Tsutomu raised his head, while the newspaper staff began handing out stacks of documents to each member of each Clan. The neatly arranged papers contained all of the materials that Tsutomu was going to explain today.
âFirst, an explanation of long-range skills. Please refer to page two of your handouts as we go.â
As Tsutomu prepared to go over his original copy of the documents, the participants opened up the pages of their handouts, filling the room with sounds of flipping paper. Tsutomu proceeded to grab his Status Card from the table on the stage, then he headed to where members of Ealdred Crow were sitting.
âContrary to the initial assumptions of many, the healing skills shots I use is not a Unique Skill. Here is my Status Card â feel free to confirm what I have on the Skill section.â
After all three Clans got a look, Tsutomu took his Status Card back and went back onto the podium. Having seen the section listing Tsutomuâs skills, all were surprised to learn that his level and status ratings were relatively low. Most of the people in this room had already reached level 70, the highest that those who had reached the sixtieth later were allowed. On Tsutomuâs side, and with the exception of Camille, it had not been that long since Garm and Amy had gotten past the Shell Crab. In other words, they had prevailed over the Fire Dragon not only with teams of three, but also with an average level of lower than sixty.
All that went to show how important long-range skills and the three-role party composition were. The two Clans exploring Godâs Dungeon were now eager to hear what information Tsutomu had to share.
âI think you all should understand now that the skill shots I use arenât anything special â that any White Mage is able to perform a long-range <<heal>>. You will still get higher restorative power from the direct contact variety, but the long-distance form of it is effective enough. That is what White Mages have to first keep in mind. AlsoâŚâ</heal>
Tsutomu held up his white staff and cast <
Theyâd had no problem with that outcome as long as their teams could update their layer progress and defeat Layber Bosses. In fact, even dead party members would get their progress updated when the others reached a new layer, so there was virtually no loss on their part if their equipment were retrieved.
For the past few years, however, White Mage had started to feel unsatisfied with having to witness their parties reaching new layers and defeating boss monsters through Monitors. Although they received praise from their allies upon their return through the Black Gate, resentment would naturally build up as the same thing happened again and again. And although they had gotten used to being killed by monsters, there were some who had been traumatized from repeatedly going through the experience.
Moreover, the one bringing their ally back to life would end up being the first to die out of the run, in turn getting less screen time on the Monitors, resulting in them not making a lasting impression on the spectators. Equipment manufacturers would not get good advertisement from those who died first, and not to mention them not using any tools nor potions â needless to say, they could not expect to get a sponsor. In fact, when the Scarlet Devil Squad had defeated the Fire Dragon, the Attackersâ had gotten their faces remembered by the crowd, while the Healer lady had been remembered by the Dungeon Maniacs and had not gotten any sponsorship deals.
But it could not be denied how useful the role of sacrificing oneself to revive a party member was for progressing through layers and getting past bosses. As such, White Mages could not simply quit, and had to settle for muddling through with their prestige-less jobs.
From the podiumâs point of view, most of the White Mages in the room were listening intently to Tsutomu, who continued to speak with a voice full of emotion,
âAnd that is why I donât think White Mages are currently getting the best they deserve in ways of strategic utility. The Job is not just for reviving allies.â
The last statement prompted many of the White Mages to either look down or remain silent. But among them, one voiced a different opinion.
ââŚSo youâre saying that weâve been doing things the wrong way?â Golden Tuneâs White Mage, a young woman with yellow-furred fox ears, spoke in an oddly high-pitched voice and stood up from her seat to stare straight at Tsutomu.
That did not necessarily mean she was satisfied with the current situation â when they had been tossed around by the waves of Potion Fish on the fortieth layer, theyâd had to desperately search for a way to survive. That had resulted in the Healer having to resort to the specialized support-and-revive role. Having felt denied of that achievement by the statement, she could not help but speak up.
Moreover, she herself had performed her role with pride. She had no qualms whatsoever about sacrificing herself to bring back her Clan Leader, and even if she would have to keep doing it, she was fine with it as long as she got to stay in the Clanâs main party.
âI wouldnât say that, so. I havenât been around back when White Mages were almost rendered obsolete by Potions, you see, so I am not fully aware of all the efforts you have been making. As such, Iâm not qualified to find fault in the ways youâve been doing things. You are free to perform your roles as you have always done, of course, as long as you understand what they actually entail.â
ââŚThe way you say it sounds like you think we donât understand.â
âWhat? Well, do you?â
Tsutomu, eyes wide open, looked on with genuine surprise at Golden Tuneâs White Mage. The latter let her eyes wander for a brief moment before talking back to Tsutomu,
ââŚOf course.â
âHuh? For realâŚ? By the way, what about the others? What do you all think? Oh, sorry for going off-topic. But itâs something that needs clarification, so please stay with me here,â Tsutomu apologized in advance and questioned the opinions of the other White Mages.
In response, Ealdred Crowâs White Mages stood up in quick succession.
âNo way in hell she does! Sheâs just able to put up with it because sheâs devoted to her Leader, I say! Well, it ainât the same for me!â
âThatâs right! I donât even get to go through a Black Gate these days! Thatâs no joke, you know!â
âEven the armor stores donât want to sell us stuff anymore, spewing bull like âbecause we die right awayâ! And theyâve got money from fans and sponsors! But not us â we donât get any of that! Not even a fair share of rewards, for Godâs sake!â
âOh, so you do have complaints. Good.â
Tsutomu was relieved to see the other White Mages, mainly of Ealdred Crows, begin to vent the anger they had harbored; he gave them some time to make the statement they needed. The othersâ words seemed to have struck a chord, the two White Mages of Golden Tune kept silent, while the Attackers were clearly uncomfortable.
The Attackers were aware at least in some way that Healersâ earnings were lower than their own, but they couldnât bring themselves to say it out loud. That had been worrying for their White Mage allies and listening to their complaints, but all that had only resulted in the true issue being glossed over; after all, everyone naturally did things in the best interest of their own selves.
âAnd with the introduction of the Tank role, Knight-type Jobs now have an alternative to trying to dish out firepower that they may or may not have. Please do consider giving it a try.â
ââŚWhat the hell? Now youâre talking like weâre the bad guys. Weâve been the ones getting things done, you know.â
Ealdred Crowâs Attacker crossed his arms, showing dissatisfaction toward Tsutomuâs manner of speaking. This particular individual was the Clanâs ace Attacker, who had distinguished himself as the leader of his party from layers forty to fifty-nine.
âLook, I can understand Healers â Wasteland, Beach, Valley, theyâre useful everywhere. But Tanks? With their low STR? Those Knights arenât even fit to be Explorers in the first place.â
ââŚWhy donât you just fight the Fire Dragon with the same party as before, then? Should go without a hitch, right? Not that I know what your Clan Leader thinks about this, though.â
âNow, Sova, please do shut up for a moment,â the child-like Clan Leader promptly reprimanded his Attacker upon seeing how Tsutomu was narrowing his eyes.
In response, the Attacker reluctantly stopped his rant.
âBut I suppose the way I spoke did make it come off as me criticizing Attackers unfairly. That was not my intention at all. Attackers, Healers, Buffers, Tanks â I think they are all essential parts of a party, and all I wanted was to get the information across. In fact, I do think that if done properly, everyone here would be able to defeat the Fire Dragon with relative ease. Once again, I hope that you would consider giving the three-role composition a try.â
ââŚâŚâ
It was a fact that Tsutomu had led a party of three with average levels of lower than sixty to defeat the Fire Dragon not only once, but twice; the Attacker could not argue against that.
âNext up is information regarding the Fire Dragon, I believe. First things firstââ
Tsutomu proceeded to share the information he had regarding the Fire Dragon â parts of which had been converted from his knowledge of the Live Dungeon game â after which the information session came to an end.