Live Dungeon!

”Well then, let’s head back.”

After casting [ and [ on the party using his gradually restored mental energy, Tsutomu watched as Daryl — who had been the most exhausted of them all — finally managed to sit up. The young man looked ready to fall asleep where he sat, so Tsutomu cast [ on him once more before stepping through the Black Gate.

▽▽

”Whoa…”

Transferring from the ninetieth layer to the Guild’s Black Gate, Tsutomu blinked at the chaos that greeted him. The Guild venue was a raucous mess. Lorena, having won a massive bet, was treating everyone to drinks — beer, juice, and everything in between. It had become a full-blown celebration.

Catching sight of the gatekeeper sipping juice — likely abstaining due to being on duty — Tsutomu nodded in greeting and asked what all the fuss was about.

”Tsutomu! You did it! Congratulations on clearing the ninetieth layer!”

The shout came from Lorena, whose cheeks were tinged pink from drink as she sprinted toward him. She skidded to a halt in front of him, wobbling slightly on her feet, and grinned like a fool.

”You were copying me, weren’t you!? Mobile Healer style! Explain yourself, mister! Come on, spit it out!”

Leaning forward, eyes sparkling with mischief, she pointed an accusatory finger at him, clearly enjoying herself.

Tsutomu gave her a frosty look before reaching out and pinching her floppy rabbit ears together in one hand, giving them a sharp tug.

”And you’re drinking on a bet that used ME as the stakes? Must be delicious, huh?”

”Gyaaah!” Lorena shrieked like a rabbit caught by a hunter, her ears twitching madly as she flailed in protest.

Judging by the wild energy still coursing through the Guild, she must have won big. Tsutomu let her go once he’d had his fill of revenge.

”…Congratulations on clearing the ninetieth layer,” came a quiet voice from behind.

Tsutomu sighed as he glanced away from Lorena, now squatting on the floor and holding her head with teary eyes. Eunice had approached and offered her congratulations. But before he could respond, she crossed her arms as if constructing a wall between them.

”…You really didn’t use the dumpling [. I’m pissed.”

”Look, that attack that killed three of us would’ve killed ME as well, if I’d made one wrong move. Wasting mental energy and drawing extra aggro wasn’t an option then — that’s why I didn’t use it.”

”Hmph. You’ll regret not practicing it in live combat.”

”Thanks for the heartfelt warning.”

Tsutomu waved her off with a lazy hand, prompting Eunice to eye his palm warily, glancing side to side like it might suddenly strike. Seeing this, Tsutomu slowly reached toward her — and she reacted like a creature staring down its predator, eyes wide before tightly shutting them in resignation as her body began to tremble.

”Aaah! Tsutomu’s trying to pet only Eunice again!”

Lorena, who had been watching with a twisted expression, suddenly lunged at them like a charging bull, her rabbit ears flapping with rage.

”Just so we’re clear, Tsutomu, I was the one who first discovered how good your head-pats are! So why are you always petting Eunice now!? It’s not fair!”

”…You know what, I’m exhausted. I’ll pet you later if you want,” Tsutomu muttered wearily.

”And now you’re being so cold to JUST ME!? That’s not fair! That’s favoritism! You pet her, but not me! And Eunice, you want to be Leon’s wife, right!? That’s cheating! I, on the other hand, am pure and AVAILABLE!”

”Stop, Lorena! Don’t say such weird things!” Eunice cried, trying to rein in the drunken girl before she could spiral further.

Ignoring the pair’s commotion, Tsutomu made his way to the reception counter, where Camille had taken over for the clerk, who was off to the side enjoying a well-earned juice break.

”Congratulations,” Camille said with a smile.

”Thanks for going out of your way.”

”You’ve done what no one else has before. Again. What was all that talk about your disciples surpassing you, hmm?”

”At the time, it was true. They were ahead in terms of progression. I also said they were stronger than me back then, not that they always would be.”

”Ahh, yes. So you did.”

Chuckling quietly, Camille accepted Tsutomu’s Status Card. Even though he had already healed himself and the others, the fatigue was still plain on their faces. Taking note of their condition, Tsutomu opted not to linger in the noisy Guild and returned to the Clan House ahead of the rest.

▽▽

”Welcome back. It sounded like a real party out there,” Ollie greeted him.

”It sure was. If Leleia and Diniel hadn’t been there, it might’ve gotten a bit out of hand.”

The buzz around the first-attempt clear of the ninetieth layer was intense, especially because the strategies employed had been so unlike anything before. Dozens of onlookers had tried to rush over in their excitement, but Daryl and Hannah were too drained to handle any crowd. Leleia had summoned a wall of wind with the help of the Sylph, keeping the people at bay, and Diniel’s air of displeasure had only strengthened the barrier. Thanks to both of them, the group had managed to avoid being swarmed.

”Leleia and Diniel are still good to go — but these two are half-asleep by now. Mind taking care of them, Miss Ollie?”

”Understood.”

Tsutomu handed the drowsy Daryl and Hannah off to Ollie and headed into the living room with the two others. He accepted a glass of cold water from Maribel — Ollie’s apprentice — and collapsed onto the sofa. Leleia sat down beside him, albeit leaving a little space between them, while Diniel stood motionless, ignoring the water held out to her.

”Did something happen during the fight?” Leleia asked, glancing between them. ”It’s rare to see Diniel wear her feelings so plainly. It must’ve been something serious.”

The comment seemed to snap Diniel out of her trance. She moved at last and sat down across from Tsutomu. Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees and went still again.

Tsutomu took over the explanation. ”The Corrupted Shell used an attack we hadn’t seen before — looked like it rapidly accelerated petrification. Daryl, Hannah, and you all went down in an instant. Do you remember anything?”

”I do. Though it happened so fast, I didn’t even realize the others had died.”

”After that, Diniel and I were the only ones left. She gathered her gear and backed off, ignoring my orders. She gave up on the fight.”

”…I already said sorry — and I don’t believe I made the wrong decision.”

Diniel’s rebuttal came quickly, but the words rang hollow, as if they had escaped her lips before she could stop them. There was no conviction behind them. Seeing this, Tsutomu’s smile only deepened.

”You judged that with three members dead, there was no salvaging the situation — that there was no chance of winning, so you gave up, right? But I still believed we could pull through. I knew the odds were slim, but I thought we had a chance. Sure, the moment you gave up, that chance grew even slimmer, but we still managed to regroup and clear the ninetieth layer, didn’t we? Can you really still say you made the right call?”

Diniel remained silent.

”If we hadn’t managed to clear the fight, then maybe your decision would be harder to call right or wrong. But we did clear it. So to insist your judgment wasn’t mistaken — that’s pushing it, don’t you think?”

”A normal Healer couldn’t have done it. Not even Lorena or Stephanie. I don’t understand… Why you? Why wasn’t it impossible for you? It doesn’t make sense. It’s not right. How did you manage to do it?”

”Some of it was luck, I won’t deny that. But I also spent more time than anyone else in Absolute Helix studying the Corrupted Shell’s behavior. I didn’t slack off on preparation.”

”…So you’re saying I failed.”

The implication cut deep. Diniel stared at him, face unreadable, feeling as though he had just accused her of lacking the proper research and preparation. Tsutomu met her gaze without hesitation, answering as if stating the obvious.

”Yeah, I am. You went in with the least prep out of everyone. You were relying on the materials I put together, and even then, you barely studied them. You’ve got raw skills, so you’ve been able to coast until now — but on the ninetieth layer, that wasn’t enough. You started out fine, but the moment the others went down, you ignored my orders and gave up. And even after you came back — the way you moved was nothing like your usual self… If someone called that the work of a second-rate Attacker, I wouldn’t blame them. Honestly, Amy or Amira would’ve been the better pick — they wouldn’t have folded.”

”…You’re calling me second-rate?”

”Judging by your performance on the ninetieth layer, in isolation? Yes. You won’t even admit your decision was a mistake, even though the outcome proves it. Sure, I could’ve done more to convince you — but even so, the result speaks for itself. You can’t just claim you were right in the face of that.”

Still, Diniel said nothing.

”You probably haven’t had anyone breathing down your neck in a while. No other Archers overtaking you, no real rivals among the Attackers — not even those with unique skills measure up. You’ve stayed on top for so long, you’ve grown complacent. But in my eyes, the Diniel who gave up without lifting a finger on the ninetieth — that WAS second-rate. You’ve gotten too comfortable with no competition to push you.”

For once, Diniel’s expression shifted. Her brows drew together in a rare show of emotion, and her eyes took on a sharpness that made Leleia instinctively move to shield Tsutomu. If Diniel decided to attack, Tsutomu would be down in an instant. And yet, he did not flinch. He kept pressing, with a coolness that seemed almost reckless.

”Tsutomu,” Leleia cautiously interjected. ”Don’t you think you’ve said enough?”

”There aren’t many chances to talk to Diniel like this. If I don’t say it now, it’ll just fester.”

”That’s not the issue–”

”It’s fine,” Diniel’s quiet interruption silenced them both. Her voice was flat, her demeanor detached, as if none of this concerned her in the slightest.

She stood with her usual languid manner and ascended the stairs without another word. The sound of her door clicking shut followed shortly after, leaving a heavy stillness in her wake.

Leleia turned to Tsutomu, her eyes narrowing with concern.

”What if she lost her temper? What were you planning to do then?”

”She wouldn’t go that far. She’s been around nearly a hundred years. And we’ve known each other for a while now — I can read her better than most.”

”You may understand her, but I don’t. Please try not to give me a heart attack.”

”Sorry about that. Honestly, part of the reason I could push her that hard was because you were here. You kept things from going off the rails.”

”Hah… Well, I must say, your delivery was as prickly as ever. You really are horrendous sometimes.”

”That’s rich, coming from you.”

As Leleia sighed in exasperation, voices drifted in from the entrance — Amy and the others, chatting as they returned. From the sound of it, they were just as lively as ever. Tsutomu let out a weary breath, bracing himself for the inevitable burst of energy they were about to bring, much like they had at the Guild earlier.

▽▽