Chapter 23

The four of them continued through the dungeon when another monster appeared.

It was a relatively weak horned rabbit monster—a foe they could easily defeat with this team.

“Kōya, Shiba, fall back,” Daigo instructed from the rear. The two front-liners looked puzzled.

“Let’s give Kaito a shot here. He needs real combat experience, not just support practice.”

“What?! Can I really take this one on!?” Ikezawa  exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement. He quickly moved in front of the rabbit monster and swung his club, ready to strike.

“Quick to act…!” Daigo noted as Ikezawa  attacked without waiting for further instruction. His club struck the rabbit’s horn with a thud.

“Kyui!” The rabbit whimpered in pain, staggering from the hit. Although he hadn’t managed to take it down in one blow, the damage was visible.

However, it wasn’t enough to inflict a fatal wound. Even among beginners, it seemed his power lagged behind Kōya’s.

Chat comments began popping up:

• Whoa, he hit it right away!
• Did it even hurt?
• Struggling to land a fatal blow against a weak monster? That’s not ideal for an attacker.
• Maybe he’d be better off sticking to support?

Viewers were blunt with their critiques, especially since Kōya had been able to deal a fatal blow to the same kind of monster, highlighting the power difference to everyone.

“Ugh…” Ikezawa , visibly frustrated, delivered another hit to the rabbit monster. Yet, he still couldn’t finish it off.

“Kyuii!” The rabbit monster, now enraged, charged at Ikezawa .

“Gah…”

• Oh no, the rabbit’s attacking him!
• That monster should have gone down with the first strike.

Holding his stomach where the rabbit had hit him, Ikezawa  retaliated, knocking the rabbit back and slowing its movements. With two, then three more hits, he finally managed to break its horn and inflict a fatal injury.

• Seriously lacking power here…
• Is it because he’s on the shorter side?
• Height shouldn’t matter much in dungeons where magic power has such strong effects.
• True, there’s even a smaller girl with high physical strength.

Ikezawa  finally subdued the rabbit, but he was noticeably disheartened by how much trouble he’d had with an enemy that most streamers would find easy.

“Huff… Huff…“

“H-Hey, you alright?” Kōya asked, concerned, while Shiba stepped closer to check on him.

“Let me see your injury.”

“I’m fine. This much is no problem.”

“No, we can’t ignore it. Dungeons are unpredictable; there could be all kinds of bacteria here. A wound could lead to unknown infections, which could be fatal,” Shiba explained.

His words made Ikezawa  pale. For a dungeon beginner, such a possibility was alarming.

Shiba lifted his shirt to check the affected area.

“Okay. No wound here. Doesn’t seem like any bacteria could get in.”

Shiba, who had once mentioned his gratitude to his parents, seemed to have picked up his knowledge of infections from them.

“I wonder… am I really cut out to be a dungeon streamer?”

Ikezawa  looked downcast, his previously cheerful self seemingly drained.

“No way. You have potential, Kaito. I saw it in you. That’s why you were chosen for this agency,” Daigo reassured him. He wasn’t exaggerating.

In fact, Daigo’s judgment had been the reason for Ikezawa ’s selection. Without Daigo’s recommendation, it was unclear if he’d have been hired.

“Come on, cheer up for the stream. Everyone’s watching. Let’s make this a fun broadcast,” Daigo said, giving Ikezawa  an encouraging pat on the back.

“Yes, you’re right. Thank you, Daigo! I’ll work hard to meet everyone’s expectations!”

• Go for it!
• We love seeing positive beginners!
• Better that than getting discouraged.
• Looking forward to seeing Kaito’s growth.

With Daigo’s support and the warmth from the comment section, Ikezawa  perked up again.

It was clear that both Shiba and Daigo were reliable adults, not just strong dungeon streamers, but also skilled in providing emotional support. They truly were exceptional members of the team.

The exploration continued.

The main flow remained consistent: Shiba, along with Kōya, formed the front line, while Daigo cast spells to deal with monsters. Following Daigo’s guidance, Ikezawa  supported them with assist magic.

They managed to maintain solid teamwork. After his attempt to stand out, Ikezawa  seemed to have realized the importance of cooperation and refrained from acting out.

It seemed his issue with wanting to shine had been resolved.

After the stream, they returned to my place for a debrief.

“Daigo! How can I become stronger?” Ikezawa  eagerly asked Daigo right away.

“Kaito, you’re already strong. Being able to cast support magic on others is actually a high-level skill. Pulling it off successfully on the first try is really impressive, even if it’s not flashy.”

“But what’s the point if it’s not flashy? I want to take down monsters in a big way!”

Ikezawa  was clearly adamant about this point.

He had no intention of being the unsung hero in the background. His desire to be an ace striker was evident.

“Physical attacks didn’t work… So, maybe I need offensive magic?”

“Hmm… Well, once you’ve gained a bit more combat experience, I could teach you some basic attack spells…”

“When would that be? I’d rather start making an impact now. Kōya is already fighting alongside Shiba and taking down monsters.”

Kōya, suddenly dragged into the discussion, wasn’t a support type. As a pure physical attacker, his role was naturally to bring down enemies.

“Hey, Kaito. I don’t even know attack spells yet. I can only cast Shurariki,  which only affects myself. Honestly, your magic skills are above mine.”

“Uh… yeah, but still…”

Talents don’t always align with personality. Some people who dislike physical activities may have a knack for sports. This mismatch felt frustrating to witness.

“Anyway, to learn attack magic, you need more practice to hone your magical control. I’ll teach it when you’re ready, so just wait a bit longer,” Daigo said, trying to console Ikezawa .

As suspected, the gap between personality and potential was causing issues. Without that mismatch, he would grow into a remarkable asset.

With Daigo’s emotional support, encouraging him to use his support magic actively might suffice.

But can someone truly change their personality? It’s hard to change even your own. Changing someone else’s? Even harder.

Which leaves me wondering… Should we disregard his talent for support and teach him attack magic just so he can shine? But that would waste his potential. Wouldn’t he end up average that way? A tough dilemma.