Subscriber of the Gods

Chapter 2. Subscribe to the Gods

Ethan stared at the windows and buttons in front of him.

‘I don't know what in the world is going on here.’

This was definitely MeTube.

On MeTube, there was a system called a subscription, and you could select the videos you wanted to watch based on your subscription.

‘It’s similar, but a little different?’

The subscription platform was called [New World]. It was a better name than he thought.

Ethan swallowed hard, his eyes scanning the gods he could subscribe to.

'It certainly was, telling me to subscribe and like the god I wanted. Subscribe and like… Don't tell me there's a notification setting or something.'

-Hercules' Basic Physical Strength Course [Difficulty: Medium]

-How to Easily Split the Mountains of Swords [Difficulty: Extreme]

There were names of different gods and difficulty levels.

Each had a short list of information about what he'd get if he subscribed.

‘There are quite a few.’

Some of them had thumbnails, but most of them were crudely made. Ethan spotted a video that seemed to be getting a lot of views.

High views on an eye-catching thumbnail.

-Eastern Physician of All Things: Cure Everything with Acupuncture and Decoction [Difficulty Level: High]

“Isn’t this…Heo Jun?” (TLN: He was a famous Korean physician during the Joseon dynasty)

It was exactly what Ethan needed right now.

Ethan didn't hesitate to subscribe to this Eastern Doctor of All Things.

Dring!

-You've subscribed to the Eastern Doctor of All Things!

-You've made an amazing first New World subscription! You can watch two videos of Eastern Doctor of All Things for free!

Subscribe to [Eastern Doctor of All Things] without spending any likes!

Countless notifications blurred Ethan's vision. Ethan glanced at them and clicked Watch Video.

-[NEW!] Dongui Bogam - Acupuncture

-[NEW!] Dongui Bogam - Herbs

‘What I need right now isn't a medicine, it's acupuncture.’

A medicine requires ingredients and time. What he could use right now was acupuncture.

Ethan immediately pressed the acupuncture video. His surroundings changed and the video began.

-I have been working to eliminate infectious diseases my entire life and my acupuncture is based on that foundation…

‘There’s no fast-forward button?!’

Heo Jun was a famous physician. But he was also very proud of his skills, which led to a very long explanation.

“I-I'm going to die waiting for his explanation to end.”

-Ah, sorry! It looks like you're dying. Hmm. Let's see if I can find your vein.

“Uh...... wasn't this a video?”

-I usually leave it as a video, but it's been a while since I did a live lesson. Most gods leave it as a video, though. Thank you so much, by the way, I hadn't gotten any subscriptions in quite a while. Sadly, I'm not very famous, and you're my honorable seventh subscriber.

Heo Jun stepped forward and grabbed Ethan's wrist.

He closed his eyes, then opened them wide.

-…How are you still alive?

“I’m dying right now. I need you to help me.”

-Hmm, I suppose I should. For now, I'll use my powers to keep you alive. But I can't cure you completely. Your sickness is not something that can be cured so easily.

As Heo Jun said that, he pulled out a long long needle from his waistband.

-Endure it.

“I'm already used to enduring pain. Poke me, anywhere.”

-Oho. You're brave, but this acupuncture is the kind of power that subdues pain with pain. Therefore, to subdue your pain, I must inflict greater pain than this.

Schuk!

A long needle was inserted into Ethan's shoulder. One by one, Heo Jun pulled out the needles and inserted them into each shoulder, thigh, solar plexus, and the center of his forehead.

-Five Elements. With the needles, I will dissipate the heat of your tormented body and then stir it away. Into greater pain. Feel it well. Now that you've decided to subscribe to my acupuncture, I'm going to show you the full experience of it.

Schuk!

Heo Jun inserted the last needle.

“......”

But Ethan only gritted his teeth and didn't groan.

-To endure this much pain? Huh! You're not exactly a human being, are you?

As soon as the needle was in, there was a response. Despite the excruciating pain, Ethan realized that his body was recovering.

‘Does the game system apply?’

Normally, he would log out as soon as he felt the pain approaching his limit. But now, the pain was palpable.

But it was still worth enduring. The pain was something one didn't get used to, but one develop a tolerance for it.

-Good job on enduring it. You should be able to move as you please for about ten days. Ten days is plenty of time to learn my acupuncture and use it on yourself. So there you have it, a taste of my acupuncture.

Before he could finish his sentence, the long needles began to vanish like smoke.

When they were all gone, Ethan slowly rose from his seat.

He rolled his shoulders and craned his neck to each side. He jumped in place three or four times.

He felt much lighter.

“I'm alive. I really thought I was going to die just now. I think I'm going to survive a little bit now.”

-What do you mean you think you’ll survive. Huu. That feels good. I really enjoy helping people. So, what do you think? Will you subscribe and like me, and if you can, leave a review, that would be even better. I want to bring this acupuncture to a lot of people. And if I can help more people, that would make me really happy.

“I'm not sure exactly how this works. Can you explain it to me?”

-Hmm, you don’t know? Normally I'd have to go through a pretty lengthy explanation to get you to agree to the terms, and so far everyone who's subscribed to me has. Are you sure you don't know anything?

Heo Jun replied, looking quite puzzled.

His subscribers hadn't asked him this question before.

“Yeah, I have no idea. I honestly don't even know why this appeared in front of me.”

-Hmm. Maybe there was a mistake, but oh well, it doesn't matter, I'll make it easy for you.

Heo Jun's explanation continued for a long time.

It was a grand story. It was so grand that it didn't really register with Ethan.

-Gods who have attained the status of transcendence.......

The story was that the gods of countless myths, legends, and stories were vying for the spot of the one true god.

-I've heard that they use this system of subscriptions and like to select the God of the Gods. To make it quantifiable, to make it easier to see influence. These subscriptions become the privileges of many of the world's [New World] suitable users.

“So I can just hit subscribe like I just did and watch a video and learn the powers of the god I subscribed to?”

-Sort of.

“Does that mean I can hit subscribe unconditionally?”

-No. We need likes.

‘This is not in the game setting.’

Mazed Pangea had no such setting.

There were no real-life gods there in the first place.

‘In the case of Heo Jun, he's just a famous physician from the Joseon Dynasty, not a god.’

He might have been worshiped like a god back then, but he wasn't a real god.

'It says it's a perk, a clearance perk. Does that mean I'm getting this because I've cleared MePan so many times, or is it like DLC?’

DLC was like extra content that one could buy for a fee, but it was definitely not like this.

So he asked again.

“Are there other [New World] users like me in this world?”

-Hmm. You are alone in this world, but there is not one world. There are many worlds and many [New World] users.

‘So I'm the only [New World] user on this MePan.’

“So if you get a lot of likes, you'll become the god of the gods?”

-Likes are very important. It's the biggest part of our score.

Heo Jun explained briefly.

The number of subscribers, views, and likes was reflected in their score.

-Likes are the biggest score you can give us. It's the most important thing. You need likes to subscribe to us, and you also need likes to watch additional videos we make.

“And how do I get those likes?”

-Hmm. If I knew that, I'd tell all my subscribers and ask them to like me, and if I had to guess, I'd say you can get them by doing a bunch of things in your world.

“So if I subscribe with likes, I can then like something again?”

-Well, our videos aren't just what you see right now. If you want to see it all, you should. I do, and so do the other gods.

“Then there will also be times when I can only watch the videos I can see with a subscription and don't like them more.”

Heo Jun chuckled.

-You hit the nail on the head, there. Yes. So in order to get a lot of likes and views, the video has to be useful. That way, [New World] users like you will watch it. And they say that videos with that many likes are exposed to a lot of users by the power of a mysterious algorithm. It's very interesting.

Heo Jun coughed a couple of times.

-You should be feeling better now. This is the end of my intervention. Now that you're subscribed, you can watch my videos and make your own judgment. You're fully entitled to like other videos, and if you want to see future videos, you can like them. And of course, I take tributes. So...... Keuhum.

Heo Jun's clear image quickly turned to smoke and disappeared.

-You have learned Heo's Acupuncture.

-Added Skill: Heo’s Acupuncture (A)

"There was no inventory or status window."

The two elements that were originally there were not.

“Skill Window.”

< Possessed Skills: Heo’s Acupuncture (A) [0.0%], Whiskers' Swordsmanship (B) [100%] >

‘Oh’

But there was a skill window.

The acupuncture he'd just learned was a Class A skill.

‘The percentage next to it is the skill proficiency.’

Surprisingly, Ethan's skill proficiency in the Whiskers' Swordsmansship was a whopping 100%.

'As long as my body is intact, I'll be pretty strong, but that's for later.......'

For now, he needed to check the condition of the body Heo Jun had healed.

Ethan took a deep breath and walked around a bit.

‘My body feels good.’

Tears welled up in his eyes with emotion. It was hard for him to walk alone, but he felt so light.

But like Heo Jun said.

He wasn't completely cured. He just slowed down the progression of the disease for a while.

‘That's like a service I'm getting because I subscribed, and I'm on my own to take care of myself after that.’

If so, he needed to increase his proficiency in this learned skill. Enough to use it on himself.

“Alright, let's do this right.”