The First Broadcast

The term "firebug streamer" refers to people who do live broadcasts on the internet, a job where they live off donations from viewers. "Being a streamer sounds like the ultimate gig, right?" A job where you can make a living just by playing games—why did something like this only appear now?! This had to be the perfect job for me. It was clearly a profession the gods had created just for me, the one they'd cast out.

"Alright, time for some preliminary scouting." Research comes first. Broadcasting without any plan would obviously mean no money. I turned on the computer right away and logged into Twitch, the platform most streamers use. I wasn't sure where to start, but to understand what viewers wanted, I entered rooms with over a thousand viewers.

"……!"

The moment I entered, a hundred thousand won donation popped up. Was it really this easy to get that kind of money? 'At this rate, even I could…'

"Thanks for the hundred thousand won! Gallery oppa! Is there any reaction you'd like to see?"

The entire chat was flooded with "terminal." I couldn't help but wonder. 'What the hell is this terminal thing?' The only terminal I knew was a bus terminal. Was there something else?

"Oppa, is terminal okay?"

Another hundred thousand won popped up. I was starting to wonder where all this money was coming from.

"Thanks for the hundred thousand. I'll go change outfits for a bit."

The streamer stepped off camera to change. Perfect timing. I was curious about what "terminal" was too. I needed to figure out why viewers were so obsessed with it. 'If it's useful, I can use it on my own stream.'

The streamer reappeared wearing something revealing as music started playing.

"Alright, time for the terminal dance."

♪♫♩♬ As the music played, the streamer began to dance. She shook her hips toward the camera and flashed a seductive smile at the viewers.

It was shocking.

"…So that's what terminal is?"

I never expected the bus terminal to be expressed like this. Viewers couldn't possibly like something like…

They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loved it. Obsessively so. The chat was completely flooded with "holy crap." I didn't know what it meant, but it clearly wasn't a bad thing.

'If I ever had to do something like that…'

I imagined myself receiving an irresistible amount of money to perform the terminal dance.

"……."

My face automatically twisted into a scowl. It was truly the worst. That was no different from being a whore. Even the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠succubus queen I met in the other world didn't act like that.

'I absolutely cannot become a whore.'

What I'd just seen had to be a mutation. Other streamers wouldn't make money this way. With trembling hands, I moved the mouse and entered a no-cam room this time.

"Honey, you're here?"

"……!"

The moment I entered, it was "Honey, you're here?" This wasn't easy. Was this really what being a streamer meant?

"Awake? Go back to sleep."

She tested my self-control with her sugary voice. How would the viewers react?

They loved it. A lot. Proof was the chat being flooded with "holy crap" just like the previous room.

'No, how do they even endure this?'

Didn't they get secondhand embarrassment? If it were me, I would've snapped and cursed immediately. I left the room before my self-control ran out. I was never entering that room again.

Finally, I entered a gaming stream. If this was also a dead end, I was giving up on streaming entirely.

"Aaaagh!!!"

The streamer named Rona was attempting weapon upgrades. The game was Last Magic, the national game everyone knew.

"I know, I know! But it just won't upgrade no matter what?!"

"……."

I watched Rona upgrade. There was definitely something that drew people in. After that, I entered rooms where people were just gaming regardless of viewer count, and found one common trait. They were all good talkers. That single skill was what gathered viewers.

'To summarize the minimum requirements to become a streamer…'

Talking skills, voice, and charm. After visiting all those streams, these three were the bare minimum needed to succeed as a streamer. I wasn't sure if I had them.

'Talking skills? I have the annoying kind.'

'Voice? I've never even been to a karaoke, so what voice?'

'Charm? I have no idea about that. I was just an outcast in school, staying quiet.'

Once I reached a conclusion, I turned on the game.

"Fine. I'll just do some PK."

People who do things they don't usually do tend to die. There was only one method I could take—become a rice-eater and save fifty million won for living alone. That was the only way.

"Sob sob, why am I the only one who can't…?"

Rona wondered why she was the only one who couldn't reach +23 when everyone else could.

"Anyone who does a victory tick gets banned!"

The viewer who bravely did a victory tick eventually met their end with a ban.

"I already spent four million won on it!"

She got annoyed at the mention of the ring. After losing her ring, she struggled to obtain another endgame item, but it was all useless. She managed to get a near-endgame item, but remembering her old ring made it unsatisfying.

"Ask him to give it back? Would he actually return it?"

"Hacking controversy?"

Hacking? She'd never heard of it before. When did that controversy start? Rona went to the cafe and read the post a viewer had organized for her.

After reading the cafe post, she roughly understood the situation. As a streamer, she couldn't miss this kind of broadcast angle.

"…Should I do an interview with Chokuwang?"

Rona stepped in to convince her viewers.

"No, think about it. If he's not a hacker, how unfair would that be?"

"Then that's the perfect broadcast angle!"

Honestly, she wasn't interested in hacking since it was the game company's problem, but losing her ring was unfair. Since it came to this, she might as well secure a broadcast angle. Luckily, he was logged in right now. Rona opened the map and moved to the center of the controversy.

Chokuwang was fighting five people alone and dominating. If he wasn't hacking, it was impressive. She sent a message as she approached the fight.

"……?"

After checking the message, she looked up at the sky and saw a meteor falling. It was too late to dodge.

She died. As a bonus, she dropped the near-endgame ring she'd barely obtained.

Nearly a month had passed. Since she hadn't been able to save the fifty million won target for living alone due to option rolling, she had no choice but to start streaming.

'I really don't want to turn it on…'

She didn't want to. If she messed up, she might debut as a female cam streamer. She hated that just as much. Anyway, after roughly setting up the camera and microphone she'd ordered, she pressed the broadcast button.

Nickname: Lee Sung-a

Title: First Broadcast

Viewer count: 1

When she started the stream, one person entered the room.

"Ah, yes, hello."

She wasn't sure if greeting like this was correct.

"The thumbnail?"

What was wrong with the thumbnail? She checked her stream on Twitch.

"……."

The camera focus was on her chest because she'd been adjusting the settings. She wasn't a female cam streamer…

Whether because of the thumbnail or not, the viewer count had already exceeded ten.

"Uh, hello."

Everyone had come because of the thumbnail.

This was the first donation from an anonymous user.

"Something I can do?"

She thought carefully. Something she could do…

"I'm really good at hitting targets!"

"Lotto numbers?"

She could tell them, but rather than lotto…

"Wouldn't stocks be better?"

The viewers were busy laughing. But one word among them bothered her. She needed to warn them.

"Please refrain from using the word 'prophet.' That's the first rule of this stream. The moment you call me a prophet, you're banned. I'm better than those incompetent fools."

'Did I say something I shouldn't have?'

The only prophets she'd met were the fakes the church had created to keep her in check.

"Anyway, is that all you're curious about—lotto and stocks?"

Sports toto, overseas stocks, real estate too? She could tell them, but they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanted a lot.

"I'll tell you, so everyone take notes. Don't blame me later if you forget."

After that, she told the viewers the winning lotto numbers, stocks, sports toto, and real estate that would only go up, then turned off the stream in less than thirty minutes.

She didn't know it yet, but the content she'd just shared would cause quite a ripple.