Chapter 8: Dungeon
The day after Tsuna arrived in Orario.
"U-Ugh...?"
Tsuna slowly blinked awake on the sofa. There was only one bed in the church, which naturally belonged to Hestia, leaving Tsuna and Bell to sleep on the couches.
"Good morning, Tsunayoshi-kun."
"Morning, Tsuna."
By the time he woke up, Hestia and Bell were already awake and had finished preparing breakfast. Having both received Hestia's Falna, Tsuna and Bell had agreed the previous night to drop the formalities and treat each other as equals.
"Ah... sorry... I completely slept in..."
"Don't worry about it," Hestia smiled. "You were already battered and bruised when you got here, and then you got dragged into the sheer madness of being transported to another world. The physical and mental strain on your body must have been massive. Honestly, it would be more worrying if you couldn't sleep. Getting proper rest is a good thing."
Comforted by her reassurance, the three of them sat down and enjoyed their morning meal.
"""Thank you for the meal."""
They pressed their hands together in gratitude as they finished eating.
"Like I promised yesterday, I'll take care of the dishes," Tsuna said, gathering the plates.
"Sorry to make you do chores, Tsunayoshi-kun. But honestly, it's a huge help. Getting ready for my shifts has been a nightmare lately."
"It's the least I can do since you're letting me stay here."
"Thanks. I'm heading off to work, then. See ya."
With a wave, Hestia left the church and headed toward her part-time job.
"I-I'm going to head out and do some training... I'll be back later," Bell announced, quickly strapping on his light armor before rushing out the door.
Once they were both gone, Tsuna finished washing the dishes.
"Phew..."
With the chores done, he sat down at the table, picked up a pen, and began practicing on a scrap of paper.
He couldn't read or write a single character of this world's language. Therefore, he had decided to spend his free time studying Koine.
When you think about it, just being able to go to school was a massive privilege...
While 'School Districts' did exist in this world—acting as educational institutions—admissions were strictly limited, meaning not just anyone could attend. When Tsuna casually mentioned that anyone could go to school in his country, Bell had been genuinely shocked.
Tsuna hated studying and didn't exactly have fond memories of school, but realizing that simply being taught how to read and write was considered a luxury here gave him a profound sense of gratitude for his old life.
Two hours passed as he diligently copied characters at the table.
"I-I'm back..."
"W-Welcome ho—Wait, what happened to you, Bell!?"
Bell had left early in the morning claiming he was going to train, but he returned looking absolutely battered, covered in dirt and fresh bruises. Tsuna jumped up from the table in shock.
"A-Ah... it's nothing... I just pushed myself a little too hard, I guess..."
"I-Is that so...?"
Tsuna had a million questions about what kind of training leaves you looking like you got hit by a truck, but he hesitated to pry.
"I can still go to the Dungeon today... don't worry..."
"No!! No matter how you look at it, I should definitely be worried!!"
Despite Bell's weak reassurances, he clearly looked like he was one stiff breeze away from collapsing. Tsuna couldn't help but yell at him.
"We can go to the Dungeon some other time! Right now, you need to rest...!!"
"I can't..."
"Eh...?"
Going into a combat zone in such a battered state was nothing short of suicidal. Tsuna tried to convince him to postpone the dive, but Bell flatly refused.
"If I stop now, I won't get anywhere... If I stay like this, I'll never get stronger... I have to do everything I possibly can..."
"Bell..."
"Bell-kun has someone he deeply admires, and he's pushing himself to the absolute limit trying to catch up to them. But my Familia barely has any members. Because of that, Bell-kun is always forcing himself to take on dangerous risks alone. I'm just so... so terribly worried about him."
Hearing Bell's desperate plea, Tsuna recalled Hestia's words. He was destroying himself just to reach the person he admired.
"Ah! I'm sorry! You were just worrying about me, and I..."
Snapping out of his tunnel vision, Bell realized he had been completely disregarding Tsuna's genuine concern, and immediately apologized.
"I don't know the exact details... but you really want to get stronger, don't you?"
"Yeah..."
"Then go to sleep until it's time to head to the Dungeon. We still have time, so get some rest. I'll wake you up when we need to leave."
"Eh... but..."
"Just do it. If you don't rest properly now, you'll regret it later. Besides, my teacher always used to say that resting is just another part of training. So sleep."
"Tsuna... thank you."
Grateful for Tsuna's kindness, Bell decided to take him up on the offer. He stripped off his armor, changed into casual clothes, and laid down on the sofa. Exhausted from his grueling training, he was asleep within seconds.
I guess I'm not really in a position to lecture him...
Listening to Bell's soft snoring, Tsuna reflected on his own past. He, too, had constantly subjected himself to reckless, life-threatening training under Reborn.
Unlike Bell, Tsuna was forced to get stronger because if he didn't, his precious friends would die. The circumstances demanded it. But the ultimate choice to embrace that strength had been his own. Because he understood that drive, he decided to respect Bell's resolve.
Two hours passed.
"Bell."
"Ngh...?"
Tsuna gently shook the sleeping boy's shoulder. Bell slowly fluttered his eyes open.
"It's time to head to the Dungeon."
"Ah... right... we said I would sleep until it was time..."
Still groggy, Bell rubbed his eyes as he recalled their conversation. He hopped off the sofa, stretched his arms above his head, and quickly splashed some water on his face to wake himself up. Once his armor was securely fastened, they were ready to go.
.....
Leaving the church behind, Tsuna and Bell headed toward Babel, the entrance to the Dungeon. Along the way, Tsuna listened intently as Bell explained the basic rules and layout of Orario.
After a fifteen-minute walk, they arrived at the plaza in front of the colossal tower.
"Oh, yeah, Hestia mentioned earlier that someone else was going to the Dungeon with us?"
"Yeah. Her name is Lili—"
"Bell-sama!!"
Just as Bell was about to explain, a voice called out his name. Tsuna turned to see a petite girl completely shrouded in a heavy cloak, lugging a ridiculously oversized backpack toward them.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting... I got held up with a few things—hm?"
The girl bowed her head in apology, but suddenly paused, blinking in confusion at the unfamiliar boy standing next to her employer.
"Umm... is this an acquaintance of yours, Bell?" Tsuna asked.
"Yeah. This is my Supporter, Lili."
"Eh!? This little girl!?"
Tsuna was genuinely shocked that their third party member for exploring a deadly, monster-infested labyrinth was a child.
"U-Umm... Bell-sama...? Who might this gentleman be...?"
"Ah. This is a new member who joined our Familia yesterday... He's going to be diving into the Dungeon with us starting today..."
"Excuse me!?"
The girl named Lili shrieked, staring at Tsuna with wide eyes.
"N-Nice to meet you... I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. I look forward to working with you."
"Ah, the pleasure is mine. I am Bell-sama's Supporter, Liliruca Arde. Please to make your acquain—Wait, no! Bell-sama!!"
Reflexively returning Tsuna's polite greeting with her own practiced courtesy, Lili quickly snapped back to reality and whirled on Bell.
"What is the meaning of this, Bell-sama!? You didn't tell me anything about adding a new member today!!"
"A-Ah... well... he just arrived in Orario yesterday, and only joined last night, so I didn't have time to introduce you..."
"Last night!? And you're dragging him straight into the Dungeon on his very first day!?"
"Well... he said he was interested in being an adventurer... so I figured today could just be a trial run..."
"This is the Dungeon we are talking about!! Do you understand how dangerous this is!?"
"If it looks like it's too much for him, we'll turn back immediately..."
"Ugh, fine... I understand..."
Realizing that arguing with him was pointless, Lili let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly agreed.
"Listen closely! Bell-sama might be taking this lightly, but I will not! The second I judge that you are becoming a hindrance, I will forcefully send you back to the surface without a moment's hesitation! You had better be prepared!"
"I-I'll do my best..."