Damp air clung to my skin, and the surroundings were in disorder.
I knew this map.
‘Underground Prison, Floor 131.’
A so-called ‘nasty’ map that appeared in the ‘Dungeon (Dungeon)’ genre of Team Matches.
“Ugh, why did it have to be this place on the first match?!”
One of the Warriors who had entered before me let out a deep sigh of despair.
The reason for that reaction was simple.
This ‘Underground Prison’ was difficult, but even worse, it was filthy.
Not because it was filled with waste or foul odors.
‘Every kind of trap, vicious monsters, and devious tricks that constantly fool challengers.’
This was the place where all the absurdities in the world had been gathered.
That was why, when most people drew Underground Prison, their goal was not to clear it, but to make as much progress as possible.
But there was something strange about this.
‘Didn’t Underground Prison only appear from Level 20 onward?’
Underground Prison was supposed to appear only from Level 20 onward.
Players below that Level could not clear even ten percent of it, even if they entered. It was configured to appear from Level 20, when they had at least enough experience, skill, and attributes to attempt it.
‘Could the Channel have arbitrarily readjusted my matchmaking?’
It had only been two Normal Matches, but given that I had won both by overwhelming margins, it would not be strange if the Channel had reassessed my level.
The problem was that there had never been a single case of anything like this happening before.
“Ah, whatever.”
Thinking about it any further did not suit my temperament.
I had already regressed through time. Why should something this trivial matter?
“Hello, everyone!”
As I sorted out my thoughts, a curly-haired man approached with a cheerful smile.
Since it was a Team Match, sharing information was a standard procedure.
You could make a rough judgment from one another’s equipment, but certain Classes and Multi-Positions could not be identified through appearances alone, so sharing at least some information was essential.
“I’ll introduce myself first. My Position is Assassin, a Multi-Position for Warriors and Archers! I’m Level 24, and my Class is Dagger Rogue.”
He was the man with bangs long enough to cover his eyes.
“W-Wait... Don’t tell me!”
Once the man had finished introducing himself, the eyes of the woman who seemed to be a Mage went wide.
“Could you be Taeya?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Wow! I’m a huge fan! I watch your stream all the time!”
“Haha, that’s embarrassing. Thanks!”
A stream?
‘Ah, right. There was that, too.’
People who streamed their Channel play.
The man the woman called Taeya appeared to be one of them.
No wonder he alone stood out in both appearance and demeanor.
“Then is the broadcast live right now too? I’m not comfortable with my face being shown....”
The Warrior narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but Taeya immediately responded.
“Don’t worry! The streaming system has an automatic mosaic feature, so everyone except me can hide their faces and names through their settings. Personal information has become so important these days, so of course we take care of that~.”
“Is that so? Then....”
The man scratched his cheek before beginning his introduction.
“My Position is Warrior. My Class is ‘Normal Sword User (Normal Sword User),’ and I’m Level 23.”
The Mage and Supporter spoke in turn as well.
“I’m a Mage, and my Class is ‘Novice Mage (Novice mage).’ I’m Level 22.”
“Supporter... ‘Believer (Believer)’ Class. Level 21.”
Once everyone had introduced themselves, their attention naturally turned to me.
“Hmm.”
I thought it over for a moment but decided to be honest.
It seemed better than lying for no reason.
“I’m a Warrior. I don’t have a Class yet, and I’m Level 6.”
“...?”
“What?”
Everyone’s expressions changed in precisely the same way.
It was as though disbelief and disgust were mixed half-and-half across their faces.
“Hey, even if this is a Normal Match, that kind of joke is a little...”
“Please tell us quickly. We need to make at least a rough plan.”
They seemed to think I was actually joking.
Seeing it once was better than hearing it a hundred times.
“I’m telling you, it’s real.”
I revealed only the portions of my Status Window that listed my Level and Class to the others.
▶Level: 6
▶Class: None
“W-What... It’s real?”
“How did a Level 6 get into Underground Prison?”
“How should I know?”
The exalted Channel’s matchmaking system was the one that threw me in here.
“Damn it, can the Channel’s system have bugs too?”
“The first match is already properly screwed. Underground Prison is bad enough, but now we’ve got a bug that matched us with a Level 6....”
The Warrior and Mage openly vented their frustration.
It was understandable.
If Players continuously performed poorly in the Channel or contributed too little, they received penalties such as Level decreases or Attribute reductions.
Since they had been matched with someone whose Level was lower than theirs, they presumably believed that clearing was hopeless and even proper play would be impossible.
“At least we might have some hope since Taeya is here.”
“Is he really that good?”
“Of course! He reached 30,000 followers in a short time, there are rumors that Eclipse wants to recruit him, and—”
The Mage, who seemed to be a Taeya fan, launched into an endless speech about his accomplishments.
“Hahaha! I’m not that incredible, really.”
He said that, but the way the corners of his mouth twitched as though he loved hearing it was quite a sight.
“Then will Taeya be our leader this match?”
“I agree. He’s the highest Level as well.”
Now they were even arbitrarily deciding among themselves who would be the leader giving orders to the team.
Even I could tolerate that much.
But then—
“Level 6, I’m sorry, but please stay hidden at the very back so you don’t get in the way. We’ll take care of things ourselves.”
Until they told me they were going to suck up all the experience that should have gone to me.
“Bullshit.”
“...Excuse me?”
The Mage frowned as though doubting her own ears.
“What did you just...?”
“I said bullshit. Bullshit. Even if this is only a Normal Match, if unilaterally choosing a leader and telling someone to stay in the back isn’t bullshit, what is?”
“How can you talk like that?! I was only being reasonable—!”
“To put it bluntly, isn’t it more likely that the Channel did not malfunction and put me here—that we’re here because my level is similar to yours?”
There had never been a single case of the Channel’s system producing a bug or error.
This was not something like a game in the first place.
It was reality.
“Y-You’re saying our level is similar to yours, a Level 6...?!”
The Warrior’s face twisted.
“The Channel matches people at similar levels. Rather than your level being low, let’s say my level is high.”
“You bastard!”
The man became furious and strode toward me.
At that moment, the curly-haired streamer stepped between us to mediate.
“Now, now, both of you, calm down.”
“Why should I calm down?! A mere Level 6 like him...!”
After placating the Warrior, who was fuming with anger, he approached me as well and cautiously spoke.
“Um, well....”
“Jaeha. Shin Jaeha.”
He seemed to be asking for my name, so I told him.
“Ah! So you’re Jaeha, sir.”
“Jaeha, sir, I completely understand why you were upset, but the Mage lady wasn’t entirely wrong, was she~?”
Taeya grinned playfully.
Objectively speaking, it was not a claim entirely without basis.
It was true that Players with higher Levels generally possessed more attributes and experience than lower-Level Players.
The Mage’s choice to exclude me entirely from this dungeon raid could be seen as somewhat reasonable.
Even so, arbitrarily judging a teammate and discussing the matter only among themselves was clearly bad manners.
Depending on the circumstances, it could even be classified as ‘Teaming (Teaming),’ when Players formed a group on their own to exclude or turn hostile toward another Player.
‘Unless the target is a troll or deliberately uncooperative.’
I was merely a little low-level. I had not done anything unreasonable.
Arbitrarily removing me from the team’s fighting strength and telling me to sit in the back and get carried was highly offensive.
“I want to clear this Underground Prison. To do that, we need all five people.”
I looked at everyone and spoke.
“I want to be the leader.”
“Y-You want to be the leader...?!”
“A Level 6 leader? Ha! Even a passing dog would laugh at that.”
I knew it would sound like nonsense.
Even I would object first if someone far below the average Level suddenly stepped forward and asked to be leader.
But I knew.
Everything about this difficult, unfair, and filthy Underground Prison.
I had cleared it over and over during my climb to Challenger.
“I may not look it, but I’m rather capable. If I become leader, I can take responsibility for clearing the dungeon.”
Furthermore, when a Player became leader and led the team in a Team Match, it was counted as active contribution, awarding additional experience and rewards.
“Jaeha, sir. I think that’s a bit...”
Taeya tried to dissuade me.
So I made my decisive move.
“Then let’s do this. You all said you wanted Taeya to be the leader, correct?”
“Of course.”
“We’ve been saying that all along!”
I turned toward the entrance leading to the next chamber.
This dungeon worked by overcoming the monsters and traps in each room, then eventually reaching the Boss Monster.
“For the next five rooms, Taeya will lead the clear. For the five after that, I will lead.”
The way for a Level 6 to become leader was simple.
I only had to prove that I was qualified.
“After clearing a total of ten rooms, you will choose the better leader yourselves. Consider the clear time, strategy efficiency, safety... Make your own judgments and choose the better leader overall.”
“Why should we?”
“If you don’t choose me.”
I withdrew my Credits.
[-16,700C]
Every last bit of my wealth.
CLINK!
At the sight of the heavy coin pouch, the team members’ bodies jerked.
More than ten thousand Credits was certainly not a small amount.
“I’ll give this to all of you. And I’ll offer you a formal apology.”
“But if you acknowledge me as leader, all the equipment dropped after clearing the Boss will belong to me.”
“B-Boss clear...?”
“What do you say?”
While everyone struggled to speak and merely swallowed hard—
“K... Kahahaha! Puhahaha!”
Taeya suddenly burst into laughter and clapped his hands.
“Wow~! Jaeha, sir, you really understand streaming! This is some all-time content!”
He nodded vigorously, seeming genuinely delighted.
“I’m in. Absolutely in!”
The person who might have been most displeased was in favor, so the other three began reading the room.
“If Taeya is fine with it... All right.”
“It’d make me an idiot to throw away a chance to get Credits for free. I’m in too.”
“...Fine.”
Thus, a contest for the leader’s position was established.
“I trust you know this, but you must respect the leader’s words and give the clear your best.”
“I know. Anyone who deliberately interferes is the one who gets penalized anyway.”
They were unlikely to ignore my words just to make Taeya leader.
Unless they were actually prepared to accept the penalty and interfere with the clear.
“Then, let’s both do our best, sir!”
“Good.”
Taeya grinned and extended his hand.
I slowly clasped it and smiled at him in return.
After we passed through the next ten rooms—
“Let’s do our best.”
Because I would be the one leading this team.