The market district buzzed with energy, an energetic mix of stalls and shops squeezed between Sector 2 and the old industrial area.
Hunters bargained over mana crystals, while blacksmiths promised same-day repairs.
A vendor tried to convince Dom to buy a “genuine dragon-scale vest,” which reeked of spray paint and desperation.
He kept moving.
Vince’s buyer waited in a back-alley shop hidden behind a rundown laundromat.
No sign marked the entrance, just a sturdy door and a guy who checked Dom’s ID twice before letting him in.
The buyer looked thin and jittery, sporting alchemist burns on his fingers.
He scanned the Stalker core with a mana-scanner that beeped before he nodded.
“Grade C. Three thousand, as we agreed.”
Dom accepted the cash, clean bills.
“Pleasure doing business.”
“Vince mentioned you might have more cores soon.” The buyer’s eyes darted up.
“You’re the catboy from the video, right?”
Dom pulled his hood lower.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Sure, whatever.” The buyer dropped the subject.
Just as Dom was about to leave, his phone buzzed with a bank notification.
A deposit from Vanguard Operations LLC: $1,200, his pending payout from the troll gate.
Another notification followed closely behind.
A text.
[Miller]: Your payouts have been released as requested.
Vanguard considers this matter closed.
We wish you the best in your future endeavors, though I suspect those endeavors will be short-lived.
The hunter community has a long memory, Dominic.
So do I.
Dom stared at the message.
The threat lay hidden beneath corporate politeness, but it was clear.
Miller wasn’t finished with him; he was just waiting.
He replied: Thanks for the money.
Then, he blocked the number.
His phone buzzed again.
Lucy.
[Lucy]: Stream announcement is up.
I posted it ten minutes ago, and it’s already got twenty thousand reactions.
[Dom]: Twenty thousand?
[Lucy]: The internet is eager to watch you fight Kobolds.
Embrace it.
[Dom]: What’s the strategy?
[Lucy]: I’ll send it to you shortly.
But here’s the quick version: skirmishers swarm, archers hang back, Pyromancer burns everything.
Avoid getting surrounded, shot, or set on fire.
[Dom]: Solid advice.
[Lucy]: I’m here to help.
Also, your glitch just edited the post.
Dom halted.
“It did what?”
[Lucy]: I wrote “Live tonight. Kobold War-Camp. Q&A between fights.” Clean and simple.
Lucy: But it added “NYAABLADE DESCENDS INTO THE DEPTHS” at the end, with a sparkle emoji.
I tried to delete it, but it came back.
[Dom]: It can do that?
[Lucy]: It’s already doing a lot it shouldn’t be able to do, including creating accounts.
Just be glad it’ll probably earn us money.
[Lucy]: So now your brand voice includes sparkle emojis.
Congrats.
Dom rubbed his temples.
[Dom]: Anything else?
[Lucy]: The comments are already wild.
Someone named BussyBlaster9000 wrote an entire paragraph about your ears.
I’m not reading it aloud.
You’re welcome.
[Lucy]: Strategy brief sent.
The raid is still set for tonight.
Good luck.
Dom typed back.
[Dom]: Thanks.
Keep an eye on the stream when I go live.
[Lucy]: Obviously.
Someone needs to moderate the thirst comments.
Dom pocketed his phone.
A couple of hours later, he felt as ready as he could be.
He wore a new dark grey jacket with reinforced threading and a deep hood.
Potions hung from his belt, and blades rested at his hips.
He found a quiet spot in an alley near the Sector 2 trainyards and accessed the golden interface.
“Alright. You said live streaming is available. How does this work?”
[the system will handle all technical aspects!! host simply needs to fight!! the broadcast will begin automatically when host enters the gate!! chat overlay will be visible in host’s peripheral vision!!]
“Chat overlay. In my vision. While I’m fighting?”
[multitasking is a valuable skill!! the system believes in host’s adaptability!!]
“This is going to be a disaster.” Dom sighed deeply.
“This better work.”
[of course it will, as long as you trust the system!!]
The trainyards loomed ahead, with rusted tracks and abandoned freight cars stretching into the shadows.
The rift glowed, a spatial tear bleeding pale yellow light into the night, humming with that low, throaty frequency of an unstable gate.
He stepped through.
The world twisted.
The rift dropped him into a tunnel network that smelled of damp earth and reptile musk.
Crude wooden supports lined the walls, and torches flickered in iron sconces, casting jagged shadows.
Distant war-drums pulsed through the air.
[BROADCAST INITIATED!!]
[streaming live to: TikTok, YouTube, Twitch]
[current viewers: 869… 911… 1084]
The chat overlay appeared at the edge of Dom’s vision.
He was already inside the rift, the pale yellow light of the gate fading behind him as the tunnel stretched into darkness.
The war-drums thumped closer.
He pulled down his hood, letting his ears spring free and twitch in the cool dungeon air.
xXDungeonDaddyXx: THE EARS ARE BACK
GoblinSlayer69: THEY’RE ACTUALLY REAL, I THOUGHT IT WAS CGI
BussyBlaster9000: LOOK AT THEM TWITCH
KravenMoHead34: This is weird.
I’m watching a grown man with cat ears walk into a dungeon.
F2P_And_Proud: @KravenMoHead34 and yet you’re still here
MomsCreditCard: He’s even cuter than the first video, help.
“The ears are an item attached to me, and as far as I know, I can’t remove them.” Dom drew his blades, the steel gleaming in the faint rift light.
“We’ve established this. So moving on.”
PixelSlvt: Moving on??
We have QUESTIONS
F2P_And_Proud: Let him cook.
He drew his blades, the steel catching the faint glow of the rift.
The war-drums grew nearer, maybe two minutes out.
It was time for the part Lucy insisted on.
“Alright, for those just tuning in, I’m NyaaBlade. This is a Kobold War-Camp raid. Grade D gate, and it’s going to collapse in about thirty-five hours, so I’m clearing it tonight.”
CertifiedFloorTank: Straight to business.
Respect.
“You’re going to watch me battle through about thirty-plus Kobolds, try not to die, and probably do the dance at the end since apparently that’s a thing now.” He paused, regretting the next part already.
“If you enjoy the stream, follow the account. If you don’t, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve got lizards to kill.”
PixelSlvt: “I’ve got lizards to kill” is the best opening line I’ve ever heard.
SaltySupp0rt: Bro really said “subscribe or don’t, idc.”
OhNoRatio: Honestly?
Refreshing.
No fake enthusiasm.
StinkyRiftDiver: Wait, is the dance actually a requirement, or is he joking?
BussyBlaster9000: @StinkyRiftDiver it’s real.
We saw it in the first video.
The dance activates something.
“The dance activates my item’s combat skill,” Dom explained, scanning the tunnel ahead.
“Yes, it’s humiliating. No, I don’t want to talk about it.”
SaltySupp0rt: Someone clip this for the wiki.
GoblinSlayer69: Worst trade deal in history, but the results are undeniable.
KravenMoHead34: So the ears aren’t cosmetic.
They’re tied to a locked skill.
That’s actually an interesting mechanic.
F2P_And_Proud: @KravenMoHead34 that’s what makes it content, baby.
[System Notice]
[⭐ Pinned: ActuallyADruid: “Kobold camps usually deploy archers on elevated platforms. Pyromancer boss. Watch for overlapping fields of fire.”]
Dom glanced at the pinned comment.
“Noted.”
The war-drums were a minute out now.
Dom rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight of his blades.
His ears swiveled forward, picking up movement in the dark.
“Opening speech is over. First patrol’s about to hit me. Time to work.”
current viewers: 4,700
CertifiedFloorTank: HERE WE GO
PixelSlvt: LOCK IN
BussyBlaster9000: GO CATBOY GO
Dom moved into the darkness.
The first skirmisher rounded the corner, and the stream truly began.