"Sorry, Benjamin!"
"Better you than all of us! We'll remember your sacrifice!"
Plummeting into the lightless abyss, Benjamin thought his life had ended.
Pain exploded through his body. Benjamin coughed, tasting the sharp tang of blood.
He lay on a bed of glowing blue moss, which had thankfully cushioned his fall just enough to prevent instant death.
Still, he was bleeding heavily from several deep cuts on his arms and legs, and his armor was completely shattered.
[Ding!]
Benjamin forced his bruised eyelids open. Hovering just three feet above his face was a silver sphere with a glowing blue camera lens.
It looked exactly like a high-tech camera drone from his old life.
Before he could process the absurdity of a futuristic drone in a fantasy dungeon, a beam of light shot out. It formed a large holographic screen.
A girl materialized on the screen. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with long silver hair, expressive purple eyes, and a pristine white uniform.
[Welcome, Host!]
[Congratulations on surviving the initial trial! You have been successfully selected to bind with the Universal Live Streaming System!]
Benjamin stared, coughing blood. "System? Are you... an angel?" he wheezed.
[I am your dedicated System Assistant, Host! You can call me Lyra,] the girl beamed,
[You are currently bleeding out, which is a bit of a bummer, but don't worry! If you start a broadcast and gather enough energy, you can heal yourself, get stronger, and achieve all your personal goals! Like getting sweet, satisfying revenge on those jerks who dropped you down here as monster bait!]
Benjamin immediately liked the sound of that. Revenge, survival, and finally achieving his dream of rising to the top.
"Okay," Benjamin grunted, weakly clutching his profusely bleeding side. "How does this work?"
[First, we must select your target audience!] Lyra announced with a flourish.
The holographic screen shifted, displaying a long, scrolling list of planets.
They glowed with different brilliant colors, accompanied by strange, alien names like Zorgon-9 and Aquaria Prime.
[Please select a planet to broadcast to,] Lyra explained.
[This will be your primary audience. The third choice, Planet Xylos, is full of people who love brutal combat! The first choice, Mecha-World, loves crafting and technology!]
Benjamin's tired eyes scanned the list. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the fourth option.
Choice 4: Planet Earth.
(Status: Closed - High Population Density Limit Reached)
Earth. His original home, long before he had inexplicably reincarnated in this magical fantasy world years ago.
If he could broadcast to Earth, maybe he could connect with his old roots. He could use his modern sensibilities to entertain them.
"I want the fourth one!" Benjamin said.
Lyra pouted. [Host, you can't read? It says closed! The Universal Broadcasting Authority closed Earth because the population density is too high. You have to pick another—]
Benjamin didn't listen. With a bloodstained finger, he reached up and pressed the locked Earth icon.
A red buzzer sounded.
[Warning: Access Denied.]
Benjamin gritted his teeth and pressed it again, pouring all his willpower, his desperation, and his remaining strength into that single, stubborn touch.
He wasn't going to die here, and he wasn't going to broadcast his life to some random alien bugs. He wanted Earth.
[Ding!]
[Error. Earth access granted!]
Lyra's jaw dropped. [Host! How did you do that?! It actually worked! The connection is established!]
"Start the stream!" Benjamin commanded, letting his arm flop back down onto the glowing blue moss.
The silver camera drone gave a cheerful trill and began to circle him smoothly, automatically tracking his movements and adjusting its focus.
A chat box appeared on the right side of the floating screen. At first, it was completely empty.
Benjamin lay there, bleeding out, surrounded by the stunning, otherworldly beauty of the monster abyss.
This was the world of Elyria, a harsh land brimming with ancient lore. Here, arrogant high elves ruled whispering northern forests, while greedy human kingdoms squabbled over the central plains.
Meanwhile, terrifying goblin tribes, evil spirits, and monstrous races lurked in the uncharted depths.
Magic was a tangible reality, an omnipresent force flowing through the earth. Benjamin knew this world exceptionally well, having spent years studying its secrets to survive.
One hour passed. Benjamin was fading in and out of consciousness. The pain was nearly unbearable.
Suddenly, the chat box blinked to life.
[User 'PizzaLover99' has joined the stream.]
[User 'NoobMaster' has joined the stream.]
Then, more text began to scroll rapidly as the algorithm on Earth somehow pushed his stream.
PizzaLover99: Whoa, what game is this? The graphics are absolutely insane!
NoobMaster: Is this a new VR chat room? Look at that glowing moss!
LonelyOtaku: Wait, why does that guy look so realistic? Is that actual blood on his armor?
SunshineGirl: Omg, the scenery is breathtaking! The crystal lights are gorgeous! Where is this filmed?
Benjamin weakly smiled. They thought it was just a game or a movie set. He couldn't blame them for their ignorance.
Lyra popped back onto the screen, looking absolutely thrilled.
[Host! Host! Wake up! Look at this!] she squealed, excitedly pointing at the top of the interface.
[Because of the stunning nature and high-definition magical environment behind you, we've gained a massive influx of viewers!]
Benjamin squinted his eyes at the glowing numbers.
[Average Viewers]: 1,200
[Subscribers]: 0
[Gifts]: 0
[skills]: None
[rank]: F-Class Streamer
"One thousand two hundred people in just an hour?!" Benjamin mumbled in disbelief.
[Yes!] Lyra cheered, doing a little dance.
[In this system, every single like, every comment, and every donation from your viewers turns into System Energy! You can use this System Energy to buy healing potions, unlock powerful magic skills, and upgrade your stats. If you get some gifts, you can buy a health potion immediately and stop bleeding!]
Benjamin understood instantly. It was a simple transaction of entertainment for survival. He had to use his deep knowledge of Elyria's lore, its hidden secrets, and its dangerous monsters to captivate his audience.
He forced himself to sit up slightly, wincing as a fresh wave of blinding agony washed over him. He looked directly into the floating camera lens, establishing a connection with the people watching him from light-years away.
"Hello, Earth," Benjamin said, "This isn't a video game. My name is Benjamin. What you are seeing is real blood, and a real, dangerous magical world called Elyria."
The chat exploded with activity.
PizzaLover99: I respect the dedication to the roleplay.
SunshineGirl: It looks so painfully real! I'm giving a like! Hang in there!
RichKid99: Nice acting and special effects. Here, have a gift to keep the show going.
[Ding!]
[Host has received 150 Likes. Converted to 15 Energy Points.]
[User 'RichKid99' has gifted 1x Virtual Sparkler! Converted to 50 Energy Points.]
[Keep going, Host!] Lyra encouraged, clapping her hands enthusiastically.
[You have 65 Energy Points! You can buy a Minor Healing Potion right now!]
Before Benjamin could navigate the system shop to buy the potion, a loud rustling sound came from the dense, glowing thicket of blue moss nearby.
The camera automatically panned over, zooming in smoothly to capture the action.
A figure cautiously emerged from the deep shadows.
It was an old caretaker of the dungeon's lower levels... a half-elf with long, pointed, twitching ears, wearing tattered burlap robes and carrying a lantern.
The old half-elf had been maintaining the moss farms down here for decades, living a quiet life completely isolated from the violent, bloody upper floors of the dungeon.
The caretaker stopped dead in his tracks. His wide, glowing amber eyes locked onto Benjamin's mangled, bleeding body.
The old man took in the horrific sight of the shattered iron armor, the massive pool of dark red blood staining his precious, carefully cultivated blue moss, and the bizarre, floating silver orb humming in the air.
For a second, nobody moved. The chat went absolutely wild, marveling at the incredibly realistic character design of the old half-elf's wrinkled, expressive face and his lifelike pointed ears.
"Oh, merciful gods of the whispering forest!" the old caretaker shrieked.
"A human! A dying human in my pristine moss garden! The Abyss Crawler will smell the fresh blood! We are all going to be eaten alive!"
Without waiting for a single word of explanation, or even attempting to offer any help to the injured youth, the panicked caretaker turned on his worn-out heels.
He began sprinting away as fast as his frail, knobby legs could carry him, screaming into the pitch-black darkness of the cavern.
"Help! Somebody help me! Get the dungeon master! We have a bleeder! We're doomed!"
Benjamin sighed deeply, slumping back down onto the soft moss as the camera perfectly tracked the fleeing old man.
He looked at the chat, which was now spamming laughing emojis.