Live Dungeon!

”So, you guys are relying on party matchmaking today? Now this is unusual,” said the bald, tough-looking Guild staff member stationed behind the reception counter — a man whose gruff demeanor and unapproachable air had made him one of the less popular figures around here.

He cast a glance at Tsutomu and Daryl as he checked their Status Cards.

Tsutomu offered a nonchalant shrug as he replied, ”It’s just to kill some time, nothing serious.”

”Figured as much. There aren’t many Explorers we can match with frontliners like you, generally speaking… But, well, as luck would have it, there IS one available right now. But even then, if you were to request a trip to, say, the eighty-first layer, he’d probably say no.”

Tsutomu’s interest was piqued. ”Oh? Who is it?” he inquired, leaning forward slightly.

”Someone from Ealdred Crow. He’s been popping in here quite a bit lately.”

At the mention of Ealdred Crow, Tsutomu instinctively turned his attention to Monitor #1. Stephanie dominated the display — a sight that caused him to stiffen momentarily. Noticing his reaction, the Guild staff member let out a wry chuckle.

”Ah, that reminds me,” he continued with a knowing smirk, ”that student of yours is pretty damn scary. You think you’re gonna be all right? She drops by for party matchmaking every now and then, so you’ll run into her sooner or later.”

”I-I’ll protect him if it comes to that!” Daryl stammered, flushed with a mixture of indignation and determination.

The staff member laughed heartily, shaking his head. ”Hah! You were shaking in your boots last time. Not that I blame you — she’s got a different kind of terrifying aura than any monster out there!”

As Daryl stepped forward, visibly puffing himself up, the staff member’s laughter deepened. Tsutomu, however, could only offer a helpless shrug.

”…Honestly, I have no idea what caused Stephanie to turn out like that. I don’t even know how to deal with her anymore. Has the Guild heard anything?”

The staff member leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. ”Well, as far as I know, Stephanie’s practically Ealdred Crow’s de facto Clan leader now. Even Rook seems fine with it, and everyone acknowledges her overwhelming… let’s say, competency. Maybe because of that, there’s not much bad news circulating about her. What, you think the papers aren’t telling the whole story?”

”I’ve been single for the past year and a half, if that’s what you’re curious about.”

”Well, you know how it is. Sometimes a love-struck girl does crazy things.”

”Dismissing HER as just a ‘love-struck girl’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Besides, I spent a lot of time around her while she was my student. I’d like to think I know her character well enough. She’d never lose herself like that over romance.”

Despite his defenses, Tsutomu couldn’t shake the unsettling image of Stephanie — a figure whose intensity had grown dangerously unpredictable. Even if she were merely a girl overwhelmed by love, the thought of her descending into madness to the point of almost biting off her own fingers in front of the alleged object of her affection was both baffling and deeply troubling. Something, he was sure, had triggered such an extreme reaction, yet he remained utterly clueless as to what it might be.

”Anyway, enough about her.” Shifting the conversation back, the staff member waved a hand dismissively. ”…And back to the guy I mentioned — if you’re using the party matchmaking system, you’ll probably end up teamed with him. Why not go over and say hi?”

Following his gesture, Tsutomu’s gaze wandered over to the indicated individual — a man clad in sleek, black armor, seated nearby and absorbed intently by one of the Monitors. The man was Sova, currently a Team 3 member of Ealdred Crow. Sova’s eyes flitted across the live broadcast playing on the screen as he diligently scribbled notes.

”Ah, it’s him…” Tsutomu couldn’t help but ask, ”Why’s he here when he already has his own team in Ealdred Crow?”

”Seems like he hit a wall. Wants to try some new things. As for others you could team up with… let’s see,” the Guild staff member murmured as he activated the sorting magic tool to retrieve several Status Cards from a shelf behind the counter. Ř𝐚ƝОꞖƐS̈

He drew out the cards — each one glowing in a distinctive hue — and laid them out neatly on the desk before him.

Sova’s Status Card, a muted gray, marked him as having reached the Light and Darkness set of layers. The other cards shone in either light blue or deep red; the former signified the Snow Field layers, while the latter was for the Volcano layers.

”Volcano and Snow Field both require environmental protection gear,” Tsutomu grumbled.

”There’s always the fiftieth layer. That one’s been making waves lately.”

Tsutomu shook his head dismissively. ”No thanks. I’ve already left that to someone else.”

”Then what? You gonna head for the Canyons? That ain’t worth the trip at this point.”

”I’m just killing time, so I really don’t care where we go. Levels don’t matter, either — just throw in some Explorers the Guild finds interesting. Oh, and you don’t need to feel obligated to include Sova in this. We’re not close enough for me to casually drag him around, wasting his entire afternoon.”

Promising rookie Explorers were usually scouted immediately by various Clans, their exposure courtesy of Dungeon Maniacs constantly penning glowing articles about them. That constant churn of new talent meant that Tsutomu already had a rough idea of who the rising newcomers were. Yet the Guild staff, stationed so near the Monitors and interacting closely with the Explorers day after day, possessed access to insider information that rarely reached Tsutomu’s ears. Always open to the possibility of expanding his Clan, he figured it best to ask for their input.

In response, the staff member gave his own bald head a firm slap.

”Interesting ones, huh? If level doesn’t matter, I’ve got a few candidates in mind. I’ll handle the paperwork, so just wait here at the Guild for a bit. It should take about fifteen minutes to get everyone together.”

”Got it,” Tsutomu replied promptly.

”Yes, sir!” Daryl parroted with a cheerful nod.

Tsutomu and Daryl proceeded to bite down on the slips of paper the staff member had handed them, moistening the paper with a few well-placed licks before returning the slips to him. Then, finding some free seats nearby, they settled in and passed the time watching a live Monitor broadcast.

The looks they received from those passing by were varied and telling. Tsutomu, in particular, was still the subject of much talk within the Explorer community, and not always for reasons of admiration — he had never been confirmed dead.

In the Dungeon, death was an everyday occurrence. Newcomers from the Royal Capital, whose lives had been punctuated by multiple fatal encounters, often mocked Tsutomu as a coward too fearful to take risks and embrace the inevitable. Even now, some among the ambitious recruits cast scornful glances his way.

Yet, among the seasoned veterans of Dungeon City — those who had long since lost count of how many times they’d been killed — Tsutomu was an anomaly. It had been about a year and a half since he had started from the very first layer, and despite his position on the frontline, he had never died. To those who frequented God’s Dungeon, his near-miraculous survival seemed almost unnatural.

Then there were the noble Explorers, who had amassed great wealth and formidable equipment to become the dominant faction among the newcomers. Typically, they would look down on commoners, but their attitude toward Tsutomu was markedly different. Thanks to his apparent connections to House Babenberg, they found him intimidating — more a force to be reckoned with than someone to be dismissed.

[…Strange. I thought for sure someone’d try to recruit me into a party by now,] Tsutomu thought to himself.

It only made sense — nobles were always eager to prove themselves and return triumphantly to the Royal Capital, so aligning with someone as influential as Tsutomu was a tempting proposition. And indeed, many of them had been stealing glances at him and Daryl, who, for the moment, were alone together. Their ambitions glimmered in their eyes.

However, once the party matchmaking process was completed, the hall seemed to fall into an abrupt, heavy silence.

[…Ah, I see.]

Curiosity prickled at Tsutomu’s mind as he wondered what might have caused the sudden shift. His attention was soon drawn to a pair of individuals at the reception desk, engaged in the finalization of their party matchmaking.

They were none other than Smith and Biancaea — the eldest son and daughter of House Babenberg. The two quickly completed their registration and offered Tsutomu a subtle nod.

Tsutomu’s gaze shifted toward the bald Guild staff member behind the counter. In response, the man returned the nod with an expression laden with unspoken meaning.

Smith and Biancaea had been dispatched by Sir Babenberg himself to pursue their roles as Explorers. Typically, they would form parties with mercenaries hired using their own savings. Yet on this occasion, it appeared they had opted for the standard procedures in response to seeing Tsutomu arranging for a party.

[So that means the assigned party will consist of the Babenbergs and someone else… Chances are it’ll be Sova…]

As Tsutomu speculated about the final lineup, a low, discontented murmur reached his ears,

”…Tch, he’s acting all high and mighty just because he’s surrounded by talented people…”

Tsutomu’s eyes flicked to Daryl, whose keen Cynokin ears rarely missed a sound. Daryl’s expression shifted subtly, and he quickly averted his gaze, confirming that the grumble was not simply a trick of the wind.

Following the sound to its source, Tsutomu noticed a boy, scarcely out of childhood, whose frightened eyes darted about as his companions hurriedly covered his mouth. The ragged appearance and shabby equipment of the group marked them as a motley band, likely comprised of orphans from the Royal Capital. As Tsutomu had made several visits to the orphanage with Garm and Daryl, he had come to recognize these telltale signs.

After estimating their general capabilities, Tsutomu rose to his feet. With a firm yet gentle tone, he called out,

”You guys over there. Excuse me.”

His beckoning gesture drew the attention of the group. A collective aura of despair and resignation seemed to hang over them as they looked toward him. The boy, caught off guard by the direct address, visibly trembled — his fear deepened as he realized that the attention of those in the venue was now fixed upon his small, fragile group.

Even so, knowing that he was the one who had spoken, he steeled himself and walked over. The bravado he had shown earlier had completely vanished, leaving only a tense expression as waited for Tsutomu to speak.

”Oh, no need to be so nervous. I’m not here to complain about what you just said or anything,” he assured the boy gently.

”O-oh… okay…” the boy stuttered, visibly exhaling in relief as the tension in his face began to ease.

As his party cautiously gathered around him, Tsutomu took this opportunity to observe them more closely. Evidently, they were a group all too familiar with hardship and resilience. Glancing over at Daryl, who was seated beside him, Tsutomu noted that even the latter’s expression carried a hint of sympathy.

”You guys came from the Royal Capital, right? Then you must be pretty familiar with the Explorers from there,” Tsutomu said.

”Y-yes! We know about them!” a greasy-haired girl — her brown locks disheveled and bearing the unmistakable air of someone who had not bathed in days — cut in sharply before the boy could muster a word.

”Do the people from the Royal Capital think I’m… Ah, actually, I’d rather get straight to the point. Feel free to be blunt about it — what do they think of me?” Tsutomu asked, his tone a mixture of guarded curiosity and weary resignation.

”Uh…”

”You used to be called ‘Lucky Boy’ here, weren’t you? Well, that’s… what we all call you,” the boy said.

”Hey! Riki!” the girl piped up sharply.

”He told us to be blunt, didn’t he?” The boy, apparently named Riki, responded with a slight sneer.

At that, Tsutomu’s gaze swept around at the other Explorers from the Royal Capital, particularly those who bore the unmistakable marks of having grown up in harsh, unforgiving circumstances. Many of them looked at him with expressions that were complex — a mingling of admiration and reproach, perhaps even envy. Most likely, they believed that if he, supposedly an orphan himself, could succeed, then they too had a chance to rise above their fate.

Yet among the other Royal Capital natives — especially those of noble birth or those well acquainted with the brutal realities of God’s Dungeon — there was scarcely any hint of such disdain.

[Hmm… These orphans don’t seem influential enough to be causing this on their own,] Tsutomu thought to himself. [But given the way things are, they must be the ones spreading unsavory rumors.]

In recent days, Tsutomu’s reputation among the Dungeon’s spectators had taken an unexpected hit. Though he feigned indifference, he was the kind sensitive enough to keep a furtive eye on the Live Dungeon gossip boards. While criticism of his personality was nothing new, the recent slander — baseless accusations that he was becoming arrogant or downright annoying — left him baffled.

Now, hearing Riki’s biting comment, he realized with clarity that the sour sentiments were not coming from the established elites or even from his immediate peers, but from the orphans of the Royal Capital. And, judging by the quality of their gear and the confident air of Riki’s group, they were among the more advanced of their kind. This meant they likely held a certain sway over the other underprivileged Explorers, spreading word and shaping opinions.

”Thanks for telling me,” Tsutomu said quietly. ”Now let me just say this–”

”Hey, Tsutomu! The party arrangement is ready!” came the gruff voice from the reception counter before Tsutomu could finish.

At the sound of his name, Tsutomu folded his arms in a thoughtful manner for a moment, then turned his attention toward a brown-haired girl who appeared to be the leader of Riki’s party.

”This Saturday at noon, come back to this spot in the Guild. Can you do that?”

”Y-yes…” she stammered.

”Why the hell should we take orders from you–”

”Riki! If you don’t cut it out, I swear I’ll get mad!”

”Y-yeah, seriously… Let’s stop…” another child among the group mumbled.

”All right, thanks for your cooperation. I’ll see you guys later,” Tsutomu said with a calm finality as the party’s bickering slowly resumed.

And with that, Tsutomu turned toward the reception desk. Daryl fell in behind him, his expression marked by a trace of concern as he followed along.