arc1 · 018-ch18

Episode 18: Japan's #1 Party "Kokushi Musou"

Side: Shinonome Gaia

"Now then, is everyone ready for tomorrow?"

My name is Shinonome Gaia, and I'm the leader of the party Kokushi Musou. I awakened to earth magic in my third year of high school, and rather than going to university, I became an explorer. Ten years have already passed since then. I was so absorbed in diving into dungeons that before I knew it, people started calling us Japan's #1 party.

"Oh yeah! This guy's always ready to go! We could leave right now if we wanted!"

The one who calls himself "this guy" is Nishikyo Soraku, a member of Kokushi Musou. As a Spear Wielder, he boasts unmatched strength in mid-range combat. He's been a comrade since the party's formation and is the same age as me.

"I have everything I need. I'm ready to depart anytime as well."

This serious one is Kitora Ryuga. He has the job of Brawler and is a specialist in close-range combat. He wears dungeon-made knuckles and faces any opponent without fear. He's also been a comrade since the party's formation and is the same age.

"I'm also ready to go anytime."

Her name is Kannami Shizuka. Her job is the rare Healer Mage. We met her five years ago and invited her to join the party. At first, she wouldn't agree no matter what, but after persistently persuading her many times, she finally became a valuable asset to us.

"So, what's the deal with that cameraman you mentioned? If they can really film like that, my fan base is gonna double!"

The cameraman Soraku is talking about is the one who became famous overnight from the Hyakka Ryouran streaming video the other day. Honestly, when I watched that stream, I couldn't stop getting goosebumps. The quality was incomparable to any streaming video we'd seen before.

We don't challenge dungeons for the sake of streaming, but that footage was truly in a league of its own. I wanted our own adventures to be captured like that too.

"We've only exchanged emails so far, so I can't say for certain, but they didn't seem to be lying. I think we'll find out tomorrow."

"Heh, can't wait!"

Soraku was the most enthusiastic about my proposal. After all, he wants to be popular with the girls. He thinks that if he can be filmed looking that cool, his fans will double. What a simple guy.

But he's also the one who always cheers everyone up when we're struggling. Soraku is an indispensable member of this party.

Of course, the other members are irreplaceable comrades too. The serious Ryuga is reliable in any situation, and Shizuka's healing magic can heal even serious injuries in an instant. It's because they're here that I can fight at my full potential.

"Operating a drone remotely from outside the dungeon. If that's really possible, it'll overturn common sense."

"Yes, especially if there's a possibility of communicating outside the dungeon, we might be able to call for help when in a pinch, or be warned about dungeon modifications beforehand."

As expected of Ryuga and Shizuka. They were thinking the exact same thing as me.

"I was thinking the same thing. But what concerns me is whether this ability belongs to him—or possibly her—and only to this person."

If this is a technological advancement, it would truly revolutionize the dungeon world. But if it's an individual's ability, I don't think it would have that much impact. Though in that case, a scramble to recruit them might begin.

In that sense, hiding their name and identity is the right move. They have a certain level of knowledge and education, so they're probably not a high schooler or younger.

"Hey, but if this person can do that thing we gave up on, couldn't they do it for us?"

Oh, Soraku, who usually doesn't join in on difficult conversations, seems to have noticed.

"You mean you, not us, right? Don't lump me in with you. I don't want any part of live streaming."

That's right, as Shizuka said, there's a possibility that this person could do live streaming, which no one has been able to do until now.

"But wouldn't watching it in real-time get people more hyped than watching a recording after the fact?"

I understand what he's saying, but it's not that simple. No one has been able to do it until now, so there aren't any rules about it either.

"Dungeon exploration is fraught with the risk of death. There are ethical issues to consider as well."

As Ryuga just said, we're killing living, moving creatures, even if they are monsters. What's more, any of us could die at any moment. We can't just brazenly broadcast that live.

"That's why we should do it before they make rules about it, right? Well, I think we'd need to impose restrictions even if we did it."

I was surprised. Soraku had thought that far ahead? I always thought he lived by his instincts, so this is unexpected.

"Either way, let's just have them film normally tomorrow. It's not too late to figure out whether the remote operation is really working after that, right?"

All three nodded in agreement with my proposal.

Our goal for tomorrow is to register at the transfer stone on the thirtieth floor of Yatsugatake Dungeon. Even though it's a B-rank dungeon, the boss on the thirtieth floor is fairly dangerous. I don't think we'll lose with just the four of us, but to prepare for any eventuality, let's review our battle strategy one more time.

Once everyone finished their preparations, we held our final strategy meeting.