The Darkness Was Comfortable for Me

Chapter 189: When I was a child and Dungeon with Origami-san

My parents weren’t the type that played with their children, so me, Celica, and Karen utilized the internet from a pretty young age.

Celica and Karen now utilize the net better than even their own limbs, but they of course didn’t have that ability from the beginning.

At first -when they were around 3 years old- the most they did was watch videos in their game console.

In all of that, the one we watched the most often was the Worigami Channel.

My little sisters were 3 years apart from me, so I ended up watching after them most of the time, but I was saved quite a bit by his daily videos.

The influence of Worigami-san was big, and the game that Celica and Karen got into at first was Minecraft. Most of the reason why those 2 -especially Karen- got that good with computers was because they learned while playing minecraft.

I would watch the Worigami Channel with them pretty often.

I also watched the origami videos he uploaded in his early days, and we siblings learned how to do a variety of origami.

For me who didn’t have that many good memories of my elementary school days, the always cheerful and smiling Worigami-san was one of the few good memories I can remember clearly.

The me at that time was, how to say it…straying from the right path a bit.

Things like ‘why do I have to look after my little sisters?’, ‘why do I have to do the house chores?’, ‘why am I the only one who is getting scolded?’.

…If only my little sisters weren’t here.

Now that I look back on it, it is embarrassing how childish I was, but I did think in that way.

The more my little sisters got attached to me, the stronger that feeling got, and as an elementary schooler, I had no means to control my own emotions, so there’s no doubt it showed in my attitude too.

At the very least, it should have been transmitted to Celica. So by the time she was 2nd year in elementary school, she would take the initiative to do the things in the house together with me. There’s no doubt it had something to do with my attitude.

Karen still went at her own pace though.

It is not like we didn’t get along.

My 3 years younger little sisters would get loved by my family no questions asked, and they were so young they didn’t even have the distinction between good or bad.

No matter how intelligent they are, there’s no doubt they were still infants, and I, who was an actual big child…saw those two as thoughtless. I felt like my little sisters, who I couldn’t even compare to in brains at all, were an hindrance, and even despised them.

Mother would say ‘You two are not like your Onii-chan’ as if it were a habit, and maybe the two understood that that was the case, they would answer cheerfully with a ‘yes~’. That darkened my mood even further.

I have never spoken about those times to the two out of fear.

By the time I got to middle school, the two of them could already do everything by themselves. There would be times when I would get tossed about by them, but I had stopped taking a weird attitude with them.

I had become an adult.

That’s what it must have meant.

Or maybe I held pity towards the 2 who were shouldering way too excessive expectations from our mother.

When I was a child, I didn’t understand: ‘Why me?’.

But I knew at that time, those way too special girls are the ones who were saying ‘why me?’ in the truest meaning; always living while feeling in this way.

That’s why, by the time I was taking the exams for high school, I had decided that my plan for the future would be: graduate from high school, find a job, stay in the house, take care of my parents, and have my 2 little sisters escape…

I am the only one who can tear away those girls from our parents.

I actually wanted to escape myself.

My father only thought of himself, and my mother was extremely cold to me.

Living together with them was only suffocating. It is only because my little sisters and Nanami were there that I somehow managed by using every trick in the book.

But I had decided.

By the time I enrolled in high school, my parents already barely worked, and the house was running with the money Celica and Karen earned. If I run away, Celica and Karen won’t be able to get away from my parents ever.

Of course, I should respect the will of the people themselves.

If those 2 say that they want to live with our parents, I don’t mind that. But I know that’s not the case.

I have heard a number of times their secret talks about how to escape from that house after all.

I want to support that as their brother.

…I wanted to.

With how things are currently, that has all turned into bubbles and fizzled out though.

Anyways, that’s how it was at our house, but I had peace of mind when I was watching the videos of Worigami-san. At those days, I didn’t have much free time, and I didn’t have many friends, so his videos really helped me out.

That Worigami-san is in front of me right now.

I thought all naturally that if there’s anything I can help with, I want to.

“Are you going to stay in this city for a while?” (Hikaru)

“Hmm~, right… Leveling up in a dungeon seems to be efficient, so I was thinking about doing my best! Battle! Combat where blood is shed and flesh dances!” (Worigami)

After he clenched his fist and said this, he added in a whisper ‘it doesn’t suit me though’.

It is true that leveling is important.

You get stronger and your endurance increases. Most of all, your ability to deal with outside threats improves as well. If you get attacked by bandits in a wasteland, the chances of you getting out of it increase if your level is high. That goes the same for wild animals.

“Do you have battle experience?” (Hikaru)

“I do have a little bit, but it was against wild animals, and my legs went weak…” (Worigami)

“Yeah, wild animals are scary. The corpses also remain once you defeat them.” (Hikaru)

Rifreya told me before that creatures living outside are in principle not monsters.

The difference between monsters and wild animals is the way they are born. Strictly speaking, all living beings born from the collection of Spirits are monsters. How complicated.

Monsters and wild animals leave behind carcasses when you defeat them…in other words, their corpses remain. Only the Spirit Stone is left behind in the dungeon, so it is clean in a way. The hurdle is lower in that point too.

“Do you have any advice?” (Worigami)

“Uhm…let’s see. Jeanne knows more about this than me, but I think what’s important here really is how you allocated your Points. Did you take Physical Strength Up?” (Hikaru)

“I did, I did! Only level 1 though.” (Worigami)

“Then, I don’t think you will have any problems in the 1st Floor.” (Hikaru)

The 1st Floor is suitable for beginners. Skeletons are slower and weaker compared to even normal people.

The ones with weapons are somewhat dangerous, but there should be no problems as long as you don’t lower your guard. You will be able to defeat most of them in one hit once you get used to it.

You can also use a club as your weapon, so money won’t be an issue either.

Because of all this, you also don’t earn much, but that’s a given.

We talked about a lot of things after that too, but it seems like Worigami-san began with quite the safe Point allocation. As expected from someone who has been a content creator for long, he understands the importance of ‘staying in the game for long’. He didn’t go for the build that kills you in the early stages, but put Points only in Physical Strength, Endurance, and Resistances. He also did the Spirit Ability contract in a church after the transfer.

The Spirit he made a contract with was water. He apparently can use till the 3rd ability.

“Kuro, we can do today’s exploration in the afternoon. Guide that man for a bit.” (Jeanne)

Maybe because we talked for too long, Jeanne proposed this.

I am honestly thankful for that.

“Eh, is that okay?” (Hikaru)

“It is okay. No problem.” (Jeanne)

“Is that okay with you too, Rifreya?” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, I am okay with that. No problem.” (Rifreya)

Rifreya was imitating Jeanne.

I felt that leaving Worigami-san with just this would be insufficient, so I am grateful for that.

That said, there’s still a lot I don’t know about this city, but I do know the bare minimum.

I showed him the inns, bathhouse, and the blacksmith.

When I explained his circumstances at the store of the dwarf old man, Dargos-san, he gave us an iron rod suitable against skeletons for really cheap.

It is normal for the explorer beginners of Meltia to be swinging around clubs so, according to the old man, you can put more strength in an iron rod, so it is safer.

It certainly does look like it would have more power than a club.

Even when I was guiding Worigami-san, he was talking with the idea that the viewers are always watching. He would change it to camera mode at times, smile brightly, and it has been a while since I have felt as if I am back on Earth.

I don’t know how much of my circumstances Worigami-san knows about, but he didn’t touch that subject, and he was interacting with me as a fellow Chosen. I was grateful for that.

And then, the next day.

It was originally planned as a day off, so I arranged to meet with Worigami-san, and we headed to the dungeon.

Rifreya had no plans for today, so she came with us too.

“You will be helping us too, Rifreya-san? Sorry for the trouble. But thanks!” (Worigami)

Worigami-san was energetic from early morning.

Maybe because he is conscious of the viewers, he is always overreacting.

It means that he also knows just how popular it would be to have Rifreya on camera. I have already gotten used to it after living together with her, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s a beauty that makes hearts throb.

By the way, Jeanne is still sleeping. She knows how to get her own meals during days off, so she should be able to manage alone. We do have fruits the whole time.

We went to the guild, and after registering our exploration, we entered the dungeon.

“Please wait for a bit. Hmm, would camera mode be better here…?” (Worigami)

The expression of Worigami-san when thinking about how to film this was different from his usual playful self; a really serious one.

In this world, the interactions with viewers is that of the messages, and for a time…no, even now, I still don’t want them to increase. That’s the kind of existence they are.

But they must be an important thing for him just like at the time on Earth.

“Now then! I am finally going to be diving into the dungeon! A dungeon, dungeon! To think I would be diving into a real dungeon; it is like a dream! Pinch! Ouch! This is not a dream?!” (Worigami)

Wow! I am in the presence of content in the making!

I operate the Status Board, change it into camera mode, and show Worigami-san on frame. I think I am doing a good play here.

I don’t know how we are displayed in the broadcast of God. There’s the chance that we are being shown from a distant view the whole time. That’s why Worigami-san must be utilizing the camera mode on its full, but the camera mode can’t show the Chosen themselves.

I will film Worigami Channel!

“Hikaru, is he an actor or something? He is similar to the travelling performer that came to Siltion a long time ago.” (Rifreya)

“Aah, yeah, you could say it is something similar to that. It might be the same in the part where he moves while explaining in a way that people can understand.” (Hikaru)

“But it is a bit…uhm…embarrassing.” (Rifreya)

Rifreya slowly takes distance.

On Earth, you can tell immediately that someone is filming because they have a camera, but there’s no way it can be understood in this world, and you would be seen like a weirdo. Worigami-san should also understand this, and yet, he still doesn’t break his style which I can only say is admirable.

And in reality, he is standing out on a level where a few people are gathering. Broadcasting is still too soon for people in this world.

“This is the second biggest dungeon in the Ringpill Continent, right? The name is the Meltia Great Dungeon. Whether it is just a dungeon or a great dungeon is apparently decided on the amount of Great Spirits in that city. Meltia has: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth; 4 people. Hm? Would calling them people be correct? Oh well. The biggest dungeon in the world is apparently in the city called Alismaris, but this one here is plenty big itself. Hear this and be surprised! They have only been able to reach the 6th Floor until now. Crazy!” (Worigami)

The people from Earth probably have told him the information of this world in quite the detail.

That everything is being broadcasted means that the same amount of information is being transmitted to that world. That goes the same for the dungeon.

But that’s Worigami-san for you.

He is properly explaining gently to first timers.

He greeted the gatekeeper while mixing in some jokes, and we entered the dungeon.

I actually proposed to explore together this time around.

It is a bit weird to say it myself, but with my Spirit Abilities, we can raise our levels in the 2nd Floor without danger. With Rifreya here, that would make it even more stable.

But Worigami-san said “That’s an appealing proposal, but if I did that, there would be no point”, and refused.

I reflected on how haughty of a proposal it was.

Power leveling is like cheating after all. There’s no way Worigami-san would accept that.

Getting through the entrance while doing commentary, we go down to the 1st Floor, the Dusk Hell Street.