Live Dungeon! – Chapter 28, Placement-type Skills

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Translator: invichan

Editor: Silavin

Translator (December 13, 2024 Version): Barnnn

 

The following morning, the team busied themselves with preparations, replacing Garm’s damaged equipment and gathering tools designed to counter the Fire Dragon. With their supplies restocked and the lessons from their review meeting fresh in their minds, they set out once more for the fifty-seventh layer.

 

Their objective was simple: find the Black Gate down without attracting the notice of monsters. Under Camille’s guidance, they navigated the Canyon’s terrain with deliberate precision.

 

Though they faced the occasional stray arrow loosed by Orcs, their progress remained largely unhindered, and before long, they reached the Black Gate. The fifty-eighth layer proved similarly manageable, marred only by a brief clash with a Wyvern before they pressed onward to the fifty-ninth.

 

“…We’re here,” Camille said quietly.

 

The fifty-ninth layer carried a certain weight Camille had long avoided — years ago, she had chosen not to face the Fire Dragon that awaited on the next layer, fearing the encounter would leave unresolved regrets as she took on her role as Guild Master, a title she inherited after her husband’s untimely death. Now, she stood on the brink of a challenge she could no longer postpone.

 

It had been three long years since her husband’s illness claimed him, leaving her to bear the Guild’s burdens alone. Camille, while a formidable Explorer and a leader of unwavering integrity, lacked the finesse required for the intricate world of negotiations and management. Her struggles had frequently left her Deputy Guild Master to clean up the aftermath of administrative missteps.

 

The Guild, once a cornerstone of strength, had faltered under mounting pressure from powerful entities like the Solit Company — a dominant force in the media — and various merchant guilds. Rumors swirled, questioning Camille’s worthiness as Guild Master. Whispers suggested her Deputy, whose adept handling of negotiations and delicate diplomacy belied his meek demeanor, might be a more suitable leader.

 

Even Camille began to consider the idea of it. Titles had little meaning to her; she sought only to ensure the Guild’s success, honoring the legacy her late husband had left behind. Viewing the recent fake news incident as an opportunity, she had entrusted the role of Guild Master temporarily to her Deputy. If he thrived, she would have the option to step aside. If he faltered, she would return. Either way, Camille had resolved to do what was best for the Guild — she would even take a role as humble as a receptionist if she had to.

 

“Okay, that’s another task down,” Tsutomu said, setting his Magic Bag on the ground.

 

Thanks to Camille’s expert navigation, they had reached the fifty-ninth layer ahead of schedule. Now it was just around three in the afternoon, whereas the original plan was to be done by evening.

 

“Let’s start practicing with the tools for the Fire Dragon,” he proceeded to suggest, already rummaging through his bag.

 

From within, he pulled an array of items: transparent cylindrical bottles, a sturdy iron hammer, and fireproof coats woven from crimson threads.

 

The bottles, containing tiny gray insects encased in hard shells, were particularly crucial. These larval creatures, gathered from Dungeons outside the city, had a peculiar defense mechanism: when shaken violently, they exploded in a flash of searing light. Known as Flash Bottles, these bottles were a staple in hunts against the Fire Dragon, capable of temporarily blinding the beast.

 

The strategy was simple yet risky. Once a Flash Bottle disoriented the Dragon, one among them would wield the hammer to shatter the green crystal embedded in its forehead — a gem roughly the size of a human fist.

 

This crystal was the key to the Fire Dragon’s power. Its immense frame, capable of flattening a person in a single blow, could not take flight with wings alone. The crystal channeled a wind-based energy, akin to Tsutomu’s <<Fly>> skill, granting the beast its flight. Its wings, while powerful in their own right, only served to help control that power. Without the crystal, the Fire Dragon could no longer soar, limited instead to gliding.

 

“Here.” Tsutomu handed Camille and Garm the red hooded coats, the firm fabric coarse to the touch. “The sizes should fit just right.”

 

“Red-thread Fire Coats…” Garm held up his coat, his sharp eyes inspecting the craftsmanship. “How much did these set us back?”

 

“Five Large Magic Stones apiece, second-hand. They’re in high demand right now.”

 

“The market price is three,” Garm pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

 

Tsutomu shrugged. “That was the best I could find. It’s fine — we have the funds to spare.”

 

He wasn’t about to skimp on survival essentials. The Fire Dragon’s breath attack was an infernal onslaught — unrelenting in range, speed, and intensity. Even with sharp instincts and quick reflexes, there were moments when dodging would be impossible due to positioning. Cutting corners on protection against such a force would be reckless.

 

The Fire Dragon’s flames were deadly enough to kill instantly unless one’s VIT was at least a B-. For someone like Tsutomu, with a VIT of D+, survival hinged on the quality of his equipment. These coats, woven from Firehound leather and Red Spider thread, provided a critical buffer, allowing even those with lower natural endurance to withstand the Dragon’s breath, provided they were at full health.

 

Tsutomu recalled the apprentice boy at the clothing store’s reception desk, who had tried to gouge him, assuming he couldn’t afford the coats. The boy’s shock had been evident when Tsutomu produced fifteen high-grade Large Magic Stones without hesitation and specified the sizes. Despite being second-hand, the coats were nearly flawless in fit and their functionality was worth it.

 

“If you can’t dodge the Dragon’s breath, pull the hood up, curl into a ball, and turn your back to the attack,” Tsutomu instructed, crouching down and demonstrating the maneuver. “The coat will absorb most of the impact that way. Just be careful — if easily gets torn by claws or sharp objects.”

 

Camille and Garm mimicked the motion, repeating it until their movements were fluid and instinctive.

 

“The breath attack has a clear tell. You’ll see the Dragon’s throat start to glow faintly, followed by an inhaling motion. That’s your signal. There are other attacks to watch for, but we’ll cover those after today’s exploration. For now, prioritize avoiding the fire breath. When I call ‘breath incoming,’ perform the defensive action immediately.”

 

“Understood.”

 

“Breath incoming!” Tsutomu barked without warning.

 

All three of them reacted instantly, hoods up and crouched in defensive positions. Tsutomu gave an approving nod, impressed by their swift execution.

 

“I’ll store the coats for now,” he said, carefully folding and packing them into his Magic Bag. “We’ll only use them when necessary — tears or scratches could be a real issue before the fight even begins.”

 

With the coats safely tucked away, Tsutomu held up a translucent bottle. Inside, tiny gray insects stirred faintly within their hard shells.

 

“When I shout, ‘throwing flash,’ close your eyes,” he instructed. “I’ll smash the bottle three seconds later.”

 

The Flash Bottles were yet another holdover from his gaming days, a familiar tool for exploiting the Fire Dragon’s weakness to sudden bursts of light. In Live Dungeon, players had used these to immobilize the creature repeatedly, a technique dubbed “flash-locking,” allowing their Attackers to deal continuous damage.

 

But Tsutomu knew from the Monitor broadcasts that those tactics wouldn’t work here. This Fire Dragon wasn’t the mindless beast he had faced in the game. It had intelligence — a cunning that rendered Flash Bottles effective only once. Any subsequent attempts would fail as the Dragon adapted.

 

Even so, he had purchased over a dozen of the bottles, reserving some for practice. There might yet be a chance to catch the Dragon off guard, and Tsutomu was determined to be ready when that moment came.

 

“For practice, we’ll use the Flash Bottles in a few regular fights as well. Again, if you hear me shout ‘throwing flash,’ make sure to shut your eyes immediately.”

 

“…Isn’t that a bit extravagant?” Garm asked, his brow furrowing.

 

“At 200,000 Gold per bottle? Absolutely,” Tsutomu admitted with a sheepish grin. “But we’ve got this.” He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, mimicking the universal gesture for wealth.

 

“What are you, some kind of nouveau riche?”

 

Garm exhaled heavily, his disapproval tempered by a begrudging smirk. Camille shot Tsutomu an equally unimpressed glance.

 

“Moving on…” Tsutomu continued, ignoring their reactions. “Let’s focus on leveling up while gearing up for the Fire Dragon. Oh, and Camille — when you’re in <<Dragon Form>> later, I’d like to try something. Be prepared for another round with <<Haste>>.”

 

“You’re still hung up on that?”

 

“Just one last test, I promise! If it doesn’t work, I’ll drop the idea completely.”

 

“Fine, fine,” she relented with a wave of her hand. “Do whatever you like.”

 

Tsutomu gave a little bow of gratitude, earning a chuckle from Camille. Pulling her greatsword free from the ground, she accepted a <<Fly>> spell from him and ascended into the sky to scout the area.

 

　――▽▽――

 

The skies teemed with Wyverns, forcing Tsutomu to remain grounded as he directed the battle. Garm held the front line, keeping five Orcs and two Wyverns at bay. His careful positioning ensured no stray attack would reach Tsutomu or disrupt Camille.

 

Above, Camille fought in <<Dragon Form>>, her wings propelling her as she engaged a Wyvern. Her greatsword whistled through the air as she aimed for the creature’s wings, but the Wyvern’s wild movements allowed it to evade her strikes with ease.

 

While lacking a Dragon’s ability to breathe fire, Wyverns proved dangerous in their own right. Their venom-barbed tails lashed out with precision, each strike intended to immobilize their prey. The Wyvern lunged, its barbed tail cutting through the air in a vicious arc. Anticipating the attack, Camille twisted sharply, avoiding the venomous spikes by a hair’s breadth.

 

As the creature surged forward, feet aimed at her face, she met its charge head-on, deflecting its talons with her greatsword. The force of the block sent the Wyvern staggering off balance. Wasting no time, Camille drove her blade into its exposed flank, her strength forcing the steel deep into its flesh. A fountain of blood sprayed, splattering onto her arm.

 

“<<Enchant Flame>>,” she whispered, and the greatsword erupted in fire.

 

The Wyvern let out a bloodcurdling shriek as flames consumed it from within. Camille released the weapon, retreating swiftly as the creature’s tail lashed in blind desperation.

 

Suddenly, a second Wyvern’s tail spikes flew through the air, piercing the first Wyvern. The dying creature collapsed, its body already disintegrating into particles of light. The second Wyvern, its intent clear, glided toward Camille.

 

The scales along Camille’s neck glowed faintly as she took a deep breath, and then a moment later, she exhaled a torrent of flames toward her adversary. The Wyvern shrieked as the flames engulfed it completely, its wings ablaze as it spiraled to the ground in a lifeless heap.

 

With both opponents dispatched, Camille retrieved her greatsword from the first Wyvern’s dissipating remains before turning her focus to the Orcs harassing Garm. With a powerful slash, she cleaved through one of the creatures, splitting it from shoulder to hip. Pivoting fluidly, she struck three others with the flat of her blade, sending them sprawling. One of the fallen Orcs dissolved into particles of light, leaving behind a glowing Magic Stone. Camille hesitated for a brief moment, her blade still mid-swing.

 

“Ah, she’s learning to control herself,” Tsutomu murmured with approval. “Good instincts.”

 

Lifting his staff, he sent a targeted <<Heal>> wisp to Garm’s wounded arm. Then, as Camille methodically pursued the remaining Orcs, Tsutomu cast <<Fly>> on himself, rising to a vantage point where he could oversee the fight and lend support as needed.

 

As usual, Camille’s movements were nothing short of phenomenal, bordering on superhuman. Syncing her strikes with Garm’s positioning, balancing aggro control, and economizing mental energy for consistent skill casting was a monumental task for anyone — But for Tsutomu right now, he was having an especially hard time keeping up with her. Coordinating buffs and heals to align with her breakneck speed felt nearly impossible.

 

[If even quickshots can’t keep up with her…]

 

Tsutomu tightened his grip on his staff and swung it downward. Energy coursed through him and into the earth, creating a glowing, ethereal patch of blue light on the path Camille was charging toward.

 

[…then I’ll just set them in place.]

 

This was the plan he’d conceived during the late hours of the previous night: stationary support skills. Instead of tracking Camille with the standard wisps or quickshot-style buffs, he would place them directly in her path. She would pass through the glowing pick-ups naturally, activating their effects instantly. The advantage, he had theorized, was twofold: zero travel delay and no wasted duration.

 

The moment Camille stepped into the radiant orb, her speed surged dramatically. She became a crimson blur, her enhanced movements almost impossible to follow. The Orcs had no time to react. Her blade cut through them like a whirlwind — in a single stroke, she severed one Orc’s arm, then pivoted to cleave another in half. Their bodies crumpled and dissolved into light, leaving only Magic Stones in their wake.

 

The <<Haste>> aura held strong, propelling Camille through the remaining enemies. When the last Orc collapsed, Tsutomu noted with satisfaction that the effect had lasted around forty seconds — slightly shorter than the regular wisp version but still viable.

 

This placement-type strategy, he realized, had potential. It allowed Camille to maintain her offensive momentum without the need for Tsutomu to constantly adjust to her erratic movements. Her damage output had increased, and the hits she took were fewer.

 

Just as he was mulling over these promising results with a faint smile, a new threat emerged. Nine Kungfu-garoos bounded into view, their movements deceptively nimble. With their cartoony kangaroo-like build, they might have seemed harmless, even endearing — but their ferocity in melee combat was not to be underestimated. One strike from their legs could snap a human neck with ease.

 

The creatures even came with their own twisted lore. While Explorers never found live offspring in their pouches, high-purity Magic Stones were occasionally retrieved. However, as monsters disappeared upon death in God’s Dungeon, unlike those in other Dungeons, the challenge lay in searching their pouches mid-battle — a daunting task when the monsters could eviscerate anyone reckless enough to get close.

 

Of the nine Kungfu-garoos present, seven rushed Garm, their aggression drawn to his taunts, while two others closed in on Camille. As Camille darted forward to meet her foes, Tsutomu deployed another <<Haste>> pick-up in her anticipated path…

 

“Oh no.”

 

…But Camille suddenly sidestepped, narrowly dodging a charge from one of the monsters. Her sharp maneuver took her out of the orb’s range. Tsutomu’s heart sank as he realized the aura now hovered directly in the Kungfu-garoo’s path.

 

The creature stepped into the glowing orb, its already formidable movements accelerating. With blinding speed, it lunged at Camille, delivering a punishing punch to her chest that forced her to stagger back, coughing from the impact. Another Kungfu-garoo wasted no time, launching a high kick aimed at her head. Camille managed to evade the worst of it, but the monster’s claws grazed her cheek, leaving a thin, bloody line.

 

“<<Protect>>! <<Heal>>!” Tsutomu hurried to refresh Garm’s defensive buff and patch up his left hand before apologizing profusely. “Camille, I’m so sorry!”

 

As the enhanced Kungfu-garoo’s <<Haste>> effect faded, Camille reclaimed control of the fight with relentless efficiency. In short order, she dispatched both the boosted monster and the other target.

 

Then, for a moment, her transformed gaze turned on Tsutomu. Though Camille wasn’t fully conscious of her instincts in <<Dragon Form>>, the sheer force of her glare sent a chill down his spine. The primal intensity in her Dragon-like eyes, slitted pupils gleaming with reptilian ferocity, froze him in place.

 

Tsutomu’s breath hitched, but he forced himself to focus. The mistake had been costly — but it wasn’t enough to derail his experiment. Shaking off the fear, he set another <<Haste>> orb directly in her path, taking extra care to ensure its placement was flawless.

 

Camille barreled forward, stepping into the glow. The boost reignited her speed, turning her into a whirlwind of destruction. The remaining Kungfu-garoos barely had time to react before falling one by one, overwhelmed by her devastating strikes.

 

Once her foes were vanquished, Camille turned her attention to the monsters harrying Garm. With her <<Dragon Form>> amplifying her strength and Tsutomu’s buff reinforcing her movements, the multi-wave battle ended without further incident. Tsutomu released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He cast a <<High Heal>> on Garm, restoring him to full health.

 

Then, Camille, reverting from her <<Dragon Form>>, thrust her greatsword into the ground and stormed toward Tsutomu. Tsutomu started backing away — then, as she closed the distance with alarming speed, he turned and ran as fast as he could.

 

“What’s wrong, Tsutomu? Why are you running!? Why are you running!?”

 

“Why am I running!? WHY AM I RUNNING!? You’re terrifying when you’re mad! I’m sorry, okay? I messed up! I’m so, so sorry!”

 

“I didn’t mean that! I already told you — the <<Dragon Form>> triggers my instincts! That glare wasn’t intentional!”

 

“Yeah, but — I don’t trust that! Not when you’re STILL CHASING ME! Stay away!”

 

Tsutomu, weaker in physical status ratings and lacking her stamina, barely made it a few more steps on his desperate sprint before Camille caught up. With one swift motion, she grabbed the collar of his robe, yanked him backward, and sent him tumbling to the ground.

 

Pinned beneath her weight as she straddled his back, Tsutomu flailed weakly, his protests muffled against the dirt. Nearby, Garm remained unaware — of both the placement-type skill and what it had caused — as he was busy collecting Magic Stones from the defeated Kungfu-garoos. Once he finally saw what Tsutomu and Camille were up to, his reaction was a slight surprise — only by how close they seemingly had gotten.

 

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