Chapter 63: Inhuman Abilities on Full Display

"By the way, I haven't mentioned this yet, but... After I graduate from high school in March, I've decided not to go to college and get a job instead."

: Is this really the place to announce that, on Kisaragi's channel?

: Wouldn't it be better to say this on social media?

: Lol.

Knowing where she's planning to work, I have a feeling this might stir up some drama... but I wonder.

"Fufufu... I'm going to work for the company Kisaragi-kun is planning to start! I'll be both a streamer and part-time office worker!"

: This is going to make the anti-threads blow up again.

: Kisaragi's anti-thread is about to get even more heated.

: Congrats on the job decision! (lol)

: Nepotism hire!

: Well, she's a skilled streamer, so it makes sense.

: What about Kamishiro-chan?

"There's no way I'd ever let her in."

Why would I deliberately step on a landmine? Bringing her on as a streamer would only cause endless trouble. Since I'm going to be the CEO, there's no way I'd recruit someone like her. A few collaborations here and there are more than enough.

: Yep, makes sense.

: We all saw that coming.

: You just know she'd cause drama.

: I can already picture her messing things up.

: Even the viewers know how chaotic that would be, lol.

"So, my career path survey answer is... employment!"

"And I guess I'll be the CEO?"

"Pretty sure it counts as regular employment."

: Career aspiration: CEO.

: How dumb do you have to be? Exclusive content from m,v lem|p,yr

: Don't write something weird like that and confuse your teachers.

: Lol.

: I've never seen someone write something so odd on a career survey.

: It sounds like when kids write "I want to be a bride."

Well, I guess it counts as regular employment... or maybe self-employment?

As we continue chatting aimlessly, we walk through the Hachioji Dungeon, eventually reaching the entrance to the lower floors at the 41st level. Since there weren't many monsters, it didn't take nearly as long as it would in Shibuya Dungeon. As usual, we didn't run into any other people.

"...As always, this dungeon feels so empty."

"The transportation is decent, but yeah..."

: You can barely earn enough here to cover train fare and lunch, so yeah...

: Hachioji Dungeon is basically a punishment.

: No money, no change in scenery... it's just dull.

: The amount of small talk today was longer than usual.

Well, there's nothing much to do when heading toward the lower floors, so more chit-chat is inevitable. Today's stream is probably going to be more of that. There just aren't enough monsters in the lower floors to keep things action-packed.

"Since I've been spending so much time in the lower floors of Shibuya Dungeon, the lower floors here feel... lonely."

"But the monsters are still definitely lower-floor strength. They're just weaker than those in Shibuya Dungeon."

"Yeah... but it's so open here."

Hachioji Dungeon is famous for its barren, overly spacious terrain, which feels more like an open field than a dungeon. It's so open that you can see everything around you with ease, and even though we're underground, it's as bright as if LED lights were illuminating the space. The brightness is probably because of the magical crystals embedded in the walls, glowing white.

It feels more like a man-made underground experiment space than a natural dungeon.

: You can see all the monsters in the area.

: There's a big Hound Dog over there.

: Is that even still a Hound Dog? Sёarᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

: That thing's way too big.

: Isn't "Hound Dog" supposed to mean hunting dog? At that size, it's more like a hunting beast.

: But even though it's bigger, it's still just a regular Hound Dog.

: What exactly is it hunting?

: Humans, obviously.

"Technically, it's classified as a Hound Dog. Even if it's huge."

I don't know much about monster classifications. Globally speaking, I doubt any country has fully researched monster biology or structure. It's mostly because they turn into ash after being killed, leaving only a magic stone behind. With no bodies to examine, the only way to study them is through live capture, and you can only capture monsters up to the middle floors at best.

"Has it noticed us?"

"Since the area's so open, just like we can see it, it can see us too."

"That makes sense."

"Well... It's not a problem if all it does is run at us from that distance."

Hound Dogs have incredible leg strength, and since their size already exceeds a human's height, they're probably running at speeds comparable to a car. But even at that speed, it's running straight toward us, so as long as we see it, we can deal with it from a distance using magic.

Asakawa forms her hand into the shape of a gun, concentrating magic at her fingertips. What's surprising is that instead of compressing the magic after forming it, she compresses it right from the start. I wasn't sure it was possible, but seeing her do it in front of me proves that it is.

The beam of compressed lightning magic she fires pierces the Hound Dog's head in an instant. The initial speed of compressed lightning magic is no joke.

"Nice shot, huh?"

"Yes, indeed."

When it comes to magic, Asakawa is unbelievably precise. The other magic users I know are my grandmother, who relies on brute-force high-power magic, and Kamishiro, who just bulldozes through with sheer speed... so Asakawa seems especially refined by comparison.

: Wow.

: Asagao-chan has gotten so strong...

: The Asagao-chan who used to barely survive the lower floors is gone now.

: Has she finally crossed into the realm of the inhuman?

: The first inhuman also used magic...

"Who's this 'first inhuman'... Wait, are you talking about me!?"

: Yeah, of course.

: What are you surprised about?

: You're the original "inhuman" on this channel.

: So far, two inhuman beings have appeared on your stream, right?

"What about Aizawa-san?"

: He hasn't shown his inhuman side yet, so he's still safe.

: Aizawa-san is definitely still human.

: EX Salaryman is fine.

Why are they so nice to Aizawa-san?

Are most of the viewers just salarymen?

Well, whatever. If the viewers ask for it, as the channel's host, I guess I have to oblige. I'm not as skilled with magic as Asakawa, and I can't match Kamishiro's power, but... I can at least try compressing my magic.

I'm better with wind magic than lightning, so I'll compress wind and use it as a sharp blade, just like Kamishiro does.

Without a sound, I use compressed wind to sever the head of another Hound Dog that was sneaking up behind us. The cut isn't as clean and elegant as Kamishiro's, but it's enough to deal with a lower-floor Hound Dog.

"How's that?"

: Yeah, you're definitely abnormal.

: Asagao-chan, the road to EX is long.

: Seeing that just reminded me how crazy EX-level explorers are.

: Do you have eyes on the back of your head?

: Lol.

: You don't even need your shikigami to be OP.

: And you can summon gods, too.

Huh?

I used magic because the viewers wanted to see it, and now I'm being called inhuman? EX explorers aren't inhuman, they're just considered exceptional among other explorers.

Besides, shikigami can only use about a tenth of their summoner's strength, so of course the summoner is stronger. And the gods I summon? That's just borrowing power from "something else," so it doesn't count as shikigami anyway.

"Haha..."

Asakawa, what's with that awkward laugh?