The chat was kind enough to remind Noa of the direction he had to go.
'North, huh?' he muttered, not even sure which way it was. So he swallowed, lowering his voice. "Do you guys know about compass points? I might get lost here."
Noa's education was limited.
He couldn't tell north from south even if his life depended on it. Thankfully, the chat had his back.
Viewer_1: As a navigator with more than ten years of experience, I can guide you.
Viewer_1: See that moss on the wooden houses? Moss usually grows on the north-facing side. So turn left, and you are good to go.
Seeing that no viewers seemed to disagree, Noa nodded. "Thanks."
Viewer_1: Consider it as my payment for the free stream.
gothlover: Cap! Are we really going to listen to this broke guy? What if he is trolling?
Viewer_16: The moss thing is legit. He isn't lying to you.
Noa laughed again.
"gothlover, why are you picking a fight with viewer_1? Get along, you two," he said, turning left to follow the trail towards the forest.
Thankfully, the sun was still high. There was no risk of getting lost in the darkness.
gothlover: I don't know.
gothlover: That guy is getting on my nerves. He seems sus.
Need2Pee: Goths are great, but femboys are superior. You can't change my mind.
"What are you guys talking about?" Noa exclaimed in disappointment. "I didn't know my chat had no taste. Who cares about goths and femboys when MILFs exist?"
xx_miki_xx: W in the chat.
F00l: W
WildGuy3: W W W
Viewer_1: A man of culture, I see.
As the chat continued being lively, Noa approached the forest entrance.
There were only trees and greenery around him—no rivers, no birds or animals in sight. Just Noa and silence.
Chat was also there.
As people who were afraid of job applications and hadn't seen grass in years, they were fascinated by its beauty.
The treeline, with a dirt path and dry leaves, looked fascinating, especially when considering that it was a game, at least from the viewers' perspective.
Noa's steps didn't falter.
The leaves crunched under his shoes, producing satisfying sounds.
The wind was calm. But it still swayed the thin branches, creating a calm, almost tranquil atmosphere.
Viewer_12: Damn, I am late. And what's up with the forest? What did I miss?
F00l: Can you shut up? We are touching grass.
Noa snorted lightly and pressed on.
Under the shade of the thick trees, the air grew cooler. A faint footprint showed the path someone had taken not long ago.
Soon, the sun started to dip.
Noa had reached 35 viewers, and thanks to his chat, everyone knew what was happening. Though some complained on the way, saying that he was just playing a walking simulator.
But some of them still stayed, curious to see the end of his objective.
Because the sun started hiding behind the hills—the same ones Noa had to cross—the forest was covered in a dim orange glow.
The footprints he was following got harder to see.
In the darkness, even the path seemed to fade.
Viewer_22: If you hear howling, run.
TomatoSlayer: I don't think wolves will attack humans unless they are weak. Oh wait…
Viewer_5: Roasted!
Noa just rolled his eyes, getting used to the chat's attitude.
He might look like a punching bag to them, but for him, it was as if he was conversing and joking around with his close friends.
However, as darkness approached, Noa's nerves prickled.
Although he hadn't seen animals on the way, who knew what might show up in the middle of the night?
xx_miki_xx: I am getting scared ngl.
gothlover: It's okay. I will donate another $100 if he dies.
Noa didn't stop. He simply didn't dare to. "Chat, you realize that the stream ends if I die, right?"
WildGuy3: Worth it.
TomatoSlayer: Just do it. We want to see what death looks like in this game.
"About that…" Noa smiled wryly. "There are no revival mechanics here. If I die, this is the end for me and for the stream."
Need2Pee: Okay. We get it. Stop bitching around and go do something.
'Anything for the content mentality will doom me one day,' Noa clicked his tongue. Yet the silence from the system was somewhat reassuring.
It didn't give him warnings or missions for survival.
So, Noa found peace in this scary situation—even if part of him was still terrified of the unknown.
Just then, as the flat surface of the forest shifted into an uphill, a loud ringing reached Noa's ears.
It was distant and clear.
Etching from one hill to another, guiding Noa to his destination.
Slowly, it grew fainter, but strangely, Noa knew which route to take. With that, he didn't stop there, going over one mountain after another.
Each one was longer than the one before.
"I really hope I am not going there to be sacrificed in some strange ritual," he said, shaking his head. "But if I were to actually die, you guys better clip it and make me go viral."
TomatoSlayer: On it!
The rest of the chat also exploded with "LMAO" and "POG" spam.
At first, Noa thought it would take him forever to cross the mountains. Even one sounded like a challenge, let alone two.
But when Noa suddenly looked back, he realized something.
As soon as the sun began to rise, he had already climbed up the hills and reached his destination.
What's more, his legs didn't ache. Even his breathing wasn't heavy.
He might have blamed it on this other world, but he clearly remembered feeling exhausted after running away from the villagers.
Either the forest was the weird one, or the village the woman had sent him to.
It was a smaller settlement than the one he had left.
The houses were closely built, and though everything seemed normal, a chill went down Noa's spine.
This place or something about it felt different.
Noa quickly got the answer.
At the center of the village, near the main entrance Noa had just walked into, stood a lone figure, waiting.
The man was eyeing Noa, maybe even observing him with a sharp gaze, as if he knew Noa spent a night looking for him.
[New Quest Unlocked: Speak with the Priest]
[Warning: The path you choose here may alter your future streams]