I Was the Supporter of a Popular Dungeon Streamer, but the Power Harassment Was Too Much, so I Quit. I’m Useless Anyway, so It Shouldn’t Be a Problem, Right? Huh? The Views Are Dropping Like Crazy? - 13

Chapter 13: The Strongest (?) Duo

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Floors 50 to 65 were cave-type fields. The formations varied, from limestone caverns to volcanic tunnels, but they all shared one thing in common: the paths were complicated like mazes with walls surrounding us all around. aIt was a field that truly lived up to the name “labyrinth.” Every Sunday at midnight, all floors of the labyrinth. except for Floors 1 to 7, were “reconstructed.” Meaning that maps created by previous explorers became unreliable. Because of this, the floors immediately after reconstruction were especially confusing.

Fortunately or unfortunately, today was Sunday. The floors in this area had been mapped over the past week, so there was no risk of getting lost.

“We have maps for Floors 50 to 60. We also know the locations of the transfer gates, so let’s keep up the pace.”

Abisu took the lead, and I followed closely behind her.

“By the way, Hamura-kun, I forgot to mention this, but the monster that attacked Atsushi Iizuka and Koyuki Kisaragi… It was a Minotaur with red eyes and black skin.”

Red eyes…!?

“You’ve got to be kidding…!”

A Minotaur with red eyes… Could it be the same one that took my arm!?

“Is something wrong?”

“The one that ate my right arm six months ago was also a Minotaur with red eyes and black skin. I think… I saw it when I was on the 60th floor.”

“Hmm. Monsters can move between floors, so there’s a high chance it’s the same one.”

If that were the case, this was bad. Honestly, that thing was far beyond the usual strength of monsters found around the 60th floor. It undoubtedly belonged in the upper-level. It was an opponent that even A-rank Seekers would struggle with. There was no way a single Supporter could last several minutes against something like that…

“I’m picking up the pace.”

“Yeah! I’m counting on you!”

Come to think of it… I’m keeping up with Abisu’s speed pretty well.

She should be benefiting from the power of an OOPArt right now… Without one myself, I shouldn’t be able to match her speed at all…

And on top of that, I was carrying a backpack. I was a rucksack with expanded internal space, to be used in a labyrinth.  It was only as large as a normal backpack on the outside, but it could hold as much as a car. The downside? The weight of its contents still added up.

“Hamura-kun! In—”

Before she could finish, I activated 【Insight】 without chanting, making footprints glow and highlighting any gaps in the path.

“【Radiant Shield】”

A wall of light formed, creating a foothold over a missing section of the path. I then activated 【Presence Concealment】 to reduce both my and Abisu’s presence.

Next, I used 【Scout Bee】, a spell that summoned a reconnaissance creature in the shape of a bee. I deployed one behind us for rear surveillance. As the cave grew darker, I lit the way with 【Blue Flame】. I used 【Far Sight】 to scout ahead and capture any minor enemies with 【Dragon Chains】. When we encountered a poisonous swamp, I used a purification crystal to make us immune to poison and dashed straight through. When we entered an area crawling with zombies, I scattered holy water. I moved efficiently, taking the best possible actions with minimal waste.

“If you need to give any orders, go ahead.”

Abisu’s face lit up with excitement.

“I take back what I said, Hamura-kun.”

“Hm?”

“At this rate, we’ll reach the 62nd floor in ten minutes, less than half of what I originally estimated.”

Abisu drew the gun—something known as OOPArt—from the holster on her left leg and gripped it in her right hand. She fired black bullets at a flock of incoming flying monsters.

The creatures, struck by the bullets, plummeted from the air and collapsed to the ground.

“The Sin from the ‘Sin and Punishment’…”

“So you do know about it.”

Abisu moved in and cut down the fallen monsters with her sword—”Punishment.” Middle-level monsters were being taken out like they were nothing. Abisu’s gun, an OOPArt named “Sin,” increased the weight of any target hit by its black bullets. And her sword, “Punishment,” grew sharper and more powerful the heavier the target was. By increasing her enemy’s weight with Sin and finishing them off with Punishment, she created a devastatingly effective combo.

“I knew your weapon was strong, but damn… That’s a nasty pair of OOPArts.”

“Being famous has its downsides. My techniques are completely exposed to everyone, including my enemy.”

“Doesn’t matter if they know. There’s no real counterplay against that weapon set.”

I couldn’t afford to fall behind.

“I’ll handle reconnaissance and securing our line of sight.”

“Got it. Then, for rear security—”

“I’m already using 【Scout Bee】for our rear end and I’m activating 【Insight】 every three seconds, so trap detection is all covered too.”

“…Understood. What about the map?”

“It’s all in my head. Leave navigation to me.”

“Then I’ll coordinate with the rescue team—”

“I’ve already contacted them. They’re clearing out any dangerous monsters ahead of us.”

For some reason, Abisu puffed out her cheeks in mild frustration.

“Geez, at least leave me some tasks to do.”

“As long as you keep wiping out the monsters, that’s already more than good.”

Abisu eliminated any unavoidable enemies with ease. At this rate, we might actually be setting the record for the fastest clear of this floor.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー