Live Dungeon! Chapter 358: The Rabbit and the Witch

"Ugaaah!!"

"Hannah’s movements seem unusually sloppy today, don’t they?"

"Well, she WAS sick in bed for a while, right? Can’t really blame her… though, yeah, she does seem kinda off."

Two Birdkin, their feathers conspicuously red and blue, sat side by side in the Guild, munching on trays of fried potatoes as they watched Monitor #3. The red-feathered Rara, who shared Hannah’s Boxer Job and acted as an evasion-based Tank herself, narrowed her eyes at the clumsy movements broadcast on the screen.

Behind them sat Misil, leader of the Silver Beast Clan, and Madeleine, the hooded Sorcerer who looked more like a shady informant from Ealdred Crow than an Explorer. She kept her hood pulled low, never sparing Misil more than a vague grunt as he chattered beside her. Not that he seemed to mind; this was par for the course, and he talked on unbothered.

[She’s good at clearing poison, too. We’ll need to keep that in mind for the ninety-third layer.]

Further down the area, Lorena, her tall rabbit ears twitching like antennae, intently watched Monitor #2. As a Healer herself, she was tracking Tsutomu’s every move. With Silver Beast now making their own push beyond the ninety-first layer, the morning was dedicated to gathering strategic references from the Monitors.

As one of the handful of teams that actually got past layer ninety, the Silver Beast group drew many curious stares from other Explorers. Despite that, the four of them were fully focused. Only Lorena, with her sharp hearing, caught whispers of gossip drifting in their direction. She tuned them out the best she could.

"I finished organizing the intel!"

Until early afternoon, the group remained in the Guild, gathering data from the Monitors. They received reports from the few literate orphans under their care, who’d been entrusted with observation tasks. While they still had a long way to go before matching the precision of the Dungeon Maniacs, the kids were capable of extracting useful information from designated monitors. As such, Silver Beast was gradually training them up through hands-on experience.

Lately, the orphans have become an indispensable part of daily operations. The brutally difficult boss fight of the ninetieth layer had hit Silver Beast’s finances hard, forcing the Clan to reevaluate its structure. It was no longer enough for the orphans to be raised by Misil and then sent off to live on their own; many now chose to remain and work as part of the Clan proper.

As a result, they had started taking active roles: handling logistics, maintaining equipment, and negotiating with sponsor companies. Silver Beast, which had previously been managed almost single-handedly by their leader Misil, began showing signs of becoming a major Clan in its own right.

Of course, most of them were still novices. Comparing them to Ealdred Crow would be like comparing students to seasoned professionals. But thanks to the efforts of Misil and the older veterans, who actively mentored the newcomers, their foundation was solid. They weren’t entirely reliant on their sponsors anymore, and their identity as an independent Clan was beginning to take shape.

"Guess it’s stew with leftovers again today?"

"Hey, it’s easy to make, you know."

By early afternoon, their Monitor session wrapped, and the group returned to the Clan House. There, orphaned children had prepared a massive pot of stew using meat and vegetable scraps.

To outsiders, the scene might have resembled a haphazard soup kitchen. It was hardly the image of a prestigious Clan. But for those who lived here sharing meals, chores, and every little victory they could score, it felt like family. They sat together, chuckling that even the half-melted veggies and tough cuts of meat somehow tasted better these days.

Beyond meals, the orphans helped with equipment prep, resource procurement, and daily maintenance. Those who’d already found jobs beyond the Clan often returned on their days off to teach skills specific to their professions. Thanks to their guidance, the Clan no longer had to suffer through undercooked chunks of root vegetables.

"Lorena! Please teach me today!"

"Sure thing!"

After lunch, each senior member took charge of a group of juniors. Lorena led a team of young White Mages who’d asked to learn the Mobile Healer style, forming a party with them and heading into God’s Dungeon. There, she demonstrated her skill rotations firsthand, offering feedback on the spot.

[I wonder… was this how Tsutomu felt when he was teaching me?]

Watching the determined faces of the children, Lorena couldn’t help but smile. Surely, at this very moment, Tsutomu was still pressing onward through the ninety-third layer, fighting to forge ahead.

Initially, he had intimidated her, particularly after learning of his direct confrontations with the Solit Company. However, engaging in conversation with him softened that initial perception. It was true that his strategies, observed through the Monitors, occasionally appeared somewhat underhanded, yet he dedicated personal time to her tutelage. He even meticulously drafted detailed notes, highlighting specific areas ripe for her improvement. Because of this, she held him in deep respect, viewing him as both an instructor and a capable Healer.

She diligently practiced with the materials he provided, aspiring to one day stand as his equal. Thanks to this dedicated effort, she achieved a level where even Stephanie, who had distinguished herself early on, was no longer an unattainable benchmark.

Yet, even with her progress, Lorena had to acknowledge that Tsutomu’s advancement showed no signs of decelerating. The chasm between them was only widening.

The more Lorena refined her abilities and expanded her understanding, mirroring Tsutomu’s teachings, the more she began to grasp the true depth of his skills, subtleties she had previously overlooked. And as this comprehension sharpened, she increasingly felt the distance between them expand, almost imperceptibly.

Once she realized that, at her current pace, even Stephanie might overtake her, she resolved to pivot her focus. It wasn't about retracing Tsutomu’s steps, but about striking where he had not. She began specializing as a Mobile Healer, integrating physically responsive, touch-based healing with her inherent agility.

After successfully carving out this unique niche, she started noticing attempts to emulate her Mobile Healer style among other White Mages on the Monitors. Even Tsutomu, to a degree, had demonstrated something similar during his team's push on the ninetieth layer. While his execution was somewhat awkward, even clumsy enough to make her yearn to offer advice, the mere fact that he had bothered to mimic her technique filled her with a sense of pride.

[Still, I never imagined I’d reach a point where I’m the one instructing other Healers. Perhaps one day, the Healers I’ve trained will evolve into Explorers in their own right… And by that time, I might finally stand at Tsutomu’s side as an equal.]

A smile gracing her lips at the prospect, Lorena returned to her teaching duties, patiently guiding the still-inexperienced White Mages toward discovering their own unique paths.

▽▽

Five days consequently passed…

Alma, leaning against a resplendent blue staff acquired from a treasure chest within the Snow Field layers, supported her chin with one hand as she observed Absolute Helix's progression through the ninety-fourth layer on the Monitor.

[Such an unyielding surge forward…], she mused. [Ealdred Crow has already surmounted the ninety-sixth layer. The Scarlet Devil Squad stands no chance in this contest.]

Merely a year prior, the Scarlet Devil Squad, under the command of the once-prominent Explorer Weiss, had been regarded as a formidable Clan, commanding both prestige and tangible achievements. Lately, however, their sole noteworthy accomplishment was the vanquishing of a mutated Shell Crab. Even their breakthrough into the Light and Darkness layer beyond the eightieth had passed with little fanfare.

Despite the bitter undertones of her thoughts, Alma’s expression did not betray particular dejection. Regardless of their diminished spotlight, the Clan was far from faltering. More significantly, ever since Weiss, who was previously taciturn, began making a concerted effort to engage with his teammates, the atmosphere within the Clan had demonstrably improved.

[I wouldn’t have perceived that, not so long ago…]

Several months prior, even as conditions improved, Alma remained somewhat ostracized within the Clan. Weiss, moved by the way she had been treated—largely due to her past, fervent reliance on the Black Staff and Tsutomu’s open animosity towards her, a pain particularly sharp since he had since ascended to become one of Dungeon City’s most influential figures—attempted to broker a reconciliation between them. The endeavor failed spectacularly.

In those days, Alma deflected all accountability. She genuinely believed she was facilitating progress by elevating an unknown orphan, bestowing upon him the moniker ‘Lucky Boy,’ remunerating him handsomely for appearances, and providing what she perceived as a crucial boost. While the nickname originated from her, no malice was intended. It was others, envious of Tsutomu’s meteoric ascent, who twisted her words into venom. She considered herself blameless. Or so she rationalized.

Nevertheless, when Tsutomu appeared for the so-called reconciliation, his gaze was glacial and piercing, as if he were fixated on something repulsive. He even refused to reclaim the Black Staff. That look, coupled with the cumulative weight of the indifferent treatments she had endured since, caused her emotions to erupt.

He was supposed to be just another orphan. Even burdened by the derisive title of ‘Lucky Boy,’ he had proceeded to vanquish the Fire Dragon in a three-person party, popularize the foundational three-role system, and earn the approbation of the city’s noble overseers following the unprecedented Stampede that devastated Dungeon City. Conversely, Alma, once the celebrated figure, had become the subject of hushed whispers, pity, or outright neglect.

Alma found herself on the receiving end of disdain, not just from her peers but from the townsfolk as well. Businesses turned her away, refusing to trade Magic Stones or equipment. As isolation deepened, her grip on the Black Staff tightened even further.

At some point, she became convinced that Tsutomu was the architect of her ostracism, that he had deliberately engineered her exile. However, as she gradually distanced herself from the Black Staff and reconnected with her Clan, Alma began to perceive the reality: Tsutomu had done nothing.

This realization took time to fully settle. Initially, disbelief was her primary reaction. Then, cautiously, she started engaging in conversations with those who had previously treated her with coldness. Gradually, she understood that they hadn't been following Tsutomu's directives and that no conspiracy had ever existed. Tsutomu simply disliked her, and that was the extent of it.

An ironic chuckle escaped her lips. She recalled how, when he was the outcast, the so-called ‘Lucky Boy’, she had offered no assistance whatsoever. She even remembered averting her gaze from his pleading eyes when the rumors began to circulate. Now, feeling the gnawing guilt from within, she finally resolved to abandon her victim mentality. A genuine apology was what she desired. Yet, Tsutomu now evaded her, and without the opportune moment, the days continued to slip by unnoticed.

"Never thought getting swallowed by a Sandworm would finally give me my chance," she mused, a wry smirk playing on her lips.

It occurred during the Stampede near the Royal Capital. Covered in the blood and gore of monsters, Alma directly confronted Tsutomu and, before her courage could falter, offered her apology.

He regarded her, blinked once, and uttered a simple, "It’s behind us now."

That was the entirety of his response, but for Alma, it signified a profound turning point. The burden in her chest finally eased, allowing her to draw a full breath. Communication was possible once more. From that moment, the curse of her pariah status dissipated like morning mist. The guilt, resentment, and solitude began to recede.

Recently, she had even begun accompanying the Scarlet Devil Squad on expeditions to Absolute Helix. She was experiencing genuine happiness.

"Heh. He’s making that punchable face again," she observed.

Watching Tsutomu on the Monitor, his brow furrowed as he tended to multiple poisoned party members, Alma let out a soft chuckle.

She could finally perceive him for who he truly was: not a ruthless tactician who annihilated his foes, nor a legendary hero who had liberated Dungeon City. He was simply a young man, perhaps a tad socially awkward and overly intense, who cherished God’s Dungeon above all others.