The classroom featured tall marble pillars and bright crystal chandeliers that illuminated every polished surface. Around seven hundred students filled the terraced seating. Dozens of classmates turned their heads and waved at Solomon as he walked down the aisle. He kept his face completely blank and ignored their attempts to catch his eye.
He found an empty seat near the front and sat down.
A man in a wrinkled suit walked to the front of the room and clapped his hands together. Hundreds of thick, leather-bound books suddenly materialized near the ceiling and dropped perfectly onto every student's desk.
Solomon looked at the gold lettering on the cover. It read Rules of the Live Streaming Academy.
"You will spend the next seven days reading this entire book," the professor said, leaning against his wooden desk. "You must understand every single rule and regulation to avoid making fatal mistakes. After the seventh day, you will receive your drones and officially start your first mission."
The professor held up three fingers. "You will get three options for your starting mission. You can travel to the ruined kingdom of Eden, enter a martial arts world, or return to the outside world, strictly for missions. Keep in mind that you have a strict quota to meet. Thirty days after you get your drones, which is exactly thirty-seven days from right now, you are required to have either fifty thousand points or one thousand followers. Anyone who fails will face immediate expulsion."
Students jumped from their seats and yelled over each other. They pointed at the professor and demanded an explanation for the massive monthly requirements.
The professor raised his voice over the noise. "This academy does not run on charity. We automatically deduct thirty percent of your total earnings as a mandatory service fee. Keep quiet and start reading."
The man pulled a sleeping mask from his pocket, slipped it over his eyes, and laid his head down on his desk.
The white-haired princess from the courtyard stood up from the front row. She slammed her hand against her desk.
"Are you going to actually teach us?" she demanded.
The professor lifted the edge of his mask. "If you need an instructor to teach you how to read simple rules, you should pack your bags and get expelled right now."
He pulled the mask back down and started snoring loudly.
Solomon opened the thick cover and scanned the first page.
The first rule clearly stated that every single item, reward, and piece of information earned during a mission belonged entirely to the academy. The institution possessed the sole authority and license over all discoveries. If a third party attempted to use any acquired secrets without official permission, they would face severe legal action.
He turned the page. The second rule detailed a complicated revenue-sharing system between the streamer and the academy sponsors.
Solomon closed the book and tapped his fingers against the polished desk. 'I cannot waste seven entire days reading a book about rules,' he thought. 'If I start my live stream right now and accept a mission immediately, I will get a seven-day head start to accumulate those fifty thousand points.'
He pushed his chair back and stood up. He grabbed the thick rulebook from his desk and marched straight down the steps toward the sleeping professor. He raised the book high and slapped it flat against the wooden table.
A loud smack echoed through the magical classroom. The snoring instantly stopped, and all seven hundred students gasped and stared at the front of the room.
The professor lifted his sleeping mask and rubbed his eyes. "My, what a polite alarm clock," he muttered.
"I would like to have my drone right now," Solomon said.
The professor stared at him for a long moment. He raised his hand and pointed a finger directly at the wooden door. The surrounding students leaned forward in their seats, fully expecting the professor to punish the boy and kick him out of the room.
"Go down the hall, take a left at the silver statue, and enter the Requisition Room," the professor said. He pulled the mask back over his eyes and went completely still.
Solomon turned his back on the whispering students and walked out the door. He followed the directions easily. Bright signs and wooden boards hung from the hallway ceilings, pointing the way to various facilities. He soon pushed open the heavy iron door of the Requisition Room.
An old, chubby lady sat behind a massive wooden counter. She clacked away on a vintage typewriter.
Solomon approached the desk. "I am here to get my streaming drone."
The woman stopped typing and peered over her spectacles. "First-years get their devices after seven days."
"I want it right now," Solomon said. "Unless there is a specific rule in the book that says I cannot claim it early."
She stared at him for a long moment. She stood up, opened a large metal drawer behind her, and pulled out a neatly folded set of clothes along with a basic iron sword. She placed the items on the counter and pointed toward the corner of the room.
"Every student must wear their official uniform before activating the device," she said. "The changing booths are right over there."
Solomon picked up the pile and walked over to the row of wooden stalls lining the wall. He stepped inside and quickly swapped his somewhat damp, salty clothes for the dark, durable combat uniform. A silver badge bearing the academy emblem sat perfectly over his left chest.
He strapped the leather belt around his waist, secured the scabbard, and stepped back out into the main room.
He returned to the desk, fully dressed for an adventure. The woman reached under the counter and pulled out a small, metallic creature. It looked like a mechanical owl with bronze feathers and a single large crystal eye in the center of its head. She placed the sleeping device right in front of him.
"Once you activate this, you can never turn it off," she warned. "You should think carefully before you wake it up."
Solomon pressed his thumb against the crystal eye without wasting a single second. The metallic owl chirped, flapped its bronze wings, and floated into the air. A transparent blue screen immediately projected from its eye and hovered in front of Solomon's face.
[Please Enter Your Live Stream Name]
He stared at the blinking cursor. He possessed terrible naming skills, having named his childhood dog Barbaros. Fortunately, a small auto-select button sat at the bottom of the screen. He tapped the glowing icon.
[The Chosen One]
He looked at the grand title for a second and hit the refresh icon. The text shifted instantly.
[The Glorious One]
Solomon tapped the refresh button again.
[The Benevolent]
Several more clicks brought up similar types of names. Solomon glanced at the old lady. She had already resumed hitting the keys on her typewriter.
"How exactly does this auto-naming work?" Solomon asked.
"It depends on the kind of person you are, or the kind of person you will eventually become," she replied, keeping her eyes entirely glued to the paper.
Solomon looked back at the floating blue screen and pressed the refresh button one more time. The glowing text formed a single word.
[Conqueror]
He tapped the empty text box to clear the suggestion. He quickly decided he better just name himself before the machine picked something completely ridiculous.
Solomon tapped the floating keyboard for a few seconds. He eventually typed out a simple streamer name.
[Solo Man]
He genuinely disliked the name. But it was simply the best option he could come up with on the spot. It sounded almost exactly like his real name, and the system seemed to have accepted it without triggering any errors or warnings.
He pressed the confirm button.
A transparent chat box instantly opened up on the right side of his vision. The screen started completely empty. A small viewer counter at the top corner displayed a zero. A second later, the number ticked up to one. Then it climbed to two, and quickly jumped to seven. Comments began scrolling up the translucent screen.
[User99: fresh meat]
[BoredViewer: another newbie.]
[KingSlayer: nice generic sword buddy]
[User12: hello]
Solomon turned away from the old lady's desk and walked toward the back of the room. Three glowing portals stood against the stone wall. Small wooden boards rested beside each archway, displaying information about the specific destinations.
The first board detailed the Outside World. The exact arrival location depended entirely on the specific mission a streamer chose to accept from the system or their viewers.
The second archway led to the Ruined Kingdom of Eden. The information plaque explained that a massive holy war between angels and a heretic kingdom had completely destroyed the realm. The area offered high risks and high rewards, and the ruins were supposedly filled with lost treasures.
The third portal connected to the Martial World. Entering this portal also required accepting a specific mission beforehand.
[ Note - Once you have entered a world, you can't choose the same world again for the next 30 days. ]
Solomon crossed his arms and considered his options. Both the Outside World and the Martial World forced him to complete a given task. He currently had absolutely no idea how to use his SSS-rank talent, meaning he had to rely entirely on his basic physical abilities and skills and his new iron sword. Failing a strict mission right out of the gate would ruin his ranking.
The Ruined Kingdom of Eden made the most sense. He could explore the area freely without a forced objective, find hidden treasures, and sell them directly to the academy shop for points.
He looked up at the hovering bronze owl and cleared his throat. "I will now choose which world to enter."
The chat immediately reacted to his voice.
[BoredViewer: go to the martial world.]
[KingSlayer: yeah pick martial world or I am leaving.]
[User99: martial world is bloodier, go there.]
Solomon ignored their demands and tapped the screen floating beside the second portal. He selected the Ruined Kingdom of Eden. A new menu popped up, displaying a long list of specific locations. Most of the areas appeared grayed out and locked since his streamer rank was currently an F.
He only had two accessible options.
The first option was the Labyrinth. The description warned about hidden traps and ever-changing maze paths. It featured a low chance of monster spawns and held scattered treasures.
The second option was the Dungeon. It promised large amounts of treasure and guaranteed loot drops. But it also contained a much higher number of aggressive and powerful monsters.
"I will select the Labyrinth in the Ruined Kingdom of Eden," Solomon announced to the drone.
The viewer counter at the top of the screen immediately dropped from seven down to four.
[KingSlayer left the stream.]
[User99 left the stream.]
[BoredViewer left the stream.]
[User12: whatever, I am just here to pass time.]
[LazyCat: same]
Solomon gripped the handle of his iron sword. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and walked straight through the glowing portal.