Ray stared at the glowing interface hovering in front of him. The words [LIVE STREAMING AVAILABLE] blinked in big, bold letters like a neon sign screaming for attention. His fingers itched with excitement. This was it—the moment every streamer lives for—the first live stream in a completely new world.
"Alright, System," Ray muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Let's go live. Time to show this medieval TikTok what real content looks like."
The System's voice chimed in, dripping with sass as usual.[Warning: Streaming consumes Mana. Extended live sessions will require additional Mana regeneration items. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Mana? Bro, I'm running a show, not a wizard school! But yeah, start it."
[Going live in… 3… 2… 1… Smile, Host.]
A bright flash of light surrounded him, and suddenly a tiny floating orb appeared in front of his face, a glowing camera lens pulsating with blue energy. This was Pixel, the little System mascot that had been snarky ever since its introduction.
"Alright, Ray," Pixel chirped, hovering just above eye level. "You're live. Don't embarrass yourself. Oh wait… too late."
Ray rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're cute. Now let me do my thing."
The interface expanded, and for the first time since arriving here, Ray felt… at home. A familiar streaming dashboard popped up—though much more magical than Twitch or YouTube. Instead of numbers, there were floating viewer avatars, each one glowing with a unique aura.
Current Viewers: 1
Ray squinted. One viewer? Seriously? He was in another world, going live for the first time, and he had only ONE viewer?
"Alright, who's the lucky soul watching history in the making?" Ray muttered, waving at the orb.
The lone viewer's avatar pulsed and transformed into a chat bubble. A soft, melodic voice came through.[???: What… is this magic?]
Ray grinned. "Ladies and gentlemen—oh wait, lady—welcome to the FIRST stream ever in this world! Your host, Ray, the legendary Content King from… somewhere far away. Stick around, you're in for a show!"
The chat bubble flickered again.[???: Show? I… don't understand. Are you a bard?]
"A bard?" Ray chuckled. "Oh no, sweetheart, I'm something better. I'm the guy who's going to make this boring world FUN."
Pixel coughed—or at least made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a cough. "Big words for someone with ONE viewer."
Ray ignored him. "System, enable interaction overlay. Let's give our lucky viewer the VIP treatment."
[Overlay activated.]
A glowing panel appeared beside him, showing the username of his mysterious viewer: Lyra_13. Her avatar was a simple glowing silhouette, but Ray could tell from the voice—it was a woman.
"Alright, Lyra," Ray said, putting on his best streamer voice. "You're my first viewer, so you get something special. Wanna see some REAL magic?"
[Lyra_13: …Yes?]
Ray smirked. He had no magic. No spells. No potions. But he had something no one else in this world did—showmanship.
He jumped to his feet, spreading his arms dramatically. "Ladies and gentle… okay, lady… today, I introduce you to the greatest miracle of modern entertainment—content creation!"
He pulled out a small glowing shard from his inventory—the free starter gift the System had given him. It wasn't much, just a weak Light Orb, but Ray had ideas. He tossed it into the air, and it hovered above him like a spotlight. Then, with a grin, he struck a pose.
The light bathed him in a glowing aura. His glasses gleamed. His baggy pants swished dramatically.
Pixel groaned. "What… are you doing?"
"Building an audience, my little floating GoPro. Watch and learn."
He clapped his hands, triggering the Sound Amplifier function from the System. His voice boomed like an announcer in an arena.
"WELCOME to the very FIRST episode of Ray's Reality—where we turn the ordinary into the EXTRAORDINARY!"
The viewer count ticked up. Current Viewers: 3.
Ray froze for a second, then grinned wider. "Oh, we've got company! Welcome, welcome, my lovely people! Hit that… uh… Subscribe Rune? Yeah, smash that!"
The chat started filling with glowing words:
[Lyra_13: What is happening?][MysticHunter: Is this some kind of summoning ritual?][SwordBro: Bro's yelling at nothing. Peak insanity.]
Ray chuckled, adjusting his collar. "Oh, you think this is insanity? My friends, THIS is entertainment."
He activated a simple Fire Spark skill the System had granted for free. Tiny flames danced in the air around him. Combined with the glowing light orb, it looked like a magical concert.
[Lyra_13: This is… amazing.][SwordBro: Yo, this is kinda cool.][MysticHunter: HOW are you doing this without chanting??]
Pixel zipped around, projecting the chat into floating bubbles. "Congrats, Ray. Three viewers. Out of an entire continent."
"Three is the start of a legend," Ray shot back. "Remember this day, Pixel. Today, we planted the seed of STARDOM."
The stream went on for another twenty minutes. Ray cracked jokes, did some goofy dances, even roasted Pixel for content. Slowly, the numbers grew.
Current Viewers: 12.
Then 15. Then 20.
By the time Ray ended the stream, his face hurt from grinning. He collapsed onto the bed in his tiny inn room, sweat dripping down his forehead, but his heart pounding with adrenaline.
"Twenty viewers," he whispered. "In a medieval world with no internet… I just got TWENTY viewers."
Pixel hovered over him. "Yeah, but no donations. No sponsorships. No—"
Ray held up a hand. "Shut up. This is just the beginning. Tomorrow… we go VIRAL."
The System chimed in, as if to confirm his ambition:[Congratulations! First Live Stream Completed! Rewards Unlocked: +100 EXP, +10 Mana, New Feature: Gift System.]
Ray grinned like a madman. "Gift system? Oh hell yes. Tomorrow, we make BANK."
Tomorrow, the world wouldn't just know his name. It would worship it.