I Explore Urban Legends in America - Chapter 1: The Host of a Children’s Show (Patreon)

I Explore Urban Legends in America 

Synopsis:

Liam is transported to 1980s America, where he makes a startling discovery: the conspiracy theories and urban legends from his previous life are all real.

Whenever he fully resolves one of these mysterious incidents, he receives a corresponding Reward.

So, in order to uncover even more supernatural cases, Liam decides to become the host of a children’s television show.

Unknown creatures lurk within dark forests.

Ancient beings guard strange and secret arts.

Even the most peaceful cities hide a darker side.

Unidentified creatures, witchcraft, secret laboratories, and shadow governments have always been hidden among us.

Now, Liam intends to uncover every secret and reveal the truth behind them all.

And remember the guiding principle of his show:

Whatever Liam says is definitely true.

...

America, the 1980s.

Boston, inside the studio of a local television station.

A tall, friendly-looking young man stood before the camera, recording the final segment of his show.

“Kids, even though our last exploration of unknown creatures ended in failure, remember that every exploration is a learning experience in itself.”

“As for that abandoned house rumored to be haunted, I went there personally and discovered that it was simply being used as shelter by a few homeless people. Those strange screams at night were just a trick they used to scare off strangers and protect their territory.”

“I also paid a visit to The Bizarre Neighbor mentioned in a letter from one of our young viewers. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the Vampire our young viewer thought he was. He was just an ordinary serial killer.”

“Well, that wraps up today’s ‘Exploring the Truth.’ If you ever encounter something you can’t explain, or discover traces of an unknown creature, don’t forget to write to me. We’ll figure out what to do together.”

“Finally, please remember the purpose of this show: whatever I say is definitely true. Curiosity about the unknown is our most precious treasure.”

The recording was complete.

The smile never left Liam’s face as he pulled a beautifully bound book from inside his coat. The title Mysterious Events Logbook was printed across the cover.

He opened to one of the pages. Fresh lines of text began appearing one after another, as though being typed by an old-fashioned typewriter.

[The House That Screams]

[Event Level: E]

[Exploration Progress: 100%]

[Reward: Slight Increase in Auditory Sensitivity]

[The Bizarre Neighbor]

[Event Level: D]

[Exploration Progress: 100%]

[Reward: Mastery of Basic Knife Handling]

The book had appeared after Liam was transported to this world, when his parents mysteriously disappeared at the age of six.

At the same time, knowledge of how to use it had appeared in his mind.

Any mysterious event he personally experienced would automatically be recorded in the book.

However, a Reward could only be unlocked once he had completely uncovered the truth behind the event and its Exploration Progress reached 100%.

No one else could see the book, and they would automatically overlook the fact that he was reading it.

Liam had even tried throwing it away in the wilderness, only for it to reappear in his arms the very next instant.

From then on, he understood that this world was filled with strange and wondrous unknowns, and he began dedicating himself to exploring them.

Unfortunately, more than a decade had passed, and everything he had investigated so far had been trivial. The Rewards he received merely left him somewhat fitter than the average person, turning him into a strong man with exceptionally keen senses.

That was why he had come up with the idea of creating a television show and using the public to gather leads.

By the time Liam finished packing up the equipment from the recording and was ready to leave the studio, he found James, the station director, blocking the doorway.

James was a middle-aged man with thinning hair, and he was currently staring at Liam with a conflicted expression.

Liam paid no attention to the strange look on his face. He walked over casually and patted him on the shoulder.

“James, how were the ratings for the last two episodes? Pretty good, right? It’s just a shame we couldn’t bring back a real Vampire for the kids.”

At the mention of that, James took a deep breath before saying what was on his mind.

“To be honest, the ratings are good, but your show has also received a lot of complaints. The parents all agree that it isn’t suitable for young children.”

Liam’s smile froze.

“James, those are just boring adults with no imagination. You’re not seriously going to care what they think, are you? As long as the kids like it, that’s enough.”

James looked at Liam seriously.

“Listen, Liam. My station needs to make money. Your ratings may be good, but there are too many complaints, and the advertisers are already unhappy. You need to make some changes. Either you make the show genuinely suitable for children, or I’ll transfer you to the news channel. They’ve got all the serial killers and psychopaths you could ever want to film.”

The news channel? Absolutely not.

Liam’s mind raced. He immediately gave James his most sincere assurance.

“No problem, Director. I promise the next episode will be completely wholesome and uplifting! Actually, I’ve already got the idea worked out. We’ll go into the mountains and search for the mysterious Bigfoot. What do you think? Kids love Bigfoot.”

James regarded him skeptically.

Bigfoot actually sounded like a decent subject.

It offered outdoor adventure with plenty of mystery. Kids would definitely be interested, and there would be none of the mature content involving haunted houses or psychopathic killers.

“All right. You get one chance.”

James finally agreed. “If we get another flood of complaints, you can report to the editor-in-chief of the news channel yourself.”

Knowing he could keep his show, Liam breathed a sigh of relief.

He had chosen the children’s channel as his platform not only because children had richer imaginations and were more likely to write letters to the station, but also because of one particular entry in the Events Logbook .

[Peter Pan's Neverland]

[Event Level: A]

[Exploration Progress: 5%]

In fact, Liam had encountered Peter Pan back when he was still living in the orphanage.

But Peter Pan had merely looked at him through the window, shaken his head in disdain, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

It was the first time Liam had ever encountered an event with such a high Event Level. The unknown Reward alone was enough to make him go to the trouble of creating a children’s program.

Just as Liam was about to head home, James called after him again.

“Wait. I haven’t paid you yet.”

James pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it over. After a moment’s thought, he took a few more bills from his wallet and slipped them inside.

“Here’s your salary for this month, $2,000. And your plan for the next episode sounds pretty good, so I’m personally contributing another $500 to the budget. Bigfoot isn’t exactly easy to find, after all.”

“That much?”

Liam was surprised. In the 1980s, $2,500 a month was an astronomical salary for a small television station like this.

“Don’t get too excited yet, kid.” James saw straight through him and pointed toward a piece of video equipment in the corner. “You fixed that recorder last time, didn’t you? From now on, you’re responsible for repairing the station’s equipment. You’ll be paid by the job. Consider this an advance.”

So James had simply given him another job.

Liam had no complaints. He pocketed the money and waved cheerfully.

“No problem, Director.”

By the time Liam stepped out of the television station, it was already late at night, and he was in high spirits.

With this money, he could upgrade his exploration plan even further, greatly improving his chances of finding Bigfoot.

Liam was already thinking about how he could capture Bigfoot alive this time and show it to the kids.