chapter02 · 059-ep53
Episode 53: Streaming Again
Saturday morning, I switched the drone on.
First time since the Chikusa stream — over a month.
Wiped the dust off the body, checked the propellers, took the battery off its charger. When I gave it a test run, the drone lifted into the air, soft, as if nothing had happened.
"Hey. Long time no see."
I was talking to a drone.
When I came down to the living room, Seina looked over from her breakfast, eyes lighting up.
"Big bro — is that the drone? Are you streaming?!"
"I am, I am. It's a promise, right?"
"Yesss! I'm definitely watching. During club break."
"During club, you do club."
"I said during break!"
Big sis glanced at the drone over her barley tea.
"Where."
"Toda. The deep part."
"Weapon."
"Nameless today."
Big sis looked a little surprised.
In the weapons volume there are dozens of weapons — hundreds. All through Golden Week I'd used a different one every day. On Tritter, the dual blades, the staff — everyone's seen them all.
But today, for whatever reason, I was in a Nameless mood.
There isn't much of a reason.
If I had to give one: today is probably the day I reach C-rank.
Then I want to go with the first katana I ever called.
That's all.
"Mm."
Big sis didn't ask anything more.
In front of the Toda dungeon, there was a crowd for a Saturday morning.
Probably the trend's doing. "Dungeon Strolls, almost C-rank" — apparently there are people staking out when he next shows up at Toda.
"He's here!"
"It's Dungeon Strolls!"
"Are you making C-rank today?!"
"Thank you very much. Off I go."
Smile, wave, no stopping — through the door.
Jumped to the Floor 125 transfer circle.
Black-water paddies. No sign of anyone.
Drone up; opened the stream screen on my phone.
The title, after a little hesitation, I went with this:
『Dungeon Strolls: Toda, the Deep Parts』
Same as always is fine.
I pressed the button to go live.
The instant I pressed it, the viewer count jumped at a speed I'd never seen.
- 1,000. 5,000.
10,000.
"Eh — isn't that a lot?"
I hadn't said a single word yet.
The comments flowed past like a waterfall.
『He's baaack』
『First stream in a month!』
『Sprinted over the second the notification hit』
『C-rank today?!』
『Toda's deep floors』
『Came from the trending page』
『Saw the news and came』
20,000.
30,000.
"Um. What do I even do."
I waved at the drone camera, for starters.
"G-good morning. This is Dungeon Strolls."
『Morning!』
『Voice the same as always — what a relief』
『lol he just greeted us like a normal person』
『'Good morning' to thirty thousand people is strong stuff』
"Um — today we start from Toda's Floor 125. Sorry for going so long without streaming."
『It's fine, it's fine』
『You had tests, right?』
『A model student』
『Then who, exactly, was the guy hitting Toda 150 right before tests』
"No — that was Saturday only."
『Saturday only (the deepest floor)』
『lol』
Somehow, it felt nostalgic.
Getting roasted in the comments, answering, getting roasted again. Chikusa was like this too.
Streaming is fun.
I thought it, honestly, this time.
"So — let's get going."
I held my right hand out front.
The one-line chant. The usual.
"—No inscription, no meaning — cut, Nameless."
A black katana appeared in my hand.
No guard, slim-bladed. A blade black as if it drank in the light.
The katana me-from-back-then spent three years unable to name.
The instant I gripped it, it settled into my hand.
Diving with just this one katana — it had been a while.
Lately it'd been dual blades, staff, boots, bow. All of it fun. But gripping this katana, somehow, it felt like coming home.
『The black katana!』
『Back to his roots』
『The dual blades?』
『The staff?!』
『No romance weapon?』
"Today I'm in a Nameless mood."
『'Mood'』
『He picks by mood lol』
『But I love that black katana』
『Theory: in the end, that katana's the coolest of them all』
"Eh — really? Thank you very much."
That made me ridiculously happy.
Floor 126.
Across the black-water paddies, hopping from small island to small island along the levee paths.
Just as I set foot on the third island, the water right beside me heaved up — bukori.
Out of the water, a Mud Frog Lord leapt.
Spraying mud, the huge mouth came down from above.
Half a step back — and cut.
The blade passed through the mud body without resistance.
The frog crumbled and dissolved into the black water.
Next.
A wind whistled over my head.
From the sky, a Heron Knight plunged into its dive.
I dropped low and let the beak skim past. The scrape of armor slipped by just above my head. As it passed, I slid the blade into the seam of its armor.
The heron fell into the water.
『Huh?』
『Did anyone else see that?』
『That was one hit』
『Those are D higher, you know』
『The katana's path is too beautiful』
『Is it just me, or is his swordwork insane? He's absurdly good』
Reading the comments, something snagged in me, just a little.
Good with the katana.
Three years at a dojo. Being able to use one — that part makes sense.
But the dual blades, the staff, the boots, the bow — from the very start, I could somehow use those too.
Akane-senpai's words came back to me.
"What even ARE you?"
Why, I wonder.
I started to think — and shook my head.
I'm mid-stream right now.
Out of the water, the next frog leapt.
Past Floor 130, the viewer count passed 50,000.
On Floor 132, they came from the sky and the water at the same time.
From near the ceiling, three Heron Knights. From the water, two Mud Frog Lords.
"Both at once?!"
『A pincer』
『Above and below』
『The worst part of Toda's deep floors』
Look up, and the bottom comes. Look down, and the top comes.
The right frog's throat swelled — buku.
The tongue came spearing out of the water. I crouched aside — buhn, the air over my head got gouged out.
And from above my crouched head, the first heron's beak came falling.
I deflected the beak with the katana.
Gagin — sparks flew. The weight driven down from above landed heavy on both my wrists. The deflected heron corkscrewed away toward the ceiling.
The deflect's recoil poured my body backward. Into it — the second tongue.
The left frog.
Not going to make it.
The tongue caught my flank.
A heavy shock came through my clothes. My breath jammed.
"Ngh— gh...!"
I tumbled across the mud island. Mud in my mouth. Right at the island's very edge, I finally stopped.
『Whoa』
『That hit clean』
『He's wearing no armor, you know』
『You okay?!』
Katana to the ground — I bounced back to my feet.
It hurts. But I can move.
By the time I raised my face, the second heron had already entered its dive.
Low. Dead straight for my throat.
Feet planted, I waited. One step before the beak reached me, I slipped my body sideways.
Passing it, I cut the neck.
The thin neck came away, silver neck-guard and all. Riding its own momentum, the heron skipped twice off the water and sank.
The third circled back around.
From the water directly beneath it, the left frog's tongue came again.
Heron and frog — use one of them.
I let the stretching tongue chase, dodging at the very last instant.
The tongue splatted — becha — onto the diving heron's wing.
The heron, hauled by the tongue, dropped into the water. The frog, frantic, tried desperately to shake off the heron tangled on its own tongue.
Into that opening I stepped, and cut both of them together.
Tangled tongue and all — heron's torso and frog's head, in one stroke.
Two left.
The right frog was swelling its throat again in the water. Up by the ceiling, the first heron was drawing circles. The one I'd deflected at the start — the tip of its beak chipped, slightly.
The heron folded its wings.
At the same moment, the frog's throat deflated.
Above and below, simultaneous again.
Same shape as before. Last time, I deflected the top and got taken by the bottom.
So this time — no deflecting.
I stepped forward, into the stretching tongue.
I laid the katana flat and took the tongue's tip on it. The tongue, still carrying its momentum, slid along the blade all the way to the root — and split itself open.
The frog let out a muffled, muddy scream.
Overlapping that scream, wind came at my back.
No time to turn around.
Half-turning, I swept the katana back behind me.
Impact.
The chipped beak skimmed past my shoulder. The heron, one wing gone from the root, plunged headfirst into the water.
Dragging its split tongue, the frog was trying to flee along the bottom.
I ran to the island's edge and drove the katana down from above into the half-sunken head.
Zuburi — the impact ran to the hilt. The strength went out of the mud body, ffft.
On the surface, only ripples remained.
When I drew a breath, my flank twinged.
『He made them friendly-fire?!』
『Smart』
『That last one — did he cut behind him without looking?』
『Was that one aimed?』
"About half of it was luck."
Honest, while pressing my flank.
『Honest』
『But seriously, you need armor for this』
『Is your side okay?』
"I'm okay. It just hurts a little."
Armor, huh.
I'd thought before that I needed it, and somehow I still hadn't bought any.
『Fifty thousand concurrent, seriously?』
『For a solo explorer stream, this is abnormal』
『I could watch this forever』
『I've got it on as BGM』
『Dungeon Strolls for getting work done』
"Please don't use me as work BGM."
『lol』
『It really moves the work along』
『The pacing's that good』
Floor 137.
The surface of the water swayed — yurari.
No wind, and yet ripples. One, two. Something long crossed slowly between the islands.
The Black Thunder Eel. An eel wrapped in lightning.
The one Skoll and I fought last time.
Today, the katana from the start.
The eel raised its head out of the water. Over the black body, thin lightning crawled — jirijiri. Deep in its mouth, a pale light swelled.
『Huge』
『It's glowing』
『Is that lightning?』
Before it could spit, I stepped in.
Kicked off a small island in the water — to beside the eel's head.
One flash.
Too shallow.
The eel twisted itself in the nick of time. The blade slid across the slimy skin and only split the side of its neck, shallow.
Like stroking wet soap — the blade escaped.
The eel's mouth turned toward me.
At point-blank range, lightning came spitting out.
"—!"
I jumped sideways off the island.
The pale-blue lightning struck the island I'd just left, bursting crackling across the water itself. Even the flying spray carried the charge — my toes went numb, biriri.
『Close one!』
『Point-blank breath』
『Fall in that water and you're done』
I landed on the next island over.
The eel had sunk beneath the water.
Under the black water, a long, narrow shadow went gliding. Where it comes out — no telling.
Last time, Skoll was there. He dragged it out for me.
Today, alone.
I stared at the surface.
The drone's propeller noise felt oddly far away.
The shadow passed under the left island.
Just before it surfaces, the water swells a little.
It swelled.
Left— no. The shadow kept gliding, straight under the island and out the far side.
I clamped down on the legs that had been about to jump.
The shadow swept around in a circle. This time, under the right island.
It swelled. Bigger than before.
Right.
The eel's head burst up through the surface, pale light packed into its mouth.
This time, I was waiting.
The skin is slick. But the inside of the mouth isn't skin.
Before the light could be spat, I thrust the katana straight into the open mouth.
Lightning and all — to the back of its throat.
The eel convulsed, hugely, and sank into the black water.
The bubbles that rose glowed faintly on the surface — putsu, putsu — and went out.
At the moment I thrust, a jolt had run down the blade into my arm — piri.
"—OW!"
『That one looked like it hurt』
『So honest lol』
『Don't stab a lightning eel with a katana』
『But it was a one-shot』
Waving my arm around, I laughed a little.
Fun.
Diving while streaming — fun too.
On Floor 140, I counted the drops.
Three eel magic cores. Several fragments of heron armor. Frog cores, plenty.
Ran a rough total on the market app.
Probably enough, with this.
"I'll head back around here today."
『Aww』
『Still want to watch』
『What about 150?』
"I did 150 last time, so today I'll pass. Also — I want to cash in."
『Cash in』
『Wait』
『The C-rank taxes?』
『It happens today?!』
『Stream through the cash-in!』
"Eh — through the cash-in?"
『Please』
『We want to witness it』
『A historic moment』
『The once-in-a-decade moment』
"I mean — I don't know if it'll reach it?"
『It will』
『Reach it』
『Please reach it』
The comment field filled up with reach it.
Somehow, I couldn't refuse.
"Honestly — fine, I get it. I'll stream through the cash-in."
『OOOHHHHHH』
『A legend』
『Everyone hold position』
The Floor 150 transfer circle — no, wait. You can't go up from 140, so I went down to Floor 150 and returned to the surface via its transfer circle.
『lol he went to 150 anyway』
『Transfer-circle rules — can't be helped』
『The deepest floor, on a stroll』
Out to the surface, and to the field office.
The drone, I angled its camera down a little at my side. The Guild card screen, I kept out of frame.
At the window was the usual staffer.
"Good work out there. ...You're mid-stream, aren't you?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry — tell me if you end up on camera."
"No, I'm fine. ...Cashing in, then."
I laid the drops out on the counter.
The staffer appraised them, one at a time.
At the eel's magic core, one eyebrow rose, just a little.
"...Your total comes to 1,026,000 yen."
I held my Guild card over.
The deposit chime rang.
And then — a second time.
A chime I'd never heard before, a little longer.
A display floated onto the screen.
All requirements for explorer rank promotion have been fulfilled
D-rank → C-rank
You will be contacted at a later date regarding your rank-up examination
"Ah—"
It slipped out.
"I made it."
『Eh』
『What did he say』
『Did he just say 'I made it'?!』
『C-RANK?!』
"Ah — um, that just now—"
Too late. I knew it the moment I said it.
The comments detonated.
『OOOOOHHHHHHHH』
『CONGRATULATIONS!!』
『The historic moment is HERE』
『Fifteen, and C-rank』
『I was here — I was here live』
『Goosebumps』
『I cried』
『I don't even know why I'm crying』
『Congrats』
The viewer count had become a number I'd never seen.
80,000.
90,000.
100,000.
Beyond the counter, the staffer was clapping, small.
"...Congratulations."
"Thank you. Very much."
My voice was shaking, a little.
"Um — so."
Facing the drone camera, I thought, I have to say something.
But the words wouldn't come.
Over spring break, the Job 【Chuunibyou】 came up at the Guild. My friends laughed themselves apart at it. In my futon, I flubbed the True Name.
Not even three months have passed since then.
"Thank you. There's still the examination, so it isn't official C-rank yet. But — I'm really, truly happy."
『Humble』
『The exam's a formality at this point, obviously』
『Congratulations!』
"Thank you — for watching."
I bowed.
The drone's camera caught it, properly.
"That's all for today. I'll stream again. ...Probably. Before long."
『'Probably'』
『We don't believe you』
『'Before long' (one month)』
『But we'll be waiting』
『Good work out there』
『Congratulations!』
I pressed the end-stream button.
The final viewer count was 114,000.
I sank down onto the bench in front of the field office.
My phone would not stop buzzing.
The talk-app notifications wouldn't stop.
From Seina.
『Big bro!!』
『Watched it during club break』
『Congrats! Not gross — today, you're not gross』
From the middle-school group.
Osawa: "SAKU!!"
Miyake: "Watched, watched"
Yamabuki: "Congrats"
Fujidou: "Congrats"
From the high-school group.
Yano: "I was watching. Congrats!"
Matoba: "Live-viewer squad, reporting"
Nishino: "I cried"
Kuzumi: "...Congrats"
And then, from Tono-senpai.
『Congratulations. That's amazing.』
A little later, one more.
『Akane's crying at her screen.』
Right after that, from Akane-senpai.
『I am not』
『I am NOT crying』
『...Congratulations. N-not that I'm saying it for your sake or anything』
"You're definitely crying."
Last of all, from big sis — just one.
『I knew.』
I could almost see the smug face through the screen.
"Heh heh."
On the bench, hugging my phone to my chest, I looked up at the sky.
The sky, today too, was infuriatingly clear.
The frogs in the paddies croaked, obnoxiously — like they were celebrating with me.