Chapter 1
The Low-Rank Streaming Lady
Sigh . . . As usual, neither my follower count nor my live viewers are going up.
The high school dungeon streamer Karin Yamada's grumbles echoed faintly within the dimly lit dungeon.
Complaining during a live stream was generally frowned upon.
Not that it was an issue now. Currently, the number of people tuned into her live stream was a big, fat zero.
This was the depressing reality of having no fanbase.
At this rate, I'll never catch up to the person I look up to . . .
She sighed yet again, staring at the merciless zero displayed on her smartphone.
It had been decades since the fantastical phenomenon known as Dungeons suddenly appeared worldwide.
There was a lot of panic and chaos initially, but those turbulent days were now in the past.
Now that laws and regulations have been put in place, dungeon exploration has become a legitimate profession. Dungeon streaming, which used this thrilling world as its backdrop, had become one of the most popular genres of live streaming.
Dungeon streams, which can sometimes end up in fatalities, were often criticized.
However, this streaming genre was not ever regulated, instead, encouraged by the government.
The number of explorers who obtained magical powers from delving into dungeons as well as the production of dungeon materials were directly proportional to a nation's strength. Any entity that stirred up interest in dungeons was warmly welcomed by countries wanting to beef up their explorer numbers.
This policy had been in place long before streamers came onto the scene, and numerous creative works featuring explorers were produced under the government's guidance. Of course, regardless of government backing, the sudden emergence of dungeons lured many creators.
Amid these circumstances, where countless stars continued to be born, a certain anime caught Karin Yamada's eye.
What particularly fired up her heart was a ladylike character who mowed down monsters with adorable grace. This idol was the beacon of hope that helped a lonely and listless Karin during her elementary school days to look forward to her future.
I want to be like her!
With this strong conviction, Karin began by copying the character's speech and way of dressing.
She poured her heart into her life-risking dungeon explorations in order to get closer to being like the woman she admired.
One day, Karin learned about dungeon streamers.
They were the closest beings to the character she idolized, conquering dungeons through the screen and energizing their viewers.
This is it!
Karin believed she had found her calling.
So, Karin sought advice from her friends, pooled her meager funds for equipment, and immediately launched her career as a streamer.
A year had passed since she created her channel.
Reality was not as straightforward as manga or anime.
To be fair, she did have a knack for exploring. After all, Karin was now exploring the dangerous lower layer solo. It was a feat few high school students, let alone 16-year-olds, could manage.
Despite her talent, her streaming career was not taking off.
She only had three channel subscribers. The average concurrent viewership was a dismal zero. She was a streamer languishing at the bottom of the ladder.
Karin's channel concept was Graceful Dungeon Conquest.
Her goal was to conquer dungeons elegantly and beautifully, much like the character she admired.
So, she set out to tackle the lower layer without taking a single hit. She navigates through the dungeon gracefully, not letting a monster's attack touch even her hair or clothes. She had to admit, she was quite proud of herself.
Despite this, there was some reason why her channel wasn't growing . . .
Ah! A viewer!
Karin's eyes widened. The viewer count, previously stuck at zero, had changed to one.
H-h-hello, I'm Karin Yamada and I just turned sixteen this year! Right now, I'm gracefully soloing the lower layer!
She was determined to turn this viewer into a regular.
As she introduced herself, Karin confidently pumped her fist in the air.
She deftly dodged every monster's attack and gracefully defeated them, leaving none standing.
Then . . .
Ah! A comment!
The first hint of activity in the comment section for today's stream.
I need to respond with something entertaining, Karin thought, mentally pumping herself up even more. But . . .
Oh great, another fake live stream.
What?
Since you're reacting to comments, you must be the type to just edit the background.
If you're going to fake it, at least do it well. Like switching to a body cam instead of a rare floating camera. Just wasting my time again.
N-No! That's not true!
An exasperated exclamation rose from Karin, as she was bombarded by a wave of negative comments.
Some viewers accuse me of faking it, but this video is genuine! I just happened to win a high-quality used camera in a giveaway- Oh.
Karin's words halted abruptly.
Zero concurrent viewers. No matter what she uttered now, it would fall on deaf ears.
A-ahh . . .
A pitiful cry slipped from Karin as she slumped down on the spot.
A video branded as a fake.
She had weathered comments like this before.
With the proliferation of AI technology, the creation of high-quality fake videos had become a breeze.
It was now commonplace for fraudsters to air such phony videos, pretending they were live, either to inflate their viewer count or to sabotage other dungeon streamers.
Of course, even novices could usually discern if a video was fake upon closer inspection . . . but few people were willing to scrutinize every single one of the innumerable sham videos.
Especially on a stream as unpopular as mine . . . Or could it be . . . ?