[Floor 1]
Kang Min stood atop a rusted shipping container, his black jacket fluttering.
Beside him, the T1 drone hovered, its red light pulsing like a heartbeat.
As soon as he tapped the 'Go Live' button, the viewer count exploded.
『SYSTEM: BROADCAST STARTING...』
『CHANNEL: SINGULARITY』
『CURRENT VIEWERS: 1240...9530...21450...57880...100,091...』
[Chat Box]
* NoobClimber: HE'S BACK!
* GachaKing: THE ROULETTE! SHOW US THE ROULETTE!
* MaskSimp: Look at the background... he's still on Floor 1. Absolute madman.
* RichBoy_Seoul: I have 500,000 Won ready for whatever he drops.
* TheoryCrafter: Notice the way he's standing? He's perfectly balanced even on that rusted edge. 35+ Agility confirmed.
Min looked directly into the drone's lens.
"Welcome back."
He said, his voice calm, carrying that signature weight that silenced the more frantic chatters.
"I promised an unboxing.
Let's not waste time."
With a flick of his wrist, he opened his system showing the rewards from his Floor 1 record clear and the Tutorial evaluation.
In the center of the air, a massive, ornate golden wheel materialized.
It was three meters tall, glowing with an ethereal, pulsing light that cast long shadows across the scrap metal.
The wheel was divided into segments of varying sizes.
Most were Green (B-Rank) and Blue (A-Rank), but there were three thin, shimmering slivers of Gold (S-Rank) and one nearly invisible, crackling line of White-Violet (SSS-Rank).
"The 'Destiny Draw.'"
"The Tower's way of playing with a player's future."
Min pressed the [Roll] button.
The wheel began to spin.
It didn't make a sound, but the air around it vibrated with pure mana.
The colors blurred into a kaleidoscopic ring.
[Chat Box]
* BettingMan: GOLD! HIT THE GOLD!
* LuckSucks: It's gonna be a B-rank. Watch.
* T1_Fanatic: Look at the frame rate on the spin... the drone is capturing the mana ripples!
The wheel slowed.
-Tick. Tick. Tick.
It passed the SSS-Rank sliver.
The chat let out a collective "NOOOO."
It skipped over two A-Ranks.
Finally, it settled on a vibrant, pulsing Blue segment that had a faint silver border.
[RESULT: GRADE A+ ITEM RECEIVED!]
『ITEM: BRACELETS OF THE UNYIELDING TIDE』
「Type: Accessory / Mana Recovery」
「Effect: Increases Mana regeneration speed by 25%. Active Skill: [Flow State] - For 30 seconds, all skill cooldowns are reduced by 50%.」
Min grabbed the shimmering silver bracelets out of the air.
He inspected them for a moment.
"Not bad."
He had three more draws.
The wheel spun again.
[RESULT: GRADE B+ ITEM RECEIVED!]
『ITEM: CLOAK OF THE SHADOW-STEP』
「Type: Armor / Stealth」
「Effect: Grants +10 Agility and reduces sound generated by footsteps by 80%.」
---
[RESULT: GRADE A ITEM RECEIVED!]
『ITEM: VESTIGE OF THE IRON LION (SHIELD)』
「Type: Defense / Heavy」
「Effect: Reflects 15% of physical damage back to the attacker.」
Min looked at the pile of high-tier gear at his feet.
Any other rookie would be screaming with joy.
These three items alone were worth millions of Won.
But Min's face remained stoic.
He was looking for something specific...something that could withstand the pressure of his [Focus] skill at 100% capacity.
None of these were it.
"These are great items for most."
Min addressed the camera one hand out.
"But they don't suit my style.
So, here's what we're going to do.
Tomorrow, I'll be at the Player Lobby building.
I'm opening a private auction.
Anyone is welcome...guild scouts, solo players, collectors.
If you have the coins, these items are yours.
I'll be streaming the event, too."
The chat went into a frenzy.
[Chat Box]
* GuildScout_IronAegis: We will be there.
* Gemfind3r: Name the time. We want the Bracelets.
* MerchantJoe: An auction? This rookie knows how to manipulate the market.
* RichBoy_Seoul: I'm bringing the bag. I need that cloak for my Agility build!
Suddenly, the air in the Slums grew heavy.
The T1 drone's sensors began to glitch, the red light flickering to a pale gold.
A series of system windows erupted in front of Min's face.
『SYSTEM: AN ANCIENT PRESENCE IS OBSERVING YOU.』
『A CONSTELLATION WHO HAS TRAVELED THROUGH THE GREAT VOID IS LOOKING AT YOU.』
『THE CONSTELLATION [THE ARCHITECT OF LOST FLOORS] HAS TAKEN A LIKING TO YOUR MOVEMENTS.』
『THE CONSTELLATION [THE ARCHITECT OF LOST FLOORS] WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT YOU.』
Min froze.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
Constellations.
The "Stars" of the Tower.
He heard these beings were like gods...capricious, powerful, and often dangerous.
They suported and branded players, using them as avatars for their own cosmic entertainment.
[Chat Box]
* StarWatcher: HOLY SHIT! A CONSTELLATION NOTIFICATION?!
* Star_Fan: It's happening! Singularity is becoming a Star-Contractor!
* Scholar: 'Architect of Lost Floors'? I've never heard of that name in the official records. Is it a Hidden Star?
* Don'tDoIt: Be careful, Singularity! Contracts are soul-binding!
* AcceptIt: ARE YOU CRAZY? ACCEPT IT! You'll get Infinite Mana!
Min looked at the golden text.
He knew the allure.
'A sponsorship from a Star meant legendary skills, bottomless resources, and a fast track to the 100th floor....I didn't expect one to take interest this early...'
But he also knew the price.
'But I'm sure...Stars often treat their players like puppets if I'm not wrong.'
"I am honored by the attention."
Min said, speaking to the empty air, his voice steady but respectful.
"But I don't know enough about the 'Architect.'
I'm sure a being of such magnitude understands that a warrior must know his commander before he takes the field."
He paused, knowing he was walking a razor's edge.
Rejecting a Star could be seen as an insult.
"I won't be accepting this support right now..."
『 ... 』
"...nor will I be declining."
『... 』
『THE CONSTELLATION [THE ARCHITECT OF LOST FLOORS] IS AMUSED BY YOUR AUDACITY.』
『THE CONSTELLATION WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH YOUR GROWTH WITH GREAT EXPECTATION.』
'That's best.'
'If I rejected it outright, who knows what a being like that would do?
They have pride that spans eons.'
As the golden windows faded, a new, standard system window popped up...but this one was a deep, royal purple.
『NOTIFICATION: MILESTONE REACHED!』
『YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN EXCLUSIVE SKILL FOR SURPASSING 50,000 SUBSCRIBERS!』
『(NOTE: This reward is generated by the 'Law of Popularity' and is unique to your vessel.)』
Min's eyes widened.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
Min said, turning back to the drone.
"I've got a lot of planning to do for the auction. See you all at the Player Lobby."
He tapped the 'End Stream' icon.
The drone lowered itself, its light turning green as it entered standby mode.
Min stood in the silence of the Slums, the adrenaline finally beginning to ebb.
He looked at the purple notification lingering in his peripheral vision.
"An exclusive skill..."
He reached out to tap it, but then hesitated.
He wanted to wait until he was back at his apartment, but a red warning flashed at the bottom of the window.
『!』: 「WARNING: THIS GIFT IS TEMPORAL. IF NOT ACCEPTED WITHIN 00:58 SECONDS, IT WILL BE RETURNED TO THE CONSTELLATION STREAM.」
"What? One minute?!"
Min cursed.
He didn't have time to get back.
He tapped [ACCEPT].
『YOU HAVE ACCEPTED THE MILESTONE REWARD.』
『UNSEALING EXCLUSIVE SKILL...』
"..."
『SKILL NAME: [666 ALL FLOOR MASTER]』
Min's blood went cold.
"666?"
'That was the number of the floors I had cleared...is what I'm assuming...'
『SYSTEM: REQUIREMENT MET.』
"?"
『EXCLUSIVE SKILL — [666 ALL FLOOR MASTER] IS BEING ACTIVATED!』
"Wait, I didn't activate-"
Before he could finish the sentence, the world tilted.
The rusted junk-yard, the bruised purple sky, and the cold wind were swallowed by a sudden, absolute darkness.
It was as if the universe itself had been blinked out of existence.
Then, the darkness exploded into color.
Min found himself standing in the middle of...
Below his feet, and stretching out into an infinite horizon, was a vast, swirling expanse of cosmic space.
Giant nebulae of deep indigo, electric blue, and royal purple spiraled around him.
Distant stars twinkled like diamonds scattered on black velvet.
"What is this place?"
He looked around.
He was alone, yet the space felt crowded with presence.
-Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.
The sound of the system's notification chime began to play at a dizzying speed, like a machine gun.
But no windows appeared.
Instead, objects began to manifest out of the starlight.
Row after row of pedestals...white marble casings topped with glass began to rise from the crystal floor.
They stretched out in perfect columns, moving at a speed that blurred the vision, until they filled the horizon in every direction.
One pedestal stopped directly in front of him.
Min's breath hitched.
Inside the casing, resting on a velvet cushion-
"Th-this is..."
"This is the blade I used..."
This was the sword he had carried through the frozen hell of the 400th floor.
The sword he had used to slay the Great Chimera on Floor 512.
It had shattered in his hands during the final struggle against the Boss of Floor 666...before ultimately dying.
He looked to the pedestal beside it.
Inside was a tattered, crimson scarf-
Beside that was a ring.
A cracked shield.
A pair of worn leather boots.
A single, glowing feather.
Min turned in a slow circle, his eyes wide with a mixture of horror and awe.
As far as the eye could see, the pedestals were filled with items.
"These... these are all of them..."
"Every single item I ever earned.
Every reward and very piece of gear I looted, used, or broke over thirteen years... across all 666 floors."