Live Dungeon!

While the Guild staff headed toward the Devourer Dragon, the people who had taken refuge behind them could only flee further back. Most of them still could not believe that the House Babenberg’s barrier had been breached and that the Dragon was about to actually get in.

“Focus on helping the wounded! Hurry up, Healers!”

“<<Heal>>.”

Among those still active, only the logistical support team’s Healer squads were able to tend to the wounded that were being carried to them. Thanks to their efficient performance, they managed to heal the endless flood of patients, narrowly preventing those people’s deaths. Although healing skills were fairly versatile, some injuries could only be healed by those with knowledge and experience gained from years of being in actual combat. In particular, poorly mending broken bones would cause long-term problems, so their treatment was better left to actual medical specialists.

The logistical support team was also frightened by the Devourer Dragon’s roars, but they started to act as soon as they saw the injured. They knew that if they did not work as quickly as possible — if they wasted even a second — people were sure to die.

Most of the rest, however, were disheartened and could only flee into the city. Only those with unique skills were willing to go to the Guild’s aid.

“You guys get them to safety.”

Weiss left Alma and her Healer in the care of the other Scarlet Devil Squad members and headed toward the Devourer Dragon again. The pair of swords in his hands were dyed bright red, like the wings of a phoenix.

“I’ll go help the front lines! Keep the team running, boys!”

“Really, boss!?”

“<<Muscle Dash>>!”

Bruno also went to hold off the Devourer Dragon, leaving the rest of the Security Team to oversee the evacuation procedures. With the <<Muscle Dash>> skill boosting its user’s speed to be higher than their VIT, Bruno left everyone in the dust in the blink of an eye.

“Leon!”

“Sorry. Be back in a bit.”

Leon slipped through his Clan members’ attempt at restraining him, flying to the enemy at an incredible speed. Melchor remained where he was, in order to help the confused masses and his Babenberg employers. The head of the house had sustained particularly serious injuries on his back due to covering for his two children after the barrier had been breached, and was now receiving intensive care from the Forest Apothecary lady.

Most of the rest of the high-level Explorers and soldiers simply ran away. Most of the Security Team stayed to direct the evacuation and carry away the injured, but some among them were running for their lives as well. Practically everyone was scared of the Devourer Dragon.

While Tsutomu and the Guild staff joined into one squad, the band’s Conductor, an older man, stood up. He caught a Minstrel who was running away, and forced him to look in the Dragon’s direction.

“Look at them! They’re about to fight that horrible monster! And here you are, trying to run away!”

“A-and what do you expect us to do!? We’re not fighters! Let me go!” The Minstrel started panicking. The old Conductor picked up an instrument he saw lying around and shoved it at the Minstrel.

“Do your damn job! Play music!”

“……”

“You’re a musician! We all are! That’s the thing we can do! If not that, then we’re useless! Use your music to help those heroes! Come on! Take the damn instrument and play it! If you don’t know how to, then sing!”

The other Minstrels nearby stopped in their tracks upon hearing the Conductor’s furious shouting. The Conductor proceeded to wave his hands, creating a rhythm cue without a baton, and then he started to sing. The <<Psyche Ballade>>, the effect of which was mental strength recovery — for a while, his low voice alone, professionally controlled with his diaphragm, echoed through the area.

The Minstrel looked down at the instrument that had been forced to hold, and then at the Conductor’s cues. He held the instrument tightly, feeling it as one with his hands, and proceeded to play a note — the first note of the <<War Deity Instrumental>>. Before long, music resounded for all to hear.

Once the other Minstrels heard it, they stopped running away. They wiped their teary eyes with the sleeves of their shirts, and picked up the instruments they had dropped. Those who could not find one simply sang with their voices.

<<War Deity Instrumental>>, <<Dexterity Variation>>, <<Hymn of Protection>>, <<Hymn of Swiftness>>, <<Hymn of Swiftness>>, <<Psyche Ballade>>, <<Affectio Oratorio>> — performances of skills by all Minstrels gradually unified. In sync with the Conductor’s hand waves, they meshed together until they became a single tune.

Those who heard the tunes felt their bodies turn light, and their injuries mending from within. While everyone was confused by the sudden surge of power, the Conductor shouted,

“TO ARMS!”

The Explorers stopped in their tracks, the familiar tunes giving them a boost of courage and a sense of assurance. Those of the military force and Security Team also stopped their escape.

“Pick up your weapons! And fight! After our leaders!”

“YEAHHHHHH!!”

The Explorers, mainly the high-level ones, answered to the Conductor’s rally. Each of them picked up a weapon they found lying on the ground, stood up, and headed toward the Devourer Dragon. The band’s music sent them on their way, constantly giving them power boosts.

The soldiers and the security staff, also inspired by the musical support, also stood up against the Dragon. By now, hardly anyone was frightened by the Devourer Dragon’s menace anymore.

――▽▽――

Before Ealdred Crow’s arrival, Camille and Amy joined up with Tsutomu, following behind the Tank squad. Camille, already with <<Dragon Form>>, activated and her wings fully out, had a frightened look in her eyes — and so did all the others, still in shock of the Devourer Dragon’s breaching of the barrier.

“Thanks for coming. We’ll be needing a lot of Attackers, so you’ll be a great help,” Tsutomu said to them.

“Uh, well, we’re only here because those Tanks just up and left, saying they’d try and lure the Dragon away. We just chased after them…” Camille replied.

The Dragon was undoubtedly almost dead by now, but that was exactly why everyone was scared of how much more damage it might cause. It was wounded, starving, and cornered — if it were to make a head-on attack, the defending force could expect more casualties. Having the Tanks try and lure it away was sure to result in some deaths, too.

“The distraction probably wouldn’t work anyway. The Devourer Dragon is moving forward because of its hunger, so it’s not even ‘hostile’ anymore, so to speak.”

“…Oh, I see.”

The Devourer Dragon’s Live Dungeon counterpart would disregard aggro altogether as it ate the monsters in its way, and from observation, this one seemed to act the same way. Tsutomu told Camille the same thing he had previously told Garm.

Camille closed her eyes. The choices she had were to let either the Attackers or the Tanks die, and she was not willing to choose any. But at the same time, she had always felt that there was no way of defeating the Devourer Dragon otherwise. Once she was told that aggro management would not matter here, her choices were reduced to just one.

“All right, then there’s no other way.”

Camille turned to the Guild staff behind her, and they nodded, looking as if they too had decided to put their lives on the line. Camille smiled as if unbound of her doubts — and also in order to hide her fear.

“We’ll kill it ourselves. Let’s go!”

“You, stop right there.” Tsutomu grabbed Camille’s wings in the same way as he had done to Garm’s tail previously, preventing her from rushing toward the Devourer Dragon.

“Kyah–!”

Surprised by Camille’s cute exclamation, Tsutomu let go of her wings before proceeding to say,

“Just hear me out first.”

“Y-you’re not supposed to grab my wings! Didn’t I already tell you that!?”

“No, I don’t think you ever did… Oh, there they are.”

Tsutomu pushed the red-faced Camille aside and then called over to Rook and the other Summoners as they came riding on the Fire Dragon. The Eidolon stopped in front of him and levitated in place by flapping its wings, while the Shell Crab ran across the ground and arrived right underneath it.

“Good to see the Summoners safe and sound!”

“Yeah! …But are you sure you wanna do this? It’d be nice if this does lure it away, but…”

“It’s worth a try! The barrier’s already been breached once, so it’s now or never!” Tsutomu said to Rook through his megaphone.

“…All right! We’ll see that it’s done!” Rook replied, and in doing so, abandoned himself to whatever he had to do next.

The Shell Crab walked sideways toward the Devourer Dragon, and the Fire Dragon flew in the same direction, taking Rook along with it.

Everyone else staggered slightly, disturbed by the resulting blast of wind; they stayed still so as to not fall over. Once the wind subsided, Tsutomu turned to face the Devourer Dragon.

“What are you trying to do?” Garm asked him.

“Ever had crabs before? They’re delicious, you know?”

“What!?” Garm, having meant his question as a serious one, shouted back at Tsutomu’s non-answer.

Likewise, the other people around them began to fear that Tsutomu had lost his mind.

On the Fire Dragon’s back, Rook pointed at the side-stepping Crab Eidolon.

“Blast the Shell Crab! Make it toasty!”

Following its Summoner’s command, the Fire Dragon unleashed a slightly weakened fire breath, searing the Shell Crab with a low flame.

“KIEHHHHHH!!” The Shell Crab screamed in pain upon contact with the breath attack, but it still followed its Summoner’s command, walking toward the Devourer Dragon.

By this point, all of the barriers had been destroyed. Finally able to enter the Dungeon City, the Devourer Dragon made a beeline to the City’s center, where it could smell an incredible stockpile of Magic Stones.

Appearing in its way, however, was the Summoner-controlled Shell Crab. Its flesh seared, the Crab gave off quite an appetizing smell, and its body was covered in Large Magic Stones of various colors. It briefly paused in front of the Devourer Dragon, and then quickly ran sideways to escape.

From the Devourer Dragon’s point of view, the Crab — specifically its mouth-watering meat, and all the colorful Large Magic Stones — was an appetizing dish with an arrangement of equally delectable toppings.

“GAWRRRRRR!!”

“KIEHHHHHH!?”

The Devourer Dragon crawled after the Shell Crab, determined not to let this first-rate meal escape, and the Crab began walking faster and faster, screaming as if to say how much it did not want to be eaten.

Tsutomu clenched his fists upon seeing the Dragon being lured away by the roast, Magic Stone-clad Shell Crab.

“All right! It worked! The Shell Crab will take care of the Tanking! Everyone, attack! …And be careful!”

“……”

The Guild staff looked on, utterly stunned by the sight of the Devourer Dragon chasing the Shell Crab.

“Oh, looks like the others are here, too.”

Upon looking away, Tsutomu saw Weiss and Bruno heading over to him. The former came flying while holding a pair of red swords, while the latter ran on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust with each step.

But another person arrived before them — a dark silhouette flying at an incredible speed, stopping in front of Tsutomu and tapping his shoulder.

“Hey there.”

“Wh– oh, it’s just you. I was spooked for a bit there…”

The person turned out to be Leon, in black leather armor, who had also come to back up the Guild. Arriving after him was Weiss, who took notice of the Black Staff in Tsutomu’s hand as he landed.

“…Isn’t that the…”

Tsutomu panicked, thinking Weiss was accusing him of stealing the staff, but in fact, the latter was only interested in how the Black Staff’s Treasure Tools were glowing, having not seen any of them activated before.

“Sorry. I found it lying around, so I figured I’d borrow it for a bit…”

“…I don’t mind. If you were stealing it, you would’ve hidden it away by now… and besides, it’s not mine. Just give it back to her when you’re done.”

“All right. Thank you very much.”

Tsutomu bowed his head, while Weiss simply looked at him, red eyes in an inscrutable expression. For a moment, Tsutomu wondered what was up with the latter, but was then distracted by a flying mass of muscle. It was none other than Bruno, the Director of the Security Team.

“Kept you waiting, huh? Well well, looks like they’re having fun over there! What’s going on?”

“We’re using the Shell Crab as a decoy by sticking Magic Stones to its shell. The Devourer Dragon hasn’t caught up with it yet, so it should buy us quite a bit of time.”

“Oh, that sounds… nice.”

“We’re banking on the Attackers taking the Devourer Dragon down while it’s being distracted.”

“I see… Okay! I got this!”

Bruno struck a muscle-bulking pose, to which Tsutomu chuckled dryly before starting to swing the Black Staff in his hands.

“<<Haste>>. <<Protect>>.”

After casting the maximum support effects for all allies present in the area, and confirming that everyone had looked away from the Shell Crab by now, Tsutomu proceeded to give his command,

“All right, everyone, attack now!”

All the most powerful fighters in DUngeon City moved out, kicking off the fight to destroy the starving Devourer Dragon once and for all.

The Devourer Dragon was madly, single-mindedly pursuing the Shell Crab. Leading the charge against it was Camille. Flapping the wings on her back, she brandished her greatsword, the length of which was even greater than her height.

“<<Power Slash>>!”

The skill-enhanced greatsword slammed onto the Devourer Dragon’s head, causing it to let out a pained grumble. The other Guild staff followed Camille’s lead, focusing their attack on the monster’s arms with long-range skills. After all that, however, the Devourer Dragon was unfazed, and continued chasing after the Shell Crab as if nothing much had happened.

“<<Shield Throw>>.”

“Hoh!”

Garm threw his tower shield at the Devourer Dragon, and Amy jumped onto it mid-flight. Once she was close enough, Amy then hopped off and plunged her blades into the monster’s exposed, red flesh.

“Hah!”

Leon slashed at the Dragon repeatedly, at a speed such that his moves were almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Weiss attacked the monster’s arms with his heat-enhanced dual blades, in an attempt to burn them off. Bruno stood in the Shell Crab’s escape path, cracking knuckles in wait.

The Shell Crab went past Bruno, and the Devourer Dragon followed closely after it, opening its mouth wide.

“<<Muscle Punch>>!”

Bruno jumped up, cracking the ground in the process, and threw out a straight punch at the Devourer Dragon’s mouth. The blow finely shattered one of the Dragon’s tough front teeth, causing it to scream in pain. At the same time, as if to sync up with its voice, the band’s performance started resounding from afar.

Everyone felt a boost to all their attributes, and a surge of power from within their bodies. As if to make sure of it, they looked at their own bodies and then smiled in the direction the music was coming from, feeling encouraged.

“Everyone, kill the Devourer Dragon as fast as you can! No pressure!” Tsutomu said and turned around, and upon seeing Explorers that were just arriving, flew toward them.

They were coming both by flying in the air and running on the ground. Tsutomu addressed them, amplifying his voice with his megaphone.

“Listen up! Close-ranged fighters, gather to your right! Long-ranged, to your left! You’ll only die if you don’t get into an organized formation!”

Some of the Explorers did not listen to Tsutomu’s instructions, but many of them were cooperative, being grateful for the healing they had received earlier. As such, most of them eventually got into a formation, preventing the thoughtless suicide attack scenario.

“The Devourer Dragon is currently in pursuit of the Shell Crab! Long-ranged Attackers will wait to ambush it on the Shell Crab’s escape path — be ready to fire off a big volley! Short-ranged Attackers will support them! Does this sound good for all of you!?”

Those with Attacker-type Jobs with long-ranged skills had low VIT, and many of them had been saved at a critical moment by Tsutomu’s healing. As such, they nodded in agreement. Tsutomu turned to Rook, who was riding on the Fire Dragon.

“Rook! Use the Fire Dragon to control where the Shell Crab goes next!”

Immediately, the Fire Dragon flew up high into the sky, carrying Rook and the other Summoners with it, and breathed out a stream of fire to signify its location. Tsutomu, elated to see the method work so well, pointed at the Fire Dragon and directed everyone to it.

“That way, people! You see the fire! Gather under there!”

“YEAHHHHHH!!”

Under Tsutomu’s order, all the Explorers moved as one like a wave toward the Fire Dragon. One after another, they flew into the sky, while those who could not do that simply ran on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Guild staff and Explorers with unique skills were dealing as much damage as they could. Tsutomu moved closer to the Devourer Dragon and explained the plan to those who were attacking it. On board with the plan, they nodded, and the Guild staff with long-ranged attack skills headed toward the Fire Dragon, in order to join up with the other Explorers. On the other hand, the close-ranged fighters and heavy hitters stayed where they were to continue attacking the Devourer Dragon directly.

“Don’t do anything reckless like trying to kill it before it gets there! Remember, safety comes first!”

“What the hell!? Sounds like a challenge to me!”

Whether intended or not, Tsutomu’s taunting seemed to have a positive effect on Leon, as apparent from how the latter was attacking the Devourer Dragon even faster than before. Similarly, the others stepped up their attacking game as well. Tsutomu facepalmed, regretting every word in his previous two sentences, while still casting <<Medic>> shots for everyone.

Fortunately for all, the Devourer Dragon’s eyes were fixed onto the fragrant, Magic Stone-topped Shell Crab; it kept crawling on its way, utterly unconcerned about being bombarded by the Attackers. Without the need to be careful of being attacked, the Attackers were practically competing among themselves. Tsutomu heaved a sigh, exasperated, and proceeded to shout,

“…Come on, dish out more damage! I wanna see those numbers! Tons of damage! Use your skills more! Don’t you want that MVP trophy!? Camille, use better skills! Stop spamming <<Power Slash>> and try something else!”

“Numbers…? And what trophies?”

Camille, although perplexed by Tsutomu’s ramblings, went on a rampage with the power boost from her <<Dragon Form>> and support from the band. The others were stepping up their game as well, and even though the Devourer Dragon was suffering more and more, all it did was continue chasing the nice-smelling Shell Crab.

“Bruno, you’re dealing the most damage right now! Camille, you’re second! Weiss is in third place! Better live up to your big words, Leon!”

“What!?”

Riled up by Tsutomu’s taunting, Leon swiped the blood off his blade, and held up his wolf ears, glowing faintly with the effects of his <<Gold Bless>>.

“Hehehe… still got room for improvement, eh, everyone?” Bruno laughed happily and continued to strike the Devourer Dragon with punches and kicks.

“I’m fine with second place, thanks.” Camille let out a sigh of relief and swung her greatsword down.

“……” Weiss said nothing, and only started swinging his swords faster.

“Tsutomu! What about me!?”

“You’re… eighth place! Try harder, Amy!”

“Gah! <<Dual Wave Slash>>!”

In response to Tsutomu’s assessment, Amy started swinging her blades in a wild dance. And with each swing, bladed shockwaves flew, splattering the Devourer Dragon’s back with fresh blood.

Now the situation’s deadlock was starting to unfold — and then the Shell Crab reached the Fire Dragon’s location. Explorers and Soldiers were waiting there, and they were ready to attack.

“Everyone! Retreat now! You wouldn’t want to be near this!”

Hearing Tsutomu say that, the close-ranged Attackers grumbled about not getting to finish off the Devourer Dragon, then quietly backed away. The Dragon’s breathing grew fainter by the second, but it managed to still maintain its crawling speed.

After confirming that Rook had already gone away, Tsutomu took a deep breath and shouted as hard as he could,

“FIRE!!”

Immediately following, the Fire Dragon blasted out a stream of fire, and the Explorers down below let loose their arrows and magic skills all at once. One after another, they landed on the already-weakened Devourer Dragon.

The Dragon’s crawling grew slower and slower, until it stopped altogether. And when the incessant wave of attack skills ended, it collapsed, laid its head on the ground, left its mouth agape, and ceased its breath.

There was a brief moment of silence. Then once a single person opened their mouth, more and more did.

“YEAHHHHHH!!”

All the Explorers raised a victory shout. This time, the Devourer Dragon was dead for good, taken down by everyone’s combined efforts.