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? - 47

Chapter 47: Descent into Darkness

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Kisaragi has an OOPArt? That’s impossible. Anyone who possesses an OOPArt will become a Seeker…”

No, it wasn’t impossible. There were cases where someone who possessed an OOPArt became a Supporter instead.

“‘Scrap’, huh!”

When I asked, Kisaragi gave a small nod.

The word “scrap” usually referred to junk or discarded metal. But in this context, it meant an OOPArt that was completely useless.

“Some OOPArts either have unknown functions or are damaged and unable to manifest their abilities and full potential. We commonly refer to them as ‘Scraps.’ Kisaragi-chan… I looked at your records, and you have one of these Scraps, don’t you?”

“Yes…”

Kisaragi reached for her neck and pulled out a metal necklace. At the end of the chain was something resembling a rhombus-shaped gemstone. This was my first time seeing it. She probably kept it hidden under her clothes most of the time.

“It’s this necklace. No matter how much I hit it, nothing happens. Wearing it, burning it, freezing it, none of it triggers anything… But since it still provides basic physical enhancement effects like an OOPArt should, I keep it on me just in case…”

Now that I thought about it, Kisaragi’s physical abilities were nearly on par with a Seeker. So the reason for that was because she possessed an OOPArt.

“If it were a sword or a spear, you’d be assigned as a Seeker regardless of your OOPArt abilities. But with a pendant like that? That pendant doesn’t do anything even after you smash it against something. No wonder you can pass off as a Supporter.”

Blades had inherent value just by possessing anti-monster properties, even if they had no additional effects other than that. But a pendant? That was a much harder sell.

“We’ll use that to get you officially registered as a Seeker.”

“We’ll claim that the pendant’s abilities have been discovered, right?”

“Exactly. On the paper, Kisaragi-chan will be registered as a Seeker, while you’ll remain a Supporter. But once inside the labyrinth, you’ll swap roles. Hamura-kun as the Seeker, and Kisaragi-chan as the Supporter. How does that sound?”

“……”

Ideally, I would have wanted to live as a Seeker officially, but considering the origins of this arm, of the Origin, I couldn’t afford to take unnecessary risks. I didn’t have any other choice… Well, there was no helping it anyway. I had to accept it. 

“Alright. Let’s go with that.”

“D-Don’t worry, Hamura-san! We’ll split the rewards nine to one! I’ll give you ninety percent!”

“Nah, fifty-fifty is fine. Don’t lump me in with Iizuka or Mia. There shouldn’t be a gap in pay between Seekers and Supporters.”

If anything, Supporters put their lives on the line even more than Seekers. Sure, in terms of contribution, a Seeker might come out on top, but when it came to risk and exhaustion, Supporters had it worse. That needed to be taken into account when dividing the rewards.

“Alright, it’s decided then. Kisaragi-chan, you’ll come with me to the Guild Association to file your transition to Seeker status. Hamura-kun, you should take it easy for the rest of the day. You must be exhausted.”

“Yeah… I’ll do that.”

My body and mind were completely drained… After that, I went over the plan with Abisu and Kisaragi one last time, and then we went our separate ways.

◆◆◆

The labyrinth city’s outskirts—Senju Clinic.

There was only one doctor on staff, along with a single nurse. The clinic had a maximum capacity of three inpatients. It was to this small, two-story clinic that Atsushi Iizuka had been brought.

“Are you awake?”

On the second floor, where three beds were lined up, Ul stepped into the patient room. Inside the room, only Ul and the bedridden Iizuka were present. Naruse had been taken to a normal hospital, which was larger than this measly clinic.

“I’m awake! You’re the bastard who brought me to this tiny-ass hospital, aren’t you?!”

“Yes. But the skills of the doctors here are amazing, you know? Just look at yourself.”

Iizuka fell silent at that. The swelling on his face had already gone down, and even his crushed throat had healed. Though there were still a few visible bandages, he had already recovered enough to run around. The fact that such severe injuries had healed in less than a day was… It was simply abnormal.

“Well… Yeah…”

“So, what will you do now? Will you take revenge on Shibuki Hamura?”

The moment Ul mentioned Hamura’s name, Iizuka curled up. His body trembled violently.

“S-Stop…! Don’t say that bastard’s name!”

“Oh dear, it seems you’ve been completely traumatized…”

“Shut up! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!!! This is impossible! There’s no way I could’ve lost to someone like him…! Damn it all!!!”

A mixture of rage and fear consumed him. Right now, more than at any other moment in his life, Iizuka craved power. Enough power to exact his revenge. Enough power to conquer this fear. And… This very state he was in was exactly what Ul had been hoping for.

“Do you want to become stronger?”

“…Of course I do. But…! Damn it!! I hate to admit it, but… I’ve already hit my limit…!! For the past three years, I haven’t grown at all! Not even a little! I’m… I’m already at my peak…!!”

“It’s too early to give up.”

Ul gently ran a hand down Iizuka’s back.

“…The truth is, there is a way to become stronger quickly. If you trust me… I’ll make you stronger than Shibuki Hamura. In fact, I can make you even stronger than Abisu Yuiga.”

“D-Don’t screw with me! There’s no way you can make me stronger than them…!”

“It is very possible. Do you know? OOPArts place restrictions on your power. They don’t even let you draw out 20% of your real strength…”

“W-What…!?”

“Yes. Even A-rank Seekers can only reach about 30% and even S-rank Seekers barely manage 50%. You, too, have only been able to tap into about 30% of your OOPArts’ true potential.”

“B-But doesn’t that mean… I still have room to grow?!”

Ul’s lips curled into a smile.

“Exactly! If you follow me, I will completely remove that limiter for you!”

With arms spread wide, Ul looked like an angel to Iizuka’s eyes. 

“Though, well… as a side effect, your body might… Go through some chaaanges~”

“I don’t give a damn! If I can get that strong, I don’t care if I shrink, get fat, or lose weight!!”

His eyes burned with determination, like the protagonist of a shounen manga.

“Understood.” 

Ul said, turning away from Iizuka. A wide grin stretched across his face.

“Come to the back room.”

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー