Live Dungeon!

”…Hmm.”

Garm crossed his arms warily, his eyes narrowing at the unexpected proposal Korinna had just laid out after breakfast. Amy folded her cat ears with a troubled look, while Amira tilted her head in confusion, struggling to parse the dense contents of the documents handed to her.

Until now, Absolute Helix’s Team 2 had followed the standard strategies employed by Team 1 that resulted in their first-try win on the Ninetieth Layer: a drawn-out, safety-first battle anchored around the Healer. It made sense, too; Ealdred Crow had succeeded with the same approach, closely replicating the patterns of Tsutomu’s group.

But while mimicking that formation was sound in theory, it placed an immense burden on the Healer, which only a special few could bear. And even if the formation could be copied, every party had different members, each with their own rhythms. For nearly a month, Team 2 had been painstakingly correcting those misalignments, gradually pushing further and managing to reach the final phase of the Corrupted Shell battle.

And yet, the strategy Korinna now proposed threatened to dismantle everything they had built.

Garm and Amy exchanged uneasy glances. Amira, for her part, was still diligently reading, eyes scanning line after line with uncharacteristic seriousness.

It was Xeno who broke the silence, pushing back his silver hair and flashing a grin that revealed polished white teeth.

”Fascinating!” he declared. ”At a glance, it resembles the approach of Silver Beast, but the strategy’s clearly tailored for THIS party. It’s bold, perhaps too bold. But every element here is rooted in sound reasoning. There’s nothing whimsical about it. This isn’t some spur-of-the-moment scheme!”

He proceeded to give a theatrical wink.

Korinna answered with a genuine, if strained, smile. The old tension between them was gone now, and she could accept Xeno’s enthusiasm without bristling at his dramatics.

Korinna turned to the other three, who were still visibly conflicted.

”I… I can’t fight like Tsutomu or Stephanie.” She began. ”This past month has made that painfully clear. I thought it would be best if I could just reproduce their movements, but… I’m sorry. I can’t. I should have realized that sooner.”

When Xeno had confessed that his bravado was just a mask for fear, she had questioned his sanity. At the time, she couldn’t even believe he had a mask. The idea of openly showing one’s weakness was unthinkable to her.

She had always known, on some level, that she couldn’t measure up to the likes of Tsutomu. With his track record, he was practically a living legend, after all. Still, she had spent her time pretending otherwise, pushing forward with a submissive attitude, hoping no one would bring it up. She mimicked Tsutomu’s style, convinced that if she just had more time, she could pull it off. After all, Stephanie had done it, so why not her?

But she couldn’t. No matter how many times she and her team challenged the ninetieth layer, it didn’t work. She’d simply been hiding from that truth.

And then there was Xeno, the man she’d once dismissed as all bark and no bite, who’d bared his insecurities and sought out ways to overcome them with the help of his team. That had forced Korinna to look inward. If she continued choosing stability just to mask her flaws, they would never advance. If she kept leaning on everyone’s implicit understanding, they’d never move forward.

”With the way things are now, progressing past the ninetieth layer feels impossible. But with everyone’s strength and creativity, I believe we can do it. I know it’s hard to abandon the formation we’ve built so far, but this strategy doesn’t discard everything. There are parts we can adapt and apply. So… would you all at least consider it?”

She trailed off with a sheepish laugh, hands flailing randomly as she tried to explain.

Amira looked up from the documents, fixing Korinna with a direct stare.

”I’ll be real with you… I’ve got no clue what any of this means,” she said. ”I’m not exactly a genius, y’know. Got a big ol’ chunk of the ancient Dragon’s blood and muscle in me, but not the brains. I can’t say if it’s a good plan or not. But, hey, I CAN tell you’re dead serious. We’ve screwed this up more times than I can count. So, we might as well give it a shot.”

”Amira…”

”…The hell’s with that gross look in your eyes?”

”Uh…”

Korinna had meant to thank her with a look of heartfelt gratitude, but Amira recoiled as if she’d been offered something rotten, scowling in disgust.

Then Amy, her fluffy white tail swaying behind her, raised a finger.

”She’s right, you know. If it doesn’t work, we can just go back. But I think this is worth talking through more. There are a few tweaks I’d suggest myself.”

”I also have some concerns,” Garm added, frowning.

”Hey, I was talking first.”

”Hahaha! Wonderful! I’d love to hear both your thoughts!” Xeno beamed. ”Now, come! Have a seat!”

With perfect timing, Xeno clapped his hands, breaking the rising tension before it could erupt into one of their usual squabbles. Amy and Garm both looked vaguely like they were trying to sneeze and failing, but they took their seats.

”…Thank you,” Korinna murmured.

”Think nothing of it!” Xeno gave her a dramatic thumbs-up, his expression a carefully crafted mask of gallantry.

Korinna blinked, startled by the glimmer of vulnerability behind his usual showmanship. Then, gathering her thoughts, she took her seat.

The meeting began. They were finally planning, in earnest, their breakthrough of the Ninetieth Layer.

▽▽

”Phew, I’m beat. All right, time to head back,” Tsutomu announced.

”Huh? We’re not going in?” Daryl blinked in surprise.

”Nope. We’re putting off the hundredth layer until Team 2 gets here. For now, we’ll gather materials and review the previous layers,” he replied nonchalantly.

”What? After coming all this way!?” Hannah groaned.

”But we’re already here,” Leleia said, her brow furrowed. ”Shouldn’t we at least step through the gate once?”

”……”

Under his command, Team 1 had blazed through to the ninety-ninth layer with unstoppable momentum, guided by his deep knowledge of Live Dungeon. But now, standing before the Black Gate leading to the hundredth layer, he gave the order to retreat, and the others were visibly stunned.

[No way I’m first-trying the Hundredth Layer blind, especially not with Diniel. Not after that shit she pulled last time.]

The memory of her throwing the fight on the ninetieth layer was still fresh; Tsutomu had no interest in descending into a no-exit layer with someone who had once simply stopped fighting. Especially not against the Corroded Elder Dragon, the only foe that had actually killed him.

If possible, he wanted to push Korinna’s team as the Clan’s main party and send her ahead to probe the hundredth layer first. He could then observe through the Monitors, gather information, and plan accordingly.

But there was not much time. Stephanie’s team in Ealdred Crow was gaining ground with every passing day. Ideally, she’d be willing to hold off a little, maybe with a bit of shameless groveling, even. She might even be willing to slot herself in as Korinna’s temporary replacement, if it came to that.

[Then again… Stephanie’s a wildcard.]

When he had seen her imitate his own combat style in the ninetieth layer, it had sent a chill down his spine, as if her fingertips had grazed his back. If she lost herself to madness again, she would be impossible to even converse with normally. Worse, she might use the hundredth layer as leverage against him. Korinna, at least, was still within the bounds of prediction.

”Sir Tsutomu,” Daryl said, his voice uneasy, ”what about those two?”

”Hmm?” Tsutomu turned his head, massaging a stiff shoulder with the tip of his staff.

Following Daryl’s gaze, he found Diniel and Hannah sprawled on the floor before the Black Gate, as if claiming squatter’s rights. The light drained from Tsutomu’s eyes.

”…Come on, you two. Time to go.”

”No,” Diniel muttered without lifting her head.

”Nooope!” Hannah chimed in, arms spread like she was sunbathing.

”You can’t sleep there,” he sighed.

”I’ll get up if YOU come with us to the Hundredth Layer,” Diniel replied, not moving.

”Yeah! What she said!” Hannah echoed.

”I’ll leave you both behind.”

”Going back without me and Hannah’s gonna be rough,” Diniel said, finally glancing at him. ”You might even die, you know.”

”True. It’ll be tough,” Tsutomu admitted. ”But it’s not impossible.”

The ninety-ninth Layer was a labyrinth of traps and mechanical gimmicks, but even the monsters there packed a punch. With just Daryl and Leleia, retreating would be a struggle. Still, Tsutomu was not concerned. Diniel, despite appearances, was not speaking entirely out of laziness. Hannah, however, was clearly just going with the flow.

There was, however, one person he felt compelled to warn.

”Leleia?” he called. ”Don’t even think about switching sides. If you do, I’ll make you regret it. I’ll slander you so hard it’ll ruin your life. So just be a good girl and stay with us.”

”…I’m not sure what delusions you’re suffering from,” Leleia replied coolly. ”But I have no intention of turning traitor. I’m a member of Absolute Helix, and you are our Clan Leader.”

”Well, good thing I was worrying over nothing, then,” Tsutomu said with a nod.

Though Leleia always gave off the impression that she’d flip at the slightest change in fortune, she had recently reaffirmed her loyalty by renewing the [ between Tsutomu and the Undine. Daryl, of course, was already fully on board, so the three of them would be part of the return group.

Diniel’s desire to descend into the hundredth layer stemmed from a growing fear of being replaced, now that she sensed her seat in the main party was no longer guaranteed. Hannah, on the other hand, was simply riding the current. The moment the trio started preparing to leave, she rose to her feet with an awkward expression, glancing sideways in hesitation.

”We’re leaving,” Tsutomu said.

”…Yes, sir,” Hannah mumbled.

”Hmph!” Diniel huffed.

And just like that, despite their theatrics and half-hearted protests, the main party turned away from the Black Gate and began their retreat.