Live Dungeon!

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The largest hospital in the Royal Capital was comparable in size to the ones Tsutomu had seen back in Japan. It was established by doctors who had delved into the God’s Dungeon in the Dungeon City and subsequently relocated to the capital. The hospital was renowned for its almost non-existent mortality rate.

Interestingly, when these doctors created Status Cards, they often ended up in Healer roles like White Mages or Channelers. This allowed them to integrate healing skills into their medical treatments, significantly increasing their success rates.

Hannah, left at the brink of death with her use of the Magic Fist, had been taken to this very hospital. By the time she regained consciousness, all her injuries had healed, and despite wearing the stark white clothes typical of a patient, she was brimming with energy.

Before she was sent to her ward, Hannah’s doctor, a young woman, asked her,

“Was it Miss Stephanie who administered first aid to you?”

“I think so, yes. All I’m sure about is that it was an Ealdred Crow Healer, though…”

“Stephanie from Ealdred Crow… Hmm, I should ask her about the treatment process later. It could be very informative.”

“Umm, so, can I go home now?”

“We’ll keep you here for one more day, just to be sure. After being shown to your ward, you’re free to move around the facility.”

“Got it!”

Hannah was then escorted by a nurse to her ward. It was filled with female explorers, and she recognized a few familiar faces.

“Please return by evening,” the nurse said as she left.

“Will do!” Hannah replied with a smile.

She sat on her assigned white bed and noticed a woman with golden-furred fox ears reading a newspaper with a serious expression on the bed next to hers.

“Hmm…? Ah.”

“Ah?”

When Eunice noticed Hannah’s gaze, their eyes met. Though they had never interacted directly, they knew each other by reputation. Eunice was part of Golden Tune’s top team, and Hannah had made a name for herself in Absolute Helix’s Mount Golem battle.

“…Umm, Hannah, was it? You’re my neighbor?”

“Looks like it. I’ll probably be out by tomorrow, though.”

It was their first time speaking directly, and Hannah felt a bit awkward. Eunice folded her newspaper and nodded.

“I should be out by tomorrow, too… Still, I can’t believe those doctors – I’m a Healer, so I know the state of my body well enough, but they insisted on keeping me ‘just to be sure’… It’s so boring. There’s nothing to do around here.”

“I’m bored too. Umm, so, Eunice… I can call you by name, right?”

“Sure, call me whatever you’d like. We’ve been Explorers for about the same amount of time, if I remember correctly.”

Hannah tilted her head curiously at Eunice’s words.

“Really? I thought you were more of a veteran, from how you talked so casually with Teach — oh, I mean, Tsutomu.”

“…Oh, him? He hasn’t been an Explorer for very long, actually.”

“But he never seemed that way. Since he was in a party with Amy and Sir Garm, he’s always been the talk of the town.”

“He’s good, I’ll admit. But I can’t stand his personality.”

Eunice’s expression turned sour as she gripped the bedsheet in frustration, leaving Hannah more perplexed than ever.

“But Eunice, you went to rescue Tsutomu all by yourself when he got captured, didn’t you?”

“……”

Eunice fell silent at Hannah’s words. She hadn’t yet fully understood her own feelings from that impulsive moment.

She disliked Tsutomu, but after he taught her advanced skill manipulation and Healer techniques, she came to recognize his abilities. She even had a fleeting moment of admiration when he acknowledged her dumpling-style skills. It felt like the kind of respect a student feels toward their master.

Eunice was certain Tsutomu disliked her. It was evident in the way he treated his other students, Stephanie and Lorena, differently from her.

Yet, despite this, he had always evaluated her abilities fairly. That’s why she had felt genuinely happy when he acknowledged her dumpling-style skill.

When she’d seen Tsutomu trapped behind a Shield, she had acted without thinking. It was a natural response for a student who respected their master. Although Eunice had subsequently gone unconscious at the time, she later learned that Hannah had risked using the dangerous Magic Fist technique to save Tsutomu. Stephanie likely would have done the same. Wanting to save their master was only natural for students.

But Eunice questioned whether that was the only reason she acted. As this realization dawned on her, her face flushed red. She raised her hands to stop Hannah, shaking them repeatedly.

“Let’s just drop this topic, okay?”

“Oh, got it. Umm, then…”

Seeing the usually composed Eunice so flustered made Hannah want to probe further, but since this was their first real conversation, she held back. They shifted the topic to the God’s Dungeon.

“You cleared the eightieth layer, right, Hannah? I saw it on the Pedestal. You were amazing.”

“R-really? You think so?”

“The Mount Golem battle was impressive — and I’ve heard very few people can use the Magic Fist. Korinna, the Healer, was great too. I didn’t expect a Channeler to perform so well. If she keeps it up, she could become a mainstay in your top team.”

“Korinna works well with me, and her Job’s different from Tsutomu’s — We could switch depending on the layer.”

As Hannah and Eunice continued their enthusiastic conversation, the door to the ward quietly opened. The Explorers looked a bit surprised at the newcomer entering with the nurse.

“Tsutomu did say it’s hard to keep up with my speed, so if I make the top team, Korinna might have a good chance, too.”

“Do your best, Hannah. Make Tsutomu eat his words.”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but I’d love to see him panic a bit! He always seems so composed – it’d be nice to see him worried about his position in the top team for once!”

Eunice, facing Hannah’s gleeful expression, suddenly noticed the figure standing behind her. Her mouth fell open in surprise, while Hannah, oblivious, continued talking.

“Isn’t there some kind of weakness we can exploit? Tsutomu’s such a mystery… I’d love to figure something out.”

“Oh, you want to know my weakness?”

“That’s right. There’s gotta be something–”

Hannah’s grin froze at the familiar voice from behind her. She slowly turned around, moving like a rusted robot arm, to find Tsutomu standing there with a cheerful smile, accompanied by Ollie.

“I may not know my own weaknesses, but I sure know yours, Hannah.”

“Wh-wh-what is it?”

“It’s that empty head of yours, idiot.”

Tsutomu rapped his knuckles on Hannah’s head, then pushed his finger to her forehead, knocking her down onto her bed. Hannah’s head fell on the soft pillow with a thud. She immediately sat up, only to be pushed down again. After a few repetitions, she began to do sit-ups by herself, with Tsutomu looking at her with exasperation.

“I rushed over when I heard you were brought to the hospital, but you seem fine enough.”

“It’s not TOO bad — I’m already being discharged tomorrow!”

“Oh, really? Then I guess I didn’t need to come, eh?”

Tsutomu, expecting her recovery to take as long as Leon’s, averted his gaze, feeling somewhat anticlimactic. Hannah’s quick discharge was thanks to Stephanie, the highest-level White Mage experienced in regenerative treatment. Normally, she would have been hospitalized for at least a week.

“I’ve got the important details from Daryl and Korinna, but I’ll get the full story from you tomorrow.”

“…Sure.”

Realizing the implication of his words, Hannah answered with a slightly awkward expression. Tsutomu then turned his attention to Eunice, who had spread her newspaper in front of her face, her fox ears alert and twitching with suspicion.

“You seem to be doing well too.”

“Hmph, I don’t need your concern.”

“Eh, I’m just saying it’s good to see you’re okay. If you’d died, it would’ve caused a major rift with Golden Tune. Look, don’t pull that kind of stunt again. You wouldn’t have changed anything – in fact, you were more of a nuisance than a help.”

Eunice’s hands trembled, causing the newspaper to rustle. Seeing no apparent reaction from her, Tsutomu felt her lack of enthusiasm and decided to leave her be, turning away and leaving the ward without another word.

After Tsutomu was gone, Eunice continued to fidget with the newspaper. Concerned, Hannah asked,

“Y-you okay?”

“…so much.”

“Huh?”

When Hannah couldn’t catch her mumbled response, Eunice abruptly lowered the newspaper, revealing her flushed face.

“I hate him so much! Waaah!!”

Her sudden outburst startled everyone around. A nurse, hearing the commotion, entered the ward and, concerned about possible complications, extended Eunice’s hospital stay by several days.

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