Live Dungeon!

”Dammit! Just die already, you bastard!!”

Amira’s roar echoed through the battlefield as her greatsword carved through the air, her [ blazing brighter than ever before. Whatever residual hesitation had once lingered in the party’s rhythm had been swept away. Their movements flowed now with perfect clarity.

[I’ll kill this thing! And we’ll all get through this damn layer!]

Amira could feel the expectations of her comrades weighing not like a burden, but a force that pushed her forward, a will that lent her strength beyond her limits.

Muscles taut with exertion, she poured her full strength into each individual swing. Her black greatsword roared in kind, cleaving down with destructive force upon the Corrupted Shell’s right claws. One, two — both severed in a blur. They fell like shattered spears, embedding themselves in the ground with a heavy thud. The monster howled in agony.

It was the first time any of them had succeeded in breaking those claws, renowned for their blend of flexibility and durability. On the ground, Amy, midway through sipping a Blue Potion, gaped in disbelief.

Garm, sensing the tide of aggression suddenly shifted toward Amira, bellowed a warning.

”She’s drawing too much aggro!”

”Korinna! Can we stick to the plan?” Xeno shouted, already pivoting toward the strategist of the group.

Korinna nodded silently, her answer swift and certain. A grin curled across Xeno’s face.

”Then it’s an all-out attack from here! Garm and I will keep Amira covered. Korinna! Amy! Focus on offense!”

”[!” Korinna cried out in response.

The holy light of her skill surged forth, this time not a gentle prayer but a curse in disguise. After dying to those claws more times than she could count, her invocation was less supplication, and more personal vendetta. And once it was cast, she drew her morning star, a brutal weapon topped with a spiked iron ball, and joined the fray.

”HERE I GOOOOOO!!”

As a Channeler, Korinna’s skills came with slower cast times, but her Job also granted her a higher STR rating than that of White Mages. And she knew how to use that morning star, her swings heavy and precise, enabling her to step into the front lines despite being a Healer.

The final phase of the Corrupted Shell fight was always the deadliest. Its repertoire of wide-area attacks expanded, and the pace of petrification accelerated. All of it forced Healers to be more active, and aggro naturally followed. Knowing this, Korinna had built her plan around a fast and decisive final push. The party moved as one, cleaving toward victory.

”Looks like it’s time to bet our lives again,” Amira quipped.

”I won’t die so easily,” Garm growled back.

”Hah. You’d better not. But hey, if you do, I’ll make sure to avenge you.”

”Heads up! Here comes pattern 4!” Xeno called.

”I’m counting on you.”

Garm couldn’t help but glimpse the Guild Master’s proud and indomitable silhouette in Amira’s stance. He and Xeno moved in tandem, raising their tower shields to intercept the incoming claws meant for her. Amira shot skyward, scarlet wings bursting open as she dodged the area attack’s blast radius, while Amy surged up from the monster’s foot, agile as ever.

”Done resting?”

”Oh, I feel perfect now! How about we settle who lands the finishing blow?”

”You’re on, dumbass. [!”

The red scales glowing on Amy’s hand erupted with light. Her status ratings surged, everything but LUK, and in an instant, she was back in the thick of battle. Heavy slashes rained down, exploiting every weak spot the monster had.

They were familiar with the final phase’s mechanics now. Every party member could visualize the attacks’ ranges, dodging instinctively. The Healer was still the prime target while treating petrification, but Amira’s aggro was overwhelming; Korinna could act without fear of being hunted.

Even so, Amira was not invincible. Sooner or later, a hit would land. That was where Garm and Xeno would come in, throwing themselves in harm’s way, using experience and sheer resilience to shield her. Amira’s greatsword could parry some attacks, but the rest, Garm and Xeno caught them with their bodies.

”Gaaahhh! Korinna, are you all right!?”

”Ack…! Ngh… I-I’ll be fine! Just ten more seconds, and I can heal again!”

Overexerted from repeated usage of [, Korinna had pushed her mental energy too far and vomited. Wiping her mouth, she staggered toward Xeno, who had approached in a panic.

”Die already… die, die, just die…” she muttered under her breath, her voice eerie with malice.

”K-Korinna, you’re scaring me! Here, take this Blue Potion and calm down!”

Xeno fumbled to pop the cork and hand it to her. Her hands trembled as she accepted the bottle and took a slow, grateful sip.

”…Thank you.”

Korinna had assumed Xeno had only come to demand healing, but no — he had kept his focus on her, even in the middle of everything else. Impressed despite herself, she thanked him. In response, Xeno flashed a theatrical grin.

”Don’t mention it. I’m off to help Amira. Try not to overdo it, all right? We’ve come this far. No need to throw caution to the wind now.”

”You’re right.”

Xeno charged off with renewed vigor. Korinna watched him go, then glanced down at the now-empty Potion vial. Even after hours of combat, Xeno’s voice hadn’t lost its commanding resonance.

”Haaah…! Time to die, already! Just die, damn you!”

Amira let out a final cry, her expression one of pure exasperation, and brought her greatsword crashing down.

”YAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”

As the Corrupted Shell shrieked in defiance, but at that moment, Amy popped out from the side and delivered a critical blow.

”Take this!”

The monster’s body began to dissolve into clusters of light.

”Aww, yeah! I win!” Amy sang.

”What!? Hell no, it was obviously ME! Right, guys!?”

While Amy and Amira bickered over who struck the final blow, Korinna let out a quiet, dazed question,

”…Is it ACTUALLY over?”

”Sure looks like it…”

Garm, staring down at the collapsing Corrupted Shell, nodded.

”Phew…”

And with that, the battle was over. Korinna sank to the floor, her legs giving out beneath her as the weight of the moment finally settled in.

▽▽

The Monitor displayed the moment Team 2 claimed their victory over the Corrupted Shell. In the center of the image, Korinna, overcome with emotion, sobbed tears of joy, her shoulders lightly propped up by Amira, who offered teasing words and a crooked grin. The sight, as touching as it was unexpected, sent ripples through the watching crowd. More than a few spectators found their eyes misting over, particularly those who had been following the party’s progress for over a month. Their joy knew no bounds.

”They did it! They really did it!!”

”Yeah!!”

Hannah and Daryl, too, knew just how much effort the party had poured into the ninetieth layer, and both were visibly moved. Daryl’s black-furred tail wagged so furiously it seemed in danger of flying off, while Hannah was a blubbering mess, tears streaming down her cheeks.

”In the end, they made it…”

Even Leleia, the composed scholar, had a lone tear sliding down her face. In her case, Amira’s presence likely played a part, but more than that, it seemed she was especially vulnerable to stories of rewarded perseverance. And yet, beside her, someone was watching with an expression of disbelief.

”…Was it really that moving?”

Tsutomu’s tear ducts remained firmly dry; the party’s triumph over the ninetieth floor hadn’t stirred him in the slightest. Diniel, next to him, offered a casual comment on Amy’s moment of glory, but showed no particular sign of being moved either.

Leleia turned to Tsutomu with a gaze that could only be described as pitying, as if staring at a creature that simply did not possess emotion. She drew a long, slow breath, and her voice came out sharper than usual.

”You DID NOT have to say that out loud…”

”I mean, I get why Hannah or you would cry. You’re close friends with them, after all. But those people over there?” He gestured toward a cluster of sniffling spectators. ”They’re bawling like they just lost a loved one. It’s… kinda creepy, honestly.”

”You’ve seen the Pedestals yourself. You KNOW how much effort Korinna and the others have poured into this. How can you look at that and call it creepy? You’re the one who’s creepy.”

”Whoa. Didn’t expect YOU to get this mad. Sorry, sorry.”

Tsutomu raised his hands in surrender, looking for all the world like he would rather be picking his nose than engaging in emotional discourse. Leleia, exasperated, released another heavy sigh, her green eyes narrowing as if to ask whether he had ever heard of the term ‘empathy’.

”Seriously, do you even HAVE a heart?”

”Well… I just figured they’d win eventually, y’know? It was obvious to me that they’d make it. So when it finally happened, it didn’t exactly feel like a miracle. And honestly, I don’t really get how you can cry just from watching someone else succeed on a Pedestal.”

Tsutomu had cried before. He still remembered the tears of frustration when he lost the time-attack tournament in Live Dungeon, and the tears of joy when he finally won after years of trying again. But crying over someone else’s victory, just from watching it, he had never experienced, nor could he relate.

The argument between Tsutomu and Leleia was unusual enough to draw attention. Daryl glanced over in surprise. Hannah, stunned, blinked away her tears.

Seeing this, Tsutomu winced and pressed his hands together in apology.

”Okay, okay, I wasn’t reading the room. Sorry for raining on everyone’s parade. Maybe I should skip the Guild today. I wouldn’t want to say anything else I’ll regret.”

”I think… that would be for the best.” Leleia nodded.

”Well then, I’ll head back to the Clan House. Daryl, I’m counting on you to give the team a warm welcome.”

”Oh, right. Yes, sir!”

Tsutomu gave a half-hearted shrug and walked away, retreating from the emotionally charged atmosphere. As Daryl watched him go, he stole a glance at Leleia. She offered him a small, apologetic nod, while Diniel simply let out a quiet yawn, seemingly indifferent to the drama that had just played out.