Live Dungeon!

“Man, things’ve gotten wild, huh? Feels like it’s Tsutomu all over the place!”

The morning after Tsutomu had been forcibly ejected from the hundredth layer, Hannah, who only ever skimmed the paper when it mentioned her, was fluttering newspapers in both hands like a child showing off her favorite toys. Every page she flipped featured his face, be it a photograph or sketch.

Tsutomu, now seated at the breakfast table, snatched it from her grip and glanced through the contents, searching for one article in particular.

“Man, THIS is all the space Miss Pico got? It’s nowhere near enough!”

“Come now, Tsutomu! The fact that a Dungeon Maniac even made it into Solit’s papers is already amazing, yes!?”

“Yeah, you’re right… but is this really something the average reader’s going to understand? I mean, better this than nothing, I guess? And it looks like you guys pulled an all-nighter to get this done, so I really do appreciate it.”

When Tsutomu had been spat out of the Black Gate yesterday, it had taken every ounce of Xeno’s mental gymnastics to turn Tsutomu’s rapid-fire explanation, laced with IT jargon and gaming slang, into a coherent report on what had happened in the hundredth layer. Pico had then taken that summary to negotiate with the Solit Company and managed to get it into the morning edition.

But later that evening, when Tsutomu had explained things more clearly, they realized the original article needed heavy revision. Xeno had worked through the night again to make the changes and submitted the updated version at Solit HQ before dawn. Even so, he looked surprisingly energetic, flashing a dazzling smile and a thumbs-up.

“Next time, I’ll see to it that she makes the front page! …So, do we have the day off today, or–?”

“Nah.”

“Oh my God…!”

“Well, we can’t go full-speed like usual, so take a nap for a few hours and then do some easy farming in the earlier layers. If you can stay awake until tonight, you’ll feel a lot better tomorrow.”

“…I suppose that makes sense.”

“Oh, and I’ll just have salad and something to drink today. If I eat, I’ll get sleepy.”

Tsutomu, too, had pulled an all-nighter to fix his disrupted sleep schedule, using the same all-in approach he had adopted back when he played Live Dungeon nonstop. That said, he was not a high school boy anymore; staying up until sunrise again after so long was taking its toll.

“Gimme more!”

“Oh, me too, please!”

Amira, who had lost her appetite yesterday from the emotional turmoil in the hundredth layer, seemed to have recovered completely. Maribel, also relieved to see that, handed her a refilled bowl, while Korinna received a heaping serving of steaming rice that had already been prepared for her.

“……”

Daryl, on the other hand, sat quietly chewing on some pickled root vegetables, his expression somber. He hadn’t asked for seconds, either. Still sulking from being ignored by Tsutomu the night before, his mood showed no sign of improving. Sitting beside him, Garm wore his usual stoic face, but his dog-like ears were twitching nervously. It was clear he had never seen Daryl this thoroughly pouty before.

“Looks like he’s really holding a grudge,” Amy commented.

“Is he? I can’t really tell,” Tsutomu replied without much concern.

“C’mon, Teach, just give him some praise. Pat his head and he’ll calm down right away,” Hannah whispered.

“I’ll leave that to Xeno or Garm. Hell, let Miss Ollie do it. He’ll appreciate her much more.”

Daryl’s ‘I’m obviously upset, so someone come deal with me’ aura was practically radiating off of him, but Tsutomu had no intention of indulging it. He was fully prepared to pass the responsibility off to someone else.

On the other side of the table, Diniel, still dressed in her nightwear, was nodding off.

“Diniel, maybe go splash some water on your face?” Leleia suggested gently.

“Mm-hmm…”

“All right, come on, then.”

Leleia deftly moved a glass out of the way before Diniel could knock it over with her forehead, then offered her shoulder and helped her toward the washroom with the care of a nurse tending to a groggy patient.

[Looks like the Clan’s stable again,] Tsutomu thought. [Now it’s just the media I have to worry about. Still, as long as I’ve got the Explorers and Guild on my side, things should be fine. Much easier than before.]

The newspaper articles, for all their info, were full of speculation and attention-grabbing edits. Some headlines even hinted that working with Tsutomu might get one completely banned from Dungeon exploration. It was an absurd notion, but the kind of thing that stuck in the minds of the uninformed.

Back then, when he needed to restore his reputation after an article undermined his credibility, he would have to do something drastic and revolutionary, leading a three-member party to take down the Fire Dragon. That success had earned him significant influence as an Explorer.

But now, things were different. He not only had his own clout, but also solid relationships with major Clans’ leaders. Even if wild stories circulated in the press, as long as he explained the truth directly to those at the top, the real information would trickle down through the community. It would spread naturally to the places Explorers gathered, and there’d be no risk of being cut off from party invites or barred from facilities like before.

And in the worst case where only his Clan members still trusted him, that would still be enough to continue conquering God’s Dungeon.

“Hmm?”

After finishing a light breakfast, Tsutomu had begun organizing the notes he’d written overnight on the Corroded Elder Dragon… when, midway through, the doorbell to the Clan House rang. Ollie promptly responded, heading to the entrance to check. She returned shortly after.

“You have visitors. Quite a few of them, in fact. Members from major Clans, people from House Babenberg, and even the city’s Security Team. I suspect they’re all here for you, Mister Tsutomu.”

“Got it… Can we even fit them all inside?”

“I’ve asked them to wait while we prepare the meeting room. In the meantime, perhaps you’d like to speak to a few of them directly?”

“Ah… good idea. Everyone else, head upstairs for now. Xeno, go take a nap while you still can.”

Peeking out the window, Tsutomu was greeted by a crowd so large it made him tired just trying to count them. At the front, as loud and animated as ever, was Eunice, already waving and shouting the moment she noticed him. Behind her stood Stephanie and Lorena, along with Weiss, Smith, several members from major Clans, and even some of the orphans Daryl cared for. The crowd was a riot of familiar faces, to say the least.

“Ooh, I think I’ll go chat with Rara and the others while I’ve got the chance,” Hannah said, already drifting toward the door.

“Once I’ve explained everything up front, most people will probably wander off anyway. Do what you want.”

“Sweet!”

“Well, well… Could this be… the perfect chance to network with influential Explorers?” Xeno said, his eyes gleaming.

“If you don’t sleep now, you’ll crash hard by the afternoon,” Tsutomu warned.

“…Miss Camille is here too,” Leleia murmured.

“Don’t even think about it,” Tsutomu muttered, casting a wary glance at Leleia, whose eyes practically sparkled with anticipation.

He proceeded to push open the front door before anyone outside could get a word in, and without pause, he launched into an explanation of what had transpired on the hundredth layer.

▽▽

Those who had come to the Absolute Helix Clan House after reading the morning papers, hoping to learn the truth, seemed largely satisfied after hearing Tsutomu’s account. Some were skeptical at first, but his clear and detailed explanation did much to ease their doubts.

Smith, acting as the representative of House Babenberg, muttered anxiously about potential risks and liabilities, while Bruno, representing the Security Team, started waxing philosophical about how one’s muscles would never disappear even if an Explorer’s Dungeon-provided powers were revoked.

“I see, I see. In that case, the dumpling [ might actually be useful now.” Murmured Eunice, her voice uncharacteristically thoughtful.

“Go ahead, try any trick you can think of. But if you end up getting banned for it, I’m not taking responsibility.”

“…”

Of the many who visited, it was his three former students: Stephanie, Lorena, and Eunice. Eunice, especially, lingered the longest at the monitor. Still unsatisfied, they pressed him with further questions about the hundredth layer, so Tsutomu brought them inside to continue the conversation properly.

Before long, Rook, Bittman, Leon, and Weiss had joined as well, striking up casual conversations with members of the Absolute Helix Clan.

“It’s a shame we can’t test it, but… having the possibility alone is a good thing,” Eunice said, cradling a dumpling [ in one hand as her fluffy tail swayed behind her.

Though there had been ups and downs between her and Tsutomu, she had grown noticeably more honest in recent days. Still sharp-tongued, perhaps, but far less prickly than before. And now, she seemed genuinely pleased by the bizarre outcome of Tsutomu’s struggle on the hundredth layer which was neither a victory nor a clear loss, but something in between.

“God must’ve never imagined things would go this far!” Lorena said with a hearty laugh. “Oh, and by the way, I won my bet! I donated all the winnings to the orphanage in your name!”

“I would’ve preferred if you gave it to me instead,” Tsutomu replied dryly. “I didn’t recover most of my gear, so I’m kinda in the red.”

“…How deep are we talking?” Eunice asked.

“No exact figures yet, but I’d wager it’s over a hundred million. Still, thanks to Amy’s ever-reliable emergency savings, we should be all right.”

“Ugh, now you’re making a girl pay for stuff? That’s just low,” Lorena scoffed.

“She insisted; wouldn’t take no for an answer. Besides, with what I bring in through my investments, it evens out. I could’ve covered it through the Clan’s funds, too.”

“…You really do have a lot of big earners in Absolute Helix, huh?”

“Perhaps the real Absolute Helix is the money we make along the way…” Eunice said with a satisfied nod.

“Ohh! You must think you’re SO clever, huh!?”

“Keep it down, you two…”

“Mister Tsutomu, may I speak with you for a moment?” Stephanie interjected politely, cutting through the banter between Eunice and Lorena, who had been carried away by the tangent. “I must say, I was surprised by what happened. I never imagined there could be a method to overcome the black snow. Regarding our forced return from the hundredth layer mid-battle… Ealdred Crow has no intention of holding you responsible.”

“I appreciate that. And once again, I’m sorry for dragging you into it.”

“Not at all. We knew it was a hopeless fight going in. But… there is something I’d like to ask you. Mister Tsutomu, how do you evaluate your own actions on the hundredth layer?”

Before Tsutomu could answer, Eunice’s fox ears twitched at the question and she instantly jumped in.

“It was obviously amazing! When the twenty-four-hour mark passed and the black mass began closing in, everyone thought Tsutomu was done for! But he overcame even that, outwitted God themselves, and stunned the whole town! The cheers from the Pedestal Market were incredible. It was really something!”

“Well, I… didn’t see it that way,” Stephanie said.

“Huh?” Eunice blinked, dumbfounded.

But that expression lasted only a moment before her ears perked up again as if she had just remembered something.

“Well, you weren’t there to see it live, so maybe you just don’t understand! It really was amazing!”

“I do understand the brilliance of what Mister Tsutomu accomplished in the end. It was something to be respected as an Explorer. But… was it something to be admired as a Healer? When the party was reduced to three, I don’t believe he fulfilled his role to the best of his ability. Perhaps it was because the preceding fight had been too flawless that the lapse stood out so clearly.”

Stephanie’s eyes had seen straight through the manipulated footage broadcast on the Monitor. Even with incomplete information, she had noticed the shift in Tsutomu’s behavior. How, gripped by the fear of death, he had avoided drawing aggro from the Corroded Elder Dragon.

“Maybe you were too overwhelmed to notice, Eunice, but Lorena surely did.” Stephanie added, her gaze turning to the latter. “That’s why you entered the Dungeon, isn’t it?”

Lorena, who until then had seemed lighthearted and cheerful, fell silent. Her eyes flicked from side to side as if searching for an answer, before landing on Tsutomu with a conflicted expression.

Eunice, though clearly struggling to follow the conversation, could at least tell that Tsutomu was being put on the defensive. She stepped forward protectively and glared at Stephanie with the same icy stare she used to wield so often.

“W-why does it sound like you’re blaming him? That’s not right! He pulled off something incredible, something unprecedented! He should be praised, not scolded!”

Lorena crossed her arms and began to flick her long rabbit ears back and forth, gauging Tsutomu’s reaction like radar dishes locked on a signal.

Tsutomu, stifling a yawn from a night spent awake, looked pleadingly at Lorena, asking her silently to defuse the situation.

She responded by folding one of her ears as if to say, “No way, not this time.”

The two engaged in a wordless standoff, exchanging stubborn glances, until Stephanie, noticing them, frowned ever so slightly. Eunice, sensing a shift in the mood, turned back to look… and saw the two of them engaged in what could only be described as a silent comedy routine.

“Wha… what are you two doing!? This is serious!!” She shrieked.

“Keep it down,” Tsutomu muttered, pressing a hand to his temple.

“Uh… is everything all right, guys?” Amy’s voice called out, her head poking down from the stairwell.

The sound of Eunice’s shrill cry must have carried upstairs. Realizing just how many Explorers were still gathered in the Clan House, Eunice abruptly lowered her voice and flushed red with embarrassment.