Noa did it.
He had finally achieved part of his objective.
10 viewers sounded like a lot to him, and surrounded by four farmers, two minutes suddenly felt like eternity.
The men in question pointed at him in amusement.
They didn't attack. Not yet, at least.
But boy, did they stare at Noa like he was some zoo animal they had never seen before.
Seeing this, Noa coughed. "Chat, they like me, right? Or maybe they are discussing who will eat me first."
Viewer_3: Dead man talking. What a rare sight, huh?
Then, one of the farmers stepped forward. He was a new guy, shorter than the first farmer but still taller and more muscular than Noa.
With a long beard and thick brows, he looked intimidating.
Instead of holding a weapon or an actual tool for gardening, he had a bucket filled with clean water.
Before Noa could react, the man splashed the liquid all over him.
It was cold, wetting Noa completely.
The chat roared as he watched the man in surprise. "Shower? Really? Do I really stink that much?"
TomatoSlayer: I believe water-based attacks are the scariest for an average streamer. But it's a win for me. I like the content so far.
Noa, however, didn't look too affected by it.
"I am a wet clown for these idiots," he muttered, and instead of waiting for the farmers to do something weird again, he jabbed the man with the bucket.
It was a clean attack.
Swift. Deliberate. Sudden.
But it turns out, people from this village were monsters in human skin.
The man side-stepped the attack with ease. He then punched forward, aiming directly at Noa's guts.
Now the punch was connected.
And being on the receiving end didn't feel too good, especially when someone twice his weight attacked his soft spot.
In an instant, the air escaped from Noa's lungs.
He started coughing, his stomach and head hurting as his limbs went almost limp.
As the strength faded from his body and his vision turned blurry, a new system notification helped Noa cling to his consciousness.
[Alert: You received minor damage. HP reduced by 14%]
Clutching his stomach and gritting his teeth, Noa hunched back. Though his lungs refused to let air in for a moment, he still let out a forced laugh.
"Holy! …Okay, chat, fuck you! That… actually hurt. I wouldn't recommend getting hit like that."
The farmers hadn't moved at all this whole time.
They just observed him, exchanging words he couldn't understand and mocking him to dare and try again.
At first, Noa was sympathetic towards them.
He didn't want to hurt an innocent stranger just for his content.
But after experiencing their gazes and having to go through the pain that barely started to fade, he changed his mind.
Still, it wasn't like he could take down four robust men alone.
But somehow, he felt that the system could make him strong enough to teach them a lesson.
Unfortunately for Noa, today wasn't the day.
[1:28 Remaining]
He had to survive a minute and a half, but seeing two more new viewers, his motivation soared to the sky.
Viewer_11: What a realistic game! I thought it was an IRL stream for a moment.
Viewer_7: There is no way any streaming platform would allow this if it were actually real. Just sit back, don't overthink, and enjoy.
There was another side to the chat.
It was much darker, colder, and crazier.
Viewer_4: Thank God I clipped it. Bro folded like laundry.
Viewer_1: Pogchamp.
Viewer_1: I love watching people getting beaten up.
Viewer_2: Here it goes, my hard-earned money. But damn, it really looked painful. Is this game that realistic, or is that guy actually a good actor?
Sure enough, Noa's vision was flooded with new system messages.
[Viewer_2 has subscribed! Revealing username: gothlover]
[gothlover has donated $100]
"I see how it is," Noa exclaimed, grinning. "You lunatics want to see me get smacked around while you are idling away, scared of job applications. Fine, fine. Welcome to the stream where your wildest imaginations become reality."
gothlover: Enjoy your paycheck… and keep going.
Viewer_12: Streamers these days are doing anything for content. Not that we can complain.
Reading this, Noa glanced at the farmers with determination. "It's time for the round… whatever. Chat wants a show, and you'd better do your job."
The four men still hadn't moved.
They just circled him like starving predators, waiting to savor their prey.
The chat was in a frenzy again.
All they did was encourage, mock, or bet against Noa. Yet some of them promised to send subs if he were to survive the fight for even a minute.
[0:59 Remaining]
Little did they know, Noa was already trying to do that.
And when the bearded man rubbed his knuckles, and the first man snorted at him, Noa's grin faltered. "Yeah, nope."
Then suddenly, he turned and sprinted off the dirt path where he had stood moments before.
The men ran after him.
They didn't waste a second, not forgiving the strange trespasser who had attacked them.
The chat, however, exploded.
Viewer_3: Damn, he is fast. He might even set a new world record.
Viewer_1: Pog
TomatoSlayer: I hadn't expected him to run away. But it was the only reasonable decision he had made so far.
Some of the viewers wanted to see him get beaten up.
But Noa knew they would still watch if he were to leave the place and make the farmers chase him.
It was like watching a tag game.
But in this case, his life was on the line, and Chat seemed to enjoy watching him struggle to find ways in this unfamiliar environment.
The same couldn't be said about the farmers.
Every step they took closed the distance, forcing Noa to run for his life.
[0:12 Remaining]
Still, there was nothing he could do.
The men caught up with him, laughing in guttural tones. All of them raised their fists, ready to teach him a lesson.
Noa, however, didn't move.
A sudden, crooked grin escaped his lips.
He then lifted one hand, his middle finger pointing at both the farmers and the chat window hovering in the corner of his vision.
"Fuck you all," he said, grinning nonstop. "Enjoy the content. I am out."