With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 2
The following evening, I was sitting on the floor of my apartment.
The room was cramped. Over 30 years old, a modular bath, and a 15-minute walk from the station. Its only redeeming quality was the cheap rent.
Last night, I had turned in everything I scavenged for appraisal. I had no intention of bringing home something dangerous like a sealing stake, and since it would sell for a high price anyway, there wasn't a single reason for me to hold back.
"...I mean, 78,000 yen, though."
No matter how many times I refreshed my banking app, the numbers didn't disappear.
78,000 yen in a single night. Of course, I wouldn't hit the jackpot every time. But even so, it felt far more rewarding to seize a payout through my own judgment and ability than it did to slave away for a month at the company.
The real question was whether my skill, [Appraisal], was truly reliable.
"Let’s test it."
Taking a deep breath, I focused on a plastic bottle I’d bought at the convenience store.
Green Tea (600ml)
Current Value: Standard
Status: Unopened
Notes: 325 days until expiration
"...Seriously, it can even tell me that?"
I wanted to bury my face in my hands.
Since last night, this was a completely different beast from my old skill. And as I observed it for a while longer, I noticed something.
"...If I concentrate, the information increases?"
I deepened my focus on the table in front of me. A new line appeared beneath the main info.
Repair Difficulty: Low
Recommended Treatment: Tighten the screws on the right leg
Estimated Lifespan: Six months to one year
I caught my breath.
I see. If I just look at something, it’s a simple display. If I focus and dig deeper, detailed information comes out. The concept of "switching" and "deep reading" was starting to take root within me.
Wait. Isn't this actually a pretty dangerous ability?
To be honest, I didn't have much ambition to stand out on a stream or climb the ranks as an explorer yet. But at the very least, with this, I could scavenge waste with an overwhelming advantage.
As I was thinking, my phone vibrated. A notification from the scavenger app I’d registered for last night popped up.
■ Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon
■ Late-Night Scavenging Staff Wanted
■ Today 23:00~ / Unit price bonus due to labor shortage
"I have to go."
I didn't hesitate.
◇
My second night in a row at the Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon. The scene at the gate was similar to last night, but a bit noisier today.
Small drones for filming. Lights that were far too bright. Young men and women wearing jackets emblazoned with sponsor logos.
"Ah... streamers."
They aren't rare lately. The upper layers of urban dungeons are often consumed more as "stages for a show" than actual exploration sites. They’re beginner-friendly, look good on camera, and most importantly, they've been modernized enough to allow for a safe retreat. They're perfect for streaming.
"Oh, look, it's the rookie from yesterday."
By the service entrance, the middle-aged man from before raised a hand while keeping a cigarette in his mouth.
"I’m back."
"You're keen. Well, you might actually make some bank today."
"Is something happening?"
"Popular streamers are inside. The place gets messy when there are lots of people. You scavengers have to clean up the aftermath."
"I see."
"Just be a bit careful today. We've been getting some weird readings on the Third Route side since this afternoon."
"Weird readings?"
"The mana density is fluctuating. Rare for the upper layers. Apparently, it’s not enough to warrant a lockdown, though."
The phrase bad feeling flashed through my mind.
Still, I wasn't a combatant. I wouldn't go near dangerous spots in the first place.
I cut the small talk short, took my gear, and headed into the upper layer.
The interior was brighter than last night. Makes sense—lighting magic tools for the stream were placed everywhere, and flashy voices echoed from a distance.
'Alright, hello everyone! Today we’re coming to you from the Third Route of the Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon!' 'Today we're introducing a safe route for beginners! This is a corporate collab, so we'll be reviewing some gear too!'
"Safe route, huh..."
I gave a dry smile and turned my attention to the scavenging targets by the wall.
There was plenty of trash today, too. Disposable lights, chipped knives, talismans drained of mana, shattered potion bottles.
But I could see it. Much more clearly than yesterday.
Cheap Lighting Tool (Abandoned)
Value: Low
Reuse: Possible
Notes: Only light output has dropped; can be reused by replacing the magic stone
Iron Knife (Major chips in blade)
Value: Low
Uses: Dismantling support; suitable for reprocessing into throwing knives
And then, the moment I glanced at a dark fissure in the rock wall.
Rock Wall (Mimic Fungi Infestation)
Status: Unstable
Caution: Larva swarm will activate upon vibration stimulus
Recommended: Do not touch / Withdraw immediately
"...What?"
I did a double-take at the appraisal result. The skill was pointing at a dark wall a short distance away. To anyone else, it looked like just a wall. But the display clearly said 'Mimic Fungi Infestation' and 'Larva swarm will activate.'
Before I could process it, a cheer erupted from the passage just ahead.
'Alright, let’s show them the gathering points by the wall!'
'Wait, Kenji-san, are you really gonna hit that? What if it triggers a hidden room flag?'
'It’s a dungeon classic, right? If you see a suspicious wall, you whack it once!'
"You idiot!"
The words flew out of my mouth. Immediately after, a dull thud echoed through the passage.
One second... two seconds... three seconds. Suddenly, the wall cracked.
No, the wall didn't crack. The rock surface bubbled and swelled, and a swarm of black lumps crawled out all at once.
'Whoa, what is this?!'
'Bugs?! Bugs! Gross!'
'Wait, wait, aren't there too many of them?!'
The larvae that had been mimicking the rock. Black arthropods about 30cm long—ten, twenty, no, even more.
One of the streamers panicked and fired a firebolt. He looked like a Mage class; a book had materialized in his hands. But because the passage was narrow, the flames nearly engulfed his allies, causing the backline to scream.
'Crap! Fall back, fall back!' 'The light fell over! I can't see, I can't see!' 'The comments are going wild! Someone give us a play!'
I could tell just by looking. It was total panic. Because they were so used to streaming, their movements when faced with actual danger were slow.
But different information was floating in my field of vision.
Mimic Fungal Crustacean (Larva)
Threat Level: Low to Medium
Weakness: Abdominal segments / Intense light / Desiccant chemicals
Behavior: Envelops in swarms; vulnerable when alone
Caution: Mother unit may be present nearby
Mother unit? Is it close by?? If they fumbled here, things were going to get much worse.
"You streamers over there!"
I bellowed from the corner of the passage. Everyone looked at me at once. Even the camera turned my way.
"Don't use fire! The passage is narrow; you’ll run out of oxygen!"
'Wha—?! Who are you?!'
"Target the bellies of just the two in front! The rest of you, gather the lights and point them at the wall! Make it bright!"
'Wait, hold on—'
"Move!"
The lightly armored man in the front row thrust his short spear almost reflexively. Just as I said, the moment it pierced the abdominal segment, the bug died instantly.
'No way, it’s so soft!'
"Next, the lights! Make it bright! They hate the light!"
The girl in the back frantically grabbed a fallen lighting tool and illuminated the area. White light flooded the surroundings.
The bugs' movements slowed down visibly.
'They stopped?!' 'Who was that voice?' 'Those instructions are too good.' 'Who is that guy in the hood?' 'Is he more competent than the streamers?'
"Now! Clear the ones at your feet! Stay away from the wall!"
There were many of them, but individually they were surprisingly weak if you hit their vitals. The problem was the panic and being overwhelmed by numbers.
The streamers were clumsy, but they slowly began to pull themselves together. However, I found something even worse.
Near the ceiling at the end of the passage, I saw a black, encrusted mass of rock.
Mimic Fungal Crustacean (Mother Shell)
Status: Just before awakening Stimulus
Threshold: Medium
Caution: Activates upon high-frequency sound or mana irradiation
"...This is the worst."
Gathering the lights was the right move. But if they made any more noise here, the Mother would wake up.
"Everyone, get back from there!"
'Eh? But the small fry are already—'
"Just get at least 30 meters back! The parent is here!"
The atmosphere changed at those words.
'The parent?!' 'No one told us about that!' 'The comments are exploding!!'
The moment the streamer looked up, the black mass on the ceiling cracked. A sickening snap echoed. From the crack, an arthropod leg as thick as a child's head extended.
'It's huge!! GYAAAHHHH?!'
"All lights, point them at the ground in front of you, not the back! Blind it and run! Camera crew, ditch the equipment! Priority is your lives!"
This time, the streamers didn't argue. Lighting tools were tossed in, and light burst right in front of the Mother Shell. The arthropod winced for a split second.
"Now! Run!"
The sound of boots echoed in the passage. Screams, curses, heavy breathing, and the sound of equipment hitting the floor. With all that behind me, I ran too.
◇
Once we made it back to the safe zone, everyone collapsed.
'Hah... hah...'
'I thought I was gonna die...'
'I left three cameras behind...'
The man in the flashy jacket—the one who was likely the main streamer—looked at me while panting heavily.
"...Who are you?"
"I’m with the scavenging crew."
"Scavenging crew?"
"I'm a part-timer picking up trash."
Silence for a moment.
Then, the girl who seemed to be the camera operator asked in a trembling voice.
"How did you know all that...?"
"I just... sort of saw it."
"We were saved because you 'sort of' saw it? We were seconds away from dying."
"Well, you didn't die. Be thankful for that."
I realized I sounded a bit cold. But I didn't want to get involved. I’d only helped them on impulse. I had no intention of appearing on a stream or making a name for myself.
As I turned to leave, the male streamer frantically called out.
"Wait! At least give us a name!"
"I don't need one."
"No, the viewers are curious! The comment section is filled with 'Who is that hooded guy?'"
"Hooded...?"
Come to think of it, I was wearing a hoodie over my work clothes.
The camera girl showed me her device. On the screen was the chaotic stream footage and a high-speed scroll of comments.
'Who is that?'
'The instructions were god-tier'
'Is he really a scavenger?'
'He's a pro'
'Who is that hooded bro?'
"...Please don't show me that."
"I mean, you’re already on screen."
"This is the worst."
The male streamer took on a slightly more serious expression.
"You saved us. Seriously."
"Then, next time, don't use the words 'safe route' so lightly."
"Ugh..."
"Accidents happen in the upper layers too."
"...Yes, sir."
He looked genuinely dejected, which made me feel a little better.
"Also, you should file for a temporary closure of the Third Route. If there's a Mother, there might be nests nearby."
"You can tell?"
"It’s a guess."
"Man... the precision of your 'guesses' is insane..."
I didn't answer and left the scene for good this time.
◇
Afterward, the scene became quite a stir.
The management team temporarily closed the Third Route. The streamers were taken for questioning. I also underwent a brief interview as part of the scavenging crew, but it didn't turn into a major issue.
The real problem started after I returned to the break area.
"Are you the scavenger everyone's talking about?"
Just as I was about to buy water from a vending machine, a stranger spoke to me. He was a young staff member with an ID badge around his neck.
"What do you mean, 'everyone's talking about'?"
"They say you stopped a streaming disaster. Clips are already circulating."
"Isn't that a bit fast?"
"The streaming world moves fast."
The man turned his phone toward me. A short video was playing. A dark passage. Confused streamers. And my voice echoing from off-camera.
'Don't use fire!'
'Gather the lights!' '
The parent is here, run!'
That was the whole video. My face was barely visible. Just a bit of my hoodie and profile, but my voice was crystal clear. The view count was already approaching several hundred thousand.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
"The comment section is going wild over 'Hoodie Sensei's' commands."
"Please stop."
"No can do. That streamer has a lot of followers."
The man said it jokingly. But for me, the truly important part was something else.
I had learned that [Appraisal] could see through not just waste, but the danger of monsters and terrain.
And one more thing.
Because of the commotion, the collection containers today were flooded with a massive amount of abandoned items.
"...Time to get to work."
I whispered it so no one could hear and headed back toward the cleared section of the dungeon where the monsters had been defeated.
My heart was strangely calm, as if the earlier panic had been a lie. I gave a small, dry laugh at the fact that I was returning to the dungeon so soon after such an event.
With every step, I could see the remnants of the chaos scattered everywhere.
At the back of the passage, next to a gear case the streamers had abandoned in their haste, a crushed silver bracelet lay on the ground.
I casually glanced at it.
Bracelet of Sealed Thunder (Damaged)
Rarity: A
Current Value: Low
Latent Stats: Lightning Attribute Mitigation / Paralysis Resistance Up
Notes: Can be restored by re-engraving the surface formula
Recommended Market: Specialized clans for Lightning Beasts; high buy-back potential
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
"...I knew it. This place is a gold mine."
To someone else, this was just cleaning up after an accident.
I picked up the bracelet and lightly brushed off the dirt. When I slipped it into my pocket, it felt much heavier than I expected.
The night was still long. It looked like today’s container was going to be heavier than usual.
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