Chapter

chapter01 · 013-ep13

Episode 13: An Ultra-Rare Drop

"Yes! I did it, desu wa!"

Karin gave a small fist pump after smashing through the greatest obstacle on the way to the lower layers.

As if to mark the middle-layer boss Titan Knightbone's defeat, the door to the lower layers opened with a clunk.

【Are you SERIOUUUUUUUS!?】

【There was some setup, but she basically one-shotted the middle-layer boss, desu waaaaa!?】

【NOOOOO!? That skeleton knight took us SO LONG to beat!?】

【Veteran explorer bro who reached the lower layers, dry your tears...】

【No way...】

【Um... could that have been the fastest Titan Knightbone kill ever...?】

【The really top-tier explorers almost never stream, so it's only a provisional record, but it's definitely the fastest among streamers】

【Gatekeeping skeleton, isn't it a bug that going solo is more efficient than bringing a party!?】

【Well, practically no one except Karin ojou-sama can pull it off, so...】

【We just witnessed something incredible...】

【I thought she'd beat the middle-layer boss easily, but I never expected... a previously unknown transformation...】

【Hold on... doesn't fastest kill PLUS the first observation of the gatekeeping skeleton's transformation make this incredibly valuable footage...?】

【What do you MEAN it's easier to beat AFTER its attack power and speed increase!?】

【Karin ojou-sama is too much, desu wa!】

Chat erupted in celebration of her victory over the middle-layer boss.

Apparently the Titan Knightbone's transformation had been almost entirely unknown, too, and the comments came in at an incredible rate. Many failed to display or stuttered, perhaps because the connection couldn't keep up. Even Karin's enhanced eyesight couldn't take them all in.

"Eek!? I-I never thought you'd enjoy that so much... Oh, then perhaps none of you have seen this before either?"

Karin leaned back at the torrent of comments, then broke into a smile.

From the Titan Knightbone's remains, which were already beginning to turn to ash, she picked up a lump of iron a couple of sizes larger than a human head.

【Wait, hold on】

【Whoa whoa WHOA!】

【Don't tell me that's a rare drop under special conditions!?】

【No way!? It has a special-condition drop too!?】

【A piece of that armor it condensed onto both fists!?】

【How many hidden secrets does that pile of bones HAVE!?】

"Yes, just as you guessed! For some reason, when you beat the skeleton-sama in this form, it often drops this pretty stone, desu wa!"

Holding it above her head so the floating camera could get a good shot, Karin cheerfully revealed the lump's identity.

Normally, a monster's corpse is absorbed by the dungeon after some time.

Occasionally, though, part of it remains in a form that can be taken outside. Such parts become materials for weapons, armor, or cutting-edge technology.

Monster materials, acquired at the risk of one's life, always fetch high prices and are a major source of income for explorers. A boss monster's material—particularly a rare drop available only under special conditions—could have incalculable value.

"It is lovely, is it not? Well, the camera has had a good look at it, so I'll throw it away now."

DOGON! RUMBLE-RUMBLE.

And as soon as she'd filmed that rare drop, Karin casually tossed it aside.

【Wait, WHAT are you doing!?】

【You're not taking it home!? Are you insane!?】

【How much do you think a material with no official record would be worth!?】

【Even from a middle-layer boss, its rarity could put it in the seven- or eight-figure range!?】

【Is this where you act like an ojou-sama who doesn't care about money!?】

【Why'd you throw it away!?】

"Eh? Why...? Because minors can't take dungeon products home..."

【Ah】

Karin sounded a little overwhelmed by the comments. In response, the screen filled with 'Ah.'

【Th-that's right... Karin ojou-sama's still very much a high school girl...】

【My apologies. Everything went right out of my head after seeing all that...】

【I can't believe Karin ojou-sama's lecturing US on common sense...】

【The mistake of a lifetime... Also, I'm terribly sorry】

【Ugh... what a waste...】

【Aaaaah! Seriously, what a waste! I wouldn't want to run into ojou-sama, but I want to pick up that rare drop so badly! Which dungeon are you in, ojou-samaaaaa!?】

【Greedy ojou-sama screaming lmao】

【This is why minors should be allowed to sell materials under certain conditions!】

【It can't be helped. If they allowed it, kids from poor families with few choices would start dying in the dungeons】

Indeed. In Japan, minors were currently forbidden to take dungeon items out, and student explorers like Karin had no choice but to leave even rare drops behind.

(Well, I actually have another option besides throwing it away...)

But it wasn't relevant while she was aiming to clear the lower layers, so she was leaving it behind either way.

(Still, I didn't expect so many people to want that skeleton-sama's material...)

Surprised, Karin tried to cheer up the slightly disappointed chat.

"As I said, if you destroy the skeleton-sama's weapon solo and barehanded, then beat it after its defense falls and it enters that fast-moving form, it drops fairly often. If you'd like one, do try it, desu wa! You'll clear the middle layers faster too!"

【【【【AS IF WE COULD DO THAT!?!?!?】】】】

"H-huh?"

Once again, Karin was bewildered by chat's mysterious unanimity.