Prologue (Part II)

[Third-Person POV]

"Chat! Look! Our first monster in the newest dungeon!" shouted the girl in pink, her voice full of excitement.

A scrawny, green goblin appeared in the distance and was definitely underwhelming.

[A goblin? In an SS-tier dungeon?]

[Maybe it's one of those slow-start dungeons?]

[Let's go, Mel!]

Confidently alone in the dungeon with nearly ten thousand viewers tuned in, Mel aimed her staff and fired off a magic missile. It struck the goblin cleanly, vaporizing it on the spot.

"Did you see that? That goblin didn't stand a chance against me!"

[An A-rank adventurer bragging about killing a goblin. Tsk tsk.]

[SMH. Peak content.]

[As expected from our streamer queen!]

Mel pouted playfully. "Come on! Give me some credit. Some of you probably would die for it."

[凸( •̀_•́ )凸]

[凸( •̀_•́ )凸]

The chat flooded with mid-finger emotes, and Mel laughed, pleased with the reaction. With a bounce in her step, she continued deeper into the dungeon.

"For today's stream, I'll do my best to explore every part of the first and second floors. If we finish early, we might even tackle the third!" Mel declared enthusiastically.

She spun around once, giving her viewers a full view of the dazzling scenery behind her.

"As expected of an SS-Rank dungeon, just look at this place! Even the first floor feels completely different in size and atmosphere."

The dungeon, known as the Crystal Jungle, was classified as SS-Rank. Though recently discovered, Mel had gathered preliminary intel on the first five floors.

"Let's set off on this adventure!" Mel announced with a bright grin, striking a pose for the camera.

[We'll be watching all the way!]

[I'm skipping work for this!]

[(>▽<)]

[(´∀｀)]

The chat exploded excitedly, emotes flooding the screen as viewers rallied behind her.

Feeling the energy, Mel continued forward, offering commentary and lighthearted guidance as she explored the dungeon's dazzling, crystal-lit terrain.

~

Hours later…

"How did it come to this..." Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper.

After exploring the third floor, and just as she was about to leave, Mel noticed something that caught her eye: a crystal that resembled an emerald jewel.

Given the abundance of crystals and the dungeon's breathtaking scenery, its name didn't come as much of a surprise.

This treasure-laden dungeon was highly sought after, and Mel had secured early access thanks to her influence.

Traps were a common hazard in dungeons. The most dangerous ones either sent explorers plummeting to lower levels or summoned monsters far exceeding the floor's intended difficulty.

Unfortunately, Mel triggered one of these traps, which dropped her to a deeper floor and filled her with fear. As a seasoned adventurer, falling for such an obvious trap was humiliating, but what truly terrified her were the monsters she could now sense around her.

They were far beyond her current level.

[MEL!!! DON'T DIE!!!]

[WE'LL GET SOMEONE TO SAVE YOU—JUST STAY STILL!]

Seeing the flood of concerned comments in her chat, Mel felt a wave of emotion rise in her chest. She was nearly moved to tears. Not wanting to take risks, she chose to stay where she was.

At the peak of her stream, she had already drawn in thirty thousand viewers, but that number is surging even higher by the second.

Death in dungeons wasn't uncommon. There had even been cases where streamers lost their lives mid-broadcast.

"...!!!"

Frozen in place, Mel's instincts flared. The danger was closing in. Even though she was outmatched by the monsters on this floor, she could feel it: one of them had sensed her.

Hiding behind a bush, she could barely breathe as the creature began moving toward her.

Terror gripped her. Death was coming. For the first time in her life, she felt completely powerless.

[RUN!!!]

[Not my favorite streamer!!! (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )]

[Please live! ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·]

A humanoid creature forged from ruby stepped into view, its presence alone suffocating. It radiated immense pressure as it steadily approached.

Its eyes glowed with an intense crimson light, locking onto its target, Mel. Without hesitation, it prepared to eliminate her.

The monster unleashed a scorching red beam.

Mel, summoning every ounce of strength she had, threw herself to the side in a desperate attempt to evade it.

She barely avoided the direct hit, but the resulting explosion from the beam's impact struck her, launching her three meters back. She slammed face-first into the ground.

Pain exploded through her body. Tears welled in her eyes, not from the physical agony but from the crushing realization that this could be the end. Paralyzed by pain and fear, she couldn't move. All she could do now was wait for the inevitable.

With time ticking by, Mel lay frozen, expecting the end, yet nothing happened. Each second dragged on unbearably slowly. The silence, the lack of movement, only made the tension worse.

Though she had already accepted her fate, some still clung to the need to know if the monster would truly end her here.

Summoning the last of her strength, she slowly turned her head.

What she saw was something completely unexpected.

Something she would never forget for the rest of her life.

~

[??? POV]

How long was this dungeon, anyway? After crossing ten floors, it didn't seem like I'd get out anytime soon. Exploring had been fun initially, but the novelty wore off, especially when I was doing it alone and just wanted to leave.

Still, there was a silver lining: I got to test the limits of my abilities. Even without a sword, I could conjure one out of thin air. I am a Sword Saint, and I'd be a fraud if I couldn't manage something that basic.

The disappointing part? Even after clearing out waves of monsters, I didn't feel any more substantial.

A faint rumble passed beneath me as I stepped onto the next floor. In a place usually so silent, that kind of noise could only mean one thing: something had been provoked.

It could've been a territorial clash, or someone else might have been inside this dungeon. If it was the latter, this could be my chance to meet someone new finally.

Without hesitation, I rushed toward the source of the noise. When I arrived, I found the cause of the explosion: a ruby android, radiating menace, was approaching a woman's body, striking a pose. I instantly recognized an iconic scene from an old anime I used to watch.

I acted just as the monster raised its arm to finish her off.

I unleashed a flawless slash over a hundred meters away, cleanly slicing the creature in half. As its life ended, the monster's body vanished into thin air, like it had never existed.

Watching the woman lying face-down on the ground, I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing. Her shaky breaths and soft whimpers made it clear she was still conscious.

I waited, giving her a moment. About thirty seconds later, she finally gathered enough strength to roll over.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake," I said with a bright grin.

"…"

She stared at me in complete silence. Her eyes locked onto mine, unmoving like she was frozen in place. No blinking. No words. Just pure, unbroken eye contact.

I tilted my head with a smirk. "Are you stunned by my handsomeness?"

Cracking a joke to lighten the mood, I watched as the woman snapped back to reality, her face turning beet red. With her pink hair, the blush practically made her glow.

"Can you move?" I asked.

She shook her head silently, still clearly flustered from earlier.

"You don't mind if I carry you, do you?" Again, a shy shake of the head. She understood me, even without saying a word.

I gently lifted her onto my back without hesitation, giving her a piggyback ride. But then she adjusted her posture.

Her arms wrapped tightly around me, and her legs subtly pressed closer. What caught me off guard wasn't the clinginess. It was how she nestled her face near mine, almost like we were lovers reunited after a long time. It's a little bold for someone who couldn't speak a second ago, especially for a woman who has curves in all the right places.

"Got a name? I'm Theodore. Theo for short."

"Melody… I'm Melody! But those close to me call me Mel."

Her voice was stiff at first as if she hadn't spoken in a while, but she quickly found her rhythm and spoke more naturally.

Now that she had introduced herself, I took a moment to really observe her. Melody looked… different. Not in a bad way, but just noticeably unique compared to people back on Earth. Her pink hair and matching eyes stood out, yet they perfectly suited her.

Her outfit was made of leather, like something straight out of an old-school fantasy setting. But then there were the things she carried, little bits of tech that definitely didn't belong in a medieval world.

It made me wonder just what kind of world existed outside this dungeon.

With that in mind, it felt like the right time to finally ask the question that had been on my mind since the beginning.