Breaking News: Aristocratic Dungeon Streamer Goes Viral!!

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 . . . ?

Karin glanced down at the frilly dress she was clad in.

I guess this outfit isn't really doing me any favors, is it . . . ?

She was wearing an elegant dress modeled after the character she admired.

However, this elegant attire, ill-suited for dungeon crawling, led people to believe her live streams were just gimmicky and staged.

To conceal her identity, she had to wear different outfits in the crowded upper and middle layers of the dungeon, which perhaps furthered suspicions of fakery seeing as she was only seen in this dress on screen.

To boost her viewer count, maybe it was time to reconsider this elegance concept . . .

N-no, no way, I can't do that. It would defeat the whole purpose!

The streamer she aspired to be was not just popular, but one who inspired others with graceful battles, like the character she admired.

If she lost sight of that, there would be no point in being a dungeon streamer.

Of course, she planned to adjust her approach as necessary and respond to her viewers' needs, but the graceful lady persona was the essence of Karin Yamada.

She couldn't possibly give up the dress, the most obvious symbol of that.

Besides, other dungeon streamers were growing their channels with cosplay outfits. She needed to focus more on making her dungeon exploration thrilling and improving her conversational skills. There was still room for growth.

It was too early for her to give up and lose her sense of self.

Even so, it's been a year since I started streaming. I've tried everything under the sun, but look where I am now . . .

Karin sighed heavily, her self-deprecating words hanging in the air.

Hmm . . . Maybe I'm just not meant for this . . .

She had no plans to abandon her dream just yet.

But her lack of progress had her voicing her self-doubt aloud.

Well, I'll figure out the next steps later. For now, I'm calling it a day. I'm starting to feel hungry . . . Thanks for watching, everyone. Haah . . . I wonder who I'm even saying goodbye to?

With her head hung low in disappointment, she made a half-hearted farewell, glancing at the viewer count.

"Did I end the stream right . . . ? Well, it doesn't matter. If no one's watching, it's all the same.

Her motivation was so low that she was handling her cell and camera with little care.

Although she had been frustrated by her lack of viewers many times before, and her handling of the equipment had sometimes been sloppy, she always managed to end the stream correctly. She distracted herself by defeating approaching monsters on her way home.

Karin had just arrived at an area near the middle layer of the dungeon.

Alright, everyone, watch closely. I'm about to light this up. For all you naysayers who thought I wouldn't dare.

A voice, smirking audibly, echoed through the dim dungeon depths.

The man was quite far from Karin, muttering something to the dungeon's sturdy walls.

What's that? Disrupting other explorers? Don't you know who I am? I'm the legendary Saiga Kagero, the guy who soloed the lower layer at just 24. Any monster that pops up, I'll take it down with one punch. Unlike you, I think about what comes next. Those who plunge into the lower layer without considering irregularities like monster rampages are just fools. And now, I'm going to blow up this dungeon wall!

His voice was derisive, as though he was ridiculing someone.

However, it was not his smug murmurs that were the problem.

It was the flame in his hand, illuminating a red stone.

What?

Karin's eyes widened in surprise, recognizing the object from afar.

After all, she knew how dangerous it was.

A blast stone.

A rare mineral from the dungeon, discovered just a few years ago. Even a small spark could harness its immense power. It could easily blow away even the sturdiest of giant monsters. However, it had one significant drawback: the scent released with the explosion attracted large numbers of monsters and made them more aggressive.

The Dungeon Bureau had repeatedly warned against the use of such a hazardous object outside of boss rooms. Even Karin, generally a bit out of touch, was aware of this.

It was at that moment Karin realized that the dangerous object was about to be detonated in the lower layer of the dungeon.

What the hell do you think you're doing?!

Huh? Wha-whoaaaaaaa?!

BOOOM!

She hit him with a quick dropkick.

Anyone setting off a blast stone in the lower layer of the dungeon outside of an emergency was essentially a terrorist. Besides, Karin was already on edge, having her stream called a fake and then dealing with an alarming zero concurrent viewers.

With him about to ignite the stone, she had no time to spare. She instantly closed the distance between them and kicked him away ruthlessly.

What on earth are you thinking?! Detonating a blast stone in the lower layer is dangerous! Have you lost your mind?!

Completely forgetting her ladylike character, she seized the man, who had dropped the blast stone, by his collar and flung him against the wall.

Ugh! What? What the?! When did you . . . ?! Who do you think you are, jumping me like that? I'm—

I don't care who you are!

WHAM!

Guhaaa?!

The man shrieked again as Karin headbutted him.

Sensing a life-threatening danger, the man grabbed his weapon in a full combat stance.

You bast—

However . . .

You still have the audacity to resist?!

BAM!

Arghhhhh!!

Karin's punch to the stomach landed with explosive speed, much faster than the man could swing his weapon.

The force caused him to drop his weapon. But Karin, sensing his murderous intent, did not let up.

You're acting like such an idiot! You're an adult, right?! Don't you feel any remorse for your mother who went through the pain of giving birth to you?!

BAM! SLAP! WHACK! BAM!

Karin threw more punches to his stomach, a series of slaps, following with knee kicks.

In a matter of seconds, Karin's barrage of hits and reprimands mercilessly rained down on the man.

Oh?

. . .

Before she knew it, the man was out cold, and Karin abruptly came back to her senses.

Did I overdo it a bit . . . ? He must have some emergency potion on him . . . Wait, my punch broke the only one he had?! Geez, what a pathetic grown-up explorer.

Karin could tell from the magical power surrounding the man that the emergency medicine had been damaged. She let out a sigh.

Well, there's nothing to be done now. As an apology, I'll share a bit of the only potion I have left.

After picking up the shattered blast stone, Karin had the man sip a bit of her emergency potion.

I was just trying to stop him, but he passed out. If he's in the lower layer, he should be able to handle this kind of attack. He's surprisingly weak . . . Wait, weak?

Karin paused.

Gathering her thoughts, Karin began to consider a possibility.

The man seemed unusually frail. Plus, there was the ridiculous act of him igniting a blast stone in the lower layer.

Wait, don't tell me . . . he's a lost inexperienced explorer who wandered into the lower layer and got confused?

Blood drained from Karin's face in an instant.

Right. Now that I think about it, he wouldn't pull a stunt like this on purpose. This area is close to the middle layer. He must have gotten lost from there! Even if he was planning to detonate the blast stone, what I did was terrible!

In a desperate move, Karin administered all her medicine to the man.

However, emergency potion was not a quick fix, and with the severity of his injuries, he showed no signs of waking up.

Oh, I messed up!

Carrying the man, Karin frantically made her escape from the dungeon.

She begged the guards at the entrance of the dungeon to take care of the man, and explained in desperation how she had beaten a fellow streamer.

Despite presenting the blast stone as evidence, Karin's story was glossed over. She wasn't even reprimanded.

Before she knew it, Karin found herself in an ambulance with the man she had beaten.

You're incredibly healthy.

I heard you were delirious . . . Why are you here?

May I use you as a healthy sample for a sixteen-year-old female?

The doctor's diagnosis was perplexing.

Excuse me?

Confused, Karin tilted her head. She eventually went home as if nothing had happened.

I don’t really get what went down, but . . . since I didn't get in trouble for beating up another streamer, I guess it was all good . . . everything's fine, right?

Karin mused aloud as she enjoyed a late dinner after getting home.

I'm just relieved I stopped the stream in time. Even though I didn't mean to be, I was pretty rough . . . There were times my words got so mixed up, they could've trashed my classy image.

Well, I had no viewers to begin with, so it probably would not have made a difference whether I was streaming or not . . . but all is well that ends well.

With these thoughts, Karin, worn out and relieved the day's adventures were over, fell into a deep sleep as soon as she hit the bed.

At this moment, however, Karin was clueless about the buzz she had created.

Who is this delinquent dressed like a lady?!

Did Kagero, the strongest young streamer, just get utterly defeated?!

And why is she wearing a dress in the lower layer?!

Has she lost her mind?!

The man that had attempted to blast the dungeon wall was none other than the notorious troublemaker streamer, Kagero. His camera, miraculously still functioning, broadcast the entire event on his channel. His stream had been drawing tens of thousands of viewers due to his explosive stunt, causing clips of the event to rapidly accumulate millions of views.

Also, as Karin's stream had not properly ended, her channel was quickly identified and the internet erupted in frenzy.

I'm peacefully asleep!

As Karin slept peacefully, she remained blissfully unaware.