Live Dungeon!

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Two hours passed, and Stephanie, along with the lower-rankers she had been grouped with, began to line up for the Guild’s teleportation Magic Circles. Kisaragi watched from her seat inside the Guild, noting the tension that hung over the group like a dark cloud.

[It’s fine… I’ve definitely improved since last time. Plus, her party’s full of people she’s never even met, all from lower ranks. She’ll be nervous and bound to make mistakes.]

As a member of Ealdred Crow, Kisaragi was well aware of Stephanie’s outstanding abilities. In fact, Stephanie was borderline legendary, so much so that even the Healers in Teams 2 and 3 would give up before the assessment even began. It was safe to assume that no Healer in Ealdred Crow could ignore her presence.

Before the Stampede, Kisaragi had never imagined she could surpass Stephanie. Being in the same Clan, she had always felt the stark difference between their abilities.

But this assessment was different from all the previous ones. Stephanie, who had been sidelined for a month, was now stuck with an unfamiliar party, and the judges seemed inclined to give the lower rankers a chance this time. On top of that, the Dungeon Maniacs would be casting their votes. The wind was at Kisaragi’s back, and her performance in the recent battle with the Winter General had been her best yet.

She had worked hard this past month. Every day she had descended into God’s Dungeon, eating only the bare minimum and sacrificing sleep. The constant strain had left her feeling hollow, but it had all been worth it to climb this far.

[Hah, you better hope you don’t mess up…!] she silently urged, her eyes locked on Stephanie, who gripped her staff like a conductor’s baton.

The last thing Kisaragi wanted was for her month-long efforts to be in vain. She willed Stephanie to falter as she watched the latter’s party step onto a Magic Circle and vanish, transported to the eightieth layer.

“Oh, great, the Guild’s packed.” Came a groan amidst the crowd. “You really shouldn’t have gotten suckered into giving up our seats, Daryl.”

“I-I just couldn’t help it!”

[…Hmm?] Kisaragi’s gaze followed the sound. All of those in the dungeoneering scene knew about Ealdred Crow’s assessment, so the Monitor area in the Guild building was quite lively today.

Turning around, Kisaragi spotted a man she recognized by his white hooded robe and black trousers adorned with the red emblem of the Dorren Workshop. Similar to Stephanie, he had a few skill wisps flying over his head, drawing a few stares from those around him. Moreover, he was often seen spectating other Explorers through Monitors.

[Tsutomu…?]

Indeed, it was the man who had single-handedly redefined the role of Healers, and even now, he remained one of the top three in the field. With a weary expression, he waded through the crowd, searching for a vacant seat. Not far from him, Kisaragi also noticed Daryl, a Team 2 Tank of Absolute Helix.

“There! Those seats are open,” Tsutomu pointed out. “Go grab ’em!”

“Yes, sir!”

Daryl moved swiftly to secure two empty seats, which just happened to be right next to Kisaragi’s. He and Tsutomu settled in just as Stephanie’s team’s Winter General battle was projected onto the Guild’s Monitor #1.

Kisaragi had never interacted with Tsutomu before, but she had studied his techniques to refine her own skills as a Healer. In her point of view, he was a celebrity she would expect to only ever see on a Monitor.

“Um, excuse me… Are you Mister Tsutomu?” she asked, her eyes wide with feigned innocence.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s me.”

“Wow! For real!? I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you! It’s such an honor!” Kisaragi exclaimed, her voice filled with enthusiasm so as to stroke Tsutomu’s ego.

Tsutomu narrowed his eyes and took a good look at her. Then, a look of recognition crossed his face.

“Ahh, you are… Miss Kisaragi, right?”

“…Huh? Wait, you know who I am?”

“Not really… but I know you’re a White Mage from Ealdred Crow — I saw you battling in the eightieth layer just now.”

“No way! That’s more than enough!! Compared to someone like you, I’m just a nobody, like a pebble on the road!” Kisaragi replied, her voice dripping with self-deprecation.

“Well, I do my research on others in our field.” Tsutomu chuckled softly, shaking his head.

As Kisaragi continued to downplay herself, Tsutomu offered a bitter smile before turning his attention back to Monitor #1, where Stephanie’s battle was being projected. Kisaragi followed his gaze, her eyes landing on Stephanie as she distributed support skills to her party.

[…Nothing out of the ordinary so far.]

It was still early in the fight, and there wasn’t much difference between Stephanie’s performance and what Kisaragi had expected. The Tanks handled aggro with ease, accustomed to the Winter General’s patterns, while the Attackers launched their assaults under the effects of >.

“…Mister Tsutomu, what are you writing?” Kisaragi asked, trying to divert her attention from the uneventful battle.

Daryl, seated beside her, suddenly looked as if he were sitting next to a ticking bomb, but Tsutomu kept his focus on the Monitor, his hand scribbling notes as he answered.

“I’m jotting down observations on Stephanie’s strategies.”

“Her strategies…? But isn’t she your apprentice?”

“There are always things to learn — even from the worst of my students, by which I mean that one from Golden Tune. And with how excellent Stephanie is, there’s quite a lot.”

“Haha… I see. So, even you think Miss Stephanie is exceptional?”

Normally, Tsutomu spectated battles from reserved seats in the market outside, so few Explorers had the chance to see him taking notes like this. Watching him now, engrossed in his work without ever tearing his eyes from the Monitor, Kisaragi found herself slightly taken aback.

Tsutomu, in good spirits perhaps because he was speaking with a fellow Healer, continued to watch the battle unfold on Monitor #1 as he elaborated,

“She’s probably the best Healer around right now. Lorena might be second, if I had to pick.”

“Huh… And how does her performance look right now?”

“Nothing special has happened yet, so I can’t comment on that…”

“Yeah, I figured…”

“But that Tank… He’s a Paladin, and while he’s clearly used to facing the Winter General, his > management isn’t perfect. He’s too focused on keeping track of its duration, which divides his attention from the fight itself.”

“……”

Kisaragi had noticed the same flaw. The Paladin kept his > up without fail, but he often refreshed it too early, wasting precious seconds. When the aura’s time was almost up, his concentration wavered, and it showed.

“Five minutes and thirty-two seconds left on >,” Stephanie’s voice echoed through the Monitor. “I’ll time them for you — please just concentrate on the Winter General.”

“……”

Tsutomu’s assessment had been spot-on, and now Stephanie was relaying the same information to the Tank on the field. She even took on the task of managing the timer for >, while also never allowing her other support skills to lapse. Tsutomu knew Stephanie had drilled the time-counting practice into her routine, almost to the point of madness. For her, this was second nature by now.

“>, >.”

Just like Tsutomu, Stephanie timed her healing skills to land just as the Winter General’s attacks hit, minimizing the pain the Tanks felt and speeding up the battle’s pace.

“>.”

And then came the biggest difference between Stephanie and Kisaragi: Stephanie attacked the Winter General — a Healer, using an offensive skill. Kisaragi shot to her feet, disbelief written all over her face.

“Huh!? Wait, what!?”

Healers were not supposed to attack — that was a basic tenet, especially within Ealdred Crow. The Clan’s internal guide on Winter General tactics, distributed to every member, clearly stated that Healers should focus solely on support and healing, leaving the attacking to others.

If a Healer did anything outside of their designated role and drew aggro, it would almost certainly affect their evaluation negatively. The guide did not account for any situation where a Healer might attack.

Perhaps it would have been fine if this were the usual month-long assessment process, but this time, it had been announced that the outcome hinged on a single battle. If Stephanie mismanaged the aggro and the enemy turned its fury on her, the consequences could be disastrous. This was not the time to take unnecessary risks. Yet, Stephanie carried out the high-risk maneuver without a trace of hesitation.

Stephanie’s support and healing were flawless. She coordinated the Tank switches seamlessly, issuing commands and healing without missing a beat. Occasionally, she’d hover in the air with >, surveying the battlefield, or apply extra > shots to counter frostbite — small improvements from her last encounter with the Winter General that hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Now that I’ve gotten to see her in action,” Daryl remarked, “It’s like she’s a girl version of you, Sir Tsutomu.”

“…Uh, yeah, she’s picked up a lot of my moves. I think she’s already better than me at providing support from the air, though.”

When Stephanie cast her skills, they flowed as if directed by her baton, hitting her party members with precise timing. It was almost like watching a conductor orchestrate a symphony. As Daryl had pointed out, her movements mirrored Tsutomu so closely that they could have been reflections of each other.

Kisaragi, shocked by Stephanie’s performance, barely registered the conversation between Daryl and Tsutomu. Compared to her last battle with the Winter General, Stephanie had improved significantly as a Healer. And most impressive of all was that no one had died yet.

While the crowd and Dungeon Maniacs often praised Healers who could overturn crises by resurrecting fallen comrades, those in the dungeoneering profession knew the true measure of skill lay in preventing deaths in the first place. If a Tank didn’t fall, it meant the Healer was meticulously maintaining their health while expertly managing the aggro generated by healing. As a fellow Healer, Kisaragi recognized the level of skill Stephanie displayed.

Stephanie even did things not covered in the Winter General strategy guide.

“Gwah….!”

As the Winter General’s health dwindled, it started to summon its horse, threatening to add another enemy to the fray. But just before that, one of the Tanks took a critical hit, throwing the formation into disarray. The Attackers, reacting too quickly, struck out at the Winter General, triggering the summoning sequence.

“>. Attackers, hold off. We’ll deal with the horse after the Tanks recover,” Stephanie instructed calmly.

But then, instead of letting the summoning proceed, Stephanie shot a > at the Winter General, disrupting its sequence. The Winter General couldn’t call its mount until its health fell below a certain threshold. Knowing this, Stephanie had acted on instinct to delay it.

“Yooo! She’s a genius!”

“…Are you imitating Miss Hannah?”

“No.”

Tsutomu, impressed by Stephanie’s quick thinking, jotted down notes, his pencil scratching across the paper. He knew he could have pulled off the same maneuver — he’d done it before in Live Dungeon! — but seeing Stephanie execute it without hesitation made him smile.

“It’s a blessing to have a Tank that can consistently dodge critical hits like that. Having a good White Mage enabled them to quickly salvage the situation — if they had a Channeler, it would’ve been a much tougher situation. Daryl, you’re great at this too, but if you can pick up on Garm’s knack for avoiding critical hits, you’ll be even better.”

“I see…” Daryl responded, his black-furred tail twitching with concentration as he absorbed Tsutomu’s words, intent on learning everything he could from this session.

Stephanie healed the critically injured Tank, stabilizing the party before giving the Attackers the green light to resume their assault. With everyone back on track, she let the Winter General summon its steed. Despite the added challenge, Stephanie seamlessly balanced the aggro between the Winter General and its mount while continuing to heal and even joining in the attack herself.

Thanks to her added damage output, they defeated the Winter General faster than Kisaragi had managed. No Tanks had died this time, and not a single resurrection was needed. As Kisaragi took in the result, her face twisted in disbelief.

“How… how is she so much better now? Last time, she barely made it…”

Kisaragi had watched Stephanie’s previous battle with the Winter General. It had been a close call, the victory hanging by a thread. In contrast, Kisaragi had approached the fight with confidence, armed with strategies and knowledge about the Winter General. She had expected at least a good contest, if not a clear win.

But even though this was only Stephanie’s second time clearing the eightieth layer, her performance outshone Kisaragi’s, who had faced the Winter General over ten times. Kisaragi could not fathom why.

“How did Miss Stephanie get so good? She’s better than me, and I’ve been working my ass off here for a month!”

Tsutomu, sensing her agitation, responded calmly, “She was the Healer in the first party to ever defeat the Winter General. She has a much deeper understanding of the fight than anyone could imagine.”

There was an obvious difference between Stephanie’s hard-earned victory, achieved through countless failures, and Kisaragi’s success, which came from following a well-trodden path. Stephanie had only defeated the Winter General once, but she had died trying dozens of times, gaining experience that far surpassed Kisaragi’s.

Both Tsutomu and Daryl knew about the Ealdred Crow’s assessment, so they could easily guess why Kisaragi was upset. Tsutomu’s expression turned sympathetic, which only fueled Kisaragi’s irritation, prompting her to glare at him.

“W-why are you looking at me like that? The assessment isn’t final yet!”

“True, it’s not. But you’re aware of the difference, and that’s why you’re so anxious, aren’t you?”

“D-do you think I’m inferior to Stephanie? If you do, please tell me why!”

“…You see, Miss Kisaragi, I watched your performance closely. You were good — experienced with the Winter General, and quick to salvage the situation whenever things went wrong. But there’s a key difference between you and Stephanie. You still lack a certain awareness as a Healer.”

“…An awareness as a Healer?” Kisaragi repeated.

Tsutomu’s face showed a hint of regret as he continued,

“It’s not something that’s easily fixed, I understand — but I can still see traces of the disposable Healer in you. You’re too concerned about the Attackers and Tanks. You end up overdoing the support, which messes with your aggro management. You’re too quick to accept every request they make. But Stephanie — she only provides the necessary support and healing, which leaves her enough room to join in the attack. Until you change that mindset, no amount of effort will put you on Stephanie’s level.”

“……”

Kisaragi lowered her head, her expression darkening. She knew what Tsutomu meant. The need to appease the Attackers and Tanks still lingered in her, a habit from her days as a disposable Healer. Back then, she had been stuck in the middle tier, and those instincts had taken deep root.

[Even this guy is saying it… there’s no way I can beat Stephanie…]

“But your fundamentals are solid, Miss Kisaragi. You’ve got some real talent in quickshot skills. Sure, this assessment didn’t go as you hoped, but you likely ranked higher than you think. If you work on that mindset, there’s still a chance for you. Don’t give up.”

“Huh…?”

Kisaragi had braced herself to hear that she would never surpass Stephanie; the unexpected encouragement made her look up, surprise evident on her face.

“Do you think… I can surpass her?”

“I won’t give you any guarantees. She’s quite a hard worker, too — it won’t be a walk in the park. But no one is unbeatable. You won’t know until you try.”

“…Yes, of course.”

Kisaragi’s tense expression softened as she let his words sink in. After a moment, she bowed deeply. “Thank you. I know we just met, but… thank you for taking the time to say this.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“…No more time to mope, then! Excuse me!”

Kisaragi stood up with newfound determination.

As she walked away from Tsutomu and Daryl, ready to leave the guild, she accidentally bumped into someone. The slight impact sent her slender frame tumbling to the ground.

“Oh, sorry—-”

Looking up to apologize, Kisaragi froze as a shiver ran down her spine. The cold, calculating eyes of Stephanie, the Ice Conductor, stared down at her, exuding an aura that made Kisaragi’s skin crawl.

“……”

[W-what the…?]

Stephanie said nothing, her gaze fixed on Kisaragi, neither offering a hand nor breaking eye contact. The intensity of her stare unsettled Kisaragi somewhat.

“Uh, you alright there?” Tsutomu’s voice broke the tension; he seemed to know that intervention on his part was necessary.

He stepped forward, offering a hand to Kisaragi, who looked up at him as if he were her savior.

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