With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 14

I headed to the building in Shinagawa the following morning.

Takasaka and Kanzaki were already in the meeting room, with several documents lined up on the table. Takasaka turned one of them toward me.

"Thank you for yesterday's report. The Management Bureau reached out to us for verification as well. The site has already been cordoned off."

"Were you able to recover the charms?"

At my question, Takasaka nodded.

"Yes. Apparently, they found two more of the same type in that section."

"...So, three in total."

At my murmur, Kanzaki spoke for the first time.

"I’ll share some information with you."

He slid a document toward me. It was a list of various clan names.

"Between last month and this month, multiple clans have reported equipment malfunctions. Not all of them involve charms, but the common thread is that their purchase routes are similar."

"From the same dealer?"

"Not the same one. However, if you trace the supply chain upstream, they potentially connect to a single source."

I thought for a moment.

"Did the dealers circulate the contaminated charms unknowingly, or did they do it with intent?"

"That’s what we don't know yet. But if they're being placed directly inside the dungeon, it’s not just a matter of dealers anymore."

"A third party set them."

"The probability is high."

The meeting room fell into a sudden silence. As he set down some coffee, Takasaka began to speak slowly, as if to fill the gap.

"Mr. Makabe, I’ll be blunt. Will you continue to cooperate with us on this matter? We’d like you to handle the appraisal whenever similar contaminated items appear in the future."

"I’ll cooperate. However, anything I find goes on my stream."

"Of course. We’re counting on that."

Kanzaki added, "It’s better for us if you move via your stream; it spreads awareness to a wider audience. It works in our favor."

"Understood."

When I nodded, Kanzaki silently gathered the documents and put them back into a file.

---

◇

As I left the building, a notification popped up on my phone.

Sender: Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon Management Bureau

『Regarding the charms you discovered the other day, we are preparing paperwork to formally request your cooperation as an appraiser. Please let us know a date and time that would be convenient for you.』

The word "appraiser" gave me pause.

I possess an Appraisal skill, but I don't hold a formal qualification. To begin with, Appraisal is a fairly common skill, though its range of application varies wildly. In fact, my own Appraisal skill used to be strictly "general/other" level—hardly something capable of deep analysis. Or rather, that was the case.

Now, my unqualified Appraisal skill had become a decisive factor that held weight in official settings, just like a certified professional's.

If I told my self from a month and a half ago—the one who had just been fired—he wouldn't have believed it.

---

◇

At night, I started my ninth stream. My subscribers had reached 3,420.

"I have a few updates from off-stream today. It’s a follow-up on the traps set in the dungeon."

The comments started flowing immediately.

『Been waiting for this!』 

『The follow-up is here.』

『What happened to those charms?』

"The Management Bureau closed off the area and found two more of the same type. That's three total. All of them were placed in similar spots. It’s not a coincidence."

『I knew it.』

『Who put them there?』

『What’s the goal?』

"The motive is still unknown. But any explorer who touched them wouldn't have known what was coming. If I hadn't been streaming, I would have touched them too."

『Thinking about it that way is terrifying.』

『So glad the Scavenger was streaming.』

"I can't give more details than that, but discussions with the relevant parties have begun. I'll report back if there's any movement."

『We trust you.』 

『Waiting for the next update!』

While continuing the stream, I did a light lap through the shallower areas of the Upper Layers. I didn't find anything notable, but the comment section remained lively from start to finish.

I had this feeling that the viewers were "thinking along with me." This interaction felt fresh—different from before.

After I closed the stream, one message was waiting for me. It was from Sakaki.

『Mr. Makabe, I’d like to cover the trap issue on my channel. Could you cooperate by providing some information? It doesn't have to be a collab.』

The "doesn't have to be a collab" part caught my attention. For someone like Sakaki, it was a surprisingly modest request.

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