The S-Rank Explorer Who Acted Like a Total Jerk to Save the World Accidentally Leaves His Stream On and His Love for the Saintess Plus All His Secret Self-Sacrifice Gets Completely Exposed - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Right in the middle of it, there’s this pitch-black hole opening up—that’s the deadliest dungeon in the modern world, ‘Tokyo Abyss Gate’.

The open plaza in front of the gate was getting blasted by sea wind, and there wasn’t a single other person around except me.

This place only draws lunatics looking for a place to die or idiots chasing the title of world’s strongest.

“…Alright then.”

I readjusted my favorite greatsword ‘Kurogane’ on my back.

My armor was beat to hell from years of brutal fights, but this sword? I’d sharpened it to perfection.

Last night I’d blown every last yen I had on the top-grade whetstone.

I pulled a palm-sized mini drone out of my pocket.

It was an old used model, but it’d do fine as an archive for recording.

“I wasn’t planning on showing this to anyone… but might as well leave some kinda last words, right?”

I was gonna bury my bones in this dungeon anyway.

I wanted to spit out the proof I ever lived, and the real feelings I had for the teammates I loved, right at the very end.

Even if it was just some monologue that’d stay buried in digital darkness, never seen by a soul.

“Start.”

With a low whir, the drone lifted off.

I checked it was recording, then took one step into the darkness leading down to the abyss.

◇

Inside the dungeon, everything was wrapped in this freaky silence.

The walls pulsed with red glowing light, and the air was thick with dense mana.

‘GUOOOOOOOH!!’

What showed up to greet the intruder was a giant beast covered head to toe in steel scales—an Iron Behemoth.

An A-rank monster that’d get labeled disaster-level on the surface, popping out right away.

“Haha, kinda heavy for a hello, huh.”

I let my greatsword hang loose and started walking straight toward the Behemoth.

The giant beast charged with a roar.

A mass attack that could smash a tank flat.

But.

“Slow.”

Whoosh.

As I passed right by, I swung the sword once—and the Behemoth’s huge body got sliced clean in two without a sound.

Before the fresh blood could even spray from the cut, I stepped in deeper.

I lopped off the head of the second one jumping me from behind, then stabbed straight through the third one’s heart.

Just a few seconds.

A whole pack of some of the strongest monsters on the surface had turned into nothing but chunks of meat.

“…Feels heavy, my body.”

I flicked the blood gunk off my sword and muttered to myself.

“Oh yeah. Right. I don’t gotta move to protect anyone anymore.”

Up till now, I’d always been covering for Kaito’s sloppy swordwork, taking stray shots meant for Elicia with my own body, fighting in crazy awkward positions.

I’d held back my real movements on purpose, let myself get hit, fought all dirty and gritty.

But now I’m alone.

Having no back to guard… it made my sword feel this light and sharp.

“Pretty ironic, huh. Only after going solo do I finally get to be the strongest.”

I laughed kinda self-mockingly and pushed deeper in.

That’s when it happened.

The drone floating in the air wobbled, and its red light started blinking like crazy.

“Hm? You acting up?”

I grabbed the drone and gave its side a couple light smacks.

Like an old Showa-era TV—this ain’t fixing shit, obviously.

“Well, it’s an old model anyway. Hang in there, buddy.”

But I had no clue.

That smack had shorted something inside, and it triggered a fatal bug in the comms system.

【System Error… Rebooting…】
【Mode Changed: Local Recording → Live Streaming】
【Platform Connect: D-Tube (Worldwide)】
【Status: ON AIR】

…Right that second.

On the front page of the world’s biggest video site ‘D-Tube’, one new stream slot popped up out of nowhere.

The thumbnail was an auto-generated shot of my tired face.

The title? Some sensational crap the AI slapped on.

‘Hated Guy Renji Doing a Suicide Stream in the Abyss?’

◇

‘Wait for real? That Renji?’
‘Suicide stream’s against the rules, reported’
‘Lmao ownedddd wwww’
‘Time to pay the piper finally’
‘Meal-ticket stream let’s gooo!’
‘Show us you dying, trash’

Just a few minutes after it went live.

Curious haters and gossip-hungry rubberneckers came flooding in.

Concurrent viewers shot up—10,000, 50,000, climbing fast.

But me on the other side of the screen? No way I noticed any of that.

Thinking it was just recording, I started mumbling my real feelings into the darkness bit by bit.

“…Oh yeah, that reminds me.”

I was getting a campfire going and looked up into empty space.

“Kaito’s sword had its balance shifted a little too far right. Forgot to fix that during yesterday’s maintenance.”

‘Huh?’
‘What the hell is he on about’
‘Sword balance?’

“That guy’s got a habit of stepping in with his right side and leaving himself open. I was always covering his left… but now he’s gotta notice it himself or he’s dead, dumbass.”

My voice came out all fond and worried sick at the same time.

I gave a wry smile and kept going.

“Elicia too… wonder if she’s eating properly. She’s super picky, y’know? If I don’t chop veggies up real fine and mix ’em into her soup, she just won’t eat ’em.”

‘Wait, Elicia-chan’s a picky eater?’
‘Hold up, Renji was the one cooking for them?’
‘No way, this guy’s the drop-hoarding scum right?’

“This morning I dumped every last cent left in my account into their emergency fund… but those two are hopeless with money. Better save up, idiots.”

The comment flow started shifting little by little.

‘Hold on’
‘Every last cent? Wasn’t he hogging everything?’
‘Did you see that smile just now? Totally different from his usual sleazy grin’
‘Gotta be acting’
‘Acting for what when you’re about to die? Who’s that benefiting?’

Right then, another pack of monsters showed up from deeper in the dungeon.

Five disaster-grade Chimeras.

Normally an S-rank party would throw everything they had at even one.

‘Uwaaaaah they’re here!’
‘This guy’s dead’
‘Lmao… but damn that’s a brutal number’

But me in the frame didn’t even glance their way, just muttered.

“Annoying. I’m talking about Kaito and them right now.”

One swing.

Just one.

A sword pressure too fast to even see vaporized all five Chimeras in an instant.

‘……………………Huh?’
‘What the!?’
‘Wait what just happened?’
‘Instant kill…?’
‘This ain’t edited right? It’s live yeah?’
‘Was Renji always this strong?’
‘Wasn’t he always slacking behind Kaito!?’

In the silence that ruled the dungeon, I gave this lonely little laugh.

“…Yeah, see? When there’s nothing left to protect, turns out I’m this strong.”

Those words weren’t bragging to anyone—just a sad little reality check.

And because his face looked so heartbreaking, so strangely beautiful, the haters in the comments suddenly had nothing to say.

‘Nothing to protect…?’
‘Wait, does that mean all this time he was holding back his power to protect them?’
‘Hold up… did we seriously get this whole thing wrong?’

Concurrent viewers broke past 1 million.

The world was starting to notice the real colors of the truth.