I Have a Reason to Hate Streamers

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom.

It was a prosperous kingdom, but there was one pesky problem.

A monster with 13 legs kept causing trouble.

One day, as the monster’s tyranny grew worse, a mage defeated it.

His name was Nianbah.

The king was greatly impressed and made the mage a hero.

Everyone in the kingdom praised Nianbah’s name.

Until the prince, Dalnerion, felt jealousy over his brilliant glory.

*

[You have entered the dungeon “Ancient Minotaur Habitat.”]

[Warning: The average stats of the party are below the recommended level.]

With a soft voice, my eyes opened.

The overall appearance of the dungeon was a damp, dark cave.

True to the dwelling of beastmen, primitive totems and animal bones were scattered about.

I had been prepared for the warning message all along.

So the party’s thoughts were aimed elsewhere.

“A story dungeon, huh? This could get some good views later.”

“This should be our first time, right?”

“If there are others who got here first, I’ll just kill them.”

“Ah…”

The story dungeon was one of the New Continent’s signature gold mines.

While the difficulty of the first clear was high, the rewards promised were on a completely different level compared to standard dungeons.

Once cleared, it would be incorporated as a standard dungeon, meaning everyone would be playing a downgraded version except for the original discoverer.

It’s not that there weren’t ways to challenge the high difficulty, but that was purely for honor.

When it came to that, it needed to be left out of consideration.

It was a great opportunity for streamers like Sulbbang or Elderin.

Exclusive content was always a surefire hit.

So far, clears of story dungeons guaranteed high view counts.

Leading the way was our scout.

The first enemies faced were three Minotaurs.

“Three enemies. Two Warriors, one Archer. Once they arrive, I’ll take care of the Archer.”

He informed us of the monster’s composition in a low voice.

We couldn’t think of them as just random mobs outside.

It wasn’t just due to their basic stats or armament.

The monsters in story dungeons had far more sophisticated AI than in regular dungeons.

With the advancement of technology, AI had far surpassed humans.

These monsters, boosted with intentionally increased difficulty, were formidable foes capable of tactical thinking.

[The Blessing of the Wind Spirit descends.]

[All action speed increases by 10%, movement speed by 15%.]

[Caster: San-sae]

While I turned to the side and began climbing the ceiling, Sulbbang’s great sword first clashed with a Minotaur’s axe.

The metallic sound echoed throughout the dungeon. The momentum was good, but the result was bad.

The Minotaur’s attack came in faster than expected, causing a failed parry.

It seemed the guard gauge held for now.

However, there was one concerning point.

Right after the clash, I noticed Sulbbang’s wrist twitching.

This indicated a significant difference in strength during a simple power struggle.

Due to lower sensitivity, he didn’t seem to notice, but it was a very bad sign.

For a great sword warrior to be overpowered like that indicated a considerable spec difference between him and the monster.

Sure enough, Sulbbang’s expression contorted.

“Crap! That next attack is gonna break my guard!”

“Shield is ready!”

As predicted, Sulbbang’s defense broke on the next attack.

San-sae quickly deployed a shield, and Dol-gwal’s berserker rushed in to cover.

A burst with a red flash surely came from Elderin’s magic.

Though it looked precarious, this party was filled with seasoned gamers.

Be it a natural sense or learned expertise, they weren’t likely to die easily.

In such situations, it was wiser to focus solely on my role.

I moved, hanging from the ceiling so I wouldn’t be detected.

I aimed behind the archer who was drawing his bow.

‘That thing could even be mistaken for a spear.’

Maybe it was due to the Minotaur’s distinct size?

The projectile on his bowstring was far too large to be called an arrow.

If something like that hit my petite frame, it would be straight to heaven.

San-sae or Elderin wouldn’t fare much better.

I needed to strike before the arrow took flight.

Fortunately, Elderin’s flames were buying me some time.

Just as the explosion of smoke settled, I made my descent.

As the archer aimed for San-sae, I stabbed at the Minotaur’s neck.

An arrow thrown off course wouldn’t hit its target.

The fired arrow missed our side completely.

I wrapped my legs around the Minotaur’s neck and began a delightful ride.

Wait, this was more like a rodeo since it was closer to a bull, right?

“Whew. This is exhilarating!”

I cut the throat to prevent the warriors from calling for help.

If I screamed, I’d be in trouble.

It was clear that its skin was tough, making it hard to penetrate.

It felt akin to piercing through the chainmail of a knight in the Arena.

Yet I diligently stabbed at the neck, undeterred.

As pain forced the beast to writhe, I was jostled about.

My vision shook painfully during the struggle, especially as my hips swung.

Even with my thighs squeezing and abdomen tight, it seemed impossible for me to bear this force.

Eventually, the archer let go of his bow and reached for me.

At that moment, I had to give up my advantageous position.

‘If I get caught, I’m a goner!’

I slashed the spine with my dagger as I landed on the ground.

A massive kick flew towards me, and I dodged by throwing myself down.

As I passed between the giant legs, I naturally exposed my back again.

It would have been nice if the dagger I’d just plunged had sunk in properly.

The creature’s tough hide meant my arm strength couldn’t inflict a fatal wound.

All I managed was to cut the skin.

I aimed for the heart behind its hide but found my dagger insufficiently lodged.

I retreated without recovering my weapon, preparing for the next attack.

[The effect of “Banned Substance” is applied.]

[Strength increases by 8.5% for 12 seconds, taking fixed damage of 0.8% of max health per second.]

Maybe I was being too greedy?

A hand, entwined in a fist like a hammer, targeted my head.

At this angle and position, avoiding it was impossible.

But if I took it head-on, my body would be squashed.

In the end, I had to sacrifice my precious survival skill.

Like a ghost, my body disappeared and reformed three steps back.

It’s a shame, but if I used a valuable card, I had to utilize it for a counterattack.

The hand that had aimed for me came crashing down.

My body was so resilient I could use it as a springboard.

After leaping up, I grabbed a Minotaur’s horn and tumbled over.

Upside down, I spotted the dagger I had stabbed earlier.

Without a moment to lose, I focused all my strength into my heels.

With all my might, I slammed the dagger’s hilt downward.

This tough guy wouldn’t survive with a dagger inside instead of a heart.

“I’ve got the archer. I’ll rejoin!”

With Elderin’s flames still rising, I couldn’t see how my team was faring.

However, out of the black smoke, I caught a glimpse of a Minotaur’s silhouette.

With my sights set on the back, I charged in, aiming for the Minotaur’s nape.

The problem was, just as I couldn’t see how my party was doing, they couldn’t see me either.

Just as I took down one that was nearly out of health…

Something blocked my escape just before I could escape, its something being the corpse of another Minotaur that Sulbbang had felled.

It was all dark; my vision was completely obscured.

I had to feel a bit bad about using a survival skill now… No wait, I had already spent it, right?

“Uh? Wha…? Ah!”

In the end, the Minotaur tackled me down for not moving in time.

Unable to withstand its strength, I found myself pinned to the ground.

A slight turn of my head revealed a bull’s head bleeding intensely.

The hulking body covered me like a blanket, preventing any limb from moving.

Soon, party members approached, peering down at me.

“What are you doing down there?”

“Pfft…”

“Haha, so cute.”

“Stop laughing and get me out of here already! It’s heavy.”

*

[Streamer ‘Sulbbang’s Lounge.]

[Author: Sulbbang]

[Title: Recent Update on Gawol from the New Continent]

(Attached photo: Gawol pinned under a Minotaur)

Arena champion?

Candidate for national assassin?

The Sulbbang with a record of 21 matches and 0 wins is no more.

Gawol has been subdued.

[Comments]

– Oh

– Where is this?

└ It might go up soon, or it might not.

– (Comment blocked: Are you a press?)

└ You absolute freak!

*

It seemed the party had just come to an end in the banquet hall.

The princess, walking slowly, came to a halt.

Upon seeing the princess, Nianbah held back a sigh of awe.

Today, the king declared that he would give the princess to him.

“I’m sorry. Even my father has gone too far. To hand over a cursed girl like me to a mage.”

“A cursed girl? What do you mean by that?”

“Did you not hear? I am blind. Surely I must have sinned in some way for the gods to take away my light.”

“Do you think that way as well, princess?”

“Yes.”

At first, Nianbah had many worries clouding his mind.

Had he stepped into a place he shouldn’t have?

But the moment he met the princess, his worries dissolved like foam.

He knelt before the princess.

Gently reaching out, a maid tapped the princess’s arm.

The princess placed her hand upon his.

“I enjoy sipping warm tea after meals. It seems to melt my sorrows away, making me feel at ease. What about you, princess?”

“I like flower tea…”

“Good taste. In that case, how do you feel about music? I find the resonance of stringed instruments particularly moving.”

“I feel the same.”

“Then there’s no reason not to love you.”

Soon, the two held a wedding.

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