Live Dungeon!

Three days after they cleared the ninety-seventh layer, Korinna finally made her decision. That night, she visited Tsutomu’s room, her arms straining to hold an unruly stack of papers. When he opened the door to let her in, she stepped inside as if crossing the threshold of a demon’s den.

”That’s a lot of data,” Tsutomu observed. ”Did you write all this yourself?”

”No, um… I had help from Miss Pico.”

Newspapers and major publishers had access to the tools and techniques needed to produce large volumes of print, but such equipment wasn’t yet readily available to the average individual. Fortunately, Pico, now contributing articles to Solit Company as a Dungeon Maniac contractor, had managed to get her hands on something akin to a typewriter, thanks to her numerous connections.

Korinna had borrowed it to prepare the materials before her now. She placed the thick stack on the desk, then turned to face Tsutomu with an expression that was equal parts tension and dread.

”I’ll get straight to the point,” she said. ”For my hundredth layer party, I’d like to go with Diniel, Leleia, Xeno, and Hannah.”

”I see. And these documents explain your reasoning?”

”Y-yes!”

Korinna winced after biting her tongue on the reply. Tsutomu glanced at the documents with an expression not unlike someone browsing a newly published strategy guide, his eyes sharp and analytical.

”So in the end, you’re sure you want to keep the Attacker lineup the same?”

”…Yes. I debated between Amira and Diniel, but in the end, I chose Diniel. Um, I’ve written out the reasons in the document with the blue sticky note. I think… she has shown a lot of reflection over what happened on the ninetieth layer. She feels more stable now.”

”Mm-hmm…”

Tsutomu flipped to the section in question. The analysis on Diniel was detailed, clearly written from extensive firsthand observation. It even noted aspects of her behavior and performance that he had not consciously recognized himself. Still, from a pure compatibility standpoint, Tsutomu believed Amira was the stronger Attacker but Korinna had conspicuously omitted any comparison. Smiling to himself, he let it slide and kept reading.

Once he finished scanning most of the documents, he set them aside and posed the question he had been most curious about,

”I can see your reasoning for choosing Diniel and Hannah. But what about Leleia and Xeno? Aside from the points you’ve listed in these documents, I mean.”

The materials on Xeno were oddly comprehensive and enthusiastic; he’d suspected as much the moment he’d been told Pico was involved. Leleia’s section, on the other hand, leaned heavily on objective parameters, lacking Korinna’s personal judgment. When he brought it up, Korinna visibly flinched.

”It’s not that your reasons are invalid,” Tsutomu continued gently, ”but I just don’t get what YOU think of those two. Especially when compared to how thoroughly you analyzed Hannah. That contrast really stands out.”

Indeed, Korinna’s breakdown of Hannah and how her evasion-based Tank style synergized with her own skills as a Channeler was impressive. It also reflected well on her how she considered the Magic Fist as decently usable, backing up the reasoning with data she’d collected during training sessions, despite her usually being the risk-averse type. Her assessment of Diniel was slightly biased, perhaps, but understandable given their current party setup.

But with Xeno and Leleia, it felt more like she was presenting someone else’s arguments. Almost as if she were trying to justify a choice she had not fully made herself.

”I… um…” Korinna stammered, lowering her eyes.

”Hmm…”

Tsutomu continued flipping through the rest of the documents. The sound of pages turning echoed in the room. Sweat beaded on Korinna’s brow, and before long, a single drop trailed from her nose, landing on the floor.

Then Tsutomu broke the silence.

”Is it really that hard to explain? You don’t have to force yourself if it is.”

”No, it’s just… I guess it’s not something I can say proudly…” Her voice trembled. ”The truth is, I still can’t command a party the way you do. I’m not confident enough. That’s why I want Xeno and Leleia to support me with their leadership.”

”…Oh.”

Tsutomu blinked in surprise and placed the documents back on the desk, then folded his arms. He had not expected that, but it made perfect sense; Korinna, for all her improvement as an individual Explorer, still lacked the commanding presence that a high-end Healer like Stephanie had. Even newer standouts like Milway and Cecilia had started showing more aptitude in that area. By contrast, Korinna had always leaned on collaboration rather than control; it was especially clear when her team cleared the ninetieth layer.

And now, to shore up that weakness, she had chosen Xeno and Leleia. In Tsutomu’s view, it was wise of her to forgo her pride and make this call. Leleia, especially, came from a fairly prominent knightly household. Her upbringing and training had instilled a natural aptitude for leadership. She had already proven herself capable during a crisis in the ninetieth layer, when she had temporarily taken charge in Tsutomu’s stead and led the party to success.

”Y’know, I didn’t think of that,” Tsutomu admitted. ”You’ve really thought this through, huh?”

”N-no, not really. I mean, I just…”

”Hey, if you think this is what’s best for you, I’ve got no complaints. Let’s go with that. As for Diniel… well, I’ll speak to her myself. Anything else?”

”No, that’s all…”

”All right. I’ll inform the rest of the Clan in the next few days. Mind if I hold on to these for a while? I want to read through them more thoroughly.”

”Ah… of course!”

From that point, the discussion progressed smoothly. With Korinna’s selections finalized, the parties for the hundredth layer were officially decided.