"Tsunayoshi, show Finn and the others your growth."
"Mm."
With the expedition decision made, Loki shifted her focus back to Sawada Tsunayoshi's progress. She was sure his growth rate would surprise everyone.
Tsunayoshi handed the copied status sheet to Finn. Finn glanced down by reflex—and his eyes locked onto the numbers.
"!?"
This much? The sheer magnitude of the gains shocked him, enough to make him doubt the sheet's authenticity.
He looked up at Loki to confirm.
"These numbers are real?"
Loki nodded slightly.
They're real!? Finn had been ready to call it a mistake, yet Loki's answer was yes.
"What kind of stats would make you doubt if they're real?"
"Let me see, Finn."
Riveria and Gareth's curiosity was piqued by Finn's reaction. They leaned in from either side, swept their eyes over the page—and both froze for a heartbeat before turning to stare at Tsunayoshi.
"These are one day's gains? Even if Lv.1 grows the fastest at the start, this speed is over the line."
Even if it's real, it looks fake. Riveria had climbed from Lv.1 herself to where she was now, through decades of effort. Yet here was an adventurer who, in a single day, matched what others might earn in a week—or a month.
"I thought Ais's growth was abnormal enough. I didn't expect to see someone even more excessive."
"It's a bit much," Gareth agreed as he shook off his daze. He recovered quickly, though, and chuckled at the day-one results.
"However over-the-top it looks, lad, this is only the first day. Don't get cocky. Adventurer growth is always the same—the further you go, the slower it gets, and the more effort you have to invest."
"Don't let a slower second day kill your drive just because the first day was so explosive."
That was a veteran's hope and warning for his junior.
"I understand. Early gains don't mean much—it's just the start of being an adventurer."
Tsunayoshi was a little surprised at his own growth, but he also knew raising Falna stats was never easy. His 'cheat' wasn't like Single-Minded Yearning; he couldn't accelerate growth just by wanting it. A fast start didn't mean it would always be this fast.
He needed to be mentally ready for slower days ahead.
"Good mindset," Riveria said. "What Gareth said really is crucial for an adventurer."
Perched against his back, Loki spoke softly by his ear as if to soothe an impatient boy—though she'd guessed wrong; Tsunayoshi was even calmer than she'd imagined.
"Your first-day gains lean heavily into Magic. Your 'Beastcraft' clearly drove that. Besides Magic, you've got solid talent in Dexterity and Agility. Even your weakest areas—Strength and Endurance—are above the average adventurer, nearly on par with Tiona and Tione."
Amazonesses were born brawlers, with extraordinary bodies. Even so, Loki felt that Tsunayoshi's natural floor in his 'weak' stats still outstripped Tiona and Tione at Lv.1.
By his best attribute—Magic—Tsunayoshi should be grouped with summoners. The fact that a 'mage' type's weakest stats matched an Amazoness's strengths was anything but normal.
A 'rear-line caster' who outmuscled the front row—that was frightening, and it made it hard to pin down his true role. Loki was secretly delighted by that.
"But because you've got talent across the board, you'll have that much more to work on going forward."
His future training directions were as multifaceted as his abilities. Loki ruffled his hair—and then a thought struck her.
"Tsunayoshi, what do you think about this expedition?"
"Weren't we going in to identify the Dungeon 'abnormality'?"
"Not that. I mean—do you plan to take part yourself this time?"
Me? The question caught Tsunayoshi off guard. By his own measure, he wasn't yet equipped to join an expedition team; he hadn't intended to go. But Loki had asked him straight.
"Right now, I'm still lacking overall. If I joined a standard expedition, I'd mostly be there to observe and learn. But this time is different."
"Since we've confirmed there's an 'abnormality,' if I went, I might just become a burden."
"Head's nice and clear," Loki said with a satisfied nod. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. And precisely because he saw himself that way, she had this in mind.
"Under normal conditions you'd be right. But your case is a little different. Your ability can help Finn's team a lot—especially when things get weird. That's why I want you on this expedition."
Her eyes moved to Finn, Riveria, and Gareth.
"No matter how thorough the prep, an 'abnormality' will make it insufficient. That's why your ability is key."
I see. Tsunayoshi understood Loki's angle. Beastcraft could answer many sudden scenarios; he could prepare emergency contingencies. That mattered more than precise predictions.
"Loki-sama, how many days until the expedition?"
"One week."
Not long, not short. Tsunayoshi did the math—enough time to prepare his role.
"It should be enough to get things ready. I'll draft emergency plans and take care of myself. I'll join the expedition this time."
(End of Chapter)
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