The bright red text burned into my eyes as if it were a camera notification.
I blinked once. Twice. Then a third time.
I wasn't supposed to see that. I wasn't supposed to see anything.
The last thing I remembered was the blinding headlights, the deafening horn, and the painful crunch of metal.
And now…
"Where the hell—" I stopped mid-sentence. My voice sounded different. No echo from the studio walls. No hum from my dual PC setup. No glowing RGB lights.
Instead, a wooden ceiling greeted me. Cracks, old planks, and the faint smell of dust. A breeze blew in through a tiny window, carrying the scent of… grass? Dirt?
This wasn't my apartment in Seoul.
I sat up too fast and winced. My head spun like a broken gimbal.
"Okay… this is a dream," I muttered. "A messed-up dream."
I pushed the blanket aside. Not my blanket. Rough, itchy, and—oh, great—straw on the floor. I looked down at myself. A plain linen shirt. Baggy pants. Boots that looked older than my entire wardrobe.
"Where's my phone?" I patted my pockets. Empty. My smartwatch? Gone.
My voice cracked as I whispered, "Where's… my camera?"
Then I saw it.
A faint glow hovered in front of me. Like a hologram, floating in midair.
[System initializing… Welcome, Creator.]
I froze. My jaw dropped.
"Wait. No. No, no, no." I backed up against the wall like some horror protagonist. "This… this is an isekai joke, right? Some VR prank show? WHERE'S THE CAMERA?"
No answer. Just the screen pulsing faintly.
[You have been selected as an Entertainment Pioneer.][Objective: Stream content in a world that has none.][Condition for survival: Gain viewers. Fail, and you will cease to exist.]
I stared. My lips moved, but words refused to come out.
"Survival… by streaming?"
The screen expanded.
[Starting Equipment Granted:]
Basic Crystal Cam (Auto-Float Mode)
Streaming Panel Access
Follower Count: 0
And then… something popped out of thin air. A glowing orb, the size of a baseball, with a single lens in the center. It floated right in front of my face, wings fluttering like a hummingbird.
"WHAT THE—"
The orb beeped, then spoke in a cheery voice:
"Hi, Host! I'm Pixel, your camera and assistant! Ready to go LIVE?"
I stared at it like it had just crawled out of a horror game.
"…You… talk?"
"Of course I talk!" Pixel twirled in the air, its lens zooming in and out dramatically. "You're a streamer, aren't you? Or were. Heh. Don't worry, you'll get your groove back."
I rubbed my temples. "I'm dead. This is the afterlife. Or hell. Or both."
"Nope! Another world!" Pixel chirped. "And lucky you, they have zero entertainment here. People eat, farm, fight, and sleep. That's it. Boring as heck. And YOU, Host, are going to change that!"
I laughed. Actually laughed. A short, hysterical bark. "Sure. Why not? I died in the middle of a streaming marathon, and now some magical GoPro wants me to do… fantasy Twitch?"
"Not Twitch," Pixel corrected, zooming so close its lens almost hit my nose. "Better. Real stakes! Real magic! Real lives watching! You'll be a legend, Host. Or…"
Pixel's voice dropped an octave, suddenly sinister.
"…you'll disappear forever."
A chill ran down my spine.
"…Forever?" I repeated.
"System's rules. No viewers, no Host."
My laugh died in my throat.
"Okay…" I exhaled slowly. "Okay. Let's… think. I need to stream. But how? There's no internet here."
Pixel beeped. "Wrong! You have ME. I'm the stream connection. You just go live, and I beam it across realms. Gods, demons, spirits… heck, even random farmers might watch!"
"Wait. Gods?"
"Yep! Big audience pool! You'll love it."
I slumped back on the bed—no, the pile of straw—and dragged a hand down my face. This was insane. Completely insane. But…
Survive by streaming.
It was stupid. Ridiculous. Impossible.
…But streaming was what I did best.
"All right, Pixel," I muttered. "Show me the interface."
The orb spun, projecting a glowing blue screen in midair.
[LIVE Panel]
Stream Title: [Not Set]
Category: [Default: IRL]
Viewers: 0
Followers: 0
Energy Coins: 0
Pixel chirped. "Make it catchy, Host! First impressions matter!"
I stared at the blinking cursor. My fingers twitched instinctively, like they wanted to type on a keyboard that wasn't there.
After a long moment, I smirked.
"Fine. Stream title: 'Earth's No.1 Creator Goes Isekai.'"
Pixel giggled. "Ooooh, dramatic. I like it."
"Good. Because if I'm doing this, I'm going BIG." I pushed myself up and squared my shoulders. "Time to go LIVE."
Pixel's wings whirred. "Great! And Host?"
"Yeah?"
The orb's lens glowed bright red.
"Smile for the camera."
A chime echoed in the room.
[LIVE has started.][Current viewers: 1]
I blinked. "…One?"
Pixel's voice turned smug. "Told you someone would watch."
A message popped up on the hologram:
[Viewer: ??? has entered the stream.][Comment: What… is this?]
I grinned like a madman.
"Oh, buddy," I whispered to the screen. "You just found the best damn show this world will ever see."