Live Dungeon!

A week had passed since Eunice’s revolutionary technique had swept through the Healer community. Now, at long last, Stephanie had managed to achieve her own version of the Dumpling [, though it remained unstable. Her version might have lacked the smooth execution Eunice demonstrated, but it was sufficient to give Ealdred Crow’s main team a fighting chance on the eighty-fifth layer.

The Black Gate to the eighty-sixth layer was guarded by a horde of Fallen Angels and the spectral menace of a Fallen Lich. The time her team would spend in the relative safety of the eighty-fifth layer was invaluable; it allowed her to refine her attempts at Dumpling [, focusing on functional execution over perfection. Having even a semi-reliable Dumpling [ in her arsenal meant her team could now endure the deadly waves of area-wide attacks that marked the end of each skirmish. What had once felt like an impossible threshold had become a door they could nearly touch.

Still, they knew that, once they entered the Black Gate, they would lose all pre-cast skills, resetting them for the ordeal that awaited. By the time they reached the lower layers — particularly the ninetieth, where battle intensity would be unmatched — Stephanie knew she needed to assemble Dumpling [ reliably and in the heat of combat. But for now, the time was hers.

Meanwhile, across the Dungeon layers, Absolute Helix was deeply entrenched in their own quest, grinding not just for experience points but for any equipment they could get. Most of the teams’ equipment was coming together nicely… except for two among them.

”Aww, another duplicate…” Hannah muttered, inspecting the disappointing treasure from the newly opened chest.

Tsutomu smirked at her. ”It’s funny — you used to get a kick out of opening these, didn’t you? Look at you now, totally over it.”

”Ha! And look at yourself, Teach. These days, anything short of a gold chest just doesn’t seem worth your time.” Hannah shot back with a smirk of her own.

Despite their humor, frustration simmered beneath the surface. Days of chest-hunting yielded little for both Amy and Hannah, with the Dungeon seemingly determined to withhold the last few pieces of their essential gear. Chests held all too many redundant items like Magic Bags and useless duplicates, and Hannah’s expression grew more and more deadpan with each undesired discovery.

”Nyaaah! Why… won’t it… just… drop!?”

Amy, too, seemed to have fallen victim to the whims of the dungeon’s so-called ‘desire sensor’, her dream weapon — the Cosmo Alpha dual blades — remaining maddeningly out of reach.

These dual blades, imbued with a potent blend of light and darkness attributes, were critical to her combat progression, holding the key to her honing her most advanced skill rotations. And yet, no matter how many chests they cracked open, the Cosmo Alpha evaded her grasp.

The members of Silver Beast, on the other hand, were largely equipped and ready, having fulfilled most of their item requirements. They could have parted ways with Absolute Helix, ending their farming partnership, but the alliance held more value than simply shared resources.

By observing Tsutomu’s strategies up close and studying his techniques, Silver Beast gained valuable insights that were not readily available anywhere else, making the collaboration worthwhile.

Among Silver Beast’s ranks were the Birdkin sisters, Rara and Riri, who served as agile, evasive Tanks, inspired by none other than Hannah. Watching her in action on the Monitors, they had trained to emulate her movements, and were further encouraged by Tsutomu’s guidance. However, the Monitors typically showed entire parties rather than focusing closely on a single member, leaving the sisters with only broad glimpses of Hannah’s techniques.

”Hey, Hannah, how did you dodge that attack just now?” Rara asked, curiosity sparking in her wide eyes.

”Dodge?” Hannah blinked, considering how to describe it. ”Well, you just… go SWOOSH! Like that.”

”Uh… swoosh?” Rara parroted, furrowing her brow in confusion.

”Yeah, exactly! Then you go WHOOSH, and… BOOM!” Hannah continued, adding exaggerated gestures for emphasis.

”……”

Hannah’s explanation was cryptic at best and downright bewildering at worst, but she’d been directly taught by Tsutomu himself. Her unique movement and attack patterns naturally generated high aggro, making her a top Tank without needing to over explain.

Rara, eager to improve, watched and mimicked Hannah as best as she could; even if Hannah’s descriptions were more like sound effects than instructions, the attempt alone helped Rara, who was also a Boxer. Advanced techniques like Magic Fist were still far beyond her skill level, but she was in no rush to try it, if ever — especially since even Hannah herself was still working on mastering it for herself.

Tsutomu, meanwhile, had taken it upon himself to train Riri.

”[… and what comes next?” he prompted, urging Riri to recall the next move.

”Uh… [!”

”Good — that’s a stable sequence,” Tsutomu nodded approvingly. ”Whenever you’ve got a moment, drill it until it feels like second nature.” He handed over a sheaf of notes, neatly outlining techniques and strategies he’d pulled from his observations of Ealdred Crow’s best Hunters. ”Here, look through these. I won’t know exactly what it feels like for you to apply your skills in motion, so you’ll need to develop your own style to some extent.”

”Uh… wow.”

Riri’s eyes widened as she accepted the hefty summary. An evasion-based Tank with the Hunter job was a difficult combination, given that Hunters had no inherent aggro-drawing skills like [. Tsutomu understood this all too well, knowing that the game’s creators had intended for certain trade-offs to balance gameplay. He walked her through the knowledge necessary to turn a Hunter’s movements into a form of Tanking that would work out.

”Can… Can I really have this?”

”Of course. Toss it or give it away if it’s not useful to you. We don’t even have a Hunter in our Clan anyway.”

”Thank you…” she said, still a bit dazed by the gesture.

Noticing Riri’s flustered expression, Amy stepped in, grinning as she gave the young Hunter a comforting pat on the back.

”Don’t overthink it,” Amy advised, her tone warm but cautioning. ”Tsutomu does this because it’s his idea of fun. But be careful — ask him too many questions, and he’ll dive in so deep you’ll literally drown.”

”Huh…” Riri’s gaze drifted to Amy’s eyes, noting a flicker of exhaustion that could only come from too many intense study sessions with Tsutomu. A dawning look of understanding crossed her face, and she quickly nodded, bowing her head in gratitude, but with an edge of nervousness.

Amy, for her part, had achieved remarkable skill in Dualblader combat largely on instinct. But, after reaching a soft ceiling in her abilities, she had finally asked Tsutomu for guidance, unknowingly opening the floodgates to his rigorously methodical instruction. Drawing on his years of strategy and practice in Live Dungeon, Tsutomu began with foundational drills, training Amy to execute her skills in carefully planned sequences. The regimen was relentless, pushing her mental stamina to limits she’d never reached before.

For Explorers, running low on mental energy posed no mortal danger, yet it inflicted a brutal toll. Intense nausea and fatigue swelled as reserves dipped near zero, symptoms so harsh that many would rather avoid skills altogether than endure them. At the worst of it, some would even welcome death as a reprieve.

Until now, Amy had hardly ever let her mental energy fall below fifty percent. But Tsutomu’s relentless training drove her to the edge, time and again, even causing her to collapse from sheer nausea on several occasions. If anyone else had put her through this kind of punishing regimen, she would have quit without a second thought. But it was Tsutomu — and she was here by choice. He made it clear she could stop whenever she wished, as an acknowledgment of the toll his training exacted. That gentle offer of release, she suspected, was Tsutomu’s subtle way of pushing her further, confident that she would not abandon the challenge as long as he left the decision to her.

She shook her head ruefully as she recognized his clever ploy. [He’s always been shrewder than he lets on,] She mused, her lips curving into a bittersweet smile. […But I just can’t not like him.]

Amy pushed through, continuing her training with determination. She grew more accustomed to the skill rotations and even began using them in battle, though she wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone. The grueling practice, the sensation of casting with her reserves nearly empty, had driven her to the point of vomiting in secret. Out of pure empathy, she warned Riri to tread lightly around Tsutomu, lest the young Hunter accidentally provoke his zeal for instructing.

”Riri, take my advice,” Amy whispered. ”You’re better off pacing yourself. It’s… it’s brutal.”

”O-okay…” Riri gulped, and nodded repeatedly, her wide eyes reflecting a mix of respect and trepidation.

▽▽

”This way! We’re almost there!”

Daryl’s enthusiasm was contagious as he led Tsutomu and Garm through the busy streets, his voice bright with excitement and his black-furred tail wagging almost comically. It was finally time for the meal they had promised themselves after the Stampede, and Daryl had been bubbling over about it ever since.

[He’s practically bursting at the seams,] Tsutomu thought with a touch of amusement, recalling a recent conversation with Ollie. She had mentioned how thrilled Daryl was, though she had kept the details of the destination a surprise. Seeing Daryl’s uncontainable anticipation, Tsutomu could not help feeling slightly uneasy. It was not that he disliked Daryl — quite the contrary — but he was not used to someone looking up to him with such earnest admiration. It felt strangely reminiscent of the early days with Garm, awkward and unfamiliar.

”Judging by his mood, the food must be something special.” Garm observed, glancing at Daryl with a slight smile.

”Neither he nor Miss Ollie wouldn’t give me any hints about the place, but she called it a hidden gem,” Tsutomu replied.

”Knowing Daryl, I’d wager it’s all about the meat.”

”He does love his steak…” Tsutomu mused, sharing a knowing look with Garm.

Things between Tsutomu and Garm had been tense since their last clash over tactics, but recently, the tension had started to ease. They had not addressed the underlying issues head-on — topics like advanced Tanking techniques or more intricate teamwork strategies remained off the table — but their exchanges were lighter, the silences less strained. An article about Daryl had, unexpectedly, played a role in this slow mending, mentioning their dynamic and reminding them of their shared purpose.

Daryl, eager to see them reconcile, would sometimes glance back at one of them with an encouraging smile, his subtle-as-a-cannonball attempts at playing peacemaker almost comical.

It was not just Daryl, though; the other members of the Clan were quietly rooting for a resolution as well. Xeno, oblivious as always, had started asking for both of their opinions on training and planning, forcing them into the same conversations. Korinna, too, could not hide her occasional looks of worry, silently urging them to make peace.

[Thank goodness,] Tsutomu thought with a wry smile. [I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to patch things up with people.]

Tsutomu, a self-professed loner since his high school days as an online gamer, was hardly a natural at navigating relationships. Yet, he was genuinely grateful for the Clan’s efforts to draw him and Garm back together, and even the morning runs with Garm no longer felt like pure torture.

”I knew it — meat.” Garm said with a half-laugh as the unmistakable aroma of sizzling steak wafted from up ahead.

”Oh, you’ve absolutely got to try it! The meat the Boss grills here is the best.” Daryl nearly bounced on his feet as he led them forward. ”Hurry, let’s go in!”

”I mean, ‘in’ isn’t exactly the right word…” Tsutomu muttered, taking in the sight.

The ‘restaurant’ turned out to be more open-air than expected, little more than a wide, tented roof stretching over rows of tables and chairs. A stocky, bald-headed man — clearly the ‘Boss’ Daryl had mentioned — tended to an enormous, fire-roasted slab of meat.

Daryl, it seemed, had not only made a reservation but had also pre-ordered the whole course. He eagerly waved Tsutomu and Garm over to sit, almost bouncing as he watched their reactions. Tsutomu’s stomach growled in response to the mouthwatering scent wafting from the grill, and he quickly sat down, his gaze fixated on a massive Shell Crab roasting whole nearby.

”…Tsutomu, you’re drooling like Daryl,” Garm remarked.

”Well, it IS a Shell Crab,” Tsutomu replied, only half-embarrassed as he wiped his mouth. ”They’re all the rage right now. Can’t believe Daryl actually got his hands on one.”

Daryl grinned. ”Hehe… I worked hard for it, believe me!”

The Shell Crab had become a highly coveted monster in recent months for its strength and utility, desirability as pets, as well as its culinary value. Summoning one required not only a skilled Summoner but also a Magic Stone, harvested from a Shell Crab defeated within the Dungeon itself — a no small feat as it was the boss monster of the fiftieth layer.

Recently, though, something strange has happened. The Shell Crab had been so aggressively over-hunted by Explorers that a mutation had set in, a consequence that now rippled through the Explorer community like wildfire. It was much like Live Dungeon’s balance patches and reworks, similar to what had happened to the thirtieth layer’s Queen Spider and the sixtieth layer’s Fire Dragon, but the Shell Crab’s drastic change made it far deadlier than before. For one, their nests were now untraceable, making any attempt at setting traps or ambushes futile. The moment a Shell Crab escaped, finding it again became a near-impossible task.

Even more unsettling, however, was the transformation in the Shell Crab’s abilities. Its natural armor, once tough but beatable, was now even more reinforced, and even a level 50 Tank’s best defenses were now inadequate against the Crab’s relentless power. Seeing one in action had become a surreal experience — its movements no longer followed what a crab should be capable of, and it displayed an eerie complexity, even on par with some of the higher-tier monsters.

Footage of recent fights, displayed on the Monitors, had captivated Explorers and left them in awe and frustration.

Ealdred Crow’s best parties, who had conquered the Winter General, had met crushing defeat against these new Crabs. Since the mutation, no party had managed to clear the fiftieth layer, and discussions about strategies for defeating the revamped Crab had become a favorite topic among Explorers.

For Explorers yet to reach the fiftieth layer, the mutated Shell Crab was much more than a scary story — but fortunately, initial attempts on the fiftieth layer’s boss still featured the old version of the Crab, so those who braved it for the first time could still face a manageable challenge.

Some Explorers had attempted to exploit this by forming parties with at least one under-fiftieth-layer member, hoping it would summon the pre-mutation Shell Crab, which was far easier to hunt.

But the Dungeon was unforgiving in its response. These exploit-seekers got their unmutated Shell Crab — followed by a swarm of the vicious, mutation-enhanced Crabs overtaking the party, as if the Dungeon itself were punishing them for trying to game the system. Tsutomu recalled watching this on the Monitors; he’d almost been able to hear the voice of God bellowing, ‘Don’t even think about pulling one over on me, or I’ll crush you.’

And so, Magic Stones from Shell Crabs had become a near-impossible find, making Daryl’s securing of one for tonight’s feast a true feat. The immense Crab now sizzling in front of them, with its shell filled to the brim with bubbling kani miso, was a sight to behold. The chef worked with deft hands, adding chunks of sweet, white crab meat to the miso, stirring the ingredients into a deliciously fragrant blend.

Tsutomu rarely thought about anything outside of Dungeon matters, and even his meals were mostly prepared by Ollie. But as he sat here, watching the delicacy slowly cook to perfection, he could not help but feel grateful for the change of pace.

”Thanks, Daryl,” he said.

”Oh, no, no! I should be the one thanking you,” Daryl replied, blushing slightly. ”That’s why I set this all up… just to say thanks. So, um… really, thank you!”

Grinning, Daryl reached for his knife and fork as a large platter of freshly grilled steak arrived at the table, searing hot and glistening with juices.

”Well, let’s dig in before it gets cold,” he added.

”Mm-hmm,” Garm agreed with a nod.

”Yeah, let’s!” Tsutomu echoed, practically bouncing with excitement.

With that, they tucked in, savoring every bite of perfectly cooked meat and crab. Hours later, when their plates were cleared and they were all pleasantly full, the three of them sat back, grinning, too satisfied even to move from their seats.