With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 25
I headed to the magic stone specialty shop first thing in the morning.
The representative placed the Natural Mana Crystal on the counter and took his time verifying it. At one point, he retreated to the back, and I could hear him whispering with another staff member.
"It will be 368,000 yen. Even here, we only see a complete specimen like this once or twice a year."
"Thank you."
"If you find another, please bring it to us first."
"I will. If I find another, definitely."
I hear those words every time I sell something, but no one can predict when the "next time" will be. Even that crystal from last night was a piece that was stepped on for years before finally being picked up. Walk, look, and pick it up. What I do won't change.
◇
The building where Sakaki’s office was located was about a 30-minute train ride from the station nearest the dungeon.
When I entered the lobby and waited, Sakaki came down to meet me.
"I'm glad you came. I've been waiting for this."
"I made a promise."
"The hood is fine. We’ll check the camera settings together later. We’re just making sure your face isn't on screen, so it’s not difficult."
We took the elevator to the upper floors.
The office was more spacious than I expected. There was a desk for filming and rows of lighting equipment. A box covered with a cloth sat on the desk.
"These are the items for today’s project. Ten pieces I’ve gathered from online auctions and markets near the dungeon. I thought we’d do a segment where I have 'The Scavenger' appraise them to confirm their value."
"If there are forgeries or contaminated items mixed in, I'll say so right then and there. Is that alright?"
"Of course. That’s what makes it interesting."
We adjusted the camera angle so that only my hands were visible. By sitting with my back to the camera while wearing the hood, only my hands and sleeves appeared on screen.
"We'll go with this?" Sakaki confirmed.
"No problem."
"Then, let’s begin."
◇
Sakaki’s stream started.
The viewer count in the corner of the screen began to move. Perhaps because it had been pre-announced, the numbers climbed to 1,000, then 2,000, within seconds of starting.
"I’ve invited a special guest today. It's the hooded Scavenger."
The comments flooded in instantly.
『Wait, the real one?』
『First time hearing his voice!』
『No way.』
"He’s the real deal. Today, I’m going to have the Scavenger appraise ten items I’ve prepared."
I took a light breath and spoke.
"Nice to meet you."
The stream of comments moved even faster.
『The collab actually happened!』
『I’ve been waiting for this duo.』
『Came here from the Scavenger channel!』
"The rules are simple! I'll put out items one by one for him to appraise, and he'll give us the rarity and market price. If there's contamination or forgery, he'll point it out on the spot. Also, I’ll reveal how much I paid for them, so he can tell me straight up if I made a profit or took a loss!"
Sakaki straightened the cloth on the table and opened the lid of the box.
"Shall we?"
He took the first item out from the cloth and placed it on the table. It was a small magic stone, bluish and semi-transparent. It didn't look bad.
"Let’s start with this."
I reached out and directed [Appraisal] at it.
"Rarity C, worth about 20,000 to 30,000 yen. The quality is average, but the condition is good."
Sakaki leaned in.
"I bought this for 12,000 yen! That’s more than double! A positive appraisal right out of the gate!! Everyone, did you see that appraisal just now?"
The comments shifted.
『More than double on the first item!』
『Congrats on the +18,000 yen start.』
『This project is already a win.』
『Keep 'em coming!』
The second item was an old leather bracelet.
"This... needs repair. It won't fetch a price as it is, but if you take it to a specialist, it’ll be worth 40,000 to 60,000 yen."
"Are you serious?! I was seriously debating whether to throw this away. Did you guys hear that? It turns into 40k–60k! Two hits in a row!!"
The third item was a charm that looked expensive at a glance. It had intricate decorations and was carefully sealed.
I used [Appraisal].
"...This is a forgery."
Sakaki froze slightly. "A forgery?"
"The appearance is identical to the real thing, but the formula is just decoration. It doesn't function."
The comments stopped.
『A fake!?』
『Sakaki got played big time.』
『Looked so expensive but it’s worth zero—that’s brutal.』
『Tell us how much you paid!』
『This development is the best.』
"8,000 yen..."
"If it was from a stall or auction, you can tell the dealer. If you can still contact them, I think you can return it."
『The appraisal accuracy is almost scary.』
『This is a case for shutting down the dealers moving fakes.』
『Losing only 8k is a blessing in disguise.』
『I’m starting to want my stuff at home appraised too.』
『The number of people wanting to hire the Scavenger is gonna spike.』
Sakaki cleared his throat and set the third item aside.
"Sorry everyone, I'll contact the dealer later. Let’s get our spirits back up and move to the fourth item."
He pulled the next item from the box and placed it on the table. It was a round stone covered in sand—it looked almost like garbage. But I had seen something similar recently and felt a certain "wrongness."
"Where did you pick this up?"
"A junk pile near the dungeon. Thought it looked interesting."
When I directed [Appraisal] at it, there was a brief pause.
"...Rarity A. It's a raw Mana-Accumulation Ore. If refined, it will be worth 250,000 to 350,000 yen."
The studio went quiet. The comments trickled in with a delay.
『Huh?』
『Trash is 350k?』
『You mean 350k was just lying in a junk pile?』
"That's exactly it."
Sakaki slammed his hands on the table.
"350,000!? It’s 350k, everyone!! Do you know how many times I’ve walked past that junk pile! I can't stop the urge to run back there right now and start digging!"
『Sakaki, calm down lol』
『I get the feeling.』
『But it’s pointless if you don't have the eyes to notice it.』
『Seeing him scream next to the Scavenger is too funny.』
Sakaki let out a long breath and sat back in his chair.
"...No, sorry, I lost it for a second. I feel like I've finally understood the reality of what the Scavenger does for the first time."
The remaining six items were mostly common goods—some worth the market price, some needing repair. The final tenth item, a large charm, had no contamination but a unique formula structure, marking it as a rare item for specialists.
"Out of ten items, we had one forgery, one 350k raw ore from a junk pile, two repair cases, two bargains worth more than the purchase price, and the rest were market standard."
"Man..."
Sakaki sat back again.
"I don't even want to think about how many things I’ve walked right past until now."
The comments flowed.
『Everyone's thinking that.』
『I finally understand the meaning behind the Scavenger walking the dungeons.』
『Please do more of this.』
『Make this a regular collab.』
◇
When we closed the stream, Sakaki returned with two coffees.
"Great work. Thank you."
"The project was good. You’re good at picking items."
"I tried to keep the variety in mind. ...The peak viewership was over 20,000."
Checking my phone, I saw notifications from my own channel. My subscribers had surpassed 15,000. People were flowing in from the collaboration.
"Scavenger."
Sakaki’s tone shifted slightly.
"About your identity—I think you’re reaching the limit. Your voice went out in today’s stream. Between the voice, the build, and the activity locations, it's all coming together. Someone might identify you before you’re ready."
"I know."
"I think you should think about what you'll do. I would never leak anything, but this is happening outside of our control. I thought it’d be better if you were ready to move as soon as information starts getting out."
"Thank you. I'll think about it."
I took a sip of the coffee. I didn't say anything else.
It wasn't that I didn't have an answer. It just felt like the timing to give that answer hadn't come yet.
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