Live Dungeon!

”Ollie~! Give me a massage if you’ve got time~!”

”After dinner, if that’s all right.”

”Yaaay~! Thanks!”

The moment they returned to the Clan House, Amy collapsed onto the nearest couch and let out a plaintive whine, her white cat ears drooping in defeat. Even Garm, who could easily contend for the title of most physically resilient in Absolute Helix, dragged his feet like a man emerging from a wind tunnel, barely managing to lower himself onto a chair. Amira had already surrendered entirely and was sprawled across the floor like a discarded rag doll.

”Ugh… Don’t wanna think anymore…”

”Even if it’s being cleaned daily, the floor is no place to rest. Come on, get up.” Leleia chided gently as she entered.

”W-what’s going on here?” Hannah asked, blinking at the battlefield of exhaustion before her.

”Oh, welcome back,” Tsutomu said breezily, as if he were not surrounded by the remains of a hard-fought expedition.

Everyone had spent the entire day in the Dungeon, navigating the threats of the ninety-first layer while Tsutomu gave detailed guidance. It was no wonder they looked spiritually hollowed out. Garm, in particular, had certainly gotten far too enthusiastic, perhaps due to having gotten to be in the same group as Tsutomu after so long, and now sat like a machine on the verge of short-circuiting.

In stark contrast, Tsutomu remained entirely unaffected, his mind still running on high like it always did when it came to Live Dungeon. As Amira lay dazed and overheated, he casually shifted her onto the sofa. On their way home, he had taken a moment alone to check the Monitors, confirming that Korinna’s party had made it to the ninety-second layer.

”You guys already cleared ninety-one, right? That’s impressive.” He said.

”Heh, it’s all thanks to Korinna!” Hannah grinned cheekily. ”And to be honest, she was easier to work with than you, Teach!”

”She really was.” Leleia added with a nod. ”Korinna’s in a league of her own now. And unlike you, Tsutomu, she actually brings a human touch to her support.”

”Don’t worry, Tsutomu. Cheer up.” Diniel offered with a patently unhelpful smile.

”God damn it, guys…” Tsutomu’s expression tightened momentarily. He swallowed a frown, forced a chuckle, and pressed on. ”Well, I mean, that just shows Korinna’s grown into her role as a Healer, right? Sounds like a good thing to me.”

”Don’t let it get to you, Sir Tsutomu! You’re a human too, remember!” Daryl chimed in, attempting a comforting smile as he approached.

But the wagging of Daryl’s tail, cheerful and oblivious, proved too much. Tsutomu lunged to grab it in irritation, only for him to dodge with ease.

”You know I can tell whether or not you mean what you say, right? Because your face says it all!”

”Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hands off the tail!” Daryl yelped, skittering away.

Still, Tsutomu was not truly angry. Not outwardly, at least. The truth was, he had orchestrated this situation; he had wanted Korinna’s new party to think she outshone him as a Healer.

From the moment they cleared the ninetieth layer, Tsutomu had quietly begun holding back just enough to neither draw suspicion nor hinder progress. It had all been to elevate Korinna’s standing and secure her position as the party’s cornerstone for the upcoming one-hundredth layer… the only layer that had once killed him.

Of course, no amount of preparation would have worked if she were not up to the task. But Tsutomu had long since recognized Korinna’s mental strength and her unique ability to approximate others’ chances of death. He had trained her accordingly, hammering in tactics, healing flow, positional discipline; everything she needed to become a first-rate Channeler. Her victory in the ninetieth layer and the praise of her party were all part of the plan.

Once the others had seen her outperform the man they thought was the gold standard, their opinions would shift accordingly. Healers were judged almost exclusively by comparison, especially when swapping them in and out for the same layer. The contrast is often harsh, even cruel.

Throughout the journey from layer ninety-one to ninety-nine, Tsutomu had secretly emulated the performance of a second-rate Channeler under the pretext of testing new strategies. He maintained just enough competence to avoid complaints from his Clanmates and kept his actions outside the God Eye’s and Dungeon Maniacs’ notice.

And now, with Korinna’s real skill catching up to the illusion he had created, the difference stood out. Even the Dungeon Maniacs, writers of Dungeon-centric independent newspaper columns, had taken the bait and sung her praises, perhaps a little too loudly.

[Still… this is more irritating than I thought.]

The results were almost exactly what he had calculated, but he had not anticipated his own emotional response. It had been quite a long time since someone genuinely treated him like a subpar Healer. And to have it come from his own Clanmates made the sting that much sharper.

”I call dibs on the men’s bathroom, by the way!” he called out to the others and turned toward the stairs, thinking to himself as he walked, […Looks like Korinna’s starting to suspect something.]

Korinna stood off to the side, quietly watching him. She had not said anything, but her gaze said enough. She knew something was off even if she did not have any concrete evidence.

[Anyway, the setup worked. Even if Hannah and Daryl got on my nerves more than expected, the outcome’s what matters. If she keeps performing well like this, Korinna’s reputation will rise. Eventually, she’ll be trusted to lead the main team.]

Tsutomu had made it to the ninety-ninth layer without dying. Now only the hundredth remained, the place where he had once been struck down. This time, he would be perfectly prepared to face it. He would use whatever means necessary.

Feigning ignorance of Korinna’s uncertain gaze, Tsutomu climbed the stairs and headed for the bath.