Live Dungeon!

Chapter 250: Camille’s Refuge

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That night, Camille — Guild Master and Amira’s mother — visited the Absolute Helix Clan House. She was greeted warmly by familiar faces, especially Amy and Garm.

Camille proceeded to join the Clan members for dinner, during which they exchanged updates on one another’s lives.

“Listen, Tsutomu — Garm’s been showing up at the Guild regularly, like clockwork. Amy has been sending me letters and little gifts. But you… not even a peep. Do you know how I’ve been clinging to this hairpin, just waiting for a word, any word from you!?”

Camille, already drunk, clutched the hairpin Tsutomu had once bought her, feigning a sob. Despite her behavior, which would seem out of place for someone over thirty, her youthful appearance – like someone in her twenties – kept it from appearing too miserable. Still, Tsutomu found himself quite exasperated by her antics.

As Camille’s ranting took a brief pause, Tsutomu seized the moment to ask something that had been on his mind.

“By the way, did Amira tell you about <<Dragon Union>>?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. She mentioned it. It’s a skill derived from the <<Dragon Form>>, right?”

Camille, gazing longingly at her now-empty mug, watched a transformed Amira arm-wrestling with Amy a few seats away. Garm, seated beside Camille, made sure she did not get any more to drink, keeping her mug only filled with ice cubes.

“Tsutomu, give me your hand,” Camille said as she scratched at the faintly reddening scales on her neck, a sign of the alcohol in her system.

“…Here.”

Tsutomu extended his hand, already guessing Camille’s intentions. She peeled off an old scale and pressed it against the back of Tsutomu’s hand, then invoked the <<Dragon Union>>, just as Amira would.

“When did you learn to do that, Camille?”

“Hehehe… While you lot were off in the Royal Capital. I mastered it myself.”

“Huh…”

“But mind you, this <<Dragon Union>> isn’t something anyone of us can pick up just by leveling up. All skills derived from unique skills need some kind of trigger. Do you know what that might be?”

“Beats me. I don’t have a Unique Skill, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Well, Weiss and Bruno told me that to acquire a derived skill, you need to meet certain conditions – conditions of the mental kind, they say.” Camille placed her finger on the red scale now attached to the back of Tsutomu’s hand. “I received a report from the Royal Capital about the Stampede. They said it would be on an unprecedented scale, and at that moment, I felt an overwhelming desire to help you all. That’s when my red scales shone brightly. Later, when I checked my Status Card, I found that I had learned <<Dragon Union>>. I believe the condition for learning <<Dragon Union>> is the genuine desire to support one’s comrades.”

“…Soooooo, before then, you were an insensitive person who’s never actually wanted to help anyone? Is that what you’re saying, Camille?”

“Wait. Let me clarify. It’s about wanting to help your party members specifically. And I think it only works if you’re in a situation where you feel powerless to help. You see, I’ve always managed to handle most things on my own. Even when fighting alongside you and the others, I was confident in my ability to play my part. But this time, with the Dungeon City to protect, I couldn’t join you in battle. So, as I searched for another way to aid you, I believe that’s when <<Dragon Union>> manifested… I think?” Camille’s voice faltered toward the end, uncertainty clouding her expression. But then, her smile widened, and she playfully poked Tsutomu’s shoulder with her graceful fingers. “Anyway… I’m overjoyed that my kid has learned <<Dragon Union>> too. It means she’s grown to want to support you even more, doesn’t it? A while back, that would’ve been unimaginable.”

“Yeah, Amira has definitely changed for the better,” Tsutomu agreed.

“I know, right?”

Amira, once known for her uncontrollable <<Dragon Form>> and abrasive, arrogant personality, had at one point found herself having to fight alone after being abandoned by her comrades. When she first joined Absolute Helix, she looked down on everyone except Tsutomu, which made her clash with Daryl and Hannah, her party members.

But after witnessing the various forms of ‘strength’ within Absolute Helix and getting thoroughly humbled, Amira began to change. Now, she could be seen discussing strategies for God’s Dungeon with Daryl, and she’d even built a good relationship with Hannah, whom she used to dismiss as ‘Feather Tank.’

Camille watched Amira, who was currently having a blast arm-wrestling with Amy, with a warm smile. It was a mother’s expression, a stark contrast to her usual playful demeanor, and it left Tsutomu momentarily taken aback.

Then, as if the alcohol had softened her further, Camille lowered her head, her eyes melting with emotion.

“And it’s all thanks to you, Tsutomu, for letting her into Absolute Helix. I can’t thank you enough.”

Surprised by the sudden shift in mood, Tsutomu waved his hand in modesty, trying to downplay his role.

“I did help, sure, but the other Clan members pitched in a lot too. And really, it’s because you, Camille, showed her the love she needed that Amira was able to change for the better.”

“…I think I’m going to cry. Can I bury my face in your chest?”

“No way. Garm can help you with that.”

“Damn it, Garm!! Why is Tsutomu so cold to me!?”

“M-Miss Camille, you’ve had too much to drink,” Garm stammered as Camille suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

Any ordinary man might have easily fallen under Camille’s spell, but Tsutomu could not help but laugh out loud at Garm’s expression, as if he were being embraced by a big bad Dragon.

▽▽

“The progress of each Clan through the Dungeon layers is as follows. At present, no Clan aside from Silver Beast has made any significant advances. As for the equipment we’ve been prototyping for the eighty-first layer, most of it is now complete, and we’ve secured a sufficient stock of Potions as well.”

In the conference room of Ealdred Crow, the main party, recently returned from dealing with the Stampede in the Royal Capital, gathered around the table. The clerks presented a summary of the current state of Dungeon City, compiled from various newspaper articles. Stephanie, seated at the table, absent-mindedly flipped through a stack of clipped articles, which also contained ones written by the Dungeon Maniacs, as her skill wisps flew around the table and chairs’ legs.

“However,” one of the clerks continued, “with Team 11 having cleared the eightieth layer, it may be necessary to reassess the main party’s standing.”

With a new party from Ealdred Crow having successfully caught up, a reevaluation of the main party’s rank was inevitable.

Currently, the main party consisted of the Clan leader, Rook; Sova, the multi-weapon Attacker; Bittman, one of the three renowned Tanks; Pollux, the Enchanter; and Stephanie, the Healer also known by her moniker, the Conductor.

Hearing the announcement, everyone except Stephanie, who remained engrossed in the report, wore expressions of clear displeasure.

“Hah, looks like those guys have been busy while we were stuck dealing with that Stampede in the Capital,” Sova muttered, crossing his arms in irritation.

“Yes,” the clerk replied. “I suspect there will be significant reshuffling, even outside the main party.”

“Tch, what a hassle,” Sova grumbled.

The sudden call for reassessment had put them in a foul mood. Despite being summoned to the Royal Capital against their will, they now faced evaluation alongside those who had spent the past month honing their skills in God’s Dungeon. Even Rook, Bittman, and Pollux couldn’t hide their dissatisfaction.

“I understand how you feel, but a reassessment is necessary.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Rook replied. “Stifling any opportunities for advancement would only breed resentment down the line.”

“We know It’s a bitter pill to swallow after everything you’ve been through in the Capital. We appreciate your understanding,” the clerk said, distributing the current roster of Team 11 with an apologetic expression. They had always been aware that the news would turn the room tense like this.

As the clerks moved to hand out the documents, Stephanie finally finished scanning the articles. She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure, but it didn’t last. Her breathing grew ragged, and she began to scratch her head furiously, long strands of pink hair falling to the floor. Sova, sitting across from her, watched in alarm as her expression twisted with an intensity that bordered on madness.

“Is something the matter, Miss-—” one of the clerks started to ask, concern in his voice, but Stephanie’s glare cut him off mid-sentence.

The sheer malice in her eyes silenced the room, suffocating the air with a palpable tension. Everyone froze, breaths held in fear.

Stephanie’s reputation as a Healer was unmatched, and with that skill had come a sharp decline in her once-humble demeanor. The clerks had anticipated that she might express some dissatisfaction with the reassessment, but none had expected this level of fury.

The clerk who had addressed Stephanie wiped the cold sweat from his brow, while Rook half-rose from his seat, ready to intervene. But when Stephanie finally noticed the tense atmosphere around her, she bowed her head in apology.

“Forgive me. An unpleasant article caught my eye, and I let it get under my skin.” Stephanie’s frustration had not stemmed from the impending assessment, but rather from a specific article about Healers. Realizing she had unfairly taken out her anger on the clerk, she quickly apologized and addressed the reassessment. “…As for the assessment, I have no objections. If there’s someone more skilled than I am, I’ll step down from the main party without complaint.”

“I-I see,” the clerk stammered, nodding quickly.

He hurried to continue the discussion before he could accidentally tread on another landmine. From there, the meeting proceeded smoothly, and it was decided that the reassessment would take place over the next week.

When the meeting concluded, Stephanie quickly returned to her room. Once there, surrounded by clippings of articles about Tsutomu that lined her walls, she glared once more at the offending article on Healers.

[That rabbit… superior to Mister Tsutomu? The writer must have maggots in their brain.] Stephanie ground her teeth as she read the article that praised Lorena over Tsutomu. “That worthless, untrained bunny… How infuriating. Infuriating! She couldn’t even hope to measure up to Mister Tsutomu! She’s a piece of trash that can’t even gauge her own abilities!”

The article also included an interview with Lorena, which only fueled Stephanie’s rage. At first glance, Lorena’s comments seemed humble, especially when she was asked about Tsutomu. But to Stephanie, it seemed that Lorena’s words belittled him.

Stephanie’s disdain for Lorena had been cemented after a direct confrontation with her, who had gained recognition as a Mobile Healer. With that history, Stephanie’s emotions colored her judgment as she read the article.

The three major outlets’ newspapers also included pieces that praised Korinna, a Channeler from Absolute Helix, and others stating that Tsutomu’s role as Stephanie and Lorena’s mentor was over. The papers were rife with articles that seemed to write whatever they pleased. Of course, there were those among the Dungeon Maniacs who measured party survival rates and praised Tsutomu for his exceptionally low death rate. But articles of the former kind, which aligned with popular opinion, sold better, and most pieces painted Tsutomu as inferior to both Stephanie and Lorena.

“Graaahhh!! Aaaargh!!”

As she continued to read, Stephanie’s anger only grew, so much so that it disrupted her usual skill practice. The tension followed her to the dining hall that evening, where her erratic behavior led to rumors within the Clan that she was panicking over the upcoming reassessment.

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Beginner Supporter: 1 -> 2

Pure Support: 2 -> 4

Priest: 4 -> 8

there is also a new tier, which is a work in progress.

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