Live Dungeon!

Just before the Guild’s teleportation magic circle activated, Leleia spotted Korinna carrying Amira on her back.

“I’d like to return now and take Korinna’s place, if possible,” she promptly said.

“It’s too late for that,” Tsutomu replied. “She’ll probably have left the Guild building by the time you reach her anyway.”

The destination layer had already been specified; they could not back out of the transfer now.

Leleia shot Tsutomu a sideways glare, her narrowed eyes gleaming with irritation.

“You really do have the worst timing. Haven’t you heard how men who are too fast tend to be disliked?”

“And what would a lovesick Dragonewt who’s in heat for Amira day and night know about that?”

“…You’re as detestable as ever. You do realize that if I were to lose my temper and resort to violence, you wouldn’t be able to lift a finger to stop me? And yet you just keep running your mouth.”

“If you were the violent type, you wouldn’t bother with warnings, you’d just attack. Like Amira. Or Hannah. Besides, I’m sure someone would step in to stop you.”

“I look forward to the day when there’s no one left around you to save you.”

“…Both of you,” Daryl cut in, “maybe tone it down with the verbal sparring?”

“If anything, I’d say they’re getting along just fine,” Diniel added dryly.

Leleia responded to them with nothing more than a composed look and gracefully turned away. She stepped into the open field, where the grass of the Grasslands layers had been trodden into a natural training ground, and began practicing her Spiritualist skills.

[Sooo… I’m not banned, huh? Honestly, I half expected God to throw me out of the Dungeon entirely. At least this isn’t as sloppy as the Corroded Elder Dragon’s balancing.]

After waking up in the Clan House, Tsutomu had taken the time to clearly explain to Daryl, Leleia, and Diniel how he had overcome the black mass. Then, to confirm that he was still permitted to enter the Dungeon, he had tried visiting the first layer, which was almost never shown on the Monitors at this point.

In God’s Dungeon, if someone killed another person with malicious intent, they were permanently banned. Their access to the Guild’s teleportation magic circle was revoked, and they lost all Explorer status and skill benefits. For Tsutomu, this would have been the equivalent of a permanent ban from an online game. And with him being the first ever person to be forcibly ejected from the Dungeon, that possibility now seemed more real than ever. In the end, though, it seemed his fears had been unfounded. He actually had not worried too much, as his skills had still functioned normally in the Clan House, but it was a relief all the same.

“Given what you did, Tsutomu, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you’d been expelled,” Leleia remarked. “You’re lucky God turned out to be merciful.”

“If he were truly merciful, He would’ve just let me keep going on the hundredth layer. I might’ve even cleared it.”

“Careful what you say,” Diniel warned. “What if you really do get banned and lose access to your skills?”

“She’s right!” Daryl added quickly, visibly anxious; evidently he was the most God-fearing one among them.

From its usual spot in Tsutomu’s right pocket, the Undine gave a faint shiver, clearly unsettled by the topic. Tsutomu only offered a mild shrug and turned to Diniel.

“If that happens, then so be it. The only confirmed condition for a ban is killing someone with intent. Nobody knows if what I did on the hundredth layer qualifies, only God does.”

“In that case–” Leleia began.

“The fact is,” Tsutomu interrupted, “I was forcibly ejected BUT not banned. So I suppose God chose to forgive me after all.”

He said it with a calm confidence, but Diniel was not done pressing.

“You’re awfully composed for someone who nearly lost everything. If you WERE banned, you’d be nothing but an ordinary man. No status, no skills. What would you do then?”

“If that happens,” Leleia added, “you really might end up all alone, Tsutomu.”

Diniel’s tone was cold and matter-of-fact, while Leleia’s voice was bright and cheerful, cutting through it like a beam of malicious sunlight. But Tsutomu’s expression only softened; he almost looked pleased.

“If God were so petty as to ban me just for exploiting system quirks, then maybe I’d find other ways to fight back. There’s more than one loophole in this Dungeon’s design. The black mass isn’t the only one. Even if I was kicked out, they couldn’t stop me from watching the Pedestals, or from talking to other Explorers…”

“…So you really do plan to keep breaking the system?” Diniel asked, her voice low.

“It’s probably more of a hassle for God to expel me than to let this slide.” Tsutomu said, glancing at Diniel. “Still, you’re right. There was a real risk of getting banned, so I do regret how things turned out… even if they ended without consequences this time. It’s not like I want to be exiled from the Dungeon, y’know? I’m done trying to break the system just to push forward.”

“That would be for the best. If you got carried away and kept exploiting the system, you really would get kept out for good next time.”

Tsutomu shifted his gaze toward the God Eye, floating far enough away that their conversation could not even be heard on the Monitor broadcast. Then his eyes fell to the Goblins lurking at the edge of the field, equipped with crude weapons and ragged armor. If he had truly been stripped of his skills and status, and if he were alone, even those weakest of the weak Goblins would have already charged at him.

Tsutomu couldn’t afford to be locked out; the only remaining clue to the real world was somewhere in God’s Dungeon. Back on the hundredth layer, though, he hadn’t been thinking clearly. His fear of death had warped into fury at the Dungeon’s developers. He had been so consumed with rage over the overtuned Corroded Elder Dragon and what he saw as ‘God’s’ vandalism of Live Dungeon’s legacy that he had acted without thought, exploiting what was essentially a bug just to land a blow in return. Diniel was right to point out the danger. He owed her at least a nod of remorse.

[These two are the outliers, though… Anyway, back to planning. Daryl and Garm can probably power through anything. But Amy and Amira… they’re another story.]

Leleia, being a worshipper of Dragonewt Deities, and Diniel, a Forest devotee, didn’t show much concern when it came to matters involving God. But they were far from the norm in Dungeon City; Daryl’s anxious reaction was far more representative of the average Explorer’s mindset.

“Well, now that testing’s done, let’s head back. I need to explain what happened on the hundredth layer to Amy and the others. And… if Amira blows up, I’m counting on you to keep her from tearing my head off.”

“…I still haven’t ruled out the possibility that you’re lying,” Daryl muttered.

“You give me too much credit,” Tsutomu replied with a wry smile. “This is only the second time I’ve actually died, you know… technically. I think it’s fair to say I’m still afraid of dying.”

“Then maybe you should die a few more times,” Diniel offered. “Get used to it.”

“Nah, I’m good. I think I’ve gotten over it, thanks to that LOVELY twenty-four-hour shut-in session.”

He had already confessed to Daryl during the walk to the Guild earlier that, overwhelmed by the fear of death, he had abandoned the party and fled. It was a confession he needed to make. Daryl still seemed skeptical, but Leleia and Diniel had accepted it without protest.

“Must be nice to be a resilient tree,” Diniel said as they walked. “Persistent like weeds…”

“A tree tangled in vines and covered in moss, yet still standing,” Leleia added.

“Probably the type that rots its enemies and turns their corpses into fertilizer.”

“And if it fell, it’d probably release a cloud of spores and poison…”

“At that point, it’d become a tree of calamity. There are a few of those around the Clan House…”

Tsutomu, unable to make much sense of their increasingly strange metaphors, interrupted,

“…Look, let’s just leave.”

The group proceeded to step through the Black Gate, returning to the Guild.

As soon as he emerged, the atmosphere in the venue shifted. The gatekeepers’ faces froze. A murmur rippled through the vicinity, and a subtle but undeniable space opened around him.

“…He can still enter the Dungeon?”

“But what about the hundredth layer?”

“Best not to get involved. Let’s go.”

“…”

Although three of Tsutomu’s Clanmates had already been briefed and understood the basics of what had transpired, most other Explorers still had no clue. Half a day had passed since Tsutomu’s return from the hundredth layer, but with rumors running wild and no concrete answers, he had become something of an enigma.

Whether the phenomenon he triggered was miraculous or catastrophic remained unknown, and no one was willing to risk finding out. If Tsutomu had indeed angered God, any association with him might bar them from entering God’s Dungeon forever. And once banned, no Explorer had ever been allowed back in; it was considered a heavier punishment than any crime.

Until the dust settled, no one dared speak to him. Even the Guild staff and journalists hesitated.

[Well, well. This is actually kind of nice.]

Ever since the ninetieth layer, Tsutomu had attracted constant attention, some of it not unlike the adulation Stephanie showered him with. Explorers had crowded around him, fawning and flattering. But this eerie silence, for such reasons, it felt far more comfortable. He felt like someone riding the morning train after a shameful bladder-related incident, with everyone around keeping a safe distance and pretending not to notice.

He could not help but chuckle at the association, then quickened his pace to catch up to Leleia and Daryl.

“Where did all my adoring fans go, I wonder?” Tsutomu joked. “Did every single one of them happen to catch a cold today?”

“I’d say this is a perfectly appropriate reaction they’re giving you,” Leleia replied.

“Maybe I should cast [ on them, see if that fixes their attitude…”

“…”

Daryl, who had just the day before witnessed how admired Tsutomu had been, now found himself at a loss for words. The world could be cruelly fickle, and he had no clever retort for that.