Hajin shifted Juna higher against his chest, reading the remarkable donation notification beneath the shimmering top-donor icon beside her username.
"Three dead Shards in my pouch for the guild bounty," he murmured, glancing down at his bloodied waist. "The tusks stay with the pig."
"Hey, Ashley," he called out, his eyebrows lifting in genuine disbelief toward the interface. "Why donate that much? That number is completely insane!"
The comment stream accelerated rapidly as live viewers comprehended the staggering amount of real wealth transferred across the cosmic interface.
[ CringeSlayer91: wait she donated a hundred thousand, that is months of salary for normal people! ]
He continued walking along the dusty woodland path, knowing the distance to the capital remained unchanged despite his rich purse.
[ ashley: because I find you entertaining, and honestly I have watched for days and cannot stop ]
[ ashley: I do not know if this is real, but I want to help manage the community even if I cannot enter your world ]
'Entertaining... a wealthy stranger dropped an entire year of wages just to watch me brawl with an overgrown mutating pig.'
A gleaming gold donor emblem rotated beside her username, reflecting her unprecedented status as the channel's premier contributor.
"Since you apparently know my entire life story," he chuckled, rolling a stiff shoulder, "what does Earth actually do for fun when you are not throwing coin at me?"
[ NewViewer_02: movies, games, and streams exactly like this one, you are somebody's entire evening ]
'The pig battle serves as their evening entertainment, while their donated currency provides my physical survival... an equitable trade.'
"Ashley, one more question," he said, adjusting his grip as Juna nuzzled softly into his coat. "Does your world have monsters of its own?"
[ ashley: nothing with claws, mostly paperwork, taxes, and the kind of bosses who breathe loudly near your desk ]
'Paperwork monsters, corporate taxes, and windowless boxes... Earth resembles a mundane modern dungeon with significantly worse monster loot.'
A secondary interface window materialized before his eyes, presenting an administrative request before he could inquire about modern Earth society.
[ New Function Detected: Moderator Request ]
[ A viewer has requested moderator status for your stream. ]
[ What is a Moderator? ]
[ A moderator is a trusted viewer granted partial control over community functions. ]
[ Moderators may manage chat, donations, and community events. ]
[ Moderators cannot access the host's system, funds, inventory, or status. ]
[ Grant moderator status to: ashley? ]
[ Yes / No ]
He reviewed the administrative parameters while navigating the trail, appreciating the clear structural definitions provided by the helpful system prompt.
'A moderator acts as a digital steward... keeping the chat orderly without accessing my private inventory or finances.'
"Explain it in trade guild terms," he requested with an amused smirk. "Your world keeps inventing fancy titles mine never heard of."
[ ashley: think house steward, but for the crowd, with no keys to the vault and no sword ]
'A household steward without swords or keys... essentially an unpaid administrator who paid a fortune for the privilege.'
"Alright, you have the job!" he laughed, tapping the affirmative button. "Turning down a helper after a donation like that would be criminal."
The translucent window flashed with warm light, confirming her administrative appointment as the comment feed celebrated the historic announcement.
[ Moderator Status Granted to: ashley(mod) ]
[ ashley(mod) now has access to community management functions ]
[ A notification has been sent to the viewer ]
A polished silver shield icon materialized beside her donor emblem, formalizing her administrative authority over the chat feed.
[ ShadowMage44: gg ashley, you are officially part of the team now! ]
[ ashley(mod): thank you, I promise I will not let you down, starting with rule one, no death betting during warnings ]
[ ashley(mod): pinned: 1. the wolf girl is resting, not stolen. 2. donations buy weapons, not his obedience. 3. no doxxing the pig ]
[ CringeSlayer91: rule three is doing serious lifting around here, welcome aboard ashley ]
"Do not thank me just yet," he warned with a wry grin. "You just signed up to babysit a mob debating whether I actually exist."
[ LurkerNoMore: a mod, a wolf girl, and a legendary chain, this stream has everything ]
His tired arms ached from carrying her weight, as his bruised ribs sent sharp reminders with every single stride.
[ Health: 44 / 100 ]
[ Condition: Fractured Ribs - Stabilized ]
'Forty-four health and recovering slowly... hiking toward the capital counts as physical rest if I lie to myself.'
'I want a boiling hot bath, a garlic steak larger than sanity permits, and a sturdy locked room with real privacy.'
"Steak," he sighed aloud, his stomach rumbling in agreement. "I am paying whatever the kitchen asks, so long as it stays within reason."
[ CringeSlayer91: the man survived a demon pig and his first thought is garlic steak, honestly relatable ]
[ LurkerNoMore: bath first please, he is covered in pig blood and heroics in equal parts ]
Crimson warning indicators suddenly flashed across his entire visual perspective, cutting across the dirt trail with urgent, alarming glow.
He flinched and tightened his grip on Juna, steadying his footing as a sharp jolt of adrenaline flared through his bruised chest.
[ Warning: Demonic Bloodline Detected ]
[ Proximity: Close ]
[ Direction: East ]
[ Threat Level: Unknown ]
'Demonic bloodline detected... five peaceful minutes was apparently an unreasonable demand to request from this violent fantasy realm.'
He dismissed the glowing window and continued his journey, prioritizing medical care for his wounded companion over reckless heroism.
"Whatever you are out there," he muttered under his breath, glaring east, "stay put until someone better paid comes along to collect you."
A mysterious magical tug tugged beneath his sternum, drawing his physical trajectory toward the east with steady persistent force.
'The chains hum against my knuckles... suggesting the spiritual attraction originates from the divine weapon itself.'
His brisk pace slowed without conscious intention, as the winding forest path curved toward the source of the pull.
'Am I genuinely walking straight toward the dangerous entity the system explicitly warned me to avoid today?'
[ DarkBlade: the red screen is never good, and this man is slowing down like he might walk toward it! ]
[ NewViewer_02: every horror movie starts exactly like this, do not go east! ]
[ ShadowMage44: he is going east, of course he is, this is the man who charged a cannonball! ]
[ JunaFanClub: she is safe in rest at least, someone protect this stupid brave streamer! ]
The eastern horizon darkened with ominous bruised clouds, carrying a chill breeze scented with damp stone and ancient iron.
'Damp stone and ancient crypt air... the exact scent lingering beneath every single demonic warning window so far.'
[ Chains of the Goddess ]
[ Hunger: Corrupted Essence Nearby ]
[ Feeding Restores Structural Integrity ]
'The chain craves the corrupted energy that enhanced that monster... at least one of us arrives fully motivated.'
A secondary crimson notification materialized before his eyes, pulsing with the same aggressive hue as the previous tactical warning.
[ Tempered Monster Essence Detected ]
[ The boar you defeated was artificially enhanced with demonic blood. ]
[ Source signature matches a nearby entity. ]
[ Direction: 2 Miles East ]
He analyzed the alarming details while feeling the relentless spiritual pull, feeling his pragmatic mood sour with every step.
'The monster never mutated naturally... someone manufactured it deliberately, which presents a far more dangerous strategic threat.'
"Two miles," he grumbled, stopping on the path with a frustrated scowl. "A problem I will still own tomorrow if I walk away now."
A radiant panel superseded the crimson display, offering an unexpected instructional guideline regarding his innate summoner capabilities.
[ New Function Tip ]
[ Tap your Summoner Skill to manage active summons. ]
"Summoner skill," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "The menu I opened forty times with nothing useful inside."
He activated the command gesture regardless, discovering an expanded secondary interface tab displaying options he had never noticed previously.
[ Summoner Skill ]
[ Active Summons: 1 ]
[ Juna ]
Her name rested neatly beneath the numerical count, remaining visible since the fateful moment he retrieved her from starlight.
'The option existed the entire time... the system conceals practical utility until moments of extreme personal desperation.'
[ View Status ]
[ Unsummon ]
[ Unsummon: Places the active summon in a resting state until summoned again. ]
His tactical outlook improved dramatically upon reading the description, eliminating the hazardous requirement of carrying her into danger.
'A resting sanctuary... sparing me from carrying her into potential combat or abandoning her behind a roadside bush.'
"Juna, you are sleeping somewhere safer than my arms for a bit," he murmured softly, resting his hand gently against her dark hair.
"Do not take it personally," he added with a faint smirk. "You would only wake up mid-fight and start biting things."
Gentle radiance enveloped her wounded frame, softening her physical silhouette as delicate strands of mana dissolved into light.
Her unconscious hand grasped his torn collar for one final heartbeat, before the warm brilliance dispersed her physical presence.
She vanished into the spiritual realm a moment later, leaving his arms curled around empty afternoon autumn air.
[ Juna Has Been Unsummoned ]
[ She will remain in rest until summoned again. ]
[ CringeSlayer91: wait, where did she go, somebody explain the light show! ]
[ ShadowMage44: pocket dimension storage, that is actually super convenient! ]
"She is resting in the spirit realm," he explained to the camera, wiping a smudge of dirt from his nose. "Tell the chat I did not feed her to a monster."
[ ashley(mod): on it, pinning an explanation for the newcomers right now! ]
[ LurkerNoMore: good, because chat was about to riot in five languages! ]
'Efficient moderation... that hundred thousand credit investment provided immediate practical value to our operations.'
He rolled his shoulders against the sudden absence of weight, feeling the lingering warmth fade from his empty chest.
The quiet forest path closed around him once more, as he caught himself reflexively listening for her steady breathing.
"Rest well, wolf girl," he promised the empty air, adjusting his travel sword. "Tomorrow you get a healer and a real bed... in that order."
"Two miles east," he muttered, turning his face toward the dark clouds with narrowed eyes. "This better be worth the walk... the garlic steak can wait."
'Forty-four health, aching ribs, and an empty stomach... walking straight toward demonic signatures seems like my specialty.'
The divine chain coiled hungrily around his knuckles, as the eastern road stretched toward shadowy and foreboding trees.
The narrow dirt path crossed a broken fence, where fresh hoofprints indicated several riders galloped in frantic haste.
Wagon ruts and crushed pine needles marked the recent passage of a royal carriage escorted by armed cavalry.
A sudden gust of wind swept across the canopy, carrying the faint, unmistakable smell of ozone, frost, and burning sulfur.
Delicate needles of unnatural frost clung to the green summer ferns bordering the trail, freezing the leaves into brittle glass.
The Chains of the Goddess coiled tighter against his knuckles, vibrating with fierce, predatory hunger as the demonic frequency drew near.
[ DarkBlade: he has forty-four health and he is running toward a high-tier breach! ]
[ ashley(mod): Proceed with extreme caution! That signature does not look like an ordinary beast! ]
"I am just taking a look," he whispered back to the floating chat panel. "If it is an ancient disaster, I turn right back around."
[ CringeSlayer91: famous last words before every boss fight in history! ]
[ ShadowMage44: he never turns around, keep the emergency potions ready in the cart! ]
'If royal guards are falling out here, running away leaves a disaster behind my back.'
Hajin tightened the straps of his pack, breaking into a disciplined jog along the churned wagon tracks.
He pressed forward along the crushed wheel ruts, letting his eyes scan the dense timberline for any sign of royal survivors.