Solo Dungeon Streamer-I Am Overpowered

"Good morning, Tsukasa-kun!"

"Good morning, Asakawa-san."

"...You're in a good mood."

Asakawa-san seemed surprised, but it wasn't really a big deal.

It's been a long time since I've started something new, and it reminded me of the excitement I felt when I first became an explorer. I need to help Asakawa-san while also testing out my streaming equipment.

"Hey."

"Huh?"

As I sat down, thinking about the days ahead, suddenly the handsome guy came over. I don't think I've done anything today to warrant this, but why is he glaring at me?

"I told you to stay after school yesterday, didn't I?"

"Well, shouldn't you be saying that to Asakawa-san instead?"

"What!?"

Suddenly, he grabbed me by the collar. It feels like his violent tendencies are increasing day by day. It's almost like he's been influenced by some kind of monster.

The other classmates seemed shocked that he grabbed me so suddenly, but most of them averted their eyes, likely out of fear of the handsome guy.

"Make sure you stay after school today. I'm going to crush you."

"I-I understand."

"You'd better. If you try to run, I'll hunt you down and kill you!"

"V-Violence isn't good!"

Asakawa-san stepped in between us. While I personally appreciate her help, it might be a bad move considering the situation. The handsome guy clearly has a thing for Asakawa-san and can't stand the idea of some introverted nobody like me getting close to her. Right now, he's ignoring Asakawa-san's words and is just glaring at me, grinding his teeth.

"I won't let you get away with this."

"Wait, Kurihara-kun!"

"It's okay, Asakawa-san."

Well, it'll all work out somehow.

After classes ended, I was called to the teacher's office. Asakawa-san had already left with a quick "See you tomorrow."

"It's almost time for the final exams, so I've gathered summaries and key points from the lessons you missed."

"I'm really sorry. Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it. After all, you're a busy explorer!"

The teacher seemed oddly fixated on emphasizing how busy I was as an explorer. I wonder if they just don't like students who don't attend school regularly. Well, from a homeroom teacher's perspective, there's no reason to like it. Honestly, considering all this, I wish I had just transferred to a correspondence school.

Feeling tired after being lectured for about 30 minutes, I decided to head home, only to find a message on my work phone in my locker.

[You didn't answer your phone, so I assume you're in class. Please return the call as soon as possible.]

The message was sent a little while ago, so if I call back now, they should still pick up. Without hesitation, I dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Hello. What's going on?"

"Sorry to call during class."

"That's okay."

As always, the familiar woman answered, but come to think of it, I've never actually called her by name. I've always just referred to her as "the lady," and I never thought it was necessary. But since I might be bothering her more often once I start streaming, maybe I should start using her name.

"There's a magical anomaly detected in the upper levels of Shibuya Dungeon."

"...What's the scale?"

"+9."

Devices installed in the dungeon can detect fluctuations in the dungeon's magical energy, and when these readings deviate significantly, it's called a magical anomaly. The readings range from 0 in normal conditions, with a maximum of +10 or a minimum of -10 in extreme cases.

Several issues can arise from a magical anomaly, but when the reading is high, it usually signals the appearance of monsters far stronger than those appropriate for that floor. An anomaly of +9 means a situation that requires multiple S-rank explorers or even an EX rank, indicating the potential emergence of a high-level monster from the deeper levels in the upper floors.

If such a creature appeared in the upper levels, it would be a massacre.

"Have evacuation orders been issued?"

"They're being frantically carried out as we speak."

"What about the other EX ranks?"

"Jinguji Kaede and Aizawa Ryosuke are both in Sapporo right now, so..."

"No need to continue. I assume she's unreachable as usual."

"You know her well."

The last one is a total free spirit, so I figured as much. A few months ago, she suddenly announced, "I'm off to study abroad in the U.S.!" and left Japan without a word since.

"I'm heading there immediately."

"Thank you, Tsukasa-kun. I'm really sorry to rely on you so much, but..."

"It's fine. Leave it to me, Shinano-san."

After abruptly ending the call, I dashed out of school. My classmates stared as I ran, but I didn't have time to worry about that. I vaguely remember having some after-school plans, but the mission takes priority.

I arrived at Shibuya Dungeon as fast as I could, without even changing clothes, and saw that the branch chief's usual laid-back demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

"Glad you could make it."

"What's the situation?"

"There's still only the anomaly, but no physical manifestations yet. Some explorers in the middle floors haven't returned, and there are still those in the upper floors who haven't made it back either."

Even though they're being contacted, it's not always possible to return immediately from a dungeon. If they're being attacked by monsters or are surrounded, it's not like they can just drop everything and leave. Even when trying to evacuate smoothly, the monsters don't care about our circumstances and could easily attack.

It wasn't exactly the fastest I've ever moved, given that I had to wait until after school, deal with some time in the staff room, and then take the train, but at least the monsters hadn't appeared yet.

As I was thinking about all this, another message came through on my personal phone.

[There's an evacuation order in Shibuya Dungeon, right?]

"...No way."

A bad feeling crept over me as I read Asakawa-san's message. I quickly activated her stream from my smartwatch, and sure enough, the words "Live Streaming" were displayed on the screen.

"Someone stuck in the middle floors is streaming during an evacuation?"

The branch chief, too, looked at my device with a grim expression. I had seen Asakawa-san dash out of the classroom as soon as school ended, but how did I not foresee this happening?

It can't be helped. I'll have to go save her, along with the other explorers who haven't evacuated yet.