After leaving Loki's room, Tsunayoshi made his way toward Bete's quarters.
Unlike most of the other adventurers who shared rooms in pairs or groups, Bete's room stood alone, far from the others. It wasn't isolation imposed by anyone—it was his own choice.
Tsunayoshi understood. Bete wasn't antisocial or cruel—just sharp-tongued and difficult to approach. But when it mattered, he always acted. That was the kind of man he was.
The reason for his solitary lifestyle likely traced back to his past.
Knock, knock, knock!
The door opened almost instantly.
Heat poured out the moment the room was unsealed, a suffocating wave that made Tsunayoshi instinctively narrow his eyes.
Inside stood Bete, sweat dripping down his body, his vest clinging to his frame. His hair was damp, sticking to his forehead.
"Tsunayoshi," he grunted, wiping his brow.
"Bete-san, your stats have already reached their limit," Tsunayoshi said calmly. "No matter how hard you push yourself here, training inside a closed room won't increase them any further."
Breaking through one's limits was possible—but only through brutal, almost inhuman training, and only if the adventurer possessed the natural talent to match.
Otherwise, no amount of punishment would raise one's ceiling.
The Blessing System granted permanent growth, but it also imposed hard boundaries. Once those numbers stopped rising, sheer will alone couldn't move them anymore.
"I'm just maintaining my condition," Bete replied, his tone steady.
That, at least, Tsunayoshi could respect.
While ability scores defined one's base strength, physical readiness—the state of one's body—was another matter entirely. The Blessing could stabilize one's parameters, but it couldn't preserve that pre-battle tension, the living rhythm that came from constant physical engagement.
Staying sharp required effort.
"Looks like you've been keeping yourself in good shape," Tsunayoshi observed. "You've been visiting both the Training Space and the Challenge Space often, haven't you? The results are obvious."
Bete's lips curled into a small, satisfied grin. "Not bad."
That grin said enough—it wasn't "not bad." It was excellent.
Tsunayoshi could tell from his expression that his growth was something even he took pride in.
Strength and Endurance… those were always his weak points, Tsunayoshi thought. He must've focused heavily on those two.
Breaking through might be difficult, but reaching the cap was certain.
As for Agility—his specialty—it had likely surpassed its former limits already.
The gravitational pressure of the Training Space was perfect for improving durability and speed, and Bete was a natural prodigy in both.
"So," Bete asked, "where've you been hiding lately? Haven't seen you around."
"I've been staying with Hephaestus Familia," Tsunayoshi answered. "Helping with new forging experiments. And… avoiding unnecessary trouble."
"Trouble from the Dark Faction, huh?" Bete said bluntly.
He wasn't oblivious.
And with Tiona and Tione both leveling up to Level 5 recently, Bete could easily guess who had a hand in their rapid progress.
If it had been just one of them, fine—but both? That screamed Tsunayoshi's interference.
Those two Amazon sisters were strong, but defeating a floor boss like Amphisbaena under disadvantageous conditions required external help.
Not even Riveria could take that on unprepared.
Bete snorted. "And now their promotion's got your name circling the guilds again. Finn's been taking the heat, pretending it's all his plan—but anyone with a brain knows better. You're back in the spotlight whether you like it or not."
Tsunayoshi smiled faintly. "Yes, the Dark Faction incident dragged me into the open again. But thanks to Tiona and Tione's promotion, the attention has somewhere else to go. The gods prefer loud, flashy news over quiet suspicion."
He looked out the window, his tone turning cold. "And besides, I needed that attention—for someone in particular to believe her plan worked."
Bete's eyes narrowed. "…You mean that woman? The 'Killer Empress'? She went after the Amazons?"
"Correct."
Bete's jaw clenched, disgust flashing across his face. "Figures. That psychopath never fights fair. Always picks on the weak."
But his expression shifted when he looked back at Tsunayoshi. "Wait… you didn't kill her?"
"No." Tsunayoshi shook his head. "Alive, she's more useful than dead. The Dark Faction needs to keep its internal structure intact for now, and she's my anchor in that chaos. Through her eyes and mind, I can observe everything that happens."
Bete blinked. "…You planted one of your beasts in her, didn't you?"
"Exactly. A parasite," Tsunayoshi admitted. "It lets me monitor her thoughts and location. Though she's… aware something is wrong. Even with her memories altered, she still senses it."
"Tch. Typical of her kind," Bete muttered. "That woman's insane, but she's tough—both to others and to herself."
He crossed his arms. "The whole Dark Faction's full of lunatics like her. You'd better get used to dealing with maniacs. And one more thing—don't bother reasoning with them."
He looked Tsunayoshi dead in the eye.
"Try to talk sense into a psycho, and the next second, they'll blow you up."
Tsunayoshi chuckled softly. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Do that," Bete said, walking back toward his training rack. "You're good with your head, but those bastards don't have heads to reason with."
The faint sound of claws scraping against metal filled the silence.
And for the first time, Tsunayoshi realized—behind Bete's rough voice and barbed words—there was something deeper.
An instinct only a lone wolf could have:
Not cruelty. Not pride.
Just survival.
(End of Chapter)
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