Jason pulled away from the shimmering lake, the invigorating magic still tingling on his skin. Stella, her purple eyes alight with newfound purpose, had started to sketch out ideas for fortifying the cavern, her inky hands already reaching for a discarded piece of slate. The adrenaline from the crypt, the ghoulish humans, and the demon's attack was finally starting to ebb, replaced by a deep exhaustion. His HP and Stamina bars were still full from their time in the lake, but his Spirit (SP), though recovered, had taken a hit from the repeated purification and the healing touch to Cynthia.
"I think I need a quick break," Jason announced, rubbing his temples. "My head's buzzing. I need to... process all this."
Stella looked up, understanding in her eyes. "Of course. Rest, Hunter. This place isn't going anywhere. We'll be here."
He nodded, making his way to a secluded spot near the cavern entrance. His real-world instincts kicked in. After that kind of intense gaming session, a break was crucial. He activated the game menu, his fingers moving swiftly through the familiar interface. A quick glance at the clock showed he'd been in-game for several hours. He selected the "Log Out" option, the world of Progenitor Online fading to black around him.
The VR capsule hissed, the cool air of his room washing over him as the top slowly retracted. Jason blinked, the transition from the ethereal glow of the River of Life to the familiar hum of his monitor a stark shift. He pulled off the headset and stared at his screen.
His SlipStream dashboard was an unholy explosion of notifications. The viewer count, frozen at the moment he logged out, read 2,147,890 current live viewers. His jaw dropped. Two million. He wasn't just trending; he was the entire trend.
Donation alerts scrolled relentlessly across the screen, a waterfall of sound and light. Names flashed by, accompanied by mind-boggling sums.
AlphaOmegaPrime: "$5,000! WHAT WAS THAT HUNTER'S MARK!? Absolute legend! Cleanse that darkness, K1NG!"TheRealKhalancy: "$1,000! Dude, I saw that parry! Insane! Beta tester powers are NO JOKE. Keep it up, K1NG!"Ethan_underwood2332: "$500! Bro, you're a god! Cynthia is forsure talking about you all over Eden! Tell me EVERYTHING later!"Shadow_Spectre: "$2,500! The First Hunter lives up to the hype! That purification ritual was chef's kiss."Anonymous (x100s): Countless smaller donations, each accompanied by excited messages.
The chat feed was a torrent, impossible to read more than a few lines at a time. Emotes, all-caps exclamations, and endless questions about his abilities, the demon, and the "purple-eyed witch".
Jason stared, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected this. Not like this. His heart hammered in his chest, a mix of elation and slight panic. This was it. This was the moment his parents had talked about, the "big changes." This was more than just gaining a following; he was a phenomenon.
He took a deep breath, collected himself, and then leaned into the microphone. "Hey, everyone," he began, his voice a little shaky at first, but quickly finding its stride. "Wow. Uh... wow." A wave of new donation alerts crashed across the screen, acknowledging his presence.
"Okay, okay," he chuckled, "I see you, chat. That... that was a lot. Even for me. First off, thank you, seriously, thank you all for tuning in, and especially for the insane support." He paused, letting the sheer volume of donations sink in, the numbers multiplying faster than he could track. "And yeah, that was Progenitor Online. It's... it's everything they promised, and then some."
He saw questions about the demon and Stella. "As for what happened in there... let's just say Eden has a big problem, and I might have found someone to help fix it. The 'purple-eyed witch' is... she's something else. And the demon? Yeah, that thing's a real piece of work. This game isn't pulling any punches."
Jason glanced at the notification from "TheRealKhalancy." He gave a small, genuine smile. "And a shoutout to Khalancy – yeah, dude, the beta is wild! Thanks for the inspiration to stream. You just gave me an idea..."
He picked up his white mask, the one with the blue lightning bolt, and placed it on his desk, letting the stream focus on it for a moment. "I told you guys I'd try to become the best, the #1. And it looks like we're off to a pretty good start. I'm going to take a short break, grab some actual food – Alfonzo, you're the best! - and then I'm diving back in. I want to see what else this world has to throw at Jason Blood. And you all get a front-row seat."
He ended the stream, the flood of donations and chat messages instantly ceasing, leaving him in the stunned quiet of his room. Two million viewers. The assimilation process, the real consequences, suddenly felt much closer, much more tangible. This wasn't just a game anymore. This was his new reality.