Chapter 64: Broadcast Era (2)

“Can you do it?”

“Mmm…”

Dua, having listened to Albus’s explanation, gently pressed her bent index finger against her lower lip in thought.

“I can try, but I’m not sure if it’ll be exactly what you said, Daddy.”

For the other players to broadcast as Albus desired, the right environment needed to be created. 

This required not only the right conditions but also the participation of broadcasters who would behave accordingly and viewers who would interact with them properly.

However, creating a broadcast with the same chaos as in the chat or the community was not so simple. 

Albus decided to borrow Dua’s divine power.

“It’s okay, Dua. It doesn’t have to be identical.”

It didn’t matter if it changed.

No, in fact, it would be better if it adapted naturally to this world.

Rather than an artificial replica of an Earth broadcast, an appropriately localized, naturally formed version would be more interesting—and more beneficial for future broadcasts.

“Then, shall we give it a try?”

While the viewers’ attention was focused on Rebecca’s broadcast, Albus and Dua began their work.

***

The next day.

Wooahhhhhhhh!

The colossal body of the demon, as large as the imperial capital itself, crumbled to the ground. The golden divine power shone brightly over the site of the collapse.

“As long as the Lord is with me, victory is my only option.”

The sacred marks covering Princess Rebecca’s entire body slowly receded.

Ding!

• You have defeated the boss, Mars Titan.
• Congratulations! You have cleared the roguelike!
• The world, Devil Doom Mars, will now be added to the 7th floor of the Tower of Labyrinth.

Krrrnnng!

The divine power reverberated through the purified world, where all demons had been scorched.

• We knew it, Princess!
• The Lord is great, and His apostle is undefeated!
• Princess! Princess! Princess!
• The coins are doubling!

Even though it was the next day, the viewers still filled the chat window, showing no signs of exhaustion.

It was inevitable—after all, a player who had cleared the roguelike for the first time and conquered two floors simultaneously had appeared.

“Is she truly our king? To conquer the 6th and now the 7th floor…”

The Beast King was in awe.

“She’s become sturdier and stronger… hmm.”

The Sword Emperor wore a satisfied expression.

“Well done, my daughter!”

The Emperor, holding two cheering rods in his hands, was moved to tears.

• The broadcast has ended.

“We did it, my beloved Lord!”

Rebecca raised her hands high and offered praise to her god after the broadcast ended.

The majority of the continent had witnessed Rebecca’s journey to single-handedly conquer the roguelike. 

She had always seemed like an untouchable powerhouse, a figure so far above that even standing behind her seemed impossible.

But through the broadcasts, people had followed her every step.

Though the viewers had merely watched from their seats, they felt as if they had become companions of the princess.

• When is the next broadcast?
• Will our Leighton enforcer broadcast soon?
• I want to try broadcasting too!
• Start the stream again! I’m losing my mind, losing my mind, losing my mind, losing my mind!

The players were already addicted to this thing called broadcasting.

“I expected a good response… but this is beyond my imagination.”

The reactions from the players were far more intense than anticipated.

They craved an adventure like Princess Rebecca’s pilgrimage.

“Guide. If Dua and I proceed with the plan we prepared, what do you think will happen?”

During the one night of Rebecca’s broadcast, Dua and Albus had finished preparing the plan’s execution.

• According to the analysis, if the plan proceeds as the master suggested, taking into account the current state and tendencies of the players, it is expected that more than 50% of the viewers who watched Princess Rebecca’s broadcast will continue to watch.

“More than 50%?”

That meant more than half of the massive number of viewers from Rebecca’s broadcast would stay.

Given that Rebecca’s broadcast had lasted all night and people had continued watching content they were encountering for the first time in real time, this was an exceptionally high figure.

“Good. Execute it.”

Albus was filled with anticipation.

He looked forward to seeing people broadcasting on the stage of the game he had created, and to the rich broadcast content that would emerge from this world.

***

The broadcast has ended.

“……It’s a shame.”

As the screen of Rebecca’s broadcast darkened, the Sword Emperor leaned against a tree.

She was someone who had once sparred with him.

Someone who had learned from him.

Watching the princess, who had continued to grow and was now defeating monstrous beings even he found difficult to handle, was thrilling.

His hand trembled as he embraced his greatsword.

“A roguelike, huh?”

The Sword Emperor had never had much interest in the Tower of Labyrinth. 

It didn’t matter what was sold at the labyrinth store or what hidden classes were offered in Rudera; only the thrill of battle against strong opponents interested him.

And that fierce desire for combat had been satisfied by Princess Rebecca.

He no longer had to madly chase after fights like before.

So after the tournament ended, the Sword Emperor simply relaxed nearby, seeking only rest.

“That rascal of a Tao Emperor… I’m envious.”

To have taken such a raw talent as a disciple.

A supreme student who could learn tenfold from even one lesson.

The Sword Emperor couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

His experience with the princess had stirred within him an interest in teaching others.

“But it’s too late now.”

The princess had already grown too strong—beyond the reach of even a transcendent teacher. 

There was no way he could teach her anything more.

“Is there no one suitable?”

He needed a promising talent, someone with enough skill to be worth teaching, who could one day fight an equal battle with him.

Beep.

It was while he was thinking this that the Sword Emperor noticed something on the broadcast system screen. 

Several broadcast screens had appeared.

“Other players are broadcasting…?”

Albus had forced the players challenging the roguelike in Rudera to start streaming.

Most of the players were so focused on the roguelike world that they hadn’t even realized their broadcasts had begun.

“Hmm…”

Still lingering in the aftermath of Rebecca’s broadcast, the Sword Emperor clicked on one of the streams with a similar atmosphere to the roguelike.

“Hya!”

There, a girl was fighting a skeletal knight, wielding a small sword and slingshot.

The Sword Emperor silently observed the girl’s battle.

“The way she holds the sword, the way she moves… nothing is lacking.”

Though her current skills didn’t seem extraordinary, she showed a lot of potential.

Quite a few viewers who had been watching Rebecca’s stream had also entered this broadcast.

• Can’t even kill that?
• She’s so weak.
• This is boring.
• Going to watch something else.

The chat was filled with disappointment regarding the girl’s fight.

The skeleton knight Zenith was facing was a Death Knight—not a weak monster by any means—but to viewers who had just witnessed the overwhelming strength of Princess Rebecca, it was far from satisfying.

“Tch!”

However, a slip caused the girl to stumble, and she allowed the Death Knight to land an attack. 

A small cut appeared on her arm.

The Sword Emperor, almost instinctively, typed into the chat.

• Hey, that’s not how you do it.

He followed up with advice.

• You lack strength in your lower body. Because you’re weak there, your balance is unstable, and you lose your footing when colliding with the enemy.

“Hiyah!”

But the girl couldn’t see his message.

“It’s not getting through?”

Watching someone with talent failing to use it effectively left the Sword Emperor frustrated.

There had to be a way.

Some way to pass along his advice…

As he scrolled through the broadcast interface, he noticed a new button.

Donation?

Ding!

• [Sword Emperor] donated 10 Labyrinth Coins! Thank you!
• Wrap your legs with mana and push forward.

“……Huh?”

In the midst of her battle with the Death Knight, Zenith saw a donation alert appear before her.

Normally, she would have ignored it due to the ongoing fight, but in a flash, she followed the advice.

She wrapped her legs in mana and pushed forward with her sword.

• Kyaaagh!

The Death Knight staggered and slipped as Zenith’s steady advance forced it back.

Ding!

• [Sword Emperor] donated 10 Labyrinth Coins! Thank you!
• Now! Thrust!

Zenith infused her sword with mana, thrusting it forward into the Death Knight.

Crack!

• You have defeated the Death Knight, loyal servant of the cursed fiend.

“Huff… huff…”

As the golden light filled her body, Zenith took a deep breath.

Advice?

Even in the heat of battle, she realized that someone had been offering her advice.

Ding!

• [Sword Emperor] donated 100 Labyrinth Coins! Thank you!
• Congratulations on your victory.

“Sword Emperor… sir?”

With the alert and name flashing before her, Zenith quickly realized who had been guiding her.

So that’s it! He’s an advisor sent by the GM!

“Thank you, Sword Emperor! Thanks to you, I won!”

‘And thank you, my gracious savior, the GM!’

Zenith bowed deeply to the air.

Though the bow was directed in the wrong direction, the Sword Emperor felt a sense of pride.

A young talent had accepted his advice, won a battle, and offered thanks. Of course, he was proud.

The Sword Emperor, who had never done anything but fight, was beginning to find joy in this new experience. Little by little, he was becoming addicted to personal broadcasts.

And so, the infamous backseat player known as the [Sword Emperor] was born, a scourge of the broadcast world