Strength: H116 → SSS1101 | Endurance: H221 → SSS1101 | Dexterity: H189 → SSS1101 | Agility: H198 → SSS1101 | Magic: D588 → SSS2001
"Mm. This is the limit for a Level 2's growth."
Even with growth control and without undergoing intense training in the Training Space, there was a natural ceiling to how long he could restrain his advancement.
Today, he'd finally reached that limit.
Loki lay across Tsuna's back, the updated Status sheet in her hand. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she pressed herself close and whispered,
"You've hit your cap, huh? I can feel it too—your growth has slowed down a lot lately."
"That means your Status has already reached its peak," she said, her breath warm against his ear. "Pushing it any further would just waste your effort."
Tsuna understood what she meant.
His abilities had maxed out. Though he could still feel his strength improving, the pace had dropped sharply—tenfold slower than before.
He could keep grinding, but it would no longer be efficient.
There was no reason to waste time chasing marginal gains.
Now, the real priority was finding an opportunity to Level Up.
"So, if I want to Level Up to 3, I'll have to challenge Goliath, right?"
"If you want to advance quickly, yes. But remember—your challenge has to be done with your own strength. You can't rely on your Puppets. The Excellia gained by your Puppets won't transfer to you."
"Yeah, I know. I learned that when I was helping out Lady Hephaestus and Tsubaki. If Excellia from my Puppets could count toward my growth, then I wouldn't have been able to help them stabilize Excellia within the Puppet bodies."
The Puppets he made were strong, but the Excellia they earned by defeating Floor Bosses didn't flow back to him. That was the drawback of relying on them.
Tsuna had long understood what Excellia truly represented.
Excellia was the glory earned by those who challenged the insurmountable—not by riding a lift to the top, but by climbing, step by step, on the path carved by their predecessors. Only by overcoming the impossible could one claim the honor that awaited at the summit.
That honor wasExcellia.
It was something no substitute or Puppet could ever obtain.
The coward hiding behind his creations would never touch that glory.
So, the path to Excellia had to be walked by his own hands.
Of course, for Tsuna, that wasn't particularly daunting.
After gaining enough experience and strength, his courage and resolve to surpass his current limits had only grown stronger—not weaker.
Loki tossed the paper aside and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, hooking her legs around his waist from behind.
"It's fine. If it's you, I know you'll be all right."
She nuzzled her cheek against his, her tone soft and teasing, but filled with trust.
"If you don't feel like rushing, the Expedition is coming up soon anyway. With your strength, even deep-floor monsters won't be much trouble. You could use the Expedition to reach Level 3 first, then think about challenging Goliath later."
"Which do you think is better?"
Loki gave him a small smile. "That's for you to decide. Either path works—bold or cautious."
Tsuna thought for a moment. Then he nodded.
"I'll take the safer route. I'll use this Expedition to reach Level 3 first, and then consider challenging Goliath."
"Mm-hmm. That's the smarter choice. When there's no time pressure, stability wins. And since you've already sensed that coordinate in the other world after your last Level Up, this next advancement should make that feeling even stronger."
"I hope so."
As his power had grown, so too had his awareness of that mysterious spatial coordinate.
At Level 1, he couldn't sense it at all. But after reaching Level 2, he could faintly perceive its location—like a distant signal waiting to be locked onto.
Just as he'd suspected, the stronger he became, the sharper that sense grew—like an antenna picking up a stronger transmission.
"Hehe~ Don't worry. Things will definitely move in a good direction."
Loki's playful reassurance eased his tension.
"Yeah… things will turn out fine."
"That's the spirit."
There was no need to overthink it—that was Loki's role as a goddess.
When her children's hearts wavered, she steadied them, guiding them gently back onto their path.
After a few more affectionate rubs, Loki finally released him and flopped back onto the bed, resting her head on his lap.
"This Expedition's plan is almost finalized. It'll be a Joint Expedition between three Familias."
"Hephaestus Familia will handle logistics, while our Familia and Astraea Familia will take the lead."
"With the strength of all three Familias—and your spatial ability as backup—this Expedition will definitely reach new floors."
Given their combined power, venturing deeper was only natural.
They could push the exploration farther than ever before.
And since the Dungeon's spirits hadn't stirred up any major trouble lately, nothing would interrupt the Expedition.
With some luck, they might even reach the 60th Floor.
"Maybe we really can. With Finn, Gareth, and Riveria's command of their power, they should be able to lead the teams into deeper levels."
"They can bypass the Dragon's Urn floor, and even pull the party into the Rest Space when needed, leaving only a small group to face challenges."
"At least that way, the team won't get forcibly split apart."
The Dungeon was always dangerous. Whenever possible, they had to keep the party united.
Once separated, if the Dungeon decided to "act up" again, things could spiral out of control fast.
Now that he had a way to stabilize such chaos, Tsuna would make sure to use it.
His ability wasn't just for show.
Confidence filled him as he thought of his Annihilation Maker.