefiya were already sweating.
"Is it possible the Dungeon's environment changes randomly?"
"No. What likely awaits us is an unknown that not even the Gods have laid eyes upon."
Tsuna had no real basis to counter Finn's intuition, but Finn was absolutely certain Tsuna's guess was wrong.
The exit of the tunnel appeared. The party stepped into the 59th floor.
""""""""!?""""""""
Everyone froze, completely speechless.
There were no frozen rivers. There was no Glacier Territory. Instead, a sprawling, vibrant, colossal jungle stretched out before them.
Echoing through the dense foliage were sickening, wet chewing sounds and high-pitched shrieks.
"Advance."
Cutting through the collective shock, Finn issued a single command. The party forced their legs to move.
They walked for several minutes before the dense trees suddenly cleared, opening into a massive clearing.
"What is that…!?" Tiona gasped, her face twisting in horror.
Swarming the area were countless numbers of the new caterpillar species and Man-Eating Flowers. And towering in the center of the horde was a monstrous entity—a massive plant with a lower body of roots and petals, and the upper torso of a woman.
"A jewel-type female monster…"
"Is that a Titan Arum acting as a parasite?"
Jewel? Parasite?
Finn and Riveria's terminology went over Tsuna's head.
The Titan Arum—known as the Corpse Flower—was a monster notorious for indiscriminately devouring everything in its path, be it adventurer or fellow monster. The female torso of the flower extended vine-like tongues, snatching the magic stones from the surrounding monsters and absorbing them into its body.
"This is bad…!!"
"It's an Enhanced Species!!"
Finn and Bete cursed, realizing the Titan Arum was gorging on magic stones to rapidly evolve. An Enhanced Species was an irregular anomaly—a monster that had cannibalized its kin to gain power far exceeding its base species, functioning much like a Monster Party in its unpredictability.
"No…" Tsuna whispered, his face pale.
"Hah!?"
"It's not that thing!! The one powering up is something else!!"
"What the hell are you babbling about!?" Bete snapped, irritated by Tsuna's sudden panic. Tsuna wasn't looking at the Titan Arum—his Hyper Intuition was screaming in absolute terror at something else hidden within it.
Suddenly, the female torso of the Titan Arum swelled with a sickening, squelching sound. The original torso split open, and from within it birthed a stunningly beautiful woman with green skin and long, flowing green hair.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
The newly birthed woman let out a cry of joy. But it wasn't a normal shout—it was a devastating sonic wave that threatened to rupture their eardrums. Tsuna and the others instantly clapped their hands over their ears.
The entity continued to mutate, its lower half erupting into a massive array of colossal petals and writhing tentacles.
"No way…"
Ais…?
Amidst the deafening scream, Ais was the only one who didn't cover her ears. She stood completely paralyzed, staring blankly at the entity. Tsuna immediately noticed her abnormal reaction.
Aria… Aria!!
The newly born monster spoke. The word it shrieked was a name.
"A Spirit…!?"
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