The rest of the day, Aiden basked in his new life.
He sat cross-legged on the straw mat in his hut, chewing a turnip, staring at the glowing HUD like it was the most beautiful girlfriend he'd ever had.
Followers: 77Quest Active: Protect the Village from Goblin Raid.
Seventy-seven! In his old world, if seventy-seven people clicked on one of his videos, the YouTube algorithm buried it faster than a corpse in mafia movies. But here? Seventy-seven meant adoring villagers kneeling to hear him burp wisdom.
"This," he whispered around a mouthful of turnip, "is the golden age of content creation."
He leaned back smugly. "And best part? No competition. No stream snipers. No demonetization. Just me, a medieval village, and a whole lot of gullible peasants."
The door creaked open.
Aiden nearly choked. He scrambled upright, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Outside, a crowd of villagers gathered again, carrying baskets of food, cloth, even a squealing piglet.
Aiden blinked. "Uh… what's all this?"
The old woman from before bowed so low her forehead smacked the dirt. "O Oracle of Likes, we have brought you tributes! Please bless our homes, so the goblins will not steal from us tonight!"
Aiden froze. His system quest glowed at the corner of his vision.
He glanced at the offerings — bread, grain, a half-dozen clay mugs — and his heart skipped. They're handing me food for free again?
A sly grin spread across his face. He cleared his throat, trying to put on his most "wise monk" voice. "Very well. Your tributes… are accepted."
He picked up a clay mug, swished it around like it was holy water, and sprinkled drops onto the piglet's head. The animal squealed, wriggled free, and bolted. The villagers gasped in awe.
"The Oracle's blessing has given the beast freedom!" someone shouted.
"No goblin shall ever taste that pig's flesh!" cried another.
The HUD flickered.
Followers: 83
Aiden bit back laughter. Man, if I'd known acting like a clown worked this well, I'd have joined a circus instead of Twitch.
He strutted into the village square, followers trailing behind like a parade. Chickens scattered, goats bleated, and kids bounced with excitement.
"Oracle!" a farmer cried. "Teach us your sacred movements! How shall we fight the goblins?"
"Yeah!" another chimed in. "What chant should we use to summon your power?"
Aiden blinked. His mind scrambled. Then inspiration hit. He raised both arms. "Alright, everyone. Repeat after me!"
He clapped his hands twice. "CLAP-CLAP means LIKE!"
The villagers clapped.
"CLAP-CLAP-CLAP means SUBSCRIBE!"
They clapped thrice.
"And if you want to COMMENT…" He paused dramatically, smirking. "…just yell whatever nonsense you want!"
"WHEAT IS BETTER THAN BARLEY!" someone screamed.
"MY WIFE SNOR—" another man began, before his spouse smacked him upside the head.
The villagers roared with laughter.
The HUD flickered.
Followers: 101New Milestone: Trending Tab unlocked!
Aiden's jaw nearly hit the ground. One hundred followers! He hadn't seen triple digits in years. The System chimed with a faint ding, and a new icon shimmered into existence.
Curious, he blinked at it. The Trending Tab opened, showing a crude map of the surrounding land. Tiny glowing dots flickered across nearby villages. The dots pulsed faintly, like little hearts beating.
Trending Status: Regional curiosity.Reach: 2 villages.
Aiden nearly squealed. I'm trending. I'm literally trending in medieval Europe!
He turned back to the villagers, beaming. "Well done, my faithful! You have engaged with the Dao of Likes most magnificently!"
The peasants cheered and clapped more. Children stomped their feet like drummers. The goats bleated in rhythm.
It was chaos. Beautiful, algorithm-friendly chaos.
But Darrow the hunter was still there, arms crossed, jaw tight. He shoved through the crowd, his voice booming.
"Enough! Every moment you waste worshipping this clown is a moment the goblins grow bolder! They'll raid soon, and all your clapping won't save you!"
The villagers flinched. A hush fell over the square.
Aiden felt sweat bead down his temple. He couldn't let the hater win. Not now, not when he was finally trending.
He forced a solemn face and pointed dramatically at the sky. "Do you doubt the Algorithm's power?"
Darrow sneered. "I doubt you. You're nothing but a—"
Thunder rumbled again.
The crowd gasped. Lightning split the clouds in the distance.
Darrow's face twitched. "That… that's just weather!"
Aiden smirked. "Weather? No, my child. That is divine engagement."
The villagers burst into applause, clapping in frantic unison.
CLAP-CLAP. CLAP-CLAP-CLAP.
The HUD pinged.
Followers: 118
Aiden nearly collapsed laughing. The weather's my best moderator. Darrow's doomed.
The hunter turned and stormed off, muttering curses.
The crowd surged forward, chanting, "Oracle! Oracle! Protect us from the goblins!"
That night, Aiden lay on his straw mat, staring at the flickering firelight. His stomach was full of bread and roasted turnips, his hands sticky from goat's milk, and his brain buzzing with possibility.
He had clout. He had followers. He had trending status.
But he also had a quest that made his stomach twist. Goblins. Actual monsters.
"Ugh…" He groaned, burying his face in the straw. "Why couldn't it have been something easy, like… protect the village from a paper shortage? Or teach the villagers Fortnite dances?"
He peeked at the HUD again.
Quest: Protect the Village from Goblin Raid.Time Remaining: 6 days.
Six days until goblins showed up. Six days to somehow fake being a hero.
He clenched his fists, heart pounding. "Alright, Aiden. You've survived demonetization. You've survived copyright strikes. You've survived Twitter mobs. Goblins? Goblins are just another type of hater."
He sat up, eyes gleaming with determination and shameless greed. "This is my chance. If I win, I'll gain clout. If I lose… well, maybe reincarnation has a part three."
He lay back down, staring at the ceiling, smirking to himself.
"Either way… tomorrow, we start farming engagement."