Live Dungeon!

”Uwoeeegh!? Uwoeeehhh!!”

[Why the hell do I have to take care of this drunk so early in the morning?]

The day after the celebration, Amira found herself collapsed over the toilet, hugging the rim like it was her last lifeline as she dry-heaved into the bowl. She had drunk far too much the night before, and now she was paying the price with a vicious hangover. Tsutomu stood beside her, rubbing her back and casting [ to soothe the worst of her symptoms, though he was not sure if he was helping or just encouraging more vomiting.

True to her competitive nature, Amira had challenged Daryl to a drinking contest for no particular reason and, despite being Camille’s daughter, had been spectacularly defeated. Then, as if to double down on her idiocy, she had invoked her [ and put on some sort of party trick performance. The combination had left her utterly depleted, her body now overwhelmed by dizziness and nausea.

Xeno, too, had succumbed to the allure of victory wine. He had apparently overindulged and, judging by his absence from this morning’s training run, was likely still paying for it.

”Blrgh!!”

[Fantastic. Just the start I wanted to our new party rotation.]

Tsutomu’s thoughts soured further as he listened to Amira continue to retch up what was likely the Blue Potion she had just taken. A knot of tension twisted in his gut, not just because of Amira’s condition, but because today marked the beginning of their new party configuration.

In theory, the only change was Tsutomu stepping in for Korinna. But replacing the Healer of a party that had spent over a month and a half fighting together, especially one that had refined its strategies to clear the ninetieth layer specifically, was not as simple as it looked. No party combination of Absolute Helix had ever taken this long to tackle a single layer before, nor had any of them built such prolonged synergy. Stepping into the role Korinna had filled would require far more than simply casting skills on time.

He’d had a similar experience in Live Dungeon once, when a Healer from a sister Clan fell ill just before a time attack tournament, and Tsutomu had to take their place. Even though he had more experience and a stronger track record, integrating into a party with pre-built synergy was a delicate operation. Worse, Korinna was a Channeler. Replacing her with a White Mage shifted the rhythm of battle entirely, and everyone would need time to adjust.

[First, I’ll need to re-familiarize myself with Dragon Form combat. I’ll try out some of the tactics Miss Pico suggested in her notes, too… Then I’ll probably just mimic Korinna’s movements for a few days and see how the others react.]

In Live Dungeon!, any time a White Mage subbed in for a Channeler, the Attackers and Tanks would inevitably stumble. It always took time for them to adapt to the change in timing, even if the new Healer was just as competent. Amira and Xeno, who hadn’t had much experience working with other Healers, were especially likely to become confused. Tsutomu had studied and prepared, but in the end, there was only so much he could do before getting hands-on.

”…I’m fine now,” Amira muttered at last.

”You sure?”

”Yeah. Thanks.”

”Okay, then. You really should pace yourself. And try not to fall asleep while still in [ again, yeah?”

”I know, I know…”

After spitting out one last splash of blue-tinged saliva, Amira flushed the toilet with a tap of a Magic Stone. The [ wisps had done their job well, thanks to Tsutomu having gotten quite adept at curing hangovers, and her face was no longer looking ill and pale.

Leaving the first-floor bathroom, which had naturally become the unofficial women’s territory over time, Tsutomu washed his hands thoroughly and made his way to the living room. There, seated with elegance and sipping tea like a nobleman at court, was Xeno.

”Whoa, I didn’t expect you to be here already. Feeling better, Xeno?” Tsutomu asked.

”I thought my skull would crack open when I woke up,” Xeno replied with a booming laugh. ”But I got myself treated first thing in the morning. All good now! Hahaha!”

He had probably paid one of the town’s Healers to fix him up. There was not a trace of hangover left in him. Amy and Garm, both naturally resilient to alcohol, seemed fine as well. Hannah, on the other hand, had gone overboard on food and drink and ended up feeling awful last night, but since she was working with the other party today, Tsutomu had left her in Korinna’s care.

As for Diniel, she still had not come downstairs. Most likely, she was still asleep. No one had gone to wake her, of course; anyone doing that usually just earned an encounter with her cranky mode. Early on, everyone had tried waiting for the whole group to gather before starting breakfast. These days, once the food hit the table, it was every man and woman for themselves.

”All right, here’s to another productive day!”

Tsutomu clapped his hands together and dug into his breakfast. As always, the morning meal had been prepared with deliberate care, unaffected by the chaos of the night before. He started with a crisp salad drizzled in special home-made dressing, then moved on to toast slathered in layer after layer of butter and baked to perfection. With each bite, golden juices seeped from the center and soaked into the sunny-side-up egg and crispy bacon laid beside it.

It was simple fare, but hearty and deeply satisfying. When he finally washed it all down with a glass of orange juice, Tsutomu looked up and surveyed the Clan members around him. It was time to confirm the plans he had mentioned yesterday.

”Starting today, we’re rearranging parties so we can push everyone down to the ninety-ninth layer as efficiently as possible. The only change is that Korinna and I are swapping places. So she and I will work to make sure everything runs smoothly… honestly, the hard part is that the rest of you will need to adapt as well. So first of all, Daryl, make sure Korinna’s up to speed on the Ancient Castle layers.”

”Yes, sir.”

While Team 2 had been struggling with the ninetieth layer, Daryl had been absorbing everything Tsutomu could teach him about the Ancient Castle. Diniel and Leleia had also drilled on the mechanics of each layer quite thoroughly. Tsutomu had even adjusted his own Healer tactics to accommodate the Channeler’s slower healing times. All of this had been to ensure the party would still function smoothly once Korinna stepped in.

He glanced toward Diniel and Leleia as they joined the table, giving them a small nod, asking them to take good care of Korinna. Seated between them, Hannah was bouncing slightly in her chair, blue hair bobbing.

”…And Hannah,” Tsutomu said, turning to her, ”do your best to help Korinna out too, okay? Support and healing routines should not change too much.”

”Oh, you bet I will♪! She cured my hangover this morning, you know! Unlike SOMEONE I know!”

”Oh, yeah?”

Tsutomu’s reply was curt, just cold enough to suggest he hadn’t forgotten that he’d prioritized treating Amira earlier, much to Hannah’s mild annoyance. Turning away, he faced the four people with whom he would be forming a party once more, starting today.

”Well, it’ll probably feel off at first, but let’s make it work.”

”Of course. Let’s give it our best,” Garm said, nodding solemnly.

”Looking forward to it!” Amy added, smiling brightly.

”Try not to drag us down,” Amira huffed, arms crossed.

”Fwahaha! Should you have any questions about the party’s operations, you need only ask ME!” Xeno declared, puffing out his chest.

Their bold and confident replies made the edges of Tsutomu’s mouth curl into a genuine expression of anticipation.

▽▽

Morning came early at the Dorren Workshop.

In fact, it always had, but ever since they had opened a new store and started offering lodging, it had become even more pronounced. Before the sun had even risen, the other smiths were already up and preparing the forge for the day. Dorren himself, the master of the forge, moved among them with efficiency.

The workshop stood in the heart of the Dungeon City’s artisan district, surrounded by shops that specialized in producing and developing gear for Explorers. Even among them, the newly built Dorren Workshop location occupied prime real estate. Its addition had left many of the older residents slack-jawed with disbelief.

[And the reason for picking this spot? ‘Cause it’s close! Hah! I can’t believe that kid handed over a mountain of coins with the straightest face I’ve ever seen. What the hell was he planning to do if I’d just skipped town with it?]

For an artisan, owning a shop in such a coveted location was a kind of dream. Yet Tsutomu had suggested it to Dorren for no deeper reason than its proximity to the Absolute Helix Clan House. And he had not just talked big, either; he’d backed it up with a staggering investment. Dorren, too proud to accept it all as a gift, had chipped in half himself. The effort had cost him nearly all of his personal savings, leaving him with only this new workshop and enough funds to run it for three months.

[God, this really gets the blood pumping. I never thought I’d be doing something this reckless at my age.]

Dorren’s skill with the hammer, honed in the Royal Capital, was unquestionable. But when it came to running a business, he’d had mixed results. His old workshop had always been mid-tier at best. Known by word of mouth, perhaps, but never anything too prestigious. Especially since the emergence of God’s Dungeon, he had fallen behind in advertising, and customer traffic had steadily declined.

Younger smiths with far less experience were earning fame and wealth, catapulted forward by the trends. Monitor broadcast advertising had become standard. Those who could not keep up were labeled as obsolete artisans, whispered about behind their backs.

For a long-time artisan, it was particularly bitter to watch apprentices who had once trained under them go on to succeed, their achievements broadcast for all to see. Some, faced with that painful reality, had drowned their regrets in alcohol until their businesses folded entirely.

But even as Dorren’s own workshop faltered, he had never turned his back on the customers who still came through his door. Be they ragged orphans or low-level Explorers, he measured their worth with his own eyes. If they showed potential, he crafted gear for them, even at a small loss.

It was that dedication that had helped Garm, one of the sharpest-eyed orphans, rise to become a front-line Explorer. Through Garm, Dorren had eventually been introduced to Tsutomu. And from there, the combination of Monitor promotion and Dorren’s years of relentless refinement had finally borne fruit. Wealth and recognition came in waves.

Now, Dorren employed dozens of artisans and had more work than they could shake a hammer at. Among the most urgent were the pieces Tsutomu had commissioned: gear made from materials taken from the Ancient Castle layers, specialized for countering the threats found within. Dorren was not the only one working on them either; his artisans were all hands-on, many rising early and diving into their labor without even needing to be told.

[They’re a hardworking lot, I’ll give them that. No booze in their veins, either. They’re young, so they can take some punishment. But I might have to get the reckless ones drunk just to make ’em sit down. Hah!]

Some of the newer hires, including three orphan boys, did not seem to understand their own limits yet. They listened attentively when it came to smithing, but when Dorren told them to rest, it was like speaking to a wall.

After decades spent at the forge, Dorren was good at sensing when someone was pushing too far. But with White Mages and other Healers now able to patch up fatigue with a skill, even he couldn’t always trust his instincts anymore.

”All right, you lot!” he bellowed over the ringing steel. ”Let’s get to work!”

”Yes, sir!!” the smiths roared back.

Even as he considered ways to force the younger ones into rest, Dorren grinned inwardly and stepped up to his station. Tsutomu was counting on him, and he would answer that trust.