Chapter

chapter05 · 144-ep144

Episode 137: Underwater Combat Equipment

【An abyss that's almost COMPLETELY submerged? Are you serious!?】

【Why is there a horizon INSIDE a dungeon!?】

【I've seen boss rooms half-filled with lakes and parts of passages underwater, but THIS...?】

【That tiny island(?) at the bottom of the stairs looks like the ONLY land!?】

【She can't even cut through the floor to escape to the next one, can she!?】

【Random bosses, challenge doors... What IS this dungeon!?】

Floor 1 of Arakawa Dungeon's abyss was almost entirely covered by a vast expanse of water. The viewers fell into chaos.

Of all the many dangers within dungeons, explorers went out of their way to avoid underwater combat areas. Water simply wasn't an environment in which humans could function properly, and that included explorers with superhuman bodies.

To fight underwater at all, they needed dedicated skills, equipment, and magic items. But no amount of preparation could entirely overcome restrictions on their movement and senses, leaving them at a disadvantage against monsters in their natural habitat. The water hampered not only close combat but most magic too, making it difficult to land a decisive blow on an underwater enemy.

For explorers who fought for their lives, underwater battles were deadly. Some even said the best strategy for a flooded area was to go around it.

How dangerous were such fights considered?

¥10,000　@Mitsuki

An underwater combat area...! This will be extremely difficult...! If a route that can't be bypassed or a boss room is submerged, even a small or medium dungeon WITHOUT an abyss is classified as 'high difficulty'...! I hear even successful conquests are incredibly exhausting. This time in particular, please, please be careful, Ojou-sama...!

【Mitsuki-sama!? Didn't you explode!?】

【Of course she'd rise from hell again under these circumstances!?】

【You sent her to hell lol. Wait, this isn't funny!】

【It's true. A dungeon where you can't avoid underwater combat is high difficulty for that reason alone... Thankfully, there are very few】

【The materials only come from clans specialized in underwater battles, that's how bad it is...】

【Which makes the specialized gear expensive and the difficulty even worse!】

【High difficulty even for small and medium dungeons!?】

【Even with dungeons around, water is THAT foreign an environment to humans】

【Then an abyss that's entirely underwater is basically pit-level difficulty!?】

【There's no other land in sight. If the boss room's on the seabed, she's stuck!?】

【Is preventing the collapse impossible mode now!?】

The explanation from a revived Mitsuki provoked more cries of alarm. With a flooded area THIS vast in the abyss, even viewers who couldn't normally picture abyssal danger understood at a glance. It was clearly a different league from the tranquil hills of Okutama's first abyssal floor.

But while they shuddered at Arakawa Dungeon's threat—

"Heh heh. There is no need to panic, everyone."

Karin, whose eyes had until now merely sparkled at the water-filled abyss, smiled proudly to reassure her viewers.

"Actually, before challenging Arakawa Dungeon I was told that its abyss might contain an underwater combat area."

【Eh】

【Really!?】

【Advance information!?】

Karin nodded Elegantly to her surprised viewers.

The tragedy's eighteen explorers had not been the only powerful people to investigate Arakawa Dungeon. Because of its unusual properties, several other groups had entered. Records showed that one explorer, sensing the existence of an abyss through ultra-long-range detection, had also detected a great quantity of water. Information about abysses was normally classified, restricted to a handful of explorers and government officials. But since they were asking Karin to conquer this one, they'd given her ALL information on Arakawa Dungeon in advance, free of charge, of course.

"So this is not entirely a blind conquest. I have prepared various things for underwater fighting!"

【Seriously!?】

【Oh!? You have!?】

【Nice one, government!?】

【They didn't dump it ALL on Ojou-sama!?】

【Now that I think of it, didn't they mention at the press conference that the abyss goes down four floors? If they had that much information, of course they could warn her about water too...!】

【So the government DOES have information about abysses...】

【Does this mean new underwater combat gear!?】

【I took back every good thing I said about her when she entered the abyss still in a dress, but now I take THAT back! Ojou-sama is SERIOUS!】

【What ridiculous equipment did you prepare this time!?】

"Heh heh. Let me show you before the monsters arrive!"

The viewers went wild with relief at Karin's advance preparations. To meet their expectations, she took something from her item box.

What Karin held up was—

"Here! I used various materials and the money from your superchats to make an underwater microphone that allows me to commentate with clear audio even underwater!"

【Hah?】

Time froze in the comment section. For a moment, everyone thought they'd misheard or the sound had glitched. But the beaming Karin held only a special microphone with an unusual feature: it covered the lower half of her face so she could commentate aloud underwater.

"Hm? The comments have stopped. I-is this all right!? Could those shi—er, terrorists be interfering!?" Karin began to panic a little. Then the comments exploded.

【WAIT, OJOU-SAMAAAAAAAA!?】

【You're joking, right!? You just said MICROPHONE!?】

【Wasn't the preparation supposed to be magic equipment for underwater combat!?】

【W-wait, underwater mics are usually used inside diving helmets, and they're pointless without an oxygen tank... It's only a microphone on the OUTSIDE, right? It's actually magical equipment with those features?】

【My side effect is telling me... I can barely sense mana from that microphone... It's probably JUST a microphone that lets her commentate underwater...】

【Side Effect bro!?】

【He's a fake! Please tell me he's a fake!】

【It really is just a microphone!?】

【AIEEE!? A MICROPHONE!? WHY A MICROPHONE!?】

"Ah, the comments are back. You see, I deeply regret how worried everyone became when I was silent for so long during the Kisaragi Dungeon incident."

As her viewers reeled at the unexpected equipment for improving her broadcast, Karin sighed with relief at the returning comments and folded her arms thoughtfully.

"This time, dispelling your anxieties is an especially important goal. So I prepared properly to commentate on my conquest underwater, rather than worry everyone as I did then!"

【No way!?】

【I thought I'd misheard and Side Effect bro was an impostor, but she REALLY prepared a microphone so she could talk!?】

【K-Karin ojou-sama learns from her mistakes. How admirable (eyes rolled back)】

【A DIFFERENT anxiety is growing right now!?】

【It's hard to roast her because she's KIND OF genuinely considering the viewers!?】

【Is she, though...?】

【She is... It's just that her premises, method, and conclusion are ALL wrong...】

【Ojou-sama, are you serious!?】

【Surely that's not EVERYTHING!? You have other underwater combat equipment too, right!?】

"Indeed. I have prepared plenty more!"

Karin answered the comments and reached into her item box again.

【Oh, good... Of course...】

【You scared me... I thought she only brought a microphone...】

【That's bad for our hearts, Ojou-sama!?】

【However ojou-sama-brained she is, she wouldn't know this abyss could require underwater combat and then stop at equipment THAT stupid...】

【Ojou-sama's learned how to farm comments like a proper streamer!】

"Here! Next is a magic item I made for today using materials from sand slimes that try to drain every drop of fluid from your body. It dries my hair and dress in an instant so I can remain Elegant! Here is an extra-waterproof case for my phone. And finally, an attachment that lets my floating camera maneuver nimbly and continue filming underwater! For the mechanical components, I made good use of your superchats as well as monster materials. Thank you so much, desu no! Now I can stream the underwater conquest without video or sound cutting out and worrying everyone!"

【OJOU-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?】

【Wait. No, really, WAIT, Ojou-sama】

【You can't be serious!?】

【You're joking!? This HAS to be an Ojou-sama joke!?】

【She's considered ONLY the stream quality, not the combat!?】

【Um, wait. You said 'finally,' but you DO have more gear, right...?】

The second wave of broadcast-quality improvements provoked so many retorts that even the expanded servers struggled and the stream stuttered. But—

"Eh? No, that is everything. It is sufficient for commentating on an underwater battle... And the superchats you've given me are so enormous that spending any more gives me stomach cramps..."

【Why are you looking confused at US when WE'RE confused!?】

【Ojou-sama's confused face sure is cute!? (desperate)】

【WE'RE the ones with stomach cramps (dead serious)】

【Stop illustrating 'we speak the same language but can't communicate' again TWO SECONDS later!?】

【She really has zero preparations for underwater FIGHTING—only Elegant commentating!?】

【What do you mean? Ojou-sama HAS prepared for underwater combat, heh heh...】

【That's right. She has a mic, waterproof phone case, dryer, and underwater camera. Four pieces of gear! So well prepared~】

【More gear than ever before... We're safe from ANY enemy!!!】

【Get a fucking grip!】

【Is this ojou-sama insane!?】

【It's a little late to ask... But no one told me she was THIS insane!?】

【Th-this is a joke, right...?】

【She looks serious (trembling)】

【Is she really going to be okay!? Surely Ojou-sama has a plan, but...】

【Does she, though?】

【Stop preparing ridiculous gear (not gear) in a COMPLETELY different way than we expected!?】

【Ridiculous gear → no. Nonsense gear → yes】

【Why is the floating CAMERA getting mobility-assist gear underwater instead of Karin ojou-sama!?】

【Government that provided the info: 'What is going on...?'】

【↑That's OUR line】

【The government should be held responsible for supervising her!?】

【What a waste of advance information!?】

【Are you REALLY done preparing!?】

The comments continued pouring in as Karin confirmed she'd made no further preparations. But the torrent abruptly stopped.

Because—

"!"

DOGOGOGOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!

【Whoa!? What!?】

【The ground suddenly exploded!?】

【Wait, a LOT of missiles are coming from underwater!?】

【The land is going to disappear!?】

【They're immediately targeting the ONLY safe spot!?】

The land around the bottom of the stairs suddenly erupted in violent flames. Countless missiles had flown from beneath the water to carpet-bomb every scrap of solid ground.

"Oh! They have come to us already. In that case, now that I have finished introducing my underwater gear—let us put it to use in the conquest!"

INHALE—SPLASH!

Just before the land vanished, Karin took a deep breath, perfectly evaded the bombardment, and plunged without hesitation into the abyssal water, carrying her special microphone and underwater-ready floating camera.

While the viewers screamed that the crazy ojou-sama REALLY had jumped in wearing her dress—

"Ah, ah, Elegance. This is a microphone and camera test, desu no. Can all of you still hear my voice and see me underwater?"

【!?】

【You jumped in wearing your dress, and you're already casually TESTING YOUR MIC!?】

【'Ah, ah, Elegance' ← WHAT WAS THAT!?】

【I'm starting to wonder if OUR voices are reaching YOUUUUUUUUUUU!?】

【She actually dove into an abyss underwater wearing her dress. Will she be okay!?】

【S-she does still seem to have part of Storm Style equipped...】

But the retorts to Karin's carefree attitude didn't last. The floating camera followed her, changed angle, and captured the water, faintly illuminated by mana, which made distant objects visible. An unbelievable scene appeared on-screen:

A horde of deep-layer bosses specialized in underwater combat.

""""""GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!""""""

"""""KYURAKYURAKYURAKYURA!"""""

【Whoa...!?】

【Huh!?】

【What IS this!?】

【You've got to be kidding!?】

No wonder the viewers were speechless. Waiting beneath the water were Gungnir Sharks—the future-seeing giant sharks Karin had met as the boss of Arakawa's second deep-layer floor—and Fortress Crabs, the third-floor boss species apparently responsible for the missiles. Armies of both.

She'd crushed both bosses with ease in the deep layers. But they were underwater now, and both had the bodies of marine animals. Here in their element, they moved more nimbly than they had on land and aimed terrible killing intent at Karin, whose frilly dress clearly restricted her movement.

【You've gotta be kidding meeeeeeeeeee!?】

【After Okutama I suspected this, but they're seriously appearing in ARMIES!?】

【I wondered if Arakawa's deep-layer bosses were weak or Ojou-sama had gotten stronger. Was the underwater fight their REAL challenge!?】

【My thalassophobia has killed me】

【Even Ojou-sama will struggle here!】

【She NEEDS actual underwater gear!?】

【Could she use existing gear...? Lightning Style and Kazenari might electrocute her instead! This is tough underwater. At least escape into the air for now!】

【They're cominggggggggg!?】

【Ojou-sama, go back for now!】

""""GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!""""

FWOOSHFWOOSHFWOOSHFWOOSH!!

Like arrows let loose, the sharks raced through the water to tear into Karin. Countless torpedoes from the giant fortress crabs shot out even faster. A saturation attack seemingly impossible to answer bore down on her, difficult to evade even on land without <Divine Artisan> gear, let alone underwater—

"—Pseudo Fa Jin!"

DO—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

DOGOGOGOGOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

""""!? GWYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?""""

The instant Karin swung her fist underwater, where impacts transmitted more readily than in air, a shockwave burst among the approaching deep-layer bosses. The torpedoes detonated all at once far short of their target. The sharks spat blood and screamed, struck by an invisible area attack their foresight could do nothing to avoid.

―――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Underwater combat equipment (trained body) (plain Ojou-sama).

The details of Karin ojou-sama's underwater fighting style will come next time, desu wa!

There is another reason(?) she didn't prepare underwater combat equipment in advance; that will become clear eventually!

(Incidentally, Ojou-sama Eyes don't need swimming goggles.)

※Mitsuki-sama and Mafuyu-sama are monitoring the comments hoping for swimsuits after last time.※