Rakuna advanced through the beginner dungeon.
Unlike her previous stream, her brow was furrowed, and her expression was intense—dead serious.
Keeping her posture low, she would move forward a little, then slip behind cover; at every corner, she carefully peered ahead to check what lay beyond.
The structure of a dungeon differs from dungeon to dungeon.
This beginner dungeon was spacious, and its corridors were complex—like a maze.
That made it possible to aim for the depths while avoiding other explorers who were already inside, but it also meant a sudden run-in was entirely possible.
Rakuna proceeded with extreme caution, determined not to encounter any other explorers.
〝She’s clearing like crazy lol〟
〝Her face is way too serious lmao〟
〝You weren’t even doing that in an advanced dungeon lol〟
〝The chill, wholesome “stroll stream” vibe is totally gone〟
〝She screams every time she meets a person lol〟
〝Apparently it triggers even on the drone too〟
〝Our eardrums and hearts are in danger too, you know〟
〝Yeah, sudden screaming is genuinely terrifying lol〟
〝Now that you put it that way, my heart’s racing〟
〝Has there ever been a stream this tense in a beginner dungeon before?〟
〝No… I don’t want my eardrums and heart to burst any more…〟
〝↑Please rest in peace already〟
The tension was so intense that even the comment section started worrying about their own well-being.
And then, from ahead, a monster approached Rakuna.
Its body looked like liquid, and it came hopping closer, bounce-bounce.
“Aah. This is a monster I’ve never seen before.”
〝Oh, it’s a slime〟
〝The poster child of beginner-dungeon monsters〟
〝Since its body’s liquid, slashes or magic skills are recommended〟
Just as the viewers said, the slime’s body was made of liquid.
That meant that Rakuna’s thrown stones and punches would have their impact absorbed, making it hard to deal damage.
Typically, people handled them with slashing attacks using blades, or magic attacks using skills.
However, before those comments even reached her, Rakuna had already dashed forward and snapped out a punch.
At the same time—PAAN!—a bursting sound echoed, and the slime’s liquid body splattered apart.
Only its core remained on the ground, and soon it transformed into a magic stone.
Rakuna exhaled, “Phew,” and only then looked toward the comments.
“Oh, so slashes and magic are recommended. …By the way, how do you do magic?”
She tilted her head.
〝O-oh.〟
〝Uh… maybe Abyss-chan is fine the way she is…〟
〝Sorry for getting carried away and giving advice!〟
〝W-well, maybe Abyss-chan doesn’t need magic (trembling)〟
〝She’s insanely bold against monsters lol〟
〝Don’t suddenly go from chihuahua to rabid dog〟
Smiling at the comments, Rakuna started walking again—
But one comment caught her eye.
〝Aren’t you going to pick up the magic stone?〟
Seeing that, Rakuna lowered her gaze to the magic stones scattered across the floor.
Then she picked up the blue magic stone dropped by the slime earlier.
“Magic stone… you mean this? What is this, exactly?”
〝Huh!? LMAO〟
〝No way lol〟
〝She… doesn’t know magic stones exist…!?〟
〝Of course she doesn’t—Abyss-chan basically doesn’t know anything! (dead serious)〟
〝How does she keep passing the license exam, seriously?〟
〝Explorers take those home to sell, or use them as materials for equipment〟
“Oh, I see. Got it! Thank you!”
The viewers couldn’t hide their shock at how, as always, Rakuna knew nothing.
In any case, following the advice from the comments, she tossed the dropped magic stones into the backpack on her back—one after another.
In the middle of that, she suddenly went, “Ah.”
“Come to think of it, I’m hungry. Let’s take a break here.”
She rummaged through her backpack, and what came out was a folded blue tarp.
She spread it out and laid it on the ground.
Then she even pulled out a boxed set of sandwiches and a water bottle.
〝This is just a picnic now〟
〝The stroll stream has begun〟
〝She even had a blue tarp in that huge backpack lmao〟
〝What a wholesome stream lol〟
〝She’s prepared like she came for cherry-blossom viewing〟
〝Doesn’t feel like a dungeon stream at all lol〟
〝If there were no fights and no humans, it could stay a wholesome channel…〟
On top of the blue tarp, she opened up handmade egg sandwiches.
She poured tea from the bottle and chugged it down with a satisfied “Pwahh.”
It was such a peaceful sight—like she was on a picnic.
But needless to say, this was a dungeon—a den of monsters.
Just like before, a slime came hopping closer, bounce-bounce.
This one was a size bigger than the last slime.
Rakuna narrowed her eyes and observed it carefully.
Then she gave it a bright smile, and the very next instant—PANT!—she pulverized it with a punch.
As she looked at the slime turned into magic stones, Rakuna’s expression, for some reason, clouded over.
“…I thought maybe it could be dessert after the meal, but I end up killing it no matter what.”
〝Huh?〟
〝W-wait!?〟
〝Dessert after the meal!?〟
〝She was trying to eat it again lol〟
〝I feel like I just got shown wholesome footage and horror footage at the same time〟
〝Do you… actually eat those regularly?〟
〝Someday I want a food-review stream〟
〝Are monsters tasty?〟
With an “Ehehe,” she laughed off the comments and made sure to put the slime’s dropped magic stones into her backpack.
As comments like “What are you laughing about?” began piling up, people noticed something else when they saw there were more magic stones than before.
〝Huh? Wait—wasn’t that a Mega Slime just now?〟
“Mega Slime?”
〝Ah.〟
〝True.〟
〝Yeah, that was totally a Mega Slime〟
When Rakuna read the comment aloud, the viewers started buzzing.
“Was that slime… a rare type or something?”
〝Rare, or rather, it should never appear in a beginner dungeon〟
〝At minimum, it’s an intermediate-level boss monster class〟
〝You beat it so easily we didn’t even realize〟
〝Watching Abyss-chan breaks your sense of normal〟
“Mm-hm. I see.”
〝No way she actually gets it lol〟
〝I see (I don’t understand)〟
〝I mean, even if an intermediate boss is wandering around… it’s like, so what?〟
〝For Abyss-chan it’s not a problem at all lol〟
〝But seriously, why is this happening?〟
〝Did it connect to another dungeon again?〟
〝It might have turned into an invasive-species dungeon…〟
An invasive-species dungeon.
A dungeon where, due to connections and the like, higher-ranked monsters than the ones that should naturally live there have flowed in.
Those incoming monsters are called invasive species, and in some cases the dungeon’s ecosystem changes, raising its difficulty.
Because of that, there were plenty of explorers who ended up facing monsters far above their level—with disastrous results.
〝But a rescue drone isn’t coming like yesterday〟
〝Normally, the moment a connection happens, a drone should come flying in〟
〝That’s strange…〟
〝Just be careful, Abyss-chan〟
§
“Alright then—prep complete.”
A black-haired woman with a ponytail murmured quietly.
She was an explorer who, at the same time, was diving into the same dungeon as Rakuna.
Unlike Rakuna, she was properly equipped with explorer gear.
The quality was high enough that she looked like she could even tackle an advanced dungeon.
After stretching and warming up, she operated the black tracking drone floating beside her and started her stream.
“Good evening, everyone. It’s your laid-back explorer, Shiiba Chigiri—Chigirin!”
Shiiba Chigiri waved at the camera with a smile.
Right after starting, she had around 300 viewers.
“Today is the final day of my solo travel stream. I still have time before my bullet train home, so I’m thinking I’ll explore a beginner dungeon while chatting with you all at a relaxed pace!”
〝Okaay〟
〝Roger~〟
〝Love a chat stream〟
〝Chigirin is cute as always〟
〝How was the Hakone trip?〟
Chigiri began exploring while checking comments on the smartwatch wrapped around her arm.
After walking for a while, a monster appeared ahead.
A large slime, about one meter long.
“Eh…? A Mega Slime…?”
Even as she voiced her confusion, Chigiri instantly drew the dagger hanging at her waist and slashed.
But it didn’t seem to have any effect, and the Mega Slime counterattacked by flinging bodily fluid at her.
Chigiri retreated and dodged.
The fluid splattered onto the ground and burned the spot with a JUUU sound.
Narrowing her eyes, Chigiri slipped a hand into her pocket and took out a palm-sized cube.
She tossed it onto the ground, and as it rolled, she held her hand over it and murmured, “Thaw.”
The cube rapidly expanded, gradually returning to its original form.
Before long, it became a single katana.
Chigiri gripped the katana with both hands and unleashed a horizontal slash toward the oncoming Mega Slime.
Split cleanly in two, its body emitted light and—along with a bursting sound—turned into magic stones.
〝OHHHHH〟
〝It’s been a while since we’ve seen Chigirin get serious〟
〝One-shotting a Mega Slime is wild〟
〝So cool!〟
〝Isn’t it the first time you thawed the sword in like six months?〟
〝As expected of Chigirin!〟
Praise-filled comments streamed by at her graceful swordplay.
Chigiri murmured “Compress” toward the katana, and it steadily shrank until it became a palm-sized cube again.
The power she used was the skill 『Compression/Thaw』.
It could compress objects—or weakened monsters—down to a small size so they could be carried around.
A powerful skill that only those who had trained extensively could obtain—one of the unique skills.
“Still… why is a Mega Slime in a beginner dungeon…?”
〝Seriously〟
〝Yeah, that’s true〟
〝Did it connect to another dungeon?〟
〝Should you retreat for now?〟
Chigiri thought for a moment while watching the comments.
Then she shook her head.
“No. I can’t just leave it. If there are low-rank explorers in here, it’s dangerous.”
As the comment section filled with worry, Chigiri resolved to push deeper.
Slaying Mega Slimes one after another along the way, she pressed onward into the depths.
At last, she reached an iron door—the boss room.
After signaling to her viewers, she opened it, and beyond it—
〝Huh?〟
〝What?〟
〝No way〟
〝H-hey, hey, hey… you’ve got to be kidding…〟
—A gigantic, golden slime.
A slime that even in advanced dungeons was rarely seen, boasting top-tier strength among the slime clan.
Its name: the Tera Slime.
Its body was made of corrosive liquid; even touching it would cause severe burns.
If you used ordinary weapons, they would be dissolved instead, rendering them useless.
And that special-grade monster…
There were three of them.
“No way… why…?”
Before the hellish sight, Shiiba Chigiri and her viewers were left speechless.