Drunken Haze

David leaned back into his chair, feeling a sense of accomplishment after helping his aunt Kaede clean up most of the house.

It had been a productive day, and now it was time to kick back with a stream.

This time, there were no elaborate paranormal setups—just him, his laptop, and an old favorite of his: Subnautica.

He hit the "Go Live" button, adjusting the camera slightly before addressing his viewers. "Hey everyone, we're doing probably the dame thing today just me playing an old game my dad used to own. It's called Subnautica."

He launched the game, its theme music filling the room as the title screen appeared.

David clicked on "New Game" and selected Survival mode. "For those of you who don't know, this game's about being stranded on an alien planet, underwater. You've got to survive, explore, and avoid getting eaten by whatever lives down there. Pretty chill, right?"

The chat was steady with viewers joining in, but this time, the messages weren't focused on his usual ARG storytelling.

They were curious, intrigued by the simple change in content.

> GhostGamer420: What's this?

> TheWatcher89: Never heard of it, but cool.

> CrypticNight: Looks interesting.

> Simple_Sam: Is this game from your dad's collection? That's cool.

David smiled. "Yeah, this one's from my dad's stash. He was a bit of a gamer, and I guess it rubbed off on me. Anyway, let's see how fast I can get set up here."

He guided his character through the opening crash sequence, quickly getting a handle on the basics of survival.

Collecting resources, crafting tools, and swimming through the beautiful yet eerie underwater landscape, he felt a sense of nostalgia.

His audience watched in silence, mesmerized by the game's immersive world.

A sad reality but such games were very rare in this future most targeted to be dopamine driven and nothing else of substance.

After a few minutes of efficient scavenging, David glanced at his viewer count—4,200 people were tuning in.

It was more than he expected for such a low-key stream, but considering the hype around him it was justified.

> PhantomRider: You seem pretty good at this.

> NightWalker: How come you know so much about the game already?

> Starlight_The_True_Saviour: This looks…kinda peaceful but also scary?

> VoidWalker: You're flying through this. Nice job.

"Yeah, my dad used to play this a lot, so I guess I picked up a few things. It's one of those games where you can get lost in the world for hours and forget about time. And yeah, it can get terrifying once you go deeper."

David maneuvered his character to build a scanner, explaining how the various tools worked and what the game's main objectives were.

The viewers remained engaged, watching as he carefully navigated around the alien environment.

"Man, this brings back memories," he said, his voice relaxed. "Dad would play this on weekends, and I'd sit next to him, watching. I wasn't really allowed to touch the PC much back then, but I'd sneak in some playtime when I could."

The serene atmosphere of the game contrasted heavily with the eerie tension that filled his paranormal streams, and David appreciated the break from his usual content.

The chat remained respectful and engaged, asking occasional questions but mostly letting him guide them through the alien world.

The session continued for a while, David making steady progress in the game, his viewers quietly watching.

This stream was not part of any ARG becuase he didn't want to just have an audience for the horror stuff or any particular genre for that matter.

Since had the path to be all rounder with the system why shouldn't his audience be just as versatile.

---

After shutting down his laptop, David took a moment to stretch, his muscles sore from hours of sitting.

He hadn't really explored the system's features in depth yet, and now that he had a quiet moment, he decided it was time to dive in and see exactly what this mysterious tool offered him.

The more he understood, the better he could plan his next steps.

He mentally opened the system interface, a familiar holographic display popping up in front of him.

This time, though, he wasn't just checking his progress—he wanted a full breakdown of everything the system had to offer.

The first thing he checked was his stats page.

It was something that had intrigued him when he first unlocked the system, but he hadn't paid much attention to it yet. Now, with a more careful look, he realized it broke down his capabilities into different qualities like normal systems

———————

Strength:5 (Average)

Dexterity: 6 (Slightly above average)

Intelligence: 7 (Sharp)

Charisma: 8 (Great)

Endurance: 5 (Average)

Marketability Index: 75 (High)

———————

Most of his stats were painfully normal—nothing that would make him stand out.

He wasn't super strong, nor was he particularly fast. His intelligence was a little above average, but not genius level. However, the Marketability Index stood out.

"Huh, what's this?" David muttered. He focused on the term, and a description popped up.

———————

Marketability Index:

A measure of your ability to attract and maintain an audience. This is based on your charisma, content creation skill, and potential for virality. The higher the score, the more likely you are to appeal to a broader audience and gain sponsorships or lucrative opportunities.

———————

"Well, that's interesting," he said, scratching his chin.

It made sense. His unique content had already attracted a growing audience, and the system seemed to quantify that ability.

It wasn't just about his physical or mental stats—it was about how well he could sell himself and keep people hooked on his streams.

Satisfied with his exploration of the stats section, David moved on to the next feature: Gacha

A wheel appeared in front of him, brightly colored and spinning with different rewards on display. He had seen this sort of thing in mobile games before—a random pull system where you could win big or get something completely useless.

He noticed he could spend his Quartz crystals here.

He already had some saved up, but he decided to hold off for now, wanting to understand everything else before risking any of his valuable resources.

The possible rewards ranged from:

———————

- Special Abilities

- Power-ups

- Unique Stream Perks

- Templates

- Titles

———————

It was tempting, but gacha was always a gamble, and David wasn't about to blow his Quartz without knowing more.

The next section he explored was the Shop.

Here, Quartz crystals could be exchanged for specific items rather than leaving things to chance like in the gacha. The shop had a variety of categories:

———————

- Cosmetic Items for Stream Avatars

- Streaming Buffs (Temporary boosts to audience engagement, viewership, and charisma during streams)

- Abilities

- Weapons

- Pets

- Summoning Fragments

———————

David scrolled through the shop, his eyes landing on a few interesting items. For now, though, he was hesitant to spend his Quartz here too.

He needed to unlock more system features before committing his resources.

He clicked back into the Title Tree, where he had already seen the branches for Horror and Gaming earlier.

His current progress was promising, with the Intermediate Horror Streamer title unlocked and some basic bonuses in gaming as well.

But just like before, other, more unsavory paths were also visible.

David quickly glanced at them again—Murder Streaming, Torture Streaming, and other extreme content paths.

He shuddered, quickly scrolling past them.

No way he was going down that road, no matter how much the system dangled it in front of him.

However, some locked paths also caught his eye, particularly in more specialized areas like:

———————

- Challenge Streamer

- Comedy Streamer

- Social Experiment Streamer

———————

These looked promising and less morally questionable.

He figured he could work towards unlocking these branches as he expanded his content in the future.

David opened the System Rewards tab to see his recent progress and rewards earned:

———————

SYSTEM REWARD

Congratulations! You have successfully gained 4,200 live viewers.

Reward: +200 Quartz Crystals

———————

Satisfied with his thorough exploration, David leaned back on his bed and smiled.

He now had a clearer picture of what the system offered him, and though some parts were dark and twisted, there were other paths that could give him an edge in his journey to become a successful streamer.

The challenge was navigating it all without losing himself like he had seen countless others do —or crossing any lines he couldn't come back from.

He had a few examples in mind the biggest being Mr.Beast.

"Alright, let's see where this takes me," he said quietly, closing the interface. He had a lot to think about.

---

David stood in the kitchen, humming quietly to himself as he stirred the pot of Ramen.

The smell filled the house, and he couldn't help but feel a bit proud. He hadn't cooked in a while, but it was something he picked up from his mom before she passed.

Kaede had texted earlier, saying she'd be late from work, so he decided to step up and make dinner.

Setting the table for two, he glanced at the clock—already past 9 p.m. He frowned slightly, wondering what was keeping her so long. Just as he was about to sit down, the doorbell rang.

He went to answer it, opening the door to find his aunt Kaede, completely drunk.

Her clothes were slightly disheveled, and she leaned heavily against the doorframe, her eyes half-closed.

"Kaede, are you okay?" he asked, surprised.

Is she drunk ?

"David! My sweet... nephew!" she slurred, stumbling inside, nearly tripping on the rug. "You made dinner? Aw, you're... you're so ... so ...good to me." Her voice was a mix of warmth and intoxication, words slurring together.

David helped her inside, guiding her to the table. "Sit down, you need to eat something," he said gently, trying not to sound too worried.

Kaede plopped into the chair, her movements sluggish.

She stared at the plate in front of her, barely able to focus.

When she picked up the chopsticks, she struggled, her hand wobbling too much to properly get the food into her mouth.

David sighed, watching her struggle for a few moments before deciding to intervene. "Here, let me help."

He moved closer, picking up the chopsticks and feeding her small bites.

It was awkward, especially since she kept giggling softly between bites, but he kept his focus on just getting her to eat.

When he was almost done, and the last bit of food was on the fork, Kaede suddenly shut her mouth and shook her head, her cheeks puffing out like a stubborn child. "Nooo..."

David raised an eyebrow, confused. "What's wrong? There's just a little bit left."

She looked at him with an odd smile, her eyes hazy but playful. "Feed me... with your mouth." Her words came out in a slow, deliberate slur.

David blinked, taken aback. "Uh, Kaede... you're really drunk. You don't know what you're saying."

She pouted, leaning in closer, her breath reeking of alcohol. "Mouth. Feed. Me."

He stared at her for a moment, heart racing in confusion and discomfort.

He knew she was out of it, but the situation felt more than awkward now.

Trying to keep things light, he laughed nervously. "Alright, you definitely need to sleep this off."

Ignoring her bizarre request, he stood up , trying to keep the situation as normal as possible. "Let's get you to bed, okay? You've had a long day."

David stood there, his hand holding the chopsticks midway to her mouth, stunned by Kaede's sudden change in demeanor.

Her expression turned from playful to frustrated as she pushed his hand away.

"Why aren't you feeding me?!" she shouted, her voice cracking with the weight of her emotions.

"You just don't care, do you?!" Her anger was loid, a sharp contrast to the gentle demeanor she usually had.

David tried to calm her down. "Kaede, it's just that—"

"Just what?!" she interrupted, her face red and her eyes watery.

"I'm worthless ? I'm nothing! I tried so hard, and look where it got me!" She slammed her fist on the table, causing the dishes to rattle her outburst tangenting to self loath.

Her voice became a broken murmur, "I dedicated everything to him... ..."

David's heart ached seeing her in this state.

The passionate commitment she had once shown was evident in her grief.

He stepped closer, trying to comfort her. "Kaede, you're not worthless. You've been through so much. Let's just get you some rest."

But as he reached out to help her up, her mood shifted abruptly.

Kaede, tears streaming down her face, suddenly grabbed him by arms , hugging them tightly.

Before he could react, she pushed him down onto the floor, her weight pinning him as she straddled him.

"Please," she sobbed, her face inches from his, "don't leave me alone."

David's mind raced in confusion and concern.

Her lips pressed against his in a desperate, tearful kiss.

He tried to push her away gently, but she clung to him, her desperation mingling with her affection.

"Kaede, stop," he said softly, though his voice trembled. "This isn't... this isn't right."

But her grip was firm, her emotions raw and intense. "I need you" she whispered between kisses, her sobs muffled against his lips.

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Stones and Reviews please