Surviving in a World Teeming with Monsters with the Useless Skill 【Everyday Items Master】! I Was Just Hunting Wild Animals with a Crowbar, So Why Is Everyone Screaming It's an S-Rank Monster? - 80

Chapter 80: Livestreaming Battle Against Ashura

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“Hey there, losers~! I’m Angel Zakomiya, your bratty little dungeon streamer here to bring dreams and hope to all you loser piggies too scared to dive into a dungeon, LOL ♡ And this here is—?”

“Ah, um. I-I’m Botan Keshouin…! N-nice to meet you…!”

: Hey, Monster~
: Monster-chan is nervous. How adorable~
: Huh?

: This is not Crowbar Bro’s house?

: Zakomiya your pores are wide open, go to bed.

“Whoever made that ‘your pores are open’ comment, I will remember you, you loser piggy! I’ll never forgiving you!”

In a certain ruin, at midnight. Angel had started a livestream with Botan, using a portable streaming drone. They were surrounded by ruins. Their only light source came from the drone. Most of the screen was cloaked in darkness.

There was a subtle sense from the very beginning that something was different from usual. Viewers were often sharp. Even one comment that hit too close to the truth could spread rapidly.

Of course, it didn’t have to be correct—just close enough to the mark to resonate through the public.

: There’s something really weird this time.
: The room is so dark…
: Where is this?
: Is Crowbar Bro not there?

: Where’s Luna-chan?

: Zakomiya, did you finally…
: #TurnYourselfInZakomiya

“Isn’t this messed up?! Why is it that whenever something goes wrong, everyone assumes it’s my fault?!”

“Eh, Angel. Calm down. Easy, girl…”

: So what happened?

: Monster-chan, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?

: Someone should lend Zakomiya an ear too. 

: Nah, just leave her alone. LOL

Sighing at the constant snark from the comments, Angel finally spoke.

“For now, instead of explaining everything, I think it’d be faster to just show you the footage.”

: Oh?

: A footage?

: What kind of video?

Without another word, Angel began streaming a video she had edited overnight. The footage. It was the confrontation from that night—the moment they were separated from Taku and Luna.

: What!?

: What the hell are they doing to Luna-chan?!

: Crowbar Bro’s getting cornered!

: No way, seriously?

: Who the hell are these guys?!

As the video played, the comment section erupted in chaos. The moment the chime rang and Taku headed to the door—Angel had been filming everything from that moment onward with a drone.

When the video ended, the comment section was visibly shaken. Seeing that, Angel nodded. Everything was going according to the plan. 

This was the debuff operation Taku had asked of her. A full-blown exposé stream against the enemy: Team Ashura. If the opposing organization was a public agency, then public opinion would strike a direct blow. And shaping public opinion? That was Angel’s specialty.

That said, they had sent SSS-rank subjugation members after them. It was safe to say the agency was seriously invested in this operation.

So, realistically speaking, the effect of public backlash would be moderate at best. She couldn’t expect them to immediately retreat out of fear of backlash. But she was aiming for at least enough pressure to get the follow-up units pulled back.

Even that was a high bar. She had to execute this perfectly. With tension in the air, Angel ended the video and turned back to the camera.

“This is the current situation. The reason Botan and I are here without Taku is exactly because of this.”

: Seriously?
: The Ministry of Defense…!
: To be honest, this does sound like something they’d do.
: How did they even manage to film this though?

Supportive comments flooded in first. At the same time, skeptical or negative ones appeared too.

: This all seems a bit too convenient
: But they did pay one billion, after all.
: It’s edited—hard to trust it 100%

“For those who don’t believe it, I’ve also uploaded the unedited version of the video right before this stream started. It should be going up any second now, so check it out if you’re curious.”

Angel, fully versed in the culture of streaming, had already accounted for nitpicky backlash. Then, slowly, she began to speak—carefully choosing her words.

“Luna is a good girl. Honest and sweet, just someone we found in a dungeon. She gets a little cheeky with me sometimes, since she sees me as easy to push around, but I still think she’s adorable.”

: Zakomiya getting pushed around is standard procedure though?

: No need to say the obvious.

: Yeah, yeah, so what?

: Hurry up and get to the point!

“You guys really…! —Ahem. Anyway, I don’t want to hand Luna over to the Ministry of Defense. Just like Taku had figured out, I really think they only see her as a test subject.”

The two weeks she spent with Luna were fun. It felt like she had gained a cute little sister.

Still, when they came offering one billion yen, Angel assumed it meant they would treasure Luna, so she reluctantly agreed to hand her over. But the moment they sent someone clearly intending to harm Luna, the relationship turned adversarial.

So now, there was no choice but to fight. She couldn’t afford to be picky with her methods. Even if it meant using underhanded tactics or involving unrelated parties, Angel was determined to protect Luna.

Still, dissenters appeared in the chat.

: But if you don’t return what you were paid for, isn’t that basically a fraud?

: Crowbar Bro’s reasoning felt like a stretch, honestly.

: Paging Mr. Law Expert~

“The one billion was offered under the terms I laid out. They accepted and bought under those terms. Taku’s explanation is accurate. If they’d come that day like they were supposed to, we’d have been obligated to hand her over. But they didn’t show as promised.”

: So the Ministry of Defense screwed up, huh?

: Not like I owe some government worker anything though.

: Poor Luna-chan…

: Even if it’s fraud, human lives come first!

Angel watched the mood in the comments. A large portion had clearly become emotional. The viewer count surged in real time from the impact of the content. Botan, assisting on the side, looked at Angel’s laptop and said.

“Angel, we’re trending.”

To which Angel replied.

“Everything up to now? That was just the background setup. Now it’s time for the main point I want to talk to everyone about.”

: Main point?

: What is it?

: I’ll help if I can.

: I’ll even dip into my savings for Luna-chan’s sake!

: How much do you need?

“Take care of your savings. I don’t need money right now. What I want from you loser piggies is two things.”

Angel held up one finger.

“First, I want you to gather eyewitness reports of Taku. If any of you loser piggies in the quarantine zone see someone and think, ‘Wait, could that be Crowbar Bro?’—DM me that information.”

: Because you’re separated from him, right?

: Oh. Since the enemy is the government, of course they can’t use the standard method of communication, huh?

“That last comment—sharp as ever. Exactly right. Our enemy is the government. Of course they’d track our location through intercepted calls. That’s why we can’t just contact him carelessly.”

When Angel said that, the comments exploded in panic.

: Wait, doesn’t that make this stream a super risky move to pull?
: Didn’t you just reveal your location?
: Get outta there before they come for you!

“I know. That’s why once I’m done saying what I need to say, we’re wrapping this up fast. No time to waste—let’s move on.”

Angel took a deep breath and continued.

“Everyone, send any information about Taku to me via DM. I won’t reply, but I’ll read everything. Now, here’s the important part—it’s okay if the information is wrong, or even just a prank.”

: Huh?

: What does that mean?

: I don’t get why pranks are okay

: Someone explain this to us.

“I’ll explain the reason. You see, I think the information that gets to my DMs is probably being seen by the other side too. That kind of law came into effect recently, right? SNS information is already being monitored.”

: Isn’t that bad for you then?

: If we give you information on Crowbar Bro, the other side can read it too, right?
: Yes, but what if there’s a lot of decoys….?
: Ohhh, I get it now!

Spotting a perceptive comment, Angel grinned.

“Exactly. If they’re going to see the same information, then it’s better to have more decoys. They’ve got the numbers and an organization, so they’ll be slow to move. But—”

“Whoa!”

Angel pulled Botan in close by the shoulder.

“—we’ve got Botan’s lightning-fast legs. Limitless stamina, tier-1 speed. If anyone’s going to break through the decoys and reach Taku first, it’s us!”

: Oooh!
: Now that’s smart.

: I thought there’d be tons of fake or prank stuff if you say it like that, but it’s fine then?

: I’ll send a bunch of dummy info!

: Authorized trolling? This is wild.

Understanding the plan, the loser piggies started to get fired up. At that moment, Botan murmured.

“I think I sense something… from pretty far away.”

Angel hurried to bring up the second point.

“Next! My second request. This one’s really simple. I want you all to be on our side.”

Angel bowed her head toward the streaming drone.

“We’re in a tough spot right now because of the government’s tyranny. The enemy’s like a police force that arrests without warrants. No, actually, they’re even worse—they’ll use force on the spot!”

Angel spoke passionately, with all her strength.

“I want you to protest against this! Luna is a good girl! For someone like her to be taken away by the government  without a word and treated so horribly—it’s just wrong!”

“Angel, time to go.”

“Please! Help us! Our enemy is strong enough to hurt Taku! We can’t win without your help! Please, lend us your strength!”

【Taunt】

Angel’s emotional plea… The more sincere her words, the more her skill drew out the enemy’s hostility and directed it where she intended.

: Leave it to us!
: This is unforgivable.
: We need to protest!
: How do you file for a demonstration?
: I’ll try gathering people on social media!
: It’s up to us to protect Crowbar Bro and the others!

The comment section exploded at a rapid pace. As Botan urged her, Angel nodded and gave one final message.

“Thanks for listening. We’re heading out now. We’ll do our best to come back safe and sound!”

: Take care!
: Do you have enough money?
: We’re cheering for you!

: We’ll protect Luna-chan—me, us, all of us!
: This is gonna hit the news!
: Don’t let the government get away with this!

Angel closed the stream. Botan quickly scooped her up, so Angel held onto the streaming drone and let herself be carried.

“My part is done. Botan, I’m counting on you from here.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll protect you, Angel.”

With astonishing speed, Botan burst out of the abandoned building. In the midnight darkness, they could already see three black figures behind them. They had come this far. But Botan was fast—she quickly put distance between them.

For a moment, Angel felt like something was watching them—but then Botan leapt sideways, and the sound of the wind slicing through the air passed just a meter ahead. So close. It had been a close call, but they pulled through.

Angel had done the biggest thing she could right now. In other words, this was her limit.

Truthfully, she had wanted to be by Taku’s side to support him. The sight of Taku bleeding from a ricocheted bullet—seen only through a drone—had made it hard for her even to breathe.

If she’d had the strength, she could have moved with Taku. If she had, they could have fought together in more ways.

“…!”

Tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip, trembling with anxiety and regret. While carrying the shaken Angel, Botan spoke.

“It’s okay, Angel. You did what you had to do. From here on—it’s my job.”

Botan’s swift stride quickly left the pursuers in the dust. A strong wind blew past, sweeping away Angel’s tears.

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