A Personal Broadcast for the Gods (2)

[Place your hand on your temple. Then you'll understand.]

I followed Lens's instructions and pressed my hand against my temple. Something astonishing materialized before my eyes.

It was the kind of status window you'd only see in novels. For a second, I thought I was going to faint. A status window… Every guy has imagined something like this at least once. On top of that, I could now see the [skills] of awakened ones that normally required a magic stone to check.

That said… were my stats really this low?

Lens cackled.

[How is it? Humans love this stuff. This is our first flagship content—the growth system. You probably already know how to use it without me explaining, right?]

Of course I did. Only an idiot wouldn't. I could probably raise my stats with points. Not only that, but I could also buy items from the shop using points.

A smile naturally formed on my lips as I thought about it. The fun of growth… I'd always been content watching others grow through broadcasts. But now I had the chance to get stronger myself?

I asked, "Are there any other broadcasters like me around?"

[Sorry, but I can't tell you that. Privacy and all.]

So there were others… Anyway, I already knew of one other broadcaster. The person who told me the story of a nobody who completed the gods' missions and became the strongest in the world. Just as the image of that man reflected in the crystal began to surface again, Lens spoke up.

[Shall I tell you about our second flagship content now?]

"Second?"

Come to think of it, there was something I'd forgotten. I looked up at him.

[That's right. Our other flagship content is the 'Daily Mission.' That's how we respect the different tastes of each Viewer God.]

Daily Mission! It was the message that had appeared the first time I opened my eyes today. That uneasy feeling I'd had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all along was because of this. I brought up the mission window again.

Even looking at it again, the mission content was ridiculously shady. Grab anyone and throw the first punch… I wasn't some lunatic. Lens continued.

[Usually, celestial gods give their broadcasters missions that suit their tastes and watch them complete them. And yesterday, you made a contract with the 'God of Violence.']

"God of Violence?"

[There are many gods in the world, but the one you contracted with belongs to the evil god category, to put it bluntly. The evil god of violence! So from now on, you'll have to carry out violent missions every day. Otherwise, you'll receive a penalty and die.]

After saying that, Lens burst into laughter and added that I could check the Viewer God's information. He said there was something I absolutely had to see about 'Master of Beating.'

Following his words, I checked the <Viewer God List> at the bottom of the status window.

[※Caution: The celestial god, 'Master of Beating,' is a notorious troublemaker viewer.]

[If he gets bored, the required level of violence rises rapidly.]

A notorious troublemaker?

[Be careful not to die from overwork because you can't handle the suddenly increased mission difficulty.]

Now everything clicked into place. So that's why the broadcast host kept doing those excessive-looking missions. Because if you didn't complete the daily mission, you'd die. Damn it. Did that mean I had to clear these crazy missions every day too? At this rate, I'd basically become a criminal. And on top of that, his personality was so nasty that the mission difficulty rose faster than with other gods. There was a real chance I'd end up getting ordered to mug someone by the police later. If I'd known this beforehand, I never would have…!

Knock knock knock.

A knock sounded at that moment. Startled, I turned to Lens, but his expression was calm.

[It's fine. Normal people can't see me.]

Hearing that, I called toward the door. "Yes, come in."

The dorm supervisor opened the door and entered. She really… couldn't see him? She was completely unaware of Lens's presence right next to me.

"Yeonjun. Are you feeling okay? Skipping breakfast means your condition must be…"

"Huh? Ah, I'm fine."

"That's a relief. I was so worried when the police and Si-eun brought you here yesterday after finding you collapsed in the alley."

So that's who brought me to the dorm. Speaking of which… who was Si-eun?

"Anyway, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm glad you're healthy. You should get ready soon since class is about to start."

Checking the time, there were less than thirty minutes left until class.

"Okay. Thank you for your concern."

The dorm supervisor smiled and left the room. After confirming the door was closed, I spoke quietly.

"By the way, is there no way to cancel the broadcast contract?"

[Like it or not, the contract is already complete. Once you start broadcasting, you have to take responsibility until the end. If you cut it off midway, how angry do you think the viewers would be?]

[The celestial god, 'Master of Beating,' agrees with the angel's words.]

At the same time, a narration echoed in my head. Damn it… I squeezed my eyes shut. Anyway, checking my status window stats wasn't the priority right now. There were more urgent matters to handle first… For now, it was time to go to class.

*

"How long are you planning to follow me?"

Lens kept trailing behind me, filming me with the camera on his forehead. The thought of someone constantly chasing and recording me made the back of my head itch unbearably. Lens's camera began to spin.

[I told you, right? I'm just a cameraman. So you'd be better off giving up and accepting it.]

"Tch."

I ignored him and entered the classroom, taking a seat that wasn't too noticeable. Either way, I had to quickly accept that I'd gotten caught up in this ridiculous situation. Otherwise, there was only death. In a way, this was like a death game. And to survive wisely in a death game, understanding the rules quickly was more important than anything. Rather than lamenting why this was happening to me, I needed to solve the problems right in front of me.

I placed my hand on my temple.

[You have unread messages. (3)]

First, let's check the messages that came to me. When I touched it, the first message opened with a ding!

And the second message.

Finally, the third message.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Someone anonymous? I immediately pressed the confirmation button on the third message. I wasn't in a position to be picky about cold or hot rice right now.

At that moment, a thin book plopped onto the desk. Good thing there was no one around… If others had seen it, it would've looked like I'd pulled something out of thin air. A book that gave off the feeling of a thin Koran or Bible. It said it was a book for learning the basics, but the content inside was quite solid. Shop discount dates, types of missions, even the preferences of each celestial god… Huh?

[You need the Advanced Guidebook to view this section.]

Not everything, but most of the content was censored with blocks (▮). So I had to pay points after all. Still, I was grateful for even this much. At least the basic information about the celestial broadcast was properly written. Even the smallest piece of information could be like a lifeline in a crisis situation. There was one person I suspected might have sent this gift, but since I wasn't sure, I didn't think too deeply about it.

"…Hah, seriously."

What? I had to commit violence every day? I let out a cold laugh and clenched my fist. Don't underestimate me. Just because I made a contract with an evil god doesn't mean I plan to become a villain myself.

While I was thinking that, a clear female voice came from somewhere.

"Hey, you're Yeonjun, right?"

I turned my head to the side. There stood a pretty girl I'd never seen before.