chapter02 · 032-ep32

Episode 32: Monetization Celebration Stream (Dungeon Edition)

"Seriously? If forty million yen scares you, how are you gonna cope from here?"

Summoned to Karin's house, Mafuyu Sasaki sighed in exasperation.

"Do you even know how many subscribers and views your channel has? Forget superchats; you'll start making a lot every month just from views."

"I-I will...?"

"Depends on your content and how each video site works, so I can't give you an exact number. But with over 1.8 million subscribers and how often you stream... you'd better prepare for five million yen a month."

"F-five milli—!?"

Karin's eyes nearly popped out.

"W-what on earth am I supposed to do with that much money!? And that's per MONTH, not per year!?"

"Nothing in particular."

Unlike the frantic Karin, Mafuyu was calm.

"Hire a tax accountant to handle your returns, then save the rest instead of forcing yourself to spend it. They say if you raise your standard of living once, you can't lower it again; when the money runs out, you'll suffer way more than you did just being poor. Besides, you don't even know what you'd spend it on, right?"

"W-well, that is true..."

Karin could only think of living expenses, tuition, and maintaining the house her parents had left her. At most, she might buy up all the Dungeon Alive merchandise she'd never been able to afford. Saving it seemed reasonable.

"But." Mafuyu pointed a finger at her. "You've always cut corners on food. That's the one thing you need to spend money on and fix. Maybe your level keeps you healthy despite that diet, but there's a limit."

Feeling a little pressured, Karin nodded. "R-right."

"For starters, spend five times what you do now on food. Your viewers want you to. You spend so little that even after multiplying it by five, those superchats alone will cover it for decades. That's after site fees and taxes, by the way."

"I-understand... Then I'll start at the end of next month, when the donations and ad revenue get paid—"

"This month. Today." Mafuyu leaned closer. "I've held back from treating you or sharing my food every time because it wouldn't be good for you, but that doesn't matter now. Come on. We're going to the supermarket."

"Eh? W-wait, so suddenly!?"

And once Mafuyu dragged her there, Karin screamed.

"W-wait, Mafuyu! You can't put that much meat in the basket... Hold on! Vegetables have gotten absurdly expensive lately, desu no!? Sometimes more than meat... Ah!? Taiwanese pineapples are fruit fit for a king, desu wa!?"

"You're so noisy."

"Ah!? Ah!? The receipt's going to be horrifying!? When did Häagen-D○zs get in there!?"

Despite Karin's shrieks, Mafuyu made her stock up. By the end, both Karin's stomach and refrigerator were stuffed full.

After forty million yen in superchats and a visit from the creator of Dungeon Alive, Karin took two days off streaming to recover. Then, on the weekend, she headed into a dungeon as usual.

【She's liveeeee!】

【I've been waiting!】

【Good day, desu waaaa!】

【I hear ojou-sama's recovered from the double punch of forty million yen and fan art from the creator】

【Congrats on 'forty million in superchats' trending, desu wa!】

【One step closer to being a real ojou-sama!】

【You're making it sound like she's fake right now...】

【Setsuna-sama herself acknowledged Karin ojou-sama!】

【Setsuna acknowledges strength, not whether you're an ojou-sama...】

It was a holiday, and chat raced along even though the stream had started in the afternoon. Her concurrents quickly settled above ten thousand.

"As announced, today's dungeon exploration will be a little different... Or rather, an entirely personal undertaking, desu wa!"

Once enough viewers had gathered, Karin explained.

"During my monetization celebration, Mochimochi Tamago-sensei, creator of the original Dungeon Alive, gave me a special illustration! Setsuna-sama was arranging my hair and placing a certain hair ornament on it!"

【Karin ojou-sama's smug face is so cute lol】

【Has there ever been a finer 'hmph, aren't I great' face?】

【She has every right to brag about THAT lol】

【I'd be smug for life if I got that illustration lol】

【Especially that ornament!】

"Indeed! It's an ornament Setsuna-sama gives only to those she acknowledges. Until now, I held back because I was nowhere near her level—and I don't believe I've reached it even now. But after receiving such a wonderful illustration, that's another matter! So today I shall make that ornament, desu no! Out of dungeon materials, naturally!"

【Love it!】

【Making Setsuna-sama's gift real too? Nice~】

【Oh, so that's today's stream!】

【The fact she never made it before shows how seriously she respects Setsuna-sama!】

"I came to the middle layers of this dungeon because a rare monster called the <Jewel Turtle> appears here. I've long thought it would provide excellent materials. I want to make it as perfect as possible, so I'll need plenty for experimentation... I'll start by hunting, say, two hundred!"

【Run, Jewel Turtles!】

【As if they can escape...】

【There is no escape from ojou-sama!】

【Blame yourselves for being born monsters that attack humans...】

【Their best chance of survival is to offer up every turtle that drops materials...】

"Well then, let us begin!"

The stream started amid a chat united in sympathy for the Jewel Turtles.

【Karin ojou-sama, is your skin glowing today?】

【Now you mention it, she looks healthier】

【Does forty million yen improve your complexion?】

"Ah, that's... My best friend told me to eat my superchats' worth and filled my shopping basket with expensive things. I've spent the last two days eating hot pots stuffed with all kinds of ingredients. It was wonderful, mind you."

【Her best friend is the best】

【'Expensive things' probably just means food that isn't reduced-price...】

【Yes... Feed her more...】

【I'd be happy if she put on some weight!】

【↑ Exterminate the wild 'make her chubbier' beast!】

They chatted as the stream proceeded. Despite being little more than material gathering, viewers steadily increased; after an hour she passed 120,000 concurrents. The creator's visit still had an impact two days later, and plenty of people had come to watch her make Setsuna's ornament. Others surely wanted to see the extraordinary trick of processing materials inside a dungeon to skirt the rule against minors using dungeon resources. The audience grew again once she began crafting.

Roughly three hours after starting, with over 150,000 watching—

"~~~! It's finished!"

Karin held up an exquisite ornament almost identical to the one in the illustration.

【Amazing!】

【Whoa, it really does look just like it!】

【I knew it, but your crafting skill really IS high-level!?】

【I thought her prototypes were all fine, but looking at the final version... She's seriously a perfectionist craftsman. How does someone THIS gifted at crafting fight like that...? (shivers)】

【Um... It went 'poof' and suddenly there was an ornament...?】

【That's not the crafting skill I know!?】

【Another new viewer ojou-sama floored by this, lol (nth time)】

【Incredible! Try it on, Karin ojou-sama!】

"Hehe... Well, here goes. How do I look, desu wa!?"

【Adorable!】

【At least you LOOK like a real ojou-sama!】

【Setsuna-sama would be smiling】

【The texture is incredible. You look like an actual ojou-sama!】

【Just like the illustration!】

【Some of these compliments are a bit rude lmao】

【@motimotimotimoti: The ornament I designed too elaborately to ever make into merchandise is real...! Even the texture is exactly what I imagined... Thank you again and again, Karin ojou-sama...! It suits you beautifully!】

"U-BWOOH!? T-Tamago-sensei!?"

【Tamago-sensei!?】

【lol】

【What are you doing here, sensei!? lol】

【Is Tamago-sensei just another Karin-sama fan now? lol】

【Well, seeing the design reproduced that faithfully would make me happy too】

【Karin ojou-sama's returning the favor!】

【The relationship between creator and fan is so sweet】

【Ojou-sama made that weird noise again lol】

"~~~! Thank you!! Thank you so much, desu no!!"

With the creator's seal of approval, Karin blushed. Delighted with her fan creation, she headed back to the surface.

Still streaming, she passed through the gate at the dungeon entrance. She stayed in her dress; she no longer had to worry about other explorers or guards yelling at her for her outfit.

Behind her, the gate gave a high-pitched beep. It was a rare sound only the 'last returnee' heard, signifying everyone who'd entered the dungeon today had now left.

"Oh? That's unusual. It's still fairly early."

"The material exchange nearby closes early on weekends," an elderly guard answered her streamer's habit of talking to herself, almost as if talking to himself. "Drops are bulky and valuable. Explorers who don't want to keep them overnight come back early. This is a high-level dungeon reaching the deep layers, so it doesn't see many visitors to begin with. You can get isolated inside. Best not to stay down too late."

"I see. Thank you, desu no."

Karin turned to her floating camera in the vast construction-restricted area surrounding the dungeon.

"Well, I've learned something before leaving! Now that I'm safely back, that's all for today. Next time I'll wear this ornament and head into the lower layers. Please subscribe and turn on notifications if you'd like to see that! Until then, Otsukari—"

Just as she was about to finish the sign-off she'd finally begun to get used to—

"—Aight, bingo."

A thuggish voice entered the stream behind her.

"Only dungeon in Tokyo with Jewel Turtles is the Shibuya Dungeon. Not too smart, spendin' that long streaming from a place that's so easy to pin down."

His voice was contemptuous, his manner combative. Something like bloodlust rose from his entire body.

"Been a while, fake ojou-sama."

"You're...!?"

Karin turned at the sharp fighting spirit behind her, her eyes widening—

"Er... Um...? Who are you, desu no?"

"Saiga Kagerou! The dungeon streamer you sucker-punched! Saiga Kagerou, strongest of the young generation!"

Seeing Karin's expression plainly say, 'Seriously, who?', the thuggish nuisance streamer called Puke stamped his feet and roared.