Live Dungeon!

The Fenrir cub, about the size of a large hound, had appeared without warning, throwing the entire party into chaos. From the shadow of Leleia’s hood, the tiny Salamander wriggled its way out. Its slitted eyes narrowed in annoyance as it crawled down to her shoulder, locking eyes with the white-furred, mid-stained cub.

The Salamander gave a slow, dignified nod. Perhaps its version of a greeting. The cub tilted its head, then wagged its fluffy tail in response, its wide eyes following the little creature curiously. That same tail swished against Leleia’s legs, and though her expression was hard to read, she gently wriggled free from beneath the cub’s weight and stood.

”Woof!”

The cub gave a delighted bark and bounced up, placing its front paws against her legs. Its eyes sparkled with childlike enthusiasm, seeking attention not only from Leleia but from the Salamander still perched on her shoulder as well.

Caught in the direct beam of such pure, unfiltered affection, Leleia instinctively reached out and stroked the creature’s head. The cub’s posture slackened, tongue lolling out as it panted contentedly.

”…That’s the Fenrir cub, Miss Korinna,” Daryl confirmed. ”This is the first time we’ve seen it without its parent nearby, though.”

”It’s adorable,” Diniel said.

”Think it’s safe to get close…?” Hannah asked cautiously.

The ninety-second layer had been cleared more than once by this party, and every time, the Fenrir parent and child had appeared together as a set. The adult had been spotted alone once or twice, but never the cub. This was a first.

”…Is this really all right?” Korinna also asked.

”Hmm… Well, it seems happy enough,” Leleia said, glancing down.

The cub showed no fear of Korinna either. When she knelt to stroke its throat, it shut its eyes in bliss. Watching this, Daryl and Hannah tentatively approached and, after a brief hesitation, joined in. The cub welcomed them, tail still wagging.

”It acts like a dog, but you can tell it’s a real monster under all that fur,” Daryl chuckled.

”If we had one of these at home, even a Stampede wouldn’t be scary!” Hannah said with a firm nod.

The patches of mud clinging to its white coat had begun to frost over and flake away, a passive effect of the creature’s innate ice magic. Stronger than even an Ice Dragon, Fenrir commanded freezing spells with terrifying power, and this cub clearly shared that legacy. A single touch revealed the firm muscle beneath its coat, and its sharp teeth hinted at its latent strength.

”Kyuuu…” the cub whimpered.

”…Why?” Diniel asked, her voice a discouraged whisper.

”It’s probably your eyes and aura, Miss Diniel,” Daryl said, watching her pointedly. ”You might want to soften the hunter glare a bit.”

When Diniel had approached, the cub had immediately cowered, ears flattening and tail tucking in. It whimpered and shrank behind Leleia, refusing even to let Diniel near. As this was Diniel’s first chance to interact with the creature without the parent’s presence, it was a painful rejection. She clenched her jaw and looked away, her pride stung.

The cub, a female as it turned out, now sat obediently behind Leleia like a well-trained hound awaiting orders. Leleia gave her an affectionate rub along the cheek, then turned to meet Diniel’s disapproving glare.

”Staring at me like that won’t help.”

”……”

”This is uncharted territory for all of us. I think it’s safest to play it safe. …Daryl, would you be willing to be our decoy?”

”Excuse me!?”

”Relax, I’m only half-joking,” she added with a faint smile. ”But I WOULD appreciate some cooperation. If this keeps up, Diniel might start jeopardizing today’s entire Dungeon run.”

”I REFUSE! Besides, it doesn’t have to be me! Miss Hannah would do just as well!”

”Don’t drag me into this,” Hannah said, her wings twitching as she cast them a long, weary look. ”If things go bad, I’m the first one outta here!”

Korinna, meanwhile, was crouched beside the cub, curiously observing the frosty air that clung to its fur like a mist. Diniel stood with arms crossed, sulking as she shot a scouting arrow into the sky, while Daryl glanced between her and the others with the look of a boy caught in the middle of someone else’s family dispute.

But all banter and ease were shattered by the sudden, chilling echo of a howl, long and resonant, rolling through the forest like a wave of winter. Hannah stiffened instantly, blood draining from her face as she turned her head, creaking like rusted hinges.

”…That was the Fenrir, wasn’t it?”

”Most likely,” Leleia answered calmly.

”…It must have heard the cub cry. There’s a strong chance of battle. Prepare to engage but let’s observe first. It may not attack immediately.”

”Mm-hmm,” Diniel nodded.

”[. [. [.”

Following Leleia’s orders, Korinna quickly channeled her support skills while Daryl gripped his tower shield with a grunt. To the northwest, frost crept steadily across the forest floor, freezing over the underbrush as a white shadow glided into view, the Fenrir.

The great beast’s arrival was as swift as it was ominous. Its gleaming eyes locked onto the group, or more precisely, on the cub beside Leleia. There was no mistaking the intent in that gaze: it saw them as a threat to its child.

”We mean no harm to either of you,” Leleia said calmly.

But the Fenrir’s expression didn’t soften. It stood unmoving, posture rigid, and killing intent pouring off it in waves. Pressure hung thick in the air, and with the added chill, even the hardened members of the party found their fingers trembling. Korinna swallowed hard.

”Woof!”

And then, amid the deadly tension, the cub broke into joyful yelps, trotting in circles around Leleia. It tugged playfully on the Magic Bag strapped to her hip, unaware of the atmosphere.

The Fenrir blinked. Though it didn’t let its guard down, its killer’s gaze wavered slightly, surprised to see its offspring acting so carefree.

”Byah!”

The Salamander on Leleia’s shoulder, with an air of worldly indifference, gave a flat, unimpressed chirp. The Fenrir’s eyes flicked toward it and narrowed with suspicion. It sniffed once, then snorted dismissively, as if to express the ridiculousness of the gesture.

”Buh… buh-byah!”

Clearly offended by the attitude, the Salamander chirped back angrily, puffing itself up. Oddly enough, the odd exchange eased some of the pressure in the air.

Leleia, sensing the shift, slowly lowered her rapier and raised both hands in a gesture of peace. The cub, still latched onto her Magic Bag, was gently dragged along as she paced toward the mighty Fenrir.

”We’ve temporarily taken your child into our protection. And as I said before, we mean no harm.”

For a moment, the Fenrir’s eyes softened, as if some trace of understanding flickered behind them. Then the massive beast stepped forward, gently taking its cub by the scruff of the neck. With a low, rumbling growl — one that seemed to say ‘Don’t wander off again’ — the white wolf turned and glided away, as if skating over the frozen earth.

”…Well, at least the encounter ended peacefully,” Leleia said, exhaling slowly.

”I doubt we can say we achieved much, though,” Daryl added. ”Then again… it’s the first time we’ve found this kind of interaction with the Fenrir cub. It might lead to something interesting. Once we explore a little further, we should try fightng the Rampage Elephant.”

As the two discussed their next move, Diniel stood off to the side, shoulders slumped, silently pointing in the direction where monster activity was thinnest.

”Woof!”

”……”

Not ten minutes later, they once again encountered the Fenrir cub, tail wagging and bounding up with joyous energy. Her mother followed close behind, looking unmistakably awkward, its gaze averted.

▽▽

It seemed the cub had taken a strong liking to Leleia after their earlier collision, and had refused to budge until her mother agreed to return to the party’s side. That much Leleia could tell simply from the exaggerated head-shaking of the Salamander perched on her shoulder. She explained the situation to the others, and since it was a rare opportunity, they decided to proceed with their exploration of the ninety-second layer alongside the Fenrir pair.

”Being allowed to shelter the cub like this is a huge deal,” Daryl said, his voice tinged with awe.

”Yeah, but if you move too roughly, Mama Wolf STARES at you like she’s about to kill you,” Hannah muttered. ”Better than being dead, though! So please stop staring at me like that!”

”……”

Even during previous forays into this layer with Tsutomu for material gathering, Diniel and Hannah had tried to approach the Fenrir cub but they’d been met with growls and death glares from the parent long before they got close. Any attempt to interact was swiftly met with rejection, sometimes even violence. But something had shifted today. For the first time, the cub was approachable… so long as Diniel kept her distance.

Being an unofficial boss-type monster of the ninety-second layer, the Fenrir pair boasted tremendous strength. The parent alone could swat down Fire Dragons like pesky flies, while the cub hovered somewhere in the mid-tier of monsters. It was strong enough to defend itself, not so vulnerable as to need coddling.

Already, their teamwork in battle had begun to show promise. The cub accepted Korinna’s support and healing without protest. Even its usual wide-area ice attacks were deliberately restrained to avoid harming the wildly maneuvering Hannah.

While most monster materials were consumed on the spot by the wolves, they showed no interest in Magic Stones. That left the party with some valuable loot, and so they made steady progress through the layer.

That was, until the afternoon came… when a new problem arose.

”If we leave now, will this relationship be… reset?” Korinna asked.

”Most likely,” Leleia replied.

”That’s kind of depressing,” Korinna said, stroking the cub’s head as it rested its chin on her knee. ”We’ve gotten so close… And what are the odds we’ll run into her again?”

Leleia gave a thoughtful hum as she watched the two, her expression caught between pragmatism and sentiment. Then Daryl’s face appeared beside hers.

”We’ve logged a few of the locations, so there’s a chance. But we’ll need to test it to be sure. Still, I think we should return to base for now. It’s something we HAVE done once, so there’s reason to believe we can do it again. Besides, we’re not exactly well-stocked for an extended stay in the Dungeon.”

”Agreed,” Leleia nodded. ”We could use a resupply at the Guild anyway.”

”Yeah, same here,” Hannah chimed in. ”We COULD keep going, but I’d rather not.”

As a general rule, Absolute Helix entered the God’s Dungeon in the morning and returned to the Guild by early afternoon. When low on time or funds, they sometimes brought portable rations to stay longer but even then, nature’s call wasn’t something they could ignore.

Though the God Eye’s operations allowed them to manipulate their visibility on the Monitors’ broadcast, handling such matters inside the Dungeon was far from ideal. Furthermore, monopolizing a Monitor without cause was frowned upon by viewers and fellow Explorers alike, so temporarily exiting and freeing it up had become the unspoken norm.

Some high-efficiency parties, like many of Ealdred Crow’s, occasionally forced extended campaigns in the name of progress. But these days, the Guild’s improved facilities, as well as the desire to avoid unwelcome gossip from the spectators, meant most chose to return regularly.

Hannah, once a member of Ealdred Crow, had her fair share of compulsory long marches. This was why she expressed her ability to put up with it, as reluctant as she was in the end. Daryl, meanwhile, shifted awkwardly and placed a hand on his stomach.

”…Honestly, I’m starving. I’d like to go back.”

”…All right. Let’s go, then,” Korinna said, rising with a sigh.

The others nodded, and together the five made their way toward the Black Gate, accompanied by the Fenrir pair. The closer they got to their destination, the more the wolves began to slow their pace, eventually stopping altogether.

In the end, they sat at a respectful distance, subject to the same inability to get too close to the Black Gate, just as all other monsters were.

Korinna and the others turned to wave before taking their leave.