I opened my menus and instantly spotted the new counters. How had I missed them earlier when I checked the timer?

Views: 23,692,388

Followers: 4,071,452

Favorites: 982,553

VIP points: 52,204,567

Those numbers seemed ridiculously huge. Live streaming had only been active for 2 days, and I'd been stuck in time dilation for most of that. No one could have watched my trek through the inner world, so how had I accumulated so many views already?

Cyrus had suggested people knew about us from the daily highlights, so it made sense I'd get some followers and even favorites already if people had watched some of my death battles. The VIP points was the craziest number, though. 52 million? Why?

I scanned the top-10 list, but the names looked the same. Most folks had increased by at least 1 level. As soon as I noticed my viewers and followers, Eva spoke.

"Congratulations, Lucas! For being the first human to receive over 50 million VIP points, you receive a sapphire P.T. Barnum loot box."

"Sapphire?" I'd never seen a big, blue sapphire loot box like the one that appeared in the air in front of me.

"He got one!" Lana exclaimed as everyone stopped to stare.

"P.T. Barnum, greatest showman," Steve commented. "Appropriate."

"Have any of you ever gotten a sapphire box?" I asked as I walked around it. About the size of an emerald box, it looked great.

"They're new," Ruby explained, not tearing her eyes from the beautiful giant sapphire. "Only available with VIP-related achievements."

At my confused look, Steve added, "One of those announcements in town while you were locked away. I haven't heard of anyone but Elizabeth getting one of these beauties yet. Supposed to hold really good loot."

That sounded good, but Eva should have waited till I was alone. I had realized that opening high-ranked prizes in front of the others might be a bit rude. I didn't want them to resent me like so many others did. It was too late this time, and Tomas urged me to open it right away. The sapphire exploded into shards of green light while trumpets blared a happy fanfare. It dropped 2 scrolls.

"Upgrade scroll. Plus 2 levels to ability The Show Must Go On, and upgrade that ability with Flair."

"Flair. Plus 10% ability per level to see ways to add extra cinematic appeal to any battle to increase chances of more VIP points."

That was pretty cool, I guess. That weird ability seemed to help me get creative ideas during intense fights, but was hard to quantify. Getting more VIP points had to be good. Probably.

"Title scroll. New title: The Greatest Showman. Plus 500 to CHA. Plus 5 to current counter on the Undying Loyalty Token."

"Upgrade title Alpha with: Plus 1 permanent follower to the Undying Loyalty Token for every 10 million followers from across the multiverse."

Whoa! Steve called it. That was a good title, other than the stupid boost to CHA. I didn't even bother wondering why Cyrus kept refusing to unlock Charisma. Then again, the enormous pool of stat points was proving useful through my Mephistoles title that auto-triggered my Surge Vortex channels sometimes.

That extra power pool had saved my life twice, so I'd take extra points in it, despite the risks inherent in using it that might burn out some of my future potential. Saving my life to fight another day was still worth it.

The extra followers added to my Undying Loyalty Token instantly boosted Strength, Constitution, and Agility from my Alpha title, and even more Constitution and Agility from my orc chieftain bone necklace.

Now I could get additional followers from my counters of multiverse-wide followers. I'd already accumulated 4 million followers, so getting to 10 million shouldn't be too hard.

"What did you get? Tomas asked.

"Another title."

Steve laughed and Ruby nodded. "I noticed your eyes flash with gold. Not surprised."

"Hard to look away from those tantalizing golden orbs, eh?" Steve teased.

She sighed. "How about the next time you tease me about Lucas I demonstrate a new potion I just picked up?"

"A love potion?" he asked, but looked a bit nervous.

"One way to find out."

He laughed. "Well played, Ruby. I'm both intimidated and intrigued in equal measure."

"I hope the show is worth it when you break down and tease her again," Jane said.

Ruby wouldn't hurt Steve. Probably, but no doubt she had something fun planned. And like Jane said, Steve wouldn't be able to resist for long.

I returned to the more important question. "What do your numbers look like?"

"They vary pretty widely," Jane said. "Ours are better than most."

"Probably because we're on your team," Steve added.

"Maybe," Jane agreed. "Views grow the fastest, especially when we're fighting monsters. Followers are people who like watching us. We got some more info yesterday. Apparently, people all across the multiverse are addicted to these game worlds when they happen. People can select only a few people to follow, and fewer to favorite, so if you have any numbers in those categories, it's a good sign."

Lana spoke for the first time, "Si, jefe. The higher the numbers, the more likely you can get even more bonus loot boxes."

"So what about VIP points?"

Cyrus had explained people could pay extra to watch specific moments of our lives during the game in full detail, including somehow experiencing the moment as if they were us, with full sensory detail. Even though I'd experienced the incredible range of viewing options in the 10,000 Movies Experience, it still seemed impossible to dive right into our heads.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"That's the big money column," Steve said with a grimace. "People pay extra to live an experience, and those VIP points can soon buy special, restricted gear in the system store and also unlock other prizes we haven't gotten the details about yet."

"Cyrus did say that if someone wins a sponsor, they can access sponsored loot boxes, that are supposed to be some of the best anywhere. And people can get fan-generated loot boxes for hitting milestones like over 10 million favorites," Andy said.

"I'm more interested in getting levels from VIP points," Tomas added.

That was a lot of new stuff to consider, especially the benefits from those VIP points. I'd already accumulated an insane amount of them, so it shouldn't take too much longer to get a level. Would I have to cash them all in, or could I still use them to buy special VIP loot? Hopefully the latter.

"It sounds all good so far. What's the catch?"

"Elizabeth," Ruby growled with apparent disgust. "She made her name in Europe playing some very spicy roles. She's convinced that people in the multiverse want sex and relationship drama, and they'll be willing to pay to experience it as humans."

For a moment, I wasn't sure what to say. We'd reached the lake and started climbing up the steep canyon toward stage 3. A few other stragglers climbed just above us, but otherwise the area was empty of people and monsters.

Steve added, "She made a big speech yesterday, went off about how we could all potentially rack up trillions of views. Some of the most powerful people she's ever known were popular actors and actresses. People on other worlds might be aliens, but they have the same base instincts. They're watching, so we need to give them a show to keep them entertained."

"As in . . .?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, sex. X-rated views. Elizabeth has a lot of charisma and she was very convincing. Admitted she's already won a sponsor, who confirmed viewers like spicy content."

Some clues clicked into place. "No wonder she arranged her coup. If she had a sponsor who warned her about what was going to come, she had to set herself up as the leader."

"It's working," Tomas said. "She's harping on how so many people are low leveled and fighting monsters is tough. Crafting can bring levels, but VIP points offer a whole new way to gain experience, so why not make it fun?"

"Plus, she's got the Expanse club already running," Jane added.

Steve sighed. "She's pushing the club hard, urging everyone to get crazy to win views. She already started a bachelorette-type drama that she's moderating, as well as other things. Lots of people are flocking to her to try gaining experience without fighting."

"That zombie ambush freaked a lot of people out," Jane agreed. "This seems like a safer alternative."

"That's insane." I looked from one face to another. "She's suggesting we win the game through deviant sex encounters?"

"Pretty much," Ruby confirmed. "It's very popular right now, and Cyrus even confirmed the 2 most likely ways to gain VIP points is through spicy romance or intense monster battles. Most folks won't risk fighting powerful monsters, so they turn to the easier alternative."

"Hopefully folks will see it's not working and get back to leveling in ways we know work," Tomas said.

"Good thing they'll have you and Jane to inspire them," Ruby said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Tomas took Jane's hand, both grinning, suddenly super happy. Jane said, "Tomas finally decided to propose."

"What?" I exclaimed, laughing with joy and hugging them both. "Engaged?"

Tomas grinned wider than I'd ever seen, and for once in her life, Jane actually blushed. She held up her left hand and a ring appeared on her ring finger. The simple, gold band held a diamond the size of a golf ball, surrounded by emeralds and rubies in a display of stunning wealth that would have put royalty to shame back on Earth.

"I saved out a few of the best stones from the Plateau dungeon," Tomas said. "Sythrak had someone make the ring and the settings for us."

"A girl can't ask more than a little token of her true love's undying affection," Jane said, tilting her hand to catch the light in the various stones.

Steve elbowed me in the ribs, nodding at the ring. "I hope you're taking notes. Ruby is drooling so much over that ring, I keep having to bring her wet wipes."

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed, but she did turn her gaze back to the ring almost instantly, a little smile playing across her lips.

I clapped Tomas on the shoulder. "Congratulations, both of you. I figured you'd wait until we got back to Earth."

Jane said, "We were planning on it, but there are no guarantees on this world."

"And we figured why wait?" Tomas said, pulling Jane in for a little kiss.

"So when's the big day?" Ruby asked as she and Lana crowded around Jane, oohing over the ring and hugging her.

"No reason to wait," Tomas said with a shrug. "Figured we'd hold a simple ceremony as soon as we get to Port Royale."

"And then a party for the entire town!" Andy added. Steve held up a hand and Andy high-fived him.

We chatted about their wedding plans as we hiked, and I couldn't stop grinning. With so much negative and horrible stuff going on, a wedding would be the perfect counter to it. Tomas and Jane had already talked with Sythrak and ordered custom wedding attire, complete with powerful protective enchantments. The rest of us would have to pick up suits, or something when we got to town.

As the excited chatter died down and Jane returned her over-the-top ring to her inventory, my mind returned to the previous topic.

"So, what are the old council doing about Elizabeth's plans?" I couldn't imagine Paul and Crystal sitting idly by. Then again, Elizabeth had already promised to kick them out unless they behaved.

Lana said, "The loco mayor filled the council with her followers."

"Paul and Crystal have organized a faction opposed to the immorality of Elizabeth's plan, but they lack real power in town," Ruby said. "Tony and Burns have organized another sector who are focusing on hunting and exploring and preparing to take the fight up to stage 4 once we discover and defeat the bosses on stage 3."

Andy said, "You'll see, boss. Town's segmented a lot more than before. Not everyone is camping with teams, but with the factions they're supporting. Others are grouping up like they used to back on Earth, by religion, politics, or other affiliations. It's made town really tense."

Like the Teamsters. That really sucked. We all needed to be united, or our enemies would take us apart. Was all of this division just Elizabeth and her sponsor orchestrating a big show, or were more of Queen Marisara's spies and secret followers spreading dissent?

I mulled that over as we approached the line between stage 2 and stage 3. We only had moments left. A crowd had gathered just over the border in Ruin to watch the apocalyptic collapse of stage 2. Thank god I didn't have to fight my way across again.

"So things are crazy," I summarized. "We still need to focus. Queen Marisara won't wait for us to get our act together. I bet we'll see more of her followers in the next week. We need to get a lot stronger, and we don't have much time."

"With you to lead us, we'll make it," Jane said, and the others nodded.

Their trust both motivated and humbled me. I wasn't some inspiring leader with all the answers. I'd learned a lot by paying attention and leveraging everything Cyrus would share, and I'd gained a lot of power. Did that make me a leader?

Maybe. Elizabeth was making a mess, but I didn't want to start a civil war in Port Royal either. That would just make the divisions worse and distract everyone when we needed to focus.

My mind raced as I mulled everything over. I barely noticed when we crossed the line to stage 3. Well, until the downpour cascaded down, instantly soaking me. I pushed my mana out, forming a full-body shield to deflect it. This time, the effort came naturally, requiring only a tiny fraction of my attention to keep it active.

"Hey, how is Nigel staying dry?" Lana asked. The short Latina looked miserable, dark hair plastered to her head, clothing already soaked.

Nigel pranced around happily, shaggy fur totally dry from the Shingle pin I'd fastened to his collar.

"Oh yeah, here." I pulled out more pins and shared them around. Everyone eagerly took one.

Lana sighed, fingering her soaked hair. "Thanks, jefe, but next time can you share stuff like this before we get soaked?"

"I'll do my best."

A few other people approached, asking how we were staying dry. I didn't have enough pins for everyone, so I suggested they try to buy pins of their own from the system store. We lingered as the timer for stage 2 ran out.

By an unspoken mutual consent, we counted down the last 10 seconds together. "Five . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1!"

The timer ran out, and in my display it blinked and reset to "Stage 3 countdown timer: 7 days."

Down on stage 2, nothing happened.

Despite the heavy downpour, it was easy to see no apocalyptic explosions were wrecking Midmount Vale. The mountains weren't crumbling into geysers of water, the air was clear of flying hordes, and not a single rumbling of earth shook loose even one pebble.

"Hey!" Jane exclaimed. "What gives?"

Cyrus chuckled, his voice loud, carrying to everyone who had gathered to watch the collapse of the second stage. "Why waste all the energy destroying the stage when there are no players to trap and challenge with a difficult escape?"

"So what would happen if I headed back down?"

"You'd get to enjoy another apocalypse. Go ahead. It would make for a fantastic show. You've already racked up tons of VIP points from your last stage collapse. How many more could you get for doing it again?"

"No thank you."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.