The gentle burble of the river outside was a stark contrast to the digital carnage unfolding on screen three. On screen one, my face, framed by noise-canceling headphones, grinned maniacally. On screen two, the chat log scrolled at ludicrous speed, a waterfall of emojis, memes, and barely coherent hype. Another successful run—gotta love finding the cracks the devs missed. All systems are just puzzles waiting to be solved, whether they're code or… something else.
"Alright, chat, you seein' this?" I leaned into the mic, my voice a conspiratorial whisper that still carried the energy of the thousands watching. "Old Man Hemlock, final boss of Aetherium III: The Reforging, supposedly 'unkillable' without the full 'Sunken City' raid set. Devs spent six months patching this guy." I tapped a key, and my ridiculously under-geared character, 'Glitchfinder,' slid between two telegraphed AoE attacks with pixel-perfect precision. Timing window: 0.2 seconds—piece of cake. "But they forgot about the animation cancel on the [Lesser Potion of Mending] combined with the server tick rate during his 'Rage' phase." Classic oversight. They always focus on the big spells, never the consumables.
Another key tap. Glitchfinder chugged a potion he shouldn't have been able to, instantly resetting his main attack cooldown. A flurry of blows landed on Hemlock's ankle – the only hit point register still active during the glitched animation. The boss's health bar, previously an imposing fortress of red, vanished. Loot exploded across the screen.
[Glitchfinder has achieved WORLD FIRST KILL: Old Man Hemlock!]
The chat erupted.
"BOOM!" I threw my hands up. "That's how we do it! Power to the players, chat! Never let the devs tell you 'impossible'!" And watch the tutorial drop tomorrow so everyone can farm this clown.
Donation alerts started popping off like popcorn. The text-to-speech bot, 'Domo,' began its robotic monotone chant.
[StreamFan_42 donated $5!] "Poggers!"
[HemlockHater donated $10!] "Showed him!"
[NoobHelper donated $20!] "Thanks for the guides, Glitch! You rock!"
I grinned, launching into my usual thank-you spiel, mentally calculating how much of this would go to the children's gaming charity I supported. Helping kids get into games, seeing them find that spark—that was the real endgame. The exploits were just the fun part, the puzzle. Seeing a million average players take down a boss designed for the 1%? That was chef's kiss. My little way of breaking the system, one game at a time.
Then it happened.
The alert was different. Bigger. The sound effect glitched, a weird chime mixed with static. The dollar amount was… nonsensical.
[Terra_Core_Admin donated $10,000,000.01!]
The chat froze. Even Domo seemed to hesitate before reading the message, its voice oddly inflected. Okay, that's not just a typo. Ten mil and a penny? Weirdly specific. Attention grab? Hack?
::Greetings, [User: Glitchfinder].
::Query: Are you the entity designated 'expert' in System exploitation and 'noob' assistance? Affirmative/Negative?::
I blinked. Screen two was now just question marks. My mods were probably scrambling, thinking it was a hack. "Uh… Domo, my dude, you feeling okay?" I stalled, playing it cool for the stream. "Chat, you seeing this? Ten mil? Must be Monopoly money." I chuckled, but a weird prickle ran down my spine. The username… Terra_Core_Admin. Sounded like some kind of deep-web sysadmin joke, but the message formatting… it felt too clean, too structured. The double colons felt… deliberate.
Domo continued, ignoring me, its voice oddly flat now. "Processing… User profile indicates high proficiency in 'exploit hunting,' 'speedrunning,' and 'tutorial creation for low-skill users.' Designation confirmed. Initiating [World Master] protocol." It… scanned me? How? World Master protocol? What the hell?
"Whoa, hold up," I said, laughing nervously, trying to keep the mounting unease out of my voice. "World Master? Is this some new ARG? Indie game promo? Chat, anyone know what Terra_Core is?"
Screen two remained baffled. This wasn't a known game. Definitely not a game promo then. ARG getting way too real.
::Negative. This is not an Alternate Reality Game.
::Threat Assessment: Imminent.
::System Designation: [Terra].
::Status: Planetary Core Awakening.
::Current Objective: Mass User Integration ('Awakening') via optimized network protocol ('Internet').
::Obstacle: Incoming hostile entities ('Invaders').
::Requirement: [World Master] needed to administer System, identify exploits, and coordinate defense.
::You have been selected based on skill profile compatibility.
::Accept [World Master] role? Y/N.
::Secure [Nexus] translocation protocol initiated upon acceptance.
::Recommend immediate acceptance.
::Probability of planetary survival without [World Master] intervention: 0.03%.::
My blood ran cold. Planetary Core Awakening? Invaders? 0.03% survival? This wasn't a prank. The tone wasn't right. It was too specific, too… alien. Translocation protocol? Nexus?
"Okayyy," I said slowly, keeping my voice light for the stream, though my heart was hammering. "This is… really well done. Props to whoever set this up. You got me. Hook, line, and sinker." My eyes darted around my room, half-expecting reality to glitch. Nexus translocation? My deep-seated survival instinct, honed by years of finding the safest, most broken paths through games, screamed DANGER but also… OPPORTUNITY. If this was real, accepting might be the only safe move. That 0.03% felt chillingly precise.
"Alright chat," I announced, forcing a grin, my voice tight. "This ARG, or whatever it is, just got serious. Says accepting makes me 'World Master' and 'translocates' me somewhere called the 'Nexus' for safety. Sounds legit, right?" I laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "For you guys? For the content? I'll hit 'Yes'. If I disappear, someone clip it."
Mentally, focusing with an intensity I didn't know I possessed, I focused on the 'Y' in the Y/N prompt hanging in my vision. Yes.
The world dissolved. Not in a fade, but an implosion. The river view, my monitors, my desk – everything warped inwards towards me like reality was being sucked into a singularity centered on my chair. There was a sickening lurch, a feeling of infinite compression, and then… silence. Utter, profound silence, punctuated only by the frantic thumping of my own heart.
I gasped, drawing in air that felt clean, sterile, almost too perfect. I found myself standing in a void. Not darkness, but an endless expanse of pearlescent, shifting grey light. There was no floor, yet I stood firm. No walls, yet the space felt contained. No sound, save for my own ragged breathing. My headphones were gone. My clothes – thankfully – were the same simple t-shirt and sweats I'd been wearing. My streaming setup, my comfortable chair, my entire life moments ago – vanished. My house… the river… A pang of loss, sharp and unexpected, hit me before the sheer weirdness of the situation slammed back down. Yet, unsettlingly, I knew the stream was still live, the connection somehow maintained, a silent audience witnessing my arrival in nowhere. Panic began to claw at the edges of my mind.
[SYNCHRONIZATION ACCEPTED. WELCOME, WORLD MASTER.]
The blue box flared into existence before me, crisp and impossibly solid against the shifting grey. The sheer, undeniable reality of it cut through the rising panic, replaced by a different kind of shock.
[Translocation to Terra-Core Nexus: Successful.]
[System Interface Initialized. Mana Field Activation: Pending.]
[Unique Role Awakened: World Master (Terra)]
[Passive Skills Awakened: [Viewer's Tithe], [Collective Insight]]
[Active Skills Awakened: [Admin Privileges], [Nexus Recall]]
Okay. Definitely not an ARG. The words hung there, stark and absolute. I stared, rereading them. World Master. Passive Skills. Active Skills. My brain, honed by years of dissecting game mechanics, kicked into overdrive, shoving the existential terror aside for a moment.
Let's see the damage…
CHARACTER STATUS
Name: Leo Karter
Level: 1 (Tier 1)
Role: World Master (Terra)
HP: 93/93
MP: 0/135 [Mana Field Pending]
Stamina: 105/105
STATS (Tier 1)
Strength (STR): 8
Agility (AGI): 11
Health (HEA): 9
Mana (MANA): 14
SKILLS
Passive:
- [Viewer's Tithe (Unique)]
- [Collective Insight (Unique)]
Active:
- [Admin Privileges (Unique)]
- [Nexus Recall (Unique, 24h Cooldown)]
*Resource Pool Calculations:*
*HP = (HEA * 8) + (STR * 2) + (Level * 5)*
*MP = (MANA * 8) + (HEA * 2) + (Level * 5)*
*Stamina = (HEA * 5) + (AGI * 5) + (Level * 5)*
Right, analyze. Nexus translocation – safety confirmed. System Interface – standard LitRPG fare. Mana Field Pending – energy source offline, MP zeroed out. Critical. World Master – still sounds like a burden.
Passives: [Viewer's Tithe]… linked to stream viewers? Percent of viewer XP? Potentially infinite scaling. Useless until Mass Awakening and Mana Field active. [Collective Insight]… shared knowledge/skills from viewers? Needs testing, massive potential research advantage. Also useless until Mass Awakening.
Actives: [Admin Privileges]… The core. This has to be the exploit engine. Dev tools? Source code access? Need to probe its functions immediately. [Nexus Recall]… Panic button back here. 24h cooldown? Okay, use sparingly. Still vital.
Stats… average human, maybe slightly above average AGI/MANA from the gaming? STR/HEA look baseline. No obvious strengths.
Conclusion: Zero combat ability. Zero active magic. Just potential, two passives waiting for users, and one escape hatch. It's a rough start, no doubt. But the [Nexus]… having a guaranteed safe zone? That's a huge advantage. Confidence boosted slightly. Manageable.
The now-familiar blended voice echoed in the void, sounding smug.
::Translocation complete.
::Environmental parameters nominal.
::Bodily integrity maintained.
::Told you it was real.
::Initiate Mass Awakening Protocol?::
"Hold on!" I stammered, forcing my analytical brain back in control, pushing down the awe and the fear. "Just… hold on. Where exactly am I? What is this place? Define 'Nexus'." Confirm the safe zone.
::Location: Terra-Core Nexus.
::A localized dimensional subspace within the planetary core.
::Function: Primary command center and secure stasis facility for World Master biological unit.
::Stream connection maintained via direct System uplink.
::Superior bandwidth compared to user's previous terrestrial ISP.
::Query: Satisfied?
::Shall we proceed with the not-dying part?::
Biological unit… me. Stasis facility implies safety confirmed. Planetary core… good luck finding that. Bandwidth joke, noted. Okay, safe. Right. 0.03% survival. Invaders. "The not-dying part," I echoed numbly. "Right. Invaders. Mass Awakening Protocol. Explain how it works. The 'Internet' exploit you mentioned."
::Affirmative.
::Standard protocol involves physical contact by World Master or Awakened User. Suboptimal for planetary scale.
::Utilizing extant planetary network ('Internet') allows for near-instantaneous global reach via designated World Master portal – [World Hub].
::Users must access and consent via any network-enabled device.
::Minor complication: Requires user volition.
::Suggest demonstrating incentive.
::Viewer metrics indicate high correlation between 'superpower' demonstrations and user engagement.::
Volition… they have to choose. Smart. Prevents accidental integration. But yeah, why would anyone click a random link claiming world-ending stakes without proof? Needs a hook. "Demonstrate?" My brief flicker of hope died again. "You just saw my skill list! I don't have anything to demonstrate! I have admin rights, a recall button, and two passives that probably do nothing right now because no one else is 'Awakened'!"
::Correction: *You* lack manifested abilities.
::*I* possess rudimentary localized energy manipulation capabilities within the Nexus.
::Proposal: Execute collaborative 'Sales Pitch'.
::I will generate visual phenomena. You will claim responsibility.
::Feigning competence is a statistically significant factor in user conversion.
::Accessing 'Fake it 'til you make it' meme archives…::
It… it can fake magic? Here? And it wants to use memes for strategy? A grin, sharp and maybe a little manic, spread across my face. This AI… corrupted by the internet? It was insane. It was perfect. "Alright, Terra_Core. You magnificent, data-mining troll. Let's put on a show."
I turned towards the invisible "camera" of the stream uplink. "Alright chat! You are NOT gonna believe this! I clicked the link, got sucked through… something… and now I'm in this crazy… System place? The Nexus? But check THIS out!"
On cue, the Terra_Core AI filled the void around me with shimmering motes of light. I raised my hand dramatically. "So, uh… [Lesser Sparkles]!" Lame name, gotta workshop that later.
The motes coalesced Into a small, crackling ball of golden energy in my palm. It felt like nothing, just light, but it looked amazing.
::Generating [Fireball] particle effect.
::Recommend more dynamic vocalization.
::Analysis of popular 'streamer' personas indicates…:: the AI began, but I cut it off.
"And THIS!" I thrust my other hand forward. The AI obliged, sending a plume of harmless, ruby-red "flames" erupting towards the "camera." "FIRE! ACTUAL MAGIC FIRE!" Okay, that looked convincing. Good job, Core.
Screen two, which I could now somehow perceive overlaid in the void, went absolutely ballistic. "SUPERPOWERS," "MAGIC IS REAL," "CLICK THE LINK," "GOVT CONSPIRITY" – it was pure chaos. Hook, line, and sinker. Now, the reel-in.
The AI voice returned, dry as silicon dust.
::Demonstration successful.
::User engagement approaching optimal parameters for Mass Awakening initiation.
::Ready to post [World Hub] link via User Glitchfinder's stream chat?
::Clarification: My initial Awakening sequence has already generated a detectable Syntropic resonance signature.
::External entities ('Invaders') are confirmed en route.
::Estimated arrival: T-minus 48 hours.
::Strongly recommend expediting user onboarding via [World Hub]. Like, now.
::Further delay significantly decreases the already suboptimal 0.03% survival probability.::
It showed me an image in my mind's eye – not a render, but what felt like raw sensor data. Ripples in spacetime. Energy signatures that felt vast, ancient, and hungry, converging on our solar system.
Invaders. Already coming. 48 hours. The fake magic show felt suddenly pathetic. My survival instinct screamed. This wasn't about winning; this was about not losing. The safety of the Nexus suddenly felt very fragile if the whole planet only had a 0.03% chance. We needed numbers. We needed everyone.
"Okay," I breathed, turning back to the mic, the witty streamer mask snapping back into place, fueled now by sheer, adrenaline-laced terror. "Alright, chat. Listen up. This isn't a game anymore. That… that light show? It's real. The threat is real. But this power? It can be yours too. I'm posting a link right now in the chat. Go there. Click 'Accept.' Get your own System. Get stronger. Everyone click to gain superpowers! We have… very little time."
I accessed [Admin Privileges], forming a mental command. Terra_Core, generate the World Hub URL and post it to my stream chat. Now.
::Command Accepted.
::Generating Secure Activation Portal…
::Posting link to User Glitchfinder's designated broadcast channel…::
A link appeared in the chat log on Screen Two, instantly drowned in a flood of clicks and questions.
Let the Calamity begin….