Ray sat cross-legged on the unfamiliar wooden floor, staring at the glowing blue window floating in front of his face like some cheap sci-fi overlay. The golden letters pulsed like they were mocking him.
[LIVE SYSTEM ACTIVATED!]
[Welcome, Creator! Your channel is now LIVE across all connected realms!]
Ray pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great. I die once, and suddenly, I'm in some streamer's wet dream of heaven."
Pixel—the tiny, floating camera orb with little dragonfly wings—hovered at eye level, blinking a soft neon blue. "Correction, Creator. This is not heaven. This is the Continent of Lyren. Average mortality rate: sixty-two percent. Average monetization rate: zero percent. Until now."
Ray squinted. "Did you just flex monetization in a death world?"
Pixel spun in midair like an excited puppy drone. "Of course! Your success is my success. Your failure is… well, your failure. And probably mine too, but let's not dwell on that."
Ray sighed, his head still pounding from the memory of that screeching bus horn and then—darkness. He ran a hand through his messy black hair and took a good look around for the first time since the system bombarded him with messages.
The room looked like the inside of an old tavern: wooden beams, a cracked fireplace, and a bed that looked more like a splinter delivery system than furniture. No electronics. No neon lights. No Wi-Fi. He checked his pockets out of habit—no phone. Not even his AirPods.
But there was a glowing blue timer above his head counting down:
[First LIVE Goal: Gain 100 viewers in 24 hours or face elimination.]
Ray frowned. "Elimination? That sounds like unsubscribing with extra steps."
Pixel chirped cheerfully. "Elimination means you get deleted from existence. Poof. Gone. Zero followers forever."
Ray stared at the orb, deadpan. "You know, back home we had something called 'mental health support.' You should look into it."
Pixel ignored the jab and zipped to the window. "The audience is waiting! You need to start your first stream!"
The Stream Begins
Ray swallowed hard. Streaming was his thing back on Earth. He had millions of followers once. Sponsors. Trendy merch lines. Clips that went viral on TikTok. And then… scandals, hate raids, and finally the accident. He shook the thought away.
He cleared his throat. "Alright, fine. Let's do this."
The glowing text shifted.
[Starting first LIVE session...]
[Title: ???]
Pixel tilted. "Quick! You need a catchy title."
Ray thought fast. "Uh… 'Day One: Guy Gets Isekai'd and Probably Dies.'"
[Title Confirmed!]
The window expanded, showing a crude interface like a mix between Twitch and something out of a fantasy fairy tale. Comments started flooding in.
[MysticMage88]: Who is this guy?[SwordBro69]: LMAO what's with the clothes??[Princess_Fan]: Is this some kind of performance art?
Ray blinked. "Wait. People are actually watching already?"
Pixel buzzed smugly. "Of course. You're the first Creator in a thousand years. You're trending!"
Ray grinned. "Alright, chat. First things first—name's Ray. Professional entertainer, occasional disaster. Currently stuck in a world where swords and magic are real, and apparently so is the unemployment rate."
The chat exploded.
[FireballFan]: Magic?? Show us![MeatShield22]: Where are the goblins??[ModPixie]: Handsome tho.
Ray smirked. "Flattery will get you everywhere, ModPixie."
Pixel beeped. "Interaction rate increasing! Keep going!"
Ray stood up, brushing dust off his jeans. "Fine. You want content? Let's explore."
First Quest: Go Outside
Ray opened the door and stepped out into bright sunlight. The village looked straight out of a medieval RPG—stone cottages, cobblestone paths, villagers carrying baskets. A blacksmith hammered at an anvil. Chickens strutted around like tiny gang leaders.
The chat went wild.
[YeOldeViewer]: OMG it's real!![SwordBro69]: This graphics mod is insane.[Magic_Simp]: Bro hug a chicken for the content!!
Ray sighed. "Chat, I am NOT hugging a chicken."
Pixel zipped ahead. "You need to do something exciting! Gain attention, spark engagement, increase viewership metrics!"
Ray shot the orb a look. "What are you, my old sponsor manager?"
Pixel ignored him. "There's a quest board by the tavern. Grab something simple for the first stream."
Ray strolled toward the wooden board covered in yellowed papers. The titles read like bad MMO starter quests:
[Eliminate 5 Slimes]
[Deliver Bread to Farmer Lina]
[Help the Old Herbalist Collect Herbs]
Ray snorted. "Wow. Peak content right here, folks. Delivering carbs."
The chat spammed.
[CarbLord]: DO THE BREAD QUEST[SlimeDaddy]: SLIMES OR RIOT[Princess_Fan]: Pick something dangerous!!
Ray sighed. "Fine. We go with slimes. Everyone loves a good slime montage."
[Quest Accepted: Eliminate 5 Slimes. Reward: 10 Copper Coins.]
Pixel zipped in front of him like a director drone. "Perfect! Now, make it engaging. Narrate. Interact. Pretend you're confident even though your survival rate is currently below zero."
Ray adjusted his glasses, grinning at the floating lens. "Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between—welcome to Slime Wars Episode I: The Guy Who Didn't Sign Up For This."
Slimes Are Not Cute
Ray followed a dirt path out of the village, the chat spamming slime emojis like there was a sponsored deal going on. After a while, he found them—globs of translucent blue jelly hopping lazily near a creek.
"Oh, they look harmless," he muttered. "Like bouncy jello."
The moment he got close, one launched itself at his leg with the speed of an angry bullet. He yelped, stumbling back.
"WHAT THE—!"
The slime clung to his jeans, sizzling like acid. Smoke rose. The smell of burning denim hit his nose.
Pixel chirped happily. "Fun fact: Basic slimes are weak but highly corrosive!"
"FUN FACT?? This thing's eating my PANTS!"
Chat exploded.
[LMAO_Knight]: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA[AcidTrip]: RIP jeans 2023-2023[Princess_Fan]: Take them off live!
Ray grabbed a fallen branch and started smacking the slime like it owed him money. "Get—OFF—ME!"
The slime finally splattered, leaving goo all over his sneakers. The system chimed.
[First Kill Achieved! +1 Viewer Bonus!]
[Current Viewers: 72]
Ray panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "That… was… not cute."
Pixel floated closer. "You need five total."
Ray glared. "Chat, I hope you're enjoying my descent into slime-based trauma."
[MeatShield22]: 10/10 would watch again[Magic_Simp]: MORE SLIME ACTION!!
Ray sighed and went back in. The next two were easier—he learned to dodge and whack them before they clung to him. By the fifth one, he was practically a slime-killing influencer.
The system chimed again.
[Quest Complete! +10 Copper Coins. +20 Viewers for First Combat Stream!]
[Current Viewers: 94]
Pixel beamed. "Just six more and you clear the elimination threshold!"
Ray smirked at the lens. "Hear that, chat? We're surviving—barely. Don't forget to hit that follow button. Or, you know, I die."
First Fan and Unexpected Twist
On the way back to the village, a voice called out. "Um… excuse me?"
Ray turned. A girl stood by the path, clutching a staff nearly as tall as she was. Long silver hair framed her shy face, and her purple eyes looked like they belonged in an anime filter. She wore a simple mage robe, patched and faded, like someone who spent more time studying than shopping.
Chat exploded.
[WaifuAlarm]: NEW CHARACTER UNLOCKED[Magic_Simp]: HOLY MANA SHE'S CUTE[ShipIt]: RAY x MAGE CONFIRMED
Ray adjusted his glasses. "Uh… hi. Can I help you?"
She bit her lip. "You… you're the one with the floating camera, right? The one talking to the air?"
Ray chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I… uh… I'm streaming."
Her eyes lit up. "Streaming? Like… showing people what you do? That's amazing! I want to see more!"
Pixel buzzed like a hype man. "First organic fan detected!"
Ray grinned. "Well, lucky you. We were just wrapping up some prime slime content."
She giggled softly. "Can I… join you? I've never seen someone… so confident before."
Ray blinked. Confident? If only she knew. But he smiled for the camera anyway. "Sure thing. Welcome to the party."
The system chimed.
[New Feature Unlocked: CO-HOST MODE.]
Pixel spun in excitement. "Big upgrade! Engagement metrics through the roof!"
Ray looked at the glowing notification and smirked. "Chat, looks like our show just got a supporting actress."