Chapter 50: Sounds Good To Me
"If we die here... we aren’t just ’logging out’ permanently. We’re being erased from existence, no one is coming to save us because we aren’t even on the same map anymore."
"It’s GG," someone sobbed from the Ruby Eyed ranks ", it’s actually over."
Liam stood amidst the spiralling hysteria, his massive frame radiating a dry, intense heat as his [Boiler] talent reacted to his rising adrenaline. He looked at his hands, calloused, scarred, and more real than they had ever felt in his life of luxury. He felt the weight of his family’s "filthy rich" legacy back on Earth. The mansions, the bank accounts, the endless social expectations, they were all on a different planet. A different dimension.
"Sounds good to me," Liam rumbled.
The entire hall went silent. Thousands of pairs of eyes turned toward the silver-haired Vanguard.
"Liam, are you insane?!" Elizabeth hissed, her hand trembling as she gripped her shield. "Did you not hear the voice? We aren’t in a server. We’re in a tomb. On another world. There is no rescue team. No ’Game Over’ screen. Just... this."
Liam looked at the dark maw of the Catacombs. "Back home, I was a prisoner to a name I didn’t choose," he said, his voice dropping into that low, authoritative baritone that vibrated in the chests of everyone nearby. "I was a rich kid with no purpose, studying flavours and lifting weights just to feel like I existed. If this is another world, then the ’Rich Kid’ is dead; only the Chef is left."
He adjusted his grip on his pack, the straps straining against his mountain-like shoulders.
"The monsters still have meat, the hearth fire still burns, and I’m still hungry. If I’m going to spend eternity in another world, I’m going to make sure it tastes like something better than rot and despair. Let’s move."
[NOTIFICATION: STREAM VIEWERS - 500]
[CMurdock]:
"HE SAID SOUNDS GOOD, bro just accepted the Isekai like he was choosing a side dish." [JudeTraore]: "Most people are crying, Liam is just checking the seasoning, what a legend."
[Daisycatt]: "Look at the girls, they’re terrified, but they’re looking at him like he’s the only solid thing in the universe."
[Hestia]: I hope they fuck.
As they moved into the Bone Grinder Corridor, the "Secret Fan Club" tightened their perimeter. They were no longer just protecting an idol; they were protecting their only source of sanity and heat.
Noir and Berry were glued to Liam’s sides, their movements synchronised and desperate.
"Liam," Noir whispered, her Cheetah tail lashing nervously. "Since this is a real world now... that means your warmth is... It’s essential for survival. The cold in here isn’t just a debuff anymore, it’s actual hypothermia." She leaned in, her shoulder pressing against his bicep, "I need to stay close to your ’Boiler’ aura purely for medical reasons."
"Me too," Berry added, her tiger ears twitching toward Elizabeth. "My tiger-kin blood runs cold in dark places, and I need the... uh... radiant heat from your chest. I should probably hold onto your arm while we walk, you know, to keep my stats from dipping."
Elizabeth, who was walking just a few feet ahead, felt her blood boil. The knowledge that they were trapped in another world had sharpened every emotion. The fear was real, but the jealousy was even more vicious.
"Noir, Berry," Elizabeth said, her voice dripping with ice. "We are in a death world, stop trying to turn our Vanguard into a space heater. If you want warmth, cast a fire spell. Otherwise, get your hands off him before I test the ’Permanent Death’ theory on your tails."
Liam, oblivious to the fact that he was currently a human radiator for a growing harem, just nodded. "Elizabeth’s right. If you’re cold, eat some of the [Spiced Taro Bread],
the mana-heat will stabilise your core, no need to huddle like penguins." The girls stiffened, Noir and Berry sharing a look of mutual defeat. He was so powerful, so steady, and so incredibly thick-headed.
They reached a wide chamber where the obsidian pillars were draped in glowing purple moss. Suddenly, the shadows screamed.
Six [Elite Ghouls] dropped from the ceiling. They didn’t move like they were unintelligent; they moved like predators. Their eyes were wet with hunger, and the sound of their claws scraping the stone was a grating, biological noise.
"Midnight! Rafters!" Liam commanded.
"I’m going! I’m going!" Midnight squealed. She was terrified, but Liam’s presence acted like an anchor. She vanished into the darkness above, her shadow walker instincts finally overriding her fear.
Liam stepped forward, his armour shining. He caught the first ghoul’s leaping attack mid-air, his hand closing around its neck.
"Move aside, trash!" A heavy shield slammed into Liam’s shoulder, trying to shove him back. It was Barbosa, flanked by a dozen Ruby Eyed elites. They looked panicked, but their arrogance was still intact, the kind of brittle bravado men wear when they’re trying to convince themselves they’re still in control.
"We’re taking this hall!" Barbosa snarled, his eyes bloodshot. "We need the EXP and the loot drops if we’re going to survive this ’world change.’ You and your little group of rejects can go back to the lobby and play house out of the way, Chef!"
One of Barbosa’s lieutenants, a high-level eagle named River Soul, laughed nervously. "Go cook some taro root, big man. Leave the real combat to the professionals, and we don’t have time to wait for you to marinate a zombie."
[TOOL TIP: THE "ISEKAI’D" REALITY CHECK]
Status:Existence Crisis (Global)
Description: Most players are currently experiencing the five stages of grief. Rogue is stuck on "Depression" (RIP his internet history), and Barbosa is speed-running "Denial" while a ghoul tries to use his neck as a chew toy.
The "Liam" Exception: While the world is ending, our MC has concluded that "No Logout" simply means "No closing time." He has successfully traded his family’s multi-billion dollar inheritance for a slightly dented frying pan and a 10,000x buff to "Zero F’s Given."