Live Dungeon!

Amira did not return to the Clan House that day. Only Leleia came back, about two hours later. When she spotted Tsutomu in the living room, she smiled, her lips curling sharply like a witch.

”Thank you, Tsutomu,” she said, her voice laced with mischief.

”You don’t need to thank me. I just picked based on ability and compatibility.” He paused, then shifted the topic. ”Anyway, about the ninetieth layer–”

”Yes, yes. I know. Since I was chosen in Amira’s place, I’ll make the most of it. It’s only just beginning, really. Though it is a shame I won’t get to see the look on her face as she watches the Pedestals show the spot she might have stood in — helpless to do anything but watch from afar! Hufufu…!”

”…Right,” Tsutomu replied flatly.

Leleia’s mood had completely spun off the rails, but he kept his tone even as they continued discussing the upcoming boss battle. Once they were done, she all but skipped up the stairs, humming to herself. He watched her go with a faint sigh.

Later that evening, the Clan House had settled down at last — some relaxing in the living room, others tucked away in their own quarters — when the front doorbell rang.

”I’ve got it!” called Ollie’s apprentice, fumbling toward the entryway.

Tsutomu, lounging nearby, followed her out of curiosity. Standing at the door was Camille, still in her work attire, looking hesitant. When she caught sight of Tsutomu’s usual unreadable expression, her brows furrowed slightly.

”Amira insists on staying over at my place tonight. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. Did something happen?”

”Ah… well…” Tsutomu hesitated, scratching at his cheek before explaining Leleia’s involvement. As the picture came into focus, Camille crossed her arms and nodded in understanding.

”…Sounds like my kid’s suffering from the consequences of her actions, but… I didn’t realize that girl cared that deeply.”

”Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what her… feelings actually are, either,” Tsutomu admitted.

”Oh?” Camille arched a brow, nudging his shoulder with a smirk. ”That’s not the impression I got. Didn’t you calm Stephanie down with a glowing public speech or something? Word’s gone around the Guild — people say she looked like she’d had an exorcism. Surely you know girls’ hearts better than you let on…”

”That was Xeno’s idea, actually.”

Camille chuckled and let the topic drop. After confirming Amira would not be coming back that night, she stuck around a while for some small talk.

”My kid’s a mess, you know. Must be a handful,” Camille said to Ollie, thanking the latter for always cleaning Amira’s messy room.

”She is indeed messy — every single day — but as an Explorer, she’s exceptional. Everyone has their flaws.”

”You saying that means a lot. I appreciate it. Please keep looking after her.”

After a while longer, Ollie handed Camille a hefty block of Amira’s favorite cheese as a parting gift, and she headed home looking content.

As Camille disappeared into the night, Diniel — still lazing in the living room, eyelids drooping — turned to Tsutomu with a languid gaze.

”You know… maybe the Guild Master should join the team too. Then we’d have four people who can enter [, counting [.”

”Looks like things are busy over there,” Tsutomu said with a shrug. ”Won’t happen anytime soon. Though… I’d like to see that lineup myself.”

The sheer strength of four [ working in unison was undeniable. Not to mention, he was curious whether Camille could form a [ with Amira. If so, they might even turn into a Super Dragonewt Deity. ṘἈΝ𝘰ВÈŞ

”You know, I’m interested in [,” Diniel murmured. ”Amira refuses to do it with me. Claimed we weren’t compatible. Lied straight to my face. Infuriating.”

”Well, unique skills are still a mystery in a lot of ways. We’ll figure more out eventually.”

Though she hadn’t shown it at the time, Diniel had been quietly shaken when Amira dismissed her compatibility. Now, she seemed to harbor a simmering resentment over what she clearly saw as a personal slight disguised as technical nonsense.

”…Also, Tsutomu. I’m mad at you, too.”

”Me? What’d I do now?”

”You’ve been pushing Amy like crazy, but there’s no results. She didn’t even make it into Team 1. That’s because of your poor coaching.”

”It’s been less than a month. I’m not about to pull anyone from the top team for her. And let’s be honest — everyone else in the lineup has a unique skill or something close to it. Even Amy’s not that much of a miracle worker.”

Amira, naturally, had [. Leleia wielded four different spirits, which was a rare gift in itself. And Diniel — her combat prowesses were equal to or even above martial arts champions like Melchor; she was someone who could shift the course of a battle on her own.

Sure, each of them had flaws. Amy could potentially edge her way in eventually. But unless she could handle skill rotations at the same level as a dedicated player of Live Dungeon, there was no hope of outpacing them. The good news, though, was that in this world, mental strain came with physical side effects — nausea, dizziness — so few had developed the high-pressure strategies Amy was used to. If she played her cards right, she might just make it.

”I see. Fine, then.”

Diniel did not press the matter, but Tsutomu could not imagine a version of the future where she was not in the top team. Her laziness was an obvious drawback, but she hated letting others down in critical moments. When Daryl led the team against the Mount Golem and she started holding back, she came back stronger once she saw a chance to win.

Moreover, during the Fallen Lich fight, she had practically carried them. That battle had been reckless from the start. Continuing with three Tanks was a huge gamble, and Diniel, their sole Attacker, had strongly objected. But deep down, she’d known — just like Tsutomu — that they could pull it off. It would be hell, sure, but it was doable. She had protested more out of pragmatism than disbelief. In the end, she had fought with everything she had… and afterward, her arm lock left Tsutomu aching for days.

[Still… whether I’ll bring her to the hundredth layer remains to be seen.]

Up to the ninetieth layer, they could observe Ealdred Crow through the Monitors and prepare countermeasures — like the Mystic Eyes that caused petrification. But once they stepped beyond that… there’d be no previews, no cheat sheet.

At the moment, Tsutomu was thinking of employing a rather underhanded strategy: pushing Korinna to clear the boss fight ahead of him, using her as a scout to uncover the Corroded Elder Dragon’s patterns via the Monitors. Not the most honorable tactic, but effective. With any luck, he’d be able to observe the mechanics before making his own attempt. Still, there was always a chance Korinna might actually succeed in clearing it — which would be a problem. To avoid that, he planned to let her take a few tries, then jump into the fray himself before she got too far ahead.

What he was not sure of, though, was whether Diniel would share his outlook — and more importantly, whether she would continue to fight the Corroded Elder Dragon without giving up. That was the real concern. If their party ended up on the brink of collapse, would she push through, or would she fold?

Because of that, he was already thinking ahead to other possible allies. Amira and Amy were near the top of his list — both were too stubborn to quit, no matter the odds. Leleia was a decent option, too, if only tentatively.

[…Anyway, let’s focus on the ninetieth layer first. If we can’t win here, the rest doesn’t matter.]

As for the Corroded Elder Dragon, the thought of it crept in constantly, even when he did not want it to. There was no need to dwell on it now.

Casting a glance at Diniel — half-asleep, her eyes barely open — Tsutomu sighed and told her to go get some proper rest before heading to his own room.

▽▽

The next day, training for the Corrupted Shell officially began.

At the training ground behind the Guild building, two full Absolute Helix teams had assembled. Right now, they were running drills to practice the Corrupted Shell’s area-of-effect attacks, which Tsutomu was recreating from memory.

There were five main types of attacks, and in this world, avoiding them required understanding the boss’s subtle wind-ups and movement cues. If one failed, they’d often end up afflicted with Dark Silence — a condition that left one unable to speak. The first step, then, was learning how to dodge.

Whenever the Corrupted Shell prepared to unleash a Dark Silence-inflicting attack, it let out a shrill scream. Each of its screams had a distinct tone and pattern, and recognizing them was key. To simulate that, Tsutomu had commissioned a magic tool from a flute craftsman to reproduce the monster’s noises as accurately as possible.

”Whoooa! That was close!” Hannah yelped, stumbling out of the way.

Dodging the attacks was not just about spotting the cues. One had to position themselves fast and move even faster. Hannah’s sense of positioning was… questionable at best. But her speed and reflexes gave her just enough of an edge to survive. The others, on the other hand, had memorized the diagrams and spacing from the strategy notes Tsutomu had provided. With that prep, they were dodging without too much trouble.

”We’re in sync again,” Leleia said sweetly, moving into position beside Amira.

”Ugh — stop following me, you freak! You’re seriously creeping me out! Just die already!” Amira snapped, teeth bared.

”Nuhuhuhu…”

Some of the Corrupted Shell’s attacks rained down in a web-like form from above, creating multiple safe zones. But for some reason, Leleia kept gravitating toward the exact same spots as Amira, provoking her into a full-blown rage. Not that it fazed Leleia in the slightest. Amira tried to distance herself but couldn’t quite escape her shadow.

”T-Tsutomu? You’re there, right?” Amy’s voice quivered.

”I’m right here.”

”Th-this is kinda nerve-wracking!”

”Yeah, I know. Now go ahead — start moving.”

Blindfolded, Amy stood fidgeting in place. Tsutomu kept his response brief and calm, then gave her the cue to begin.

After finishing the dodging drills, the team had moved on to Dark Silence training. Blindfolded, they practiced retrieving items from their Magic Bags and navigating short distances by touch and sound alone.

”This is honestly terrifying,” Amy said, still blindfolded. ”The idea of this happening mid-battle, constantly being attacked… it gives me chills.”

”I could still manage a little with sound,” Garm said thoughtfully. ”But for a human like Xeno, I imagine it’s harder.”

”There’s no such thing as ‘impossible’ for Xeno!” he declared proudly — and promptly stumbled sideways.

”You’re swaying,” Garm muttered.

Many beast-adjacents — Aelurkins like Amy, and Cynokins like Garm and Daryl — had sharper hearing, so they could still move reasonably well without sight. But for humans like Tsutomu, Korinna, and Xeno, losing vision completely left them all but helpless. Even Hannah, who was used to flying, admitted she found it terrifying to take off without being able to see. Hopefully, that alone taught her the importance of dodging attacks properly.

As for Dragonewts like Amira and Leleia, they had slightly heightened senses of smell. That allowed them to locate their teammates while blindfolded, though not perfectly.

Diniel, on the other hand, had experience hunting at night. She was more accustomed to operating without visual cues, and her hearing was a step above average. Even now, her long Elven ears twitched subtly, attuned to the surrounding sounds.

The mornings were spent entirely on training for the Corrupted Shell. Once that was done, the ten members headed into the Guild for individual party practice.

The first team scheduled to tackle the Corrupted Shell would be: Daryl, Hannah, Leleia, Diniel, and Tsutomu.

The remaining five formed the second party, and both groups began training together — refining their coordination and communication as they prepared for the real fight.