chapter03 · 073-ep73
Episode 70: Ojou-sama Goes Wild! (Deep-Layer Edition)
【Even setting aside the fact that the ojou-sama is the weirdest thing here, aren't the deep layers ridiculously dangerous?】
【Every ordinary monster is as dangerous as a lower-layer boss or worse. I'm not laughing anymore】
【And isn't Black Tiger pretty terrifying too? They've been exploring THIS dungeon, right?】
【They got as far as defeating the boss on floor 3 of these high-difficulty deep layers...】
【They DO have the strength to get cocky and do whatever they like...】
【Annoying as they are, that 'one of Japan's strongest clans' title isn't for show. But then what the hell is this ordinary ojou-sama, charging through such a deathtrap solo and unharmed in a dress, with no prior intel, publishing its secrets to the world for free...?】
【She's Karin Yamada ojou-sama, obviously】
【Stop using that unbeatable comeback, desu wa】
¥20,000
And while we've been talking, she's passed FIVE MILLION concurrents!?
【Five million!?】
【Whoa, she really has!?】
【The fights were so crazy I hadn't checked, but her audience's grown a ton again!?】
【Five million lmao. Four million was already wild, and she's STILL gaining viewers at this pace】
【Given what's on-stream, I get it, but this growth is ridiculous lmao】
"...!? Wha—!? Five million, desu no!?"
As Karin strolled Elegantly through the dungeon, viewers were filling chat with renewed awe at the dangers of the deep layers. The announcement of five million concurrents made her voice squeak. She checked in a hurry and saw that it was true. The rate of growth hadn't slowed, either—it seemed to be accelerating as she went.
【Whoa, she really IS wearing a dress in a dungeon!】
【Wait... are these actually the deep layers?】
【Is this the video of the crazy girl Mitsuki was talking about? (in English)】
【I heard a crazy ojou-sama might tie a world record】
【I've never watched a dungeon stream before. Is this really not CGI!?】
There were many complete newcomers in the comments. People who didn't usually watch streams were joining her longtime fans. Mitsuki and Mochimochi Tamago-sensei had opened up paths for new viewers, but the growth was astonishing even so. She was still in the middle of the deep-layer conquest, far from the world-record feat of clearing it.
"Wh-what's happening, desu no...?"
【The whole internet's talking about this conquest】
【Clips of the barehanded mist kill already passed six million views, so of course they're coming!】
【All twenty-five top trending terms are about this stream】
¥10,000
Crazy ojou-sama, deep-layer dress, barehanded mist kill, Po○émon nasty fireworks/pretty fireworks, #CalculateBlackTigersTotalIntelligenceLoss, #PleaseActuallyCommentateMitsukiSama, strong Tinkaton... Too many to list, desu wa!
【Mitsuki-sama's still on the trending list lmao】
【She's strong】
【And apart from us sharing the stream, the near-tied world record is a big deal!】
【Volunteers looked it up, and just clearing floor 1 of the deep layers at sixteen would apparently TIE the world record!】
【'Deep layers' vary in difficulty, so it's complicated, but she'd definitely tie the record!】
【And streaming while clearing floor 1 of the deep layers would unquestionably be a world first at sixteen!】
【Apparently clearing even floor 1 is huge news, and that's bringing people in!】
"Eh? A tied world record, desu no!?"
Karin's eyes widened at the explanation. She'd thought the official world record would require conquering the entire deep layers. But apparently clearing floor 1 alone was an achievement worthy of acclaim. Mafuyu had only told her, 'Just remember that if you clear the deep layers, it'll definitely be an officially recorded world-record feat,' so she hadn't given it a thought. According to the volunteers, the record to tie was much shallower. And at sixteen, clearing floor 1 while streaming would be a definite world first.
With Karin nearing the boss room, the news was circulating again, accelerating the influx of viewers.
(World records are easier to reach than I expected... But those are only 'official' records. As Dungeon Alive shows, truly powerful people hide in the shadows rather than reveal their strength carelessly. There must be plenty of people who could do this much...)
Even as she cautioned herself, Karin smiled Elegantly.
"If entering that official record helps clear these allegations and gives you all a future in which you can enjoy my Elegant streams, I shall humbly write my name into history! It may only be a prelude to the main world record, but for everyone who came to watch because they believe in me—I shall do it now!"
Her dress billowed as she picked up her pace. Slowing down a little would probably have been better for growing the audience—and Mafuyu had likely given her vague information in hopes that she would. But perhaps it was a dungeon streamer's instinct to pursue an Elegant conquest. Karin eagerly pushed toward the boss room.
Then—
""""GRAAAAAAAAH!""""
"""""KIIIIIIIIIH!"""""
""""GICHI GICHI GICHI!""""
It wasn't as though the monsters meant to stop her record attempt, but a vast number of them blocked her path. The Dragon Cannon's shots had connected separate routes, which might have helped bring them all together. There were insect warriors with their absorb-and-release ability, wyverns flying down the broad passages, and unfamiliar insect monsters covered in glossy carapaces.
【WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?】
【What IS this!? A stampede!?】
【A swarm of deep-layer monsters!? This is too much even for her!?】
【She was so close to tying the world record!?】
【Karin ojou-sama, you should retreat for now!?】
【I can feel the pressure through the screen!?】
But—
"Out of my way, desu waaaaa!"
DOGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA!!
"""GRAAAAAAAAAAH!?"""
Karin had sensed the horde in advance and was already firing. She'd immediately pulled out her Elegatling gun and charged it with mana. The storm of magic projectiles, capable of effortlessly blowing away lower-layer bosses, struck the deep-layer swarm. Many screamed—but not all were harmed.
"""KIIIIIIIIIIH!"""
The glossy-shelled insects were untouched. In fact, every projectile that hit their carapaces bounced back at Karin with tremendous force.
【WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?】
【YES, the Elegatling gun—wait, what are those bugs!?】
【After impact absorption, now MAGIC reflection!?】
【They can reflect THOSE projectiles!?】
【We can't use magic against this whole horde!? That's a terrible game design decision!】
【The deep layers are brutal!?】
"What a troublesome trick. But that's not enough, desu wa!"
Karin dodged the returning shots and concentrated her mana. The Gatling gun could do more than indiscriminately spray projectiles. During the Shibuya showdown, it had accurately targeted monsters while avoiding fleeing people. Now she singled out everything in the swarm except the magic-reflecting insects.
"FIRE, DESU WAAAAA!"
"""GRAAAAAAAAAH!?"""
"""G-giiiiih!?"""
Monsters screamed at the perfectly precise shots. The reflecting insects squealed in confusion and clung to their companions, trying to act as shields or armor against the barrage. But—WHOOSH!
Karin had already moved. She sprang high while holding the Gatling gun, landed in the very middle of the swarm, and—
DARARARARARARARARARARARARA!!!!
She fired magic projectiles in every direction. Monsters that hadn't managed to equip themselves with a reflecting insect screamed. Others reflected some of the shots—but unlike the projectiles Karin fired, the reflected ones could not home in on a target. In the middle of a mob, friendly fire was inevitable.
DOGAGAGAGAGAGAGA!
"""GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"""
Karin kept firing, avoiding both the rebounding shots and the monsters' attacks while steadily thinning their ranks.
And then—
"Take this, and this, and this! Desu wa!"
She fired the Gatling gun one-handed and used her free fist to hit an insect warrior several times. As expected, it absorbed the impacts. With powerful blows stored up, it opened its mouth as if to say, 'Fool!'—ready to release a shockwave. The instant it did—
"Look the other way, desu wa!"
"Gih!? GIIIIIIIIIIH!?"
DOGOOOOOOOOOOON!!
"""GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"""
Having read the exact moment it would fire, Karin hoisted and spun the insect warrior around at impossible speed. Its blast went in a completely different direction. Apparently the shockwave counted as a purely physical attack rather than magic. It blasted the magic-reflecting bugs and wyverns away together. Moreover, the other insect warriors didn't seem as good at absorbing their companion's shockwave. Their insect shields went flying, and they fell, becoming easy prey for Karin's magic projectiles.
"Oh! I wondered if this would work. You really aren't very good at absorbing shockwaves yourself! What a useful discovery, desu wa! Take this and this and this and this!"
"Gih!? GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!?"
Karin seized the insect warrior as it tried to flee and pummeled it repeatedly. Each time it was forced to disgorge the impacts before reaching capacity, she mercilessly made it 'look the other way,' all while continuing her barrage. In moments, she had devastated the horde.
【WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?】
【Wait wait wait wait! She's moving too fast and too much is happening!】
【Hold on, what is going ON!?】
【Against a whole deep-layer horde...!?】
【How much was she holding back to get good footage and observe the monsters before this!?】
【Her fighting style is brutal lol】
【Running into the middle of the swarm, opening fire, then dodging every reflected shot herself? That's downright unfair!?】
【Why is she firing her Gatling gun instead of using her sword against magic reflection!?】
"Because I thought fighting this way would be more Elegant and look better on-stream!"
【WHAAAAA!? She answered us IN THIS SITUATION!?】
【Stop posting insane replies while fighting an insane battle!?】
【I thought she'd stopped worrying about the footage and started fighting seriously. Turns out she's STILL thinking about the footage (dead eyes)】
【How do you even defeat this ojou-sama...? (genuine question)】
【Black Tiger wants the answer to that more than anyone right now】
【And why is she casually using an insect warrior as a WEAPON!?】
【She mastered it before she even had to process it with <Divine Artisan> lmao】
【The poor bug is panicking lol】
【Oh, is it one of those sentient swords? (shaking)】
【How does it feel to watch your friends get wrecked by your prized impact ability?】
【W-well, that's still better than the despair of being turned into nasty fireworks...】
Chat was stunned, and the battle ended almost at once.
"Phew! All done, desu wa!"
Unhurt as ever, Karin stood with her skirt swaying, watching the dungeon walls absorb the bodies of the monsters that had filled the broad deep-layer passage.
【WHAAAAAAAAA!? She wiped them ALL out!?】
【She even hunted down the ones that tried to run toward the end, didn't she? (shaking)】
【Deep-layer monsters running away from a human... What?】
【Maybe Karin ojou-sama is the human-shaped irregularity here...?】
【Whoa... look at all those materials they dropped...】
【Come to think of it, there'd hardly been any drops down here until now... But that means...】
【Reminder: Karin ojou-sama is a minor and cannot take the drops home】
【NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?】
【How many BILLIONS of yen are we losing!?】
【Those bastards at the Dungeon Bureau won't bend the rules, and all those rare materials...!】
【Leaving behind materials from a high-difficulty dungeon's deep layers!? This stream is psychological torture!】
【Accounts belonging to deep-layer explorers and researchers and crafters are all freaking out lol】
【Haven't heard wailing like this since Titan Knightbone's special-action drop...】
【Direct your complaints to the Dungeon Bureau and the politicians】
As chat exploded for all kinds of reasons over Karin's rampage—
"Oh, here we are!"
A little farther on, a heavy door appeared out of the darkness: the entrance to the boss room at the far end of floor 1 of the deep layers.
【BOSS ROOM!】
【She really got here by going straight in the direction she returned that cannon shot!?】
【I've thought this before, but can Karin ojou-sama just SEE the layout of a dungeon she's never entered...?】
【At least the shot didn't pierce the boss room too, apparently...】
【The deep-layer boss of a high-difficulty dungeon... I'm nervous】
【After that crazy performance against a deep-layer swarm, she'll be fine!】
【She two-shot the deep-layer boss Storm Dragon during the Shibuya collapse. Easy!】
【Don't get careless. Who knows what sort of monster it might be!】
【Good luck, Karin ojou-sama!】
【Clear this room and you tie the world record!】
"Then let us challenge the boss of floor 1 of the deep layers!"
As if answering their cheers, Karin pushed the heavy door open.
GOOOOOOOH!
An enormous quantity of mana brushed her cheek, enough to make every magic creature she'd fought so far seem insignificant. A wind filled with murderous intent. A roar directed at the unwelcome intruder entering its boss room.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
It had black scales. Blood-colored eyes. When it lifted its neck, it towered tens of meters high. Its roar shook the air.
The Storm Dragon.
The apex of monsterkind, clad in an immense armor of wind, looked down at Karin with the majesty of despair made flesh and the mana of a natural disaster. But—
【Ah】
【Ah】
【Oh no】
【It's over (for the boss)】
【Lmao】
Chat filled with comments devoid of any tension.
"Oh my."
Karin put a hand to her cheek too. "I never thought I'd see a familiar face. It won't make for very exciting footage."
As she spoke, she equipped a superheavy piece of magical equipment from her item box. The master of the boss room gathered vast quantities of mana, seemingly indifferent to the little insect's words. Karin charged straight at it.
And then—
"HUP!!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
Just as she had in Shibuya, Karin broke through its wind breath head-on and defeated the Storm Dragon in two blows. Before well over five million viewers, she struck down a deep-layer boss and cleared floor 1 of the deep layers in a high-difficulty dungeon.
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As announced, I'll be posting every day from today through the 19th to celebrate the book's release! (Though next time will be something like a relaxing forum episode.)
If you're enjoying the story, I'd be very grateful if you left a star below or followed it from the right-hand menu, to help even more people discover the ojou-sama ahead of the book's release!