Chapter 66: Broadcast Era (4)

A hidden layer, inaccessible to those who are not permitted.

“Do we really have to go…?”

A small girl, on the verge of tears, clutched tightly to the edge of Akuyuham’s robe as she asked, her voice trembling.

“…I am sorry, my Mari. But by His grace, we were given this chance to reunite. It is something that cannot be avoided.”

Akuyuham lowered his head.

He had already pledged himself to the GM.

No matter what orders were given, he had to obey. 

After reuniting with Mari thanks to the GM’s mercy, they had been granted time together, but remaining like this forever was not possible.

“The messenger of the GM said that if I work for five days a week, I can rest for the remaining two. And I only need to work for one-third of the day.”

In a world devoid of labor ethics, where the concept of rest for the undead, who never tire, was practically unheard of, Akuyuham felt the endless compassion of the GM.

Even though he had sinned and deserved punishment, the GM had given him Mari.

Though he had offered himself in exchange for saving Mari, the GM did not treat him as a lowly servant. 

He was treated with warmth, almost as if they were family.

“I will return when the sun sets.”

Akuyuham embraced Mari tightly.

“Just wait a little longer. I will return to you.”

“…You better come back soon, you fool Ku.”

***

Rudera Control Room

“Guh…”

With dark circles under his eyes, Leighton shot up from his chair.

“Am I really allowed to leave?”

“Of course, Player Leighton.”

The guide standing before him answered calmly.

“Though, your insolence of rebelling against the master and disrupting the order of the master’s masterpiece, Rudera, warrants eternal punishment, the master has pardoned you for your service.”

“Oh, thank you, GM! I can only bow my head to your overflowing mercy!”

Leighton immediately dropped to the ground, prostrating himself in reverence.

“But this is only a temporary reprieve. You will need to return to work in two days.”

“Of course!”

For just over a week, Leighton had lived like a slave under the guide’s constant harassment. 

Although he had resolved to endure any punishment until his defeat in the battle with the princess, that resolve had been shattered within mere days of working alongside the guide.

Now, he would kiss the feet of anyone, just to escape this hellish place.

Thus, Leighton’s faith in the GM, who had freed him from this horrendous labor, grew stronger, even though it was the same GM who had thrown him into this nightmare.

It was all due to the emotional manipulation, the environment deliberately created by the guide.

“By the way, you have a new colleague to work with. You should greet them before you leave.”

Woong.

Next to the guide, a warp gate opened, and through it stepped a massive skeleton, Akuyuham.

“A lich…?”

“Ah, yes. I am a lich. My name is Akuyuham. I look forward to working with you.”

Akuyuham extended his bony hand.

With a reluctant expression, Leighton shook his hand.

A lich who had ascended to the ranks of a grand wizard through dark magic, and then further evolved into an archlich—a supreme undead far surpassing an ordinary lich.

And now, such a creature was enslaved, just like him?

Well, considering that the guide served under a god, it was only logical that nothing here made sense.

Leighton looked at Akuyuham with pity in his eyes.

He could already see the future where this lich would be ground down by the guide.

***

When Leighton left, Akuyuham took a seat in the work chair prepared by the guide.

“So, what is my task now?”

“As per the master’s orders, Player Akuyuham is responsible for managing the broadcasts and handling emergency situations in the absence of Player Leighton.”

“Broadcasts…?”

Akuyuham blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar term. 

Well, more accurately, the light within his eye sockets flickered.

***

The Demon King’s Chamber

The Demon King lay in bed, scrolling through the broadcasts on the screen before him.

“To think something like this was possible. It never even crossed my mind.”

A system where anyone could access something created by a single player. It was a rare spectacle, unheard of even in mythology.

Of course, broadcasting in reality was impossible, but anything that happened within Rudera could be shown to other players through this system. 

The impact it had on the Demon King was overwhelming.

“To think that photographs, a phenomenon only seen within restricted communities, would ever exist…”

By meeting specific conditions, players could upload screenshots of their in-game activities to the community.

Dragons would post silly images, and players had quickly become accustomed to using this “technology”—though most still couldn’t fully grasp how it worked.

“People who never had the chance to learn can now gain knowledge from others. Information spreads rapidly. The entire continent is being transformed.”

But that wasn’t all. The true driving force behind this broadcast system’s activity?

“Sponsorship…”

The Demon King, while browsing several broadcasts, tested it out by sponsoring a few with Labyrinth Coins.

He watched as a type of buff was bestowed upon the broadcasters.

“It feels like the power of a miracle, akin to the blessing bestowed upon believers by a god.”

Humans were created in the image of gods, and constellations in the image of humans. 

Watching a broadcast, viewers could experience a similar thrill to that of witnessing divine intervention, though in a much weaker form.

As a result, countless players had become obsessed with the broadcasting content.

Not just ordinary people, but even the continent’s strongest figures couldn’t escape the allure of broadcasts.

Take the Dragon Lord, for example.

• “Adorable Elf Girl Trembling in Fear”
• “A Must-See for All Who Inhabit the Continent Before They Die”
• “A Broadcast That Enlightens the Mind Upon Viewing”
• “Wait Just One Day for Laous to Stream Again! Because now he is…”
• “Hoehh! Baby Laous is streaming!”

Recently, he had stopped posting silly pictures and instead started promoting viral content for a particular broadcaster named Laous.

When the moderators tried to ban him, the Dragon Lord went so far as to use his powers as a Guardian and his access to dragon veins to bypass the ban and promote the broadcaster across multiple accounts.

Broadcasting seemed to have captivated even those who once feared the future.

The Demon King smiled.

“GM, just what kind of world are you trying to create?”

Rudera, the Tower of the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth Store, the Duel Tournament, roguelikes, broadcasts—every time the GM introduced something new, it turned the continent on its head. Yet, the Demon King still had no idea what the GM’s true intentions were.

“I can’t wait to see the world you create.”

Filled with excitement and anticipation, the Demon King smiled.

“Ugh… Sponsorship…”

Ding.

• Insufficient funds.

Ding.

• Insufficient funds.

Ding.

• Insufficient funds.

“Ugh?”

Deus, who had been lounging on a massage chair for the past week, blankly watching broadcasts, suddenly rose to her feet.

She had spent all the Labyrinth Coins she had saved, enjoying herself by sponsoring broadcasts. 

Now, her intelligence finally returned as she realized her predicament.

“This… I didn’t think I would use them up so quickly.”

She reflected on how indulgently she had lived over the past week.

“Ahem…! But it was such a strong stimulus.”

Though no one was in the room, her face turned red. 

Even she found her behavior embarrassing.

“Do I need to earn more now?”

Watching broadcasts without sponsorship wasn’t an issue. 

In fact, most people earned Labyrinth Coins simply by accumulating points from watching broadcasts without making any donations.

But Deus needed those coins.

Having grown accustomed to sponsoring streams, she couldn’t bear to go back to watching bland broadcasts without her contributions.

Deus gazed down at the believers who worshipped her.

Though she had told Alia that she didn’t need anything recently, as soon as her coins ran out, she was already considering asking for them again.

Normally, she would have taken the coins collected by the Crusader Guild and the Holy Knights who served her in Rudera.

“…Huh? Why is there nothing here?”

To her surprise, however, there were barely any coins left.

“So, that’s how it is.”

It was only then that Deus recalled Kenyon had left her side.

He had been her vanguard in Rudera, working tirelessly for her.

With him and the Holy Knights who followed him now under the GM’s faith, it was no wonder the Crusader Guild was no longer functioning properly.

Though Deus had yet to realize it, the Pope was also occupied with issues concerning the Holy Maiden, leaving him no time to appoint a successor to the Crusader Guild.

“What do I do now…?”

Deus was deep in thought.

With her coins depleted and no way to earn more, she was in a bind.

If this continued, not only would she be unable to enjoy broadcasts, but she wouldn’t be able to pay for her room in the hotel either. She could be evicted.

Perhaps it was time to ascend the Tower of the Labyrinth herself, using her divine powers.

But interfering in the middle world with her divine powers was forbidden.

Besides, there was no way she could earn enough Labyrinth Coins without using her powers…

As her eyes darted around the room, Deus’s gaze landed on the still-active broadcast screen.

“Broadcasting…”

A way to earn Labyrinth Coins without using divine powers.

“Yes.”

Deus nodded to herself, making up her mind.

Even the weakest of beings could amass a fortune in coins if they ran a successful broadcast.

And she had the advantage of having watched countless mortals from her divine position, so she knew exactly what viewers wanted.

“Alright… let’s see.”

Deus opened the community screen and began searching for instructions on how to start a broadcast.

The goddess who once stood atop the highest position on the continent was now beginning her journey anew, from the very bottom, as a clown.