Chapter 14: Ryo and Kaoru and the Next Idea
The day after the stream.
Ryo and Kaoru were sitting in a corner seat of a major hamburger chain called Cosmo Burger.
Kaoru had only fries and cola, while Ryo was, as usual, stuffing his face with a Cosmo Chicken Filet-O Burger.
On Ryoâs tray, besides the burger he was currently eating, there were two each of a Double Chicken Filet-O Teriyaki Burger, a Spicy Cosmo Chicken Burger, and a Cheese Cosmo Chicken Burger, plus three orders of Cosmo Chicken Nuggets with different sauces.
For a drink, he had ordered Beauty Vitality Tea instead of cola, since he was not very good with carbonation or sweet juices.
People around them were whispering at the sight of Ryoâs tray, but Ryo himself ate without caring.
Kaoru, who was used to Ryoâs mountain of chicken dishes, paid it no mind and fiddled with his smartphone.
“The Greatube D-channel subscribers are at three hundred forty-three, and the peak concurrent viewers were just under eight hundred.
For a first stream, thatâs not bad.
Actually, itâs really good.”
Kaoru smiled as he checked the account stats for Ryo Channel on Greatube.
For a first stream, even double-digit concurrent viewers would be normal, and single digits or even zero was entirely possible.
Given that, this result counted as a major success.
On top of that, nearly thirty percent of viewers subscribing was a big deal.
Watching Kaoru celebrate, Ryo tilted his head.
“I get Greatube, but whatâs a D-channel.
Is it different from normal channel subscriptions?”
“Yeah.
D-channels are specialized channels for dungeon-related content on Greatube.
Because unintended erotic or graphic footage inevitably happens, theyâre separated from regular video channels.”
“I see.”
Hearing that, Ryo nodded in understanding.
With bad luck, a monster or trap could strip someone naked during a stream, or in the worst case, kill them.
Those were often unintended events.
Only people who agreed to the separate D-channel terms, which stated that such risks and potential mental damage were self-responsibility, could use it.
“Thereâs probably also the platformâs intention to separate the search categories like that.
Not just Greatube.
Every site does this kind of thing.”
“Why?”
“The most likely reason is this.
There are people who upload compilation videos of explorersâ death screams from accidents during streams.
It might be to isolate those kinds of people.”
“Thatâs bad taste.”
Ryo said that, though he also thought such people probably did exist.
“There are also erotic accident compilations.”
“So regardless of the content, itâs so they can respond quickly if dungeon videos get uploaded to the general category?”
“Probably.
Iâm not staff, so I donât know their exact intentions.”
Nodding, Kaoru continued.
“It might also be for organizations like dungeon bureaus or guilds, not just in Japan but worldwide.”
“What do you mean?”
“Itâs footage of dungeons.
Even in silly videos, new discoveries might be mixed in.”
“Ah⌔
At that, Ryo nodded with a complicated expression.
That did sound like something a dungeon bureau or guild would care about.
But even taking that into account, a small question arose in Ryoâs mind.
“With all the gore, erotica, and ulterior motivesâŚ
Doesnât that make dungeon streaming adults-only?”
“As long as youâre just exploring normally and donât die, itâs fine.”
“I guessâŚ?”
Ryo nodded, still not fully convinced.
But if that was just how it worked, he was willing to accept it as such.
“For the record, adult-only dungeon streams do exist.
Posting them on Greatube is forbidden even on D-channels, though.”
“They do.
Wait, adult-only dungeons are new to me.”
“Erotic enemy dungeons and erotic trap dungeons exist, at least.”
“âŚThose arenât names you hear often.
Or categories, I guess.”
Thinking how ridiculous the names sounded, Ryo frowned slightly, and Kaoru gave a wry smile.
“Theyâre just nicknames.
Apparently they have official names, but I donât know them.
And it seems the government and guilds take care to keep minors out of those dungeons.”
“I see.”
Ryo nodded, though inwardly he still tilted his head, unable to imagine what those dungeons were actually like.
Incidentally, he did not ask why Kaoru knew about them.
Rather, Ryo was aware that he himself was probably the ignorant one here.
If he knew more internet memes, he might have understood better.
“Well, itâs also because guilds simply wonât send minors into erotic dungeons.
Plus, the dungeons themselves often have entry restrictions, so theyâre not easy either.”
“What do you mean, the dungeon itself has entry restrictions?”
“Hmm.
Apparently there are traps or gimmicks like male-only zones or female-only zones.
There are also doors that only people above a certain height can pass, or stairs only people below a certain bust size can climb.”
“So your physical condition itself becomes an entry requirement.
That does sound rough.”
If movement was restricted by gimmicks you could never clear yourself, even an easy dungeon could become impossible to clear.
And just having areas like that greatly increased exploration difficulty.
If you tried to flee from monsters only to find the room blocked by restrictions, it would be a nightmare.
“Well, if you meet the entry conditions, erotic dungeons rarely kill you even if you mess up.
At worst, you get cursed and kicked out.”
“A curse?”
“A curse that makes you want to keep challenging the same dungeon after failing.”
What kind of curse is that.
Thinking that, Ryo asked Kaoru.
“How do youč§Łé¤ it?”
“The strength varies, but usually you canč§Łé¤ it with standard anti-curse items.
Though apparently some people get hooked regardless of the curse and keep failing anyway.”
Meaning they would keep challenging it forever until the dungeon disappeared.
That was truly a terrifying curse.
For Ryo, who loved diving into various dungeons to photograph monsters and scenery, it was nothing short of horrifying.
“âŚIâm going to stay away from erotic dungeons.”
He still did not fully understand what made them erotic, but he did understand that nothing good would come from approaching them.
That information alone was enough for Ryo.
“Do that.
Though they probably have good streaming demand.”
“I wonât stream them either.”
“I know.
I wouldnât make you.”
Kaoru smiled wryly.
In his heart, he did think they would probably get huge views, but he kept that to himself and changed the topic.
“So, what about the next stream.
Personally, since you did sleeping faces this time, Iâd like you to do a scenic stream next.”
“Where would be good?”
“Letâs seeâŚ
Something like Chofuâs âForest of Disordered Seasons,â or a similar visual.”
“That would mean⌔
“Hmm⌔
Ryo groaned.
Places where he had to maintain stealth nonstop would be out.
If he needed to include some talking and comment interaction, locations that required total silence would not work.
In that sense, the Forest of Disordered Seasons was not a bad choice.
If nothing else came to mind, he would go with that, but somehow Ryo felt like choosing somewhere different.
After thinking for a bit, a certain dungeon crossed his mind.
“Hey, Kaoru.
Would it be okay if itâs not exactly a scenic view, but a dungeon-specific sight?”
“What kind of sight?”
“An edible tree.”
“An edible tree?”
Kaoru tilted his head, and Ryo pointed to the tree-lined street visible outside the window.
“A tree.”
“I still donât get it.”
Seeing Kaoru still tilt his head, Ryo thought for a moment and took out his smartphone.
“Did I take a photoâŚ?”
He often showed Kaoru monster sleeping faces or stunning scenery, but he rarely showed small moments along the way.
“Found it.
This one.
Itâs apparently called a Brocco-Tree.”
“Thatâs a rare selfieâŚ
Wait, what is this?”
Kaoru burst out laughing.
In the photo, Ryo was literally biting into the green trunk of a tree.
“The previous photo shows the whole tree.”
“âŚIt really looks like broccoli.”
“It actually tasted like broccoli too.
Like delicious steamed vegetables.
I remember thinking I shouldâve brought mayonnaise.”
“But yeah, this would look great on stream.”
Kaoru grinned.
It seemed the proposal had his approval.
“This tree, the Brocco-Tree, is in a high-difficulty area, so it would be tough to go there on stream.
But there were some interesting things in other areas too.
Especially a lake deep in the forest off the main path that might be a good-looking spot.”
“Not bad.
Which dungeon is this?”
“Musashi Provincial Capital Ruins.”
Hearing the location, Ryo answered plainly, but Kaoru tilted his head hard.
“âŚWhere is that?”
“Commonly called the Okunitama Dungeon.”
At the nickname, Kaoru clapped his hands in realization.
“Oh.
That big shrine near Fuchu Station.”
“More precisely, itâs a dungeon that appeared in the ruins next to that shrine.
And since the actual Okunitama Dungeon exists separately, the nickname is wrong in a lot of ways.”
That one had its entrance near the shrineâs main hall, in an area only shrine officials could enter.
Because of that, the shrine asked the government to dispatch explorers to periodically exterminate monsters and prevent strays.
As a result, its existence was barely known, making it practically a secret dungeon.
Rumor said it was very profitable, so the government monopolized it under that pretext, but Ryo did not care about that.
“It would help if you explained that kind of thing during the stream too.”
“Got it.”
“Since Fuchu isnât far by trainâŚ
I kind of want to go scout it out.”
“Sure.
Iâll be done eating in a moment, so wait.”
“Alright.”
True to his word, Ryo quickly cleared the tray, and the two of them headed off to scout the dungeon.