BLBJ 18.1

Hidden Rank

He slept like a log.

Eizen blinked, his face dazed. He’d only been away from home for a few days, yet the familiar ceiling brought tears to his eyes with its welcome sight.

‘But what should I do now?’

Broadcast time was fast approaching. The image of the five people fighting fiercely around Eizen, as if trying to kill each other, wouldn’t leave his mind.

And how he’d stepped right into the middle of it all, singing and dancing.

“Aaargh!”

Back then, drunk on everyone’s praise, he hadn’t felt particularly embarrassed.

But thinking about it now, he felt maddeningly ashamed. No, it wasn’t just embarrassment—he wanted to die.

Eizen let out another shriek and rolled around on the bed.

“Aaaargh!”

He was crazy! Crazy to dance and sing like that back then. He must have been completely insane. He’d clearly lost his mind over that 120 million won donation. Eizen kicked off the blankets and flailed his limbs wildly.

Is this what they call a black mark on your life?

‘Thank God… I don’t live in the same place as those viewers.’

It only took one night for the confidence he’d bought with money to vanish.

Eizen rubbed his flushed face raw. The moment he thought how fortunate it was that he’d never have to face those people in real life, an even bigger problem came to mind.

Hadn’t he caused that ruckus right in the middle of the temple? Not only the five capture targets, but the temple priests had all seen it.

“Waaaaaah!”

He truly wanted to die. Eizen kicked the bed with all his might, thrashing about once more as he poured out his agony.

The viewers were one thing. But wouldn’t the temple people and the capture targets all remember that incident from now on?

Diving right into the middle of a fight, dancing and singing while spouting cringe-worthy lines like ‘Don’t fight because of me!’

His face turned bright red, as if it might burst. Was this what it felt like when all the blood in your body rushed to your head? Eizen thrashed about once more.

“Huff… huff…”

Catching his breath, Eizen finally calmed down and checked the time. The hour he’d promised his viewers was approaching.

“Broadcast… I have to broadcast.”

Even in this state, he was driven solely by the resolve to stream. He was truly a full-fledged BJ now. Or should he say, a slave to donations?

After washing up, the moment he opened his wardrobe, Eizen let out another deep sigh.

He’d been buying and wearing only suits for days, and since he hadn’t been home, he’d forgotten.

Damn it, his wardrobe was pitifully poor. Thanks to all the rips, losses, and hardships it had endured, there were barely any clothes left.

‘Once I start streaming, I’ll have to buy a new suit first.’

Changing into the best outfit he had left, Eizen looked in the mirror and tidied his hair. Without thinking, he ran the comb through his hair, but suddenly his face flushed bright red again.

“Aaargh!”

Memories of dancing and singing suddenly surfaced, tormenting Eizen.

If he could, he’d erase those memories. He’d been completely blinded by the 120 million won.

He stamped his feet, trying to forget, but those memories weren’t so easily erased.

And even if Eizen couldn’t see it himself, wouldn’t it be forever preserved on YouTube?

“Aaargh!”

Eizen crouched on the floor.

How could he face his viewers? He could tear his hair out, but time kept ticking. He had to meet his viewers soon.

Rubbing his flushed face, Eizen let out a long sigh.

“Huu.”

[Stream is Starting]

“Hello.”

Still with a slightly flushed face, he waved his hand with a faint smile.

💬Eizen’s totally a top star now!
💬Hahahahaha that a cappella singing and dancing blew up in views.
💬He’s officially a YouTube star now.

It was hard to keep a straight face. Eizen covered his face with both hands.

What does it even mean to become a YouTube top star? Sure, there’s the positive aspect of getting ad revenue, but it also meant countless people had seen him looking so pathetic.

“Haah…”

💬The subscriber count skyrocketed too hahaha
💬He’s got this weird kind of charm.
💬Ah, though honestly it was a bit embarrassing to watch.
💬Hahaha yeah, total cringe but still kinda cool.

“Um… I’ll just change my clothes first.”

He wanted to run away. Of course, he knew he couldn’t.

‘Tens of thousands saw me like that.’

He felt like crying. It was a huge relief that he didn’t live in a world with YouTube. If he’d seen that video circulating in his real life, he’d have seriously considered ending it all.

At least this world didn’t have video storage media. That was a huge relief. Of course, plenty of people had seen Eizen in that state with their own eyes.

But word of mouth is different from actual footage being preserved and circulating, right?

While Eizen fumbled around buying a suit and changing, the number of viewers skyrocketed.

💬Ah, so this is that guy hahaha
💬I stayed up all night watching his videos.
💬He actually looks better live. Way more handsome on stream.
💬Did his charm stat go up again already?
💬Eizen upgrades every single time we see him.
💬My friend told me he went live, so I came right away.
💬Hey hey 👋
💬Wow, I’ve never seen viewer numbers rise this fast.
💬There are already posts saying his live’s up.
💬The viewer count’s skyrocketing hahaha

That video really seemed to have gone viral.

The peak viewer count was clearly 170k, but now, less than 30 minutes after going live, 150k had already joined.

[Viewers: 157,840]

‘If you can die from embarrassment, I’d have died several times over by now.’

Eizen kept pressing his face, which kept getting hotter, firmly with the back of his hand. He could feel the intense heat.

💬So we’re going for the all live together route, right?
💬Ah, I personally prefer the individual endings though.
💬Can’t you just show each character’s route ending one by one?
💬Can’t you just reload?
💬It’s a game, after all.
💬If the person who donated 120 million hears that, they’ll be disappointed lol
💬Is the ending happening today?
💬Wait, today’s the finale?

Eizen watched the frantic chat scroll by, pressing his throbbing temples.

“I don’t plan to wrap things up today. First… “

Just as he was about to speak, a quest popped up.

Quest
➤ Choose a route (0/1)

There was no reward.

💬A quest just popped up saying to choose a route?
💬Wait, then what happens to everything from yesterday?
💬We decided on the all live together ending after that 120 million donation!
💬But if the quest says to pick just one, isn’t that absolute?

Eizen was just as flustered as the viewers were in an uproar.

Up until now, there hadn’t been the slightest hint that he had to choose someone’s route, and suddenly he was being told to decide on just one person.

‘Plus, the affinity went up another 50 percent when we ended yesterday’s broadcast.’

They’d already fought to kill each other and claim him, so if he told them he’d pick one person, they’d obviously try to kill that person immediately.

This quest was essentially telling them to kill each other until only one remained.

💬So basically it’s telling them to fight till only one’s left standing?
💬Did this just turn into a battle royale or what 😨
💬Are they actually gonna die for real?
💬What if we just split Eizen into five equal parts instead?
💬Does the game mean it’s perfect if Eizen dies? hahaha
💬One capture target per Eizen, let’s go!

“I won’t let them kill each other. I won’t let them cut me up and divide me either.”

Of course, this is reality, so data duplication is impossible.

Eizen let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve worked hard to clear quests until now, but this time, I won’t do what the quest tells me to.”

💬Are we even allowed to do that?
💬Won’t it break the story progression?
💬I’m telling you, just take turns with each route.
💬It’s the 120 million–won“all live together route!
💬Eizen’s the player, he’ll know what to do.
💬Do we really need to be slaves to the quest system?
💬Exactly, it’s not like you have to follow every quest.
💬This game seems pretty open-ended anyway. Skipping a quest isn’t the end of the world.
💬Yeah, the kidnapping and escape stuff weren’t official quests either.

‘Anyway, what should I do now?’

Even if he ignores the quests, convincing the capture targets was the real problem.

💎OpenPants donated 10,000 won — What color are your underwear today?

💬Hahaha I was wondering when someone would ask about the underwear color.
💬Wow, Eizen really has become a star now – getting fan questions about his underwear and all.

Eizen was seriously pondering something, when suddenly a question about underwear color pops up. Eizen blinked, feeling his mind freeze for a moment.

‘Is this a paid question? Should I answer?’

He’d received paid requests before, and since it was a paid question anyway, ignoring it didn’t feel right.

“My underwear color is black.”

💎OpenPants donated 10,000 won — Show us.

“Really?”

💬LOL Suddenly showing off your underwear.
💬Come on, just show us. We’re all friends here.
💬You’ve stripped naked before, is underwear really a problem now?

Eizen, feeling dazed, slightly pulled down his pants and showed his underwear.

💬Whoa, he’s actually showing it.
💬Haven’t you seen the R-rated clips before?
💬There are no secrets between us, right, Eizen?

‘Secrets. I wish I had some.’

The moment he sighed deeply, another paid request came pouring in.

💎NoAccompaniment donated 30,000 won — A cappella dance, let’s go?

💎Lala donated 20,000 won — A dance and a song, please.

💎Boing donated 30,000 won — Shoot me with the gun of love.

Eizen squeezed his eyes shut then opened them.

After receiving 120 million, 10,000 won or 20,000 won did feel quite small.

Still, you can’t exactly dig up 10,000 won from the ground!

They say every little bit adds up. While 120 million was a first-time windfall, the initial 100 million was built up through these 10,000 won and 20,000 won donations.

“Bang! Like this?”

Eizen mimed firing a gun, winked, and made a heart shape with his hands.

Yeah, money talks. Even though he had a decent amount now, spending it would be instant if he leveled up his ability points.

He went all out, singing and even dancing.

There was already a video on YouTube of him interrupting a fight and causing a ruckus, so what was so hard about doing it in his room?

Plus, the donations were pouring in. Since he wasn’t performing in front of people like yesterday, his courage surged.

After diligently completing paid requests for quite a while, Eizen caught his breath, panting.

How many times had he sung? How many times had he danced? On top of that, he’d thrown in some half-baked flirting and even a cheek heart.

‘The reaction to the flirting was better than expected, which was a bit surprising.’

Was it because he was good-looking? Requests for an encore flooded in, saying it was amazing.

‘Will the capture targets fall for it later too?’

Somehow, they would like it. Their affinity had increased by over 50 percent; there was no way they wouldn’t like the hearts or the flirting. Of course, the question was whether the right situation would ever arise.

[Viewers: 209,817]

The viewership was huge. The donations were quite substantial too.

Now it was time to put that damn ‘All Together’ into practice. The quest said to pick one person, but he couldn’t just ignore a 120 million won request, could he?

‘There’s no real penalty either.’

Whatever happens, happens. Eizen decided to think positively.

Truthfully, he’d consistently received quests, but they’d never significantly interfered. Ignoring them wouldn’t matter.

And choosing just one person would inevitably lead to murder. Bartholomew might be different, but the other four had actually participated in wars and had experience killing people on the battlefield.

‘Anyway, I’ve made my decision.’ Eizen resolved firmly.

No matter what the quest says, don’t be swayed. Trust only the donations. Above all else, don’t disappoint the viewers.

“Well then, I’ll head out now. First… I think I need to persuade them.”

💬What kind of persuasion?
💬You really think that’s gonna work?

“If it doesn’t work, I’ll make it work. If we’re all going to live together, I need to make them accept the existence of others.”

That was the goal. To make them accept the existence of other capture targets.

Who would be the biggest hurdle?

Eizen was lost in thought. Judging by the variety of sex they’d had so far, Tennes seemed like the one who would resist the least.

‘Since he seems to enjoy sex in front of others…’

Though sharing Eizen with other men was another matter entirely.

Next would be… probably Bartholomew and Pike?

Pike was the type who’d nod along even if Eizen pointed at the sun and called it the moon. Bartholomew was someone who loved anything fun.

‘Christian and Jeremiah are the problem.’

Jeremiah would probably be the most resistant, right?

He’s the Emperor, and he’s a man who, surprisingly, loves very romantic things. He’d likely hate the very idea of sharing with others.

‘Ugh, this is my first time too.’

To accept group sex with such surprising normality. Is this the power of sponsorship money?

Eizen sighed and swept his hair back. It truly felt like selling his soul for money. Well, it was already sold, but still.

“First, I’ll meet with Jeremiah and try to persuade him.”

💬But what are you going to do after persuading him?
💬We’re going 6-beep, right?
💬Wooo I’m definitely watching this live.
💬Is SixthSense here right now?
💬I’m here!
💬SixthSense, your dream’s finally coming true hahaha

“No, let’s not jump into this so suddenly…”

Eizen waved his hands urgently.

Even if he had sold his soul for money. Even if he had no aversion to group sex!

Suddenly having six people join in? That was way too high a difficulty level.

“We’ll take it step by step.”

💬Do what exactly?
💬Wooooaaahhh.
💬Step by step? hehe
💬One, two, three…
💬You can’t do XX alone, it always takes two.
💬So we’re starting from three people then?

Thinking about it gave him a throbbing headache.

‘I have to pick two to do it together…I don’t even know how to go about that.’

It wasn’t full penetration sex, but he’d done something similar before. When he drank the affinity potion in front of Tennes and Jeremiah.

‘Ah, so maybe I should convince Jeremiah to join Tennes?’

After all, the two of them knew each other well, and he’d even put on a masturbation show in front of them, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

Then who should he do next? Considering Pike seemed the most detached, choosing Bartholomew and Christian would probably be best.

But then Pike would be left alone… What about him?

‘I’ll think about that later.’

It’ll work out somehow. Eizen just gave up on worrying.

Given how things have gone so far, it always does work out. It’s a hopelessly irresponsible thing to say, but what can you do? It’s the truth.

“First, I’m going to meet Jeremiah.”

💬What if Jeremiah says okay, then what?
💬Wouldn’t Jeremiah end up crying?
💬Maybe, he’s kind of a romantic at heart.
💬Kind of? Nah, he’s definitely one.
💬When the 6-beep happens, won’t Jeremiah be too shocked to even get it up?
💬Excuse you, a top always gets it up. That’s an insult to Jeremiah.
💬The one who’d probably enjoy it the most is Tennes.
💬Hahaha true, Tennes would totally get even more excited.

Everyone thinks the same. Eizen checked the status of Jeremiah’s location while looking at the chat window. Of course, it was Imperial Palace.

‘He’s with Tennes again.’

Should he be glad? Eizen pondered for a moment.

Anyway, from now on, he had to persuade all the capture targets. So he had to make them choose: either come to understand and accept that he was having sex with others, or enjoy the wild sex party.

‘Sex party.’

Eizen, who had thought that word absentmindedly, clutched his head with a pained expression.

“Ugh…”

Clearly, before starting the broadcast, he hadn’t even considered a sex party – he was just struggling to get by day to day. What on earth had changed him so much?

Eizen writhed in a bit of self-loathing.

In truth, only one thing had changed him.

Donations.

The money itself is dazzling.

Of course, he couldn’t directly bring that sponsorship money into this world where Eizen existed. But by boosting his skills and abilities, it had created ample opportunities to earn money, so it was truly helpful.

‘Ah, right. I still have some skills I haven’t upgraded.’

Since he had hundreds of millions anyway, he might as well just level them up now.

Eizen opened [♥Shop – Skills♥] to check which skills he hadn’t upgraded yet.

[Etiquette F]
[Archery F]

Only two left.

“I might need them someday anyway. Should I level up those skills too?”

💬So today’s the first time they’re doing a 3-beep, right?
💬Jeremiah’s gonna be with Tennes, obviously?
💬But there are five of them. After two pairs of two, what happens to the leftover one?
💬Hmm, then maybe they make another pair and do another 3…
💬Wait, so if they’re all making different pairs to take turns, how many times is that in total?
💬4+3+2+1 = 10.
💬Ooh okay.
💬So for a 4-beep, they’d have to do it equally too?
💬Hahaha then how many times would that be?

No one paid any attention to skills or anything. Eizen shrugged his shoulders.

[Etiquette A-Rank]
➤ 10,000,000 won
➤ Has mastered perfect etiquette
➤ Rank maxed out — etiquette effects have been enhanced

[Archery A-Rank]
➤ 10,000,000 won
➤ Hits 99 out of 100 shots
➤ Rank maxed out — archery effects have been enhanced

“Huh?”

Eizen let out a slightly dazed sound.

Etiquette is one thing, but Archery being A-Rank? 99 out of 100 shots hit?

“Why does one shot miss?”

💬Hahaha that’s kind of human.
💬If he hit all 100 out of 100, it’d break the balance anyway.
💬There’s no such thing as a 100% success rate.
💬Didn’t expect A-rank to be like this though.
💬Still, with the enhanced effects, maybe that one extra arrow counts as a bonus hit?

Even so, it’s ridiculous. Should this be called a game that unnecessarily prioritizes realism?

Eizen frowned and turned away from the window.

“Anyway, now all my skills are A-rank…”

Before he could finish, a new notification popped up.

[All skills have reached A-Rank]
[S-Rank unlocked]

💬Hahaha S-rank now, really?
💬Wow, they’re seriously committed to milking every last bit of money hahaha
💬Let’s go S-rank!

‘This… Well, I guess I should be thankful they gave me content to keep me from getting bored walking all the way to the Imperial Palace.’

Eizen opened [♥Shop – Skills♥] again with an exasperated look.

Then, first and foremost, he unlocked the absurd archery skill that claims 99 out of 100 shots hit.

[Archery S-Rank]
➤ 30,000,000 won
➤ Hits 100 out of 100 shots

💬Hahaha wow, the monetization is insane.
💬Guess we’re upgrading then.
💬But is archery really the priority right now? Shouldn’t the XX skill take precedence?
💬Oh right, let’s level XX up to S-rank first.
💬Can’t wait to see what the XX skill does.

Eizen knew it. His viewers were like that, after all. Nothing new.

Eizen set aside the Archery skill and unlocked the XX skill.

[XX S-Rank]
➤ 30,000,000 won
➤ No problem handling multiple partners at once

“…”

💬Hahahahahahahahahaha
💬LMAO
💬That’s insane hahaha
💬I seriously didn’t see that coming.
💬Hahahahahahahahahaha