chapter02 · 035-ep35

Episode 35: Disaster

Karin's single punch had slammed Kagerou into the ground, where he lay motionless. For an instant, the sheer absurdity of it silenced everyone. Then comments exploded on both channels.

【FWAAAAAAAA!?!?!? LMAOOOO】

【O N E - P U N C H A N P A N M A N】

【Kagerou, after all that trash talk...】

【Breaking news: called it】

【Lmaoooooo!】

【I actually got worried after Lord Vomit's confident speech. I feel so stupid!?】

【I believed in ojou-sama, but... seriously?】

【【Breaking News】Karin ojou-sama massacres fully equipped Kagerou barehanded, no cheating whatsoever】

【Heard Puke died again】

【Well, Puke's found his shtick lol】

【Bet a million Zimbabwean dollars someone makes a GIF and a looping remix of Puke getting one-punched】

【I was stunned at first, but now I can't stop laughing lol】

【One for the history books. Total defeat lol】

【'Kagerou' and 'Puke' might become memes meaning 'complete defeat'】

【They'll be bringing this up for ten years lmao】

【I can't even laugh at him this time... He IS the strongest young explorer, went all in on a countermeasure, and got flattened by a sixteen-year-old. Who could've expected that...?】

【But she wasn't boosting herself with magic gear, so his counter wasn't actually a counter...】

【Kagerou... how much did that 'anti-Karin' (not actually anti-Karin) gear cost...?】

【Just estimating the possible dungeon materials, at LEAST tens of millions...】

【Stores wouldn't stock anti-personnel items that disable enchanted gear. Custom order, probably hundreds of millions of yen】

【Oof...】

【Not even funny anymore】

【W-well, an explorer like him must've made a fortune from streaming and delving...】

【Still. Hundreds of millions down the drain to get one-punched on nationwide broadcast...】

【Never thought I'd root for Kagerou】

【Underdog effect】

【What's that?】

【Sympathy making people root for a loser. Literally the 'loser effect'】

【'Loser effect' (direct hit)】

"Wh... y...? What...? You weren't using gear to boost your strength...? That's... impossible..."

"Oh, thank goodness! You're conscious! I managed to hold back this time!"

While Karin's chat sped along and Kagerou's viewers offered theories, Karin called down to him cheerfully. He'd barely held on to consciousness.

"But I did meet you seriously, of course! It wouldn't be 'Elegant' to slack off here. I only restrained the force of the blow, since going all out would undoubtedly kill you even with bare hands. Please understand. So, um... has this made amends?"

"...!? N-no... way...!?"

【Karin ojou-sama, please, stop kicking him while he's down!】

【Every word's another blow to Lord Vomit's corpse!】

【Even I, an ojou-sama, am a man. I'll spare him the clips of this part...】

【↑ Are you a man or an ojou-sama? Make up your mind】

【Girls don't have a monopoly on being ojou-samas!】

【That's one hell of a boulder you've thrown into the discussion...】

【Whoa, 'Puke's Revenge' and 'Puke One-Punch' are trending and concurrents passed 300k lol】

【New record!】

【Lord Vomit's humiliation is spreading FAST...】

【Wait, hasn't the commotion drawn a crowd to the site?】

【I'm in Shibuya. Almost there!】

【Kagerou gave away the location, so this could turn into an in-person invasion of Shibuya Dungeon lol】

【Public humiliation... Everything's his own fault...】

"...! It's a lie! A lie, a lie, a lie!"

"Eh? W-wait, Kagerou-sama!?"

The reality of his defeat seemed to hit Kagerou at last. He looked up at Karin, who was checking his injuries, with a hideous expression.

"No way! There's gotta be some trick! Nobody's that strong without one!"

"I don't know what to tell you... See, even my item box still doesn't work. This is my natural strength."

"...! Fuck... you!"

Karin looked puzzled. Kagerou lost what remained of his composure.

"Fuck you...! I'll make you regret this! Humiliating me twice... Every one of you monsters mocks me with your ridiculous strength! I'll do anything to win—stream, stir up a scandal, whatever! I'll expose your secret, and this time I'll fucking kill—"

Perhaps his injuries had truly driven him delirious. Crawling away from Karin, he was on the verge of saying something he could never take back—when:

THUMP...!

"!? Eh..."

As though resonating with his fury—or simply following the dungeon's own malice—the earth pulsed.

Then—RRRRRRRRUMBLE!

The ground shook violently.

"—!?"

【Huh?】

【What's happening!?】

【Earthquake!?】

【No, wait, is this—】

【You have GOT to be kidding!?】

"EVERYONE, GET AWAY FROM HERE AT ONCE!"

Her perception skill had told Karin a considerable crowd had gathered. She shouted with all her strength, caring more about being heard than sounding elegant. But before the warning could make the onlookers move—CRACK CRACK CRACK!

DOGOOOOON!

The ground holding the dungeon split across the construction-restricted area, a zone nearly three hundred meters in radius. Mana gushed out.

"""GRUOOOOOOOOOH!"""

Following it came a mass of aberrant creatures that should never have surfaced: monsters.

A dungeon collapse.

The calamity brought into the real world as though to balance the dungeons' gift of endless unknown resources was born in the heart of Shibuya.

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The number of comments on episode 34 was out of this world! I laughed and was amazed.

I'm reading them all. Thank you, everyone!

*If you enjoyed this, please support the story with the stars below or a follow from the right-hand menu so more people can see Lord Vomit's disgrace! Moving up the rankings brings in a flood of readers...!