As soon as I sent the acceptance notification to Ikezawa, they replied that they would join our office immediately. I’m glad they didn’t decline the offer.
However, in order to officially hire Ikezawa, we need to prepare filming equipment and other supplies, and he will also need to get various things ready, so he won’t be able to participate in the stream for a while.
During the wait for that stream, Daigo’s injury healed, and he was able to make a triumphant return.
Then, Koya, Shiba, and Daigo tried to set a streaming schedule. Just then, Makita became available, so I proposed a collaboration.
“Oh, a collaboration? That’s fine.”
With such a casual atmosphere, the collaboration was decided, and the four of us would do a dungeon stream together.
Today, we were diving into the same dungeon as always.
After preparing various things on our end, the stream began as usual. I decided to check it out from home.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Shiba from Shadow Stars.”
“I’m Koya.”
“I’m Daigo. My injury has healed, and from today, I’ll be streaming together as a member of Shadow Stars. Nice to meet you!”
: Whoa! Daigo’s back!
: The rumor about him joining Shadow Stars was true!
: Shiba and Daigo together? That’s too powerful. I’m going to support this office!
I have a feeling that with Daigo’s popularity, our office is going to gain even more power. Now, the problem is with Makita. It’s time to introduce the collaboration partner, but will Makita manage it well?
“Today, we want to commemorate Daigo’s return with a special stream, but we also have a collaboration partner!”
: Collaboration!?
: Who? What kind of person?
: Is someone of Shiba or Daigo’s caliber coming?
The comments section is buzzing. If I were in Makita’s position, I’d feel pressure being compared to Shiba and Daigo, but I wonder how he feels.
“Today’s collaboration partner is this person. Here they come!”
After Shiba’s line, a figure entered the dungeon. A young man with slicked-back hair and silver highlights. Dressed in a flashy punk style, this person was…
“Yo! I’m Jin! Nice to meet you!”
: This person!? Totally unexpected!
: I’ve never seen him before.
: Is this guy okay? He doesn’t seem to know much about dungeon basics, does he?
: Since he doesn’t know the basics, maybe Shiba will teach him?
“Today, we have dungeon streamer Jin with us. Welcome!”
“Nice to meet you!”
Despite some lingering anxiety, the dungeon stream started. The highlight of dungeon streaming is monster hunting. In that regard, Makita should be fine. I hope he gives it his all.
As the four of them walked, Koya suddenly looked over at Makita.
“Hey, Jin, did you forget your weapon?”
“Huh? What?”
Makita shot a glare at Koya. Is it a fight right away?
: Scary…
: This guy has a bad attitude.
: His mouth is rough, and it’s unsettling.
: Shadow Stars members don’t have foul mouths, but this guy… are we sure he’s the right collaboration partner?
Ugh, the comments are harsh. Is the collaboration really a failure? But I still want Makita’s skills. If only he could manage his personality, that would be perfect.
“Hahaha! You can’t see my strongest weapon, can you?”
Makita thrust his fist towards Koya. Koya looked at the fist thrust in front of him and said, “Oh.”
“I see. Jin, you fight with your bare hands, huh?”
“Of course! Weapons are for cowards. With just this body, I can smash monsters to bits!”
: I thought he was scary, but he’s surprisingly normal…?
: Is it just his face and way of speaking that are intimidating?
: Jin is basically like this. He probably won’t really threaten anyone. Maybe.
The initial “Huh?” felt distant as Makita was having a friendly conversation. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but maybe it’ll be okay?
As they walked and chatted, a monster appeared in front of them. The monster had black, rocky skin and was humanoid in shape. It stood as tall as Shiba, who is quite tall himself.
“What’s this monster?”
Makita cracked his knuckles and glared at the monster.
“That’s a Black Golem. It’s a pretty tough monster, and ordinary physical attacks won’t get through.”
Shiba explained. Since it has resistance to physical attacks, it’s Daigo’s turn.
“It’s my turn to use magic, but please wait just a bit longer. I haven’t absorbed enough magic from the dungeon yet. It would be great if you could buy me some time.”
Daigo readied his staff, seeming to prepare to cast magic.
“Alright! Shiba, let’s go! Let’s show them our combination!”
“Yeah!”
Shiba and Koya readied their weapons. Just then, a shadow zipped in front of them in a flash. It was incredibly fast.
When the shadow stopped, it became clear who it was… Makita!
“Alright! It’s my turn!”
: Not you, sit down!
: Clearly, he’s not a magic type!
: What’s going on…?
“Hey, Jin, what are you doing?”
Shiba called out to Makita. But Makita didn’t stop.
“I’m going! My fist is gonna blow up!”
Makita slammed his fist toward the Black Golem. The golem caught it with its left arm. At that moment, a dull sound echoed.
I had a really bad feeling. The opponent has a rocky body. Could Makita’s bones have broken?
: Oh no… what’s that sound?
: Clearly, his bone is broken, right?
: Oh man. A collaboration partner like this…
Everyone was certain of Makita’s defeat. There’s no way a human fist could break hard rock. However, that common sense shattered with a cracking sound.
The spot where Makita hit had cracks appearing on the Black Golem.
“!!!!!!”
Everyone was astonished. Shiba, Koya, and Daigo were all gaping. I was pretty shocked too.
“Yessss! Let’s goooooo!”
Makita poured more energy into his fist. Then, the left arm of the Golem crumbled with a crackling sound.
: Huh? What? What’s happening?
: Did he actually deal damage to a Black Golem that’s supposed to be immune to physical attacks!?
“Soft! Too soft! My fist is way tougher!”
Makita’s fist appeared on camera. There wasn’t a scratch on it. In fact, it wasn’t even red or swollen. He was completely unscathed.
“What’s with this Black Golem? Shouldn’t it be renamed Black Pudding? Huh?!”
Makita was getting pumped up. The Black Golem was wobbling, having lost its left arm. It was probably losing its balance from that.
“Daigo, what was that just now…?”
“Jin has a pretty poor absorption rate for magic. That means his body is quite tough. So, he’s hard enough to hardly take any damage from enemy attacks. The recoil when he punches might be close to zero.”
After hearing Daigo’s explanation, Shiba and Koya were shocked.
“Daigo! Is that even possible? I mean, the opponent is so tough that even weapons can’t deal damage!”
The question Koya voiced was something I felt too. There’s a limit to how tough something can be.
“This was unexpected for me too. Jin’s fists are tougher than most weapons. And that toughness contributes to his destructive power. In other words, if Jin were to hold a weapon, his destructive power would likely drop significantly.”
In some old games, there was a system where a fighter’s attack power decreased when they held a weapon. Could it be that there was actually someone here who embodied that?
