Ten years ago, a massive subterranean tower called the dungeon[1] was discovered deep beneath the earth's surface, and with it, an infinite amount of resources, a powerful new energy source, and a revolution in technology. However, along with these dungeons, inhumane monsters[2] also appeared, causing chaos and tragedies to the pioneers. To combat them, adventurers[3] – those who brave the dungeon and gather strength from it – were formed. With the power to overcome the monsters of the dungeon and bring back with them the resources, they were regarded as heroes.
Five years ago, when understanding of the dungeons, adventurers, and the unique properties that they bore, reached their peak, inventors began integrating the dungeon's magical properties with science, creating breakthroughs that would've only been possible centuries into the future. These inventiones are categorized as Manasteam[4].
One such invention is the Manasteam Window[5]. By reverse mana engineering the technology of the Status Windows [6]of adventurers, manasteam researchers and inventors were able to create a system that allowed easy access to information stored in a shared access database and moderated by the top and most secure information agencies. This invention greatly helped adventurers, who until then, had to personally gather information on monster subjugation methods and resource locations.
Two years ago, as more and more manasteam creations were invented, the focus of creativity shifted from helping adventurers in their dungeon diving to quality of life, entertainment, education, and military.
In particular, with the invention of the mana network [7]that was tied to the manasteam database, there also came a boom of people who tried to gain influence by becoming well-known figures through the mana network by posting stories and experiences for entertainment. These people would become known as influencers[8]. Some make it big, others not so much. However, the fact of the matter is, the number of influencers were growing too much, and they were more often harmful than helpful.
One year ago, following the trend of influencers growing, adventurer guilds[9] also tried to make their own brand of influencers in order to regain some of their influence. Something that only adventurers could do, that no other influencer could hope to impersonate. The answer was obvious.
"Miss ■■■■■, won't you become the first ever dungeon streamer[10]?"
And now, present day, with the uprising trend of dungeon streamers, yet another new era of inventions have reached us. Mana thread [11]was created, shifting the fashion sense of adventurers from practical battlesuits and armor to flashy outfits, fit for entertainment, yet still keeping the practicality and durability of armor.
Several inventions made to promote and make dungeon streams even more accessible to ordinary folk were made, throwing the world into yet another golden age of prosperity and common wealth. Agencies[12] were formed to regulate streamers, and the purpose shifted from entering the dungeon for resources to entering to entertain.
As more big names appeared, the "first dungeon streamer" slowly became nothing more than a legend, as her activities stopped soon after the trend was picked up. No one knows what happened to the first streamer. Perhaps, being an adventurer and facing dangerous monsters day in and day out, she had met her unfortunate end... or perhaps not.
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"Hm..."
A young woman stared blankly at the job requests posted on the commission board inside the guild. She quickly surveyed each request, but nothing in particular caught her attention.
Although she was donning a remarkably attention demanding snow white combat dress, made to fit and adorned with blue streaks and accents. The dress reached down to her knees, and she wore white gloves and stockings to match her dress. No one batted an eye at her, though there's also the fact that there's barely anyone in the guild currently. Perhaps a few years ago she would've been mocked, but these days, outfits of such extravagance were normalized. Hanging on the left side of her hip was a blindingly white shortsword, hidden beneath a similarly white scabbard. On her right hip hung a dagger that was on the lengthier side, but slightly shorter than her sword, also white. Although not immediately visible, there were also throwing knives latched unto her stockings beneath her skirt, numbering eight which were also white. You would expect someone so white to also have white hair, and perhaps even white eyes, but no. Despite everything else about her being pure white, her long flowing hair was actually a brilliant golden color, while her eyes shined as bright as the blue sky. This white lady is Yuveria Blanc, a sword dancer, which is an advanced form of the classic swordsman.
"Sorry, Miss Blanc, there was a surge of subjugation requests for cockatrices earlier, and everyone rushed to get a contract. If you came a bit earlier, you could've gotten a contract or two..."
Maria the receptionist, who was busy filing papers at her desk, commented on Yuveria's late timing. There was a large stack of papers on her desk, and even more behind her, with most of the other guild employees groaning at the mountain of paperwork to be done, with the hissing of manasteam machines creating more files that need archiving.
"Mm, it's fine... I'll just free dive."
Yuveria trotted over quietly to the transportation platform[13] in the center of the guild. Although she was disappointed that she was too late for the cockatrice hunt, it wasn't as though she couldn't enter the dungeon without a contract. Maria asked Yuveria again to confirm her intentions.
"Are you sure? Didn't you come here for a job? There's still a few on the board, I'm sure there are some..."
But as she looked up from her paperwork, Yuveria had already disappeared. Her coworker quickly began typing on the keyboard of the MS window to write more reports, more papers that need to be worked on, more papers...
"...We seriously need more people."
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A gentle breeze kissed Yuveria's cheek as she kept her eyes softly closed, embracing the air as it brushed past her. When she opened her eyes, a bright blue sky met with her eyes, and the smell of grass mixed with her own perfume permeated her nose. Yuveria opened her MS window and found herself at her intended destination, the dungeon's 23rd floor.
As far as dungeon diving goes, those who make it above the 20th floor are considered immensely skilled, even more so those that make it there solo, just like the A-ranked Yuveria. Yuveria chose to dive into the 23rd floor for two reasons. One, she wanted to do some leisure leveing before challenging the 25th floor's boss monster for its drops. But more importantly, she didn't want to get dragged into the cockatrice hunt rush that were happening in the earlier floors.
Cockatrices were enormous chicken monsters that spawned from floor 10 to 19. They attack by performing high velocity precise pecks with their large and sharp beaks, as well as rampaging with their heavy but quick bodies. They were a nuisance to defeat, but they awardes a generous amount of mana, and their meat was delicious as well. As far as Yuveria and the database knew, there were no cockatrice spawns from the 20th floor onward. In other words, she could level up without worry.
As she walked around, Yuveria occasionally stopped and sent a mana wave [14]to detect entities around her. It was an essential skill she had to learn if she wanted to continue flying solo. Once she found a monster, she would rush over and defeat it smoothly, gathering its drops and depositing them into her inventory. Mana accumulation [15]wasn't limited to just defeating monsters. You can also accumulate mana from gathering resources from the dungeon, or even just being in the dungeon. The more exposed you are to mana, the more mana accumulates within your body, and the more your body adjusts itself to take in that mana, therefore allowing you to become stronger.
Despite her white dress, the blood of the monsters she fells never touch her whiteness. Yuveria has always been graceful like that, even without no one watching her. This style of fighting was trained to make it so she never appeared dirty, especially as it was important during her last major job.
"Dungeon streaming... It's come a long way since they first asked me to do it..."
From her inventory[16], Yuveria materialized a MS creation, a floating camera[17]. This was one of the essential equipments of a dungeon streamer. It's been a long time since Yuveria had last used it. Though, considering her shy demeanour, she wasn't exactly streamer material. Still, she kept the floating camera as a keepsake. It's a massive trend she more or less started, after all.
After a bit of reminiscing and placing the camera back in her inventory, Yuveria sent out another mana wave. This time it picked out two entities, a monster and an adventurer. Yuveria tensed up and immediately rushed towards them. Usually, adventurers from different parties wouldn't interfere with each other as a courtesy, but it's a different case for solo adventurers. Yuveria can handle herself well, but the same can't be applied to everyone who flies solo. One mistake could mean the end of your life, with no one to back you up.
"Please be safe..."
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The monster was a cyclops, a one-eyed giant known for their absurd durability. To defeat them, you must first sever their arms before decapitating them. Some of them have two arms, some have four, others have six. This one only had three arms, as one was already severed by Yuveria's initial attack.
"Back me up."
Her voice was soft and quiet, but it was clear and present. The adventurer she had just saved nodded as she readied her blade to provide support. Yuveria rushed towards the cyclops, her shortsword in one hand and throwing knives on the other. She was able to rid of one arm easily as it was caught off guard, but now that the cyclops was aware of her, she'd need a clean strike to cut through like she did the first one.
A cyclops' attack pattern was fairly simple. They're not very intelligent, mostly relying on their strong arms to crush their enemies. However, they have too much strength, and could get their hands stuck in the ground. That's the moment to strike.
As the cyclops threw its arm down to crush Yuveria, she was able to swiftly dodge the attack, and swung her sword to sever another arm different from the one that was stuck. She left the severing of that one to the other adventurer.
She wielded a rapier-style blade, a good weapon for poking, but not so much for severing. However, she wouldn't have been able to reach the 20th floor solo if that was all she amounted to. A blade of flames erupted from her sword, and with a quick slice, she was also able to successfully sever the cyclops' arm.
Yuveria didn't allow the cyclops to recover, after lobbing off the arm, she quickly sliced the last remaining arm off of its body, while the other adventurer cut its head off with her burning blade. Despite being solo adventurers, they worked well together.
"Phew... Thanks for saving me. I'm Qualia, a Spellblade."
The adventurer introduced herself as Qualia. She wore a mostly black robe with a few blue and gold accents and a big red bowtie atop her chest, with a black witch hat with similar accents rested atop her head. The robe's inner pocket held five different rapiers, including the one she had just used. Beneath the robe was what looked like a regular school uniform, a brown blazer atop a white uniformed shirt and a short blue skirt for the bottom half. It looked like a normal uniform, but upon closer inspection, it was actually woven with mana thread, making it a practical uniform. She also had long golden hair and bright blue eyes, much like Yuveria. An unusual outfit not exactly fitting for a Spellblade, someone who fights using both magic and a sword at the same time. It was more fitting for a full-time mage, as the robe would honestly hinder movement as a Spellblade. That said, Qualia's earlier performance spoke for itself despite the disadvantageous attire.
"Yuveria, Sword Dancer. No problem..."
Yuveria locked eyes with Qualia for a moment before quickly looking away. She's introduced herself many a time now while interacting with other adventurers, but it still never gets any better. Yuveria glanced at Qualia again, and was perplexed at her features. Eerily enough, she felt as though she was looking at a mirror when she looked at Qualia, that's how similarly they looked, apart from their attires.
"Are y...? Ahem, so, what brings you to the 23rd floor, Yuveria?"
Qualia opened her mouth as if to ask a question, before closing it and opening it again to ask a different one. Yuveria had begun walking away, but Qualia followed her.
"...Leveling."
"Oh, same as me, then. Man, that would've been dangerous if you hadn't come when you did."
Yuveria wondered if that was really the case. Qualia must've been skilled if she managed to reach the 23rd floor alone, atleast B-rank, since that was the required level to access floors 20 to 25 alone. Surely a single B-ranked four-armed cyclops wouldn't have done her in.
"I can tell what you're thinking, but actually, I was a bit distracted by something and didn't notice the cyclops approaching."
"Distracted?"
While continuing to walk around the vast dungeon, the two continued their conversation. And by conversation, it was really just Qualia explaining her circumstances.
"See, I was watching the DS Awards. Ah, DS stands for dungeon streamer. The broadcast is live right now, and I didn't wanna miss it."
"Oh..."
Yuveria sent out a mana wave while listening, detecting Qualia right next to her, as well as a pack of monsters nearby. Qualia must've felt the mana wave brush her, as she became alert.
"Party[18] invite."
At Yuveria's words, a semi-transparent screen appeared in front of Qualia, who wasn't expecting an invite to form a party. Yuveria fidgeted slightly, hoping for Qualia to accept the invite.
"Well... since already we're here and all..."
Qualia accepted the invite, forming a party with Yuveria. The two then rushed towards the pack of monsters, Yuveria taking the lead. Qualia picked out one of the rapiers from her robe and held it in her hand, while Yuveria picked out throwing knives from her stocking belt.
The two found a pack of wolf monsters known as fenrirs. Individually, they were weak, but they travelled in packs much larger than any adventurer party. Yuveria counted nearly 15 fenrirs on sight, usually a troublesome number.
"Oh, right!"
Qualia exclaimed as though she remembered something, and began searching her inventory. Soon after, she brought out a floating camera and deployed it.
"You don't mind if I stream this, do you?"
"...Go ahead."
Dungeon streaming is the trend. It's more likely to encounter a streamer than it is not to these days. She took another quick peak at Qualia's attire balance. Dark robes in contrast with her bright features and dazzling magic, as well as a bright personality. Good streamer material. Yuveria watched as the floating camera booted up, hissing with manasteam. She turned once more to the pack of fenrirs.
"Let's go."
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Fenrirs are considered B-rank monsters when travelling in packs, but individually, their strength was only comparable to a C-rank, with the alpha fenrir being the only B-rank. They coordinate their attacks well, usually leaving parties with barely any time to catch their breath. They have one fatal flaw, though.
Yuveria threw her knives at the alpha of the pack, easily identifiable by its larger size. Fenrirs instinctually move to protect their alphas, so by targetting the leader, Yuveria was able to group them together. This allowed Qualia to quickly and efficiently encase them in ice, following up with a strong stab with her rapier, shattering the ice and the 15 fenrirs inside it.
"Nice and quick. Good work!"
"Mm. You too."
Fenrir meat was also considered a delicacy, though the difficulty in obtaining them was much higher than for cockatrices, and the drop rate was less than favourable. When monsters die, they don't leave carcasses behind – only certain drops. The fact that more than half of the fenrirs had dropped their meat was actually good luck on their part. The alpha even dropped its fur, which is good material for equipment. Yuveria and Qualia deposited the monster drops into their party inventory.
"Oh. Welcome, new watchers!"
Qualia began talking to the floating camera, to her audience. Dungeon streamers interact with their audience through the floating camera. Yuveria casually avoided the camera, but no doubt she was already seen in battle. While Qualia was talking with her audience, Yuveria didn't interrupt her, instead sending a mana wave to detect any more enemies. Fortunately, there were no nearby monsters, and the two could relax for a moment.
"Yuveria, they're curious about you. Could you introduce yourself?"
Qualia came to ask if Yuveria could introduce herself to her audience, who was curious about Qualia's companion. Yuveria, however, did not look very excited to do so. She wasn't very enthusiastic when interacting with people she didn't know, even through the screen.
"Uh... I'm not..."
"Hm... Well, that's fine. I'll just tell them who you are, instead."
Qualia returned to her floating camera, which had been following her movements while staying at the same spot. Because of the distance, it couldn't pick up Yuveria and Qualia's conversation, so Qualia had to come back to the camera so it could pick up her voice. Although Yuveria was too shy to introduce herself to Qualia's audience, she was fairly interested in Qualia's stream activities, stepping closer to the camera.
"Her name is Yuveria, we formed a temporary party after she saved me from a cyclops."
Qualia explained to her audience, with Yuveria listening in. She could also see the messages sent by her audience, the chat. Judging from the speed of her chat's new messages, it seemed like Qualia was actually a fairly popular streamer.
"Hm? Do you guys know her?"
Qualia quickly read through the speeding chat, picking out information from her audience. Words like sword dancer, or top ranking adventurer came up, but a certain message came into her eyes, one that also caught Yuveria's eyes.
[She kinda looks like the White Dancer, no?]
Upon reading the message, Qualia then stopped to stare at Yuveria, and Yuveria stared back. There was a brief silence before Yuveria opened her mouth to speak.
"Mm, well... I won't deny it."
"I'll see you guys next time, bye!"
Qualia quickly ended her stream and turned to Yuveria, who looked like she regretted opening her mouth. The stream end was abrupt, surely a disappointment for her fans, but the situation was not one she would let escape.
"Yuveria – no, Miss Yuveria!"
"I'm not liking where this is heading..."
"Could you help me become a top streamer?!"
Qualia's bright blue eyes shone as they reflected on Yuveria's own eyes. Her bright, excited smile contrasted heavily with Yuveria's tired frown, but Yuveria didn't reject her.
"Um... For now, let's go back to the guild?"
Yuveria pointed towards the nearby TP. TPs were stationed all over the floor on all floors so that adventurers could make a quick escape if they needed to. Yuveria walked over and stood on the platform, Qualia following her. One moment, the two stood atop the platform, and after a short blue glow of the teleportation magic activating, the two disappeared.
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Yuveria Blanc - An A-rank adventurer who's all white. She's a Sword Dancer and an experienced adventurer who's braved the dungeon countless times, even reportedly reaching the 29th floor as a solo diver. She's usually shy and keeps to herself.
Qualia - An A-rank adventurer wearing a witch's attire, though she is a rapier-wielding Spellblade. She's a skilled solo adventurer who's reached until the 24th floor, as well as a dungeon streamer. Each of her rapiers specializes in a certain magical element, and she carries all five at all times. She has a bright and outgoing personality.
Maria Thalley - A receptionist at the adventurer's guild, and the one Yuveria is most familiar with. She began working as a receptionist nearly at the same time Yuveria began dungeon diving, so she was able to watch her grow from a rookie to a veteran.
[1] A collosal subterranean tower buried beneath the earth's surface. It is comprised of floors that provide an infinite supply of resources. Although the dungeon floors are technically indoor, there is a breeze and a large sky above each floor as if they were open fields. It is not known how many floors the tower goes down to, and so far, adventurers have dived down and reached the 29th floor.
[2] Creatures that indiscriminately attack humans. They appeared alongside the dungeon, and usually take the form of monstrous versions of animals and beasts. A stronger variant of a monster known as the boss monster roams every 5th floor of the dungeon. They do not breed, but rather are spawned from the dungeon's mana, and drop incredible materials upon death.
[3] Humans that brave the dungeon. They originally start out as normal humans, but as they accumulate more mana within them by killing monsters or harvesting resources, they become stronger. Their children also inherit a portion of the mana they've accumulated. Adventurers are classified into ranks as a vague display of their achievements. An adventurer's rank dictates their privileges.
[4] A category of inventions integrating mana and magic with steam power. This technology has achieved several eras and ages of technological breakthroughs in one.
[5] A device that stores an information library that is very beneficial for adventurers. It allows quick and easy access to a database that stores information on all kinds of monsters and resources. It is a manasteam invention using the status window as inspiration. It has evolved into an all-purpose communication tool that many people own.
[6] An adventurer's personal information visualized. It visualizes an adventurer's basic information, their strengths, the abilities and powers they earned from mana accumulation, as well as their logistical statistics within the dungeon, such as resources harvested, steps travelled, or monsters defeated. Although the magic of the status window has already been reverse engineered and replicated, it is still unknown exactly how the status window keeps track of the information.
[7] As mana became a more commonplace energy source, a network of mana was formed for more convenient and faster communication methods. It is also used as a unique location identifier that aids in criminal investigation, as mana traces fluctuate heavily in areas where malice was present.
[8] Humans who grow their influence and presence by making themselves known through the mana network. They share stories or broadcast skits to entertain others, though there are some who use their influence to assert power or spread malice.
[9] A facility that regulates information and job requests for adventurers. Clients send requests to adventurers via the guild, to which adventurers complete the request usually for a monetary reward. Clients may also request for a specific adventurer, though private contracts are more costly than public requests. The guild operates on the surface and is connected to the underground dungeon, and is the most common entrance point of the dungeon.
[10] A brand of influencers that are also adventurers. They broadcast their dungeon dives live so that ordinary people can watch and become part of the dungeon dive safely from behind the screen.
[11] A mana invention. By infusing mana into threads and silk from arachnid monster drops, powerful and durable outfits were made to protect adventurers.
[12] A streaming agency regulates dungeon streamers contracted wih them. They set protocols and rules for streamers to follow during their dungeon dives, as well as set goals for dives in order to entertain their watchers. Streamers contracted with an agency not only get paid from completing guild requests, but also earn a steady income from the agency.
[13] A manasteam device using teleportation magic to instantly transport one or more individuals to and from destinations. The one at the center of the guild is a one-way connection to any of the selectable TPs available inside the dungeon. There are other TPs inside the guild that are one-way connections from the dungeon. It's set up this way so that the monitoring of who enters the dungeon through the guild is easy, and also so that of several parties returning from the dungeon at once won't appear on the same TP. Access to floors are restricted to an adventurer's rank.
[14] By sending out mana in waves, adventurers, usually scouts, can detect nearby monsters and allies. It's an extremely useful detection skill.
[15] When mana is accumulated into your body, it adjusts itself, becoming stronger and more durable to properly intake the mana. Mana is accumulated slowly while exposed to it, but you can accumulate more mana quickly by defeating monsters. When certain MA thresholds are reached, you will feel as though you've leveled up, sharply increasing your capabilities.
[16] A special ability that creates a sub-space. It is a skill that is basically required to become a fully fledged adventurer, as gathering resources and monster drops is incredibly inefficient without it.
[17] A dungeon streamer's most important item, apart from their equipment. This MS invention is the whole reason dungeon streaming became viable in the first place. It stays away from danger while automatically following the streamer, and also automatically censors out gore for the ones watching at home.
[18] Adventurers usually form a team or a party to dive into the dungeon. The MA is shared evenly amongst party members, and they gain a special shared inventory for the party. Adventurers who fly solo gain all the MA themselves, but without a party, they don't have anyone to back them up.