by Ryuka Tsukise
Kenji Mori is forty-six, single, and perfectly happy living a quiet life in the countryside. He has a farm to run, an elderly mother to look after, chickens to feed, and Gon, his loyal Akita, waiting for his daily walk. Then a letter arrives. Debt owed: ¥3,000,000. Kenji had agreed to be a guarantor for an old childhood friend—a successful A-Rank explorer who promised there was nothing to worry about. Now that friend has stopped answering his calls. So Kenji does the only thing that makes sense to him. He returns to dungeon exploration. Once a D-Rank explorer, Kenji must start over at F-Rank. Between farm work and dungeon runs, he begins streaming his adventures to earn a little extra money. At first, almost nobody watches. Then viewers discover the strangely capable middle-aged farmer who eats homemade rice balls in dungeons, worries more about damaging a rented camera than fighting goblins, and always goes home early because the dog still needs his walk. Before long, Gon becomes a fan favorite, an injured snowbird monster named Mochi joins the family, and Kenji’s quiet countryside life starts attracting thousands of viewers. But Kenji has another problem. His mysterious Gift, [Shoulder the Burden], has finally begun to activate. Every time he repays debt that should never have been his, something changes. Kenji gets stronger. And the people who forced the debt onto him begin losing the skills that made them powerful. Kenji isn’t trying to become the strongest explorer. He just wants to pay off the debt, take care of his farm, and make it home in time to walk the dog. The Kindle edition is now available in both English and German! English: https://a.co/d/051Bhh7JGerman: https://amzn.eu/d/0ebqis1k
