The Bottom-tier Dungeon Streamer Meets a Famous Streamer by Misunderstanding His Strength and Using the Skill "Intimidation," and Becomes a Legend Without Realizing It?! - Chap 13: Sin and Punishment

“…I never expected you to be the one to come.”

What appeared before Muto and his companions was not Shouta, but Shinya-sama, currently the most talked-about streamer. Although only ranked F, his skills were said to surpass even those of S-rank, and his channel subscribers were growing exponentially, now surpassing 200,000.

With his teammate Sakurako injured, the live viewing numbers for his streams had also surged, attracting nearly 100,000 viewers.

“I have something I want to discuss. Is that okay?”

Shinya, unreadable in expression, faced the four of them without showing the slightest hint of disturbance or anger. Muto and his companions, not expecting Shinya’s arrival, looked at each other and… laughed.

“Ah, no problem at all. We were the ones who reached out for a collaboration. We didn’t expect you to come this quickly.”

“That’s good. It makes things quicker.”

Shinya slowly surveyed the four faces and said,

“To put it bluntly, I want you to bow to Miss Sakurako on camera right now and swear off streaming forever.”

“…What?”

With blunt words, even Muto couldn’t help but contort his face.

“What authority do you have to say such a thing?”

“Authority doesn’t matter. This is an order.”

“Ha. Hahahahaha! So the infamous Shinya-sama has lost his mind! There’s no evidence that we had anything to do with that woman! Even if there were, we’re not obliged to listen to you! Misguided fool!”

“Hey, don’t laugh, Muto. Maybe that girl asked him to, getting all excited, ‘Please take revenge for us!’”

“What? You guys were in that sort of relationship? Nice, let us in on it too!”

Muto and his companions laughed. However, Shinya’s expression remained unshaken, his eyes deep and abyss-like as he continued to watch the four men.

“…What’s with that look? Are you planning to use violence against us?”

“Are you aware? We’ve been recording this whole time. And you, you’ve been recording too, haven’t you?”

“If you commit violence in such a situation, you’ll be the one in trouble.”

“Shinya-sama may be overestimating himself because of all the praise, but at the end of the day, you’re just a streamer. No matter how high and mighty you act, you can’t do anything!”

As they provocatively stepped closer to Shinya, grinning, Shinya remained undisturbed, his cold eyes unwavering no matter how much they tried to provoke him.

“…!”

Facing such a Shinya, they felt as though they had become clowns themselves, and irritation began to build within them.

“You seem to be wearing a rather nice ring.”

Shinya’s seemingly unrelated remark caused a flicker of disturbance across Muto’s face.

“Ha. You know about this ring? Indeed, it’s an item that can control monsters. But there’s no proof I’ve used it. It’s… just a lucky charm. We’ve decided to strive in our streaming using our own abilities.”

“Then you might not know. This ring turns slightly blue for a few hours after use.”

“──!”

Muto hastily looked at his ring, but there was no change in color.

“Just kidding. …But you looked quite shocked for just a lucky charm, didn’t you?”

“…Tch. It’s annoying. It’s only because you said something weird.”

“By the way, even if the Association didn’t recognize our guilt, who are you to act so high and mighty?”

“Don’t look down on us! That face of yours, it’s infuriating!”

Unable to contain their irritation, Muto’s companions yelled. Watching these men, Shinya just smiled slightly.

“I apologize. I’m not very good at conversing with people lacking in decency. If I offended you, I’m sorry.”

“──! You better watch your step──”

“Stop!”

Muto restrained a man who was about to strike.

“What are you getting heated for? Calm down. He’s only saying these things because he can’t do anything else. He’s just trying to provoke us because he can’t back down after trying to impress that girl.”

“Ha, right. Shinya-sama isn’t any different from us!”

“That’s right. No matter what he says, unless there’s direct footage of us doing something, he can’t punish us.”

“What a joke! In the end, you’re just a clown!”

As the four laughed, Shinya ignored them, addressing his own streaming camera.

“Just wondering, but when Miss Sakurako and her team were attacked, did anyone notice the monsters’ eyes turning a strange red color?”

At Shinya’s words, comments started flowing.

〈They did〉

〈Oh, right. If their rings are Control Rings, the eye color would be abnormal!〉

〈Does this count as evidence?〉

〈No, they’ll just deny it if that’s all we have〉

Watching the rapidly flowing comments, Shinya muttered softly, “Seems like there was no misunderstanding.” He then looked straight at the four men and opened his mouth.

“I’ll say it once more: don’t you intend to apologize to Miss Sakurako and quit streaming activities?”

“Of course not. We’re good streamers, right? There’s no reason to do that.”

“I see. Understood. Then, there’s nothing to be done.”

Shinya muttered as if giving up and took a few steps away from the four. Seeing this, the group laughed mockingly.

“What, you talked big and now you’re leaving?”

“Ha ha! What’s up with Shinya-sama, just all talk?”

Ignoring the laughter, Shinya quietly pulled out an item from his item box, making sure the camera and the four couldn’t see him. A small, bell-like sound chimed.

“This turned out to be useful in such a way,” he muttered with a small smile, then looked back at the four.

“You said earlier, right? What I do isn’t different from what you guys do. That’s correct. I’m not exactly a serious streamer either.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying you’re going to attack us here?”

“No, I wouldn’t do that. But, haven’t you noticed that monsters seem to be drawing closer?”

“──!”

Muto’s complexion changed as he realized something was wrong.

“You didn’t! You used the Call Bell!”

The “Call Bell” was a powerful item that gathered monsters in one place within the dungeon, used by Streaming Rider Shouta during his confrontation with Shinya.

Unlike Muto’s ring, the Call Bell had a limited number of uses and could not control monsters. It was powerful but considered useless by many. Shinya had received it as an apology from Shouta before the start of the RTA tournament.

“In just a moment, countless monsters will gather here. Unfortunately, this place is far from any exit, and there’s no way to escape.”

“You… you’ve got to be joking! Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“It’s just unfortunate we got attacked by monsters, isn’t it? Or do you have proof that I used the item?”

“…Ugh!”

Unable to retort, Muto kicked the ground in frustration as panic and anxiety began to show on his companions’ faces.

“My demand remains the same. Bow your heads in front of this camera… right now in front of 200,000 people, and swear off streaming activities forever. If you do, I might consider saving you from the monsters.”

“Why should we do anything like──!”

“If you refuse, you’ll just have to deal with it on your own. Luckily, you have a good amulet, don’t you?”

“──”

Muto’s Control Ring required a 24-hour interval between uses. Even if it didn’t, they were now facing hundreds of monsters. With their limited combat skills, using the item wouldn’t make a difference.

“Hey, what are we going to do, Muto? We’re in serious trouble!”

“Shut up! Don’t panic over this! Ah, damn it! Fine, we’ll bow, okay? You guys, do as he says!”

A promise made in such a situation didn’t need to be kept. They could bow their heads now and plan revenge later. Whispering this in his mind, Muto and his companions bowed.

“It appears our actions have caused an unfortunate accident. We’re sorry. We swear to quit streaming activities.”

But Shinya said nothing.

“Hey, we bowed as you asked, right? Now do something about the monsters!”

“…”

“Hey, you promised, didn’t you!”

The mass of monsters was already closing in, but Shinya didn’t move an inch. They would surely die if things continued. Even the usually composed Muto and his companions began to panic.

“It was him! It’s all Muto’s fault! He wanted to hurt that popular girl to gain viewers! It was all his idea! He’s the one to blame for everything!”

One of the companions couldn’t hold back his fear and screamed out.

“Hey, you bastard!”

“That’s right! It has nothing to do with us! We won’t stream anymore, just forgive us!”

The other companions also betrayed Muto, desperately bowing their heads. However, Shinya remained still.

“Hey, Muto! Because you won’t bow! The monsters are almost here! Hurry up, you failure…!”

One of the companions struck Muto in the face.

“You bastard!”

In retaliation, Muto hit him back. Without Shinya doing anything, the four started fighting amongst themselves, and this was broadcasted to the world through the camera.

“…”

Still, Shinya said nothing.

“Alright, I got it! I admit it! I unleashed the monsters on Miss Sakurako! I admit it, please save us!”

“…”

“I’ve used the same trick on other streamers! I’m sorry! I won’t ever do anything like this again!!”

“…”

“I’ll give you this ring! Just please, please save us!”

“…”

“I was wrong! I was wrong! I regret it! I will never do anything like this again! I’ll even atone for my crimes! Please, just save us!”

Tears streaming, the four rubbed their heads on the ground. For the first time facing a real threat to their lives, they couldn’t care less about their dignity, desperately bowing their heads.

“…”

Yet, Shinya remained motionless, his colorless eyes quietly looking down on the four. They could only cry pathetically in such a situation.

And then, just as the swarm of monsters was about to trample Muto and his companions, Shinya spoke.

“──Disappear.”

The skill “Intimidation” activated. A massive sense of dread spread around, feeling as if their hearts were being squeezed. The gathered monsters fled in panic.

And Muto and his companions felt the same fear.

“Ah, ah…”

Their already unstable minds were crushed by the fear of “Intimidation.” Some lost consciousness, others wet themselves from fear.

“…Ah”

Muto, still conscious, managed to raise his head.

“──!”

What he saw were dark eyes that seemed to swallow everything. An indescribable emotion, more than just fear, made Muto’s whole body tremble.

“If you repeat the same mistake, next time it won’t end just like this. Understand?”

With those words, Shinya quietly walked away. The four were left speechless, unable to move or respond for a long while.