Han jun pulled the hood of his charcoal-grey sweatshirt tighter, the fabric casting a deep shadow over his face. To the millions of people watching through their glowing phone screens back on Earth, he was a nameless phantom, a digital ghost haunted by the violet light of an alien sun. He knew the importance of anonymity. In the novel, the first pioneers who revealed their identities were either kidnapped by corporations or assassinated by rival factions before they could even reach Level 10. He wasn't about to let his face become a billboard for a government bounty.
"Keep the camera at a thirty-degree angle, Drone 1," Han jun whispered, his voice muffled by the high collar of his hoodie. "I want them to see the scale of the trees, not the sweat on my chin."
The black sphere bobbed in silent agreement, drifting upward to capture the looming majesty of the Skyscraper Forest. The trees here didn't have bark; they were covered in a substance that looked like polished obsidian, with veins of glowing sapphire liquid pulsing beneath the surface like a heartbeat. The canopy was so dense that it blotted out the violet sky, leaving the forest floor bathed in a rhythmic, bioluminescent twilight.
Viewers: 45,201... 60,780!
Chat is moving too fast to read!
SwordGuy: Look at those trees. If we could harvest that wood, we'd solve the energy crisis in a week.
DeepStateReal: Why is he hiding his face? Is he a fugitive? Check the database!
RichieRich: I don't care who he is. I want to see him fight a boss. 10,000 Points if you enter the deep woods!
Han jun checked his HUD. The 5,000 points from the previous donation were burning a hole in his virtual pocket. He knew better than to spend it all on flashy gear. In the forest, the greatest threat wasn't strength; it was the atmosphere itself. The air in the emerald woods was laced with Spore-Mist, a hallucinogenic pollen that turned a person's own memories into lethal weapons.
"You want me to go deeper, RichieRich?" Han jun asked, his voice echoing slightly in the hollow silence of the woods. "The deep woods are where the 'Echo-Dryads' live. They don't just eat your flesh; they mimic the voices of your loved ones to lure you into the thorns. But for ten thousand points? I think I can make an exception."
He opened the System Shop again, his fingers dancing through the air in a blur of motion that the viewers could only see as flickering light.
System Shop: Filter Mask (Common) 200 Points
System Shop: Antidote Vial (Common) 300 Points
System Shop: Passive Skill - Thermal Vision (Rare) 4,000 Points
He hesitated for a second. Thermal Vision was expensive, but in a forest where the predators used active camouflage, it was the only thing that would keep him from losing his head. He tapped the purchase button.
Purchase Successful! 4,500 Points spent.
Integrating Thermal Vision... Warning: Biological strain detected.
A sharp, searing pain stabbed behind his eyes. Han jun gasped, clutching the rim of his hood as his vision flickered and died. For a terrifying heartbeat, he was blind. Then, the world snapped back into focus, but it was transformed. The cool blues and purples of the forest were gone, replaced by a grayscale landscape. Far off to his right, three pulsating orange blobs were moving through the undergrowth.
"Spotted you," he hissed.
He gripped the hilt of his iron sword, the notched blade still stained with the drying purple ichor of the Stalker. He began to move, his boots barely making a sound on the mossy floor. The Agility Boost from earlier was still active, making him feel light, almost weightless.
User 'RichieRich' has donated 10,000 Credits!
System Notification: 10,000 Credits converted to 10,000 System Points!
The chat went wild as the donation alert a golden dragon spiraling around the screen flashed for all to see. Han jun didn't stop to celebrate. The three orange heat signatures were closing in. They weren't wolves. They were bipedal, thin, and moved with a jerky, unnatural grace.
"Echo-Dryads," Han jun whispered to the stream. "Don't be fooled by the heat signatures. They look like wooden statues until they open their mouths."
Suddenly, a voice drifted through the trees. It was soft, feminine, and achingly familiar.
"Han jun? Is that you? It's so dark in here... please, help me."
The audio picked up on the stream, and for a moment, the chat froze. It sounded exactly like a human girl in distress.
Chat: SimpKing: Wait, is there a survivor? Go help her!
ProGamer: It's a trap, you idiots! Did you not hear what he just said?
JusticeWatcher: If he ignores a dying girl for views, I'm unsubscribing.
Han jun ignored the comments. He knew that voice. It was a girl he had gone to middle school with, someone he hadn't thought about in years. The System was digging through his subconscious, feeding the Dryads the perfect bait.
"Nice try," Han jun said, his voice cold. He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a Minor Fireball Scroll he had purchased earlier. "But the girl from that voice moved to Vancouver five years ago. Your intel is outdated."
He unfurled the parchment and channeled a sliver of his intent into the runes. The paper disintegrated into cinders, and a sphere of roiling orange flame condensed in his palm. Using his thermal vision to lock onto the center mass of the nearest heat signature, he hurled the fire.
The fireball streaked through the dark, illuminating the terrifying forms of the Dryads. They were horrific fusions of rotted wood and pale, stretched skin, their faces featureless save for a massive, vertical mouth filled with needle-like teeth.
The fire struck the lead Dryad squarely in the chest. Because they were made of dried, magical wood, the creature didn't just burn; it detonated. A pillar of flame roared upward, lighting up the forest like a torch. The creature let out a high-pitched, distorted scream that sounded like a thousand voices crying out at once.
The other two Dryads hissed, their camouflage breaking as they realized they had been discovered. They leaped from the shadows, their long, branch-like fingers extending into claws.
Han jun didn't retreat. He stepped into the light of the burning monster, his notched sword held in a low guard.
"Twenty thousand viewers," he muttered, checking the count as he parried a wooden claw with a spark-showering clang. "Let's give them a show worth the price of admission."
He spun, the blade whistling through the air, and sliced through the arm of the second Dryad. Instead of blood, a thick, amber sap sprayed out. He didn't wait for it to recover. He kicked the creature in its hollow chest, sending it stumbling back into the flames of its fallen comrade.
The third Dryad circled him, its mouth hanging open as it tried to find a new voice to mimic. It stuttered, its vocal cords clicking, before producing a deep, gravelly tone.
"Die... for the... subscribers..." it croaked.
Han jun paused, a small, dark laugh escaping his lips. "Now that? That's actually a pretty good line."
He lunged forward, his movements a blur of hooded shadow and iron. The forest was no longer a place of mystery; it was his arena. And the world was watching in silence as the nameless streamer began to conquer the unconquerable.