A Weak Demon Lord Started Livestreaming in a Bottom-Tier Dungeon and Went Viral?! After Completely Crushing Rude S-Rank Explorers and Annoying Streamers, the Internet Erupted in Praise. Um, I'm Supposed to Be the Enemy of Humanity, You Know? - 16

Chapter 16: The Explorer School’s Outcast Gets Scouted by the Demon Lord

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“Ugh, I really don’t want to do this training exercise…”

Near the entrance of Tokyo Dungeon, a girl muttered to herself. Her face was exceptionally well-proportioned, but her posture was slouched. Dark circles were visible under her eyes, and her unkempt black hair might have been beautiful if properly maintained. The robe she wore, marked with the emblem of the Explorer School, was wrinkled and faintly moldy.

Her name was Rio Mushigami. She was a student of the Explorer School and she possessed an amount of magic power that surpassed even “Ruinhardt,” the top-ranked explorer in the world.

Rio had been accepted into the Academy on a full scholarship, with expectations to become a leading explorer for Japan’s future. But that moment of acceptance was the peak of her achievements. Despite her vast magical reserves, Rio was utterly incapable of using any magic aside from enhancement spells. And even those enhancement spells were so weak that the effect was barely noticeable to those they were cast on.

Among some of the instructors, there were murmurs that this “shame of pure magic power” should be expelled immediately.

“Haah.. If only the world could end right here and there, then we wouldn’t have to deal with any assignments…”

Rio hung her head lowly. Then she noticed a small ant at her feet and crouched down.

“You work hard every day—good for you. I guess I can’t keep whining. I should try to get better at using attack magic too.”

To any outsider, Rio talking to an ant with a soft smile made her seem like a creepy girl who talked to herself a lot. And so, no one approached her. But as with all things, there are exceptions—and there were some who actively sought her out to harass her.

“Hey, Mushigami-san.”

“Pyaah!?”

The ant Rio had just been talking to was mercilessly crushed underfoot by a beautiful girl with golden drill curls, who then addressed her. Her name was Grace Ahlman. She was the daughter of the CEO of an international company that specialized in the manufacturing and sale of weapons and armor for explorers, which had recently relocated to Japan.

While her raw magic power was ranked A, her actual combat ability was considered on par with S-rank explorers—a prodigy in every sense. She was always accompanied by her party members, and the naturally shy and timid Rio would shrink away whenever they approached her.

“W-What is it?”

“‘What is it’!? I’m irritated because they stuck us with an outcast like you! What if we lose to the other teams!?”

“A-Augh…”

Grace had three rivals—other explorer candidates known as part of the “Golden Generation” at the Academy. All of them had A-rank magical power, and their abilities rivaled even active S-rank explorers on the world stage.

Grace couldn’t afford to lose to them. But having a burden like Rio on her team was testing her patience. To be honest, Rio didn’t want to be on the same team as this hysterical rich girl either. However, since no one else at the Academy was willing to team up with an outcast like her, she was placed in high-performing teams on a rotation—and every time, she was treated horribly.

“I-I, uh, c-can c-carry the l-luggage or something…”

“Pfft, you’re still mumbling like always. I can’t even tell what you’re saying. Well, you’re carrying my gear. If you drop it, I’ll half-kill you.”

“Ugh—it’s h-heavy…”

“Grace-samaaa, just ignore that useless thing and let’s gooo. Oh, and carry my stuff too!!”

“Fugyuh!”

“Yes, yes, we need to finish this assignment faster than the others so I can be number one again!!”

With their gear dumped on her, Rio was forced to carry luggage for all four members, including herself. Explorer gear was heavy.

Depending on the dungeon’s size, expeditions often involved overnight stays. To give students more hands-on experience, the Explorer School required them to complete assignments under conditions as close as possible to actual dungeon crawling.

So technically, dumping luggage on someone like Grace’s team was doing should have resulted in point deductions. But no one dared to say a word. Grace’s parents had donated massive sums to the school, and no one wanted to risk upsetting her.

Even the supposedly impartial instructors wouldn’t speak out—so it went without saying that the students wouldn’t either.

“Huff… Huff… Uugh… Huff…”

Sweat poured from Rio’s brow as she staggered forward, barely able to breathe. She couldn’t cast her one usable enhancement spell on herself. She was just about to collapse under the crushing weight of the gear when—

“Kya!?”

“Whoa there—are you alright?”

“Eh? Aeh!? Hero Akira!?”

The one who caught Rio and all her luggage with ease was Akira Saionji, leader of Japan’s strongest clan, the Hero Party.

“W-Wait, are you the real one!?”

“Of course. There’s not a lot of people out there with a face like mine.”

With that, Akira flashed a charming smile. Rio blinked rapidly in disbelief at the sudden appearance of Japan’s most beloved superstar. Even Rio, awkward as she was, was still a young girl. Having someone as devastatingly handsome as Akira smile at her made her cheeks flush red.

But there were those who didn’t take kindly to the moment.

“Hey! Mushigami-san!!”

“Hyaah!? A-Ah, G-Grace-san…”

“You’re bothering Akira-sama!! Get your stuff and get lost—you’re an eyesore!!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am…”

Like waking from a dream, Rio was yanked back into reality. She sighed inwardly.

Right… I mean, who am I to talk to Hero Akira? I’m just some useless girl. Someone like the Hero Akira would obviously prefer a dazzling girl like Grace over someone as creepy as me…

As that thought settled in her chest, Rio glanced toward Akira again. Their eyes met. Even as she kept chatting with Grace, Akira was staring intently at her.

Then, once again, she gave her that sweet smile. Rio felt her heart racing from that.

“I-I’ll do my best on today’s assignment!!”

…After Rio and Grace walked away, Akira watched their backs with a somewhat amused smile. A woman with vivid red hair ran up to him—it was Kyouka Kishino, the tank of the Hero Party.

“Hey, Akira!! Don’t just dump your fans on me and run off! Oh, I got these takoyaki from that stall over there. Want one?”

“Thanks, Kyouka. And sorry about the fans. …I just happened to spot an interesting girl.”

“Hmm? That Ahlman girl?I heard she’s pretty amazing. Thinking of scouting her?”

“No, not her.”

Akira’s gaze was fixed not on the glittering noble daughter, but on the gloomy, timid girl beside her.

“…She’s the one I find scary.”

“You mean the plain-looking one?”

“Yeah. She’s weak now, but if she ever finds the right ‘trigger,’ she could become a monster in an instant. I want to see that. Just thinking about that is enough to give me the chills.”

“…Wh-Which kind of chills are we talking about here?”

Kyouka continued eating her takoyaki, slightly creeped out by the flushed look on Akira’s face. And the plain girl who had just caught the Hero’s attention—

“Young lady!! If you’re interested, would you like to work in my dungeon!?”

“Eh? Eeeh!?”

“And of course, it wouldn’t be for free!! I shall make you as strong as a Demon Lord!! And as a bonus, I’ll throw in this enormous magic stone!!”

Just minutes after her encounter with the Hero, Rio was being scouted… By a suspicious-looking skeleton wearing a headband that read “Welcome to the Dungeon!!” and waving a flag that said “Now Recruiting!!”

Rio had no idea that her meeting with this strange skeleton would become the very “trigger” that would change her fate forever.

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