Chapter 4, You Won the Battle

Translator: Lizz

 

The next day, I sway on a train from early morning, heading toward a dungeon in a rural area.

 

According to the AI, it’s apparently the most basic type of dungeon, just right for beginners.

 

Before coming here, I think maybe I should invite someone instead of going solo. But I don’t have any friends who would casually join a dungeon dive on a weekday.

 

Actually, I feel like even having such a friend is pretty rare. By the way, there’s something convenient for gathering companions, something I mentioned before, the Explorer’s Guild.

 

Simply put, it’s like the tavern in games where you can recruit party members. But most people obviously want money in return to tag along.

 

With my wallet growing emptier, I figure solo is my only option in the end. Besides, it’s tough for a gloomy person like me to go around talking to strangers anyway.

 

I feel like nothing but darkness lies ahead, but at least the journey itself goes smoothly. After getting off the train, I find myself in a quiet residential neighborhood. Apparently, the dungeon has appeared somewhere in the mountains a short walk from here.

 

<There’s a T-junction five hundred meters ahead. Please turn right there.>

 

“Okay. It’s nice that you even give directions. Pretty convenient.”

 

Normally, I would walk while checking my phone when I’m unfamiliar with the area, but the goggles provide navigation, which makes things a lot easier.

 

Speaking of which, today’s login bonus is armor made of leather. It’s light, so I’m already wearing it, and it feels pretty nice.

 

And, the summon card is an R: Heal Bird, a bird-type monster. It seems to be a card that casts a healing spell just once.

 

After walking for about twenty minutes, I find myself standing in front of a small cave in the mountains. This seems to be the dungeon.

 

<From here, the dungeon begins. Would you like to start live streaming?>

 

“Oh? Right, you can stream too. Okay, go ahead.”

 

I’ve completely forgotten amid everything, but these goggles are actually streaming equipment designed primarily for video broadcasting.

 

Looking at the goggles, the screen switches from standby to the start display, showing that the stream has begun. In the top right corner of the screen, I can see the viewer count, concurrent viewership, and a comment section.

 

Naturally, since I just made a Utube account the other day, I have zero subscribers, and no concurrent viewers at the moment.

 

“Well, guess I’ll head in for now.”

 

Oh well. It’s not like I’m trying to make a living from dungeon exploration streams anyway.

 

Pulling myself together, I finally step into the dungeon.

 

It’s surprisingly simple in structure, really just feels like walking through a cave. And since it looks like a straight path for a while, I don’t seem to need to think about anything.

 

But of course, the classic dungeon monsters show up early.

 

<Two slimes have appeared ahead.>

 

“Whoa!? Th-they’re here?”

 

It’s pretty dim overall, so it’s hard to tell whether monsters are around. Then, a faint light emits from the goggles.

 

<I’ll use a light with brightness low enough to avoid detection by monsters.>

 

“Thanks! That helps a lot.”

 

There they are. Those sticky blue things. In a certain nationally famous RPG, slimes look like the embodiment of cuteness, but what I find here are creepy giant blobs of jelly.

 

Both of them squirm toward me. Thinking ‘Please no’, I draw the steel sword on my back and slash down at one nearby.

 

“Rah!”

 

The jelly splits cleanly in two. With a hissing sound, it disappears, leaving behind some weird grass. Looks like it could be some kind of crafting material.

 

<A slime is attacking.>

 

“Huh? Whoa!?”

 

It happens all of a sudden. The blue jelly curls into a ball and flies at me like some kind of projectile.

 

I manage to guard myself, but just barely, and get blown away.

 

“Ouch. It’s tougher than I expected.”

 

Even though it looks like a soft jelly, that attack packs a punch. It tries another body slam right after, and I dodge in a panic.

 

“Take this!”

 

I swing my sword sideways with all the spirit I’ve got. The blade hits the slime as it bounces off the dungeon wall, slicing it cleanly in half.

 

It vanishes again. This time, a blue vial drops to the ground.

 

<You win the battle. Congratulations.>

 

“Thanks. Slimes are actually stronger than I thought when you face them for real.”

 

Even though senior explorers take them down easily, those slime body slams are pretty intense. I’ll probably have bruises.

 

<Loot: Healing Herb and Antidote.>

 

“Nice. I’ll take those.”

 

I tuck both items into my pocket and decide to move forward.

 

“Gotta be careful since they could appear again anytime. Oh? One viewer just joined! H-hello! Welcome to Kage Channel. Um, it’s my first time streaming today,”

 

<Monster detected ahead. Be careful around the corner.>

 

“Huh? Whoa!?”

 

I get so flustered by my very first viewer showing up that I totally panic when a monster suddenly attacks me. So embarrassing.

 

This time, the enemy is a giant grasshopper. To give you an idea of how huge it is: it’s probably around two meters tall.

 

Out of nowhere, the thing leaps and tries to bite me, creating pure chaos. I block its jaws with my sword, but the weight and impact almost knock me down.

 

“Urgh, nghhh…”

 

<Would you like to use a card?>

 

“A card? Right!”

 

While barely holding my ground, I shift my sword to one hand and pull a card from my pocket. I throw it the way I’ve often seen in streams.

 

The card begins to glow and transforms into a goblin. It jumps straight up and slams its club full force at the grasshopper from above.

 

The insect monster that had been charging so fiercely a moment ago reels back in agony. Not wanting to let it escape, I close the distance and bring my sword down.

 

It feels a bit tough on impact, but I manage to slice it diagonally. The grasshopper stops moving, and I somehow win.

 

“Thanks, goblin. Huh?”

 

The goblin has vanished without me noticing, and the card gently floats back into my hand. That strike was intense, but I guess that’s all it does before the summon ends.

 

I’ve heard that summoned monsters always help their summoners while they’re out, but most of them only stay active for a short time.

 

Honestly, if I’d fought alone, I would’ve been in serious trouble. Summon cards are seriously important.

 

As I think about that, the goggles emit a yellow light.

 

<You win the battle. You’ve leveled up.>