Chapter 6: Partner
“That was sixteen years ago.”
“After graduating from high school, I was working part-time at a convenience store.”
“That’s when I met my partner.”
“Your partner?”
“You have a partner besides me?”
Kasahata-san and Yae-chan both tilted their heads.
“I still use it.”
“This camera.”
I gently tapped the camera mounted on my head.
“It was being sold at a recycle shop for 100 yen on the day I got fired from my job.”
“I thought it had been thrown away.”
“Somehow it overlapped with how I felt after getting fired.”
“So I bought it.”
“I also bought a computer from the same recycle shop at that time.”
“And then what happened?”
“I want to hear this too.”
“I was looking for a theme for streaming because I wanted to start a channel.”
“Then a dungeon appeared in my backyard.”
“I see.”
“Mhm.”
“So I started streaming as an adventurer.”
“Getting the stream set up was a real hassle.”
“I had a neighbor help me configure everything.”
“Nowadays I rely on Yae-chan.”
“So you’re bad with technology.”
“That’s just Suguru-san’s charm.”
“It’s part of his personality.”
“When I learned that registering a dungeon could make good money, I went to the Association.”
“But when I told them the first weak monster was a slime and showed them the footage, they classified it as an F-rank dungeon.”
“Are they idiots?”
“Still, I can believe it.”
“The footage from this camera is rough.”
“The colors aren’t very clear either.”
“So no one noticed.”
“I have a question.”
“Didn’t other adventurers enter the dungeon?”
“They did.”
“But after landing one hit on a slime, it would run away.”
“They couldn’t defeat a single one even after spending all day there.”
“That gave the dungeon a terrible reputation.”
“It still has the lowest possible score on dungeon review sites.”
“Even though the entrance fee is only 100 yen.”
“In the end, nobody came anymore.”
“Those adventurers were blind.”
“A slime that runs away faster than anyone can catch it isn’t normal.”
“Then, after a year, I finally became able to defeat slimes.”
“Honestly, if there hadn’t been gathering points, I would’ve starved to death since slimes don’t drop any materials.”
I guided them to a gathering point.
Then I showed them how I mined iron ore.
“From what I can see, the iron ore looks normal.”
“Yeah.”
“About ten yen per kilogram.”
“If monsters came close, I’d hit them once and they’d run away, so gathering was easy.”
“Why did you decide to start fighting monsters?”
That question came from Yae-chan.
“My channel wasn’t growing at all.”
“I thought maybe I could turn defeating a slime into some grand, emotional story.”
“That’s how it started.”
“But then I realized it was good for relieving stress.”
“Every day I thought about wanting to die.”
“I kept wondering if there was any point to staying alive.”
“I still do sometimes.”
“But when I’m hitting monsters, those thoughts fade.”
“I guess you could say I empty my mind.”
“You really went through a difficult time.”
“Big Sister Yae will comfort you.”
“Could you two stop flirting?”
“We’re in a dungeon.”
“Anyway, let’s go see the goblins next.”
A little deeper inside, a goblin approached us.
As usual, I unleashed a barrage of strikes on its head.
After becoming dizzy and staggering around, the goblin died.
“Amazing.”
“This goblin’s toughness is completely abnormal.”
Kasahata-san poked the dead goblin’s skin with a knife as she spoke.
“Yeah.”
“Their special trait is becoming harder.”
“So even if you corner them, they just become impossible to kill.”
“They don’t really pose a threat.”
“They might even be easier than slimes.”
“They are not easy!”
“Haa… haa…”
“I’m exhausted.”
“This is why old people are a problem.”
“You get worked up so easily and tire yourself out.”
“Just like the goblins, these monsters have a metallic sheen.”
“That might not be a coincidence.”
“I don’t understand complicated stuff like that.”
“Living things evolve differently depending on their environment.”
“I’m not smart enough for these kinds of discussions.”
“It’s simple.”
“If a creature only had one thing available to eat, it would eat that, right?”
“So these monsters eat iron ore.”
“Yae-chan’s explanation is easy to understand.”
“Let’s move on to the next monster.”
Further inside, a Petit Wolf appeared.
It was about the size of a slightly small medium-sized dog.
I rushed over and unleashed a barrage of strikes.
The Petit Wolf collapsed as well.
“What is this monster’s special trait?”
“It becomes incredibly fast.”
“So fast that you can’t follow it with your eyes.”
“A dangerous enemy.”
“Not really.”
“If you leave it an escape route, it’ll run away instead of fighting back once it speeds up.”
“So the key is not chasing it too far.”
“Exactly.”
“Let’s move on.”
The next monster was a lizard.
“Everyone, stay back.”
“I’m not confident I can completely shut this enemy down.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll follow your instructions.”
I unleashed a barrage of strikes against the lizard.
The lizard opened its mouth wide.
Here it comes.
The lizard breathed fire.
I dodged it, but the heat alone was intense.
Looks like I failed this time.
I deliberately left it an escape route.
The lizard immediately fled.
“That’s how it goes.”
“Even your barrage of attacks can’t kill it.”
“It may be small, but it’s definitely dragon-class.”
“That breath attack was incredible too.”
“If I really committed to it, I could definitely kill it.”
“But it feels like we’d end up taking each other down.”
“So I don’t do it.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
“Safety first.”
“Big Sister Yae approves.”
“This dungeon is perfect for leveling.”
“Assuming you’re the one landing the finishing blow.”
“I don’t mind helping.”
“It’s actually easier to wait for them after they’ve run away and ambush them with rapid attacks.”
“When they’re fleeing, all they think about is escaping.”
“I’ll work hard and raise my level too.”
“Then let’s level up together as a group of three.”
“Can I upload today’s footage?”
“Sure.”
“Do whatever you want.”
After leaving the dungeon, I went to the bank.
I checked my account balance.
There was one hundred million yen in it.
“Hehehehe.”
“Fuhehe.”
“Fuhih.”
Strange laughter welled up from deep inside me.
The whole “offer me your body” incident completely vanished from my mind.
I even started imagining myself holding a wine glass while being surrounded by beautiful women and making everyone resent me.
Maybe I should just embrace the role of a villain.
After all, streaming is all about standing out.