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 7

After the teacher was taken away by President Shijou, only two of us remained in the dojo me, Kisaragi Reina, and Karin.

Honestly, I’m too shocked to gather my thoughts. Were the teacher and the president really dating? I knew the president had stopped aging. There must have been a gap between her appearance and her actual age. But just how many years ago was it? Surely not recently.

Karin was the one who broke the silence.

“Damn, she’s seriously strong, huh?”

“Yes! You could tell too, Karin?”

I decided to go along with Karin’s topic to distract myself.

Karin was still breathing heavily. She must have nearly exhausted her mana.

In contrast, the teacher hadn’t even broken a sweat. She probably still had about 80% of her mana left.

An overwhelming difference in skill.

That was the only way to describe the outcome.

Of course, this was just a simulated battle for a live stream. Neither side used dangerous techniques to avoid injury. But even so, Karin’s attacks weren’t something anyone could casually block.

Karin’s liquefied form allowed her attack speed to far surpass that of an ordinary person so fast that blinking was impossible. And her thrusts had enough destructive force to easily pierce through trees or so they should have.

I knew this well because I’d sparred with Karin many times before.

Take that earlier mock battle, for example. What would I have done?

The answer was simple. I would have refused to fight her in the first place.

In this dojo, the distance was too close. Reluctantly, I had to admit Karin had the overwhelming advantage. If the starting distance had been say, twice what it was in that last match, I would have crushed her.

“I didn’t even use any moves that’d be dangerous against a person. But damn, never had someone block everything like that on their first try.”

“Right? What do you think the secret is?”

“Hmm! Probably the flow of her mana and her guard were just way too smooth. No matter where I attacked, she blocked it perfectly.”

As expected of Karin, one of Rosen Maiden’s top Awakened. She’d reached nearly the same conclusion as me. Yes, the secret to the teacher’s strength was nothing more than her guard refined to peak efficiency, reaching a level beyond imagination.

Covering your body with mana to block enemy attacks sounds simple, but it’s neither easy nor practical in real combat. Why? There’s a good reason.

Using mana to guard is fundamentally incompatible with combat.

Specialized abilities are yang techniques, born from fighting spirit and excitement.

Mana-based guarding is a yin technique, born from calmness and tranquility.

That’s the conclusion of thirty years of mana combat theory. In other words, using mana for both offense and defense simultaneously is an ultra-advanced technique in itself.

To make mana-based guarding truly effective, you must maintain absolute calm even in the heat of battle. Suppress your bloodlust, quell your fighting spirit. Only then can you achieve a high-level guard.

Of course, the teacher wasn’t just about defense. During that earlier beast fight, she instantly switched from guarding to attacking, exploiting the opening to destroy the beast in a single strike. That kind of seamless transition between offense and defense was something I could never hope to match.

“Just how many times has the teacher brushed with death and gained real combat experience?”

“Who knows? Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.”

I had a clear reason for joining Rosen Maiden.

My family was killed by a beast. That particular beast had already been exterminated by the Self-Defense Forces, but I took it upon myself.

To eradicate all beasts.

That was why I, Kisaragi Reina, gained my power.

Beasts are manifestations of mana born in the abyss of dungeons. If that were all, you could just call them living creatures. But occasionally, dungeons spawn intelligent, anomalous beasts. And it’s not rare. I’ve fought them countless times myself. Today’s anomalous beast was one such case.

Without exception, anomalous beasts have always brought calamity upon humanity. They can command other beasts and even emerge from dungeons.

The Great Kyushu Incident, a large-scale beast disaster caused by three anomalous beasts. 260,000 dead or missing.

Sixteen years ago, this incident took my entire family from me. And the high concentration of mana I was exposed to during the event awakened my specialized abilities as an Awakened.

After awakening, I drifted between various teams. I quickly left any team that hesitated to hunt beasts or saw me as nothing more than a mascot.

Five years ago, I was invited by S-rank Awakened President Shijo and became a founding member of Rosen Maiden. The president understood my mission and passion, giving me the freedom to act. Earning revenue through streams while never slacking on beast extermination. It was the ideal environment.

But I’m still not strong enough. Not yet at the level where I can call myself strong.

The Great Kyushu Incident still haunts me.

Fukuoka was swallowed by scorching flames, and countless people died. The anomalous beasts that appeared back then possessed power on a completely different level. Even now, I probably wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

“Why are there so many of you humans? No matter how many I burn, more keep coming.”

Those were the words of the anomalous beast later known as [Blazing Twin Horns]. The most powerful anomalous beasts take forms nearly indistinguishable from humans, but their mentality is worlds apart. Right after saying that, it unleashed a massive fireball that incinerated an entire building.

Even as hundreds died in a single strike, Blazing Twin Horns showed no emotion. To anomalous beasts, humans are nothing more than insects, flies. They kill because we’re annoying, because they dislike us.

No reason. No remorse.

I heard that Blazing Twin Horns was eventually defeated and destroyed by the Anti-Dungeon Special Forces, the Self-Defense Forces’ trump card.

We haven’t seen anomalous beasts of that level in a while. Some say it’s because beast extermination efforts have been relentless, preventing them from growing that strong again. But if another Blazing Twin Horns were to appear on the surface, countless people would undoubtedly die.

That’s why, I want to get stronger. Stronger than ever.

The teacher must have gone through unimaginable experiences. She’s already given me hints for new techniques.

But Karin’s specialized abilities are too different from mine, so I can’t follow the same path. I need a teacher far more experienced and stronger than either of us.

I can still grow stronger. And the teacher, no matter where or how she’s lived until now will surely rise to prominence.

There’s no way someone could reach that level of strength without decades of fighting beasts and challenging dungeons. I know that better than anyone.

“Sigh But seriously, Reina, you’re really gonna become her disciple?”

“Of course! In fact, I already have. I’m fully committed now!”

“Hmm, think she’d take me on as a student too?”

“Wh… What?!”

“C’mon, if I stick with the teacher, I could get way stronger too. Don’t look so mad, you’ll always be the top disciple.”

Karin was grinning, but I could tell. She was dead serious.

I’m stubborn, but once Karin sets her mind to something, there’s no stopping her.

Karin patted my head soothingly her go-to move when she wanted to smooth things over.

“I’m not angry! Do whatever you want!”

“Then it’s settled. I’m a disciple too.”

Karin’s carefree attitude was exhausting. But aside from the president, she was the only one who’d talk to me like this.

“Ugh, fine! At least get the teacher’s permission first!”

Deep in the abyss of a certain dungeon.

In the impenetrable darkness where no human had ever set foot, anomalous beasts gathered.

“It’s been ages since we’ve all come together like this, hasn’t it?”

The words came from an anomalous beast with the innocent demeanor of a young boy. His voice was so gentle and kind, you’d never guess he’d once slaughtered 500,000 people in Africa.

“If this is a waste of time, I’ll kill you all.”

The one radiating murderous intent was a four-armed anomalous beast who’d once massacred 300,000 in America. A warrior who’d fought the United Nations forces to a standstill.

“Now, now, let’s all calm down. Everyone here knows why we’ve gathered.”

The rational voice belonged to an elegant, feminine anomalous beast who’d similarly killed hundreds of thousands. Every anomalous beast present was of that caliber.

“The human anomalous one ‘Kamiya’ has resumed activity.”

Some growled in response, others shook their heads.

“There was a chance he’d died outside our territory, but it seems not. He’s entered our domain for the first time in a year.”

“So the pact still stands?”

“Yes, the pact that whoever among us kills ‘Kamiya’ shall become king. It remains valid.”

The four-armed anomalous beast spat and turned to leave the gathering.

“Pathetic. If you can kill that bastard, you can kill every one of us here.”

“Oh? Running away already?”

Provoked by the boyish anomalous beast, the four-armed one shot back sharply.

“Shut it. Then go challenge Kamiya yourself. You’ll just come crawling back in disgrace after losing.”

“Excuse me? You’re dead.”

“Silence. Let’s not fight here.”

The feminine anomalous beast exhaled, scanning the group.

“Some are absent, but the purpose of this gathering was simply to confirm the pact. That’s all. Let’s disband before this escalates.”

At her words, the anomalous beasts began to disperse. Even with intelligence, anomalous beasts rarely cooperate. To them, it’s always kill or be killed. Trust is nonexistent, they’d betray each other in a heartbeat.

After most had left, the feminine anomalous beast turned to the one still remaining. A being covered neck-down in dense black fur, indistinguishable from a human save for the twin horns on its head.

“What will you do, Ijare?”

“Kamiya, huh! It’s about time I challenged him.”

Blazing Twin Horns Ijare gathered scorching mana into his fist. The mere act seared the air, turning it white-hot. Half his body had once been obliterated by Kamiya, but the wounds had long since healed.

“How skillful. I recall Kamiya doing the same thing once.”

“Yeah. I copied him.”

This was the true power of anomalous beasts.

To them, human mana manipulation was once an unknown art. But Ijare had analyzed his past defeat, mastering the technique as his own.

The proof was this fist, condensed with mana.

“Sixteen years ago, in Kyushu. Time to repay that debt.”