"Uwooooo! I can totally wreck these goblins!"


    "You seem to be having fun."


    : Ugh, this…


    : I love how he''s acting all tough against weak enemies, typical cannon fodder move


    : Panda… you''re just the best, man


    : Whether he''s acting cocky against weaklings or freaking out against stronger foes, I love both sides of Panda


    Despite his loud battle cry, Doumoto''s approach to fighting is simply to hide behind his massive shield and poke the goblins with his spear. This is just how he fights. Even against goblins, he never fails to raise his shield, almost like it''s an obsession. That level of defense, however, can''t be dismissed with a simplepliment—it''s incredibly solid.


    I''ve met a lot of EX-rank explorers, but I don''t have much interaction with S-rankers or others below that, so I can''t reallypare Doumoto''s ability. I know that Aizawa-san, who also ys the tank role, has apletely different approach—more of a dodge tank style—so it''s not reallyparable.


    "How''s that!"


    "Kinda… dull."


    I mean, his defense is impressive, but honestly, it''s pretty dull. Taking that much time to deal with just a handful of goblins? And he''s already D-rank, too.


    : That''s the most "nd" attack I''ve seen


    : Brutal, but fair lol


    : The banter between Kisaragi and Panda is actually great


    : I love how he calls out the most boring tactics


    : urate and savage


    "''Dull''… okay, sure, but my fighting style is all about not getting hurt! This is how I do it!"


    "Yeah, I''m not saying you should change your style, dull as it may be. I''ve never seen anyone so dedicated to defense like you, so I can''t really judge. Your defense is solid, and your quick decision-making isn''t bad either. But yeah… it''s dull."


    "Did you really need to say ''dull'' twice!?"


    Well, it was dull. Sure, I praised his skills, but all he did was hide behind his shield and poke at goblins one by one, unlike Tennoji-san or Ashiya-san, who have much shier techniques.


    "Then how about you try it, boss!"


    : Uh-oh


    : Here we go…


    : Do not, I repeat, DO NOT unleash the monster that is Kisaragi in the upper levels


    : Someone stop him from going wild


    : It''s gonna get messy


    I saw three goblins in the distance and fired a beam—well, technically a spell—from my hand, instantly vaporizing them.


    "There."


    "S-Sorry for talking back, sir."


    : Panda folded immediately lol


    : Go munch some bamboo and take a nap


    : That was quick, lmao


    : Why did Panda even think he couldpete with an EX-rank?


    : Kisaragi is on a whole different level


    Honestly, it''s weirder to be tiptoeing around goblins. They''re not exactly tough opponents.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Well, I''ve now seen everyone''s basic fighting styles and the issues you need to work on. The next step will be some off-stream training… maybe I''ll borrow my grandma''s dojo for a bit."


    "Your grandma… as in Jinguji Kaede!? I''d love to meet her!"


    Ah, as expected. Female explorers tend to look up to my grandma. Asagao-san also admires her a lot, and now I see Tennoji-san is no different.


    "For now, that''s all for the basics… let''s head to the upperyers and hunt monsters until you both hit E-rank. I''m sure you can easily reach E-rank today."


    "Yeah, considering their skill, E-rank should be a breeze. Honestly, even D-rank isn''t out of the question."


    "Well, the Association has its reasons for holding back on promotions."


    Even if someone manages to y a bunch of monsters, promoting them too quickly could result in them getting killed in the midyers. We have to be cautious.


    Moving from the lowest to the upperyers, the goblins do get a bit stronger—or so they say. Personally, I can''t tell the difference. Still, both Tennoji-san and Ashiya-san are handling the upperyer goblins with ease, even taking down Steel Ants without any issues. Watching them fight, Doumoto starts muttering about how he used to run away from goblins back when he was G-rank.


    Honestly, with his overly cautious "don''t get hurt" mentality, I''m not surprised.


    : These rookies are showing a lot of promise


    : Seriously, they''re already taking down Steel Ants without any real help from Kisaragi


    : Kisaragi hasn''t even started training them yet, and they''re already this strong


    : Imagine having an EX-rank like Kisaragi training people who might go on to be S-rank someday


    : Isn''t training explorers the government''s job?


    : If the government had to handle dungeon explorer training, the country would fall apart, lol


    I don''t know how far these two will go, but they''ll definitely make it through the loweryers. Whether they cap out at A-rank or push to S… maybe even reach EX… that''s something only time will tell.


    Honestly, bing EX isn''t something you can achieve just by being strong. You have to be exceptional in some specific way, something that sets you apart from everyone else. A strong personality or unique skill is essential. Both Tennoji-san and Ashiya-san have distinctive traits—Tennoji''s raw magic release and Ashiya''s magic arrows shot exclusively through his bow. They''ve got that individuality.


    And for streaming? They''ve got potential for good content.


    "Boss."


    "It''s Kisaragi. Please, anything but ''Boss.'' How many times do I have to say this?"


    "Sure, sure… so, why''d you start thispany?"


    Doumoto, watching the two rookies fight from the back, started chatting with me.


    Why did I start thepany… well, there are a few reasons.


    "Honestly, the rise in dungeon streaming was a big factor. But I''d also heard that many explorers couldn''t make a living just from exploring and had to rely on side gigs like streaming or blogging for extra ie. I thought maybe I could help stabilize that.


    Though, in the end, it feels like I''m just supporting streamers and not really doing much for explorers… And yeah, I guess part of it''s just because it''s fun for me."


    "Thatst reason''s probably the main one, isn''t it?"


    "Yup."


    What can I say, he''s not wrong.


    , building apany just for fun


    , it''s working, so who cares


    a fanbase of over a million, Kisaragi''spany was never going to fail


    , the streams are entertaining to watch


    , honestly, just watching these makes for great content


    is doing a lot by nurturing new talent


    with Kanacon, right?


    , exactly


    It''s true that having my ownpany makes it easier to train explorers. And I guess, in the end, I also just wanted somepanions to dive into dungeons with. Maybe that''s the real reason.