"Come on, come on, share the stream with your friends and tell me what you think."
Ashien stared at the expensive screen, reflecting the sweaty contours of his face.
A sigh escaped as he leaned back, remembering the day he started this career. How many years have I spent trying to climb the throne of fame… five years, six?
Leaning forward, fingers hovered over the keyboard glowing in red. A mechanical click sounded as one key was pressed.
His gaze returned to the screen where the chat window of viewers had popped up.
[Chat]
[Anonymous1: You look dead, Ashien.]
[Anonymous2: Don't stop streaming, you're terrible.]
[Anonymous: Your stream doesn't even reach 4 viewers, only people like us, unemployed, follow you.]
Fist clenched until veins bulged, dragging the mouse toward the red "Stop Stream" button.
Click~
Rising from the rickety wooden chair, the blinking red camera was shut off.
Stepping over scattered trash in the room, Ashien headed toward the open window, letting fresh wind in while expelling deadly fumes.
For a while, his gaze remained fixed on the happy passersby outside. Days had become nothing but waking up, streaming, and sleeping.
"I think I'll quit this nonsense. Really, how old am I? 23… or 24?"
Returning to the computer with a coffee cup in hand, each sip only added to the weight on his shoulders. Eyes rolled over the stagnant follower count, frozen stubbornly in place.
Amid the oppressive silence, a floating transparent panel suddenly appeared in front of the pale face. It carried a welcome message with an "Accept" button below.
[Congratulations]
"You have been selected to enter the Testing World."
Accept
At first, hesitation lingered, but bad luck had left nothing to lose. Accepting became the only choice, greeted by a forced smile.
The moment the button was pressed, the world shifted into thick white fog.
Soon, Ashien found himself lying on a grassy surface, feeling a sharp tremor in his legs.
The transparent window appeared again, refusing to let him go.
"What now? Are we in a fantasy story or what?"
[Yes, you are too.]
Leaning forward, the sarcastic message on the floating panel caught his eyes. What?
A sigh escaped while reading the stats that popped up in a nearby window.
[Player Stats]
[Name: Ashien]
[Level: 1]
[Rank: F]
[Strength: 1]
[Endurance: 1]
[Agility: 1]
[Vitality: 1]
[Energy: 1]
[Intelligence: 1]
[Wisdom: 1]
[Willpower: 1]
[Charisma: 1]
[Mana: 1]
[Aura: 1]
[Traits: Streaming Addict → Increases Patience]
[Skill: None]
[Title: None]
"I'm really weak… what are all these traits?"
Running a hand through his hair, a grim smile formed.
Beyond the system display, a massive tower loomed, its gate hiding a place unknown.
Standing up, Ashien approached the enormous gate, tapping small fingers repeatedly.
Tap~ tap~
No response.
A flush of embarrassment passed.
Ding~
[Test 1]
[Complete all 100 floors of the Great Lazord Tower]
Blinking twice, tilting his head, Ashien rubbed his eyes, staring at the number "100."
"One hundred!"
Moments later, a massive dragging sound echoed; the surrounding area shook, and his body trembled painfully.
The door had opened but refused to move aside, attempting escape.
The cursed system forced forward motion, threatening punishment if an attempt to flee occurred.
[Alert]
[If the survivor does not advance to the test area, punishment will occur within 2 minutes.]
Realizing life was on the line, Ashien forced movement toward the tower entrance before time ran out.
Passing through the huge entrance, a blast of cold air sent shivers down his spine.
C-c-c-c… it's cold here.
Ding~
[Notification]
[Entered the Great Lazord Tower]
[Floor 0 welcomes you]
This is like an RPG game. The next step required moving toward one of the six gates –
"Go!"
A sound came from behind. Turning slightly, a green creature holding a wooden club came into view.
"Damn my luck… it's a ghoul, not a slime as usual."
[Speak as if you're used to it.]
"Well, so be it."
Raising both arms to maintain distance, Ashien also felt with his foot what lay behind.
"Perfect… now for the big surprise," he whispered, determination filling the words.
The ghoul advanced, and Ashien, holding a plan in mind, ran toward one of the six openings on Floor 0 as the distance closed.
The creature followed, swinging its club.
[Notification]
[Use Streaming Addict Skill?]
Yes / No
Walking through the narrow, dark corridor, the system window—strangely appearing in darkness—popped up.
Pressing accept, he waited.
"…Nothing—wait, what is this window?"
Another window appeared, showing a chat box like his streams, with a viewer counter above.
"Views? And… 800 people!! Am I dreaming? Or do people actually like me when my life is on the edge?"
[Chat]
[Megara: Keep exploring or the ghoul will devour you in the dark.]
[TV Charger: Speak as if the situation allows it.]
A wave of mockery accompanied the hand gesture in the dark.
"At least the ghoul was the first to think of me."
[Gained 100 points]
Nodding as if everything was understood, Ashien opened the system window, scrolling to the top options, navigating to the shop.
Clicking on it, a search led to a discovery.
"This is it."
[Flame: 25 points]
[Uses: 1 – Duration: 30 minutes]
Clicking purchase, the item materialized before him.
Holding the flame, it ignited at touch.
Light filled the area, revealing a treasure chest beside him.
A smile spread across his face.
"Hahaha… could it have a weapon to kill the ghoul?"
[Chat]
[Safe: There may be a dangerous creature inside, beware!]
"Don't worry, my friend… maybe it's a pirate treasure."
Opening the chest, a sharp iron object—a sword—was revealed.
Holding the worn sword, disgust shadowed his eyes, as if committing a crime against reflected light.
[Chat]
[Wooden Club: Congrats, your sword will break on the ghoul.]
[Safe: Be careful not to hurt yourself, it's sharp.]
Gathering himself and gear, Ashien retraced his steps.
The whistle-like sound annoyed the ghoul, triggering nausea and anger.
In the narrow corridor, both faced each other.
Sweat-darkened eyes locked on the ghoul, swinging its club with the other hand.
Distance closed to nothing.
Press~
The floor beneath lowered slightly.
Tilting his head, Ashien realized a hidden trap had been stepped on.
Swallowing, a puff sounded from an unknown location.
Looking up, the ghoul was pierced by long arrows.
Green blood gushed onto the stone floor.
As the blood touched the ground, a massive rolling boulder sounded behind him.
A glance revealed a colossal spherical rock heading his way.
Turning lightly, Ashien ran back toward the previous gate with six openings.
"Finally… something worth smiling about in this miserable life!"
[Chat]
[Seahorse: You're crazy!]
[Wooden Club: How can you be happy like this?]
Reaching the edge, he jumped with all his might to avoid minor contact with the boulder.
Falling to the ground, drenched in sweat, fear and joy mixed on his face.
"Haaah… hoo…"
Lying on his back, Ashien stared at the ceiling.
"Now that I've studied the place… and since this world is like an RPG, my next step is exploring this tower and killing monsters."
Rubbing his head, the sword felt useless.
"The problem lies in my stats… and this sword doesn't help either, its level is weak."
Sighing, thoughts charged toward a plan, until an idea struck: light the torch.
[Chat]
[Anonymous: What now? Have you become like children discovering new things?]
"Every game gives points for killing weak creatures… if I kill enough monsters, I'll level up enough to survive."
A slap of palms produced a thud, shaking the place.
Frozen at the impact, eyes rolled toward the source: a door made of Mexican copper, covered with cobwebs.
Swallowing, cautious steps were taken.
Passing through the door, a cliff-like slope appeared. Below, monsters wreaked havoc.
Drawing the sword, it was sharpened against a rock.
Looking down, a smile formed.
"How many points will I earn from these monsters?"