First Broadcast, Zero Viewers
Luke frowned as he looked around his studio apartment. The messy room that he'd normally ignore suddenly bothered him.
"If I'm going to broadcast... I should at least clean up the background."
He hurriedly stuffed the scattered cup noodle containers into a trash bag. He wiped the dust off his desk and changed his bedsheets. Finally, he took down the certificate on the wall that read 'E-Rank Hunter Classification' and shoved it in a drawer.
"No need to show that off..."
Luke mounted his smartphone on a tripod. He checked his equipment: a worn sword, a few magic scrolls, and an old hunter's robe. Everything looked shabby, but he'd done his best to arrange it neatly.
"Before I start..."
He stood in front of the mirror and practiced. He tried to smile. It was awkward. A face that hadn't smiled in so long seemed to have forgotten how. Luke tried again. A little better.
"Hello, I'm Hunter Luke!"
He sat back down on the bed and launched the 'HuntView' app. He pondered what to title the broadcast.
[An E-Rank Hunter's Daily Life]
His finger hesitated over the 'Start Broadcast' button. His heart raced. When was the last time he'd shown himself in front of anyone? Ten years ago, when he was called a prodigy mage—that must have been the last time.
"This should be... good enough to start, right?"
Luke took a deep breath and pressed the button.
[Broadcast has started.]
Sitting in front of the camera, Luke smiled awkwardly. His hands were trembling slightly.
"Hello, I'm Hunter Luke. Starting today, I'll be streaming."
His voice was more tense than he'd expected. Luke checked the viewer count displayed in the corner of the screen.
[Viewers: 0]
He'd expected this. It was the first broadcast of an unknown E-rank hunter, after all.
"People will start coming in soon," Luke whispered to himself. "Just keep going."
He forced confidence into his voice and continued the broadcast.
"I'm currently working as an E-rank hunter. Today, I'd like to share my daily life and experiences as a hunter with you. If you have any questions, please leave them in the chat!"
The chat window beside the screen was completely empty. Luke nervously checked the viewer count again.
Still 0.
Time passed. Luke kept talking.
"The mission I handled yesterday was a sewer cleaning job, and there were more mud monsters than I expected. For monsters like these, simple fire magic is more effective than physical attacks..."
He explained monster-handling techniques he knew. Even if they were E-rank missions, he had ten years of experience as a hunter. Luke occasionally checked the viewer count, but the number didn't change.
"Next, I'll talk about common mistakes hunters make when casting spells. Especially beginner hunters who struggle with mana control..."
Another ten minutes passed. The viewer count was still 0.
Luke's speech gradually slowed. His initial awkward smile faded, and disappointment began to show on his face.
"Um... if anyone has questions..."
Silence.
"Ah, this scroll I have is a basic fire magic spell..."
Luke stared at the chat window. Not a single message.
Thirty minutes had passed. Only Luke's voice echoed in the room. The viewer count remained unchanged at 0.
"No one... is watching."
His shoulders slumped. All enthusiasm seemed to drain away.
"Well... it's only natural. Who would watch an E-rank hunter? I don't have flashy magic like S-rank hunters, no scenes of defeating giant monsters..."
Luke leaned back against the bed and sighed. It had been a foolish idea from the start. The glory of ten years ago was long gone. Now he was just a bottom-tier hunter who dealt with trash monsters.
"Should I just quit..."
His finger moved toward the 'End Broadcast' button.
Just then, a notification sounded on Luke's phone.
[Hunter Association Breaking News: 'Crimson Moon Labyrinth' confirmed as D-rank. Currently being conquered solo by S-rank Hunter Leon Akers. General hunter access prohibited.]
Luke stared blankly at the notification. It was that labyrinth he'd seen on TV yesterday. The broadcast with over a million viewers.
"Crimson Moon Labyrinth..."
He muttered without thinking. A crazy idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
"What if I went there..."
Luke quickly shook his head. It was an absurd thought. An E-rank hunter entering a D-rank labyrinth was tantamount to suicide. The monsters there were on a completely different level from the mud monsters in sewers.
But...
Luke checked the viewer count again. Still 0.
"Anyway... no one's watching."
A dangerous thought began to grow in his mind. If no one was watching, there was no need to worry about embarrassment. Even if he failed, no one would know.
"But... what if I succeed?"
Luke's heart began to race. If an E-rank hunter conquered a D-rank labyrinth? That would definitely be major news. People would start watching his broadcast.
"Are you crazy... do you want to die?"
Luke whispered to himself. But calculations were already running through his head. The 'Crimson Moon Labyrinth' had only recently been discovered. That meant there wasn't complete information yet. With an S-rank hunter challenging it, there might be at least some degree of safety.
"Still... it's too dangerous."
Luke got up from the bed and paced around the room. Fear gripped one side of him, excitement the other. It was an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. For ten years, he'd simply lived to survive. No challenges, no excitement.
"Are you going to keep living like this? Cleaning sewers for the rest of your life?"
Luke looked at his worn hunter's robe. He'd once dreamed of something better. Of becoming the world's strongest hunter. Where had that dream gone?
He sat back down in front of the camera. The viewer count was still 0, but now he didn't care.
"I've made my decision."
Luke's voice was different from before—firm. Without trembling, clear.
"From now on, I'm heading to the 'Crimson Moon Labyrinth.'"
He pulled a backpack from the closet and began packing necessary equipment. Old magic scrolls, a few healing potions, and his worn sword.
"You might think an E-rank hunter challenging a D-rank labyrinth is breaking the rules and suicidal. You're right. It is."
Luke shouldered the backpack and looked straight at the camera. His eyes had changed. For the first time in ten years, a flame was burning.
"But I've remembered why I became a hunter. I chose this path to push past limits, to make the impossible possible."
He paused and exhaled heavily.
"I'll probably fail. Maybe today's broadcast will record the final moments of my life."
Luke smiled bitterly.
"But if I keep living like this... that's no different from being dead already."
He picked up his smartphone, deciding to continue streaming. He removed the phone from the tripod and held it in his hand.
"Everyone, I'm heading to the 'Crimson Moon Labyrinth' right now. This will be an unprecedented broadcast of an E-rank hunter challenging a D-rank labyrinth."
Luke checked the viewer count one last time. Still 0.
"No one's watching... but I'm doing this for myself."
He opened the door to his studio apartment. He had no idea what would happen. There was fear, but something greater was pushing him forward.
"Alright, here we go."
Luke closed the door and descended the stairs. His steps toward the Crimson Moon Labyrinth were resolute. Even though no one was watching, something was changing.
The broadcast continued. And in the corner of the screen showing the viewer count, a small change occurred that Luke didn't notice.
[Viewers: 1]