「Third-Person POV」
Azizi let out a weary sigh as he stared at the ceiling, finally waking from a long sleep. At last, he had woken up without the scream of an alarm dragging him out of bed. A three-day break—finally, a vacation he felt he truly deserved. After all the unpaid overtime and the mind-numbing grind, he had finally earned time to recharge both his energy and sanity.
He wouldn't have minded the overtime if it were paid. But in reality? He and his coworkers were only rewarded with a single pizza. That meant one slice each. Whose soul wouldn't scream in protest after being treated like that? Then again, Azizi thought maybe he was just being ungrateful.
He wanted to quit his job. Desperately. But he couldn't. Where else would he find a company so close to home? He wasn't someone who'd willingly spend money on daily commuting. In the end, all he could do was be thankful that at least his salary was still above minimum wage—even though the tasks he was given were clearly meant for more than one person.
Azizi reached for his smartphone, which he'd intentionally placed under his pillow for easy access. No notifications. Of course not—he'd disabled his messaging app, even though he feared being fired if the company had tried to reach him during his break. It was normal in this country to make people work, even on their days off.
He opened his social media. Using a backup account with no profile picture and a randomly generated username, he started scrolling through recent news: global warming, gruesome murder cases, corruption scandals, and… all sorts of terrible things. Okay, he had to admit—maybe the world really was ending soon.
As he continued to scroll, an ad popped up. It was… weird. No, maybe "unique" was the better word.
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🔥 Want to Watch Epic Adventures in Another World? Download Echoes of Thedas Now! 🔥
🎥 Live stream gameplay, thrilling shows, and action-packed stories from a whole different world!
💬 Chat directly with streamers and meet new friends!
🎁 Get exclusive rewards just by watching!
🌟 HD quality, accessible anywhere — Pssst! Watch without using data!
🏆 First 10 downloads get a special prize!
Don't miss out! Click the link below!
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That kind of text, paired with a background photo of a young man wearing only a thin T-shirt and sweatpants, looking utterly confused.
Yeah… Azizi doubted an ad like this could convince anyone to download anything. It honestly looked more like a scam.
Strangely enough, he clicked it anyway. How crazy was that? He knew perfectly well how dangerous it was with all the phishing attacks lately. Usually, app ads would redirect to an official app store. But this one? This link didn't do that.
The moment Azizi clicked it, a progress bar appeared—then vanished in an instant. A notification popped up on his phone. Naturally, Azizi was startled. Normally, installing an app required several steps. But this one? Just a single tap, and the app was already installed.
"Shit… don't tell me I actually—" Azizi smiled nervously, already starting to regret his impulsive decision. But curiosity got the better of him, just like they say—curiosity killed the cat.
He returned to his home screen. There it was: a new app icon labeled "EoT," presumably short for Echoes of Thedas.
Azizi tapped it. The app launched. As expected, it prompted him to sign in and create an account.
He used a backup email, not his primary one, to log in. After that, a small input tab appeared, asking him to choose a username.
It took him a moment before finally typing:
[nironano]
"Yeah… let's go with this one. 267no."
After submitting the name, the screen changed. After a short loading time, it displayed a young man—now visibly panicked. The same one from the ad.
@BaguetteCritical
"Whoa, that view is amazing! Where is that?"
Azizi read the comment from another viewer. He glanced at the viewer count, guessing maybe the others were just as stupidly curious as him to fall for such a weird ad.
He kept watching. Not long after that comment, the streamer started panicking even more. Was he acting? If so, the guy deserved an award.
[H- Hey! You can see me?!] the young man yelled. [No—can you hear me?! Please! Someone answer me!]
Azizi hesitated for a second, then typed and sent a reply.
@nironano
[Yeah, I can see you.]
@BaguetteCritical
[Same here. Your acting's great! Are you a survival streamer? One of those guys who record their daily life in the wild?]
The young man furrowed his brows, shaking his head as he explained in a stammering voice.
[I-I suddenly ended up in this place. Teleported—something like that! This isn't a show! I'm not acting or streaming or whatever! Please, someone call the police!]
Azizi raised an eyebrow. Okay… yeah, there was no way he could believe that. Teleportation? Sounded like fiction. The guy's expressions and reactions looked genuine, but his words? Completely implausible.
@TotallyNotLost
[Oi! Oi! Look to your left! Something's coming!]
The streamer—and even Azizi—looked confused by the comment. Azizi tried swiping the screen, and sure enough, the viewing angle shifted.
Wait— was that even possible in a normal stream?
On the screen, Azizi saw a creature about the size of a grown cat. It bounced around, covered in slime, round and…
"A slime?"
@BaguetteCritical
[The CGI is insane! You can even move the camera… What're you using to stream this? Tell us! :D]
Azizi saw the streamer freeze. The CGI—if that's what it was—was incredibly lifelike. Or maybe… just maybe, the guy wasn't acting?
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📢 [@SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Welcome, new viewer!
Your streamer doesn't have a weapon yet! Want to help him survive?
💸 Send gifts and provide real-time aid directly to the stream!
Examples:
— [Wooden Sword – 500SP]
— [Rusty Sword – 800SP]
✨ Tap the [💰SUPPORT] button to open the Emergency Store!
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Right after the notification, a shopping cart icon appeared at the bottom of the screen. Azizi tapped it—and was met with the Support Point (SP) conversion chart.
It was… outrageously expensive. Almost 15% of his monthly salary.
What the hell—?! Was this some kind of high-end robbery wrapped in a stream?!