Live Dungeon!

With Tsutomu’s statement making the morning headlines, the so-called fans who had been flaunting their association with him quickly disappeared. Once he spoke directly using Monitor #2, a platform with significant reach, it became clear that these individuals lacked the knowledge to pretend to defend him.

Like locusts abandoning a barren field in search of new ground, those who had merely parroted surface-level insights scattered. Even the Dungeon Maniacs, who often tailored their opinions to the crowd, now praised him as a master willing to proudly send off apprentices who had surpassed him. Yet, a few still clung to blindly defending Tsutomu, unwilling to let go completely.

”Oh wow, it worked just as expected! That was amazing advice, Xeno!”

”Hahaha! It’s nothing, really!”

When Tsutomu first heard about this from Xeno, he had considered using the Monitors to taunt those pretenders into extinction. But Xeno advised him to take a more composed approach, simply acknowledging his former apprentices with humility. Tsutomu decided to follow that advice for now.

Sure enough, by the next day, the rumors had largely settled. According to the informants, those fake fans had all but vanished. Even the glances Tsutomu received on his way from the Clan House to the Guild had softened considerably. Since everything he had said had been sincere, he was content with the outcome.

▽▽

”…Did we do it?”

”I-I’m exhausted! I swear, I can’t use another skill!”

Three days later, the Dream Team had successfully taken down the Mutated Shell Crab, with Weiss and Alma delivering the final blows. Weiss, utterly drained, dropped to his knees before the massive, jagged blue Magic Stone that had emerged from the beast. Nearby, Eunice, still immobilized from excessive aggro buildup, twitched her fox ears as she cast [ on the two of them.

The Dream Team had stuck to their initial strategy from start to finish, committing fully to an aggressive assault. Weiss and Leon played their roles as Attacker-Tanks efficiently against the Mutated Shell Crab, while Camille, able to shift into [, and Alma, wielding the Black Staff, provided crucial bursts of firepower to finish the fight. Meanwhile, Eunice, having now faced the Shell Crab several times, had matured into a far more reliable Healer.

▽▽

”…Damn it!”

”……”

In contrast, Absolute Helix had fallen just short, allowing the Dream Team to claim victory first. Their team composition was not weak — Hannah, an evasion-based Tank, had performed remarkably well. Amira and Amy, both capable of [ — the latter via [, added significant firepower. Their strategy for handling the Shell Crab was not flawed, either.

However, they had faltered in the final stretch, failing to account for the Shell Crab’s unexpected tenacity.

Evasion-based Tanks lived on a knife’s edge – one mistake, one hit, and it was over. Yet Hannah had held her ground, stabilizing the fight. The real issue was the team’s lack of cohesion. Should they maintain their usual, measured approach? Or should they take a page from the Dream Team’s book and go all-in? They hesitated, unable to decide.

The Dream Team, on the other hand, had been fully united in their vision – an all-out, relentless offensive. Every member followed Weiss and Alma’s concept without hesitation, moving as one.

The jagged, sea-urchin-like Magic Stone dropped by the Shell Crab was soon put up for auction at the Guild. As it sat on display, Amira could only glare at it, frustration etched across her face.

Two days later, Absolute Helix finally managed to defeat the Shell Crab as well. But rather than discovering their own breakthrough, they had merely copied the Dream Team’s brute-force approach. Hannah alone seemed pleased as she gazed at the spiky Magic Stone, but the rest of the party looked far from satisfied. Their expressions, broadcast on the Monitor, spoke volumes.

That day, Tsutomu had been waiting at the Clan House’s door to congratulate them the moment they were back.

”Hey, congratulations on beating the Shell Crab!”

”……”

”…Wow, you guys look like you’re back from a funeral. How come Hannah’s the only one looking zippy?”

”Huh? I wasn’t trying to act like a zebra or anything…”

”That’s… not what I meant.”

In the end, his attempt at welcoming them back with a joke completely went over Hannah’s head. Meanwhile, Amira and Leleia remained stony-faced, Amy forced a weak smile, and Korinna looked downright dejected. Their victory had come, but not in a way they could take pride in. 𝑅åΝồ𝖇ÈS̩

”For now, take tomorrow off and reset your mind. We need to start preparing for the ninetieth layer. That’s all.”

With that, Tsutomu stepped into the living room and joined Ollie, helping her organize a stack of documents. Nearby, Diniel sprawled lazily across the couch, beckoning Amy over with a casual wave. Amy and Hannah made their way to her, while the other three retreated upstairs.

”Nice work today.”

”…Thanks, Dini.”

Amy gave a weary but contented smile at Diniel’s words before flopping onto the couch. Then, as if recalling Camille’s smug expression at the Guild earlier, she groaned and flailed about in frustration.

Meanwhile, Hannah took a glance at the documents and proceeded to throw her hands up in surrender.

”Ugh, so many numbers…”

”This is the total cost of the Magic Stones you used in the Shell Crab fight,” Tsutomu explained, holding up a sheet. ”You wasted a few as well, didn’t you? Compared to the others, your spending was significantly higher. Don’t you think–”

”I’m taking a bath! Right now!”

With that, she bolted toward the first-floor bath. Tsutomu let out a quiet sigh, picked up a stray blue feather from the floor, and tossed it into the trash.

”Amy, how are Amira and the others holding up?”

”Oh, c’mon… what about me? Aren’t you going to ask how I’m doing?”

”Judging by the way you look right now, I don’t feel the need to…”

Diniel, absentmindedly rubbing Amy’s white cat ears as if giving her a shoulder massage, smirked. Amy, in turn, closed her eyes in bliss, looking as if she were soaking in a hot spring. With that much relaxation on display, Tsutomu saw no reason to ask further.

Amy pouted at his response but quickly shifted into a thoughtful expression.

”I think they’ll be fine. Ammie’s just in a bad mood because the Guild Master poked at her ego a little. Lelee doesn’t seem too bothered. But Korinny… you should check in on her. She looked like she was blaming herself pretty hard. Oh, and you should pamper Amy – that’s me, by the way – a little, too.”

”Got it. Thanks.”

Tsutomu chose to ignore that last remark, finishing his review of the Clan’s financial documents before standing up. He went to the Ice Magic Stone-powered refrigerator, poured himself a glass of chilled water, and noted that the season had shifted enough to make cold treats appealing again. He took an ice pop from the freezer and, with a flick of the wrist, tossed it toward Amy.

She caught it, looking somewhat disgruntled, but unwrapped it anyway and took a bite.

”Honestly, taking down the Shell Crab is an impressive feat on its own. That spiky Magic Stone is rare and should sell for a good price. Plus, Dungeon Maniacs have nothing but praise for the fight. But still… maybe I was wrong to push you all to win that race.”

”Mmm… but even if you had not said anything, we would’ve been aiming for it anyway. Ealdred Crow sent their backup squads, so it was obvious we were really competing with the Dream Team. Korinny took it hard, sure, but she’s gotten so much stronger. It’s night and day compared to before.”

”That’s true. She’s grown into a capable Healer, and she still has a lot of potential to improve.”

”Which means you’d better stay on your toes, Tsutomu! Especially now that you’ve said your own students have surpassed you.”

”Mm-hmm…”

Amy shot him a teasing look, but Tsutomu only took a slow sip of water, unbothered.

”You know, you don’t seem the least bit worried,” she huffed. ”Sure, maybe Korinny hasn’t caught up to you yet, but are you just accepting that you’ve already lost to the others?”

”I mean, it’s technically true — my layer progress is behind Stephanie’s. I’ve been studying the ninetieth layer’s Pedestal feeds every day and taking the Dungeon Maniacs’ critiques seriously.”

Amy narrowed her eyes, rolling the ice pop stick between her fingers as if deciding whether to believe him. Tsutomu, unaffected, finished his drink and made his way upstairs.

Amy watched him go, then let out a small sigh before stretching.

”All right, bath time!”

She pushed herself up from the couch and headed for the first-floor bath, with Diniel following silently behind.