The clearing stream of the 《Dawn’s Sword》 started at six in the evening.
The title was strong.
The B-Rank Dungeon Fastest Clear Shown by Real Raiders
On the thumbnail was Ren Kurose raising his sword, alongside the two characters for “Proof” in red letters.
Anyone could tell that they intended to push back yesterday’s flames with sheer force.
The concurrent viewer count was high.
Kurose’s fans.
Onlookers who came to see the commotion.
Viewers who had drifted over from Yuma Kamishiro’s stream.
And the Dungeon Agency’s audit division.
Mahiro Saeki opened her terminal in a room at the village’s lodging facility and watched that stream in silence.
Around the same time, I was making rice balls in the barn kitchen.
The village mayor and Saeki-san had informed me that a specialized investigation team would arrive around the abandoned mine area tomorrow morning. The investigation team would arrive early in the morning. If they were crossing the mountain path, they would need something warm and quick to eat.
Freshly cooked rice with just a little bit of salt.
Two kinds of fillings.
The first was simmered tusked-boar.
Finely chopped meat cooked sweet and savory with ginger and soy sauce, letting the fat blend into the rice. When chewed, the umami of the meat oozes out, but I added just a dash of Japanese pepper to keep the aftertaste from becoming heavy.
The second was shredded frozen trout.
Grilled over charcoal to make the skin crisp, the meat shredded, and mixed with miso and perilla leaves. To ensure the aroma lingered even when cold, I also chopped the skin finely and mixed it in.
“Yuma, the round shape is too small.”
On top of the workbench, Mikoto instructed me.
“Since it is for the investigation team, an easy-to-eat size is fine.”
“The one for me is small.”
“Is that so.”
In front of Mikoto sat a single small rice ball with lighter seasoning.
Until just a moment ago, she had been saying, “I am the supervisor,” but as soon as food appeared, she waited like anyone else.
“After it cools down.”
“Hmph.”
At the edge of the workbench acting as a counter, Riko-san opened her laptop.
Half the screen displayed our stream management page.
The other half showed the 《Dawn’s Sword》 clearing stream.
Making the rice balls for the investigation team was being broadcast as a short stream focusing only on my hands. We did not film the location, nor did we film the villagers. It was restricted only to the safe zone Riko-san had decided upon.
“Even if you tell me I don’t need to watch, I will watch this.”
I will not stop you.
“What about Yuma-san?”
“I am making rice balls.”
“Right.”
Riko-san smiled wryly.
On the stream screen, Kurose was standing at the entrance of the dungeon.
His equipment was complete.
His sword was a cutting-edge magical blade.
His armor was also expensive light armor.
Behind him were Reina Shiratori and two other members. Keisuke Totsuka acting as the scout, and Sara Narumi in charge of magic. Both were official members of 《Dawn’s Sword》.
He looked good.
Kurose gave a composed smile toward the camera.
Today, we will show results with our actions. There is no need to be swayed by baseless rumors or a countryside cooking stream. Watch what true raiders do.
The comments flowed by.
Been waiting for this. Do your best, Kurose-san. Prove it to us. Enough about Kamishiro already. Wait, wasn’t it Kurose’s side that brought up Kamishiro? Is a B-Rank fastest clear really going to be okay?
Kurose did not pick up on the unfavorable comments.
The stream began.
The first thirty minutes were certainly smooth.
Kurose was strong.
There was no doubt about that.
When he swung his magical blade, the stone-skinned monsters split apart in a single strike. Totsuka found traps, and Narumi scattered groups of monsters with high-output magic. Reina’s healing was precise as well.
Praise increased in the comments section as well.
He really is strong. His combat power is the real deal. Looks like they’ll be fine at this rate.
Riko-san said quietly while looking at the screen.
“They are strong.”
“They are. 《Dawn’s Sword》 is a strong team to begin with.”
“Then why?”
“Being strong alone isn’t enough to dive for long.”
I finished shaping another rice ball.
The warmth of the rice remaining in my palm.
Grains of salt.
The slight control of pressure when wrapping the filling.
Neither dungeons nor food can be sustained by flashy aspects alone.
On the stream screen, the first sense of unease appeared.
Totsuka opened his water flask and frowned.
Purification tablets might not agree with me. Can’t you drink it? No, I can drink it. But it smells like iron.
Narumi bit into a portable ration and immediately washed it down with water.
This makes the inside of my mouth feel dry. Just endure it. Let’s move.
Kurose did not stop moving.
That in itself was not wrong as a raider. Depending on the situation, cutting breaks to advance was necessary.
However, today’s clear was for showing off on a stream.
There was no need to rush.
Reina called out softly.
Ren-san, let’s take a break. Too early. The mana concentration is rising. The absorption of recovery potions is also a bit poor. That’s precisely why we’re pushing through quickly.
A slightly different temperature began to mix into the comments section.
Shouldn’t they rest? Reina-san looks pale. Doing B-Rank on just portable rations is rough. Is the rumor true that Kamishiro used to make soup around here? People will probably tell us to stop talking about food, but condition management is important, right.
Trying not to look at the screen, I wrapped the rice ball in seaweed.
The aroma of seaweed rose.
When mixed with the steam of the rice, it made my stomach growl all on its own.
“Yuma, where is mine?”
“After it cools down a bit more.”
“Don’t the people on the stream eat?”
“They are eating. It’s just not enough.”
“Food that is not enough is not food.”
“You’re strict.”
Mikoto was serious.
Inside the screen, 《Dawn’s Sword》 had entered the middle layers.
An area where gray rock walls continued.
On the floor, mana crystals like fine sand had accumulated. Every time they stepped, a fine powder fluttered up from the soles of their shoes, and when inhaled, it made the body heavy.
I knew that terrain.
When I dived there previously, I dampened cloths and handed them to everyone before passing through. It was water boiled from bitter grass. The smell was bad, but it reduced the inhaled mana slightly.
The people inside the screen were advancing as they were.
Reina coughed.
Are you okay? Yes. Just the dust. Narumi, blow it away with wind. I’m trying. But it’s too fine.
Kurose swung his sword and cut down the monster ahead.
His judgment was fast.
His movements were sharp, too.
However, the rear was starting to lag behind.
Totsuka’s footing became unsteady, and Narumi’s chanting grew slightly longer. Reina bit her lip as she tried to conserve her healing magic.
Even so, Kurose advanced.
Stopping would mean admitting defeat.
That impatience was visible through the screen.
And then, deep in the middle layers, an ash-blade lizard appeared.
A large monster with scales resembling rock. It had a sharp, blade-like bone at the tip of its tail, scattering gray powder every time it swung. More than the wounds themselves, the paralytic mana contained in the powder was troublesome.
Here it comes!
Kurose stepped forward.
His sword technique was magnificent.
He parried the ash-blade lizard’s opening attack and slashed into its neck. The magical blade split the scales, and black blood flew.
However, the moment I saw that blood, I stopped my hands.
“Bad.”
Riko-san raised her head.
“What is?”
“After slashing that thing, if the blood scatters, it mixes with the powder.”
Inside the screen, a gray mist spread.
Narumi coughed, and Totsuka dropped to one knee.
Reina immediately tried to cast a barrier, but it was too late.
Kurose delivered a follow-up attack to the lizard and successfully put it down.
He was strong.
He truly was strong.
However, everyone in that place had inhaled the gray mist.
Ugh, what is this? My hands are going numb. Reina, heal us! Healing alone won’t clear this. Detoxification treatment is necessary. Where are the recovery potions? I’ve been saying their absorption is poor since earlier.
The comments section became turbulent.
Isn’t this bad? Everyone has status ailments even though they beat it? Ash-blade lizards create mist if you mess up the bleeding direction. Who was in charge of processing that anyway? Kamishiro probably would’ve turned it into ingredients. Don’t say that now. But it’s a fact.
Kurose’s face twisted.
We are retreating.
That judgment was late, but it wasn’t wrong.
He grabbed Totsuka’s arm, lent his shoulder to Narumi, and made Reina fall back. He hadn’t abandoned his responsibility as a fighter.
However, he no longer had the leeway to look cool on stream.
The return journey was disorderly.
Their footing was heavy and their breathing rough. Kurose stood at the front until the end, but the face reflected on the screen showed obvious impatience.
When they returned to the entrance, the word “fastest clear” that had been planned remained in no one’s head.
Today’s clear is suspended due to unexpected status ailments.
Kurose said to the camera.
However, the subjugation itself was successful. There is no problem with our ability.
The comments section did not agree immediately.
You have the ability, but preparation is lacking. Reina-san was talking about resting from the beginning. Whose job was it to manage status ailments? Wasn’t that part just brushed off with the word chores? Doing this the day after a stream tearing down Kamishiro is pretty rough.
The stream ended hastily.
Silence fell over the barn kitchen for a while.
Riko-san closed her laptop.
“Yuma-san.”
“Yes.”
“Are you frustrated?”
I thought about it for a moment.
Kurose and the others failed.
The people who called me incompetent suffered from the gaps in the work I used to do.
Visually speaking, it might be a satisfying development for the general public.
Yet, seeing Reina coughing on the other side of the screen did not clear my chest.
Rather than frustrated, I thought it was dangerous.
“I thought so.”
“The meat of the ash-blade lizard can be eaten if processed properly. If you extract it without letting the blood mist out, the base of the tail is delicious.”
“Is that your focus?”
“That is my focus.”
I lined up the finished rice balls on a tray.
Round ones, triangular ones, and small ones for Mikoto.
They were still warm.
The aroma of seaweed filled the barn.
Mikoto finally bit into her own rice ball.
“Mmh. Proving something is something one does after filling their stomach.”
“That might truly be the case.”
Riko-san smiled just a little.
Late that night.
A message arrived from Saeki-san.
Tomorrow morning, we will receive the auxiliary recording crystal from Ms. Reina Shiratori. After that, we may also request confirmation from Mr. Kamishiro.
I stared at that text for a while.
Reina.
I remembered her face looking down in the conference room.
Anger didn’t well up much anymore.
Instead, something like the burnt residue at the bottom of a pot lingered deep inside my chest.
It didn’t easily scrub away, either.
Even so, tomorrow morning would come.
I covered the rice balls for the investigation team with a cloth and put out the fire.
Outside, the mountain with the abandoned mine sank into darkness.
From deep within it, a faintly cold wind was blowing.