Chapter 249: Lorena the Bullfighter

Chapter 249: Lorena the Bullfighter

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Tsutomu spent some time watching the Monitors and chatting with Lorena, then bought some Dungeon Maniac-written newspapers before heading back to the Clan House.

“Welcome back!” Ollie’s apprentice greeted with a flustered expression.

She then hurriedly dusted off the corners where the grime had accumulated. It seemed Ollie had already pointed out some of her cleaning errors, and she was now bustling around, quickly cleaning the Clan House. Ollie, too, had wrapped a cloth around her mouth and was busy tidying up.

Tsutomu offered an encouraging smile and headed to the living room. Amy, who had been chatting idly with Diniel on the sofa, perked up her white cat ears upon seeing him.

“Where were you, Tsutomu!? I didn’t even notice when you finished the inspection!” She asked.

“Oh, sorry, I just went to check out the Pedestals.”

“Whoa, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were an addict! Oh, by the way, I had a little chat with the Guild Master, and she said she’ll be visiting the Clan House later today. Is that all right?”

“Sure, why not? Also, today and tomorrow are days off, so feel free to do as you like.”

“Yay~~!”

“Yay~~”

As Amy and Diniel raised their hands up in celebration, Tsutomu turned away and spoke to Hannah, who lay face down, stretching her blue-feathered wings leisurely.

“Do you know where everyone else went?”

“Hmm... Sir Garm and Daryl went to the orphanage, I think. Xeno went home to see his wife, and Amira went somewhere with the Guild Master. I think the rest are probably still here.”

“Thanks.”

“Lemme guess, Teach... you’re going to the Pedestals again?”

“Nah, I’ll take it easy for the rest of the day. The mid-tier Clans are the only ones showing up for now, anyway. I can just get the updates from the Dungeon Maniacs later.”

Tsutomu showed Hannah the Dungeon Maniacs’ newspapers he had, prompting the latter to twist her mouth in mild displeasure.

Hannah proceeded to preen her wings’ feathers, putting her in an awkward position. Tsutomu promptly averted his gaze and climbed the stairs to his room. He took a deep breath of relief as he surveyed the unchanged interior, feeling a sense of reassurance. Placing the stack of newspapers on his desk, he threw himself onto the bed and closed his eyes for a moment.

Then, opening his eyes decisively, Tsutomu got up and sat in a wooden chair to start reading the Dungeon Maniacs’ articles.

[Huh, I expected people to feel the need to restrain themselves because of the Stampede, but they’ve actually made quite a bit of layer progress overall.]

Given his experiences, Tsutomu wasn’t particularly disturbed by seeing articles that rated Lorena higher than himself as a Healer.

Previously, Dungeon Maniacs’ newspapers had listed Tsutomu, Stephanie, and Lorena as the top three Healers. However, with Tsutomu and Stephanie absent, Lorena had significantly raised her profile, and now the articles reflected her as the highest-rated Healer.

[Heh, Stephanie would probably go ballistic if she saw this article.]

Tsutomu thought with a hint of amusement, smiling at the thought. But then the image of Stephanie, whose demeanor had become somewhat disturbing as of late, going into a frenzy made him quickly retract his smile.

Tsutomu often saw reflections of his past self in Stephanie. She had, like him before, focused solely on God’s Dungeon, discarding other interests to achieve what she deemed true strength. From what Tsutomu observed, she was constantly practicing her skills and was one of the most frequent Explorers of God’s Dungeon. It was likely that she was exerting a similar level of effort behind the scenes.

Despite Stephanie’s sometimes unsettlingly intense gaze, Tsutomu couldn’t bring himself to avoid her. He didn’t sense any malice from her, so he allowed her to pursue her way.

As for Lorena, Tsutomu admired her unique approach to her role as a Mobile Healer. He had tried to replicate her high-speed style and strategy using <<Fly>>, but had yet to succeed. As such, he was quite impressed how a Healer like her had the ability to perform such a role effectively.

[I really should come up with something to show off, too...]

While Tsutomu supported Stephanie and Lorena, he had no intention of being overshadowed by them as a Healer. Yet, to make the Dungeon Maniacs and the audience believe he could match or surpass them, he needed to ensure that his party faced dire situations where his skills could shine.

Stephanie had repeatedly saved her party from crises during the Bolseyer battle, and Lorena had demonstrated similar prowess in the Fire Dragon and Winter General fights. For the audience, a Healer’s ability to revive and stabilize the party became a crucial showcase of their skill, and Tsutomu had also been recognized for his efforts in the Mount Golem battle.

However, Tsutomu had seldom been in situations where he needed to revive his party, unlike Stephanie and Lorena, whose frequent comebacks had left a stronger impression.

[At the end of the day, keeping all party members alive is ideal, but the audience doesn’t always see the finer details. The Dungeon Maniacs sometimes appreciate that, at least...]

Tsutomu believed that if a Healer allowed party members to die, they were only second-rate. With proper monster countermeasures, high-quality equipment, and well-coordinated Tanks and Attackers, a skilled Healer should be able to prevent deaths altogether.

Of course, Stephanie and Lorena were dealing with monsters unfamiliar to them, so their situation was understandable. However, Tsutomu found it unacceptable if he were to let party members die in situations that were avoidable with his knowledge of Live Dungeon.

[And I myself don’t want to die, either. It’s not worth taking unnecessary risks.]

Tsutomu was determined not to die at any cost and had no desire to risk his life by taking on the dangerous task of reviving his party. Preventing deaths in the first place was the real challenge.

Yet, the opinions of the audience and Dungeon Maniacs still bothered him. Being seen as inferior to Stephanie and Lorena was troubling, especially given his role as their mentor. However, he saw no reason to increase his own risk just to prove himself.

Caught in this dilemma, Tsutomu saw another article in which the Dungeon Maniacs praised his students, feeling a mix of joy and frustration.

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