The following day, I arrived at the front of Reflea's inn early in the morning.

　The events of last night felt like a dream—or something unreal.

　But it wasn’t a dream.

　The status board clearly displayed in bold letters: 'Viewership Race in Progress!'

（Refea, do you remember what happened last night...?）

　That’s the one thing I’m concerned about.

　There’s no way to tell whether she was drunk that night or not.

　Or perhaps she’s forgotten everything.

（If that’s the case, then it’s up to me. I’ll just ask her again.）

　After returning to the inn last night, I looked up the details of the 'Viewership Race.'

There are various ways to interpret viewership ratings. Is it the highest instantaneous viewership that counts, or is it measured precisely by the total number of views over time?

Or perhaps it's the average viewership that's being measured.

It's as if even the gods themselves understand, as the rules of the race are clearly detailed.

Viewership is defined as the total viewing time during the event period.

For example, if one person watches for eight hours, that counts as eight hours. Adding up the viewing times of all viewers, the one with the highest total wins. This method could be described as simple and reliable.

Cooperation between viewers and exchanging information using the messaging feature are also allowed.

While this doesn't really concern me, team play and interaction with viewers might help boost viewership ratings.

・Luxurious prizes prepared up to 10th place! Please join in enthusiastically!

Looking at the prize list, they truly are lavish.

Yet I’m only focused on the first-place prize, the "Gem of Reviving the Dead."

There’s no point in anything else if I don’t win first.

・Users who have utilized the point advance system are not eligible to participate in this event.

Come to think of it, there was an announcement a while ago about the point advance system launching.

Well, indeed, it might be unfair to use borrowed points to exchange for items and gain an early advantage. So the gods value fairness, it seems.

After thoroughly checking everything, I confirmed my current status while lying on the bed.

"Real-time viewership: 109.233 million"

"Total cumulative views: 7.6 billion"

"Favorites: 1.5 billion"

"Total Crystals Earned: 78"

"Total Points Earned: 9"

"Number of Transmigrants: 726/1000"

"Crystals Held: 39"

"Points Held: 5"

The real-time viewer count had suddenly spiked. It must have been because of the night with Reflia.

Even now, looking back on it, it felt unreal—like something that happened to someone else. Yet her passion still lingered, like embers still glowing faintly.

It wasn’t that nothing had happened, but thinking about how her sisters and parents might have seen it made me feel slightly unhinged.

(Anyway, I do have points.)

These points came from learning the Undead Summoning Technique and from the bonus reward for first place in the viewership rankings.

Even after being transferred to another world, these points can still be used.

Item-based abilities are naturally available, as are physical stats and resistances. However, special abilities are in a separate category and cannot be taken.

There are 39 crystals. Thirty crystals can be exchanged for one point, but crystals have their own uses, so it's probably better not to spend them here.

(Five points...)

A tricky number. I can choose either Vitality Level 1 or Life Force Level 1.

Natural recovery is also an option, but relying on potions for that should be fine.

Although, in theory, defeating monsters and advancing in rank does improve overall physical capabilities, given my current situation, it's still best to focus on either vitality or life force.

As for resistances, I already have resistance to poison, disease, and aging, so there's no need to allocate points there.

Spirit magic is limited to one system, so no additional branches can be taken.

But spending these precious five points here was also a gamble.

I survived in the forest because I had points left. There's no guarantee I won't face such a situation again in the future. I still have only one barrier stone left—once I use it, I'll lose my safety net for emergencies.

(Though, a transfer participant who carefully reserves their safety margin probably wouldn't make for an exciting show, would it...)

I've decided to take first place.

Then there's no choice but to use the points.

(Still, I want to boost viewership a little. I'll wait until the viewership race officially starts before using them.)

With that settled, I went to sleep last night.

...Honestly, thinking about Refreia made it hard to fall asleep.

And now.

While waiting for Refreia, I've decided to use the points.

After confirming that there was no one around, he began speaking toward the void.

"Hello, this is Kurose Hikaru. Starting today—"

He paused mid-sentence.

Should he declare his goal of aiming for first place in viewership? He hesitated.

After all, everyone believed he had killed Nanami and come to this world from the other side.

If he declared he was aiming for first place, viewers might go out of their way to completely ignore him, just to prevent him from achieving it. Even if he pleaded for the "Gem of Resurrection" to bring Nanami back to life, who would believe him? They'd probably assume he was just using it for something else—maybe even selling it for profit.

No… worse interpretations were possible.

If I get first place, "no one can bring Nanami back to life, knowing the truth." In other words, I'm striving for first place to silence Nanami—someone with a petty nature might think that way. After all, the treasure allows revival for "someone precious to you." Every Japanese transfer survivor has met Nanami at some point. Some might have even grown close to her. ...Of course, if someone were willing to bring Nanami back, I wouldn't mind at all. But if the outcome were that no one could reach first place solely because they tried to revive Nanami, that would be unbearable. So I'm not saying anything. Normally, I'd be glad if you just didn't watch. But right now—just this once—I wanted you to look at me.

"…Starting today, I'll be teaming up with Refreia for dungeon exploration."

Just stating the schedule simply.

I've decided to aim for first place, but I'm still unsure exactly how to get there most effectively. After all, I'm not a YouTuber or an entertainer—I'm just a regular high school student. I couldn't possibly know how to boost viewership.

All I know is that having Refreia by my side will likely increase viewership thanks to her beauty.

And as word spreads that I'm using her, viewership across Earth will only skyrocket even more.

What matters is action and results.

Letting viewers know I'm aiming for first place right now would only bring drawbacks, with hardly any benefits.

　

—But…

I feel bad for Reflare, who’s exposed to hundreds of millions of curious eyes without knowing anything.

It’s something that shouldn’t be allowed.

After all, I’m taking advantage of her goodwill and trying to deceive her.

But if I didn’t do it, there’s no way I could ever reach first place with just my own strength.

"Before entering the labyrinth, I’ll use the remaining five points to get 'Physical Strength Up Level 1.'"

Talking to the void feels incredibly awkward, but it’s necessary for creating engaging content for viewers. I’m not immune to the discomfort or mental strain, but I’ll push it aside for now.

I manipulate the status board and select Physical Strength Up Level 1.

5 points to obtain "Physical Strength Up Level 1"? YES · NO>

I press YES.

At the same time, I felt my body growing warm.

I don't think my physical form changed.

Rather, it felt like my inner spiritual energy had become activated.

It might be similar to the sensation I had when defeating a monster.

It's astonishing that my basic physical abilities have doubled as a result.

I don't feel it yet, but I'll know once I enter the labyrinth.

I voiced out this sensation toward the void.

It was a rather ridiculous act, but viewers do exist.

Paying attention to small details and consciously considering the audience isn't a pointless endeavor. After all, it's not impossible that a single viewer could make the difference between victory and defeat.

"I'm just waiting for Refrea. We ran into each other last night... It's honestly a bit embarrassing to see her face, and we both had a drink, so she might not even remember me—"

"Hikaru? Is someone there?"

"Eep! Scared me! Refrea was actually here?"