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? - 3

Chapter 3: Unjustified Violence

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Holy Tower-Type Labyrinth Amatsugahara

A massive tower stood at the heart of this labyrinth city. Among the many labyrinths in this town, it boasted the greatest number of floors with its peak reaching all the way into space. No one had ever made it to the top. In fact, no one could even come within a hundred floors of it. Conquering it was said to be impossible.

Well, even if someone did try, the government wouldn’t allow it. A dungeon that provided infinite resources was far too valuable to be cleared.

The first to seventh floors had been remodeled by human hands, housing shops related to labyrinth activities, request boards, Supporter hiring stations, and more. Saying it like this kind of ruins the fantasy feeling, but in essence, it was like a shopping mall. There were escalators and elevators, making it feel completely devoid of any fantasy charm.

On the seventh floor, in a massive hall known among Seekers and Supporters as the “Entrance Hall,” Mia and I teleported in. The hall contained three dimensional rifts called “Gates” with each gate leading to a different section of the dungeon: the lower floors (7th floor), the middle floors (50th floor), and the upper floors (100th floor).

“Hey! Mia!!”

A voice I didn’t want to hear called out to her.

A burly man with a shaved head came running toward us from ten meters away, waving his hand. It was Atsushi Iizuka, the guild master of Fenrir, the guild Mia and I belonged to. He was twenty-two years old with an axe as his weapon and just like Mia, he was an A-rank Seeker. 

“Atsushi-kun, good evening.”

“Hehehehe~! What a coincidence running into you here!”

What do you mean, “here”? As a Seeker, this is the place you’d come to the most. Maybe this guy has been waiting to ambush us or something?

“Damn, Mia, you’re looking amazing today too!”

Just as anyone could see, Iizuka was completely infatuated with Mia. Naturally, Mia was aware of his feelings and used them to manipulate him as she pleased.

“Ah… G-good evening…”

The one who greeted me hesitantly was a girl dressed in all black, just like me. Her name was Koyuki Kisaragi. She was a year younger than me. Beyond the fact that she was petite, had a high-pitched voice, and was female, I didn’t know much about her. She always kept herself completely covered in black clothing. Just to clarify, not all Supporters dressed in black like this. Seekers and Supporters were partners. Seekers appreciated their Supporters, and Supporters, in turn, appreciated their Seekers. Seekers didn’t force their Supporters to wear any specific attire, nor did they treat them as mere side characters. At least… Not normally.

“Oi.”

Iizuka, who had been chatting with Mia, suddenly glared at me.

“You bastard, you didn’t try anything funny just because you were alone with Mia, did you!?”

“I didn’t.”

“You do realize the only reason a weakling like you gets to team up with Mia is because she’s kind, right? If you try anything funny, I’ll kill you!”

Why was this guy jealous of me? Did he seriously think I had any romantic interest in Mia? Sure, she was beautiful. She had long, sleek black hair, sharp eyes, an outstanding figure, and striking features. But her personality completely ruined everything.

We were childhood friends, but back then, she had been timid and cowardly. Gaining power had changed her.

“Oi, Mia, what happened to your knee?”

“This? I tripped earlier and scraped it.”

The wound was shallow. Just a slight peeling of the skin, without any blood.

“Why haven’t you healed it?”

“Well, my Supporter kept insisting that using a healing crystal for something this minor would be a waste.”

Thud!!

Without listening to a single word of my reasoning, Iizuka punched me across the face. It didn’t particularly hurt, but I exaggerated my stumble and fell onto my backside. If he realized it didn’t faze me, he might follow up with another strike.

“Don’t be stingy over something like that! A Seeker’s wounds are the Supporter’s responsibility!”

“Crystals aren’t cheap! I can’t just use one for every little scratch!”

“The hell’s with that attitude, huh? You’re talking back to your Guild Master!?”

Iizuka grabbed me by the collar. The Seekers and Supporters waiting in the entrance hall turned their eyes toward us.

What should I do…? Should I just resist outright? It’d be one thing to resist against monsters, but if my opponent is a human… Well, I have my ways too, but… No, even if I won, there’d be no benefit in me. Even if I managed to take him down, I’d just be labeled the aggressor and have my Supporter rating lowered.

“Iizuka-san!”

Kisaragi stepped in between us.

“I-If we don’t leave soon, it’ll be midnight by the time we reach our target floor! Once it’s past midnight, monsters become more active. The one we’re after today is a formidable opponent,and if we have to fight it at night, it’ll be dangerous…”

“Huh? Ah, well, yeah… —Tch! It’s already this late! You got lucky, you piece of trash!”

Iizuka threw me against the wall, spat on the ground, and headed for the gate leading to the middle floors. Kisaragi followed after him. Before passing through the gate, Kisaragi glanced back at me and pressed her hands together, silently mouthing, “I’m sorry.”

I waved a hand in response, gesturing, “Don’t worry about it.”

A guild full of garbage, but at least she was decent. As I watched Iizuka’s back disappear, Mia’s flirty smile faded, replaced by her usual cold expression.

“I have a gravure shoot tomorrow, so I’m taking the day off from exploring. The day after tomorrow, I have other errands, so no exploration then either. Make sure to restock the items and report the quest.”

“Wait. About the restocking… Lately, we’ve been using up supplies fast, and I’m running low on funds. You should chip in a bit, too.”

“Hah? As a Seeker, I have to spend money on health management, training, and maintaining my OOPArts. You should be covering all the item costs. You’re the one using them!”

With a huff, Mia turned on her heel and left.

“…Even though she takes 99% of the reward…”

Seriously, my future looked really bleak.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー