Chapter 7, If It’s You, Onii-San, I’m Sure You Could Make Your Debut as a Streamer With VIP Treatment

Translator: Lizz

 

A day passes, and it’s still early morning, but I’m already rushing to get dressed.

 

“Crap! I was so tired yesterday I overslept. If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for my interview.”

 

Today’s the day of my job interview, and apparently I had somehow turned off my alarm without noticing.

 

Just when I was thinking this isn’t funny at all, another alarm-like sound blares from my goggles.

 

“What!? What’s going on all of a sudden?”

 

I grab the goggles, and Miria’s cool voice comes out.

 

<Good morning. Here is today’s login bonus.>

 

“Login bonus? Ah, I’m busy right now, so I’ll deal with that later—”

 

I put off any thoughts of exploring, but then the ceiling started to glow and all kinds of stuff came crashing down!

 

“Whoa!? What the—”

 

<This is today’s login bonus.>

 

“Isn’t there… more?”

 

<Yes. Starting today, the premium login bonus has begun, so your rewards have increased. If you keep this up, you’ll level up at the fastest rate—>

 

“Premium? W-wait, hold on! I’ll check it out when I get back.”

 

I can’t afford to be late, so I leave the house with all those unfamiliar rewards still scattered everywhere.

 

◇

 

“Sigh… I knew it wouldn’t go well.”

 

Five hours later, just past noon, I ride the train home.

 

I managed to arrive at the company on time and go through the interview, but it feels like a complete miss.

 

There were two interviewers. It was not exactly a hostile interview, but they clearly seemed suspicious of me.

 

When I explained that I quit the dungeon exploration agency after just one month, they started digging into every detail of that decision.

 

It really feels like they were just trying to find flaws. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but still…

 

Anyway, they said they’d only contact me if I pass. There’s no point dwelling on it, so I plan to apply for interviews at other places as well.

 

Still feeling gloomy, I step out of the station and wander around the downtown area to clear my mind. That’s when a beautiful woman suddenly calls out to me.

 

“Hello!”

 

“Oh, hi.”

 

She hands me some kind of paper, so I reach out to take it, and—

 

“Excuse me! Are you interested in dungeon exploration!?”

 

She says desperately.

 

“Huh?”

 

A bit confused, I try to take the flyer, but she won’t let go.

 

“Have you heard of team Dead End? They’re the hottest streaming agency right now! With your vibe, you could totally debut as a streamer with VIP treatment!”

 

Team Dead End, huh?

 

I’m caught off guard and look at the woman. She’s wearing a suit, her black hair is tied back – yes, definitely giving off that new-hire vibe.

 

Even if that agency is all the rage right now, I have zero intention of joining.

 

That was the place that fired me, after all. Looks like she’s my replacement. Handing out flyers – that used to be my gig.

 

By the way, ‘Dead End’ is actually the president’s last name. He’s such an attention-seeker that he named the agency after himself. Classic him.

 

“Sorry, I’m not interested.”

 

“What? Really? Not even dungeon exploration or streaming?”

 

“Yeah, I’ve done it before, but I’m not really feeling it anymore.”

 

“But our agency offers amazing support. It’s seriously on another level! I mean, if you stick with it for six months, leveling up from one to ten isn’t just a dream!”

 

This newbie’s got guts, I’ll give her that. Honestly, saying ‘I was fired from that agency’ would probably hit hardest, but I’m afraid she’d give me that ‘Yikes’ kind of look.

 

…Wait a minute. I think she’s misunderstanding something here.

 

“Leveling up to 10 in six months, isn’t that kinda slow?”

 

“What? No no no, not slow at all! I mean, most people give up around level 3 or 4. Didn’t you know that?”

 

She reacts like I’m the one lacking common sense.

 

Huh? But that’s strange. If we’re talking levels, I should have already passed 10 just yesterday.

 

“Actually, I did a dungeon crawl yesterday, and I went from level 4 to 12, maybe even 13, in a single day.”

 

“That dungeon, where is it? How far did you go in? I’ve been exploring since I was a student, so I know most of them.”

 

Wait, she’s actually pretty knowledgeable?

 

Feeling a bit unsure, I explain the dungeon’s location and that I only went as far as the first floor.

 

“No way! Just clearing the first floor of that dungeon? I mean, the monsters there are mostly slimes and goblins, right?”

 

“Yeah, pretty much.”

 

“You must be misunderstanding something. Anyway, let’s head to the office—”

 

“Uh—! Just remembered something urgent!”

 

“Huh? Hey, wait—!”

 

If I stick around any longer, she’s seriously going to drag me into that office. And if the president sees me, it’s going to be a disaster. So I abruptly cut the conversation short and made a run for it.

 

◇

 

The conversation was completely out of sync.

 

Back at home, I look around at the scattered items on the table, and something clicks in my mind.

 

“Miria, can I ask you something?”

 

<Welcome home.>

 

Ugh… just being told ‘Welcome home’ makes me feel weirdly happy. I know she’s just an AI, but still. I might seriously be losing it a little.

 

“I’m home! So, today I talked to someone who seemed to really know about dungeons. Is it even possible to level up by 10 in a single day?”

 

<Yes, it is possible. In fact, Kagetora-sama has already levelled up from 4 to 13, and is nearly at level 14.>

 

“But she said there’s no way just wandering the first floor could do it.”

 

<This subscription includes experience point bonuses as part of its perks. Most likely, that person isn’t subscribed.>

 

“Huh? Experience bonuses? That’s news to me.”

 

Wait, so it even comes with bonuses like that? This subscription’s wild.

 

<Yes. I hadn’t mentioned it yet.>

 

“Feels like they’re constantly adding new stuff… Are you sure this month is free?”

 

<Yes. This month’s subscription is free, and from next month onward, it will never cost more than 3,000 yen.>

 

The benefits are shockingly generous. Honestly, not knowing this earlier feels like a total loss.

 

“Awesome! Oh, and about these items lying around…”

 

I’m still reeling from everything, but it’s probably time to clean up all these items. Most of them don’t even look familiar.