The Legendary Old Man Becomes a Dungeon Streamer: When the World's Strongest Tried Streaming in His Second Life, He Instantly Went Viral and Gained S-Class Disciples. - Chapter 2

 

I arrived at the F-rank dungeon I had researched beforehand.

In the corner of a mixed-use building in Akihabara, there was a distortion of mana and space. That twisted purple void was the entrance to the dungeon.

“It’s been a year since I last entered a dungeon.”

Somehow, it felt nostalgic. Finally, finally.

After all that training at the base, I can finally challenge a dungeon again.

But an F-rank dungeon has no magical beasts, nor any valuable materials.

Well, that’s fine.

For now, today is just the first day.

I’ll treat it as a warm-up, no pressure. Yeah, right now, I just want to challenge it.

I took a deep breath and stepped through the purple gate.

For a moment, my vision darkened and then I was inside the dungeon.

A vast, otherworldly space filled with blue and purple trees. That was this F-rank dungeon.

No magical beasts, just a peaceful area.

Since it was midday in Akihabara, there were a few people around walking, doing yoga, practicing golf swings. Basically, just people exercising. Utterly peaceful.

Well, might as well get started.

I did some light warm-ups and circulated mana through my body.

Using mana for physical enhancement is both fundamental and profound. Everything depends on how efficiently and waste-free you can wield it.

Alright, let’s start with a run.

I focused power into my legs and sprinted.

“Too fast, old man!”
“Whoa, that’s insane!!”
“Breaking news: Old man’s legs are too damn fast.”
“His mana’s barely dropping.”
“LOL, this guy’s a monster.”
“This has to be a bug. (shaking voice)”
“If the D-Watch had a bug like this, it’d be chaos.”

I ran about 10 kilometers as a test.

Hmm, took me around five minutes?

So I hit roughly 100 km/h.Not bad.

“What the hell is this? This is real.”
“Never seen anyone this fast.”
“This is getting interesting.”
“First time seeing this.”
“First time.”
“First time.”
“More people are joining.”
“The concurrent viewers just skyrocketed.”
“Is this the legendary old man?”

“Alright, time to head deeper into the dungeon.”

“Beep beep. This is an F-rank dungeon. There are no lower floors.”

“Normally, yeah. But there’s a little trick.”

Dungeons each have their own entrances and are separated. Obviously, otherwise, ranks like F wouldn’t mean anything.

I concentrated mana into my fist with all my might. White mana condensed, distorting space.

Then, I punched the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

A hole opened in the ground, revealing another purple gate.

Nice, nice. Perfectly aligned with the dungeon’s mana flow. That 10-kilometer run paid off.

“Beep beep! What did you just do?”

“If you fire an ultra-condensed strike into a mana stagnation point, it connects to other dungeons. Pretty handy trick.”

“Huh?”
“Whaaaaaaaaat?!”
“No way, no way!”
“Did he just create a gate?”
“You can do that? Legit never knew.”
“This is insane.”
“I’m selling this info ASAP.”
“I’m gonna try this.”
“No way a normal human can do this.”
“Old man, who the hell are you?”
“This is nuts.”

I could tell by instinct, this gate was a jackpot.

Beyond it was definitely an A-rank or higher dungeon.

Once you hit A-rank and above, the value of materials and the strength of magical beasts skyrocket. This is where the real dungeons begin.

“Well, let’s go.”

I rolled my shoulders and leaped into the purple gate.

What awaited me was a world straight out of hell.

The sky was choked with thunderclouds, and volcanoes spewed endless magma.

As I took in my surroundings, the purple gate behind me closed. Makeshift gates don’t last long.

Not that I minded, it meant no one else would wander in.

“I do want to fight some magical beasts, though.”

I focused mana into detection. Magical beasts carry dense mana, so this method gives a rough idea of their locations.

Hmm. Multiple mana reactions nearby. About three kilometers west.

Seems like they’re decently strong, too.

Alright, let’s head there. I poured power into my legs.

“Wait, isn’t this the S-rank Thunderheat Dungeon in Chiyoda?”
“Pretty sure. Seen it before.”
“This is crazy.”
“Even A-rank teams avoid this place.”
“I don’t even know what’s happening anymore.”
“Is this a suicide stream?”
“Also, the S-rank [Pluto] should be here right now.”
“No way, he’s actually streaming.”
“But [Pluto] is struggling.”
“Did we just hit 100K concurrent?”
“IMPROMTU COLLAB LET’S GOOOOOO!!”
“If he shows up on stream, it’s legit.”
“This just got interesting.”

Three kilometers west was nothing.

I dashed across volcanic rock, closing in on my destination.

And that’s when I finally noticed.

“Someone’s already here.”

A magical beast and one person, a woman. She was fighting the beast. A few years ago, I could’ve easily distinguished humans from magical beasts. Guess my instincts have dulled.

For now, I hid behind a nearby rock to avoid interfering. Stealing a kill is a serious breach of etiquette.

The beast was a three-meter-tall humanoid, with a mouth full of fangs, ostentatious horns, and wings.

The standout feature was its body, entirely cloaked in blue mana. Hmm, some kind of barrier?

The beast roared, opening its massive maw. Loud as hell.

“HAHAHA, IS THAT IT?! PATHETIC HUMAN, YOU’RE NOT EVEN A SNACK!”

“Hah! hah! Don’t get cocky!”

The fact that it could speak meant it was at least B-rank. But it lacked refinement.

The smarter a magical beast, the more human-like it becomes. This one was probably newborn.

Meanwhile, the woman facing it was clearly exhausted. Short blonde hair, a big cute ribbon, a lithe body and frankly, way too beautiful for this place. She could give idols a run for their money.

She wasn’t wielding a weapon, but I sensed mana reactions from her fingers, chest, and ears.

Unlike me, who specializes in physical enhancement, she likely converted mana into supernatural phenomena like fire or lightning to fight.

“Shatter!”

She unleashed her mana, forming a pitch-black sphere that shot toward the beast.

The sphere gouged the earth and sucked in the atmosphere like a miniature black hole.

Gravity manipulation. A top-tier ability. Mana is the power of miracles, capable of anything as long as you don’t run out.

But most people can only specialize in one ability and never master it. Mine is just physical enhancement.

That’s why those who challenge dungeons with specialized abilities are called [Awakened]. It’s also the general term for dungeon challengers.

So, she specializes in gravity manipulation.

Her total mana was impressive, too. That level takes years of training.

But when the black sphere touched the beast’s blue barrier, it crackled and fizzled out.

“GAHAHA! SEE?! THAT CRAP DOESN’T WORK ON ME!”

True enough. The sphere vanished completely.

Hmm. A mana-resistant barrier, then. These usually can’t block physical attacks, though.

“MY TURN!”

The beast kicked off the ground, charging at blinding speed despite its bulk.

It closed in, swinging its massive claws.

“Guh!!”

The woman dodged with cat-like agility, but fatigue was written all over her. She was purely on the defensive.

“Hah! hah!!”

“HEH. GONNA RUN NOW? YOU HUMANS ALWAYS FLEE WHEN THINGS GET DICEY!”

“You!!”

A drone hovered in the air behind her, a short distance away.

If things got dire, she could escape the dungeon with it.

“I’ll never forgive you, you monsters!!”

“BUT YOU’LL STILL RUN, RIGHT? COME ON, ATTACK ME ALREADY! YOU CAN’T WIN JUST DEFENDING!”

The beast taunted while pressing its assault, leaving no openings. It kept its body shielded by the barrier, making it impossible for her to break through.

Her attacks were nullified by the barrier. No way to turn the tide.

No allies in sight, either. Either they’d already fled or she’d come solo.

“AGH!!”

Finally, the beast’s kick connected.

She was sent flying, slamming into a rock.

“OHHH, FINALLY HIT YOU! STILL NOT RUNNING, YOU STUBBORN BRAT?”

“I can,still fight!”

Gritting her teeth, she tried to push herself up, but could barely move. She was running on fumes.

Not enough to trigger the drone’s escape, but close to her limit.

The outcome was decided.

I’d hesitated to interfere in a one-on-one, but this was fine now.

I stepped out from behind the rock. The beast turned, glaring at me.

“Huh? The hell are you?”

“Who are you?”

“Just passing through. I’ll take it from here.”

“OH, MORE TRASH?!”

I minimized my mana consumption, saving everything for one strike.

Intelligent magical beasts are priority targets.

Best to finish this quickly, without letting it escape.

The beast glanced at the woman, then smirked as it approached me.

Its barrier was still up, but it was getting careless.

“YOU’RE WEAK. CAN’T EVEN SENSE YOUR MANA.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“This is reckless!”

“Wonder what happens if I kill you in one hit? Always wanted to try.”

“Wanna find out?”

The beast closed in.

As I thought, no attacks beyond brute force.

Even if it had projectiles, its own barrier would nullify them. Pure melee fighter.

“SOMETHING ABOUT HUMANS MAKES ME WANNA CRUSH ‘EM. DON’T KNOW WHY.”

“That’s a magical beast’s instinct, apparently.”

“OHH, SMARTASS, HUH? I LIKE YOU. I’LL KILL YOU IN ONE HIT.”

Behind its barrier, the beast opened its maw wide. We were now in one-strike range.

“RUN AWAYYYYY!!”
“This is bad bad bad!”
“That’s the S-rank beast [Fang of the Blue Wall]!”
“One of Tokyo’s strongest!”
“[Pluto] lost to it! This is serious!”
“Old man, don’t die!”
“If he survives, he’s a legend.”
“He’s already a legend!!!”
“STOPPPPPPPP!!”

The beast swung its log-like arm, packed with mana, straight at my face. Enough force to pulp a normal human.

Its strike landed.

“Huh?”

But that was it.

It just hit.

“WHAT THE, HOW ARE YOU FINE?!”

“Sorry. That’s just my ability.”

My power is physical enhancement plus one more thing something like adrenaline-fueled strength.

It negates almost all pain and status effects, and taking damage boosts my base stats.

The government named my specialization [Karma’s Retribution] (Power of Pain).

Sounds like a light novel title, and I hate it.

“Adrenaline strength” would’ve been fine.

Anyway, time to unleash my limit-breaking strike.

My fist was already packed with all the mana I could muster.

Fear flashed across the beast’s face.

Right after a big move, mana-based defenses plummet. That’s universal for both beasts and Awakened.

“W-WAIT!”

“No.”

I thrust my fist forward. A simple, mana-infused straight right.

What about the barrier? My punch went straight through. As expected physical attacks bypass it.

My fist pierced the beast’s torso and detonated.

“GUWAAAAAHHH!!”

The beast’s upper body exploded into splinters.

The remaining lower half collapsed, dissolving into mana dust. Only the core crystal remained, a valuable energy source.

Still, the woman fought it first. I’d pick it up, but I’d hand it over right away.

“I can’t believe it.”

The woman blinked rapidly.

Battered, but still conscious.

I approached her.

“Uh, you okay?”

“Y-Yes! I’m fine. Thank you!”

She bowed deeply. No need for that in her state.

Besides, helping was only natural. I crouched beside her.

“Um! You’re incredibly strong.”

“Eh, I’m decent.”

Compared to my prime, I’ve dulled a lot. It’s been a year since I last entered a dungeon.

Nothing to brag about.

“Oh, here.”

“Huh? W-Wait, this is the beast’s core crystal!”

“Yep. I was second in line.”

The spoils go to whoever engaged first.

That’s the rule established when dungeons first appeared. A 20-year-old rule, but it’s internationally recognized.

“I can’t accept this! There’s no way I could’ve defeated it without you!”

“Nah, nah, I can’t take it.”

Huh, she’s surprisingly humble. Or did the loot rules change while I was in the Self-Defense Forces?

Nah, I can’t accept this. I’ve got my pride.

“Just take it. I don’t need it anyway.”

“But giving away something this valuable so casually.”

“Seriously, don’t worry. You wore it down made my job easier.”

True. The beast was exhausted, leaving big openings. At full strength, it might not have been so reckless.

“Understood.”

Reluctantly, she took the crystal. Now, what to do with her? She’s in no state to leave alone. Since I’ve finished my fight, maybe I’ll escort her out.

“Um, I have a request.”

“Sure, what is it? I’ve got some water, too, if you need it.”

“PLEASE TAKE ME AS YOUR APPRENTICE!!!”

She prostrated herself before me.

“Huh?”

I’d thought about teaching someone what I know, but…

I never expected an apprenticeship request right off the bat.

“Chat’s moving too fast.”
“Old man’s OP.”
“Japan’s rankings are gonna change.”
“Is this staged?”
“[Pluto]’s a legit solo player. No way she’d do this.”
“The tides have turned.”
“An actual monster, LOL.”
“200K concurrent viewers, holy crap.”
“Legendary old man, where have you been all this time?”

[Character Profile]

Pluto : Kisaragi Reina
Age: 23
Height: 158 cm
Weight: Undisclosed
Half Nordic, half Japanese
Specialization: Gravity Manipulation
Awakened License: S
Affiliation: Rosen Maiden
Subscribers: 3.53 million