Chapter 57: Dungeon Basics: EX Reiman’s Perfect Combat Demonstration

: How did you think you could do a basics lecture with such a lack of common sense?

: The only good move you made was bringing in EX Reiman, right?

: A basics lecture that ends with "control magic, then just punch stuff" is a joke, right?

: It's all over.

: Do people who go to the middle floors really think like that?

: Wouldn't it have been better to bring in Asagao-chan instead?

: Honestly, a lower-floor tutorial might've been more useful.

"...Today is about the basics."

: He's determined to continue.

: Gotta admit, his mental toughness is impressive.

: Lol.

: A basics lecture from an EX, surely useful...

: Yeah, sure.

: My stomach hurts from laughing.

: Laughing too hard, man.

Damn it... I was so determined to show a well-organized stream today, but I messed it up because I lacked just a little bit of common sense.

"They say your understanding of dungeons changes after your first exploration. Even I didn't think Steel Ants were tough at first."

: Oh, come on…

: [Breaking news] EX Reiman was also a natural-born EX.

: Guess that's just how it is.

: When you can handle the middle floors, you start wondering why you struggled with Steel Ants at all.

: Humans evolve, after all.

: So, he was out of the norm from the start.

"On the flip side, monsters I used to find threatening on the middle floors are easy to deal with now. With enough effort, anyone can become a successful dungeon explorer."

"...But I don't recommend going solo."

In the end, dungeon exploration is like a gamble where you risk your life to make money. If you're lucky, you'll make a killing. If not… you'll die.

That's where having allies comes in. Even if you have bad luck, teammates can save your life. You might not make money, but if you're alive… there's always hope. Humans can bounce back from anything.

: Says the guy who solos the deep floors?

: Sure, the rewards are less when you split it among more people, but it also means lower medical bills, so it's give and take.

: I recommend going in a party.

: I want to join a party too… but I have no friends. ^^;

: Hang in there, friendless brother.

: Doesn't the association support stuff like that?

"They do recommend forming parties, and if you contact the association, you can probably meet explorers looking for members... But since you're dealing with humans, there's always the risk of conflicts. So, it's best to explore with people you know well."

"And that's why nobody forms parties?"

Don't assume people like me and the viewers, who read books in the corner of the classroom or got bullied, have friends to form a party with.

Well... I wanted to form a party at first too, but it didn't happen.

: People you know?

: Friends?

: Oh no, the viewers are malfunctioning.

: Most of Kisaragi-kun's viewers are just like him.

: I go exploring with five friends, though.

: Having friends? That alone makes you a national treasure.

: I thought friends were an urban legend. Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

: Who are these "friends"?

"Ah… For people like that, it might be good to find someone online who shares your interests. Of course, be careful when meeting people from the internet..."

Well, that's a compromise, I guess.

I would've tried to make some real friends if my grandma hadn't forced me to be her disciple and learn shikigami techniques, which quickly led me to become EX-ranked. So, I don't really know much about that stuff.

"Maybe I should talk about mindset for dungeon beginners…?"

"Mindset? Like 'retreat before you die'?"

"In the association, we teach people to retreat before they even start feeling exhausted. If you're unsure about that line, you can ask the association to send a high-ranked explorer as support, but it might feel too safe."

: That's exactly it.

: Having a support role with you makes it hard to stay on guard.

: Somewhere in the back of your mind, you start thinking, "I won't die anyway."

: Yeah, I totally get that.

: Quite a few explorers here, huh?

: Of course.

: Honestly, having someone carry you is like shaving years off your life.

: It's practically suicide.

"I often get messages asking me to 'carry' them, but I just ignore those. If you don't have the will or the determination to survive, you shouldn't be exploring dungeons."

: As expected, he gets those kinds of requests.

: Even C-rank streamers get requests for carries.

: How's that even fun?

: There are people who want to get carried in games, right? It's the same thing.

: What's so fun about that?

: Real explorers find joy in the challenge.

"Dungeon exploration is fun. Reaching an unknown floor, discovering new things—it really feels like an adventure."

: Except, most of us don't reach unknown floors.

: He's talking about deep floors, isn't he?

: Yeah, no thanks.

: I just enjoy wandering around dungeons.

: Studying monster behavior is fun too.

: You need that RPG-like sense of adventure to really enjoy it.

: Exploring the unknown… Wait, didn't you already reach the highest floor?

Wait… isn't that it?

For me, 80% of the fun of dungeon exploration is reaching unknown floors. I was seriously excited when I reached the 86th floor of Shibuya Dungeon the other day.

"It was fun when we reached the 86th floor, right?"

: Yeah, I guess.

: It was fun, but…

: So that's what you're chasing?

: I kinda get it now.

: It definitely felt amazing.

: Well, aside from the danger.

: Yeah, there's a thrill to reaching places no one's been before.

: In that sense, that stream was a huge success.

: Even looking at the numbers, it was a big hit.

Anyway, I want people who dive into dungeons to find joy beyond just making money. For me, it's reaching unknown floors, which might be a high bar… but you can also enjoy defeating monsters.

"Aizawa-san, what did you enjoy about dungeon exploration when you were a beginner?"

"...I'd hunt monsters while thinking about how much the magic stones would sell for."

: Lol.

: I mean, yeah, that's fun.

: The mindset of a struggling salaryman.

: He was still a salaryman back then.

: In a way, that's the best motivation.

: Money is important, after all.

: Ah, the basics.

: This really is a basics lecture.

: Yeah… Everyone dreams of making money when they first dive into dungeons.

T-True... I think I originally wanted to make money too. Part of it was because explorers looked cool, but another part of me wanted money I could spend freely as a high schooler.

"Now, I enjoy teaching newer explorers, which is why I don't go down to the deep floors as much. I don't even take on many of the association's requests anymore, despite being EX-ranked."

"Really? But you're so strong, Aizawa-san."

In terms of close combat alone, Aizawa-san is probably the strongest among the EX-rankers.

Aizawa-san is someone who fights purely by the book, with a solid, reliable approach. Of course, the "basics" he sticks to are on an EX-level scale, though.

I kinda want to see him fight again… Maybe we should talk about how to deal with weaker monsters. Original content from M-VL-em|p,y