Live Dungeon!

The sheer size of the crowd gathered near the Monitor had grown so immense that House Babenberg had gone out of its way to erect magic Shields to create proper spectator stands. And even within the Guild, where only Explorers and related personnel were allowed, the attention fixed on Monitor #1 was suffocating. The venue was packed wall to wall, and nearly every well-known Explorer had made their way inside to watch.

”Ahhh, no good, huh?”

”Well yeah, thing’s totally out to get her specifically. Not even Tsutomu could’ve managed that.”

”You think so? He might pull off another first-try clear, you know.”

”…Can’t say for sure he won’t. I lost a fat chunk of coins last time betting against him.”

”Right? Exactly.”

The murmurs of disappointment spread through the crowd after the Corroded Elder Dragon’s brain regenerated and the boss promptly ignored its Tanks to focus its full, murderous intent on Korinna. She had died shortly thereafter, and a few minutes later, she emerged from the Guild’s Black Gate. Without a word, the Explorer crowd began parting, shuffling aside to offer her a seat with a better view of Monitor #1.

Ordinarily, those ejected from the Black Gate, clad in the garment of the defeated, were greeted with ridicule, or worse, complete indifference. Unless one had achieved something extraordinary, the idea of anyone giving up a good viewing spot was laughable.

But that was exactly the case with Korinna now. Though some had questioned whether she truly belonged in Team 1, she had proven herself. Her performance until the end had impressed even fellow Healers, and her death had been blatantly unfair. After all, despite maintaining aggro properly, the monster just ignored it entirely. And this was the hundredth layer, a number wrapped in much speculation. The Explorers watching felt a rare moment of sympathy within them.

”Hey, good work. Look, this spot just opened up.”

”Huh?”

”Here, put this on.”

”Umm… thank you?”

”You want something to eat?”

”Ah… yes, I’d appreciate that.”

Korinna found herself being doted on like a favorite niece at a family gathering. She was still too dazed to fully grasp the situation, but she soon found herself seated in a prime spot with food in hand and a warm cape around her shoulders. And when Leleia, Xeno, and Hannah followed her out of the Black Gate, one by one, they too were received with reverence.

”Oh, Diniel’s still hanging in there.”

”That’s rare.”

Despite having lost her left arm, Diniel was putting on a performance like never before. Her lone figure danced along the edge of death, dodging the Corroded Elder Dragon’s fully regenerated assaults by the skin of her teeth. The wind from each near-miss dragged her body across the ground, but still, she kept going, gathering the belongings of her fallen comrades. And in the end, she hurled herself at the massive beast, driving a lightning arrow into its hide with her only remaining hand.

Korinna and the others watched in silence, eyes wide, breath caught. They would never forget the image of her holding on, refusing to fall.

But her courage could not change the outcome. Her grip finally gave out. With a sweep of its massive tail, the Corroded Elder Dragon flung her through the air, and she crashed into the stone walls of the Ancient Castle. She was dead before she hit the floor.

Monitor #1 continued to display the Corroded Elder Dragon for a few moments longer, before cutting away to footage of Ealdred Crow challenging the ninety-ninth layer.

Moments later, Diniel shot out of the Black Gate like a frozen tuna launched from a dispenser. She twisted midair to land in a pseudo-push-up position, sparing her face from slamming into the floor. And then, as if all the fire had left her body, she collapsed flat onto the wooden boards, resting her cheek on the ground with a heavy, defeated sigh.

”I’m sorry–”

”It’s fine.”

”And… th-thank you.”

”No need to apologize.”

Korinna had rushed forward, but Diniel silenced her before she could get the words out. She held out a Magic Bag, stuffed with the party’s salvaged gear, without even glancing at her.

”But… Diniel, you really fought so hard…”

”If it doesn’t lead to victory, it means nothing.”

”That’s not true. Thanks to the time you bought us, we were able to observe the Dragon’s movements in detail. We’ve gathered valuable information. What you gave us was not wasted, not at all. And I’m sure Tsutomu saw it too. After that, he won’t hold any of your past mistakes against you.”

”We’ll see.”

Diniel’s reply was sharp, nearly a scoff. Before Korinna could respond again, Hannah came skipping up with a dopey grin and elbowed her in the side with a mischievous glint in her eye.

”You looked seriously cool out there. Nice fight!”

”Says the evasion-based Tank who died before I did.”

”Excuuuse me!?”

”Ahahaha! And what does that make me, I wonder?” Xeno bellowed, inserting himself grandly into the conversation.

”…”

Leleia, still quiet, looked thoughtful, perhaps remembering the image of Diniel retrieving their gear with one arm and a will that refused to die. Korinna, flustered and overwhelmed by the conversation, could only stand there and blink.

Diniel sighed heavily, looking at the others with mild exasperation.

”There was no way we were clearing the hundredth layer on the first attempt. That Boss, it was on a whole other level.”

”…Yes, I can’t disagree,” Korinna replied.

”But it’s not unbeatable. Give us a few more tries, and we’ll find a way through. We’ll clear it first and wipe that smug look off our Clan Leader’s face.”

”Oho! Bold words!” Hannah grinned.

”Actually, I agree with Diniel,” Leleia said. ”I’m tired of us being called ‘Team 1 in name only.’ If we can clear the hundredth layer and come back with a Magic Stone, I’d love to flaunt it right in front of him.”

”Ahahaha! That would be excellent!” Xeno laughed heartily. ”We’ll need another fine bottle of wine to celebrate–”

”L-let’s not think that far ahead…”

Inspired by Diniel’s eyes, now sharp with the hunger of a hunter who had caught the scent of the perfect prey, Hannah’s grin widened, and a mischievous glint lit up in Leleia and Xeno’s eyes as well. Korinna, half-resigned to their recklessness, offered her caution with a weary smile.

▽▽

With Korinna and her team wiped out, the excitement around the Monitors had reached a natural pause. A large portion of spectators began drifting away from the area, prompting the Security Team to step in and guide the flow of traffic for safety. Amy and the others used the break as an excuse to head off and buy snacks, descending from their magic Shield seats. Tsutomu saw them off with a half-hearted wave, then returned to his thoughts, deliberately ignoring Smith, who was lingering nearby with an all-too-eager look that said he wanted to talk about the hundredth layer.

[Fighting some unknown monstrosity, and having to do it on a merciless timer… Good God, that’s gotta be hell.]

Even as he mentally replayed the footage from the Monitor again and again, Tsutomu could feel his resolve waning.

The anti-Corroded Elder Dragon strategies he had meticulously prepared, running simulations dozens of times based on all the knowledge he had gained from Live Dungeon, were rendered useless. And yet the condition remained unchanged: he had to be the first to clear it. In the worst case, he could use his Clan Leader authority to delay Korinna’s further attempts, but that would almost certainly sour relations within the Clan. It was an option only to be used as a last resort… and of course, one he wanted to avoid if possible.

Worse still, Ealdred Crow was already nearing the hundredth layer, and there was no surefire way to stop them. Stephanie’s party was one of the worst possible opponents to compete against in a race like this. If anyone was going to clear it first, it would be them.

[It’s got the same core mechanics as the BFG, sure… but the scale is completely different. There’s that corrosive breath, for starters, and probably some trait related to clinging to life as well. Hell, if it has new attack patterns like the Corrupted Shell…]

The BFG had been a Raid Boss, fought internally by parties warped into its body, targeting its organs in massive, coordinated assaults. The Corroded Elder Dragon was essentially a miniature version of that fight, and even that was enough to be a nightmare. And Tsutomu had the sinking feeling there was more to it still.

Korinna’s party would likely try again today after restocking their Potions and replacing the equipment that had been damaged by the corrosive breath. That meant more data and insight into the Boss. But after seeing how Hannah managed to stop the Dragon’s heart, even just for a moment, Tsutomu could no longer afford to take things slow.

It could’ve been a lucky strike. But from the way she had deliberately delivered that palm thrust, a martial arts move she normally didn’t use, it was clear there had been intention behind it. It was likely Korinna’s idea. And even if it had only worked temporarily, stopping the heart was a phenomenon Tsutomu had never seen in all of Live Dungeon.

[If Korinna keeps analyzing this too long, it’s going to be a problem. I have to go in tomorrow, or I might miss my window…]

Korinna had real-world nursing experience and a deep understanding of the human body. It was not out of the question that she might discover a reliable method for destroying the heart early in the fight. Even if it regenerated eventually, a well-timed massive blow could shift the tide. If she figured it out, they could get through the hundredth layer before he did.

[Man, all that preparation just went to waste, huh? Why the hell is this happening…?]

Not only had the hundredth layer’s Boss been stealthily retooled, but now he was faced with the very real possibility of being beaten to it by Korinna. The fear that he might lose his ticket home because someone else cleared it first felt like a blade pressed to his neck. All the hardship, all the relentless effort… it would mean nothing.

[Like hell I’m losing now. I don’t care if it’s the hundredth layer. There is no way I’m letting someone else clear something this important before me! What do they think all my work’s been for?]

Part of it was resignation, if he had to be honest. A grim acceptance of the inescapable reality. But more than that, it was the unshakable conviction that he was the one meant to win it first. Letting anyone else snag that milestone would be an insult to everything he had built, and the years he had spent playing Live Dungeon.

[What kind of hardcore no-lifer would I be if I let some newbie who’s never even touched Live Dungeon clear the hundredth layer before me?]

If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to face his old friends. The ones who had sunk endless hours into the game with him during its golden age. The ones who had left, one by one, until he was the only one still playing. If Korinna cleared it first, even that time, those countless hours spent alone, would lose their meaning. And that, more than anything, was unbearable.

Lost in these thoughts, Tsutomu was subconsciously gripping the armrest of his chair hard enough to whiten his knuckles. Smith, seated beside him and able to sense even the faintest tension through the magic Shield, glanced his way with a puzzled, slightly wary expression.