Let's Do a Debut Stream! (1)

So this is the Tower?

We arrived in the waiting space where climbers linger a moment before stepping onto a floor. The instant we did, a hologram window opened before my eyes.

"Out of the question."

"Why?"

"Do this thing called a broadcast, and thou wilt only wring shameful aegyo out of this body yet again. I will not have it."

"I explained it earlier. We have to join Tower Streaming."

"Surely this is not about that Partner Streamer business?"

"That's exactly it. The hundred Partner Streamers the Tower names every month."

"This Venerable One is plenty strong without any such thing."

"No — the events only Partner Streamers can enter. Do you have any idea how insane the rewards are? Get lucky, and there's stuff that can jump you whole ranks."

"That may be so.... Even so, broadcasting hardly guarantees one becomes a Partner Streamer, does it?"

"I was the one Cheezz officially recognized as number one in viewer count, number one in watch time, and number one in eating one-dollar punches. Partner Streamer? I could take that streaming with my eyes closed."

"Do not boast of being struck by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one-dollar punches."

"Anyway, I'm signing up."

"Wait! Thou wilt wait a moment!"

Dandanso's voice rang desperately through my head. It didn't matter. Control of the body was mine anyway, and she could only take the reins when I allowed it. She couldn't stop me.

"Join Tower Streaming!"

"It shall not be!"

"Yes, it shall."

"Then I beg thee. The aegyo, at least — do not."

"Hmm...."

"Please...."

"I'll think about it."

Teasing Dandanso was fun, but that was enough of it. It was time to actually enter a floor of the Tower.

"Enter Floor 1!"

The scenery swapped in an instant, just as it had when I entered the Tower. I landed halfway up a mountain I didn't recognize, a cave mouth yawning open ahead of me, and a Safe Line drawn across the ground right at my feet. Cross that line, and the clear would begin.

All right. Let's do this.

I took one step and set my foot on the Safe Line. A system message appeared the moment I did.

The sight of that hologram set my heart pounding. For years I had wanted a broadcast this badly, and couldn't have one. Now it finally felt real. I could actually do it again.

"This is real.... I can really broadcast again...."

I stared at the hologram for a long time. Dandanso knew my past. Maybe she could guess how I felt, because this once she didn't change the subject. She simply watched me, quiet. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I looked a while longer, then answered.

"Start the broadcast."

A translucent chat window opened in one corner of my vision. The broadcast title and the viewer count settled into the lower corner, and the live stream began.

And in that instant—

I'd picked up one very strange trait.

"Why hast thou titled the broadcast in such a wretched fashion? Change it at once!"

Dandanso had seen the title I'd set, and she was shrieking in horror.

"What's the problem? It's perfect."

I glanced at the lower corner of my vision, and there it was.

"Then at least remove that bizarre emoticon at the end."

"No! That's the whole point. What are you even saying?"

"It is precisely because thou persist in this that we were saddled with a humiliating trait like Attention Whore!"

"Sheesh.... I saw your memories. You liked getting attention plenty yourself. You sure this trait didn't land on us because of you?"

"Wh-what nonsense is this! This Venerable One enjoys attention, yes — but not to thy extent!"

I was still needling her when the viewers started coming in. Thirty. Eighty. Two hundred. Five hundred. And then, slowly, the chat began to climb.

Even after all this time, they hadn't forgotten me. Seeing the viewers who'd come looking, I remembered the day I went live for the very first time as a VTuber.

Right. That first broadcast, I'd been nervous out of my mind.

All right. We've got a decent crowd. Time to actually start.

"The Supreme Heavenly Demon, This Venerable One, hath returned!"

They still hadn't forgotten me. Something caught in my chest, and the corners of my eyes stung, just a little.

"Everyone.... thank you. For not forgetting me...."

"Really.... really.... thank you...."

It was good to see them after so long, but the touching reunion could end about here. Time to find out who my viewers had been watching while I was gone. Flipping the mood this fast might look wrong, but it wasn't. They hadn't gathered to film a tearjerker, and neither had I. We were here to riff and banter. A real streamer cuts the melodrama at the right height and hikes straight up Mount Maximum Fun — and turning that corner without letting the seam show is the actual craft.

"Did you all get by all right without me?"

"Everyone. Don't lie to me. You watched other broadcasts while I was gone! Who'd you watch? Come on, say it."

These people, and lies that wouldn't fool a child! Back when I ran the watch-history inspection bit, I saw it myself. Every time I went on hiatus, off they scampered to those breathless girl-cams.

"Chat. Be honest with me. I won't get mad. You watched pretty noonas like Miss Chaerin, didn't you?"

"Oh, please, 'a second'! You were in there every single day. Fine. I couldn't stream for a while, so I'll let it slide. From now on, you only watch me."

The mood of the broadcast felt about right. Anyone who meant to show up probably already had. So what was the viewer count?

2,123.

Good. Not the height of the old golden age, but nothing to complain about at this level.

As expected of oldheads dedicated enough to show up even for the comeback stream, they had the timing down cold. Right now was exactly when you flipped the cam on — or fired up the VTuber model. Not that I could fire the model up anymore. The cam was all I had left.

"Do you guys really need the cam? Can't I just stream without it?"

I wanted to toy with them a little longer. One more dodge, though, and chat might actually rupture. The bit ended here.

"All right, then — cam's going on!"

I worked the Tower Streaming system and flipped the camera on, and chat went up in flames.

The chat was rocketing upward at a pace that didn't even compare to a moment ago. And mixed through it — noona. In all the years I'd streamed, I had never once heard them call me that.

"You guys are really only gonna watch my stream now, right?"

"Okay, okay, chat, enough of the simping. Come back down."

Ugh! I said cut it out already!

"Keep that up and I'm turning the cam off."

Only when I threatened to kill the camera did the viewers finally stop thirsting.

"Oh, right! Chat, I Awakened today! Hurry up and congratulate me."

"Just now. The second I Awakened, I came straight into the Tower and turned the stream on."

"I'm the Supreme Heavenly Demon. I don't need things like guides."

I knew that much. Over on Hunter Gallery, the orthodox method was to read the guide before you climbed the Tower. Too late for that. I'd already crossed the Safe Line and started the clear. I could still step back behind it and declare a forfeit — but do that, and the penalty would lock me out of the Tower for a week. In other words, a week of not streaming. And more than anything, the me standing here now couldn't imagine losing to anyone.

The effect was honestly pretty good. Once the viewer count crossed into the thousands, I could feel my stats climbing even if I just stood still.

"Everyone, it's me, Dandanso! When have I ever shown up having done the homework?"

"Everyone, remember that PlanetCraft tournament? Back then you all bullied me. 'You'll never win.' 'You're out in round one.' And how did that turn out? That's right. I won."

We were locked in a battle of wills over whether I would go back and read the guide. That was when it happened.

"Kereuk!"

Goblins came out of the cave. Three with clubs. Two with axes.

The moment the goblins appeared, chat caught fire all over again, screaming at me to run. I appreciated the worry. But I wasn't the old Dandanso anymore — the one who had nothing going for her but stalling the clock on sheer stubbornness.

"Everyone, watch closely."

I set my hand on the hilt of the main sword at my waist, and I called the real Noona Danso.

"Go, Dansomon!"

"Thou shalt not call This Venerable One Dansomon!"

For a while she had sunk below the surface of my mind, swearing she absolutely could not bear to watch this body put on cutesy fanservice. Now the Heavenly Demon Dandanso appeared.