Chapter 12: Ryo and Streaming and the Sharkdile

Squish, squish—Ryo gently poked the strange, plump cheek of the sleeping Sharkdile.

“I-I might get addicted to this…!”

The texture was impossible to describe.

Knowing that overdoing it would wake the creature made it even more painful to restrain himself.

: Belly-up shark-croc…
: I was taken out by the sudden ASMR, but the shark is cute
: When I calm down, there’s a cute shark and a cute Ryo-chan, so I calm down
: You’re not fighting? This is boring
: Huh? That’s a Sharkdile?
: Ryo-chan poking it is cute, and the Sharkdile sleeping while being poked is cute
: A Sharkdile is cute…?
: It’s cute, so what?
: I’m about to fall in love with the Sharkdile

But its sleeping姿 was simply too charming.

It floated gently on its back, fins folded over its belly as if clasping its hands.

Its tail drooped limply, yet swayed from side to side now and then.

It was cute even with its mouth closed, but as Ryo kept poking its cheek, its mouth slowly opened, and its tongue lolled out lazily.

“I kind of want a chibi plush of this.”

At Ryo’s whispered comment, the listeners squirmed in agreement.

: True
: That sleeping face is too cute
: I want one
: Ryo-chin ASMR too
: Someone make it
: What exactly are we being shown
: ↑ Which part?
: Cute Sharkdile-chan
: Even asleep, getting this close-up is wild
: ↑ Both
: Cute Ryo-chan
: Please Ryo-chan sleeping-face too
: He’s taking so many photos lol
: Of course he is lol

“Hm? A snot bubble?”

Noticing it, Ryo quickly raised his phone.

: Instant reaction to the snot bubble lol
: It’s inflating lol
: Too cute lol
: You’re telling me someone wants to eat this adorable Sharkdile!?
: Eat it!? Why!?
: Dia-chan wants to eat it lol
: Who said anything about eating it?
: If it pops, will it wake up?
: It’s making snorting sounds lol
: You ate a cute cockatrice chick too though
: Dia-chan, seriously lol
: She’s going wild on Warbler
: The chick dissection was pure chaos
: Ryo-chan firing off photos with resolve lol

After taking his fill of photos, Ryo brought his mouth back to the drone’s microphone and whispered again.

“Seeing it with a snot bubble and its tongue hanging out was a first, so I got excited.

The skill’s effect is probably about to wear off, so I’m going to leave now.”

: Shivers
: Ryo
: Thanks for the detailed explanation
: OK
: This is productive
: Even when hyped, knowing when to pull back is nice
: Ryo
: He was totally absorbed in taking photos, yet he still tracked the skill duration
: OK

Watching Ryo’s movements and the state of the comments from outside the dungeon, Kaoru found himself thinking that maybe it was better not to make Ryo conscious of the comments going forward.

In truth, it was a difficult call.

From a fan and viewer perspective, being acknowledged by the streamer felt good.

In any case, Ryo left the sleeping Sharkdile behind and returned to the stairs, heading up to Floor 5.

“Come to think of it, this is where I ran into Dia-san being chased by a Sharkdile last time.”

: Thanks again for that, Ryo-chan
: Thanks to you, we didn’t have to see Dia-chan splattered
: Watching your oshi get splattered hurts
: I wanna see this guy splattered right now
: I don’t think I can get along with splatter-oshi people
: Thanks for saving Dia-chan

As Ryo climbed the stairs and spoke casually, thank-you comments followed.

He wasn’t reading them, but he continued while recalling that moment.

“Honestly, since Sharkdiles are monsters from Floor 6 onward, they’re not supposed to be on Floor 5, so that surprised me back then.”

: Dia-chan said that too
: An irregular case, huh
: Maybe you’ll run into one on the way back too
: Don’t raise flags lol
: You raised a fla— huh?
: Ah
: Oh
: What?
: Huh!?

The exit of the stair area came into view.

The drone captured the opening.

There—

“Why is it here?”

—another Sharkdile was swimming.

: There’s the flag
: Weren’t they not supposed to be on Floor 5?
: Isn’t this bad?
: Nah, if it’s Ryo-chan
: Splatter coming!?

Seeing this, Ryo made a troubled face.

“This is a problem.

Given its position, avoiding combat will be difficult.”

: It’s right in front of the exit
: Can you win?
: Don’t act tough
: Get eaten
: Ryo-chan, are you okay?

“So—”

Ryo drew a large knife and took a stance.

“I’ll take it down quickly.

Moka-P, be careful with the drone positioning.”

Then—

A feint, followed by an instant sidestep.

An attack to the eyes made it writhe, and after that, it was easy.

Using almost the same attack pattern as when he saved Dia, Ryo defeated it in an instant.

: Fast
: Seriously?
: Are Sharkdiles weak?
: That’s an unfamiliar fighting style
: They’re usually strong
: Come to think of it, he beat one when saving Dia-chan too
: Ryo-chan is strong
: His skill usage is interesting
: Shark too weak, boring
: Splatter fans, please leave

Ryo showed neither pride nor strain over the kill and suddenly looked up.

“Oh, right.

I haven’t checked my phone.”

The comment section filled with confusion at the sudden remark.

“Actually, Moka-P told me to check my phone sometimes in case he sent instructions during the stream.

I completely forgot.”

: Now you remember lol
: You’re basically heading home already lol
: The big fight is already over lol

“Oh, Dia-san wants to eat the Sharkdile?

Then I’ll take it back.”

Saying that, Ryo stroked the gemstone set into the simple bracelet on his left arm.

: Ryo-chan’s SAI is bracelet-type
: Bracelets are the least intrusive
: Rings get in the way when holding weapons
: What about necklaces or earrings?
: Having to touch them every time would be annoying

He then raised his left hand toward the fallen Sharkdile, and it was sucked into the gemstone in the bracelet and vanished.

The details of this candy-sized gemstone, called an SAI, remain unknown.

However, because it has the function of storing items as seen just now, it is essential equipment for explorers.

Among fans of manga and anime, it is often called dimensional storage.

Despite being no larger than a thumbnail, it can contain an entire Sharkdile, making its appearance and capacity wildly mismatched.

The principle is unknown, but needless to say, it is being researched worldwide.

So far, no country has been able to reproduce it.

In any case, when one gains explorer certification, the guild gives an SAI as a congratulatory gift, so explorers without one are rare.

Since it is provided as a gemstone, it is somewhat troublesome to commission a craftsman to turn it into jewelry.

Additionally, storage capacity varies, and you do not know how large it is until you use it, leading to many complaints.

They sure complain a lot for something given for free, Ryo thought, though he did not say it out loud.

“Moka-P, I don’t know what to do with this, so please check with Dia-san.”

: Passing the buck
: Do your best, Moka-P
: As a gourmet, this helps though lol
: Ryo-chan, are you coming to eat too?
: Huh? Are you collabing already?
: Don’t come, go away
: You go away
: A part of the chat is going wild…

“Oh, I got a Linker message from Moka-P.”

: Probably because you dumped it on him
: Getting scolded?
: A lecture?
: Kinda saw that coming

“‘Don’t casually toss diplomatic issues involving agency-affiliated streamers at me.

We’re an individual stream, and today is our debut as rookies.’

That’s what it says.”

: Scolding arrived
: That’s fair
: Knew it
: That’s fair
: Do your best, Moka-P
: Deserved
: True
: Exactly

“Well, staying here won’t help, so I’ll head back to the entrance.”

Just like on the way in, Ryo went full stealth again and safely returned to the entrance.