The air near the Rift smelled of ozone and wet earth. A massive, swirling vortex of violet energy tore through the center of the abandoned Seoul stadium, pulsing like a dying star. Beyond that shimmering veil lay the Other Side, a world of monsters and mana that had appeared exactly forty-eight hours ago. To the rest of the world, this was the end of days. To Kang Han jun, it was the start of a live event he had already finished reading.
"Is this thing on?"
Han jun adjusted the sleek black drone hovering at eye level. It was not a piece of military technology or a high-end commercial model bought from a tech giant. It was a manifestation of his soul, a physical extension of the Unique System he had awakened the moment the gates opened. While the world panicked, Han jun stayed calm. He had spent the last three years obsessively reading a serialized web novel titled The Great Gate Pioneer. It was an obscure story that had been deleted from the internet just days before the first Rift appeared. He was the only person alive who knew the spawn patterns, the boss mechanics, and the hidden shop exploits of this new reality.
System Notification: Stream Initializing...Current Viewers: 0Room Title: First Person to Enter the Gate Live! (No Clickbait)
Han jun took a deep breath, feeling the cold sweat prickle at his hairline. While the world's superpowers were busy debating international law and mobilizing armored divisions at the perimeter, he was standing at the very edge of the abyss. He had nothing but a backpack full of instant ramen, a basic survival kit, and a digital interface floating in his peripheral vision that only he could see.
"One small step for man," Han jun muttered, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "One giant leap for my follower count."
He stepped forward. The sensation was like walking through a wall of cold, thick gelatin. His vision blurred, white noise roared in his ears, and for a second, gravity simply ceased to exist. His stomach lurched as if he were on a falling elevator. Then, he hit the ground. Hard.
The violet sky of the Rift world stretched infinitely above him, devoid of clouds but swirling with nebulous gases. Giant, glowing flora pulsed with a rhythmic bioluminescence, casting eerie blue and pink shadows across the jagged rock formations. Trees the size of skyscrapers loomed in the distance, their leaves shimmering like crushed emeralds.
Viewers: 142... 1,205... 8,432!
Chat is now active!
User44: Is he actually inside? No way. Look at the distortion on the edges of the screen. GateWatcher: Look at the sky! That is not Earth. He actually did it! This guy is insane. TrollMaster: Fake. It is a high budget studio. I bet he is in a warehouse in Incheon with a green screen.
Han jun stood up, brushing blue crystalline dust off his jeans. He felt a strange weightiness to the air here, as if the oxygen itself were thicker, charged with an invisible electricity.
"It is not a studio, TrollMaster," Han jun said, looking directly into the hovering lens. "If it were, I would have asked for a better insurance policy and a stunt double."
He gestured for the drone to rise, giving the audience a panoramic view of the surreal landscape. A sharp notification pinged in his ear, clear and artificial.
Achievement Unlocked: The First Pioneer!
Reward: 1,000 System Points Shop Category Beginner Survival has been unlocked!
A low growl vibrated through the brush to his left. The sound was guttural, vibrating in Han jun's very marrow. A creature resembling a wolf, but with jagged obsidian scales instead of fur and three glowing red eyes, stepped into the clearing. This was a Shadow Scale Stalker. In the novel, they were the first wall that killed most explorers. They had a blind spot directly beneath their central eye, but they were fast enough to tear a man's throat out before he could blink.
"Uh, guys," Han jun said, his voice dropping an octave as he slowly backed away. "I think the welcoming committee is here. And they don't look like they want an autograph."
Chat: PogChamp: RIP Streamer. It was a good thirty seconds. Can I have your PC when you die?
WhaleWatcher: If you survive this encounter, I will send a Super Rocket donation!
HealerPlz: BUY SOMETHING! OPEN THE SHOP MAN! DON'T JUST STAND THERE!
Han jun's fingers flew through the air, tapping the invisible holographic screen. He knew exactly what to buy. Most people would panic and buy a heavy shield or a healing potion, but those were traps in the early game.
System Shop: Iron Grade Sword 500 Points
System Shop: Basic Agility Boost 300 Points
System Shop: Minor Fireball Scroll 200 Points
The wolf thing lunged, a blur of black scales and gnashing teeth. Han jun did not dive away randomly. He stepped precisely three inches to the left, a move he had memorized from the novel's third chapter. The creature's jaws snapped through empty air, the sound of its teeth clicking together echoing like a gunshot.
"Buy! Buy everything!" he yelled at the interface.
Purchase Successful! 1,000 Points spent.
Loading assets into reality...
A heavy weight suddenly filled his right hand. A cold, notched iron blade materialized out of thin air, its hilt wrapped in coarse leather. Simultaneously, his muscles surged with a strange, buzzing electricity. The Agility Boost kicked in, making the world around him appear slightly slower, his own movements more fluid.
The Shadow Scale Stalker twisted mid air with impossible flexibility, its claws furrowing the alien soil as it landed. It hissed, the three eyes locking onto Han jun's throat. It sprang again, faster this time, aiming to pin him down.
Han jun did not retreat. He dropped low, his center of gravity shifting as the system's muscle memory took over. He slid across the blue grass, the obsidian wolf passing directly over him. As it did, he thrust the iron sword upward with a visceral shout. The blade didn't hit the scales; it sank into the soft, unarmored belly of the beast.
Violet blood sprayed across Han jun's face, warm and metallic. The creature shrieked, a sound like grinding metal, and tumbled across the clearing. It scrambled to its feet, dragging its wounded gut, its three eyes burning with a murderous, frantic light.
The chat window on the side of his vision exploded with scrolling text.
User 'WhaleWatcher' has donated 5,000 Credits!
System Notification: 5,000 Credits converted to 5,000 System Points!
"Holy... that actually worked," Han jun panted, wiping the purple gore from his eyes. He turned to the camera drone, the iron sword dripping with ichor. "Did you see that? That is the difference between a tourist and a professional. WhaleWatcher, thanks for the points. You're about to see what five thousand points can buy in a death zone."
The Stalker was preparing for a final, desperate charge. Its scales began to vibrate, creating a high pitched frequency that made Han jun's ears bleed. It was a Sonic Burst, the signature move of a dying Stalker.
"Not today," Han jun muttered. He didn't look for another sword. He scrolled past the weapons and into the "Legacy" tab, a section of the shop that shouldn't be accessible to level one players, but he knew the glitch. By tapping the corner of the icon while the stream count was over ten thousand, the restriction flickered.
He tapped it.
System Shop: Dragon Breath Flashbang (Experimental) 4,500 Points
He hit purchase just as the wolf launched itself like a black missile. A small, golden orb appeared in his hand. He didn't throw it at the wolf. He slammed it into the ground at his feet.
A blinding roar of white light and searing heat consumed the clearing. The Stalker, whose three eyes were hypersensitive to light, let out a pathetic whimper as it was sent flying back, its retinas scorched. Han jun, knowing the effect, had closed his eyes a split second before impact.
He sprinted through the dissipating white smoke, his boots thudding against the earth. He reached the flailing beast and brought the notched iron sword down in a heavy, overhead arc. The blade sheared through the creature's neck, ending the screeching with a decisive thud.
The body of the Shadow Scale Stalker dissolved into glowing particles, leaving behind a small, shimmering obsidian heart.
Kill Confirmed! You have gained 200 Experience Points.
Current Viewers: 25,430
Han jun stood over the remains, his chest heaving, his iron sword still humming from the impact. He looked at the camera drone and gave a weary, cocky salute.
"That was just a scout, everyone. If you think that was intense, wait until we reach the treeline. The real monsters haven't even woken up yet."