Live Dungeon!

Two weeks had come and gone since the article about Tsutomu’s so-called ‘petting incident’ had hit the news. His plans with Daryl had been quietly delayed, hindered by the challenge of securing a reservation at the restaurant they’d chosen. Yet amid these delays, something intangible had begun to shift. The tension that had simmered between Tsutomu and Garm was slowly dissipating with each passing day. Daryl, too, seemed to notice this gradual thawing, and though his plans were postponed, his excitement was growing more and more palpable.

During this period, Absolute Helix and Silver Beast carried on, diligent in their search for treasure chests. While their haul had been mostly unremarkable so far, Amy and Xeno’s charisma and natural rapport with their viewers had managed to steadily elevate their collective reputation.

”Hey, everyone watching out there! Ready yourselves! Amy’s roshambo is coming up!”

”Yaaay~~!”

Silver Beast’s easygoing nature made it effortless for ‘Big Brother Xeno’ and ‘Big Sister Amy’ to lead the charge on audience engagement. And with Tsutomu’s thorough monster analysis coupled with the magnetic appeal of Lorena and Daryl, their routine battles attracted a steady crowd of Dungeon Maniacs as well as loyal individual fans.

Misil, as the Adventurer, brought out his [ skill, reducing the odds of finding trivial loot like gold coins or Magic Bags. Slowly but surely, their equipment loadouts were improving. Though treasure chests could drop from defeated monsters, they also appeared randomly throughout the terrain, and thanks to Misil’s sharp memory for the lay of the ever-changing lands, their treasure-hunting success rate was growing by the day.

▽▽

”That’s gonna be a tough one to dodge,” Haltto muttered.

”We’d need specialized gear for that — like with the Mount Golem…” Rook agreed, nodding. ”We should probably hold off on the eighty-fifth layer for now.”

Meanwhile, Ealdred Crow was forging ahead, determined to claim a victory over the Fallen Lich that guarded the Black Gate down to the eighty-sixth layer. But after suffering two total party wipes from the monster’s devastating wide-area dark magic, they decided to pivot, focusing their efforts on treasure-hunting instead.

By now, Ealdred Crow’s top six teams had cleared up to the eightieth layer, allowing them to consolidate valuable loot for their core fighting squad. This tactic allowed them to amass equipment more quickly than Absolute Helix or Silver Beast could manage.

However, favoring a single party was beginning to stir dissatisfaction among Ealdred Crow’s ranks. Friction had already flared over differing opinions on the Meena controversy, and with so many members, unifying the Clan’s direction was proving increasingly difficult. As clashing factions took root, resolving these tensions would require careful navigation.

▽▽

”What about an alliance with Golden Tune?” Cecilia proposed.

”…Just a temporary one,” Weiss replied, reluctantly agreeing.

Falling behind the top three Clans, Scarlet Devil Squad and Golden Tune had struck a provisional alliance, entering God’s Dungeon with mixed-Clan parties. The idea of unique skill holders — Weiss and Leon — joining forces in a single party had Dungeon Maniacs buzzing with excitement and curiosity.

▽▽

Scarlet Devil Squad and Golden Tune’s joint team had named Eunice as their main Healer — a surprise to Tsutomu, who had assumed that Scarlet Devil Squad’s usual lead Healer, Cecilia, would take the role. Given the unusual pairing of the two Clans, Tsutomu found this decision perplexing, but a look at them in action through the Monitors soon clarified things.

”Ahh, so now she’s made an imitation of [, huh?”

Eunice had gained a reputation for a clever technique she called ‘the Dumpling’. It involved ‘storing’ the skills within a [, and she’d recently managed to do this with [, producing a result surprisingly close to the high-level skill [ — which, as far as this world went, had not yet been discovered.

[ allowed a White Mage to cast a preventative resurrection on a party member, automatically reviving them if they died. However, [ was a high-tier skill, only accessible to those who had leveled up to 100 — and to even unlock the level cap to it, they would need to enter the Secret Dungeon.

By encasing [ in a [, Eunice could hold it in a suspended state, turning it into an effective, if temporary, substitute for [. The idea was so inventive that even Tsutomu, who knew of [ beforehand, would not have thought to attempt it.

The biggest advantage of Eunice’s Dumpling [ was that a Healer could keep it to themselves, guaranteeing automatic revival if they were struck down in battle. Until now, when a Healer fell, reviving them was impossible without another Healer present. But with this stored [, a single Healer could ensure their own survival. In parties with only one Healer — which was to say, the most common composition — this breakthrough offered a tremendous advantage.

Yet, there were drawbacks. [ could only activate once a party member had already died, and capturing it within a [ required exact timing. The spell shot upward like a flare when cast, so it took painstaking precision to catch it mid-air. Additionally, the longer the [ remained stored, the weaker its effect grew, sometimes resulting in the resurrected member emerging in a weakened state.

Despite these limitations, the Dumpling [ would be a groundbreaking tool for Healers who could use it. By holding [ in reserve, they gained a crucial buffer, and since the spell was not triggered instantly, it would not attract enemy aggro. If the effect expired naturally, the only cost was mental energy. Should the Healer die, however, the [ would shatter, resurrecting them with a manageable level of aggro — nothing a capable Tank could not offset in a few moments.

[But [ only activates once a party member’s down… and Eunice is not Korinna — she wouldn’t have foreseen this without trial and error. She must’ve tested it on her own, not even knowing if it’d work. Who else would have the nerve to take that risk?]

Eunice, likely the sole mastermind behind Dumpling [, was a Healer familiar with the old-fashioned self-sacrificing approach, and thus well-versed in how the base [ skill worked. Though capturing [ in a [ demanded a high degree of finesse, she had pulled it off skillfully. Reshaping a [ was already difficult, but manipulating it to intercept a spell mid-flight was an achievement few, perhaps not even the famously skilled Stephanie, could match.

Tsutomu had not seen much of Eunice on the Monitors lately and had not given it much thought until now. It seemed she had secluded herself somewhere, working tirelessly on this Dumpling [ innovation. In Live Dungeon, there were always players who thrived on pioneering new strategies and keeping them under wraps for a while. Eunice, it seemed, would fit right in with them. ᚱ𝘈ꞐȱᛒЁS

[I’d thought about it before, sure, but to think she actually devoted all that time developing it on her own… I guess I’m more of a refiner than an inventor, so seeing a new technique like this come to life is something I can really appreciate.]

While Tsutomu was adept at perfecting established techniques, he rarely created new ones. He found himself genuinely admiring Eunice’s work on the Dumpling technique; the Dumpling [ in particular was a true innovation with the potential to reshape the Healer role itself. Looking at a recent article featuring Eunice, he couldn’t help but crack a smile.

”Your apprentice is really something, Tsutomu. She’s all over the news!” Korinna remarked, catching his expression over a leisurely breakfast. She took a bite of ham, leafing through a newspaper unaffiliated with the Solit Company.

Dungeon Maniacs were praising Eunice’s Dumpling [ as a groundbreaking technique, and it seemed Eunice was reveling in the attention. Imagining her triumphant grin, Tsutomu felt his own smile fade a little.

”The Dumpling’s impressive, I’ll give her that. She deserves credit for developing it on her own,” he admitted. ”But honestly, her abilities as a White Mage aren’t anything remarkable. Once someone like Stephanie manages to pick up the Dumpling [, Eunice’s moment in the spotlight will vanish.”

He respected Eunice’s dedication to perfecting the Dumpling [ before showcasing it, but now that it had been displayed on the Monitors, her brief exclusivity was on borrowed time. Soon enough, he thought, she’d likely recede back into the shadows, outshone by the top three Healers.

Korinna listened to Tsutomu’s rapid-fire critique, her expression a warm smile. The image of his unguarded, almost boyish grin when he’d first read the article about his apprentice was still fresh in her mind. Whatever he was saying now, his true feelings weren’t hard to see.

As Tsutomu glanced over at her, watching her quietly admire the articles, he felt a bit of exasperation rising and couldn’t resist throwing her a reproachful look.

”Look, Korinna, you need to stop resting on your laurels and make your own big breakthrough, don’t you think?”

”…Huh?”

Korinna blinked, clearly not following his train of thought. Tsutomu sighed and tapped his temple, as though to jog her memory.

”You’ve got an exceptional team now — no more random groups like before.”

”Oh, absolutely! Everyone’s incredible!” she replied enthusiastically.

”Your technique and instincts are top-tier for a Channeler. And that unique intuition of yours — the ability to predict someone’s moment of death more or less reliably — is extraordinary. Even your level is nearly on par with the best of the best.”

”Well… if you say so…”

Korinna’s head dipped a little, her cheeks turning rosy under his praise. But then…

”So why is it you’re not more of a topic of conversation? No one’s talking about Channelers.”

At this final question, she froze.

”……”

”…Well, to be fair, it’s partly my doing. Whenever we take on a boss monster, I decide the party lineup, which means we end up with ‘main’ and ‘secondary’ teams in the eyes of the audience. So, it’s no surprise you’re kept out of the spotlight, especially with the way things have been organized so far.”

”Oh, no, no, Tsutomu, this isn’t your fault at all,” Korinna said, shaking her head insistently.

”Hmm…” Tsutomu tilted his head slightly, studying her with a steady gaze.

”You know what? I’ll still be handling the party lineup for the ninetieth layer — there’s no changing that. I already had a rough idea of the teams we’d form back when we started farming for equipment, you see. But, to change things up, I’m leaving the lineup for the hundredth to you.”

”Wha–!?”

”By the time we reached the eightieth, your coordination with your party was nearly as seamless as mine. From now on, I want you to stand as my equal in your role as a Healer.”

”Oh, no, no! That’s just absurd! I’m nowhere near your level, Tsutomu! We’re worlds apart!”

”Are you sure about that? You’re handling everything I’ve asked of you, and you’re more comfortable in your role as a Channeler than ever. Even the Dungeon Maniacs took notice after our wins on the eightieth layer — they were especially impressed with your technique. Among Channelers, you’re in a league of your own.”

Korinna had dedicated herself to mastering Tsutomu’s guidance. Though he kept it to himself, he knew how Channelers worked from his own experience in Live Dungeon, and she had taken his advice to heart, refining her skills every day. Her natural ability, developed from her time with random parties and her intuition — dubbed the ”Eyes of a Reaper” — had propelled her to a point where no other Channeler could match her prowess as a Healer.

But Tsutomu’s presence kept her from realizing just how far she had come. Since joining Absolute Helix, she had grown comfortable in the secondary team, never once stepping forward into the spotlight.

This did not sit right with Tsutomu. Live Dungeon’s gameplay environment had long pitted Healers against one another, and as a White Mage, he saw Channelers as his natural counterparts. But beyond any rivalry, he genuinely respected Korinna’s talent. She was already at the top among Channelers, and he wanted her to push even higher, challenging White Mages as their equal.

”Once we clear the ninetieth layer, Absolute Helix’s main party selection will be in your hands, Korinna. Keep that in mind.”

”Wait, are you serious? You’re not joking, are you…?”

”Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you and Daryl stopped being so formal whenever you talk to me. Why do you two even do that, anyway?”

”W-why are you even asking that!?”

”Why wouldn’t I?” Tsutomu chuckled, setting down his empty dishes.

With that, he left for town to check the Monitors, leaving behind a pale-faced Korinna, looking as though she’d just been handed her own execution notice.