Chapter 81: Breaking Through the Ice

[Should we take over soon? Fighting any deeper could result in injuries that would interfere with the exploration.]

Once we passed the 70th floor, the elite team ahead of us began stopping more frequently. They were clearly starting to struggle with the monsters, and more and more of them were getting injured.

Aizawa-san, noticing this, probably decided it was time to switch. Some of the elite fighters, despite being called the best, were hanging their heads in frustration, unable to push past the deepest known floors. But if a group of A and S ranks could easily clear dungeons, all the dungeons in the world would've been cleared to their last floor by now. Explore more adventures at m,v l'-NovelFire.net

[Good work, everyone.]

[Finally our turn?]

[…Please take this seriously, okay?]

: Says the guy who should talk

: Lol

: Is this how the viewers treat him?

: In a way, they trust him

: From serious elite strategy to the shenanigans of 4 EXs

: Shenanigans, lol

: The mood sure changed fast

[We'll aim for the 76th floor for now. But considering how tough the monster encounters have been, the backup team should stay at the 59th floor.]

[That's reasonable. If you're not strong enough, there's no point in recklessly heading into the deeper levels.]

: Harsh but fair

: True

: As long as no one dies, it's fine

: Deep floors are scary, man

: This is my first time watching a deep floor stream

: Even TV's been covering the deep floor expedition

Oh, they're still broadcasting it live on TV. I guess the Sapporo Dungeon clearance is that important to the public. Or maybe it's more about showing off the results to other countries. Either way, doesn't really matter to me.

[I'll take over the camera from here on.]

[Huh?]

Aizawa-san? Is she planning to shoot proper footage for the live broadcast? Or maybe it's for keeping official records for the Explorer's Guild or something like that?

[It's from the association and the government. Apparently, the TV networks will be using this footage for the live broadcast. Well… if Kisaragi-kun hadn't asked if he could stream, maybe this wouldn't have happened.]

: Oh, I see

: Nice one, Kisaragi

: But I'm more interested in the laid-back deep floor exploration than some serious TV broadcast

: Laid-back (in a dangerous zone)

: It's not just dangerous, it's unexplored territory

: At this point, it's basically space exploration

: This is too dangerous, lol

"Space exploration" is pushing it. Dungeons have been cleared around the world, so it's not that extreme.

[Whatever, let's hurry up! I'm starting to have fun!]

[Don't rush ahead, you idiot.]

[Aww…]

While I was helping Aizawa-san set up the camera, Kanna-san had already started walking off, and Grandma (Jinguji) was casually following behind her. And despite Aizawa-san warning against rushing earlier, she didn't seem too concerned either.

: This is the floor the elites struggled with, huh?

: EX, man…

: This is why EXs are just different

: How many times have we seen this line?

: Even past the 70th floor, they're still so relaxed?

: If this was my first Kisaragi stream, I'd have no idea what was going on

: Do you even know what's going on now?

: Not at all, lol

The path to the 76th floor has already been mapped out, and this is a non-shifting dungeon, so we'll get there without much trouble. Beyond that, though, we'll be exploring on the fly, looking for the stairs.

[Oh, a monster!]

When Kanna-san shouted, Aizawa-san and I looked over, only to see a black crystal golem being shattered by Grandma's lightning-fast attack.

: The golem's head shattered before I even saw it

: Kisaragi didn't even notice lol

: I was watching, but I didn't see anything either

: It looked like the golem just exploded on its own

: So Jinguji Kaede really is the strongest, huh

: Even at her age, still the strongest (confused)

If it's just one golem, it's over before Aizawa-san and I even turn our heads. No problem with that, so I go back to helping Aizawa-san set up the camera.

: Just completely ignoring it, lol

: He barely looked, haha

: This is probably just another day for an EX

: Lol

: It's not funny that this is normal

Well, one or two golems aren't dangerous enough to be a big deal for someone at our level. If we weren't capable of crushing deep floor monsters like that, we wouldn't be EXs. Sёarᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Alright, this should be working now.]

[Looks good. Shall we move on?]

[Sure… although two people seem to be moving on ahead.]

[Don't worry about it. That's just how Grandma and Kanna are.]

Grandma's always been one to go her own way. She's famous for just showing up in dungeons whenever she feels like it and bulldozing through the monsters. Despite that, she's made such a huge impact as Japan's strongest explorer that her reputation overseas is overwhelming.

: The international viewers are going nuts about Jinguji Kaede

: Obsessed fans, lol

: She's basically like those crazy otaku

: Apparently, the Chinese are terrified of her

: Can't blame them

: She's basically a turbo granny, lol

: Turbo granny but faster

Well, Turbo Granny probably couldn't break the sound barrier. But if there really was a monster like that, it'd be terrifying.

: If Kisaragi's shikigami are based on his imagination, does that mean if he imagines Turbo Granny… he summons Jinguji Kaede?

: Don't summon people, that's not allowed

: Don't try to make another EX

: What if he actually summoned Jinguji Kaede instead of Turbo Granny?

It's really hard to recreate living humans using shikigami techniques. The Twelve Heavenly Generals are special because they're tied to something else, but creating people with ordinary shikigami techniques is practically impossible.

In short, no, it's not happening.

[Alright, the stream's set up. Let's get serious about exploring the dungeon now.]

[Wait, so you weren't being serious before?]

[That's not it. I was just letting others handle things up till now.]

Ah… for a second, I thought she was admitting that EXs never take dungeons seriously. Well, we're not exactly going in with maximum tension either, but we're not slacking off.

In any case, now that it's our turn, we've got to get serious. Whatever the government's goals might be, my personal desire to explore deeper is what drives me forward.