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 4: Confrontation with a Strange

“It seems to have become more of a commotion than I expected…”

Come morning, the top trend on social media had become “Disappear.” Clips of Sakurako’s stream had been cut and spread everywhere.

“Everyone’s just writing whatever, truth or lies… It’s making my stomach hurt.”

Shinya heaved a deep sigh as he briefly scanned through various social media.

〈Apparently, he used to be an S-class streamer〉

〈I heard he’s from the S-class party, Lerecil〉

〈From what I’ve heard, he’s an android made by the S-rank streamer Meka Majin〉

〈Actually, he’s a clone of Shan○s〉

From mere jokes and pranks to serious discussions, there was a variety. It had become such a big topic because the popular streamer Sakurako kept talking enthusiastically about Shinya.

“Sakurako-san, huh?”

Shinya does a bit of research on her through his smartphone.

Magical girl streamer Sakurako. She started streaming half a year ago and already has over 500,000 subscribers, making her a rising star among streamers. She’s independent, which is remarkable for a personal streamer, and her escape from the lower levels of RTA has been particularly popular among certain people.

“She’s wearing pretty daring clothes, huh…”

Short skirts and tops that show off her chest. In short, it’s something like a magical girl idol outfit. Her age is not disclosed, but she’s popular for her looks and slightly air-headed personality.

“I wish she was a bit more aware of her popularity, this girl.”

Because this popular streamer kept repeating “Shinya-sama, Shinya-sama” in her streams, it caused a big commotion. With things having escalated to this point, there’s a risk of being targeted by troublesome streamers. Even if not, Sakurako’s fanatical fans might get jealous and attack.

“Can ‘Intimidation’ drive them all away? But there are those like berserkers who don’t feel fear.”

Shinya would be out of options if an opponent immune to “Intimidation” appears. It could be embarrassing in front of tens of thousands of people if it happens during a stream. Just the thought makes Shinya’s stomach ache.

“But it’s not like I can just find a job now. And I don’t want to do part-time work. Someone, please help… Just give me 5 billion. No, I’d prefer 10 billion.”

He decides to stay quietly in his room for the day. The commotion will die down with time. Just as Shinya settles on this, his smartphone rings.

“Ugh?”

A message from the Dungeon Association. It informs him that today is the rare “Day of Bounty,” which happens once every six months. The dungeon’s layout changes every entry, and today, monsters and loot are especially plentiful.

Shinya remembers the last Day of Bounty when he gathered a month’s worth of mushrooms in one day. It’s a day too valuable to spend sleeping.

“What to do…?”

He won’t have to work for a month if he endures just for today. But if some weirdo targets him, his weakness could be exposed.

Shinya ponders for a while with his arms crossed.

“No, let’s go. The commotion is just among a few people. Internet noise is just that, on the internet. Surprisingly, people outside don’t know much about it. Like in middle school, when I talked about internet stuff, people often said, ‘Huh? Who’s that?'”

Convincing himself, Shinya grabs his streaming gear and leaves the house. The humid July air clings to his skin, but he sets out with determination.

Today, he’ll hunt many mushrooms and enjoy a luxurious evening drink!

…However, Shinya’s wishes were not to be fulfilled.

“Okay, hello there. Starting the stream today as well.”

Entering the dungeon, Shinya starts his stream with his usual casual greeting. Immediately, comments start flooding in at an incredible speed.

〈He’s here!〉

〈Doesn’t he seem too disinterested?〉

〈Idiot. That’s what makes him cool!〉

〈If I let Sakurako-chan know, maybe we’ve got a shot at collaborating, huh?〉

〈Quit being a messenger pigeon〉

〈I’m genuinely looking forward to what kind of stream this will be〉

Overwhelmed by the flood of comments and the surge in live viewers, Shinya found himself gasping for breath. Until yesterday, there were only two concurrent viewers… and both were bots talking about things unrelated to the stream. Yet today, there are as many as 4,000 people. No, the number kept increasing as time passed, doubling to 8,000.

The channel’s subscriber count also rose sharply, increasing from 2,000 yesterday to 5,000 today.

What should I do? I want to end the stream. Though he didn’t show it on his face, he was internally whining.

However, those registered with the Dungeon Association as streamers must stream while diving into dungeons and pay a portion of their ad revenue as royalties. Life as a streamer is tough.

“What should I do?”

“Can I really go mushroom hunting in front of 8,000 people? I won’t get in trouble for this, right? My stomach hurts. I wouldn’t have come if I knew it would come to this.”

“And immediately, Shinya regretted thinking that. Watching him, the comments started flowing again.”

〈Eh, what’s wrong? You froze?〉

〈You didn’t know? Shinya-sama always meditates before a fight〉

〈Ah, yeah, I read something like that〉

〈Shinya-style kung fu?〉

〈I heard he uses ancient martial arts〉

“Damn it, everyone’s just saying whatever they want. This is why you can’t trust information on the net. Fuming internally, Shinya was troubled.

What to do? Should I just cut the stream and go home? But if I go home today, it’ll be the same thing tomorrow… That’s it! Maybe I should just explain that yesterday was a misunderstanding. No, but at this point, with all the fuss, no one would believe me with just a few words…”

“What to do? What to do? What to do!?”

As Shinya continued to ponder, suddenly, a voice rang out nearby.

“You’re the stalker who’s been following Sakurako-chan!”

A man appeared, dressed like a transforming hero. A mask hid his face, but there was no doubt he was a dungeon streamer because of the drone flying around for streaming.

“…Who?”

To Shinya’s straightforward question, the man did a backflip on the spot and answered.

“The sword of courage, unshakable! Streaming Rider, Shouta! The man who fights with courage and justice, bringing hope back to the world! And the leader of the ‘Protect Sakurako-chan’ group!”

“…Streaming Rider, Shouta. …Subscriber count: 10,000. A D-rank streamer.”

Shinya quickly looked him up on his smartphone and frowned internally. D-rank meant much stronger than his F-rank. If they fought head-on, he would almost certainly lose.

“Shut up! I’m going to become popular from now on! More importantly, you’ve been clinging to Sakurako-chan!”

“No, that’s not the case, but…”

“Lies! Ever since yesterday’s stream, Sakurako-chan has been talking only about you! She always responds to my comments, but she ignored my super chat! I will never forgive you! Fight me! Shinya!!!”

“…This is bad. A weirdo has already targeted me. I underestimated the internet culture. It’s too late for regrets now, and having missed the chance to escape.”

Shinya, holding back tears, exhaled coolly.