Cold.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not the gentle kind of cold from an air conditioner, but a biting chill that seeped into my bones and froze my blood, almost stopping the circulation.
I opened my eyes and a suffocating darkness greeted me.
For a moment, I thought I was having a nightmare.
My head throbbed, my vision blurred, and a dull ringing echoed in my ears. I tried to move, but pain shot through my body like lightning.
"…What's going on? Where am I?"
My voice came out hoarse, barely more than a whisper.
Before I could think anything, I felt the ground beneath me—It was rough, stony, uneven and damp.
A faint metallic smell lingered in the air.
Blood.
Ba-Dum!
My heart skipped a beat.
I pushed myself up, ignoring the protest of my muscles, and looked around.
As my eyes got used to the darkness around me, I saw where I was.
It was a large cave, or what was left of one.
Broken stone pillars lay scattered around, covered in moss and cracks. Faint blue light seeped through the walls, illuminating ancient carvings that I couldn't understand.
Right when I was thinking why I was in this place, I heard a sound.
Growl!
A low, animalistic growl filled with intense savagery.
My mind and body froze, but my heartbeats kept speeding up, their sound thundering in my ears.
Ba-Dum! Ba-Dum! Ba-Dum!
Slowly… very slowly… I turned my head.
Two glowing red eyes stared back at me from the darkness.
My breath caught in my throat.
Then a figure stepped forward—It was a beast, no, a monster.
It was the size of a large wolf, but its body was unnaturally twisted. Black fur clung to its skeletal frame, and its jaw stretched too wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth. Thick saliva dripped from its mouth, sizzling as it hit the ground.
'…You've got to be kidding me.'
Ba-Dum! Ba-Dum!
My heart was beating so fast I could feel pain in my chest. I closed my eyes and vehemently shook my head.
This wasn't normal.
None of this was normal.
One moment I had been in my room—scrolling through my phone, half-asleep—and the next…
I was here.
In this damned place.
About to be eaten alive.
However, I didn't have the time to think why I had appeared here, not with this monstrosity staring at me with those terrifying, hungry eyes.
'Think… think…'
Escape? It was impossible.
Not only did my body feel like it had been crushed, making even the normal movements difficult, the only exit was behind this monster.
Fight it? I doubt I could fight it even if I was in perfect condition with a weapon in my hand.
As I was trying to think of a plausible way to remain alive, the beast crouched, muscles tensing.
It was about to pounce.
"Shit!"
The terror welling up in my heart took control of my body. Disregarding the pain, I jumped to my feet, grabbed a broken piece of stone beside me and raised it with shaking hands.
This was it…
I was going to die.
I despaired.
Suddenly…
[System Initializing…]
A mechanical voice echoed in my head.
For a split second, everything froze.
Even the beast.
— —
[Ascension Through Streaming System Activated]
[Binding Host…]
[Binding Complete]
— —
'…What?'
My eyes widened.
Before I could react…
— —
[Stream Starting…]
[Connecting to Audience…]
[Viewers: 1]
— —
A translucent screen appeared in front of me.
Floating.
Glowing.
Impossible to ignore.
— —
[Viewer '???:001' has entered the stream.]
— —
'A streaming system? A stream?'
My mind went blank for a moment, then excitement began welling up within me.
Right then, words flashed on the screen and…
— —
[Welcome to your first broadcast.]
[Survive to continue streaming.]
— —
The world snapped back into motion.
The monster lunged at me.
Ba-Dum!
'MOVE!'
Adrenaline surged through my veins. I threw myself to the side a split second before the hideous creature's claws slammed into the ground where I had been moments ago.
The hard, stony ground shattered.
Dust filled the air.
Swoosh!
I rolled, coughing, barely managing to avoid its second strike.
'I'm going to die… I'm seriously going to die!' I panicked.
I was but an ordinary guy who lived in a peaceful world. How could I keep my nerves in this deadly situation?
— —
[Viewer '???:001' is watching silently.]
— —
"…Watching?"
Rage flickered within me.
Watching?
I was about to get torn apart and this guy was just watching?
"The fuck you are watching? Do something, god damn it!"
I shouted.
In response… nothing happened.
The beast stalked toward me again, its eyes gleaming with savage hunger.
My grip tightened around the stone. Even though it was useless, it was my only support at this moment.
'The system wouldn't just let me die so soon after getting it, right?' I thought, hoping for a miracle.
I desperately needed one.
— —
[Viewer '???:001' has sent a gift.]
— —
A notification flashed and hope flickered in my mind.
— —
[You have received: Minor Strength Boost (10 seconds)]
— —
Power exploded through my body.
My muscles tightened. My vision sharpened, and the pain disappeared.
Growl!
The monster lunged again.
I moved.
This time it was different from the first. I was faster, and stronger.
Also, this time… I didn't dodge. I stepped forward.
The next instant, the stone in my hand came crashing down onto the beast's skull with a powerful and unstoppable force.
Bang!
CRACK!
An audible cracking noise sounded. The monster howled and staggered.
I didn't stop.
Again.
Bang!
And again.
Bang!
And again!
Bang!
Each strike landed harder than the last as I was able to control my strength better and better, until finally…
THUD.
The monster collapsed.
Its skull was smashed into paste.
It was Dead.
…
Silence filled the cave for a moment.
Then, the sound of my rough breathing began echoing.
As my chest rose and fell rapidly, I stared at now lifeless body.
"I… I killed it?" I muttered.
My hands trembled.
Not from fear.
But from something else.
Something rising from deep within.
— —
[Viewer '???:001' has left the stream.]
— —
"…Wait."
The screen flickered.
— —
[Stream Ended]
[Total Viewers: 1]
— —
Everything disappeared.
The cave returned to its quiet, eerie stillness.
But my heart still didn't calm down.
'So, this is what a streaming system is…' I thought.
A viewer had given me power.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind and a slow, excited and anticipatory smile spread across my face.
"...What will happen when there are more viewers? What kinds of powers will they give me?"
—
Far beyond the cave…
Beyond the world…
In a place where countless eyes observed countless streams,
A new channel flickered into existence.
Unnoticed.
For now.
-----
Hello everyone! Author here. I hope you will like this tale. I would really appreciate it if you left your suggestions and thoughts in the comments and voted some Power Stones.
It'll motivate me a lot.
Thank you for giving this story a try! Welcome aboard!