By the time the dust settled, the cameras had already done their job.
Tatsu did not realize he was famous until someone shoved a crystal recorder into his face.
"How do you feel about single-handedly containing the dungeon break?"
Tatsu blinked.
"I did not single-hand anything," he said honestly. "I mostly screamed directions."
The reporter's eyes sparkled."So you are the strategist."
Tatsu froze.
"…No."
Leonhart stepped forward smoothly, brushing debris from his coat. Fire flickered faintly around his fingers, just enough to look impressive.
"The situation required controlled incineration," he said calmly. "I provided that."
The crowd murmured.
Fridge Sama stood behind them, hands clasped behind his back, looking like he had accidentally walked into a farmer's market instead of a press conference.
A second reporter pointed at him.
"And you, sir. Your ice techniques were never registered in any known guild. Are you affiliated?"
Fridge Sama stared at the man for a full five seconds.
"No."
"Then what is your title?"
Fridge Sama considered it.
"…Cold."
The reporter hesitated."Cold… what."
"Yes."
Tatsu grabbed his own head.
"Please stop answering questions like that."
The adventurer captain pushed through the crowd.
"That dungeon should have required three teams," he muttered. "You cleared it in minutes."
Leonhart straightened slightly at that.
Fridge Sama tilted his head.
"It was slow," he said.
The captain twitched.
Tatsu leaned in. "He means thank you."
"I do not," Fridge Sama replied.
More questions flew.
"Are you forming a guild?""Will you take dungeon contracts?""What rank are you?""Are you entering the regional circuit?"
Tatsu slowly backed away.
"…I preferred when monsters were the problem."
Leonhart, however, looked thoughtful.
"This changes things," he murmured.
Fridge Sama glanced at him."You are calculating."
Leonhart smirked faintly."Opportunity."
Tatsu groaned. "Oh no. The rich brain is activating."
Before anyone could press further, alarms blared again.
Not distant this time.
Close.
Every screen in the plaza flickered red.
SECONDARY DUNGEON BREACH DETECTEDUNSTABLE CLASSIFICATIONDO NOT ENGAGE WITHOUT S-RANK CLEARANCE
The crowd went silent.
The captain swore under his breath."That is inside the commercial district."
Leonhart's flame flared instinctively.
Fridge Sama sighed.
"Efficient scheduling," he said.
Tatsu looked at him.
"You are enjoying this."
"Yes."
The ground shook again.
A rift tore open across the skyline this time, suspended in midair between buildings. The distortion rippled outward like broken glass bending reality.
Something stepped through.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Organized.
Armored figures emerged in formation, black metal plating, glowing red eyes behind smooth masks. Each one carried identical polearms that hummed with unstable energy.
Tatsu swallowed.
"…Those are not dungeon goblins."
"No," Leonhart said quietly. "They are constructs."
The first construct raised its weapon.
A beam of condensed energy shot downward, slicing clean through a building's outer wall.
Screams echoed.
The captain barked orders immediately.
"Evacuate. Shields up."
Fridge Sama stepped forward.
"These are different," he said.
Tatsu blinked."Different bad or different funny."
"Different disciplined," Fridge Sama replied.
Leonhart's posture changed.
He was no longer showing off.
He was focused.
The constructs descended in unison.
Tatsu felt it instantly.
These were not beasts you could overwhelm with chaos.
They were precise.
"Formation," Tatsu said without thinking.
Leonhart glanced at him.
"Excuse me."
"They are moving in sync," Tatsu snapped. "Break that."
Fridge Sama nodded once.
"Correct."
Leonhart hesitated only half a second.
Then fire erupted outward—not wide, not dramatic, but targeted. He forced two constructs apart, breaking their alignment.
Fridge Sama moved in that instant.
The temperature plummeted around one unit, frost crawling up its joints, locking its arm mid-swing.
The construct attempted to pivot.
Tatsu yelled, "Knee joint!"
Fridge Sama struck.
The construct shattered.
The others adjusted instantly.
Tatsu's heart jumped.
"They learn."
"Yes," Fridge Sama said calmly. "So do we."
A beam fired straight at Tatsu.
Leonhart stepped in front of him without hesitation, flame condensing into a tight shield that absorbed most of the blast.
He staggered.
Tatsu grabbed his shoulder."You good."
Leonhart gritted his teeth."I am fine."
Fridge Sama's eyes narrowed slightly.
He stepped forward.
The air froze—not wildly, not explosively—but in controlled zones around each construct, slowing their coordination.
Leonhart surged forward, weaving heat through the frozen air in precise arcs.
The clash of cold and flame distorted the space between them, destabilizing the constructs' weapons.
Tatsu kept shouting.
"Left flank drifting.""Rear unit charging.""Center about to fire."
For the first time, Leonhart did not argue.
He followed the calls.
The last construct attempted to retreat back into the rift.
Fridge Sama extended his hand.
The rift itself froze.
Leonhart incinerated its edges.
The distortion snapped shut violently.
Silence followed.
Debris fell from rooftops.
The plaza was quiet again.
Tatsu exhaled shakily.
"…Okay. That was worse than the Tower."
Leonhart straightened slowly.
"Those were not random dungeon monsters."
"No," Fridge Sama said. "They were sent."
Tatsu blinked.
"Sent by who."
Fridge Sama looked at him.
"Mystery is for the season finale."
Tatsu groaned loudly.
"You said we were not doing mystery."
"We are not," Fridge Sama replied. "We are doing violence."
Leonhart let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
Sirens wailed again in the distance.
The captain approached them slowly.
"That was not a standard breach," he said quietly. "And someone out there is testing the city."
Leonhart looked at the shattered constructs.
Tatsu looked at the rift residue still fading in the sky.
Fridge Sama turned away calmly.
"Then let them test," he said.
The cold in his voice made even the captain swallow.
Because this time,the dungeon had not been random.
And something out there had just realizedthey were not the only monsters in the city.