WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

Editor: Ryuu

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Saving a Famous Streamer in the Hidden Dungeon

Chapter 1: It’s been 2 years since I’ve been going into the dungeon, but I haven’t met anyone yet…

Something was standing in front of me… It was a huge praying mantis. It suddenly raised its right sickle, and I immediately jumped away. Its hollow sickle came flying quickly, and cut off a couple of centimeters of my ankle…!

“Ouch! Damn it, I reacted too slow…!”

While I was thinking that, the praying mantis’s attacks came again. I wished it’d overlook me for a bit, but monsters don’t have a single care for us humans. Helplessly, I grabbed my sword which was broken in half… the moment his hollow sickle touches my blade, I’ll adjust the angle and ward off his attack with the right timing!

Anyhow, the unseen flying blades kept coming in continuation. It was impossible for me to cut through them all. That’s why I’ll narrow its surface area as much as possible, I’ll use my sword as a shield, as for the rest, I’ll put my trust in my reflexes and ward off its attacks! Some of the attacks that went past my sword hurt real bad, but that was inevitable. I’m never giving up!

While I was fending off the flying sickles, I reached my hand to my pocket. I found what was called a 'Recovery Potion' in my hand.

One of those costs roughly 13$… That’s a large sum for a highschool student who only has an allowance.

I didn’t just drink it immediately, I calculated the decreased gap in stamina and the amount of health it’d restore… then drank it!

It tasted like sparkling water that came out at room temperature, which was somewhat of a bad taste, but those details were not important at the moment. I gulped it down in one go!

Suddenly, all my wounds got healed. The pain disappeared in a mere seconds too.

And then, the praying mantis’ attacks started having intervals. I was waiting for that!

“Uwoooooo! Activate Dungeon Magic! [Paralyser]!”

“Gigi-!?”

All right! Direct hit!

Although it’s a magic that stops the enemy’s movement for a moment, It really is just for an instant, so it’s quite difficult to discern the right timing to use it. It’s a type of magic that can only be used within the dungeon and this was at the end of the round. I’m really glad it worked…!

The paralysis-inducing spell lasts about only 0.5 seconds in my case. From watching streams of the dungeon, everyone’s [Paralyser] lasts for about 5 seconds, petrifying monsters completely.

It seems to differ depending on a person’s training and their sense for magic… but being someone who can’t even reach a second, I feel like I lack the aptitude and sense for it.

Even though I’ve been diligently grinding this dungeon for 2 years now.

“Dungeon Skill, [Double Impact], Activate!”

As if, while I belittled myself, I went on to finish the enemy who had no ability to move.

[Paralyser] almost guarantees victory after all, so I let my guard down for a bit.

While the skill was in use, I used up my strength and aimed at the praying mantis’s neck, as I put my all into this swing and attacked.

The moment my sword hit it’s neck, the metallic sound of an almost empty can that got crushed echoed out. With the effectiveness of the skill, and while hearing that simultaneously, the sword which I put all my strength into, smoothly swung out the opposite side.

I had successfully cut off the mantis’s head.

“Haa… Let’s leave the dungeon for today. I used up [Paralyser], and if I end up using more potions it’ll get real bad… My allowance might vanish…!”

I collected the magic stones and drops from the praying mantis, and used the return item [White Eagle’s Feathers] which took me back to my room.

…While the lights in the room are quite bright, it’s completely pitch black outside. As for the time, it’s around 2 AM… It’s no wonder I'm feeling sleepy.

“I went up to the 12th floor today, but no matter how many times I try to clear the [Tyrant Mantis], I still can’t get accustomed to it. No matter what I do, the chances of me using a potion is very high. If only I could go down a level without running into that guy, then maybe I could make a bit more progress…”

I muttered meaninglessly at the weared out headset meant for dungeon diving.

There’s the risk of being killed by monsters in Dungeon Diving, on the other hand, there’s also a chance of striking gold and becoming rich with items that can be obtained from dungeons, especially if you do video streaming, which has exploded in popularity and hit number 1 everywhere.

People dream of unseen treasures through streaming… Then there’s viewers, who are drawn by the sense of taboo and immersion, expecting that streamer to die at any moment.

I myself used to watch quite a lot of those streamers when I first started dungeon diving myself. It was to memorize the movements and approach of monsters within the dungeon.

However, due to my lack of skills, I couldn’t go through the dungeon as smoothly as the videos showed.

In the end, I had no choice but to run strategies based on my own humble experience. I gradually stopped watching streams. Since even if I watch them, I wouldn’t be copying them at all.

Besides, streamers constantly manage to reach floor 30, yet I barely managed to hit the 10th floor. It’s just that… I stopped watching them due to my inferiority complex.

I heard there are quite a few students who do dungeon diving at my highschool, but I’ve heard that they have no trouble going down to the 20th floor.

I’ve heard some people say that they don’t understand how anyone could struggle against a Tyrant Mantis. These bastards, making light of me.

Till now, I’ve never met anyone else while dungeon diving. I realized that it’s because I’m too weak, struggling in the lower floors, while everyone else has already become skilled enough for the higher floors.

“...Well, even if I say that, I’m not planning on giving it up anyway. It’s my hobby in the end…”

I can forget about unpleasant and annoying stuff while fighting monsters. The tension of death being closeby helps me escape from the annoyances of everyday life. That’s the pleasant part.

However, losing to others even in my hobby is quite disheartening…

“Fuah… I’ll take a bath then sleep. I’ll ask mom again tomorrow to exchange the items for cash…”

—And today, yet again, I dived into the dungeon. Alone, I'll steadily climb the floors from the 1st one.

“KYAAAAAA! Someone help me!”

…eh!?

Someone was screaming. It was so sudden, my head went into a panic. It was the first time I’ve ever heard another person’s voice inside the dungeon. This is only the 1st floor. The only monster that’d appear here is a goblin, moreover, they appear usually only one at a time.

Most adventurers usually wouldn’t struggle here.

…Although I did struggle quite a lot.

The goblins here were much stronger and ferocious than I had anticipated and I nearly got killed by them several times.

Perhaps there are other newbies like me who lack the talent for dungeon exploration, and bravely come here only to be defeated. Even though goblins are considered the weakest in dungeons, their power is more than enough to take a human’s life.

The person screaming is in danger.

I ran as fast as possible, trembling from the tension of having to save a life.

Fortunately, I was able to find her right away.

But she was about to fall into the hands of the goblin. There was no time to waste.

“Activate Dungeon Magic! [Paralyser]!

I aimed at it with my index finger and activated the spell! It ended up being a direct hit due to the goblin’s attention being dragged by the screaming woman.

But my [Paralyser] skill’s effect lasts only for 0.5 seconds! With this distance left, my sword can’t reach it in time!

Well, my main weapon is a bow and arrow after all, so that isn’t an issue! The arrows are usually used up quite fast so I try not to use them too much.

With my current abilities, I don’t even need to use skills against goblins. After three rapid shots aimed at the head, I quickly killed off the goblin.

Fuu… I somehow made it in time.

The newbie fell on her back. No, newbie…? Somehow, I feel like I’ve seen her face before…?

“Uhh… That was really scaryyy! That now was genuinely riskyyy!!! I thought I was gonna dieee!!!”

A flushed face, looking like she’s about to cry, these were definitely the actions of a newbie, but…

Hmm? Somehow, her equipment looks like that of a skilled adventurer…

Or rather, is she using a camera funnel for streaming?

Wait, streamer…?

Huh? This face… This equipment…!?

“...eh? There’s no way, aren’t you the famous streamer Susukino Kokko…?”

Huh, for real? I’m pretty sure I'm not mistaken.

The pink and black hair, and the original heart-shaped sticker attached to her equipment.

I mean, even the sponsor’s logo is right there…

It’s definitely her, the famous streamer I watched for background knowledge on dungeon diving!

Why was she in the 1st floor, struggling to kill a goblin!?

“How should I put it, what is an adventurer even doing here!?”

“No, that was my line… why was that famous Sukino Kokko on the verge of death in the 1st floor…?”

Her dungeon exploration skills were something I aimed to achieve. The reason I dove into the dungeon back then was to chase after her.

So why…

“Nono, I never thought the monsters on the 1st floor would be so strong… I mean, what is an adventurer even doing here? Don’t you have to defeat the dungeon’s final boss to be able to enter the hidden dungeon!? I was supposed to be the first person to ever achieve that!?”

“....huh?”

A hidden dungeon?

Was the dungeon I’ve been going through the whole time significantly more difficult than the others!?

Have I really been facing enemies so strong that even famous streamers can’t handle them!?

Footnotes:

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