BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Daniel Kim's alarm shattered the silence of his cramped apartment. He groaned, slapping the snooze button with the accuracy of someone who'd done this exact motion a thousand times before. Five more minutes turned into ten, then fifteen, until he finally dragged himself out of bed with a yawn that felt like it came from his soul.
Another day. Another shift at the warehouse.
He shuffled to the bathroom, brushing his teeth while staring at his reflection with the blank expression of someone on autopilot. Twenty-three years old, bags under his eyes from staying up too late reading webnovels again, hair sticking up in three different directions. Living the dream, he thought sarcastically.
Back in his room, he grabbed his work shirt from the chair and noticed the book on his nightstand—Hero's Legacy, the final volume. He'd finished it at 3 AM last night, and honestly? It was mid. The protagonist got way too overpowered by chapter 200, and the romance subplot made no sense. Still, he'd read all 847 chapters because what else was he going to do with his free time?
His phone buzzed violently on the desk. FaceTime call. He picked it up to see two familiar faces grinning at the camera.
"YOOOO! DANIEL!" Dante's voice exploded through the speaker, way too loud for 7 AM. His friend's face took up most of the screen, dark curls bouncing as he moved. "Bro, come hang out with us! We're filming prank videos today!"
Kevin's face squeezed into frame next to Dante, both of them looking like they were having the time of their lives. "Dude, we're gonna do the fake lottery ticket prank at the gas station. It's gonna be legendary!"
Daniel couldn't help but smile a little. "Can't, man. I've got work."
"Work?!" Dante groaned dramatically. "Daniel, you're wasting your life in that warehouse! Live a little!"
"Yeah, bills don't pay themselves," Daniel muttered, pulling on his shoes. "Maybe this weekend."
"You ALWAYS say that!" Kevin shouted, but he was grinning. "Alright, alright. We'll catch you later, bro!"
The call ended, leaving Daniel in silence again. He looked around his small apartment—the stack of unpaid bills on the counter, the instant ramen in the cabinet, the pile of finished webnovels on his shelf. Dante wasn't wrong. This was a waste.
But what else could he do?
Eight hours later, Daniel finally stumbled back through his apartment door, his back aching and his feet screaming. The warehouse shift had been brutal—moving boxes in the summer heat, getting yelled at by his supervisor for not moving fast enough, the usual nightmare.
He kicked off his shoes, grabbed leftover Chinese food from the fridge, and collapsed onto his worn-out couch. The TV flickered to life as he clicked the remote, some news channel talking about the economy or politics or whatever. He wasn't really paying attention.
He scooped up a forkful of cold fried rice and was about to shove it in his mouth when—
KZZZZT.
The TV screen glitched. Static filled the room, harsh and loud, making Daniel wince. He fumbled for the remote, thinking his ancient TV was finally dying, but before he could change the channel—
The static stopped.
The screen went black.
And then—
Someone appeared.
Daniel's fork hung in mid-air, forgotten.
The figure on the screen was... impossible. They floated in what looked like an endless void of stars and galaxies, their golden hair flowing as if caught in an invisible wind. Their clothing was pristine white and gold, ancient and regal, like something ripped straight out of Greek mythology—flowing robes, intricate patterns, divine and otherworldly.
But it was their presence that made Daniel's breath catch. Even through the TV screen, he could feel it. Power. Authority. Divinity.
The figure leaned forward slightly, tapping what looked like an invisible microphone.
"Testing, testing..." Their voice was smooth, androgynous, and it didn't just come from the TV—it seemed to echo everywhere. Inside Daniel's head. In the walls. In his bones.
Daniel's hand started to shake.
"Testing, testing, testing..." The figure's lips curved into a small, amused smile as they looked directly into the camera—no, not into the camera.
At him.
At everyone.
"HELLO."
The word boomed across the world. Daniel could feel it, like a shockwave through reality itself.
The figure spread their arms wide, their expression shifting to something almost playful, but with an undercurrent of absolute seriousness.
"ALL OF YOU... WILL NOW BECOME PLAYERS."
Daniel's heart pounded in his chest.
"THE KING'S TOWER HAS APPEARED ACROSS YOUR WORLD. ONE HUNDRED FLOORS. TRIALS. BATTLES. TREASURES. DEATH."
The figure's smile widened.
"WHOEVER REACHES THE TOP AND CLAIMS THE THRONE... WILL BECOME THE KING OF THIS WORLD."
Silence.
Daniel stared at the screen, his mind racing. This was—this had to be—
Fake. Deepfake. Some kind of elaborate prank. Hackers. A movie promo.
He forced out a laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, right. Nice try—"
[WELCOME, PLAYER.]
The words appeared directly in front of his face.
Not on the TV.
In mid-air.
Glowing. Translucent. Floating in his living room like some kind of holographic screen.
Daniel's fork clattered to the floor. The fried rice tumbled out of his mouth.
[YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED.]
[THE KING'S TOWER AWAITS.]
His hands trembled as he slowly reached forward, his fingers passing through the glowing text like it was made of light.
"What... the fuck..."
Outside, he could hear it—screaming. Car alarms. Sirens. The sound of the entire world realizing the same thing he just did.
This was real.
Daniel Kim stared at the floating screen, his boring, dead-end life suddenly feeling very, very far away.
The Tower had arrived.
And everything was about to change.
[END OF CHAPTER 1]