The world outside the tutorial was a graveyard of broken concrete and flickering neon. The sky, once a familiar blue, now pulsed with an eerie violet hue, streaked with the afterimages of falling meteors. Liam Crest exhaled sharply, his breath visible in the sudden chill. The other survivors had already moved ahead, their voices fading into the distance. Only Aria remained, her ice-blue eyes scanning the ruins with practiced wariness.
Liam flexed his fingers, half-expecting his status screen to update—to finally show him as Level 1. But the blue text hovering at the edge of his vision hadn't changed.
[LEVEL: 0]
Aria nudged a piece of rubble with her boot. "You're slowing us down."
"Wow, thanks for the pep talk," Liam muttered, rubbing his temple. The headache from the system glitch hadn't faded. "Any idea why I'm still at zero?"
"No. But I know we're sitting ducks out here." She jerked her chin toward the skeletal remains of a skyscraper. "Monsters don't care about system errors."
Liam opened his mouth to retort when a low, guttural growl echoed from the shadows.
Both of them froze.
Aria's grip on her staff was white-knuckled. "Move. Now."
They broke into a sprint just as the creature lunged. It was a nightmare of sinew and jagged bone—a wolf-like abomination with too many eyes and a maw lined with serrated teeth. Liam's heart pounded as he ducked behind a overturned car, the monster's claws screeching against metal.
Aria twisted mid-stride, her staff extending into a spear. She drove it into the beast's flank, black ichor spraying as it howled. "Liam! Do something!"
Liam scrambled for a weapon, his fingers closing around a broken pipe. He swung—
[SKILL ACTIVATED: CAMERAMAN NEVER DIES.]
The world stuttered.
For a split second, everything froze—the monster mid-leap, Aria's snarl, even the dust hanging in the air. Then, a drone Liam didn't remember owning zipped into view, its lens whirring as it focused on him.
A blue screen flashed:
[STREAM LIVE? Y/N]
"What—?"
The monster's jaws snapped inches from his face.
Liam's body moved before his brain caught up. He vaulted over the car, hitting the ground hard. The drone followed, hovering just above his shoulder. On instinct, he shouted, "Yes!"
[STREAM STARTED.]
[VIEWERS: 12]
The drone's lens gleamed.
And suddenly, Liam understood.
He couldn't die. Not as long as the camera rolled.
The realization hit him like a lightning bolt. He grinned, wild and reckless, and charged the monster.
Aria's shout of warning was drowned out by the creature's roar. Liam dodged its claws, feinting left before driving the pipe into its eye. Black blood gushed, but the beast didn't slow. It swiped, its talons ripping through Liam's jacket—
And passed through him like a ghost.
[IMMORTALITY ACTIVE.]
[STREAM VIEWERS: 15]
Aria's eyes widened. "How—?"
Liam didn't have time to explain. He pivoted, swinging the pipe again. This time, the monster staggered. Aria didn't hesitate—she lunged, her spear piercing its throat. With a final, shuddering gasp, the creature collapsed.
Silence.
Then, a chime.
[STREAM ENDED.]
[REWARDS CALCULATING…]
A small, glowing orb materialized in front of Liam. He caught it, and it dissolved into his skin.
[SKILL ACQUIRED: LUCKY DODGE (D-RANK).]
Aria stared at him. "What the hell was that?"
Liam exhaled, his hands shaking. "I think… I think I just became the world's first immortal streamer."
The sun dipped below the ruins as they found temporary shelter in a hollowed-out convenience store. Aria barricaded the door with a rusted shelf while Liam examined his glitching system.
[CAMERAMAN NEVER DIES: DESCRIPTION]
Effect: User cannot die while actively streaming.
Duration: Until stream ends.
Limitations: If camera is destroyed or stream interrupted, immortality ends.
Aria tossed him a dented can of peaches. "So. You're unkillable. As long as you're entertaining."
Liam cracked the can open with a smirk. "Guess my acting degree's finally paying off."
She didn't laugh. "This isn't a game, Liam. The Astrals are watching."
He knew she was right. But the adrenaline hadn't faded, and the thrill of cheating death was intoxicating. "Then let's give them a show."
Aria's expression darkened. "You're going to get yourself killed."
"Not possible." He tapped the drone. "As long as this thing's on, I'm invincible."
She opened her mouth to argue when the ground trembled. Distant, rhythmic thuds shook the shelves, sending cans clattering to the floor.
Something big was coming.
Aria cursed. "We need to go. Now."
Liam stood, but his system pinged.
[INCOMING MESSAGE: ASTRAL_VIEWER_004]
"Interesting skill, human. Let's test it."
The wall exploded.
A colossal, four-armed monstrosity loomed in the dust, its six eyes locking onto Liam.
[BOSS MONSTER: GORATH THE WORLD-EATER (LEVEL 15)]
Aria grabbed his arm. "Run!"
But Liam didn't move. His fingers hovered over the drone's controls.
"Liam—!"
He hit STREAM.
[WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE.]
The world sharpened. The drone's lens focused.
And Liam Crest, Level 0 Streamer, smiled at the beast.
"Alright, folks. Let's see what this thing's made of."