Chapter 242: Call of the Underworld 2
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The underground digging project didn't start right away.
As is typical with large-scale civil engineering projects, even for stone dwarves who live underground and dig through the earth, there was a lot to investigate and prepare.
The scene shifts when stone dwarf Bobo excitedly proposes opening a passage, and the others start running around like mad.
To the young stone dwarves, this project looked less like a massive construction effort and more like festival preparations.
One of the dwarves added,
"By drilling a large passage with a Vacuum Stone, we can gather a lot of rare ores and gems that come out of there!"
"Oh, I see."
"No need to thank us; we should be the ones thanking you!"
The tunnel excavation felt like a festival to them.
"Looks like the young dwarf who wanted to drill a tunnel earlier was a hint. But do ores and gems just appear by drilling a path?"
-Let's chalk it up as a fantasy thing.
-lol, this isn't MinerCraft.
-If the mountain range where the stone dwarves live was a super goldmine, then maybe.
-If monsters come out just by digging, ores might as well.
-Why bother with realism when you have smooth stone faces that can talk and eat without mouths?
This is how our time went in the underground city.
Grace and Katie went to the market to look at weapons like arrows and swords made by the stone dwarves for the multi-racial alliance fighting the Demon King.
Han Se-ah wanted to show her viewers the underground city too but ended up being dragged off by Irene.
Seeing Han Se-ah collapse from magical exhaustion, Irene dragged her off to an inn.
I wasn't particularly interested in exploring the market and headed to the inn as well, naturally to spend time on the internet.
Grace and Katie had subtly hinted to join them at the market, but... I already knew.
Even if the two were just looking at weapons, it was still women shopping.
Once you're caught up in it, there's no escaping.
"Ah, I'm really okay..."
"Still, you need to rest for a day. We heard monsters might appear while drilling the tunnel, so you have to take care of your condition."
So, I watched Han Se-ah being dragged away by Irene and made my way to a vacant room.
Since the entire city had moved to the tower, there were no other guests at the inn, and the stone dwarf managing the inn had disappeared somewhere after hearing about the Vacuum Stone.
"I'll cover the front, just keep an eye on those trying to flank us!"
The subsequent battle was equally one-sided.
He deflected swords with a small shield, and when sword met sword, he twisted his wrist, knocking aside the enemy's blade and striking at their necks.
Without flashy effects, his swordsmanship cleanly and concisely claimed the lives of his opponents.
In a video edited down to 10 minutes for uploading to the video site, Kim Seok-hyun alone took down seven out of fourteen enemies.
...I almost acknowledged him as nearly a senior adventurer level if not for the related videos where he funnily slips and falls into the marsh while interacting with viewers.
Both Han Se-ah and Kim Seok-hyun are skilled at control, but it's like they're missing a screw somewhere.
"These days, other streamers are all playing Heroes Chronicle, so it's hard to schedule joint streams~"
"Weapons? For men, it's gotta be greatswords. ...What, got stuck on a tree while carrying a greatsword and got knocked out by an orc?"
"Come on~! It's not my aim that's the problem, but the tank suddenly moving sideways, right?"
After Kim Seok-hyun's video ended, a flood of related videos appears, featuring other streamers playing Heroes Chronicle.
As expected in a game that requires physical movement, clean fighters like Kim Seok-hyun or Han Se-ah were rare.
Most were rolling in the mud, repeatedly facing game overs, or just supporting their teammates.
Especially among streamers who chose mage or archer roles, there was quite a few videos of them accidentally shooting their own warriors in the back.
It's not just game overs but accidental team kills that make for more sensational and entertaining content.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
"This is why rookie archers!"
"Mage, what are you doing! Did you learn anything at the magic tower?"
Videos feature warriors rolling on the ground after being hit by their own team while fighting goblins or orcs, ranging from hairy and grim-looking men to sharp-eyed women NPCs scolding, while the streamers sheepishly hit the reset button.
Scrolling past these videos to explore the vast cyber world, another theme emerges: the advent of virtual reality female streamers.
Confident in their looks but not in combat, these female streamers choose to become part-timers or entrepreneurs in adventurer cities.
They serve beer in inns, listening to adventurers' exaggerated tales while interacting with viewers.
"Hey, guys. Is it true that orcs can break logs barehanded?"
"Made 42 silver today! Just a bit more and I might be able to open a stall. Should I go for a stall, or wait until I can afford a proper shop?"
"Me? I've always wanted to be a caf owner. They have macarons here, right?"
Essentially, they're doing a fantasy version of a part-timer's vlog.
It's fascinating how creativity can stretch in all directions when it comes to making money.
A female streamer, cooking stew while wearing an innkeeper's outfit with a suspiciously low neckline for her vlog, interacted with viewers.
A stream that showcased cooking while flaunting one's figure, and at the same time, listening to adventurers' boastful jokes and interacting with viewers.
Truly, there's an overflow of stream types I never imagined.
...As I watched the gentle bubbling of stew, time flew by and morning arrived in the dimly lit underground city.
