Chapter 357: A Little Tease
The next morning, Hannah was brighter and bouncier than ever. She devoured her breakfast with her usual gluttony, then made her bold declaration.
"I’m gonna whip this sluggish body back into shape today!"
Seeing her so cheerful, no longer weighed down by memories of the Fenrir, Tsutomu allowed himself a relieved smile.
[Would’ve been a real mess if she’d crashed and burned after that…]
When he first learned that Hannah had fallen sick from the emotional toll of their encounter with Fenrir, Tsutomu had clicked his tongue internally and muttered, "Even an idiot can catch a cold, huh?" But no matter what he might have thought, he knew better than to blame a Clanmate for being ill. That lesson had been seared into him years ago… by none other than Live Dungeon.
It had been three years since he’d started playing. By then, he was a full-blown addict, sinking deeper and deeper into the life of a no-lifer. One of his older friends and fellow Clan member once messaged him, saying he couldn’t participate in the upcoming Time Attack tournament due to health issues.
Back then, Tsutomu could not comprehend why. He was the de facto core of an efficiency-focused Clan at the time; on top of coordinating raid strategies and managing party dynamics, he handled every tedious task required for the upcoming tournament. He was indisputably the busiest member of the Clan, and yet he had never once skipped a day of logging in. Even when running a fever, even during all-nighters that blurred into three-day marathons, he was always there.
So when his friend said he couldn’t play due to feeling under the weather, Tsutomu had been furious. He’d cornered him in chat, berating him relentlessly: "Why would you back out of a tournament over something so trivial?"
That friend, worn down by Tsutomu’s merciless pressure, ended up joining the tournament. The result… was a crushing loss. After that, the friend never logged in again. Tsutomu would later learn there were other reasons behind his departure, but there was no doubt that Tsutomu’s harsh words had been the final nail.