Chapter 24: Ryo, Chatting, and a Dungeon Lecture

“Dungeons grant the benefit of superhuman abilities, but have you ever thought about why explorers go into dungeons in the first place?”

Ryo’s question left the viewers slightly puzzled.

The superhuman movements and battles of people diving into dungeons.
Scenes that felt far removed from everyday life.
Monsters that looked like they had leapt straight out of fiction.

Watching all of that was great entertainment, but few had ever considered the purpose of explorers who did not stream.

“First, when monsters are defeated inside dungeons, you obtain materials and drops, as well as minerals and plants found inside.
Those are processed in modern society into dungeon equipment and tools, and many other things as well, meaning ordinary people benefit from them without even realizing it.
For example, rare metals.
About half come from nature, like mountains and oceans, and about half are mined inside dungeons.
In other words, if explorers stopped mining rare metals in dungeons, smartphone prices could potentially double.”

Strictly speaking, metals obtained in nature and metals of the same type obtained in dungeons are not identical, but going into that would only complicate things, so Ryo skipped it.

: Seriously
: Didn’t know that
: Guess a lot of people didn’t
: People say stuff like “why waste money on reckless idiots” all the time

Watching the comments stir, Ryo continued.

“Of course, it’s not just rare metals.
Many other things are gathered and utilized.
Those are the positive aspects of dungeons.
But naturally, there are negative aspects as well.
Suppressing those negatives is also part of an explorer’s job.”

: Huh
: Negative aspects
: The danger and people dying
: The danger itself isn’t the negative
: There are worse downsides

“One of them is a phenomenon called ‘stray monsters.’
If monsters inside a dungeon are left undefeated for a long time, they can end up leaving the dungeon.
Normally, monsters do not leave the dungeon domain, but if a dungeon is neglected and people stop entering it, monsters will gradually spill out.
That’s why even dungeons with little profit still need regular monster culling.”

: They can leave the domain
: They absolutely do
: What happens then
: That becomes a Self-Defense Forces issue
: You’re saying fight them without superhuman buffs
: Some monsters can be handled with firearms

The additional explanations from active explorers were helpful.
Ryo added to that.

“If it’s low-level goblins or orcs, I think Moka-P and I could manage somehow, even outside the domain.”

: So Ryo and Moka-P are strong
: Being able to handle low-rank humanoids outside is rare
: Both impressive
: Heard martial artists can deal with low-rank humanoids

“But if something like a dragon comes out, we’d need tanks and fighter jets to do their best.”

: That makes sense
: Yeah
: That’s bad
: Seriously
: Why didn’t people know about this
: I had no idea
: Dragons versus tanks and jets
: Can those really handle it
: If you’ve seen overseas dragon footage, you know how bad it is

“By the way, all of this is written on the Dungeon Agency’s website, so if you have time, taking a look will deepen your understanding of dungeons and explorers.”

: Thanks for the awareness
: We get judged all the time
: Streamers complain about it sometimes
: Didn’t know the benefits or downsides
: People say dungeons should be abandoned and taxes wasted
: Some groups complain about cute monsters being killed

“Also, at the deepest part of a dungeon there’s either a core or a core monster, and destroying or defeating it causes the dungeon to slowly disappear.
Depending on the danger level, the Explorer Association may issue requests to destroy a core.
Conversely, dungeons that are low risk but rich in resources are sometimes actively protected.”

: Core destruction sounds rough
: Core monsters are basically bosses
: Ryo, have you fought a core boss

“I haven’t fought a core boss, but I have destroyed a core.
I did it solo while thinking I really shouldn’t be doing that alone, but somehow managed.
I’ve also encountered dungeons without cores.
Since no one knows how to make those disappear, the people involved are apparently at their wits’ end.”

: You did it solo
: There are dungeons without cores
: That bad
: Solo is reckless
: That’s a lot of information
: Ryo is seriously hardcore
: Do you dive privately too

“I do.
Lately I keep looking for monsters that seem edible.
A real-life friend keeps asking me.”

: A Dia fan maybe
: There are others like that
: Any other serious exploration work

“Not recently, but I’ve done advance surveys of new dungeons and core presence investigations for the guild before.”

: That’s legit hardcore
: Why are you even streaming
: You might be a younger senior
: Is the Explorer Association different from the guild

“They’re the same.
Explorer Association, shortened to Association.
The entertainment world calls it a guild, and that stuck with the public.
They all mean the same thing, so I don’t really pay attention.”

: I see
: Got it
: Can we clip this chat
: I want clips from this
: Especially the consommé part
: Is it okay

“Clips?”

As Ryo tilted his head, Moka-P immediately sent several comments.

[It’s fine to make clips.]
[That applies to both chatting and exploration streams.]
[We’ll deal with anything malicious.]
[As long as it leads people back to the original video, we’re not strict.]

“I don’t fully understand, but apparently that’s how it is.”

: Thanks
: That helps
: Clips are literally cutting out parts of a video
: Like five minutes of highlights from an hour

“Thanks for the explanation.
Does that actually mean something?”

: Sharing highlights
: Easier to show what kind of streamer you are
: Hard to recommend long videos
: People become fans from clips
: You want to share what’s fun
: Some streamers ban or restrict it though
: So permission helps
[Moka-P] I’ll summarize the clip rules somewhere later
[Moka-P] Rules may change, so keep an eye on them
: Got it
: OK
: Roger

“I think I get it, at least vaguely.”

At the very least, the people watching now seemed well-mannered.
They were asking for permission even for things they could probably do without asking.

“Anyway, I’ve been rambling about dungeons, but do you have any questions?”

: Are there rare monsters like in games

“Rare monsters?
Do you mean rare individuals or named ones?”

: That
: Yeah
: They do exist
: Explorers reacting badly

“Like violent black locusts born among swarms, those do exist.
They’re called rare individuals.
They’re usually stronger and more aggressive than normal ones, so I usually run away when I encounter them.
But I do wonder… are they tasty?”

: That way of thinking is corrupted
: Would you capture them if they look tasty

“I’d like to try eating bird-type rare individuals.”

: Birds
: Ryo loves chicken

“Anyway, it’s not really a lucky encounter like in games.
Some are about three times stronger than the original.”

: In games you’d just laugh at a wipe
: This is real life
: That’s why explorers reacted badly
: Makes sense

“If the Sharkdile Dia encountered had been a rare individual, she wouldn’t have escaped, and I might not have made it in time.”

: Seriously
: Yikes
: That’s life-or-death
: Watching streams makes you forget how dangerous dungeons are

“While we’re at it, shall I talk about named ones?”

: They exist
: Not core monsters

“Among rare individuals, some are even rarer, or have special changes, scars, or markings, so explorers give them names.
There’s one in the Musashi Kokufu Ruins Dungeon I explored recently.
I haven’t heard of it being defeated yet, so it’s somewhere there.
I didn’t think it was in that area, so I explored normally.”

: What
: It’s there
: What kind

“In another area there’s a bipedal duck-like monster called the Leek Mage.
The named one is a rare variant.
Normal ones are about 130 to 150 centimeters tall, but the named one exceeds two meters.”

: That’s huge
: Is it different from normal rares

“Rare Leek Mages are usually color variants.
But this one is just gigantic while looking like a normal one, so it’s called a special individual.
Its magic breaths are apparently far stronger than usual.”

: That’s scary
: Cute name, scary monster
: So named ones have proper names

“Yes.
It’s called ‘Great Leek Mage, Drake,’ and it’s on the guild’s wanted list.
If you bring proof of its defeat, you get a bounty.”

: I see
: Would you or other explorers hunt it
: Blacklist hunts aren’t worth it
: Rewards are low for the danger

“I agree.
Since I’m a minor, the reward would be reduced even more.”

: The protection law applies there too
: Didn’t know that

“It does.
It applies to all rewards gained by entering dungeons.
Blacklist hunts are the same.”

: Even barely surviving doesn’t help
: Being a minor explorer is rough

Even viewers who knew nothing seemed taken aback.
Ryo didn’t consider the law bad, though, so it was complicated.

“Anyway, Moka-P is showing me the cue to wrap up.”

: Already
: Learned a lot
: Thanks Ryo and explorers
: Explorers really protect our neighborhoods

“If this chatting stream made you even a little interested in the non-streaming side of explorers and dungeons, then talking seriously was worth it.”

That was honestly how Ryo felt.

: I agree
: People should know more
: About dungeons too
: A serious hardcore stream is refreshing
: Please do more serious chats

“I’m glad it was received better than expected.
I’ll talk about dungeons and explorers again sometime.”

Ryo bowed.

“Thank you for staying with me until the end.
Um… please subscribe, follow on social media, and all that stuff.”

: Still stiff at the end
: Awkward
: Kind of sloppy
: That’s just Ryo though

“Well then.”

: Bye
: That was fun
: See you

=== This stream has ended ===