Chapter 2: Dragon Slayer
What am I apologizing for, you ask?
“Well, I cut in on your fight, and I smashed the materials into tiny pieces and made a huge mess of them.”
“It’s fine. We’re grateful you saved us, and if anything, they’re easier to carry now.”
Thank goodness.
It didn’t seem like she was angry.
“So you’ll forgive me?”
“Let’s exchange phone numbers.”
“If we do that, you’ll forgive me?”
“Of course.”
“Oh, you’re wearing a camera. That means you’re a streaming adventurer, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me the name of your channel too.”
I told her about my channel, [Wouldn’t It Be Nice to Strike It Rich Channel].
We ended up exchanging email addresses as well, but I had no idea what she saw in me.
[Old guy’s grinning after getting her contact info.]
[I want to get close to a beauty too.]
[You smooth bastard, I won’t forgive you.]
[Old guy, you’re forgetting the announcements.]
Let’s see…
I looked at the business card she gave me.
Her party was called Dragon Slayer.
Their channel was called [DraSla Channel].
Whoa, they’re famous streaming adventurers.
They have over one hundred thousand subscribers.
Not to brag, but I only have four.
The lady’s name was Kasahata Rumi.
Negotiator and Mage.
Magic, huh?
I want to use magic too.
But a skill would never appear for someone like me.
People who possess skills are called Skill Holders.
Skills are mandatory to become a C-rank adventurer.
And to use magic, you need a skill such as Fire Magic.
Suddenly, something started ringing.
“Whoa! Don’t scare me like that… it’s my phone?”
[Congratulations on reaching 10 subscribers.]
[They’re increasing fast.]
[And you’re just an old guy.]
[Hey, Dragon Slayer is the one that got saved.]
[You’re right. Dragon Slayer uploaded the Diamond Dragon fight too.]
[Say something already.]
[Congratulations on reaching 100 subscribers.]
When I looked at my phone, my subscriber count was climbing like a catfish.
No, was it an eel?
Maybe it was a rabbit.
“Thanks for the rabbit-like growth.”
[He said rabbit-like growth, lol.]
[There’s an idiot here.]
[He said it on purpose. Rabbits have more momentum than eels.]
[Truly rabbit-like growth.]
[Congratulations on reaching 200 subscribers.]
[At this rate you’ll hit ten thousand today.]
[I want the footage of that fight edited and uploaded later.]
Still, why was that fight getting so much attention?
It was just a glass dragon, wasn’t it?
Sure, it was huge, but glass is fragile.
The Dragon Slayer members diligently packed the dragon fragments into their bags.
Oh, so that’s an Item Bag.
The kind that can hold an unlimited amount of stuff.
I’d never seen one before.
I want one, but I can’t afford it.
I resent my own poverty.
“Excuse me. I don’t know the way back, so would it be okay if I followed you?”
[Are you seriously lost?]
[Can’t help it if you got warped.]
[I’ve never seen an adventurer who doesn’t have a dungeon map app on their phone.]
There’s something that convenient?
I’m not very smart, so I probably wouldn’t be able to use it even if I installed it.
[Stuff like that is too difficult for the old guy.]
[Even children can use it.]
[This place is outside dungeon GPS coverage.]
[Yeah. It’s an unexplored area.]
[Congratulations on reaching 300 subscribers.]
“You can come with us.”
I obediently followed behind them.
It seemed that only glass monsters appeared on this floor.
The Dragon Slayer members defeated them effortlessly.
As expected, glass monsters are weak.
They must be weaker than the monsters in my dungeon.
After climbing a staircase, I saw a floating sphere of light.
“Phew. I was wondering what we’d do for a while there, but now we’re safe.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
I pointed at the sphere of light.
“That’s a portal.”
“Oh, so that’s one.”
“Come on, let’s go.”
It was my first time using a portal.
The Dragon Slayer members touched the sphere of light and disappeared one after another.
I touched it too.
“Whoa… my first portal.”
[Hold on, this is your first portal? What kind of adventurer are you?]
[Bottom-tier old guy adventurer.]
[Explain.]
[It took him a year to beat a slime. His first slime victory was amazing. I was moved.]
[What a scrub adventurer, lol.]
[Maybe he awakened some incredible skill before fighting the dragon.]
[Congratulations on reaching 400 subscribers.]
The moment I entered the portal, the scenery changed instantly.
I was outside.
Ah, that was terrifying.
“That’s it for today’s stream.”
[Looking forward to the next one.]
[Hope you get a skill.]
[We’ll investigate that dragon fight before next time.]
[Congratulations on reaching 500 subscribers.]
I stopped the stream camera.
Then, at the Adventurers Association beside the dungeon, I was handed one million yen.
“Uh, shouldn’t I be the one paying? Is it really okay for me to receive this?”
“It’s not much. We used a lot of expensive potions during that battle, so things are a little tight right now. Consider it a temporary thank-you gift.”
“Then I don’t need it. Instead, let’s say we’re even regarding compensation for destroying that glass dragon.”
The deal sounded too good to be true.
So I returned the bundle of cash.
There were plenty of witnesses here.
Even if things got complicated later, having those words on record should protect me.
“I’ll consider it a debt for now.”
“Then let’s go with that.”
I’m the one who owes them, right?
It has to be.
She probably saw my equipment and understood my financial situation.
I mean, I was wearing work clothes and carrying an iron pipe.
The idea of owing a debt was a little unsettling.
But they probably wouldn’t ask someone like me for anything major.
More importantly, my phone wouldn’t stop making noise.
When is it going to stop?
I don’t know how to change the settings.
Smartphones are way too difficult for an old guy.
When I get home, I’ll have to ask Yae-chan to teach me.