The transition to Floor 1 was different from the Tutorial.
It didn't feel like being pulled through a straw; it felt like walking through a heavy curtain of static.
When Kang Min opened his eyes, the sterile white walls of the Tutorial Lobby were gone.
In their place was a sky the color of a bruised plum.
He was standing on a cracked asphalt road that stretched into a sprawling, dilapidated urban landscape known as 「The Slums of the Beginning」.
It was a graveyard of rusted cars, crumbling brick buildings, and neon signs that flickered with dying mana.
This was the true starting point for all Korean-affiliated players.
Min adjusted his black mask, ensuring the curved eye-slits were aligned.
He reached into his pocket and tapped a command on his phone.
-Whirrrrr!
The black T1 drone rose from his side like a loyal hound, its red eye glowing as it synced with the Tower's broadcast network.
『SYSTEM: BROADCAST STARTING...』
『CHANNEL: SINGULARITY』
『CURRENT VIEWERS: 14... 360... 890...』
The viewer count was climbing at a terrifying speed.
The VODs he had enabled the previous day had clearly done their job.
The "Tutorial Record Breaker" was no longer a secret.
[Chat Box]
* FirstComment: HE'S LIVE!
* TowerStalker: Look at that sky... he's already on Floor 1.
* GambleAddict: I lost 5,000 coins betting he wouldn't stream today. Take my money!
* ProLurker: Wait, is he soloing Floor 1? Even B-ranks usually team up for the Slums because of the 'Hyenas.'
* MaskSimp: He looks so cool just standing there.
Min started walking down the center of the road.
His footsteps echoed in the eerie silence.
"Welcome to the first floor."
Min said, his voice muffled slightly by the mask but still carrying that calm, chilling authority.
"Today, we're going to clear the first zone: The Iron Junk-Yard."
As he walked, shadows moved in the alleyways.
Floor 1 wasn't just dangerous because of the monsters; the Scrap Ghouls and Steel Rats.
...it was dangerous because it was the only place where 'Player PKing' (Player Killing) was common and largely unpunished.
Min's [Perception] stat, now at 30, hummed.
He could feel the heartbeats.
Three... no, four people.
They were trailing him from the rooftops of the rusted buildings.
'Hyenas...'
Min thought, a cold smile forming unseen.
'They see a solo rookie with a T1 drone and think they've found a golden goose.'
"Look at this guy."
A voice whispered from a rooftop overlooking the main road.
A man named Bak Cheol, a C-rank player who had been stuck on Floor 5 for two years, adjusted the sights on his crossbow.
He was the leader of a small group of "Newbie Killers" who called themselves the Hyena Squad.
"He's got the T1 drone.
That thing alone is worth fifty million won on the black market!"
Cheol muttered to his teammates; a lithe woman with twin daggers and two bruisers carrying spiked clubs.
"He's the guy from the Tutorial clips."
The woman, Hana, whispered.
"He's fast, Cheol...Maybe we should skip him?"
"If you're going to act like a bitch...just leave!
Fast in the Tutorial is slow in the Tower."
Cheol spat.
The woman said nothing and looked down.
"He's a rookie.
He's probably high on his own hype.
We hit him at the intersection.
Take the drone first, then the gear.
If he resists, we break his legs and leave him for the Ghouls."
Min continued walking, his eyes scanning the "Iron Junk-Yard" ahead; a massive field of compacted scrap metal that served as the zone's boss arena.
He knew exactly where the ambush would happen.
The chat was starting to pick up on the tension.
[Chat Box]
* EagleEye: Guys, look at the rooftops in the background. Is that... movement?
* VeteranPlayer: Yeah, that's the Hyena Squad. I recognize that red scarf. They've been preying on Floor 1 rookies for months.
* Softie: Someone call the Guild Security!
* SaltMine: Lol, security on Floor 1? You're dreaming. Singularity is about to get his lunch money taken.
* T1_Fanatic: RIP the drone. That's a tragedy.
"You guys seem worried about the neighbors."
Min said to the drone, his voice nonchalant.
"Don't be.
In the Tower, there are two types of people: those who climb, and those who wait for others to do the work.
The ones waiting... they're just extra XP."
Suddenly, a bolt whistled through the air.
-THWACK!
Min didn't even turn his head.
He tilted his upper body by exactly two inches.
The crossbow bolt grazed the fabric of his jacket and buried itself in the asphalt with a metallic ping.
"Now!"
Cheol yelled.
Four figures leapt from the rooftops, landing in a semi-circle around Min.
The two bruisers stepped forward, their spiked clubs glowing with a faint, low-tier [Impact] skill.
"Hey, Rookie..."
Cheol said, stepping forward while reloading his crossbow.
"That's a nice drone you got there.
And that mask... looks expensive.
Why don't you make this easy and hand over your inventory?
We might let you keep your life."
Min stopped walking.
He looked at Cheol, then at the others.
The drone panned around, capturing the standoff in cinematic 4K.
"Player Killers, right?"
Min asked.
'Tsk...it's sickening to see Noobie killers still present even to this day.'
"You've been stuck on the lower floors so long you've forgotten what a real predator looks like."
"You talk big for a guy about to get his skull caved in!"
One of the bruisers roared, lunging forward.
『SKILL ACTIVATED: SINGULARITY — LEVEL 1 [FOCUS]』
"Fall."
Min commanded.
The bruiser, mid-swing, suddenly felt like the entire world had tilted forty-five degrees to the left.
His momentum, which should have carried his club into Min's head, violently jerked sideways.
-CRUNCH!
The bruiser face-planted into a rusted car door with such force that the metal crumpled like paper.
He didn't even have time to scream before he was out cold.
[Chat Box]
* PhysicsMajor: Wait... did he just trip him without touching him?
* GamerGuy: Look at the car! That wasn't just a trip, he got pulled!
* Hater101: It's just telekinesis, guys. Relax.
* Woonhee_Fan: GO SINGULARITY! CRUSH THEM!
"What did you do?!"
Cheol screamed, firing another bolt.
Min held up a hand.
The bolt didn't hit him and instead entered 'Focus Zone' around his palm and began to slow down, spiraling in the air as if caught in a whirlpool, before dropping harmlessly to the ground.
"I'm focusing on the 'weight' of your intent,"
Min said, stepping toward Cheol.
"And right now, you're looking very light."
The woman, Hana, vanished in a blur of [Haste].
She reappeared behind Min, her daggers aimed at the gaps in his armor.
"Die!"
Min didn't turn around and focused on his own center of gravity.
He shifted it backward instantly, executing a flawless, high-speed reverse elbow.
-THUD!
The blow caught Hana in the solar plexus.
Because Min had shifted his weight into the strike using [Focus], the impact was equivalent to being hit by a small truck.
She was launched backward, skipping across the asphalt like a stone on water until she hit a brick wall.
"Two left."
Min said, looking at the second bruiser and Cheol.
The second bruiser dropped his club and ran.
He didn't even look back.
"Coward!"
Cheol yelled, his hands shaking as he tried to aim his crossbow.
"Stay back! I'm a member of the Bronze-Gate Union!
If you touch me, they'll—"
"I don't care about your union."
He pointed a finger at Cheol.
He focused the gravity on Cheol's own crossbow.
"Heavy."
The five-pound crossbow suddenly felt like it weighed five hundred pounds.
Cheol's arms were dragged down instantly, his shoulders popping with a sickening click as the weight of the weapon forced him to his knees.
The crossbow smashed into the pavement, shattering the wood.
Min walked up to the kneeling leader.
The T1 drone hovered inches from Cheol's terrified face.
"You like stealing from rookies?"
Min asked, his voice a low growl.
"You think the Tower is a playground for bullies?"
"Please... I... I have a family..."
Cheol whimpered.
"I'm growing tired of that excuse...you guys need to be more creative."
"That's the oldest lie in the book."
Min reached into Cheol's belt and yanked off his spatial pouch.
"Rules of the Tower.
You lose the fight, you lose the loot.
I'm taking your 'tax' for the day."
Min turned back to the drone.
The chat was scrolling so fast it was a blur of neon text.
[Chat Box]
* JusticeServed: THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
* TowerWhale: 10,000 Coins Donated! [Message: Clean up the trash, Singularity!]
* Newbie101: I was so scared of Floor 1 because of these guys. Thank you for showing they can be beaten!
* StrategyAnalyst: Results may vary guys....RESULTS MAY VARY!!!
『SYSTEM: DONATION RECEIVED!』
「10,000 Coins from 'TowerWhale'」
Min blinked.
"Ten thousand coins? For a five-minute scuffle?"
"Alright, viewers."
Min said, his tone shifting back to the professional streamer persona.
"The trash has been collected.
Now, let's move to the actual challenge of Floor 1.
The Scrap-Ghoul Chieftain is just ahead."
He started walking again.
As Min cleared the junk-yard, effortlessly crushing the mechanical ghouls that rose from the piles of metal, he felt his connection to the Constellation Stream deepening.
Every time his viewer count hit a new milestone—1000...the air around him felt denser.
His [Focus] skill felt more responsive.
It was as if the Subscribers were acting as anchors for his power.
'By the time I reach Floor 10.'
'I won't even need the system's points.
The sheer weight of my fame will be enough to crack the world.'
He reached the end of the Slums.
Standing before him was a massive gate made of rusted gears.
『SYSTEM: BOSS ENCOUNTER — THE SCRAP-MIND』
「Recommended Party Size: 5」
「Current Party: 1 」
"Recommended five, huh?"
Min said to the chat.
"What do you guys think? Should I wait for a team?"
[Chat Box]
* Don'tWait: HELL NO!
* SoloKing: Show us the EX-Rank power!
* SafetyFirst: Honestly, that boss is a gear-check. You might need a tank.
* SingularitySimp: He is the tank! Go!
Min walked toward the gate.
As the gears began to turn, he checked his mailbox.
He had another message from Woonhee, probably complaining about the Samgyeopsal bill, but he'd check that later.
Right now, he had a record to set.
"Boss clear in under three minutes."
Min said to the drone, lifting three fingers in the air.
"If I do it, everyone watching has to hit that subscribe button. Deal?"
The chat exploded in a frenzy of 'DEAL' and 'BET'.
Min stepped into the arena.
'Long time no see old friend...'
'I still haven't forgotten what you did to me back then.'
Kang Min said to himself while smiling under the mask.
A giant, mechanical monstrosity; a fusion of a centipede and a steam engine screeched as it saw him.
"Let's end this quickly..."
"I'm hungry for that Samgyeopsal."