Maximus Rave's final memory was not supposed to be dramatic.
If anything, he always imagined he'd go out in a cool way —
saving a puppy, winning a dance battle, maybe something involving fireworks and a slow-mo wink.
Instead, the last thing he saw on Earth was:
A truck fishtailing across the highway.
Someone shouting something urgent — maybe his name.
Metal crumpling like cheap foil.
And towering above it all…
A giant LED billboard of him.
MAXX — STREAM 'TIL YOU BEAM!
His own face grinned down at him, eyes too bright, smile too confident.
"That's my last quote?" Maximus croaked. "That stupid tagline?"
Then the universe turned off the lights.
No pain.
No montage.
No choir welcoming him to the pearly gates.
Just the void — cold, quiet, and aggressively ringtone-less.
THE DIGITAL AFTERLIFE LOADING…
A sensation rippled through the darkness, more feeling than sound.
[Soul Data Detected]
"Uh… huh?"
[Candidate Uploader Found]
"…Uploader? Like influencer? Did I die because of SEO?!"
[Transfer: COMPLETE]
The void detonated in neon light.
Maxx was yanked upright as if the universe grabbed him by the hoodie.
He flailed mid-air, limbs moving like a malfunctioning parade balloon.
"W-WHA—WHY AM I FLOATING?!"
He rotated helplessly, an anxious rotisserie chicken.
Neon-blue circuitry streaked across the blackness, forming a cosmic motherboard.
Maxx gawked.
"Okay, okay, breathe. You're fine. You're just floating in a… glowing cosmic techno-womb."
His voice cracked.
"WHY AM I FLOATING IN A COSMIC TECHNO-WOMB?!"
A holographic panel snapped open in front of him like a smug pop-up ad.
Greetings, Streamer!
Welcome to:
STREAM UNIVERSITY — Where Legends Go Viral
Maxx blinked. Twice.
"I… got isekai'd into a bootleg YouTube afterlife?"
Another panel shoved itself over the first:
Your old world is offline.
Your new purpose:
ENTERTAIN. INNOVATE. SURVIVE.
"Why is survive in all caps? Why is it even on the list?!"
The void ignored him.
[INITIAL CHALLENGE LOADED]
Start your first stream in 10 minutes.
Failure Penalty: PERMANENT ERASURE.
Good luck! :D
Countdown: 9:59… 9:58…
Maxx screamed internally.
"P-P-PERMANENT WHAT—NO. WHERE IS CUSTOMER SUPPORT?! WHERE'S THE TUTORIAL FAIRY?! I DIDN'T EVEN AGREE TO ANY TERMS OF SERVICE!"
A metallic CLANG rattled the void.
Difficulty: NIGHTMARE.
He slapped the hologram. "WHY IS THAT EVEN AN OPTION?! WHO DESIGNED THIS SYSTEM—SATAN?!"
The void pulsed again.
LOADING…
LOADED! (PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY)
Reality folded inward like a collapsing webpage.
Skyscrapers constructed themselves in fast-forward.
Platforms slid into place.
Gravity remembered it existed.
Maxx plummeted.
"AAAAAAAAA—"
SMACK.
Face-first into metal flooring.
WELCOME TO STREAM UNIVERSITY
"Okay…" he groaned. "I survived the tutorial drop… probably good."
He dusted off his hoodie — now glowing with neon trim — and noticed a miniature camera drone hovering over his shoulder like an excited pet.
He stood…
—and froze.
The campus sprawled before him like someone mashed Tokyo, Las Vegas, and a graphics card overheating to death.
Floating skyscrapers.
Neon livestream rivers flowing across the sky.
Students zipping overhead with LIVE banners trailing behind them.
Drones carrying food, cameras, and ads like techno-fireflies.
At the center stood a colossal obsidian tower wrapped in golden lightning.
STREAM UNIVERSITY
The tower radiated pure, smug authority.
A booming voice — part stadium announcer, part AI — blasted across the plaza:
New Streamer Detected: Maximus Rave
Status: Unrated
Tag: Pending Approval
Maxx groaned.
"Oh great. A public announcement. With my full legal name. Thanks, giant tower."
Floating chat bubbles drifted past like snarky ghosts:
"Fresh meat."
"Think he'll last longer than the last anomaly?"
"His panic face is kinda cute tho lol."
"Put him in a beginner challenge already."
Maxx clutched his chest.
"Okay. Heart. Calm. You are an isekai protagonist now. You trained for this."
He paused.
"…Nope. No I did not. I played Pokémon and did speedruns. That is NOT training."
A nearby door hissed open.
A girl stumbled out carrying a glowing broom like a weapon.
Her short bob glitched at the ends.
Holographic freckles flickered on her cheeks.
She looked perpetually moments away from a system crash.
Her eyes widened when she saw him.
"You—you're awake?! Already? Conscious?!"
"Should I not be?"
"I—YES—no—UGH!"
She bonked her forehead with her broom.
"I'm the Dorm Keeper NPC. I'm supposed to greet new uploads. They usually spawn unconscious. And screaming."
"Screaming? Why—actually, no. Never mind."
She swept at digital dust, which instantly respawned.
"The hallway's bugged… I'm bugged… today is actual code hell."
Maxx knelt beside her.
"You okay?"
She froze like someone pulled her power supply.
"N-no streamer has ever asked me that."
"…That's kinda depressing. Want to join my first stream? I'm Maximus, but call me Maxx."
Her cheeks glitched pink.
"I'm… not allowed. NPCs can't co-star. We're property."
"Says who? The floating death countdown? I'm already low on life choices."
Her eyes shimmered like buffering tears.
"I swear I just said hi," Maxx added.
"That's EXACTLY why it's illegal," she whispered.
THE SYSTEM RESPONDS
DING!
Social Interaction Achieved
+1,000 Followers
+100 Cloud Coins
Title Granted: THE FIRST SPARK
Maxx threw his hands up.
"I LEVEL UP FOR BEING NICE?! THIS SYSTEM IS AMAZING!"
The girl gasped.
"You just… gave me an emotional variance. That wasn't in my script…"
"I wasn't trying to give you emotions, okay!"
"You DID and now I'm off-pattern!!"
THE FIRST STREAM BEGINS
00:00.
Camera drones swarmed him in a perfect recording circle.
A HUD snapped across his vision.
LIVE
Viewers: 2,143
Followers: 1,228
Maxx inhaled shakily.
"Heeeey chat! I think I got isekai'd into a streaming afterlife by accident! Please send help, but also don't unsubscribe!"
Chat erupted:
"WHAT A GREETING LMAO"
"HE'S KINDA FUNNY??"
"NPC GIRL BEST GIRL LET'S GOOOO"
"PROTAG ENERGY UNLOCKED"
"We do NOT send help. Only chaos."
The NPC girl stared in awe.
"You're… actually live."
Maxx laughed weakly.
"This is insane. Terrifying. But… kinda cool? Right?"
He gestured at the neon-drenched campus.
"This world feels like a video game had a baby with a social media addiction."
He struck a pose as the camera zoomed in.
"So, chat — let's make this stream—"
CLANK.
Metal boots slammed behind him.
Maxx turned slowly.
A tall figure stood there — half-human, half-corrupted code.
Pixelated cracks crawled up his arms like glowing red wounds.
His grin glitched frame-by-frame like a cursed GIF.
Gl1tchLord — Server Top 10 Streamer.
Maxx pointed dramatically.
"OH GREAT. A GLITCH BOSS BATTLE ON EPISODE ONE."
Gl1tchLord cracked his neck — frames skipping.
"So you're the anomaly," he rasped. "Cute debut. Shame it ends soon."
Chat exploded:
"AAAAAAHHHHHH"
"GL1TCHLORD ON A NEWBIE STREAM?? PREMIUM CONTENT"
"MAXX RUN HE HAS DLC INSTALLED"
"DEBUT SPEEDRUN ANY% DEATH"
Above them, the Tower flashed red:
ANOMALY UPLOAD DETECTED
Designation: Maximus "Maxx" Rave
Threat Level: RISING
Surveillance: ENABLED
Maxx didn't notice.
He tightened his glowing shoelaces like a man preparing for either glory or immediate hospitalization.
"Well… guess it's showtime."
Gl1tchLord's eyes flickered — not with malice, but curiosity.
"You just might be fun."
The NPC girl hid behind Maxx, trembling with her new emotions.
And Maxx…
He grinned like someone whose main-character delusion was freshly installed.
Because deep down, he believed one thing:
If he could survive a truck, he could survive anything.