I regained a sliver of composure thanks to the words of Hinata-san and the viewers. Despite the lingering anxiety gnawing at me, I explained the situation.
Specifically, that while I was looping the Monster Room during Hinata-san’s absence, I had been drinking about forty to sixty Beginner Heal Potions a day.
Come to think of it, when I downed sixty in a single day, my heart was pounding like crazy... things like that.
『No way, sixty bottles is way too many no matter how you look at it!!』
『So he was doing that back when those rumors about him throwing away Magic Stones were going around...』
『I thought nothing about this guy could surprise me anymore, but he still has more shockers in reserve. That’s our Leveling Junkie Bro for you, lol』
『You’re providing way too much fodder for the internet in such a short amount of time!』
『The living internet meme really is built different, lol』
『I mean, the moment your heart started racing, you should’ve realized something was wrong, lol』
"Am I going to die?! Am I going to die?!"
Someone, Knowledgeable Person, tell me!
『Ah, rest easy, Leveling Junkie Bro.』
A Knowledgeable Person?! A Knowledgeable Person has arrived?!
『The fact that sixty bottles only made your heart race means that, at the very least, sixty bottles isn't a lethal dose. Even with normal food, there are plenty of things that’ll kill you from poisoning if you eat them in massive quantities. If you aren’t suffering any health issues right now, I don’t think you need to worry that much.』
"R-Really...?"
『Yeah, I checked the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s website too. They haven’t confirmed any side effects, toxicity, or addictive properties for potions in general.』
"T-Thank goodness...!! Th-Thank you, Knowledgeable Person!!"
『I’m not a pervert.』
『↑ Stop lying.』
『↑ Lie.』
『↑ Lying is bad.』
『Why are you guys like this?!』
I’m not going to die...! I’m allowed to keep living...! Yahoo!
"That’s good, Takeo-kun...!"
"Yes, what a relief!"
I breathed a profound sigh of relief. Dying from a potion overdose is the kind of thing I could never live down, even in death.
『Leveling Junkie Bro looks so happy, lol』
『Good for you, Leveling Junkie Bro, lol』
『Well, still, I’ve never heard of a symptom like a racing heart from drinking a potion. And it’s debatable whether they’ve actually tested it by giving a human a massive amount of potions like Leveling Junkie Bro took. Animals and humans might be different.』
『I’m just glad Leveling Junkie Bro isn’t dying!』
『Good, good!』
『I was about to type "Good for you," but then I saw a disturbing comment, lol』
『Eh...』
『So, is Leveling Junkie Bro going to die after all...?』
『I mean, Leveling Junkie Bro isn't even listening anymore, lol』
『There’s no point in making him anxious for nothing. Let’s just keep quiet, lol』
"Man, now that I’m relieved, I’m getting hungry! Come on, Hinata-san, let’s have lunch!!"
"U-Um... right. Let’s do that."
●◯●
After taking a lunch break for about an hour, we resumed our loops around 1:00 PM.
Currently, my HP recovery was being covered by natural MP regeneration plus one Mana Potion every hour, but for some reason, Hinata-san started drinking only one potion every two hours in the afternoon.
She should have been fine since there were no side effects... but she explained that she had decided to cut back because her stomach felt uncomfortable from drinking too much fluid.
Even so, she still had MP left, and since her level was supposedly rising once every hour, her maximum MP kept increasing, so she said it was fine.
She told me there was no problem because her MP wouldn't run out before the end of the day, at the very least.
It bothered me a little that she was awkwardly looking away for some reason during the explanation... but regardless, we continued our loops until around 7:00 PM that day.
Below are today’s results.
Monster Room loops: 90. Total Goblins defeated: 4,410. Beginner Mana Potion drops: 40 (12 of which were used for recovery). Magic Stones acquired: 4,410. Skill Orbs acquired: 1. Total Experience Points gained: Hinata-san: 4,165,650; Me: 8,331,300.
Below are our current statuses.
―――――――――――――――― 【Name】 Takeo Samejima 【Level】 30 Experience Points until next level: 3,497,602 《HP》 166/166 (6 up!) 《MP》 46/46 (4 up!) 《Strength》 86 (1 up!) 《Constitution》 80 (5 up!) 《Intelligence》 6 《Spirit》 40 (4 up!) 《Agility》 85 (5 up!) 《Dexterity》 85 (5 up!) 【STP】 0 【SP】 0 【Skills】 《Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons Lv. Max》《Berserk Lv. 1》《Goblin Genocider Lv. Max》《Fighting Spirit Lv. Max》《Blood Vengeance Lv. 1》《Sword Aura Lv. 1》《Taunt Lv. 1》《■■■■■■■ Lv. 1》《Life Magic Lv. Max》《Magic Sword Lv. 1》《Danger Sense Lv. 1》《Mighty Blade Lv. 3》《Seeker Lv. 2》 【Titles】 《Battle Junkie》《Goblin Genocider》《■■■■■》《Swordmaster》 ――――――――――――――――
―――――――――――――――― 【Name】 Mashiro Hinata 【Level】 29 Experience Points until next level: 5,212,355 《HP》 60/60 (20 up!) 《MP》 145/189 (84 up!) 《Strength》 30 (10 up!) 《Constitution》 30 (10 up!) 《Intelligence》 119 (54 up!) 《Spirit》 70 (30 up!) 《Agility》 60 (16 up!) 《Dexterity》 80 (40 up!) 【STP】 0 【SP】 4 【Skills】 《Intermediate Healing Magic Lv. Max》《Mind Concentration Lv. Max》《Fleet-footed Lv. 3》《Charm Lv. 2》《Holy Magic Lv. Max》《Life Magic Lv. 2》《Fire Magic Lv. 1》《Holy Fire Magic Lv. 1》 【Titles】 《Beguiling Beauty》 ――――――――――――――――
In the end, I only went up one level today.
Well, I got to experience that "euphoric high" once, so I’ll call it a win. That one time felt even better than usual, likely because the Status Points gained from a single level-up have increased to twenty.
Plus, on our next exploration, we’ll head straight to the Floor 7 Monster Room, so we’ll be able to spend more time leveling. I’ll probably go up about two levels next time.
On the other hand, Hinata-san went up a whopping ten levels during this exploration.
I had her show me her status, and her stats have become quite high. It feels like her skills have grown all at once, too.
However, even though 《Intermediate Healing Magic》 and 《Holy Magic》 reached their maximum levels, it seems she cannot evolve them into high-tier skills yet. It’s likely because she hasn’t met the requirements... Magic skills are rare, so there are many things about the conditions for unlocking derivative skills or skill evolution that aren’t yet known in detail.
The conditions for 《Intermediate Healing Magic》 and 《Holy Magic》 are likely related to the number of times the magic is used—in other words, proficiency—so we’ll just have to wait patiently.
Now then.
Hinata-san newly acquired the skills 《Fire Magic》 and 《Holy Fire Magic》.
The 《Fire Magic》 was, of course, the result of using the Skill Orb dropped by a Goblin Archmage.
On the other hand, judging by the name, 《Holy Fire Magic》 is likely a derivative skill that was unlocked by having both 《Holy Magic》 and 《Fire Magic》.
As for what kind of magic it is, according to Hinata-san, it’s an attack magic specialized for subjugating undead-type monsters. It works on normal monsters too, but it has a powerful special attack bonus against the undead.
Since we’re at it, I’ll explain the details of the magic-type skills Hinata-san has acquired.
Below are the skill descriptions.
―――――――――――――――― 【Skills】 《Beginner Healing Magic》 — Grants access to Heal, Cure, Heal Circle, Regeneration, and Refresh. 《Intermediate Healing Magic》 — Grants access to High Heal, High Cure, Area Heal, High Regeneration, and High Refresh. 《Holy Magic》 — Grants access to Holy Light, Lionheart, Bless, Sanctuary, and Energy Protection. 《Fire Magic》 — Consumes MP to allow for the arbitrary generation and manipulation of fire. 《Holy Fire Magic》 — Consumes MP to allow for the arbitrary generation and manipulation of holy flames. Holy flames possess a special attack bonus that deals 2.0 to 10.0 times damage against undead (multiplier varies based on skill level). ――――――――――――――――
I’ll also explain the effects of each spell briefly.
"Heal" from 《Beginner Healing Magic》 treats injuries and restores HP. "Cure" treats physical status ailments like poison and paralysis. "Heal Circle" treats injuries and restores the HP of allies within a circular area. "Regeneration" provides continuous treatment of injuries and continuous HP recovery. "Refresh" treats mental status ailments.
《Intermediate Healing Magic》 contains the superior versions of these spells.
"Holy Light" from 《Holy Magic》 is a spell that creates a sphere of holy light; undead-type monsters take continuous damage when exposed to it. "Lionheart" grants courage and provides temporary resistance to mental status ailments. "Bless" grants a holy blessing to the target, temporarily boosting all stats except HP and MP by an amount equal to 2 × skill level. "Sanctuary" deploys hallowed ground centered on the caster, continuously recovering the wounds and HP of allies within it (though the effect is lower than Regeneration). Additionally, it deals continuous damage to undead-type monsters that enter the area. "Energy Protection" deploys a magical barrier around the target’s body, referencing a value calculated by adding the caster’s Intelligence and Spirit and dividing by two. It breaks after a certain amount of time passes or if it takes damage exceeding its durability.
I’ll skip the MP consumption and recovery calculation formulas for now.
On the other hand, 《Fire Magic》 and 《Holy Fire Magic》 don’t have specific spells listed like Heal does for 《Beginner Healing Magic》.
This means that the range of generation and manipulation expands based on the user’s Intelligence, Dexterity, and skill level, allowing them to freely control the power, shape, and range within those limits. In short, these skills have a higher degree of freedom compared to skills with fixed spell names.
However, there is a disadvantage: since the effects, range, and MP consumption aren’t fixed from the start, they are known for being difficult to control.
In fact, spells like Fireball that the Goblin Mages used aren't necessarily the formal names of the spells; people just named them based on their appearance.
Therefore, as long as Hinata-san has sufficient Intelligence, Dexterity, skill level, and MP, she can immediately use powerful fire magic like Fire Lance or Explosion.
By the way, it’s said that the difference between skills with specific spell names and those without comes from whether or not the spell directly affects status values and notations.
But I digress.
Also, Hinata-san has kept four Skill Points in reserve, apparently so she can put points into whatever skills she needs in an emergency.
As for me, I’m just praying she doesn't put those points into 《Charm》.
Ah, as a side note—《Charm》 is a seriously dangerous skill, so I can’t exactly show it to the viewers. That’s why I only checked Hinata-san’s status after the stream ended for the day.
I had been told beforehand how many levels she’d gained, though.
Anyway, after finishing our loops, we completed our preparations to return to the surface...
"Our backpacks are bursting at the seams."
"Yeah, there’s so many..."
We got 4,410 Magic Stones today alone; combined with yesterday’s haul, it’s nearly 5,000 stones.
Both mine and Hinata-san’s backpacks were bulging, and we each held a reusable shopping bag that was also packed to the limit. Naturally, the contents were Magic Stones.
We also had twenty-eight Beginner Mana Potions left, so those were inside as well. Unlike Cure Potions, I felt it would be a waste to throw away Mana Potions.
『Wait, isn’t that way too many Magic Stones?!』
『How many monsters did you kill in just two days?!』
『That amount of Magic Stones is what a professional supplier would deliver...』
『If they took those to a Magic Stone Power Plant, they could probably cover a whole day’s worth of power generation by themselves...』
『They’re Floor 7 monster stones, so they could probably do it easily...』
『Exactly how much is this going to be worth...?』
『If they killed that many monsters, then yeah, it’s no wonder Hinata-chan’s level shot up.』
『On the other hand, Leveling Junkie Bro only went up one level. The EXP required for the Level 30 range is hilarious, lol』
『Isn’t the fact that a Fire Magic Skill Orb dropped also low-key insane?』
『So Hinata-chan learned attack magic... which means she’ll be more active starting next time!』
『The drop rate for a Fire Magic Skill Orb is less than 1 in 500... Man, stop casually getting items in one or two days that normal Explorers would spend months trying to get...!!』
The comment section seemed to be heating up, but realizing I had to wrap things up, I spoke to Hinata-san in front of the drone camera.
"Hinata-san, how was this exploration for you? In terms of physical exhaustion and such."
"Ah, right. Let’s see... My level went up a lot, and since I wasn’t doing any intense exercise, I’d say I still have plenty of energy left."
Hinata-san said that with a smile that didn't look forced.
Wow! Could this be a happy miscalculation?
Does that mean, maybe...
"Ooh! Is that so! Then, perhaps tomorrow we could go back into the dungeon—"
"I’m not going."
"..."
"At least not tomorrow, okay?"
"Ah, yes."
I felt a certain pressure behind that smile, so I nodded obediently.
『Of course she’s not, lol』
『As if anyone could do exploration and combat at this pace day after day, lol』
『Give Hinata-chan a proper rest, lol』
『Man, even Hinata-chan flat-out refused, lol. Of course she wouldn’t want to.』
『Do you have some kind of obsession with ending things on a punchline, Leveling Junkie Bro? lol』
A punchline?
I didn’t know what they were talking about, but since the atmosphere had turned a bit awkward, Hinata-san spoke to the camera.
"Well then, that’s it for today’s stream. Thank you all for watching. The next stream will be the day after tomorrow, so please tune in again if you’d like."
『The day after tomorrow?!』
『Isn’t that still way too fast?!』
『So it’s like one day of diving, then one day off in between...』
『Hinata-chan, don’t push yourself too hard!』
"Yes, thank you for your concern. I won’t overdo it."
"It’s fine!"
Since I had no intention of making Hinata-san push herself too hard either, I gave a firm, supportive nod.
『No one asked you, lol』
『You’re the one who overdoes it, lol』
『Slow down the pace a little more, lol』
『It’s already not "fine," lol』
Why though?
"Um, well, we’ll end the stream here. Thank you very much."
『Peace』『Good work』『Bye-bye』『See ya』『Looking forward to the next one!』
—And so, having ended the stream, we left the Monster Room, used the Teleportation Circle on Floor 7 to move to Floor 1, and then returned to the surface.
By the way, the sale price for the Magic Stones we obtained during this exploration was... incredibly, 141,849,100 yen.
Dividing that between the two of us, it was an income of 70,924,550 yen each (excluding tax).
Note that this is the amount after subtracting the several Magic Stones we used for magic items like the water bottle and the stove.
Wh-wh-what...!!
It turned into an astronomical amount of money...!!
At this point, it almost doesn't feel real. As I left the Association in a daze, something Hinata-san told me brought my consciousness back to reality.
"That’s an incredible amount of money..."
"Yeah, definitely..."
"Takeo-kun."
"Yeth?"
"Um... I think you should probably start getting your equipment in order. Your sword should be fine for now... but armor, and maybe some magic equipment. Don't you have enough money saved up to buy those now? Since you’re an Explorer, you can count the purchase of equipment as an expense, so I think you should buy some..."
According to Hinata-san, buying expensive equipment would also help with tax strategies. Well, apparently even that would be like a drop in the bucket if we kept earning at this pace...
To be honest, I don't really understand the tax stuff, but there is some magic equipment I want.
It was so incredibly expensive that I thought it would be faster to aim for getting it as a drop in the dungeon, but now, I might actually be able to buy it.
"That sounds great...!!"
I said, my eyes sparkling.