"Eh?"
Kang Min paused, his hand hovering over a head of crisp napa cabbage.
He tilted his head, his senses pricking at the back of his neck.
"Of late, it feels like my name is being mentioned a lot..."
"Probably because of all the buzz from the stream."
He let out a long, weary sigh.
"It's nice, sure.
The coins are flowing but when your name is mentioned too much... bad things start to happen."
" I remember in floor 100 when I got the title [Savior of the Frozen Tundra].
A week later, three different groups had tried to assassinate me in my sleep just to claim the bounty on my head."
Fame was just a louder way of asking for a knife in the back.
Brushing the dark thoughts aside, Min grabbed a chef's knife.
He had more pressing matters to attend to.
Specifically, he was starving, and his body was screaming for something other than
convenience store kimbap.
Min pulled out a slab of prime ribeye he'd picked up with his recent earnings.
He began to prepare bulgogi from scratch.
-Thwak! Thwak! Thwak!
Every slice was perfectly uniform, down to the micrometer.
"Its crazy how I learned to cook like this."
Min said to the empty kitchen, his eyes focused on the marinade.
"... try surviving in the 'Desolate Waste' floors for a alone.
You either learn to make a monster's hindquarter taste like five-star dining...
...or you lose your mind eating grey sludge."
But there was a more specific reason for his expertise.
Years ago-
Kang Min had crossed paths with one of the Demon King's most eccentric subordinates.
[Marquis Gastronos].
Min had killed him, of course, but the Tower's reward system had been in a cheeky mood that day.
『NOTIFICATION: YOU HAVE CONSUMED THE FABLE OF THE GLUTTONOUS MARQUIS.』
『SKILL ACQUIRED: 「CULINARY SOVEREIGN (RANK: A)」』
"I wanted a world-shattering destruction spell."
Min grumbled, dumping soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and pureed pear into a bowl.
"Well...to some extent...it became very useful."
He tossed the thinly sliced beef into the mixture, massaging the meat with practiced ease.
The smell was already heavenly...sweet and savory.
Twenty minutes later, the sizzle of the pan filled the apartment.
Min sat down at his small wooden table, a mountain of steaming bulgogi, fresh lettuce, and spicy ssamjang spread out before him.
He picked up a piece of lettuce, laid a generous portion of beef on it, added a clove of grilled garlic, and a dollop of sauce.
He rolled it into a perfect, bite-sized ball.
He popped it into his mouth.
For a moment, Kang Min paused.
There was only the flavor.
The savory fat of the ribeye melted against the crispness of the lettuce.
The pear juice in the marinade acted like a tactical strike on his taste buds.
"Oh... oh, heavens."
He mumbled, chewing frantically.
"Marquis Gastronos... maybe I shouldn't have killed you so quickly.
This skill is... it's illegal.
I should be arrested for eating this."
He shoved another wrap into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel's.
He reached for a piece of kimchi, but in his excitement, he accidentally his chopsticks moved so fast.
-SNAP!
Min stared at the wooden pieces in his hand, his expression falling.
"This is why I can't have nice things."
As he reached for a fresh pair of chopsticks, his mind drifted back to the subspace.
He paused mid-chew, his face suddenly turning a bright, indignant red.
He swallowed hard and slammed his fist onto the table, making the side dishes jump.
"I still can't believe it!"
"One hundred thousand coins! Gone! For what?
A five-second light show and a 'Failure' message?!"
The memory of the system taking his hard-earned coins felt like a physical wound.
He had spent hours clearing that centipede and entertaining thousands of people!
And the system had just... yoinked it.
"That was my 'New Apartment' money!
My 'Top-Tier Gear' budget!"
He huffed, crossing his arms.
"But it makes sense."
He sighed, picking up a piece of meat with a fork this time.
"Trying to simulate a scenario from Floor 512... it was a rookie mistake.
Even for me."
The Tower ran on Narrative Energy.
In his previous life, by the time humanity reached the 200th floor, the "Story" of the world was dense and powerful.
The collective experiences of the players provided enough energy to sustain the manifestation of high-level fables.
But now? This era's humanity was weak.
They were barely scratching the surface of the lower floors.
The world's "Narrative Capacity" was too low.
Trying to pull a Floor 512 item into the current reality was like trying to run a supercomputer on a potato battery.
The system simply didn't have the juice to stabilize the descent.
"Ugh... what should I do then?"
He chewed thoughtfully.
He needed his items.
Climb back up again to get them?
Why when he can get them from his exclusive skill subspace.
"Hmm...I can probably try taking on fables from the other items in lower floors."
He frowned.
That was the problem.
"I was a nobody in the lower floors back then..."
"I didn't have any 'Great Relics'.
I was mostly useless, just riding along with groups, doing the bare minimum to survive."
It was only after his betrayal where his entire party had left him to die that he had truly started going solo.
That was when he stopped trusting humans in the tower and started hunting fables like a madman.
"That must have been around floor..."
He paused.
His eyes widened.
"Ahh... what about that item?"
A slow, manic smile spread across Min's face.
He laughed, a sharp, barking sound.
He shoveled more bulgogi into his mouth, his mood doing a complete 180.
"But I'm not sure if it will be the same.
Will the system tax me 100,000 coins for taking on its fable even if it's from a lower floor?"
He had two days until the skill's cooldown was over.
"If I farm more coins, I might just be able to get my items and relics back.
That, and raise my stats back to their peak.
I won't just clear the Tower this time.
I'll own it."
But first... he needed that 100k back.
-Bzzz! Bzzz!
His phone vibrated on the table.
A notification from the Walker's Organization.
Min swiped it open.
『FROM: WALKER'S ORGANIZATION (EXTERNAL AFFAIRS)』
『RE: AUCTION HOSTING INQUIRY』
「Dear Player 'Singularity,'
We have received your request regarding a private auction. While your recent performance has been... noteworthy, our policy for solo players without guild backing is strict.
However, seeing your growth as a streamer, we would like to offer you a spot in the upcoming 'Bazaar Event.' You will be able to host your auction in one of our shared houses alongside other players. We cannot provide a full, private auction house to a single unranked player at this time. We hope you understand and cooperate with this arrangement.」
---
Min stared at the message.
He leaned back in his chair, tapping his chin.
"Well... I didn't expect anything big..."
"But this works.
In fact, it works better."
He opened his status window, scrolling past his strength and agility until he reached the 「Titles」 section.
Most of them were grayed out, locked behind his current level.
But one...a title he had gained during a particularly chaotic raid on the 300th floor was beginning to glow.
『TITLE REVEALED: 「THE ONE WHO EMPTIED THE GODS VAULT」』
「Effect: Increases 'Persuasion' and 'Deception' success rate by 40% in trade environments. Increases the perceived value of your items by others.」
"Time to get that 100k back."
Min said, his eyes flashing with a predatory light.
"And MORE!!!"
He grabbed the last piece of bulgogi, wrapped it, and ate it in one defiant gulp.