Live Dungeon!

Tsutomu led the orphaned children out of the building, their faces still pale and drained of emotion. They were not in any state to hold a conversation, but he had things to get done, so he took them straight to the Magic Stone Exchange. He gave a brief nod to the gatekeeper — a different one from yesterday — before heading to the counter and explaining the situation to the Dwarf girl.

”…And so, I’d like you to buy their Magic Stones just like before,” he concluded, gesturing to the children.

The Dwarf girl narrowed her eyes at him. ”Then why not offload a few more of yours while you’re at it? You know we buy for better prices than the Guild.”

”I’ve left all my Clan’s Magic Stone dealings to Miss Ollie, so I’ll have to pass on that. Besides, I don’t owe you any favors. I’m only here to clear up a misunderstanding, not to negotiate business.”

”Okay, okay, fine…”

”Actually, you know what? I just happened to have some Magic Stones on hand — I’ll just go ahead and cash them in here. There’s a demand for Light Magic Stones, right?”

”Oh yeah? Well, what’re you waiting for? Show me what you’ve got.”

The girl shot a glance at the orphans behind Tsutomu, then with a flick of her wrist, she spread out a fine cloth — fit for wrapping gemstones — on the counter. Tsutomu reached into his Magic Bag and produced a collection of Light and Dark Medium Magic Stones. The girl took out a magnifying glass-shaped magic tool and began her appraisal.

”It’d be helpful if you let people know there’s no bad blood between me and these kids,” he added casually.

The girl did not even look up. ”One Light Magic Stone.”

Tsutomu arched a brow. ”Should I go tell Mister Dorren about this?”

Clicking her tongue in irritation at the mention of her grandfather’s name, the girl wrapped the Magic Stones with care and took them to the back. Tsutomu accepted the wooden number tag she handed him upon return, then turned to the girl standing beside him – Misa.

”Where do we go next?”

”Ah — um, let’s see…” Misa stammered, clearly caught off guard.

Tsutomu already knew that most merchants and craftsmen had turned their backs on the orphans. Now that he was out to address the rumors around him, he might as well help clear the misunderstandings that were threatening the children’s livelihood as well. As Misa hesitantly listed the stores they used to frequent, he sighed internally. There were more than he expected.

[Well, I’ve come this far — let’s just get it over with. Maybe I could take care of my own shopping along the way, too…]

Truthfully, he had no obligation to go this far for them. But if he framed it as recruiting potential new Explorers into the ecosystem, it did not feel like such a waste of time. After all, Live Dungeon had shut down due to a dwindling player base, so he was still wary of losing people.

”Well, if it isn’t Tsutomu. Didn’t expect to see you here,” a butcher greeted as they entered his shop.

”Good to see you. I heard these kids have been unable to buy meat from you due to some rumors, so I wanted to clear things up…”

Ollie, with her keen eye for quality foodstuffs, handled the purchasing of ingredients that made up the Clan House’s inhabitants’ meals, but Tsutomu occasionally stopped by for leisure. Given the number of people they fed — including a few voracious eaters — Absolute Helix had become a valued customer in the market.

The orphans had typically bought scraps — offal, sinewy cuts, and misshapen vegetables — things others would not touch. But once word spread that they had fallen out with Tsutomu, even those deals had dried up. He accompanied them to the shops, explaining the situation, before moving on to armorers and magic tool artisans. ℞𝘼𐌽o͍ꞖЁS

”So, you’re saying it’s fine to do business with them again?” One of the shopkeepers asked.

”That’s right,” Tsutomu confirmed. ”They’ve realized their mistakes… right, guys?”

”Y-yes. We’re really sorry for everything,” Riki stammered, bowing deeply. The others quickly followed suit, their heads lowered in apology.

Tsutomu turned back to the shopkeeper. ”But to be clear, I’m not personally vouching for them. No special treatment – just return to business as usual.”

”Got it. But listen up, you lot,” the shopkeeper said, leveling a hard stare at the orphans. ”Pull another stunt like that, and you’ll regret it.”

”Scary. You don’t talk like that in front of your wife.” Tsutomu remarked dryly.

The man scowled. ”Hey, don’t go spreading that around. And you kids-” he shot another look at the orphans ”-choose your enemies more carefully next time.”

”Yes, sir. We understand,” Misa muttered, bowing repeatedly as the shopkeeper retreated to the back.

The last stop on their list was a shop in the seediest part of the Dungeon City – a place Tsutomu was not keen on visiting.

”That just leaves… that place,” he grumbled. ”I really don’t like going there. It’s a rough crowd.”

”I-I think it’s fine! We’ve already done so much today. You don’t have to go that far!” Misa said quickly, sensing his hesitation.

”No, it’s all right. We’ve come this far – I’ll see it through to the end.”

Misa hesitated, then nodded, finally managing to smile. ”Thank you… really.”

The other orphans also murmured their gratitude as they followed him toward the part of town known as the Losers’ Den. While Dungeon City was generally safer than the Royal Capital, crime had not been eradicated completely. Thanks to the Security Team, even Explorers could be arrested, but places like this still existed.

As they walked, the lively chatter of the marketplace faded, replaced by eerie silence. Failed Explorers, vagrants, and the destitute clad in the rough, flax-colored garments – Explorers’ symbol of defeat – loitered in the alleyways. Quite a lot of people preferred to wear them, in fact, due to the cheap prices at which they were wholesaled by the Guild.

It was easy to pick out Tsutomu in this area; his clean and well-maintained outfit stood out like a sore thumb. The orphans led him to a ramshackle shop, in which a dirty, bearded old man greeted him.

”…Well, well, look who it is. Never expected you to show up here in person.”

”Yes, Garm’s probably going to chew me out for this later,” Tsutomu muttered. ”Anyway, I need to talk to you.”

After negotiating on behalf of the orphans, Tsutomu finally stepped back outside, stretching his arms as if trying to shake off the exhaustion.

”That should do it,” he said. ”You won’t have any more trouble, right?”

Misa bowed deeply. ”Yes. Thank you so much for everything today. And… I truly apologize for what happened.”

”S-sorry! We’re really sorry!” Riki and the others chorused, bowing again.

Tsutomu sighed, waving them off. ”It’s fine. I only got involved because I thought you were the ones spreading rumors about me. Turns out you didn’t have that kind of influence, so I was mistaken.”

”O-oh… I see…”

”Also, you should get your Status Cards as soon as possible. With it, the Guild won’t turn you away for any reason when you cash in the Magic Stones… as long as you don’t break any rules. It’ll take time to save up 100,000 Gold, but really, the investment is worth it, so get at least one for your group.”

”Understood. Thank you,” Misa said sincerely.

As she bowed once more, Tsutomu casually scanned his surroundings.

”……”

He was not an expert in scouting, but Garm and Diniel had taught him enough to detect nearby presences. Sure enough, he noticed shadows lingering in the side streets – figures just out of sight, waiting. His gaze flickered to Misa, his expression darkening slightly as suspicion crept into his mind.

”…Tell me, is this part of your plan?”

”Huh?”

Misa blinked in confusion at Tsutomu’s abrupt question. She glanced at the others, but their expressions showed no signs of deception.

[If this wasn’t their doing, then–] Tsutomu turned and pointed toward a small shack in the distance. ”We’re being watched.”

Sunlight glinted off a pair of binoculars aimed in their direction. Misa and Riki immediately tensed, scanning their surroundings. A moment later, figures in rough, flax-colored clothing began emerging from alleys and side streets, blocking off every possible escape route. When the last path was cut off, a group of young men stepped forward to confront them.

”Quite the ambush,” Tsutomu murmured, glancing at Misa. ”It’s not your plan, but do you know who they are?”

”They’re… an opposing gang,” she admitted, her face pale. ”But I didn’t know there were this many of them. There were only a few before.”

”Hmm…”

Tsutomu wondered why Diniel, whom he had hired as their escort, had not appeared yet. He had a sneaking suspicion she was still asleep. Keeping his voice low, he began casting [ and [ on himself, preparing for a scuffle.

A boy in the front of the group sneered, running his tongue along the edge of the machete he held.

”Well, well. If it isn’t Riki.”

”You–!”

Riki’s face twisted with rage, but Tsutomu tuned them out. He was more interested in their chances of escape. Their opponents were armed with broken swords, hardly a real threat, but a few had bows and crossbows trained on them. Still, they looked more like scare tactics than serious threats. With his VIT rating at C, Tsutomu doubted their weapons could do much unless they hit a critical point. And unless their archers had arrows powerful enough to pierce his [, he had little to worry about.

The sky was still open – [ would let him escape easily. None of the attackers seemed wary of skill usage, so a full-body [ would keep him safe while he made his getaway. As Riki and the boy continued their tense exchange, Tsutomu finished reinforcing himself with [ and considered using [ to blind them while he fled.

”You seem awfully relaxed,” the boy said suddenly, his grin widening. ”Lucky Boy.”

Tsutomu exhaled through his nose, already tired of this conversation. The boy chuckled at his reaction.

”Orphans have to stick together to survive, right? So why don’t you help us out a little? Share the wealth. It’s only fair.”

”I was never an orphan.”

”Lying’s not a good look, Lucky Boy. And you lost to Riki, didn’t you? You only got where you are by sheer luck. The least you could do is give us a chance too.”

They clearly had not done much research on him. They were acting purely on rumors.

Tsutomu sighed. ”If it’s money you’re after, why not just ask for a toll? How much do you want?”

Reaching into his Magic Bag, he pulled out a handful of gold coins. The rough, eager faces around him darkened with greed. Among the coins was one worth a hundred thousand Gold — an amount that would send them scrambling.

”Well, at least you’re reasonable,” the boy smirked. ”That’s more like it.”

”Then go ahead. First come, first serve.”

With a flick of his wrist, Tsutomu scattered the coins into the air — he treated this world’s money like game currency, and as such, he figured they would serve as the perfect distraction.

The reaction was instant. The would-be ambushers abandoned their formation, diving after the glittering Gold like a swarm of ants drawn to sugar. Even their leader was not immune, momentarily forgetting the situation to chase after the fortune spilling across the ground. Riki and the others nearly moved to join them, but Misa grabbed his arm just in time.

Tsutomu turned to leave, activating [–

”Aaagh!”

The scream cut through the clamor like a knife. One of the orphans, who had reached the coins first, clutched his hand in agony. An arrow had pierced straight through the back of it, pinning it to the dirt. More arrows rained down, impaling hands and feet alike, nailing them to the ground.

”What — what the hell?!”

”If you don’t want to be next, stay put,” Tsutomu advised Misa and the others, stopping mid-flight.

Panic spread through the group as arrows continued to descend with pinpoint accuracy. Some tried to flee, only to collapse as their legs were skewed to the ground. The leader, the only one left unscathed, stood frozen in horror.

Diniel descended from above, slinging her bow over her shoulder. She cast a dispassionate glance at the leader before turning to Tsutomu.

”You should finish him off yourself. It’ll be good practice.”

”Aaaaagh!”

Ignoring his blood curdling scream, Diniel stepped onto one of the wounded orphans’ arms and yanked the arrow free without ceremony. Blood spattered as she carelessly wiped the arrow clean. Tsutomu watched, mildly disturbed. The others, however, were visibly trembling, knees buckling from sheer terror.

”He’s already given up. There’s no point,” Tsutomu said. ”More importantly, I should heal them.”

”And that’s why they don’t take you seriously.”

”We can talk after I treat them. It’s a pain resetting shattered bones.”

Tsutomu knelt beside one of the wounded, assessing the damage before casting [. The wounds were not beyond repair, though a proper medical White Mage would be better suited for serious fractures. But considering these orphans probably could not afford that, he might as well take the opportunity to practice.

After his experience in two Stampedes, Tsutomu has studied the healing of fractures to a certain extent so that he could perform treatments outside of God’s Dungeon. As a result, he was now able to smoothly heal even the holes in the orphans’ hands. Diniel continued plucking arrows from flesh as Tsutomu closed the wounds. The bizarre sight left the injured boys too stunned to react.

”Um… Here.”

Tsutomu glanced up to see Riki holding out a handful of coins, the ones he had just thrown away.

”Ah, thanks for collecting them…” He reached out but hesitated. Those coins had been rolling on the ground. They’d probably picked up all kinds of filth. He did not really want to put them back in his Magic Bag. ”…Actually, you can keep them. I was expecting to actually lose them anyway.”

”……”

”Don’t worry. You won’t get shot this time,” Tsutomu added dryly. ”Right, Diniel?”

”…Right.”

Diniel finished gathering her arrows, her expression indifferent as ever, completely unbothered by the looks of fear directed at her. Tsutomu watched as Riki and the others recoiled, and he gave a small sigh before addressing Riki.

”Go on, keep them,” he said again, gesturing to the coins.

”Are… are you sure?”

”In exchange, I’d appreciate it if you made sure these kids stop treating me like an easy target,” Tsutomu replied. ”Diniel seems a little put out by the whole thing, and honestly, I’d rather avoid any more strange rumors spreading about me.”

As he spoke, he continued casting [, mending those wounded by Diniel’s arrows one by one. Riki nodded eagerly, and when the last injury had been dealt with, Tsutomu exhaled, his mental stamina drained.

”Well, that’s that. We’ll be on our way now. And you guys–” he flicked a glance at Misa and the orphans, ”–try your best as Explorers from now on.”

”…Y-Yeah,” Misa mumbled.

Tsutomu raised an eyebrow at their wary expressions before turning to Diniel. ”See what you did? Now they’re terrified of you.”

”They were terrified of YOU first,” Diniel replied flatly. ”It’s not my fault. Also, you ran from the fight again.”

”After healing dozens of people? That’s as exhausting as any battle.”

”I was trying to give you the taste of victory so you could build some confidence,” she said, almost pouting.

Tsutomu shot her a deadpan look. ”Winning against a bunch of half-starved kids? Sure, that’s totally gonna make me the most confident guy in the world. If you actually wanted to help, you could hold back in our sparring matches for once.”

Diniel did not answer, only offering a vague shrug. The two of them strode off, still bickering as if the entire encounter had been no more than a minor inconvenience.

The orphans watched them go, their expressions dazed, as though they had just survived a natural disaster. After a long, stunned silence, Riki shook himself out of his stupor and began rounding them up. His priority now was to return to their hideout and put a stop to the rumors surrounding Tsutomu before they spiraled further out of control.