“Ren, are you interested in video streaming?”
Ren, who had no particular hobbies besides dungeon exploration, was suddenly approached with this question by one of his few friends, Yuya.
“Streaming? Do I look like someone who’d be interested in that?”
“No, not really.”
“Then don’t waste your breath. Besides, I already turned down your offer to appear in your videos before.”
Just as Ren enjoyed dungeon exploration, Yuya’s hobby was video streaming. He had asked Ren to appear in his videos several times, but Ren, having no interest, had refused every time. However, this time, things seemed different.
“That’s not what I mean. I’m suggesting you create your own channel and try streaming yourself.”
“You really think someone who won’t even appear in your videos would bother with something that complicated? Or does this have something to do with you complaining about your channel not growing?”
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t related—but that’s not the only reason. This could benefit you too.”
“Benefit me?”
“Yeah. Remember how you were complaining about the rise in explorers with bad manners recently?”
It was true—he had complained about that.
In the past, all items obtained through dungeon exploration had to be submitted to the government first. After evaluating whether personal ownership would be allowed, explorers were either permitted to keep their finds or compensated with money if the government decided to retain them. There were also many other regulations that put explorers at a disadvantage.
Frustrated by risking their lives for what felt like an unfair system, many Japanese explorers had started leaving the country for more explorer-friendly nations. Seeing the situation as a serious problem, the Japanese government made sweeping reforms last year, making it easier for explorers to earn a living.
But as a side effect, there had been an influx of beginners treating dungeon exploration like a casual part-time job—leading to a surge in bad behavior.
“Sure, most of those rule-breakers are probably students, but I think the biggest reason is that there just aren’t enough chances for people to learn proper etiquette—especially through platforms that young people actually use.”
Yuya had a point.
Unlike those seeking to make a fortune, Ren became an explorer simply because he loved dungeons. He constantly studied on his own to improve. But for someone just looking to make easy money, knowing the basic rules was enough—there was little reason to dive deeper into learning proper manners.
“But even if I did a stream about dungeon etiquette, who would bother watching it? And making videos involves more than just shooting footage, right?”
“I’ll handle everything except the filming. What I need from you is to record inside the dungeon.”
“Inside the dungeon?”
“Yeah. It’s easier to understand if you show the rules in action instead of just explaining them.”
“I see…”
And so, with a little push from Yuya’s smooth-talking, Ren reluctantly agreed to start streaming.
