—The Skill 《Charm》.
In many fantasy works, this is often depicted as an extremely dangerous ability.
This is because, in most settings, its effect is defined as "charming others and placing them under one's forced control."
So, how does it work in the reality of the Modern Dungeon?
The following is an excerpt from the "Modern Dungeon Strategy Wiki" regarding the description for 《Charm Lv. 2》.
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【Skill】
《Charm Lv. 2》—— Consumes 10 MP to activate 《Charm》 on a specified target. If the target's resistance is overcome and the "Charm" status ailment is successfully applied, the target can be placed under the user's control. At skill level 2, up to two targets can be controlled simultaneously.
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Do you see?
Just like in many works of fiction, this 《Charm》 skill is designed to dominate others.
Although there are limits to the number of individuals one can control, it is an incredibly powerful skill depending on how it’s used.
Furthermore, this skill targets not only monsters, but humans as well.
Moreover, the ease with which 《Charm》 takes hold is influenced by the target's Spirit stat, the presence of resistance skills, and the target's level of affection for the caster. To put it bluntly, it is easier to affect humans than monsters.
According to reports from overseas, there have even been murder cases involving this 《Charm》 skill, and it is already recognized worldwide as a dangerous ability.
Is the only saving grace that the mental domination of the 《Charm》 skill is limited to the interior of a dungeon? Since skills can only be used in dungeons… oh.
Come to think of it, Hinata-san and I actually knew that they would eventually become usable on the surface as well.
…………
I felt a slight sense of unease toward Hinata-san, who had tried so hard to hide the existence of such a skill.
"Hi-Hinata-san…?"
"I-It’s not what you think, Takeo-kun! I—I’m not thinking about using it on you, okay?! Uh… right!! Monsters! I thought it might be convenient to use on monsters, but I just happened to get the skill in the first place!! It’s not like I wanted it and went out of my way to get it, okay?! I—I just thought it was embarrassing to have, so I was going to keep it a secret!!"
"…I haven't said anything yet. Also, the level of this skill has gone up?"
"T-That’s because… I thought it would be powerful if the level went up—no, that’s not it! I was curious about how the skill description would change!! A-And I had extra points!!"
"…You could have just looked up the skill description on the Strategy Wiki, right?"
"Geez, enough!! See, this is exactly why you'd get the wrong idea! That’s why I didn't want to show you!!"
"…………"
I didn't feel like I was getting the whole truth, but I had a feeling that even if I pressed her further, she wouldn't give me an answer.
While I believed that such a thing would never happen with Hinata-san of all people, I made a mental note that I should probably increase my Spirit stat more proactively.
●◯●
While moving toward Floor 5 of the Shinjuku Dungeon, we checked each other's status, and I explained the skills I hadn't told Hinata-san about yet.
I also informed her of the purpose of this exploration and the fact that I had a present for her, and we discussed how to handle it.
Afterward, I asked Hinata-san if she could acquire Support Magic. Fortunately, it seemed she could, so I had her acquire 《Holy Magic》 with her remaining points and raise it to the maximum level all at once.
There are several types of skills for learning support magic, and 《Holy Magic》 is one of them.
By the time we finished our preparations, we arrived at the plaza in front of the stairs to Floor 5. It was shortly after 1:00 PM.
Even though we hadn't rushed, the travel time was four hours. This was the result of bypassing every single monster along the way.
We took a lunch break at the stairs—which served as a safety zone, though monsters had started wandering in once in a while lately—and at 2:00 PM, we finally began today's exploration in earnest.
Hinata-san deployed the drone and started the stream.
『It's here!!』 『It's started!!』 『Hinata-chan is so cute!!』 『I've been waiting for this moment!!』 『Leveling Junkie Brooooooooo!!!』 『What the hell was that video!!?』 『Explain yourself!!』
However, today's comments felt different than usual. There were many unusual messages.
For some reason, right from the start, there were many comments calling out to me instead of Hinata-san.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Hinata. I'll be streaming with Takeo-kun here again today. Thank you for joining us."
"Sup, glad to be here!!"
Well, setting aside the oddity of the comments, Hinata-san and I finished our opening greetings.
And then.
"Uhh, what's with everyone all of a sudden? It looks like there's something you want to ask me…" I asked the viewers with a puzzled expression.
Immediately, comments flooded in like a torrential downpour.
『"Something"?! You've got a massive story, don't you!?』 『We're talking about the video the Association released!』 『We want an explanation for that insane battle footage!!』 『The one fighting the Goblin Divine Knight was definitely you, Leveling Junkie Bro, wasn't it!!?』 『I was convinced by that characteristic scream at the end of the video, but I want confirmation from the man himself!』 『First off, what's the deal, Leveling Junkie Bro!?』
"Eh? Well… yes. That’s right, that was me," I answered normally. It wasn't something I needed to hide.
『I KNEW ITTTTTTTTT!!!』 『Yes, we got confirmation!!』 『That means the thing the Association issued a warning about was definitely Leveling Junkie Bro's doing too!!』 『Is it true you dumped nearly 10,000 Magic Stones in a Monster Room!!?』 『Just how much money would those Magic Stones be worth?! How many laps did you do in that Monster Room!?』 『Judging by the battle footage, you were moving like someone who was Level 40 or 50, but what level are you really right now, Leveling Junkie Bro!?』 『You've been in the dungeon for less than a month! How can you be that level!!? Even Headshot Yakuza and Master Denshiro didn't move this fast!!?』
"Ah, right. It’s true that I left the Magic Stones behind."
『Why would you do something like that!?』
"Well, it was more efficient to leave the Magic Stones where they were while I was doing laps…"
『lol I knew it lol』 『It's just as everyone expected, but being right about it is just too much of a Leveling Junkie Bro move lol』 『Aaaaaaaaagh!! Forget the Magic Stones, what a waste of money!!』
"But saying I'm Level 40 or 50 is incorrect. My level is currently 29."
The moment I answered, the comments stopped.
A few seconds of silence followed.
And then—
『HUH!!? WHAAAAAAAAAAT!!!?』 『Wha—!? This guy just blurted out his level, but is that level for real!!?』 『Wait a minute! If you're 29 now, does that mean you were Level 28 when you fought Divine Knight-san!!?』 『No way! That's impossible! Those weren't the movements of a Level 28!! Even if your initial values were world-class, your stats wouldn't be high enough!』 『If only certain stats like Agility were high, it could be explained by taking a Fleet-footed skill, but still…!!』 『No, even so, your attack power was insane!! You only attacked twice in the video, but both of them had incredible power!! Especially the second one!! That's not the kind of power even a Level 50 could easily put out!!』
"Ah, right. Regarding stats, I have several buff skills other than 《Fighting Spirit》, so that’s probably why. As for my movements, I acquired the 《Danger Sense》 skill, so that helped too. And for my attacks, it's largely due to the effect of a skill called 《Mighty Blade》, which I obtained from the 《Swordmaster》 title."
『Wait, wait, wait!!? How many secrets is this guy exposing all of a sudden!?』 『This is such a flood of information I'm gonna drown!!』 『Multiple buff skills!?』 『Another insane piece of info just dropped!!』 『It’s ten to one that the skill comes from a title… but did he just say he got 《Danger Sense》!!?』 『Wow, seriously…!! Even though people predicted it, that’s not information that should be exposed as an afterthought!』 『No, 《Swordmaster》 is even crazier!! While it might be inferior to high-rank titles like Hero, Sage, or Saint, 《Mighty Blade》 is incredibly strong!! Since it's a skill with off-the-charts firepower, even the top-tier guys want it so bad their mouths are watering!!』 『None of those are skills an explorer active on Floor 4 should have!!』 『Leveling Junkie Bro being on Floor 4 is basically some kind of bug at this point…!!』 『Is he a roaming boss? For the monsters, I mean.』
"Ah… well… it seems like the questions have settled down, so can we move on?"
I hadn't imagined I'd be subjected to such a barrage of questions right from the start. I had discussed various things with Hinata-san to make the stream exciting, but it felt like my plans had gone to waste.
『Hey, don't just end the questions on your own!』 『Your reaction is just too weird after doing all that!!』
I didn't have much of a choice. I decided to accept just one last question.
"Uhh, time is running short, so let's make the next question the last one for now…"
In this exploration, the yet-unseen Goblin "experience points" were waiting for me. I wanted to hurry up and slaughter them to raise my level!
『Urgh!! It's true that if we keep going like this, it'll never end…!!』 『Even though he's a junkie, he's talking sense…!!』 『Please, Hinata-chan! Do a chatting stream with Leveling Junkie Bro next time!!』 『I mean, it's obvious what we're going to ask for the last question!!』 『It’s been peeking out this whole time!!』 『What is that huge thing hanging from your waist!!?』
"—Eh!!?"
Startled, I hurriedly checked my trouser zipper.
…Phew, thank goodness! It was closed properly.
『We're not talking about that "thing" on your waist!!! lol』 『Don't react to "huge thing" like that lol』 『Don't be so full of yourself, kid!』 『Obviously, we're talking about the sword!!』 『That sword looks familiar. Way too familiar???』 『Specifically, Divine Knight-san!!』
Oh, right, they meant that.
Actually, Hinata-san had asked me about it on the way here too. In the video released by the Association, the footage cut off right after I leveled up, so they didn't know this sword had dropped.
"Yes, as you all imagined, this is a sword that dropped from the Goblin Divine Knight. Its material is Mithril. The name displayed via Appraisal is the 'Divine Knight's Holy Sword.' As a special effect, it doubles the damage of magic skills activated through the blade. Also, it's very durable."
To call it a Holy Sword—it only had modest abilities—but even so, it was like night and day compared to the steel sword I had been using before.
Most importantly, this sword had great synergy with the 《Magic Sword》 skill. Even for someone like me, whose Intelligence stat is slightly lower than average, if I activate 《Magic Sword》 with this blade, I can produce power almost equal to my 《Sword Aura》.
When used in magic items, Mithril enhances their capabilities. Since it can only be mined in dungeons, it is known as an extremely rare metal. A tiny amount of it is likely used in Hinata-san's drone camera as well.
The Association staff told me that this sword would sell for no less than 300 million yen… but as my new partner, this sword should bring me experience points more valuable than money.
Thinking about it that way, selling it was out of the question.
『Whoa!!! It really was Divine Knight-san's drop lol』 『Wait, it's a Holy Sword!! And made of Mithril!!』 『Eh? Wait? Is the entire blade made of Mithril? Not an alloy or plating? Just how much would it be worth if you sold it!?』 『It would easily exceed several hundred million yen… (trembling voice)』 『Even if it was an irregular, it's not an item a monster appearing on Floor 4 should drop…!!』 『If it's a Mithril Holy Sword, the basic performance must be off the charts even without the special effect.』 『Leveling Junkie Bro has been buffed again lol』
Now then.
Since I had answered the questions, I wanted to start the exploration quickly… but actually, I hadn't yet executed the thing I was planning to do at the start.
Namely, I had intended to use the present for Hinata-san in front of the viewers to liven things up.
However, since things were already sufficiently lively, the impact of the present would probably be diminished. Just like shopping videos or card pack opening videos by YooTubers, showcasing or using dropped items is supposed to be popular content for DungeonTubers.
"Uhh, well, Hinata-san."
"Yeah."
"It doesn't really feel like that kind of atmosphere anymore, so let's just use these quickly."
"Yeah… you're right. Then, I'll gratefully use them, Takeo-kun."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
With that, I took out two items that looked like crystal balls from my backpack and handed them to the hesitant Hinata-san.
They were Skill Orbs for 《Life Magic》.
While Hinata-san was away, I had obtained seven Skill Orbs in total. As you know, I had already used five, but I had kept the remaining two as a present for Hinata-san.
For Hinata-san, who already has magic skills, they weren't essential items, but you never know what might be useful.
And so, Hinata-san used the Skill Orbs. The orbs turned into particles of light and flowed into her body.
『Wait, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!?』 『What are these two doing so casually!!?』 『Skill Orbs!? Aieee!? Why Skill Orbs!?』 『And where did he get two of them!!?』 『It's probably 《Life Magic》, but still, stop handing over items with an average price of 3 million each like they're hard candy…!!』 『What is it now, one thing after another!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!』
With that, we finally began our exploration of the 5th floor of the Shinjuku Dungeon.