[The "Black Squid" channel has been reopened.]
[Channel status: PREMIUM.]
[Several constellations join your channel.]
[Several constellations express their discomfort at the abrupt closure of the channel.]
Liam, sitting in the boat, quickly scanned through the notifications.
The windows piled up one after another, as if the system was trying to make up for lost time.
[Due to channel improvements, advanced features have been unlocked.]
[Access enabled: Exchange Market.]
Liam exhaled slowly.
So he had finally crossed that line.
Stellar Flow Network.
It was an interdimensional transmission stream, created so that subscribers, which are the constellations at the top of distant galaxies, could watch.
All of this was created for them so they could find humans who interested and entertained them.
Humans were not chosen heroes.
They were living content.
The moderator was there to maintain balance and ensure that the Stellar Flow Network didn't overload before the scenario concluded.
Liam closed the floating notifications.
"A cosmic reality show... with barely concealed rules."
But there was one fundamental difference.
A premium channel didn't just mean more attention.
Then the slow-moving waves, the small ones, began to grow.
A gigantic shadow emerged from the water and loomed over Liam like a mutant skyscraper.
The water around the boat began to rise, forming chaotic waves, as if the entire river had lost its calm.
Liam pushed the oar with all his might.
The small wooden boat creaked, moving forward just a few meters as the water pushed it in opposite directions.
Then...
[The Rank 7 monster "Great R'lyeh" has awakened]
A tentacle emerged from the river and wrapped itself around the boat!
The wood creaked.
The boat tilted dangerously, on the verge of capsizing, as the wet mass pulled it down.
Liam reacted without thinking.
He turned his body and threw a straight punch at the tentacle.
The impact was sharp and brutal.
The creature let go of the boat, and it fell heavily back into the water, rocking violently, so unstable that one mistake would be enough to end up in the river.
"This is problematic."
Liam looked up for a moment.
In the distance, the shore. The entrance to the station. So close... and yet, absurdly far away.
The water began to churn again.
One.
Two.
Three more tentacles emerged, cutting through the surface like giant snakes, moving slowly, closing in on the space around them.
The river was no longer an escape route.
It was a cage.
The situation couldn't be worse.
As he was about to activate his unique ability to cut off all the tentacles in front of him, he heard the sound of someone cutting the tentacles into pieces.
Liam turned around abruptly. He was surprised to recall that cold, indifferent back instantly.
'Why is this bastard here?'
He looks at the man who has just cut off the tentacles and arrived. His gaze was fixed on the person who had just arrived.
Golden hair, extremely muscular body; in particular, well-toned biceps and thighs, fine features.
He is wearing a black coat and military boots, along with a black shirt with a silver collar and buckle, and tight black pants.
Liam recognized him immediately; it was Raydel.
They were his former "partner." He had a very special and powerful stigma and attribute, which allowed him to become so strong despite being alone in the early stages.
But...
'Why is this crazy bastard here?'
Raydel shouldn't be here; this was another anomaly that hadn't appeared in any of his previous regressions.
Rumble!
The sound of the monster emerging from the water echoed across the sand.
Liam held on to the rail as waves began crashing against the boat.
Raydel, now soaked by the waves, shook his head as he looked at Liam.
The monster's tentacles were torn apart, and green blood was gushing from them. It looked like a dead whale exploding.
Liam rowed calmly as the boat moved away from the monster's green blood, while Raydel stared at the monster.
A massive wave washed over them both, washing away all the blood. Liam wiped his face, his body soaked to the bone.
When he looked up, he noticed that the other person was staring at him.
"You're not a monster."
Liam let out a sigh.
"Of course I'm not a monster."
Raydel hadn't moved an inch when the ocean beneath them split in two.
The sound of a large organism emerging once again from the depths of the water echoed in Liam's ears.
This time, the water rose so high that it seemed as if he were in the middle of a violent storm. Waves rose toward the sky as a gigantic figure appeared.
It was an enormous body with a face covered in tentacles resembling those of an octopus. Its bat wings, wet and spread out, and its entire body were dark green, not hidden by the fog.
With eyes red as blood, all its tentacles were flailing, blocking all escape routes.
[The rank 7 monster "Great R'lyeh" has entered its second phase, reaching rank 9, and its name has changed to "Cthulhu."]
[The constellation "Golden Diaema" stands idly by with a smile at the situation you find yourself in]
[The constellation "Lord of the Seas" watches with interest as the monster that has just appeared]
Liam ignores the notifications and keeps his eyes on the monster that has just appeared, then looks at Raydel, who is preparing to fight that monster.
Raydel moved forward.
"Don't move," he said, without taking his eyes off the monster.
Before Liam could respond, Raydel launched his attack.
Clang!
The sword struck the monster's hardened flesh, producing a metallic sound. The impact was brutal.
The monster roared.
Dozens of tentacles descended like a meteor shower.
Raydel blocked the first one.
Then the second one.
The third one grazed his side.
The fourth one threw him backwards.
The pace became inhuman.
Raydel backed away, dodging by inches, cutting, blocking, advancing again. But there were too many tentacles.
One of them hit him squarely.
His body was thrown back and fell violently onto Liam's boat.
The wood creaked.
Raydel rolled over and got up immediately, just in time to dodge another tentacle that fell where he had been a second before.
But he didn't see the next one.
A tentacle emerged from the side and struck him hard, throwing him toward Liam.
Liam reacted instantly.
He grabbed a piece of metal sheet floating nearby and placed it in front of him.
Bam!
The impact was devastating.
Liam's body was thrown through the air and fell into the waves, crashing violently against the shore.
He rolled over several times before coming to a stop.
"Ugh..."
Liam sat up with difficulty, his body numb, pain shooting through his ribs.
"If I hadn't improved my endurance... I would have died."
Behind him, the river roared.
But Liam was already out.
[The "Magic Dwarf" constellation is amazed by your incredible plan.]
[The "Whoever Gnaws at the Roots of the World Tree" constellation wags its tail with a smile upon seeing your excellent plan and has sponsored you with 100 coins.]
Liam ignores the notifications as they finish crossing the East River and feels Raydel quickly catching up to him.
"I told you not to move."
He ignores him and continues climbing, as he has a long walk ahead of him to Chambers Street Station.
"Name."
"What?"
"What's your name?"
'Look at that indifferent way of speaking, like a protagonist.'
Liam chuckled to himself.
"Liam Tubor."
"A unique name."
"Thank you."
Raydel remains silent for a moment.
"...Do you know me?"
"I'm your fan; it's impossible not to recognize you. You're the famous streamer XQS, right?"
Raydel paused.
For the first time since he appeared, his expression changed.
"A fan... It's been a while since I've heard that name."
Liam also stopped.
That didn't fit.
At this stage... he was still a famous streamer. Why was he showing that expression?
A new anomaly.
Another one.