After dropping off the crab at the Takayama Dungeon Association, I arranged for part of the meat to be sent via courier. The rest would likely end up in high-end restaurants soon enough.


    When I offered to treat the driver who had been waiting outside the dungeon to a nice lunch, he politely declined, saying it was too much. So, I dragged him to a ramen shop against his will. Takayama ramen is known for its chicken broth and curly noodles, but the standout feature for me is the delicious chashu. Hida beef really is something special.


    I prefer these small, family-run shops to more expensive, high-end ces.


    When it came time to pay, I quickly settled the bill with my digital wallet, leaving the driver looking a bit embarrassed. But considering I''ve probably earned more in a year than most people do in a lifetime, I don''t think it''s unreasonable for me to cover lunch.


    The driver probably felt awkward about a high schooler treating him, but I can''t let someone who''s already overworked and tired do any more for me.


    "...Thank you very much," he said.


    I chuckled softly. "Really, it''s no big deal."


    As the car moved along, the driver thanked me again, which made me smile. The Explorer Association, being a government agency, is typically staffed by elite public servants. However, the workload and responsibilities seem to turn most of them into worn-out, overworked drones. Given that, there''s no way I could demand VIP treatment just because I''m an EX-Rank Explorer.


    Treating the guy to a meal was the least I could do.


    ''…Isn''t today''s stream kind of boring?''


    : Long hours of dominating mid-tier monsters, and now you''reining?


    : She''s totally lost her sense of scale.


    : Have you even watched any other dungeon streams?


    : Asagao-chan, unwittingly the strongest.


    : Just being in the mid-tiers is impressive, you know?


    On-screen, Asakawa-san continued battling mid-tier monsters, as relentless as ever. Sure, I''d advised her that the best way to increase her mana capacity was to keep fighting, but I didn''t expect her to take it this far. She''s surprisingly dedicated.


    From what I could see, she was trying to conserve mana as much as possible, but even with a lunch break, she''d been fighting for hours now. She had to be getting tired by this point. If it looked like she was really overextending, I''d send her a message or give her a call.


    ''I think I can keep going a bit longer, so let''s keep at it.''


    : Yikes.


    : When did she turn into such a beast?


    : She''s always been a beast.


    : This is Kisaragi-kun''s influence.


    : So, she''s been "corrupted" by a man?


    : Unforgivable.


    : LOL


    : Asagao-chan''s body has been trained by Kisaragi-kun to crave battle.


    : Is this the start of an NTR story or a new game announcement?


    : So, Kisaragi-kun was a seasoned mercenary all along.


    Seeing my name pop up in thement section during Asakawa-san''s stream gave me an idea of why my official SNS ount, which I''d set up recently, was getting flooded with angry messages. These were likely from hardcore fans who couldn''t stand the idea of me, a real-life connection to Asakawa-san, existing. Not that I''m going to stop associating with her because of that.


    ''Oh, some orcs areing. Three of them… I want to finish this in a minute.''


    : What are you aiming for?


    : The deep tiers, obviously.


    : Don''t skip the lower tiers!


    : EX-tier, duh.


    : So, she''s aiming to transcend humanity.


    : Even if Asagao-chan bes a superhuman, I''ll still support her.


    : She''s already not quite human, to be fair.


    : Finishing three orcs in a minute is just ridiculous.


    Asakawa-san didn''t even nce at thements as she sprinted forward at a speed that blurred the camera. She drove her spear through the first orc''s neck, then shot beams from her fingertips to pierce the second orc''s skull. All of this happened in about five seconds. However, since orcs don''t die just from having their necks pierced, only the middle one was taken out.


    The two remaining orcs quickly tried to retaliate, raising their clubs, but Asakawa-san moved too fast for the camera to keep up. She summoned a barrage of magical fangs that tore the first orc to shreds, then fired five beams from her fingers to finish off thest one.


    ''How was that?''


    : Uh…


    : How are we supposed to react?


    : Amazing.


    : Insane.


    : Ridiculous.


    : Well, that''s our monster for you.


    : Asagao-chan, you''re so cool!


    : The time… 41 seconds!


    : She''s gone to a ce we can''t reach.


    Watching that, it''s clear that Asakawa-san has been working not only on increasing her mana but also on improving the potency of her magic. Honestly, given how quickly she''s developing new spells, her magical talent far surpasses mine.


    ''I''ve been developing new magic, partly inspired by Tsukasa-kun''s techniques. I hadn''t used them earlier since the monsters weren''t tough enough to warrant it, but wow, the mana cost is high.''


    : That… was a beam, right?


    : Definitely a beam.


    : It was clearly a beam.


    : Can a beam even be considered magic?


    ''I''m justpressing lightning magic and shooting it out.''


    : "Just"pressing lightning magic, she says.


    : I''ve been utterly defeated by the concept of magicpression.


    : Completely beyond myprehension.


    : Yep, explorers are from another dimension.


    : Cute.


    : So cool, Asagao-chan!


    : For a second, I thought Asagao-chan had turned into a robot.


    She hasn''t mentioned it on stream, but it seems like Asakawa-san has significantly improved her ability to enhance her physical speed with mana. The camera can''t keep up with her movements yet, probably because she hasn''t fine-tuned the settings. If she''s already moving this fast, it won''t be long before she surpasses even the legendary speed of my grandmother, who''s known as the fastest explorer.


    I still can''t beat my grandmother in terms of speed.


    Given how she''s dominating mid-tier monsters while casually chatting on her stream, I think she''s more than capable of handling the lower tiers on her own now. I should send her a message.


    [Watching your stream. You''re doing great.]


    [Honestly, I think you''re ready for the lower tiers.]


    Alright, I think I''ll take a nap until we get back to Tokyo.


    ''Oh, I just got a message. Hold on a sec.''


    : Is it from a guy?


    : Or a girl?


    : Probably a friend.


    : It''s me.


    : I''m betting on Kisaragi-kun.


    : Maybe it''s the Association?


    : It''s me, I swear.


    : Kisaragi-kun is the most likely.


    : Didn''t she say he was at Takayama Dungeon?


    [Thanks!]


    [Is your job done, Tsukasa-kun?]


    [Knowing you''re watching makes me a bit nervous, haha.]


    [I was thinking of trying something challenging, but…]


    [I kind of want to go with you.]


    [Is that selfish?]


    [Let me know when you''re back in Tokyo!]


    Wow, she replied fast. She''s typing out messages on her phone right there in the stream.


    ''Since I got a message, I guess I''ll keep going a bit longer!''


    : Go for it!


    : Keep it up!


    : I''m going to take a nap, though.


    : It''s almost evening, though.


    : I should get back to work.


    : Don''t watch streams during work hours!


    : Is she getting ready to challenge the lower tiers?


    Yeah, I''m too curious now. I guess I''ll stay up and keep watching the stream.