With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 7
In the morning, a message from the Management Bureau was waiting for me when I opened my phone.
It was about the map I’d brought in yesterday.
『We are currently verifying the record map you submitted. Depending on the content, a reward may be issued. Please wait a while longer.』
"A while longer," huh? Actually, there was something else that had been on my mind even before that: the Middle Layers.
After three streams, I had memorized the layout of the Upper Layers of the Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon fairly well. I knew where things were likely to be dropped, which passages collected trash, and the timing of when the explorer count would spike. Because I had developed a feel for it, I was starting to find it a bit underwhelming.
I wondered what the waste areas in the Middle Layers looked like.
Lost in thought, I found myself heading toward the service entrance by that evening.
◇
Standing by the entrance was the middle-aged man who had let me in as a scavenger on the first day, a can of coffee in his hand as usual.
The Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon starts at B1F just past the entrance, and the floors increase as you dive deeper. My activities so far had been limited to the Upper Layers, from B1F to B5F; all my streaming and scavenging happened there. It was a low-risk zone that anyone with an explorer's license could enter.
Below that, starting from B6F, the Middle Layers were a different story. That was where monsters truly started to spawn in earnest. It wasn't a place an explorer would casually step into solo.
I walked up to the man, gave a slight bow, and got straight to the point.
"Can scavengers enter the waste areas in the Middle Layers?"
"Huh? You thinking up something weird again?"
The man took a sip of his coffee and stared at me. "Upper Layers not enough for you anymore?"
"A little."
"Honest, aren't you? Well... it’s not impossible to get in." He paused to think for a moment before continuing. "Unlike the Upper Layers, the Middle Layer waste areas haven't been completely cleared of monsters. There’s a blockade sign between B5F and B6F, but the boundaries beyond that are a bit blurry. Scavengers are only allowed in the waste spots near B6F. Anything deeper than that is at your own risk."
"If it’s just the waste spots near B6F..."
"...You really going?"
"If I'm allowed in, I want to go."
The man looked at my face for a while, then scribbled something in a notebook and handed it to me.
"That's the application route for entry permission. It requires more paperwork than the Upper Layers. Hand it in by tomorrow afternoon."
"Thank you."
"On one condition."
"What is it?"
"If you find something weird, do exactly what you did in the Upper Layers. Report it to me or the Management Bureau first. Don't move on your own."
"Understood."
The man nodded with satisfaction and tipped his coffee can back again.
"I'll tell you this much: the abandoned items in the Middle Layers are on a different level. The scale is nothing like what you pick up in the Upper Layers."
◇
The following night, after securing permission to enter the Middle Layer waste area, I stepped into the dungeon.
I started my fourth stream at the same time. The title was: [Late-Night Dungeon Scavenger – My First Time Near the Middle Layers].
As soon as I hit the broadcast button, 21 people were already there.
『Oh, he’s live!』
『Today's title?!』
『You're going to the Middle Layers?!』
"I’m at the waste area just before the Middle Layers. I have entry permission. However, since it's close to the actual exploration zones, I’ll retreat immediately if anything strange happens."
『No way.』
『He’s so cautious, it’s reassuring.』
『I wonder what kind of stuff is dropped there.』
"I'm curious too."
The difference from the Upper Layers was apparent the moment I entered. The temperature was lower, the passages were wider, and because the lighting was dimmer, it was harder to see where I was stepping. There were fewer abandoned items than in the Upper Layers, but each one was larger in size. Broken shields, shattered greatswords, and the remains of materials harvested from medium-sized monsters. The scale was indeed different.
"The atmosphere has changed. Everything feels... heavy."
『I’m getting nervous.』
『Don't push yourself.』
『If even Scavenger is being this cautious, we should really be worried.』
"It's not that I'm scared, I just want to be thorough."
I moved forward, using [Appraisal] on everything I saw. The first ten minutes were a string of duds. The quality seemed better, but I wasn't finding anything actually worth picking up.
◇
The change happened in a section near a dead end at the back.
Three dark, stone-like fragments were scattered near the wall. They were all different sizes, but the color and texture were identical. It looked like the same object had shattered and spread.
"These... all three look like they’re made of the same material."
I directed [Appraisal] at the first one.
Magic Core Stone - Fragment (Damaged)
Rarity: A
Current Value: Low (Individual)
Notes: A shattered piece of a complete unit containing a core. Re-compression is possible with 3 or more fragments of the same type.
Market Value of Complete Unit: Approx. 140,000–200,000 yen.
Recommended: Re-compression treatment by a specialist.
"...Rarity A."
My voice went up an octave.
The second one:
Magic Core Stone - Fragment (Damaged)
Rarity: A
Re-compression Compatibility: Confirmed (From the same unit as the first fragment).
The third one:
Magic Core Stone - Fragment (Damaged)
Rarity: A
Re-compression Compatibility: Confirmed (From the same unit. Re-compression can be completed with 3 pieces).
"It looks like they're all fragments from the same stone."
The comment section exploded.
"Individually they were just lying here as duds, but it says if I get all three, I can restore it to a complete unit. The market value once restored is... up to 200,000 yen."
『Wha?』
『For those three pieces?!』
『You'd never find something like that in the Upper Layers.』
『Can Appraisal even see the connection between them?』
"I think there was a fight here and either a monster or a piece of equipment shattered. The explorers probably didn't collect them because they didn't know a single fragment had any value."
『Being able to connect the dots is the strength of Appraisal.』
『Scavenger's perspective is insane.』
I carefully wrapped the three fragments in cloth and put them in my bag. The viewer count had reached 54.
◇
As I moved a little further in, I heard a faint sound behind me.
Footsteps.
The sound of someone treading on stone—it sounded human. It was different from the gait of a monster.
I stopped moving and strained my ears. The stream was still live. The flow of comments paused for a moment.
『...Is someone there?』
『Did I imagine that?』
『Scavenger, be careful.』
"...Is anyone there?"
My voice was swallowed by the darkness of the passage ahead. For a while, nothing came back.
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