My Glitched Streaming System: I Can Steal Sponsored Gifts

"There is a Spector up ahead," Ji-su said, warning them of a potential danger—as he had been doing for half an hour now.

With Dok-su gone, Min-ho was left one fighter short.

Even without Jang-book, the three of them would be able to take down a Third Tier Spector on their own.

But with just the two of them, fighting any Spectors would be a dangerous endeavor.

This reality really ate into Min-ho, as he couldn’t help but feel the sting of their progress halting in place.

Just when they started to understand how to coordinate themselves and grow, this happened.

He didn’t know how long they would be stuck in here, or if they would even see the others again.

Everything was falling apart right before his eyes.

’Maybe we should have gone around,’ Min-ho thought, dreading their fate.

He sighed, then spoke.

"Are there any routes to go around it?" he asked, and Ji-su nodded with a point.

"Lead the way," Min-ho said, as he shadowed Ji-su, protecting him from any possible danger, while Sae-wee did the same for Im-hee.

They continued forward in silence, while praying Jang-book and Dok-su were safe.

***

"We should head north," Dok-su said, pointing.

"Are you sick in the head?" Jang-book snapped.

"That’s the direction they fell toward," Dok-su said.

"You don’t know that." Jang-book sat on an outcropping stone beside him, feeling this conversation would take a while.

"For all you know, the chute they fell into could have spiraled toward the south," Jang-book continued. "Our best bet would be to keep heading west. That’s the location of Heart and the nearby sunken tower."

"I’m going north," Dok-su said, taking a step toward the northern passageway.

"What the hell, Dok-su?" Jang-book got onto his feet.

"My brother is lost in this maze!" Dok-su yelled, pausing in place, his fists balling. "You can’t just tell me to do nothing."

"There is nothing we can do. Heading in that direction will only get us lost." Jang-book turned to the west. "If we find a way out of here, we can map out the tunnels and search for him. Better still, we could even meet him and the others at the sunken tower."

"I can’t take that chance," he began to walk away.

"How thick can you get?" Jang-book said, rushing to Dok-su’s front while feeling like he was speaking to a force field. "You getting lost in there won’t help you find him."

"Stop telling me what to do and fucking get out of my way!" Dok-su shouted.

"You have a death wish, I see, ’cause I’m not following you in there," Jang-book bit back, but did not shout.

"You think I need you? Because you’re powerful you think you can control me?" Dok-su said.

Jang-book frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about? I’m just trying to help here."

"I never asked for your help. Heck, I never asked for his help. Had our goals not aligned, I never would’ve joined up with that power-hungry bastard."

Jang-book raised a brow.

"What the hell is with you and Min-ho?"

"I’ve had enough of this," Dok-su said, shoving his way past Jang-book.

"Hold it." Jang-book held his arm, but Dok-su jerked away, summoning his claymore into his hands.

"Don’t fucking touch me," Dok-su said, anger lacing his tone.

"You think you’re the only one with a weapon?" Jang-book summoned his hammer, then threw it over his shoulder. "I’m sick and tired of you acting like some sort of depressed piece of shit that had his life taken away by the higher-ups. All of us have been through the same shit, all of us have had our lives taken over by the suits."

Jang-book paused, his words boring a hole into his own skin.

"So keep your shit to yourself if you want to survive this—we’re all fucking the same."

"I could never be like you," Dok-su gripped his sword. "Because people like you are the reason those people in power stay in power. You follow them like sheep, worshipping them at the first sign of kindness, eating their scraps like dogs."

"So you think I’m complacent to Min-ho?" Jang-book fell his hammer’s head to the floor, then leaned on the handle. "Just because I don’t oppose him or what he does?"

"You follow him because he acts like a leader."

"I follow him because he is a leader! And a damn good one at that." Jang-book left his hammer and began to pace. "You’ve seen what he’s done. You see what he’s capable of. No matter how hard I try to deny it—I can’t. He’s competent and smart. Smarter than I could ever be!"

He ran his hand through his head.

"And not once has he ever infringed on our freedom. That’s what Sae-wee said to get us to join him. And her words have yet to be proven false."

He stopped, both hands on his waist.

"Min-ho is a good person. He has risked his life to save ours. Multiple times. Even with your behavior, he still chose to grow your Tier. Just to appease you."

"Don’t think for a second that I’d let anyone take away my freedom. Had he tried anything, I would have ended him where he stood. But he isn’t like that. And if you can’t see that, then go ahead and get yourself killed. I’ve said my piece."

He picked up his hammer, then began to walk toward the west. Though he acted indifferent to Dok-su’s safety, he slowed his pace, giving Dok-su time to think.

And think did Dok-su do. For several seconds too long.

With a sigh, he dismissed his claymore into smoke, then slowly followed behind Jang-book.

Noticing him, Jang-book smiled inwardly, then continued to helm the path. Ready for any danger.

***

"You can’t be serious," Seo-bi said, genuinely curious if what Shin-ji had just said was a joke.

"You heard what I said." Shin-ji bent low, meeting Seo-bi’s gaze. "Or do you not agree with me?"

Seo-bi hesitated, then walked away.

"Of course I don’t fucking agree with you." She turned around. "You said I could have him."

"I never said that," Shin-ji said, turning away from Seo-bi and walking up to Hang-wa’s side, looking up at the shaft they had fallen from.

"Fine then, let me do it. During our Nightshade Stream," Seo-bi pleaded.

"What makes you think he’d ever want to do such a Stream with you?" Hang-wa asked. "He, along with his peers, never partook in such a Stream. I trust they’re opposed to such things."

"I can get him to do it, I just need some time," Seo-bi insisted.

"Time is something we don’t have," Shin-ji said. "We need to kill him and move on to the next target."

He turned to Seo-bi and pointed to his Z-Eye.

"It went down from two hundred to a hundred and ninety. It’s the same for the both of you. These numbers won’t stay up if we linger too long. And we need those views and Gifts if we are to survive in this world."

"But—"

"But nothing, Seo-bi!" Shin-ji shouted. Then he walked up to her, his muscles tense as he spoke. "I know you get a kick out of killing men during your Nightshade Streams. Hang-wa and I also enjoy gutting Z-Streamers open one way or the other. But never at the cost of our own lives. Do you understand?"

Seo-bi pouted, looking away.

"Do you understand, Seo-bi?" he asked again.

Hang-wa watched anxiously, afraid he would be short a team member.

"Crystal," Seo-bi said.

Shin-ji lingered for a moment, then he walked away.

"Good," he said.

Seo-bi watched him as he walked away.

’We’ll just have to see about that,’ she thought with a grin.

Once Shin-ji got into place, he pushed his cloak to the back, held his stance firm, and pulled his fist back.

In the blink of an eye, he punched upward with a power that shook the earth.

A shockwave exploded forth, tearing through the roof of the tunnel they were in.

The tunnels began to quake as their integrity faltered. Stone crumbled and the roof came down.

"Watch out!" Sae-wee said as a pile of rock came down on Min-ho and Ji-su.

Acting on pure instinct, Min-ho grabbed Ji-su and pulled him to the side.

"What the hell is that?" Jang-book asked as the passageways quaked.

Suddenly, the ground under his feet gave out.

Dok-su leaped forward and grabbed his hand in the nick of time.

"Let’s get out of here," Shin-ji said, as he leaped onto the wall. He kicked against the wall and leaped to the other side, before repeating the process.

Hang-wa followed suit, and Seo-bi hesitated.

She looked in all directions of the tunnels, then she sighed and followed along, leaping from wall to wall.

While Dok-su struggled to pull Jang-book out of the pit, somewhere else, Min-ho and Sae-wee were standing with their daggers in hand, as three Spectors stared them down.

’Damn it,’ Min-ho thought, his strength waning.