For Asakawa Nanami, the dungeon was a ce to prove herself.
Until she became a high school student, Asakawa Nanami had her entire life dictated by her parents. To her, the dungeon was the one ce where she could express her true self. She started dungeon streaming simply because she wanted to be sure of her own existence.
Asakawa Nanami was recognized for her skill as an explorer and gained many fans, but to her, the poprity she achieved as a streamer was always of less importance.
"Today, I''m definitely going to conquer the lower floors! I''m doing it out of sheer determination!"
Chat:
: Ehh…
: She''s going to die this time.
: You shouldn''t push yourself.
: Let''s just eat the crab we found on the upper floors.
: Seriously, stop going to the lower floors.
"It''s not impossible. I''m going to conquer the lower floors!"
Chat:
: She''s stubborn.
: Well, it''s her responsibility if she dies, so whatever.
: If she dies, I won''t have anyone to donate to anymore.
: Just donate to charity instead.
: Seriously, don''t do it.
Asakawa Nanami, known as the popr streamer Asagao, tightened her grip on her beloved spear. Even though she considered the evaluation of her streaming career secondary, she didn''t intend to dismiss it entirely. However, she felt that her viewers were implying that her abilities were only valid up to the middle floors, and she was desperate to prove them wrong.
Chat:
: She almost died on the lower floors even though she''s C-rank. Isn''t the association at fault?
: The association''s criteria are so unclear.
: Asagao-chan can do it!
: No way.
: Do your best!
: You might die, so just stop.
"Even if it means risking my life, I''m still going."
Chat:
: Dungeon lunatic.
: This is typical Asagao-chan.
: Here we go.
: The lower floors aren''t a joke.
: The death rate on the lower floors is insane, seriously, stop.
No matter what Asakawa Nanami said, the viewers, who were just watching from behind their screens, didn''t change. And simrly, no matter what the viewers said, Nanami had no intention of changing her mind.
"Alright, I''m going!"
Chat:
: Ignoring everything, huh?
: Well, yeah.
: She''s more curious than anything.
: That''s so Asagao-chan lol.
: Lol
: She''s dead lol
Ignoring thements on purpose, Nanami headed toward the stairs leading to the lower floors. But as soon as she did, she instinctively sensed danger and took arge step back.
Chat:
: Oh?
: Did she get scared?
: Let''s just go back.
: It''s impossible.
: What''s going on?
: ?
The viewers were making casualments, unable to sense the tension that Nanami was feeling. Meanwhile, Nanami, now too focused to even nce at thements, readied her spear and kept her eyes fixed on the stairs.
"Something… ising!"
As Nanami spoke, the stairs leading to the lower floors began to freeze over, and from below emerged a wyvern d in sharp icicles covering its white body. The overwhelming pressure from the creature made Nanami flinch for a moment, but she quickly regained her resolve and tightened her grip on her spear.
Chat:
: This is bad.
: Run!
: You can''t win against that!
: I''ve never seen a monster like this before!
: Did a lower-floor monstere up?
: She''s dead, she''s dead!
"It''s fast!"
Nanami instantly realized the vast difference in power between herself and the Frost Wyvern standing before her. The thought of running briefly crossed her mind, but the moment the Frost Wyvern turned its gaze toward her and began to move, that option vanished.
The Frost Wyvern was flying low at a speed that didn''t match itsrge frame, aiming straight for Nanami. Knowing full well that even if she ran with all her might, it would catch up to her, Nanami was left with only two options: fight and win, or fight and die.
"Damn it! I-It''s freezing everything!"
Chat:
: It''s hell.
: Can anyone actually beat this thing?
: It''s over.
: Is she really going to die this time?
: If you''re here to make jokes, leave!
: Please, just run!
As the Frost Wyvern flew low, exhaling a breath of subzero air, the 40th floor, which had resembled an undergroundke, quickly transformed into an icy cavern. Desperately dodging the Frost Wyvern''s frigid breath as it spread across the ground, Nanami gathered her strength and leaped high into the air, thrusting her spear into the wyvern''s head as it passed beneath her.
"It pierced!"
Feeling the spearhead prate the hard scales and tear into the flesh of the Frost Wyvern''s head, Nanami was confident she could win if her weapon couldnd a blow. However, the blood that should have spurted out froze instantly, and the spear lodged in the wyvern''s head became stuck in the ice, impossible to pull out.
"Damn it!"
Before Nanami could even fully register her mistake, the Frost Wyvern thrashed its head, throwing Nanami off, and opened its mouth, forming a magic circle.
"M-Magic?"
Most of the monsters up to the middle floors relied on their physical abilities or special traits to attack. It was bing a widely epted notion among dungeon explorers that only certain humanoid monsters could use magic. But that was only true for the middle floors.
Chat:
: Huh?
: Did she die?
: This is hell.
: It''s on a different level.
: This has to be a joke.
Frost Wyverns possess high intelligence and can use the magic stored within their bodies. In addition to breathing subzero air, this Frost Wyvern used its magic circle tounch a series of deadly ice spikes.
As the spikes hit the ground, they exploded, freezing the surroundings with incredible force. Whether they were earnest supporters or casual onlookers, all the viewers watching the stream were left speechless. At the same time, they began to truly fear the monsters that roamed the lower floors.
"Hah, hah…"
Chat:
: !?
: She''s alive!
: It''s a miracle!
"Ngh… Hah…"
Nanami, who had managed to block the exploding ice spikes by casting multipleyers of fire magic, was left panting from the massive drain on her magic reserves. Although she had defended herself with fire, the disparity in power between her and the Frost Wyvern was evident, and parts of her body were covered in frost.
"Damn it!"
Chat:
: Run, quickly!
: There''s no way she can escape now.
: Just do something!
: This is bad.
: This is really bad.
The Frost Wyvern, realizing it hadn''t finished Nanami off, began conjuring more ice spikes from its magic circle. Nanami was shocked at how easily the monster could cast such powerful spells that could kill a person instantly. And she realized, this was the power of monsters from the lower floors.
As the ice spikes flew toward her, Nanami used all her strength to dodge them while keeping her eyes on the spear still lodged in the wyvern''s head. Right now, there was only one way she could win.
"Okay… Here we go!"
Summoning all her courage, Nanami sprinted toward the Frost Wyvern, which was continuously casting its freezing magic. Thements section was exploding with warnings that she wasmitting suicide, but Nanami wasn''t aware of them as she charged toward the wyvern. Naturally, the closer she got to the wyvern, the harder it became to dodge the ice spikes as they reached her faster.
But with miraculous reflexes, Nanami dodged the ice spikes by a hair''s breadth and cast a slicing spell.
"Too shallow!?"
Even with multipleyers of magic powerful enough to slice most middle-floor monsters in half, the Frost Wyvern''s body only suffered a few shallow cuts. However, the unexpected counterattack caused the wyvern to flinch slightly, and Nanami seized the opportunity to reach her spear.
"Take this!"
Ignoring the searing pain of the cold against her skin as she touched the spear, Nanami cast a fire spell and threw her entire weight onto the spear, driving it deeper into the wyvern''s head. Instead of pulling it out, she decided it would be more effective to push it further in.
The Frost Wyvern, attempting to shake Nanami off its head, convulsed violently as the spear drove into its brain. It then copsed, spewing a fountain of blood, and began to disintegrate into ash as it died.
"Ah!"
Exhausted, Nanami was thrown to the ground as the Frost Wyvern copsed, unable to even brace herself for the impact. But as she watched the wyvern''s body turn to ash and disappear, she smiled.
"I… won?"
Chat:
: Whoooaaaaaaa!!!
: Best. Stream. Ever.
: Asagao is the strongest!
: This is insane!
: Streamers are the strongest after all!
Thement section exploded at a speed never seen before as viewers watched the streamer Asagao, who had been on the brink of death, take down a Frost Wyvern. The number of concurrent viewers had reached unprecedented heights, and Nanami, lying on her back, exhaled a deep breath.
"I guess… I can''t go to the lower floors today…"
Chat:
: She''s still thinking about going lol.
: But she beat something that strong, so she should be fine now.
: Yeah, totally.
: Is she getting stronger during the battle!?
: Lol
"I''m starting to worry if I''ll even be able to handle the lower floors."
Chat:
: There''s no way there are multiple monsters like that down there.
: It was probably just a strong one that wandered up.
: Yesterday''s skeleton looked weaker anyway.
: She could definitely beat that skeleton now.
: Asagao is the strongest! Asagao is the strongest!
Nanami agreed with thements that flooded in, expressing endless curiosity about the lower floors now that she had defeated an unknown threat. She assumed that if there were multiple enemies as strong as the Frost Wyvern, explorers would be wiped out in no time. That''s what she thought.
As the Frost Wyvern''s defeat brought back the usual atmosphere in thement section, three more Frost Wyverns, each evenrger than the one she had just fought, slowly ascended the stairs from the lower floors.
"Huh?"
Chat:
: Huh?
: What?
: It''s over.
: Wait, what?
These three Frost Wyverns, each about twice the size of the one Nanami had just killed, slowly made their way up the stairs from the lower floors. For Nanami and her viewers, who only knew the middle floors, this was an introduction to apletely unknown world.
The dungeon, with all its threats, was baring its fangs at Nanami.