A few more hours passed inside the dark corridors. Solomon encountered countless hidden traps, got completely lost, and frequently looped back to the exact same locations whenever the stone walls shifted. His constant struggles and narrow escapes kept his audience highly entertained.

He eventually leaned against a safe section of the masonry to rest his aching legs. He checked the chat screen flashing in his upper vision and saw his viewer count had firmly crossed two hundred.

"I used to watch live streams and traditional broadcasts all the time," Solomon said, wiping dust from his jacket. "Getting viewers as a completely new channel is incredibly hard. Retaining them is even harder. I honestly feel very lucky to already have over two hundred people watching me right now."

[GamerGuy: the academy social accounts posted about the new year starting.]

[User12: yeah they hyped up a huge launch event, but the countdown timer still has six days left.]

[LazyCat: the officials said they will update the main page with student names, pictures, talents, and skills soon. people can subscribe and get notified when the actual streams begin.]

[Skeptic: none of that has started yet. you definitely broke a rule to get online this early.]

Solomon shook his head and pushed himself off the wall. "I definitely did not break a single rule. In fact, after knowing this, I feel incredibly unlucky right now. If I had actually known about this massive launch event, I would have waited until it started."

He stretched his back and adjusted his sword belt. "I could have easily benefited from the hype. People would have seen my SSS-rank talent on the official roster and subscribed just for the novelty of it. I completely missed out on a massive starting boost."

The chat immediately flooded with laughing emojis and proud declarations.

[BloodKnight: their loss is our gain.]

[LazyCat: we claim the title of OG followers!]

[GamerGuy: OG gang right here.]

[User12: we believed in Solo Man before the hype.]

[NewbHunter: OG follower reporting for duty.]

Solomon smiled at the scrolling text. The lively conversation made the dark, twisting maze feel a lot less lonely. He gripped the handle of his iron sword, checked the glowing green moss on the floorboards, and resumed his search for the exit.

What Solomon didn’t know was that each world and realms had its own dedicated fanbase, with the lowest number being the outside world.

No one was interested in the outside world unless something was trending.

The Martial world had the most loyal fanbase filled with donors and fanatics.

However, the Ruined world of Eden had the strongest and the largest fanbase because of how unpredictable and entertaining it was. The viewers felt like they were part of the expedition and living in it.

After walking for a while, a faint archway framed the end of the long corridor. The torches lining the walls began to flicker wildly from bright orange to stark blue. The labyrinth was preparing to shift its layout.

Solomon shoved his iron sword into its scabbard and sprinted toward the supposed exit. He pumped his arms and pushed his legs to their limits to beat the closing window.

Suddenly, a massive shadow stretched across the stone floor and completely blocked the archway. He dug his boots into the cobblestones and skidded to a harsh halt.

A towering figure stepped out from the intersecting side passage.

Thick plate armor coated in rust and dried mud covered the creature from head to toe. This undead stood entirely apart from the brittle foot soldiers he had dismantled hours ago. It held a massive greatsword with a practiced, lethal grip. Its balanced stance and fluid movements screamed of extensive battlefield experience.

[ You have encountered Undead Knight ]

[ Difficulty Rank - A ]

"Damn my luck!" Solomon shouted.

The torches finalized their color change. A loud grinding noise echoed through the corridor as the walls moved, and the exit completely vanished behind a descending slab of solid rock. A dark, dead-end passage quickly replaced his only way out.

[LazyCat: NOOOOO we were so close!]

[User12: bro got completely robbed by the maze.]

[GamerGuy: run the other way right now!]

[NewbHunter: bail! get out of there!]

The undead knight turned its helmet toward Solomon. The corrupted golden light burned brightly through the visor slits.

A loud chime rang out inside Solomon’s head.

[BloodKnight has issued a live challenge!]

[BloodKnight: I will gift one Golden Throne (2,000 Points) if you fight the knight.]

Solomon immediately took a step backward and kept his hand entirely away from his weapon. "I am absolutely not stupid enough to risk my life for that," he told the viewers. "A single knight equals a hundred regular soldiers in both brute strength and combat skills. They fight with actual tactics. I am not throwing my life away against something that dangerous."

Another sharp chime pierced his thoughts.

[BloodKnight has updated the live challenge!]

[BloodKnight: I will gift one Diamond Crown (5,000 Points) if you defeat it.]

Solomon froze mid-step.

Five thousand points represented a massive chunk of his required monthly quota, almost reaching 25,000 points. Earning that much on his very first day would secure his position at the academy for weeks.

He looked up at the towering, armored knight and then glanced down at his basic iron sword. He slowly lowered his stance and wrapped his fingers tightly around his leather hilt.

He quickly ran through his arsenal of basic skills, calculating his actual chances of surviving the encounter.

The chat screen suddenly refreshed with a message right as Solomon prepared his battle stance.

[ToxicLord: this is exactly how all you streamers are. you will do absolutely anything for gifts and donations. you guys would even suck a dick if someone paid you a high enough amount.]

The other viewers instantly jumped in to defend him.

[LazyCat: get out of here loser.]

[User12: ignore this guy Solo Man. I know him from other channels. he is a certified hater who just bullies new streamers for fun.]

[GamerGuy: yeah do not take him seriously. just ban him.]

Solomon laughed aloud and kept his eyes locked on the approaching undead knight. "He is not entirely wrong. That is exactly how the entire world works. It applies to everyone, not just the streamers. The kings, the presidents, the absolute weakest peasants, the strongest warriors, the dragons, and the elves all operate on the exact same principle."

He drew his iron sword from its scabbard. "Everyone has something they desperately need or want. When you give it to them, they give you something you want in return. That is the fundamental law of the world."

The undead knight raised its massive greatsword, preparing to charge.

"If that guy can gift me five hundred trillion gold coins, five hundred trillion times each passing second for the next five hundred trillion years, then I will gladly bend over for him right now," Solomon told the drone. "The problem is, he talks about sucking things, but the only thing he actually sucks is the absolute joy out of his parents’ eyes every single time they remember he exists."

The chat completely lost its mind. A massive flood of laughing emojis and brutal comments scrolled rapidly up the blue projection.

[LazyCat: LMAO DESTROYED!]

[GamerGuy: call a healer for this guy because he just got slaughtered!]

[User12: absolute violation. I am crying.]

[BloodKnight gifted a Silver Sword! (500 Points)]

[BloodKnight: a verbal execution right before a physical one. I respect it.]

The chat mercilessly thrashed the hater and echoed the brutal insult. The humiliation proved too much for the internet troll. A small notification popped up on the corner of the screen.

[ToxicLord left the stream.]

Solomon dismissed the chat window from his immediate line of sight. He brought his iron sword up to his chest and focused entirely on the knight in front of him.