MTLNOVEL Chapter 8 - Third-Person Perspective
For Asakawa Nanami, the dungeon was more than just a place to explore—it was where she could prove herself.
Until she entered high school, her entire life had been dictated by her parents.
She had never been allowed to make her own choices.
But the dungeon was different.
It was the one place where she could express herself freely.
She started streaming her dungeon explorations, not for fame or recognition, but because she needed to reaffirm her own existence.
In the end, her raw skill as an explorer earned her a massive following of devoted fans.
But to Nanami, the popularity of her channel was just a secondary concern.
“Today, I will conquer the lower floors! No matter what!”
[Chat Messages]
: Are you serious…?
: You’re actually going to die this time.
: Please don’t do this.
: Let’s just go back and cook that crab monster from earlier.
: Avoid the lower floors at all costs.
“I can do it. I will clear the lower floors—just watch me!”
[Chat Messages]
: Why is she so stubborn?
: It’s her life. Let her do what she wants.
: If she dies, who am I supposed to donate to?!
: Just donate to charity, then.
: Seriously, stop this.
Asagao—the name Nanami used as a streamer— tightened her grip on her trusty spear.
She wasn’t the type to chase fame, but she also wouldn’t ignore it completely.
What frustrated her was that her viewers seemed to doubt her abilities,
as if she wasn’t strong enough to handle the lower floors.
And she couldn’t stand that.
[Chat Messages]
: How is she C-Rank but nearly died in the lower floors? Isn’t that the Association’s fault?
: The ranking criteria make no sense.
: You got this, Asagao!
: No, she doesn’t.
: Good luck!
: No, seriously, don’t do this.
“Even if I might die… I’m still going.”
[Chat Messages]
: She’s lost her mind.
: Classic Asagao.
: Here we go again.
: The lower floors aren’t a joke.
: The mortality rate down there is insane—stop this.
No matter what Nanami said, her viewers wouldn’t change their minds.
And no matter what her viewers said, Nanami wouldn’t change hers.
“Alright, here I go!”
[Chat Messages]
: She’s ignoring us completely, lol.
: Of course she is.
: She cares more about exploring than views.
: That’s our Asagao.
: LMAO.
: She’s dead.
She deliberately ignored the chat messages
and turned toward the staircase leading downward.
The moment she took a step forward, her instincts screamed danger— she immediately jumped back.
[Chat Messages]
: Oh?
: Did she just get scared?
: Good, let’s go home.
: Nope, still a bad idea.
: What’s wrong?
: ???
Her viewers had no idea what was happening, but Nanami did.
She no longer had the luxury of checking the chat.
Her hands tightened around her spear.
Her gaze locked onto the staircase.
“Something’s coming!”
The stairs froze over in an instant.
A massive wyvern burst out, its snow-white body covered in jagged ice spikes.
For a split second, Nanami hesitated, overwhelmed by the pressure.
But she quickly shook off the fear and gripped her spear tighter.
[Chat Messages]
: That thing is bad news.
: RUN!
: She’s screwed!
: I’ve never seen a monster like that before?!
: Did a lower-floor monster move up?!
: SHE’S GONNA DIE!
“It’s fast!”
The difference in power was obvious.
For a brief moment,
Nanami considered running.
But the instant the Frost Wyvern locked eyes with her, it darted forward—closing the distance in a flash.
Running was no longer an option.
Even if she ran at full speed,
it would catch her immediately.
That left her only two choices:
Fight and win
Fight and die.
“Ugh! I-It’s freezing the air?!”
[Chat Messages]
: This is hell.
: Who the hell can even beat that thing?!
: She’s finished.
: Is this finally the end?
: Stop joking—SOMEBODY HELP HER!
As the wyvern flew,
its breath transformed the cavern into a frozen wasteland.
The previously water-covered floors of the underground lake turned into a solid sheet of ice.
Nanami barely dodged the frost, pushing off the ground and leaping into the air.
As she passed over the wyvern, she thrust her spear downward, aiming straight for its head.
“It pierced through!”
The sharp tip of her spear penetrated the wyvern’s scales, tearing through its flesh.
For a brief moment, Nanami felt a surge of confidence—
“I can win!”
But before she could pull back, the wyvern’s blood instantly froze, sealing the wound shut.
Her spear was now trapped in ice.
She couldn’t pull it out.
“Damn it!”
The wyvern violently thrashed,
flinging Nanami off its head.
As she hit the ground, she saw it open its mouth, a magic circle forming within.
“Wait… is it using magic?!”
Most monsters in the middle floors relied on physical strength or their natural abilities to attack.
Only special humanoid monsters had been known to cast spells.
That was the common knowledge among dungeon explorers.
But that rule only applied to the middle floors.
[Chat Messages]
: Huh?
: She’s dead.
: This is unfair.
: This thing is on a whole different level.
: Tell me this is a joke.
As Nanami stared at the glowing magic circle in the wyvern’s mouth, she realized something terrifying.
She wasn’t just outmatched; she was completely outclassed.
Frost Wyverns were known for their high intelligence.
By releasing the magic within their bodies, they could cast powerful spells.
This wasn’t just a creature that breathed ice.
With a flicker of its magic circle, it unleashed a barrage of deadly icicles—each one shattering on impact, freezing everything in its wake.
The audience fell silent.
Both the die-hard fans and the casual viewers who had tuned in just for the thrill
felt a creeping sense of dread.
For the first time, they truly feared the lower floors.
“Hahh… Hahh…”
[Chat Messages]
: ?!
: She’s alive?!
: That’s a freaking miracle.
“Nnngh… Hahh…”
Asakawa Nanami had barely survived.
She had layered multiple fire spells to counter the explosion of ice, but it had drained her magic reserves to a dangerous level.
Even then—
The power gap between her flames and the Frost Wyvern’s attacks was insurmountable.
Frost covered her arms, her legs, her face.
“Ghh—?!”
[Chat Messages]
: RUN!
: She can’t escape now.
: Do SOMETHING!
: This is bad.
: This is REALLY bad.
The Frost Wyvern knew she was still alive.
Without hesitation, it formed another magic circle— another wave of icicles materializing in the air.
Nanami’s breath caught in her throat.
It was only now that she realized, this wasn’t an ordinary monster.
This was a lower-floor beast, far beyond what she had faced before.
It wasn’t just big.
It wasn’t just fast.
It could fight like a sorcerer.
And it had no mercy to spare.
She had no time to think.
Her eyes darted to the spear,
still lodged in the wyvern’s skull.
That’s my only chance.
“Haaa… Okay!”
Despite her exhaustion, Nanami forced herself to move.
She sprinted straight toward the wyvern, dodging its attacks by the slimmest of margins.
The chat erupted into chaos.
[Chat Messages]
: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
: That’s suicide!
: STOP HER!
: SHE’S LOST IT!
: HOLY SH*T, SHE’S ACTUALLY DOING IT!
The closer she got,
the faster the icicles came.
Her movements blurred,
narrowly weaving through the deadly frost lances.
Then—
With a burst of mana,
she unleashed a cutting spell,
aiming straight at the wyvern’s neck.
“Not deep enough?!”
The same spell
that could cleave mid-level monsters in half
barely scratched the wyvern’s hide.
Still—
The unexpected attack
made the wyvern flinch.
Nanami seized the opening
and lunged toward her spear.
“TAKE THIS!”
The moment her hand grasped the spear, a searing pain shot through her body.
Even with her fire magic,
the frostbite from the wyvern’s blood burned like hell itself.
Her fingers trembled, but she refused to let go.
With every ounce of strength she had left, she drove the spear deeper—
straight into the wyvern’s skull.
The wyvern jerked violently, its entire body convulsing.
A fountain of frozen blood erupted, but this time, the wound was too deep to freeze over.
The beast collapsed.
“Kyaa?!”
Nanami was thrown off,
her body slamming into the dungeon floor.
For a moment, everything blurred.
Then—
She saw the wyvern’s massive form beginning to crumble into ash.
Nanami let out a breathless laugh.
“I… won?”
[Chat Messages]
: HOLY SH*T!
: AAAAAAAA!
: LEGENDARY MOMENT.
: ASAGAO IS A GODDESS.
: INSANE.
: SHE REALLY DID IT!
Even the skeptics who had doubted her
were now losing their minds in the chat.
Her concurrent viewers skyrocketed, shattering her previous records.
But Nanami—
She just lay there, breathing heavily, staring at the icy ceiling above.
“I guess… I can’t go to the lower floors today.”
[Chat Messages]
: You’re still thinking about that?!
: She’s actually insane.
: But hey, she won.
: She’s leveling up in real time.
: Lol.
“I’m not sure if I can handle the lower floors yet…”
[Chat Messages]
: There’s no way more of those things exist, right?
: It was just an unlucky spawn.
: Yesterday’s skeleton was weaker.
: If she fought that skeleton now, she’d win easily.
: ASAGAO SUPREMACY.
Seeing the chat buzzing about the lower floors, Nanami felt her own curiosity rising again.
Surely, there couldn’t be many monsters as strong as this wyvern, right?
If they were that common, wouldn’t entire explorer squads be wiped out all the time?
It just didn’t make sense.
That’s what she thought.
Then—
A deep, rumbling sound echoed from the staircase behind her.
Nanami froze.
“…Huh?”
[Chat Messages]
: ???
: Wait, what?
: No.
: No way.
: Tell me that’s not what I think it is.
From the lower floors,
THREE Frost Wyverns emerged.
Each twice the size of the one she had just fought.
“Wait… WHAT?!”
[Chat Messages]
: HUH?!
: GAME OVER.
: RUN, RUN, RUN!
: THIS IS BULLSH*T.
: SHE CAN’T SURVIVE THAT!
Nanami stared in horror.
The audience stared in horror.
For the first time, they truly understood—
The dungeon was not a game.
It was a death trap.
And now—
It had her in its jaws.