Chapter 2

**The Subscribers of the Gods, Chapter 2**

**Chapter 2: Subscribe to the Gods**

Ethan stared at the window and the buttons that appeared before him.

‘I have no idea what’s going on here.’

This was clearly MyTube.

MyTube had a subscription system, and through it, you could collect and watch the videos you wanted.

‘Is it similar but a bit different?’

The name of this subscription platform was [New World]. He thought it was a well-chosen name.

Ethan, enduring the pain, carefully examined the gods he could subscribe to.

‘Definitely. It told me to subscribe to the gods I want and like their content. Subscriptions and likes... Could there even be a notification setting?’

- Hercules' Basic Stamina Training [Difficulty: Medium]

- Sword Saint's Easy Way to Climb a Mountain [Difficulty: Very High]

Several names of gods were listed, along with their difficulty levels.

Next to each, there were brief descriptions of the information you could gain by subscribing.

‘Quite a lot.’

There were even thumbnails, but most of them were crudely made. Ethan noticed a video with a high number of views.

A striking thumbnail with a high number of views.

- Oriental Universal Doctor: Treating All Diseases with Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine [Difficulty: High]

“Is this... Huh Joon?”

This was the video Ethan needed the most right now.

Without hesitation, Ethan subscribed to the Oriental Universal Doctor.

Ding!

- You have subscribed to the Oriental Universal Doctor!

- Amazing first subscription in the New World! You can watch two videos by the Oriental Universal Doctor for free.

Subscribe to [Oriental Universal Doctor] without using likes!

Numerous notification windows blurred Ethan's vision. After scanning through them, he clicked to watch the videos.

-[New!] Dongui Bogam - Acupuncture Edition

-[New!] Dongui Bogam - Herbal Medicine Edition

‘What I need right now is herbal medicine, but acupuncture is better.’

Herbal medicine requires ingredients and time. Acupuncture was something he could use immediately.

Ethan immediately clicked on the acupuncture video. The surroundings changed, and the video started.

- I have spent my life trying to eliminate infectious diseases, and my acupuncture is based on that...

‘No skip option?!’

Huh Joon was a renowned doctor, but he was also very proud of his skills, so his explanations were extremely long.

“I can’t listen to this and survive.”

- Oh, I’m sorry! It seems you are on the verge of death. Hmm. Let me take your pulse.

“Wait... Isn’t this a video?”

- I usually leave it as a video, but this time I gave a live lecture. Most gods leave it as a video. Anyway, I’m very grateful. I haven’t had a subscription for quite a while. It’s a sad thing, but I’m not very famous. You are my honorable 7th subscriber.

Huh Joon approached and pressed Ethan’s wrist.

Then he closed his eyes and opened them wide.

- ...How are you still alive?

“So, I’m dying. Can you help me?”

- Hmm, I must. I will use my power to save you, but I can’t completely cure you. Your illness is not something that can be easily treated.

Huh Joon said this and pulled out a long acupuncture needle from his waist.

- Bear with it.

“I’m already used to enduring pain. Just do it. Anywhere.”

- Oh, you’re brave. But this acupuncture is a technique that uses pain to overcome pain. So, to suppress your pain, I need to give you even greater pain.

Swoosh!

The long needle pierced Ethan’s shoulder. Huh Joon then inserted needles into both shoulders, thighs, chest, and forehead.

- The Five Elements. I will dissipate the heat in your body, which is full of pain, and stir it away with greater pain. Feel it well. Since you decided to subscribe to my acupuncture, I will show you everything without holding back.

Swoosh!

Huh Joon inserted the last needle.

“...”

But Ethan clenched his teeth and didn’t even groan.

- Can you endure this level of pain? Huh! You’re not an ordinary human. Neither are you.

As soon as the needles were inserted, Ethan felt a response. Despite the intense pain, he realized his body was recovering.

‘Is the game system being applied?’

Normally, when the pain reaches its limit, you would be logged out immediately. But now, he could feel the pain vividly.

However, it was still bearable. While pain doesn’t become familiar, the ability to endure it does improve.

Ethan had endured a lot. All the things he had endured while living alone were now helping him in this situation.

- You did well. You should be able to move as you wish for about ten days. In ten days, you can learn my acupuncture and use it on yourself. How does it feel? What do you think of my acupuncture?

As soon as he finished speaking, the needles began to disappear like smoke.

After all the needles were gone, Ethan slowly stood up.

He rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck to both sides. He jumped in place a few times.

He felt much lighter.

“I am a renowned doctor. I thought I was going to die just now. Now I feel like I can survive.”

- You feel like you can survive? Huh. I’m glad. I found great joy in helping people. This is just a result of my joy. So, what do you think? Will you subscribe to me and like my content? If possible, leaving a review would be even better. I want to pass on this acupuncture to many people. If I can help more people, it would be a truly happy thing.

“I didn’t hear the details about this. Can you explain it to me?”

- Hmm. You don’t know? Normally, I would give a long explanation to get your agreement to the terms. All my subscribers so far have heard this. Do you really know nothing?

Huh Joon looked quite surprised, as none of his previous subscribers had asked such questions.

“I don’t know anything. Honestly, I don’t even know why this appeared before me.”

- Hmm. There might have been some mistake. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll explain it simply.

Huh Joon then gave a long explanation.

It was a grand story. So grand that Ethan found it hard to grasp.

- The gods who have attained the rank of Transcendence...

The story was about how numerous gods from various myths, legends, and tales were competing to become the one true god.

- The God of Gods. The Supreme God. They use this subscription and like system to choose the Supreme God. It’s to quantify and easily measure influence. This subscription is the right of [New World] suitable users in many worlds.

“So, by subscribing and watching videos, I can learn the abilities of the gods I subscribe to?”

- That’s right.

“Can I subscribe without any conditions?”

- No, you need to like it.

‘This isn’t a game setting.’

Mazed Pangea didn’t have such settings.

To think that famous gods from reality were here.

‘Huh Joon is just a famous doctor from the Joseon Dynasty. He’s not a god.’

He might have been revered like a god in his time, but he wasn’t a real god.

‘He mentioned a special feature. A clear feature. That means I must have cleared Mazed Pangea multiple times to get this. Or is it like a DLC?’

DLC is additional content that can be purchased, but this isn’t like that.

So, he asked again.

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

- Hmm. You are the only one in this world. But the world is not just one. There are many worlds with many [New World] users.

‘So, I’m the only [New World] user in this Mazed Pangea.’

“Then, if you get a lot of likes, you become the Supreme God?”

- Likes are a very important factor. They make up the largest part of the score.

Huh Joon briefly explained.

The number of subscribers, views, and likes all contribute to their score.

- Likes are the most significant score you can give us. The most important factor. You need to like to subscribe, and you need to like to watch additional videos we create.

“Then, how do you get likes?”

- Hmm. I don’t know that either. If I knew, I would have told all my subscribers to like me. Perhaps if you solve various problems in your world, you can get likes.

“Can you like again after subscribing and watching videos?”

- Our videos are not just what you see. If you want to see them all, you need to like. The same goes for me and other gods.

“So, there might be cases where users only watch the videos they can see by subscribing and don’t like more.”

Huh Joon chuckled.

- You hit the nail on the head. That’s right. Therefore, to get many likes and views, the videos need to be useful. Only then will [New World] users like you watch them. Moreover, videos that get many likes are exposed to many users through a mysterious algorithm. It’s truly amazing.

Huh Joon cleared his throat a couple of times.

- Your body should be fine now. I can only do this much. Since you subscribed, watch my videos and make your own judgment. The right to like other videos is entirely yours. If you want to watch more videos, you need to like. Of course, I also accept offerings. So...

Huh Joon’s clear image quickly turned into smoke and disappeared.

- You have learned Huh Joon’s acupuncture.

- Skill Added: Huh Joon’s Acupuncture (A)

“I didn’t have an inventory or status screen.”

Those two elements, which were usually present, were missing.

“Skill screen.”

‘Oh.’

But the skill screen was there.

The Huh Joon’s Acupuncture he just learned was an A-grade skill.

‘The percentage next to it must be the proficiency level.’

Surprisingly, Ethan’s Whickers swordsmanship proficiency was 100%.

‘If my body is just fine, it means I’m quite strong. But that’s for later...’

First, he needed to check the condition of his body, which Huh Joon had treated.

Ethan took a deep breath and walked a bit.

‘My body feels great.’

He was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. Just walking alone was difficult, but now he felt so light.

But Huh Joon had said it wasn’t a complete cure. It just slowed the progression of the disease.

‘That was a service because I subscribed. I need to treat myself from now on.’

So, he needed to improve the proficiency of the Huh Joon’s Acupuncture he had learned, to the point where he could use it on himself.

“Alright. Let’s do this properly.”

Oh.