Chapter 20: Crossing the Line with Internet Streaming (1)
Whoosh!
The blade, infused with blue mana, gleamed sharply.
It was incomparably keener than the dull kitchen knife I'd used last time.
The slime's sticky body didn't just slide off the edge—it parted smoothly into two clean halves.
No need to aim for the nucleus anymore; my hunting speed accelerated dramatically.
A familiar notification popped up in the corner of my vision, always a welcome sight.
With proper gear, the sewer dungeon was little more than a playground to me.
Name: Seo Eunha
Level: 5
I'd hit level 5 already. An impressive feat in just three hours down here.
No rush to allocate stats yet. I saved the points and kept hunting.
Slice, slash!
The monsters fell in single strokes. No back-and-forth combat meant my stamina held steady.
It had to be thanks to this new gear.
The Libido Skin didn't just boost defense—it perfectly assisted my movements too. Like the suit tightening in sync with my muscles, amplifying my power.
...And the increased exposure helped mana circulation flow smoothly.
The surging mana flowed straight into the Premium Longsword.
Sharper than any kitchen knife by far, and now with superior mana conduction? It was a true masterwork blade.
"Haa, haa…."
Still, three hours of nonstop swinging left me breathless inevitably.
The area was littered with slime and roper remains.
Slimes were one thing, but ropers were gross. Pink bodily fluids oozed from their severed sections.
Even so, I poked through the corpses with my blade tip, just in case.
"No dice, as expected."
Was it too much to hope?
No gold, no money drops.
Slimes would've dissolved any cash inside them long ago anyway.
I'd even butchered the ropers hoping for something in their guts—nothing.
I plopped down on the floor.
"Only 1 million won left…."
What remained after my shopping spree in Paradise earlier.
Big bucks for a normie, but for an awakener? Laughably short.
Repair fees, potions, living expenses—next month's survival looked bleak.
I needed cash. Lots of it.
Sadly, selling monster byproducts wasn't practical.
Slimes and ropers had no valuable parts, and hauling hundreds of corpses solo? Impossible.
Hiring porters was out too.
Almost no one around here thinks straight like me.
Call one, and they'd either backstab me or succumb to hypnosis and jump me.
Plus, the dungeons I knew were mostly villain hideouts.
Parading out with bulk loot? I'd paint a target on my back.
I racked my brain.
Convenience store gig? Nixed. Hourly wage under 10k won—when would that buy decent gear?
Familiar and comfy, sure, but useless for my situation.
I reviewed money-making methods from the game.
"Gambling, prostitution, arena fights. Those netted the most cash."
All nixed, obviously.
No way I'd do that crap in real life, game or not.
"Model or internet streaming might be the most realistic…."
Not your average modeling or broadcasting, of course.
Rooted in an ero-game, it inevitably veered lewd.
Modeling started with magazines, escalated to cosplay, nudes, even orgies unrelated to the job.
Streaming began with chit-chat, slid into exposure and masturbation, culminating in fan sex shows.
Money's temptation and hypnosis gradually ramped up 'Seo Eunha's' depravity. That was the game's hook.
But I won't go that route.
No matter how broke, I wouldn't stoop that low.
That's when it caught my eye.
Idly resting, something sparkled nearby amid slime fluid splatters—a tiny gem-like thing.
"Huh? A Mana Crystal?"
I picked it up.
◈ Pure mana crystal. Mana can be extracted.
◈ High value for sale.
Insight revealed info matching my game knowledge.
A cashable item dropped at low odds from monsters.
No gold, but drops a Mana Crystal?
Monsters carrying cash bundles is weird; crystals forming from mana makes more sense.
But something felt off.
The mana wavelength from this crystal felt eerily familiar.
"...Isn't this my mana?"
I focused, consciously invoking Insight.
The shocking truth emerged.
This wasn't generated by the slime's body.
It formed when my mana reacted with the slime upon bursting.
"No way?"
I formed hypotheses and tested immediately.
First, infused mana into scattered slime remains.
Failure. No reaction.
Tried roper corpses too—same result.
Next, deliberately surged mana strongly while slicing live slimes.
My mana flowed into it just before bursting.
Failure again. Scoured the floor—no crystal.
Probability issue? Repeated several times. Same outcome.
"Ah…!"
Struggling through experiments, sweat dripped from my arm onto slime remains.
"This won't work… Huh?"
Pure mana alone failed; with impurities, obviously a bust—or so I thought.
A sparkle from slime debris.
I picked it up, entranced.
A Mana Crystal.
...My sweat drop created a Mana Crystal?
Trembling, I wiped forehead sweat and checked with Insight.
◈ Someone's bodily fluid containing trace mana.
◈ Trace mana extractable. No sale value.
"……."
I stared dumbfounded at my own sweat drop for a good while.
What the hell?
Do awakeners' sweat always mix with mana?
Nah, then Mana Crystals wouldn't fetch premium prices.
Curious, I parted my lips wide, gathered a drop of saliva.
◈ Someone's bodily fluid containing a small amount of mana.
◈ Small amount of mana extractable.
'No sale value' note gone.
This concentration had economic viability for extraction.
Forced tears next—but I remembered something unchecked.
J-just checking….
Endless slime and roper fights—I couldn't fully dodge their fluids.
Aphrodisiac traces left my body slightly aroused.
Dampness between my thighs was vivid.
Trembling fingers reached cautiously under the suit.
Sticky sensation at my fingertips.
"Ngh…."
Shame of doing the forbidden welled tears in my eyes.
But the result blew that shame away.
◈ Pure mana in liquid form. Mana can be extracted.
◈ Can be condensed into Mana Crystals.
Jackpot.
###
"Wait, hold up. Isn't this kinda useless after all?"
Cold analysis said yes.
A-rank Mana Crystals sold for 1,000 gold—800k won.
Mana Liquid was B-rank, one step down. Condensable into crystals, but one or two drops? Pathetic yield.
To make crystals my main income….
Doing that solo every day? No way.
Not like I was inexperienced, but that was an emergency. Unavoidable.
Doing it purely for cash? No appeal whatsoever.
"Exhaust other options first. If desperate, then reconsider seriously."
Still, uncovering this bombshell was a huge win.
A solid insurance policy now.
Heading out of the sewers, I pondered again.
Modeling or streaming… Streaming's the quickest start.
Modeling needed studios or agencies. No connections? Reckless.
They'd welcome me anywhere, but those spots target bodies like mine.
Streaming? No hassle. Fire up the app at home—done.
Decent pay too.
Because I… no, 'Seo Eunha' was stunning.
In the original, she drew crowds effortlessly. Hundreds of viewers sans stripping.
Beats convenience store wages by miles.
"Flexible hours, anonymous. Perfect for a streamer."
I headed straight home.
Dug out broadcasting gear from deep in the drawer.
Not top-tier, but solid for casual streams.
Sat before the camera in neat academy uniform, face masked. Identity safe.
"Nickname…?"
Can't use real name. Settled on 'Silver'.
Live streaming started.
Heart pounding, I hit broadcast. Title for clicks: [Newbie Awakener Silver Debuts!]
Sat in my chair, waiting for viewers.
1 minute, 5, 30….
"……Why's no one coming?"
Viewer count: stuck at 0.