arc1 · 009-ch9

Episode 9: High Praise

With their registration at the tenth floor's transfer stone complete, Hyakka Ryouran ended today's exploration and returned to the first floor.

Emerging from the transfer stone chamber beside the entrance caused a stir among the surrounding crowd. Apparently, breaking through to the tenth floor was quite the status symbol.

Whether they were used to those envious gazes or not, the members of Hyakka Ryouran walked toward an open space with leader Toomi-san at the front.

"Alright, this should be good. First of all, SS-san, thank you for your hard work filming. There was that one time a monster noticed us first, but other than that, your drone operation was flawless. There were so many movements that rental drones can't do, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of footage you captured. You mentioned you'd handle editing too, so I'll be eagerly awaiting the finished product!"

Toomi-san was speaking to the drone as it sat on the ground. I watched it all through the screen. Since I couldn't talk back, I blinked the lights twice as an acknowledgment.

"Is half price really okay?"

Was she in charge of the party's finances? Kurokage-san tossed out those welcome words. But since this was also practice for me, half the original price—75,000 yen—was plenty, as we'd agreed. I blinked the lights twice again to signal it was no problem.

Then, after receiving words of appreciation from all four members, I piloted the drone and sent it home.

▽▽▽

"Alright, before I start editing the footage, let me do a quick post-mortem on this job first."

It had gotten quite late, but I booted up my PC and took notes on everything I'd noticed during the shoot. I hadn't been able to spend any time with Umi today. I felt bad about it, but I hoped she'd bear with me until this job got off the ground.

Umi seemed to understand that too—not only did she not complain, she was helping out with chores and anything else she could do. At her age, she should be taking lessons or hanging out with friends... Once I start making money, I'll make sure she gets to do all that—just wait for me.

For that sake, I needed to properly reflect on today's work.

First, there was the issue of the noise coming from the drone. Thanks to Kurokage-san, I'd learned that my drone was quite expensive and high-performance. It barely made any noise, but it wasn't zero. That time, the monster noticed us because I'd gotten too close. That's something I need to be more careful about going forward.

As for the battery, the flight lasted about ten hours, and a single battery seemed to last just fine. Just in case, I'd taught Hanazono how to swap batteries and use magic stones as a substitute, but turns out it wasn't necessary.

I continued making detailed notes on everything else I'd noticed. Once I'd jotted down most of my thoughts, I moved on to the video editing.

First, I carefully wiped down the drone and checked for any damage. Then I pulled out the high-capacity SD card and slotted it into my PC. My computer had decent specs, but the model was pretty old. Once I had some money to spare, I definitely wanted to buy a better one.

Alright, let's go through everything carefully from the start to make this a stream that really pulls in viewers.

The opening shot starts with the four women walking into the dungeon from behind. Since I was barely filming up to the fifth floor—mostly just checking the drone's movements—the next footage is the goblin battle scene.

The Hyakka Ryouran members spot the goblins and quickly shift their formation. I'd captured their efficient, no-waste movements perfectly. However, right after that, the goblins noticed us when we moved. It was my blunder, but I kept the shot of the goblin's face as it noticed us.

Then the footage transitions to chasing Akatsuki-san's fireball, the massive explosion, and Hanazono's combat performance. Yeah yeah, the source material is great, but the footage itself looks fantastic. The close-ups of their faces while fighting are especially outstanding. No wonder they're popular.

Next, I moved on to editing the travel scenes. The women who'd been fighting so gallantly moments ago showed their true selves. The four of them chatting happily about sweets—no one would ever guess they'd just been mowing down goblins moments before. Maybe that gap is part of their charm.

Then I included the segment about my drone. I figured them praising it would be the best possible advertising. Oh, but I cut out the parts about me personally and my skill. That's fine, right?

And with a single word from Kurokage-san, the young women snapped back into explorer mode. That ability to switch in an instant must be what makes someone an explorer.

The group battle with the goblins that followed was entertaining enough on its own. Hanazono's sword dancing. Kurokage-san's masterful stealth technique. And Akatsuki-san's serious expression visible through the fireball. The heat from the fireball made the air shimmer, giving it an almost fantastical atmosphere. And I couldn't forget Toomi-san's dignified figure finishing off the fireball-wounded goblins.

Then the four of them high-fiving at the end. They really do have star quality. Oh, I'll use that playful scene where they're collecting magic stones too.

The meal scene that followed probably has decent demand too. Whether this edit actually gets used is another story, but the sight of them stuffing their cheeks with onigiri and sandwiches should be popular with the male audience.

From there, I edited the seven hours until the boss battle into a roughly two-hour video, and finally got to work on the boss fight.

Hanazono taking the lead, Akatsuki-san's Fire Wall, followed by Kurokage-san and Toomi-san's decisive strikes. I'll add Kurokage-san's "Got you" subtitle in a cool font. And I'll present that seamless teamwork alongside a simultaneous split-screen of Hanazono holding off both knights all by herself.

And to wrap it all up, the final shot of Hyakka Ryouran heading back to the first floor via the transfer stone, filmed from behind.

Alright, alright—I'd created a pretty satisfying video. It was a massive production spanning three hours, but every moment was packed with highlights, and I think the pacing keeps it from ever getting boring. I'll send this to Hanazono, and it'll be published on Hyakka Ryouran's website.

Since my income from this will be based on view count, I'm really hoping it does well.

Working on the editing until late into the night, I crawled into bed and lost consciousness in the blink of an eye.