Chapter 372: Now a Changed Man
Tsutomu and his party finally reached the Black Gate that connected the ninety-ninth layer to the hundredth. After one last round of strategy checks, they opened the gate. Garm led the way through, followed in turn by the rest of the group. Only Tsutomu remained behind, lingering at the threshold. He drew a deep breath… then stepped forward at last.
On the other side, four figures stood with their eyes turned upward, scanning the leaden sky, anticipating that the boss monster would descend from above. Their calm presence gave Tsutomu a small measure of relief. As the others remained alert, he checked over his gear and Potions, going through the mental checklist he’d rehearsed countless times.
[Compared to what I had back then, this gear feels downright flimsy…] he thought.
Indeed, his current equipment was nowhere near as impressive as what he’d worn coming into this world. But those pieces had been forged from materials looted off the Corroded Elder Dragon and maxed out to the limit; wearing them into the hundredth layer would be outright cheating by game standards. Now, his set was a hybrid configuration, incorporating components from the Light and Darkness layers as well as the Ancient Castle. Altogether, it was more than sufficient to face the challenges ahead. And in terms of tools and support items, which hadn’t even existed in Live Dungeon, he wasn’t lacking in the slightest.
[More importantly… I’m not alone this time. And it’s not an unwinnable fight.]
Overhead, the silhouette of the Corroded Elder Dragon began its descent. Tsutomu promptly casts support skills toward Garm, Amy, and Amira. As the others moved into formation, he positioned himself near Daryl, who was nervously waiting in place. Seeing how Daryl’s black-furred tail was twitching with unease, Tsutomu gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.
"First, take a breath and just watch Garm. Learn from how he reacts to the attacks. And even if something goes wrong, your VIT’s high enough that you won’t die easily. There’s no need to worry so much."
"…Do I really look that nervous?"
"You sure do."