Live Dungeon!

She had started to have some free time thanks to her apprentice being able to take over some of her work, so she had been spending it watching the Explorers to learn more about them. Having devoted most of her time until now to working for the nobility, however, there were some things she could not make sense of from watching them through the Monitors alone.

鈥淎h, Miss Ollie. This way.鈥?

鈥淕ood day to you.鈥?

鈥淎nd to you as well.鈥?

To make up for that lack of understanding, Ollie had commissioned a famous Dungeon Maniac 鈥?a woman with black hair in a short bob cut 鈥?to compile some easy-to-understand reading material and provide her with real-time explanations. Bowing to the woman, Ollie proceeded to the table that she had reserved and took a seat.

This was her second time meeting this Dungeon Maniac, so she was already somewhat familiar. Last time, the woman had jumped on Ollie鈥檚 request almost immediately鈥?because she was none other than Pico, Xeno鈥檚 wife.

鈥淭his is the data I鈥檝e put together so far for Monitor #3. It鈥檚 still in progress, but should be good enough for a little reading.鈥?

鈥淭hank you.鈥?

Pico passed Ollie a stack of neatly-written documents that detailed the Absolute Helix exploration party鈥檚 progress that she had been observing since noon. They looked up at Monitor #3, and saw that the party was still there, doing their thing.

鈥淟ooks like Tsutomu鈥檚 party has been trying out something different, like usual. The Attackers include Amira using her <<Dragon Form>>, and Leleia combining her own attacks with her Spirits. And the evasion-based Tank, Hannah, is training to fight during snow storms by staying grounded the whole time.鈥?

鈥淥h, I see.鈥?

Ollie read through the documents with ease, having learned about terms such as Attacker and Tank from Pico in the previous session.

鈥淭hese four have already managed to reach layer seventy-nine, so they can be expected to get through later eighty as well. Still, considering that this boss monster is much more powerful than the last, it will be difficult to win on their first try鈥?Then again, I heard that Amy and Garm will be joining them soon, so it鈥檚 quite possible that they will be the first Clan to get through the layer.鈥?

鈥淭he other Clans that have reached layer eighty are鈥?Ealdred Crow and Silver Beast, yes? Are they not more likely to win?鈥?

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 seem to have a chance at winning at the present, no. Golden Tune has been performing much better than before, but鈥?well, they still rely too much on Leon and his unique skill.鈥?

Golden Tune had claimed their victory on layer seventy in less than two months after defeating the Fire Dragon on layer sixty 鈥?and it looked like they still had their momentum. The reason they had been able to do that, however, was the fact that many among them were level seventy, which was a suitable level for going against the Mount Golem. In essence, they had been pushing their way through with brute force.

For layer eighty, however, the recommended level was eighty, and the Winter General was quite a skilled fighter. As such, the first two Clans that had made it through the Snow Fields now found themselves hitting a wall.

鈥淏esides, Absolute Helix has Tsutomu 鈥?and everyone鈥檚 expecting to see good things from him. All the Clans except Scarlet Devil Squad have been struggling against the Fire Dragon for quite some time, but he led a team of three and won against it in one try. And after the Stampede, the nobility considered him the biggest contributor to the town鈥檚 survival 鈥?and then he went on to win against the Mount Golem on his first try. Despite all that, it鈥檚 still unknown whether or not he possesses a unique skill. It would be strange NOT to expect a good show from him, really.鈥?

Pico chuckled as she looked at the Monitor, on which Tsutomu was shown carrying out the roles of Healer and evasion-based Tank. His style was distinct from those of other Healers, and now that his layer progress was currently the highest, he was becoming more popular than his 鈥榬ivals,鈥?Stephanie and Lorena.

Perhaps influenced by that, Lorena had recently been changing up her strategies and skill rotations, trying to increase her versatility. And perhaps happy because she was no longer constantly mentioned in the same breath as Tsutomu, she had been coming off as much more cheerful lately as she tried out new things with her comrades.

Stephanie, on the other hand, had been exploring the dungeon non-stop as if she was being cornered by something. Lately, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her expression was so gloomy that her fellow Clan members were worried that she might collapse one of these days.

Pico and Ollie proceeded to observe the activities of Tsutomu鈥檚 team, with the former explaining things to the latter while also preparing more reading material. Two hours later, when the hour approached evening, more people started gathering in the area, Pico cut the conversation short as she heard that Daryl鈥檚 team had just found the Black Gate down to layer seventy.

鈥淭hey鈥檒l probably be on Pedestal 8. We should get moving 鈥?This way, Miss Ollie.鈥?

Having reserved another seat near the single-digit Monitors, Pico stood up and walked on ahead, guiding Ollie. Although Ollie had difficulties wading through the crowd, she managed to follow Pico and sit down.

Though there were over a hundred people sitting in their respective reserved seats near Monitor #8 alone, many of those seats were still empty. On the other hand, the unreserved seats were all full by now, forcing the rest of the spectators to stand and watch. Adding them together made for quite a large crowd.

鈥淟ooks like this particular fight is getting a great deal of attention! Maybe I should write about this battle, too,鈥?Pico said happily as she held up her worn-out fountain pen 鈥?as she only used her favorite quill pen at home due to it being a gift from Xeno 鈥?and stared at the party of five shown on the gigantic screen.

Then, the mission team commenced the battle against the Mount Golem with Xeno鈥檚 powerful <<Combat Cry>>.

鈥淥oh, it鈥檚 starting!鈥?

鈥淗ey, that鈥檚 Xeno over there!鈥?

鈥淒on鈥檛 get everyone killed, Xeno, my dude!鈥?

Many of those in the unreserved seats recognized Xeno, and perhaps because of that, some of them were quick to scoff at him. Due to a combination of the fame he had built up himself and what he had gained from joining Absolute Helix, Xeno had become practically a household name, for better or worse.

鈥淭he currently popular approach to fighting the Mount Golem is to separate the boss monster and its minions. The team is doing that as well, with Daryl taking on the boss, while Xeno takes on the minions. Similarly for the Attackers, Melchor is responsible for destroying the minions, while Diniel deals damage to the boss. And Korinna is supporting everyone as the Healer, of course.鈥?

鈥淚 understand.鈥?

鈥淚t鈥檚 generally assumed that, in the first phase, the Tank taking care of the minions will have an especially hard time. Quite surprising that they鈥檙e having Xeno do it, since it鈥檚 his first attempt鈥︹€?

If she were to look at things in a favorable light, Pico would have said that Xeno could do his thing just fine, but now she was being paid to provide commentary, so she talked from the same point of view as the other Dungeon Maniacs.

Ollie, seeing Daryl taking on the gigantic Mount Golem, started growing restless鈥?

鈥淣WOOO鈥?!鈥?

鈥淲hat a joker鈥︹€?

鈥hen she facepalmed upon seeing Xeno鈥檚 comical state, repeatedly taking hits as he was surrounded by the Golem minions.

After that, she was visibly impressed by how well Diniel was landing her <<Stream Arrow>>, and how Daryl was able to keep the Mount Golem鈥檚 attention entirely on him.

Still, she seemed unsettled, perhaps out of worry, as she observed Daryl carrying out dangerous maneuvers.

鈥淒aryl is performing especially well at his role, even for someone who鈥檚 already won the fight once. And he鈥檚 been practicing for this layer specifically, so he probably won鈥檛 die today. There鈥檚 no need to worry so much.鈥?

鈥淎h鈥?I see鈥︹€?

Being told so by Pico, Ollie relaxed a little, unclenching her fists.

Eventually, the team avoided the Bomb Golems鈥?chain explosions and safely made it to the fight鈥檚 second phase. While explaining the battle to Ollie, Pico鈥檚 hands were constantly moving, writing her articles.

The Tanks carried on the same roles as before, with Xeno drawing the attention of the newly-spawned minions, and Daryl taking on the Mount Golem as it gradually gained speed. Diniel used ice arrows with her <<Stream Arrow>> to deal higher damage, and Korinna provided the two Tanks with support and healing.

鈥淲ill they be all right鈥?鈥?Ollie said with a great deal of worry to seeing Daryl being knocked away repeatedly by the Mount Golem

鈥淚 do think they鈥檙e stretching themselves a little thin,鈥?Pico replied calmly. 鈥淭his might be a good time to switch up the Tanks.鈥?

Shortly after that, when the number of minions was down to eleven, Xeno switched aggro targets with Daryl, facing the boss monster in the latter鈥檚 stead.

鈥淭he Tanks are taking turns fighting 鈥?that鈥檚 also a popular approach for layer seventy. The first time around, Absolute Helix did do something different by using a Tank that can evade, but鈥?Well, basically, it鈥檚 safest to have the Tanks take turns defending against the boss monster鈥檚 attacks. And I think that鈥檚 what the team will do, since Melchor alone will probably be enough for dealing with the rest of the minions.鈥?

鈥淎 Tank that can evade? Do you mean Hannah?鈥?

鈥淵es. People as fast as her can avoid all attacks that come their way, meaning they can deal with the monster by themselves. For Jobs with low AGI, like Daryl鈥檚 Heavy Knight, doing the same will be quite difficult 鈥?But a Paladin like Xeno actually can be an evasion-based Tank, at least to some extent.鈥?

The AGI ratings of Knights, Paladins, and Dark Knights were not too low, so they could evade at least some attacks while carrying out their Tank roles. They would not be quite as good as full evasion-based Tanks like Hannah, of course, but they could make up for that with their higher VIT.

As Xeno stayed close to the Mount Golem and avoided its feet and fists, Pico seemed at least a little proud of him as she continued to provide commentary. She also took a moment to explain the Paladin skill <<Flash>>, which enabled one to temporarily disrupt enemies鈥?sense of sight, although it would go unused today due to it having no effect on the Mount Golem.

鈥淣-now THAT is what I call a punch鈥︹€?

Moreover, their high VIT made them durable enough to withstand a hit. Hannah would definitely be killed if she were to take a single punch from the Mount Golem, but Xeno could live through it just fine. As such, Pico thought there would be no problem now, but then she noticed Xeno acting strangely.

鈥淵our cheers will be the source of my strength! Thank you, and again, thank you!鈥?

Pico was the only one who could see the anguish behind his smile. She tightened her grip on her fountain pen, knowing that no one else 鈥?not even Xeno鈥檚 party members 鈥?was seeing through the bluff. Then, upon seeing Xeno reaching for a Potion only to suddenly pull his hand back, she shouted out in the spur of the moment,

鈥淒rink your Potion, damn it!!鈥?

鈥淗mm?鈥?

鈥淎h鈥?excuse me,鈥?Pico said, blushing a little as Ollie turned to her.

Guessing that Xeno was competing with Daryl, who had also not been drinking Potions despite taking so many hits, she sighed at her husband鈥檚 unnecessary pride and continued writing as if to distract herself.

鈥淪witch!鈥?

By the time Daryl was through Xeno鈥檚 bluff, it was too late. Xeno was kicked away and, unable to regain his bearings in mid-air, fell into the lava sea. Seeing Xeno die, Pico stopped writing, staring blankly ahead for a moment before resuming.

鈥淎 Channeler is bound to have difficulties reviving a Tank. But I鈥檓 sure Daryl will be able to handle the situation somehow鈥撯€?

鈥淭wo minutes until revival!鈥?

Korinna鈥檚 performance caught her off guard, as a Channeler鈥檚 fastest revival time was technically five minutes 鈥?ten minutes for the revival skill, reduced to half with the <<Verses of Prayer>>. Despite that, Korinna had claimed that it would need only two minutes.

And sure enough, two minutes later, Xeno revived. Pico kept an eye on Korinna from that point on, and found out that she had been using <<Blessing of Resurrection>> ahead of time 鈥?and timing them so that she did not even have to use <<Verses of Prayer>>.

鈥淗ehehe鈥?Korinna really is something else, isn鈥檛 she? Surely even you haven鈥檛 noticed before how good she actually is.鈥?

As Pico was stunned by the performance of a supposedly unremarkable Explorer like Korinna, a Dungeon Maniac came over from a nearby reserved seat. He claimed to be focused on observing Healer-type Explorers, and to know of Korinna鈥檚 ability to foresee death.

鈥溾€ may have done too little research, yes.鈥?

鈥淭hat鈥檚 understandable. She鈥檚 not all that famous, so her capabilities are barely even documented. Which brings me to the next point鈥︹€?

鈥淗ow much do you want?鈥?

鈥淐utting to the chase, huh? Nice.鈥?

鈥淪orry, Miss Ollie, mind if I negotiate with this guy for a bit? This will net me some info about Korinna to explain to you with, too.鈥?

鈥淪ounds perfectly good to me.鈥?

With Ollie鈥檚 permission, Pico negotiated with the Dungeon Maniac, and in the end, she received the information for a fee and an agreement to include his name in her articles. And then, after scanning through the information, Pico narrowed her eyes, suspicious.

鈥淪he can predict death鈥? That鈥檚 nonsense鈥?is what I鈥檇 say if I didn鈥檛 already see her do it.鈥?

Xeno had died several times during the negotiation, and every single time, Korinna would revive him in just two to three minutes 鈥?and sometimes even a single minute. Since Xeno would never even propose a plan in which he strategically let himself get killed, it was without a doubt that Korinna was able to foresee death.

鈥淎nd I thought she was just some random big eater鈥?Looks like I was wrong,鈥?she proceeded to say, positively reevaluating her opinion on Korinna as she looked at the latter defending herself with her Scorchstone Robe.

Then she promptly apologized to Ollie for that remark and resumed her commentary.