Live Dungeon!

”Dammit, this Goblin’s no joke! [!”

”Nyaaah! Nothing I throw at it is landing clean!”

”[. [.”

No matter how many times Tsutomu entered it, the layout of the ninety-first layer remained largely unchanged. Because of that, the party followed his lead without hesitation as he guided them toward the Black Gate. Along the way, they engaged in combat drills, facing off against random stray Goblins and Slimes.

Amy, who had once mowed down Goblins with ease on the Grasslands layer, now found herself forced into a slow, grinding fight. Garm and Xeno, clad in their acid-resistant gear, were barely keeping the aggressive, tentacled Slimes at bay, locked in a defensive struggle.

Tsutomu, for his part, played his usual role: providing consistent, unremarkable support and healing. He cast [ on Amy and Amira, who were each dueling Goblins in their respective squabbles. Whenever Xeno took a hard hit to the jaw of his brown mask, staggered by a Slime’s elastic tentacle, Tsutomu followed up with [ to pull him out of his stunned state.

”Tch, who knew these cannon fodder could be this annoying…” Amira grumbled.

She was the first to take down a Goblin. Picking up the Medium Wind Magic Stone it had dropped, she hefted her massive black greatsword again, swinging it with wild enthusiasm as if to say she still hadn’t gotten enough of a workout. The blade cut through the surrounding grass with ease, the shockwave shaking the trees and sending shreds of green fluttering through the air.

Though the Goblin had managed to dodge a few of her initial strikes, there was no escaping the brute force of Amira’s massive sword and [. When one attack finally came too fast to avoid, the Goblin had raised its small shield to block, not that it had helped. Her sword cleaved through both shield and monster in one sweeping, merciless strike.

Only the Goblins guarding the Black Gate to the next layer might stand a chance of parrying a blow or two from her while she was transformed. The random Goblins along the way, despite having skills on par with the Rotten Swordsman, the boss monster of layer forty, were still no match for her raw power.

”Nyaaah… This is going to take some getting used to,” Amy said, awkwardly smiling after finally taking down one of the Goblins.

Even a lone stray was that strong, and deeper in the layer, there awaited a full elite Goblin unit, empowered Slimes, Gray Wolves, and a Goblin King at their helm. It was enough to make anyone want to laugh… or cry.

”I mean, one of those gave us that much trouble…”

”What’s wrong? Getting cold feet? I could handle the rest of ’em myself if you want,” Amira said with a grin.

”Oh, please. You almost got flattened earlier because you didn’t even bother to transform.”

”All right, all right, don’t worry so much,” Tsutomu interrupted. ”We started off the same way last time, actually. But with enough practice, we got through this layer just fine.”

In fact, even Leleia had struggled with stray Goblins early on. Their strength was deceptive, like facing a seasoned mercenary in a child’s body. They were small, but their technique rivaled that of the Rotten Swordsman. No one had experience fighting creatures like that, so it was only natural for them to stumble at first.

But with time and familiarity, they’d get used to it. Their physical advantage would eventually tilt things in their favor once they learned how to respond properly.

”[!”

”And with one of our Tanks holding the line so steadily, I’d say we’re in good shape,” Tsutomu added.

Garm had adapted to fighting the Slimes a fair bit more quickly than expected, even considering how he had the advantage of knowledge and properly prepared acid-resistant gear. In particular, his ability to analyze and respond to threats on the fly was as sharp as ever.

”Guh…! Not bad! Not bad at all! But you won’t bring me down so easily! Come at me!” Xeno cried, weaving on his feet.

”…As for you,” Tsutomu said, turning to Xeno, ”Looks like you’ll need a bit more time. But hey, don’t worry, you’re doing fine! [.”

Xeno was barely holding it together after being repeatedly walloped by a Slime’s tentacles. He looked like a boxer one punch away from collapse, but at least he hadn’t gone down. Compared to Tsutomu’s previous party lineup, where Hannah had literally melted from a lack of acid protection, this situation was practically a walk in the park.

”Amira, try your breath attack on Garm’s Slime. Amy, practice stabbing the moving cores on Xeno’s side.”

”Got it.”

”Aye, aye!”

Amy quickly double-checked her gloves and boots for any damage before rushing to assist Xeno. Meanwhile, Amira, cloaked in a red aura from her [, stomped toward Garm like a miniaturized Godzilla.

”What are you, a Fire Dragon? You’d better not be fooling around,” Tsutomu called out.

”Shut it. Takes time to focus for a pinpoint breath,” Amira grumbled through clenched teeth, her voice slurred like she had a wad of gum in her cheek.

Then, after exchanging a glance with Garm, she opened her jaws wide. A searing red beam of flame, almost like a laser, shot out, piercing through the Slime. With a slight twist of her neck, she dragged the beam across in a sharp cross pattern, slicing the Slime into four pieces that dropped to the ground, sizzling.

”Again!”

The Slime, still jiggling in an effort to regenerate despite being sliced apart, was reduced to ashes by a second breath. This one a more standard fire burst, not the concentrated laser-like stream from earlier. As it burned, the creature dissolved into particles of light, leaving behind a single Medium Water Magic Stone.

”Glad to know breath attacks work on Slimes,” Tsutomu muttered, watching the remains flicker out, ”but to be honest, I could never get used to how… unattractive you look while blasting it out.”

”Yeah, yeah, the Ancient Dragon said the same thing,” Amira replied, a little grumpy. ”But who gives a damn what I look like? Not me!”

Where Camille unleashed her breath with elegance and expert control, Amira simply roared with her mouth wide open, letting the fire spew forth without refinement. She claimed it was easier that way, but visually, it was quite a bit tragic. Especially when she moved her head to drag the flame across the battlefield, mouth still hanging open. It gave off the impression of someone clumsily sweeping with their face.

”Well, we can talk about that later. For now, let’s get you some more fire-breathing practice. You’ll be using it a lot against the Goblin unit, after all.”

”Got it.” She answered bluntly, eyes fixed on the still-fighting Amy and the others. Her voice was curt, but her face betrayed a flicker of pride.

▽▽

Evening had settled in, just about time to wrap up the day’s exploration. Korinna’s party, which had entered the Dungeon slightly ahead of Tsutomu’s, had already cleared the ninety-first layer and scouted the ninety-second. Now they were making their way back toward the Black Gate.

”…You’ve really gotten good, Korinna,” Leleia said, her voice tinged with genuine surprise. ”I didn’t expect this much improvement.”

”Huh?” Korinna blinked, her face going slack with confusion.

But Daryl and Hannah both nodded enthusiastically behind her.

”She’s right! I didn’t think we’d make it past the ninety-first layer in a single day, but your support and healing were amazing!”

”Totally! You’re right up there with Teach. Hell, maybe even better! Plus, I like you more, honestly. You’re, like, warm. You’ve got this gentle human vibe, y’know?”

Korinna gave a sheepish smile. ”Well… I think it’s really thanks to Tsutomu. He explained a lot to me yesterday.”

The night before this party was formed, Tsutomu had spent about two hours walking Korinna through her role, providing detailed yet easy-to-read notes that summarized the flow of battle and expectations. Daryl and Leleia’s deep understanding of the ninety-first layer had helped immensely, too. And more than anything, Korinna could not shake the eerie sense that the entire party had been tailored around her role as a Channeler. It felt too seamless.

Still, Hannah beamed at her. ”Nah, this is totally all you, Korinna! You’ve got this!”

”Personally, I’m quite grateful that I’ve been getting more buffs and healing than before,” Daryl added. ”Also, I’ve noticed how you’ve started giving commands kind of like Sir Tsutomu would.”

”…That might be true,” Korinna admitted softly.

Clearing the ninetieth layer with that particular lineup, and without much direct input from Tsutomu, had been a huge boost to her confidence. And now, here they were, steamrolling their way through the ninety-first layer on their first day together. It was more than she could’ve hoped for.

[But this… this isn’t normal, is it?]

Korinna had hopped between enough random parties to know how hard it was for a Healer, especially a Channeler, to fit in smoothly. Most of the time, she was a last-minute substitute for a White Mage, and her skills’ inherently delayed nature often led to complications. Even for this time, teaming up with people living in the same Clan House, it was not something easily smoothed over.

But in practice, it had only taken thirty minutes in the Dungeon for her to feel completely in sync. Daryl did not seem the least bit bothered by her delayed healing. Hannah moved in perfect coordination with her, as though she had been paired with a Channeler before. Both Tanks matched her pace almost instinctively.

[Maybe… Tsutomu’s been acting like a Channeler during previous sessions to help them adjust? That’s the only explanation that made sense. Everything’s been going too perfectly. I’ve never had a party that moved exactly as I imagined it should… not without weeks of trial and error.]

She had spent so many painful months as a substitute, wrestling with mechanics not designed for her Job, taking the blame when things went wrong. But those bitter experiences had sharpened her instincts; she knew what different types of Healers needed to do to achieve results. If she had not lived through that, she might have mistaken this flawless coordination as a result of her own growth.

Even Daryl, Leleia, and Diniel — all veterans in their own right — seemed to genuinely believe she was that good. Maybe those awful memories had not been wasted after all.

”We’ll tackle the ninety-second layer tomorrow,” Diniel said, her tone unusually motivated. ”Looking forward to more of your support, Korinna.”

”Y-yes… of course,” Korinna gave a small, uncertain reply, various thoughts still swirling in her mind.

It was a fact that she had grown stronger as a Healer, but she could also see the unmistakable shape of Tsutomu’s influence at work behind this party’s success. And as she stepped through the Black Gate to return to the Guild, she could not help but feel a faint chill, like someone had just whispered her future into her ear.