Live Dungeon!

”Welp, I knew this was happening. They’ll probably clear it by tomorrow.”

Back at the Guild, Tsutomu watched with a sour expression as Ealdred Crow’s Team 1 began their assault on the ninety-sixth layer. Now that the strategy for the defensive battle had been made public, they had wasted no time taking action. With the help of Bittman, who had experience in military tactics, and the Dragon’s functions now revealed, it was only a matter of time before they broke through.

[I should talk to Korinna before the day’s out…]

With both of their teams nearly finished with the ninety-seventh layer, there were only two left before the hundredth. Given how close Ealdred Crow was behind them, there wasn’t much room to breathe.

The rival had proven more formidable than Tsutomu had anticipated. Of particular concern were the two Tanks: Bittman, a seasoned veteran, and Dorssia, a rising star who had recently begun making waves. The two brought a remarkable sense of stability to the front line, especially Dorssia, who followed orders with disturbing precision and threw herself into battle with such abandon that Tsutomu sometimes wondered if she’d disabled her sense of pain.

Then there was Rook, the Clan leader and an active Summoner; Sova, who had finally broken out of Weiss’s shadow; and at the helm of them all, Stephanie. Both in terms of strength and mental resilience, she was someone Tsutomu would prefer not to get on the bad side of if he could help it.

But he could not afford to worry only about things external to the Clan. Within Absolute Helix, Korinna had grown into a surprisingly capable Healer, so much so that she had managed to earn the trust of both Amira, whose interpersonal struggles were no secret, and Hannah, a pure evasion-based Tank. That was no small feat. Originally, Tsutomu had planned to let Korinna freely choose her party members. But now that she had grown strong enough to potentially seize the Clan’s top assets, the possibility of his own defeat felt far more real.

”Ah, looks like Korinny’s group is back too,” Amy remarked.

As Tsutomu stood around, looking idly at some random Monitors, Korinna’s party returned from the ninety-seventh layer. After stopping by the appraisal counter to unload their Magic Bags’ contents, the five members dispersed. Korinna approached him hesitantly, as if unsure when to speak up.

”Welcome back,” Tsutomu said.

”Th-thank you. You too,” she replied, a bit flustered.

”You’re back pretty early today. The ninety-sixth layer’s already cleared, so no need to slow down on our account anymore, y’know?”

”…Actually, it’s because Hannah’s been a little off. We thought it’d be best if we took it easy for her today,” Korinna said, stepping a bit closer and lowering her voice so others wouldn’t overhear. ”I think she’s doing better now, but please don’t tease her anymore, okay?”

”I won’t. Assuming she doesn’t get cocky again, that is,” Tsutomu replied with a small smirk.

Korinna raised her eyebrows in mild reproach. ”Tsutomu, you know she’s still not used to that kind of thing. She’s at a sensitive age. You really shouldn’t tease a girl like that.”

”Uh, yeah, I’ll be careful… Anyway, I do want to talk to you about the hundredth layer. Can we speak later, back at the Clan House?”

”Y-yes, of course. But we could get it out of the way now, if you want…”

”Nah. Too many people are eavesdropping ’round here.”

At that, Amy twitched her cat ears and whistled innocently. Garm and Daryl both looked away, their expressions guilty. Korinna gave a helpless laugh. Even some Beastkin passing by, having overheard Tsutomu’s words, made a hasty retreat.

With ten of them present for the first time in a while, the group left the Guild together, naturally splitting into pairs or fours as they walked back to the Clan House. Along the way, Tsutomu paired off with Daryl, snacking lightly on something from a food stall so as not to ruin his appetite for dinner, while chatting idly about a Guild receptionist they’d never seen before, presumably a recent hire.

After a bath and a shared meal at the Clan House, Tsutomu invited Korinna to one of the rooms they used for meetings and got straight to the point.

”Looks like both our parties will be reaching the hundredth layer soon, so I’d like to settle on who gets to take the first shot. As of now, my idea stays unchanged from before. I want you leading the vanguard party. And judging by your recent performance, I doubt anyone in the Clan will object.”

”You… you really want me to go first?” Korinna asked, wide-eyed.

”Yeah. But I don’t think it’d be a good idea for either of us to break up our current teams too much. So here’s my proposal: we each swap one Tank and one Attacker. You can pick whichever two members you want from my team.”

It was a concession on Tsutomu’s part, driven by how quickly Korinna had improved. He would let her choose two members to swap in, so long as the rest of the parties remained intact. Still, if she chose wisely, the loss to his team could be significant. If she exchanged Leleia for Amira, and Hannah for Garm, that might be her optimal formation.

Amira was a unique skill wielder and was shaping up to be a first-rate Attacker. Garm, as a battle-hardened Tank with solid fundamentals, could be relied on even against unfamiliar foes. Ideally, Tsutomu wanted to keep them both. But even in case he lost both of them in the worst-case scenario, he had an insurance policy in place.

[Even if I lose Amira, I’ve still got Amy. She can deliver consistent, almost perfectly optimized performance. She meshes well with Leleia, too.]

For that very reason, Tsutomu had spent a great deal of time honing Amy into a Dualblader more in line with the Live Dungeon meta. He trusted that she would give him the results he needed, and that if things got dicey, she would be willing to take risks for his sake.

As for Xeno, though Tsutomu had never expected him to perform above expectations, he was at least reliably consistent, never failing to at least do exactly what was required of him. And lately, Tsutomu had noticed that when he prompted Xeno to be more conscious of how cool he would look while he was being broadcast, he managed to hold out a little longer than usual. So, in subtle ways, Tsutomu had been boosting him with the God Eye, giving his efforts just enough lift to stay afloat.

”Hmm…”

Korinna, caught off guard by the sudden responsibility of choosing party members, furrowed her brow, visibly troubled. Watching her stew in indecision, Tsutomu inwardly smiled in satisfaction.

Korinna was personally close with Amira. There was no way she did not understand what that girl had gone through. Cast out of Team 1 and dealt a long-standing grudge by Leleia in the process, Amira had funneled her frustration into tireless training. After witnessing Tsutomu’s unprecedented success, she had doubled her efforts, determined to be next in line. So now, even if it meant leading the vanguard party herself, could Korinna really justify separating Amira from Tsutomu?

Amira would likely be proud to be chosen, and probably wouldn’t complain outright. But knowing her, Korinna couldn’t help but suspect the separation would sting. That was why Tsutomu assumed she would opt to switch Amy and Leleia. It would cost him, certainly, but nothing catastrophic.

As for Tanks, there was not much to be done. As a Channeler, Korinna had very little reason to give up Hannah. Unlike a White Mage, who needed to actively target their skills, a Channeler only had to will their blessings toward someone and wait. Hannah’s style matched that simplicity perfectly. On top of that, her potential was undeniable, and her Magic Fist had the destructive power of a unique skill.

So, while Tsutomu suspected he would lose Garm and Daryl, a hit but not a fatal one, he felt confident they would manage

Just as he was turning these thoughts over in his head, Korinna lifted her face at last, with a tortured expression still lingering on it. Her voice was tentative, as if seeking permission rather than announcing a decision.

”Well, then… how about we switch Diniel with Amy, and Xeno with Daryl?”

”…?”

Tsutomu could do nothing but gape, lips parting wordlessly like a goldfish waiting for a pellet of food. It was such an unexpected choice that he momentarily lost the ability to respond. When he finally collected himself, he tugged up his lips into a blatantly strained smile. Sensing his barely-contained anger, Korinna panicked and waved both hands in a flurry.

”W-wait, it’s not like I’m trying to sabotage you or anything! It’s just… Diniel has been working so hard lately, especially for the sake of being in your party! And, well… Daryl always seems like he’s walking on eggshells around us. He’s a young boy, after all and the rest of us are all girls, you see? So I thought Xeno would be the least disruptive choice…”

”Y-yeah, that makes sense. But are you sure you don’t want to keep Diniel to yourself? And Xeno… no offense, but why would you want him?”

”S-sorry! B-but listen, Diniel really HAS been doing her best! I know she gave up back on the ninetieth layer, and that was wrong, but no one regrets it more than she does!”

”I get that. I do. But pairing Amira and Diniel? I really don’t see that working out, y’know? If anything, wouldn’t it make more sense to swap Diniel and Amira?”

Tsutomu raised his palm, cutting her off gently before she could argue further.

”……”

”Besides… I still don’t think I can fully trust Diniel yet. Sure, at her current pace, she’ll probably pull her weight on the hundredth layer. But I’m not convinced she’s ready to risk her life for it. That said… her skills are easily top-tier, and it’s clear she’s trying to improve. So I think she’d be better off continuing in your party.”

”…You should be the one to tell her that, Tsutomu.”

”Yeah, I know. So hypothetically speaking, if you’re going to keep Diniel on your side, what about the rest?”

”…Could I give you my final answer later? I know I’m getting too emotional right now. I’d like to think it over once I’ve calmed down.”

”That’s fine. Just… don’t discuss it with the rest of the Clan. It’s okay if you talk to Miss Ollie or Miss Pico, but I don’t want it to be a scandal or anything like that.”

”Understood.”

Korinna looked a little shaken under the pressure, and Tsutomu scratched the back of his head, unsure how to handle the situation. A troubling thought struck him, [Had she figured out that I have been treating her like a sacrificial pawn? Is that why she seemed suspicious of me now?]

”…Well, good night, Korinna.”

With nothing more to say and no proper way to mend the tension between them, Tsutomu offered a curt farewell and left the room, still wearing a faintly troubled expression.