1.

"Haaah."

The high ceiling and familiar lighting that greeted him upon his return brought a deep sense of dissonance.

It was always like this.

Even after experiencing it for nearly ten years, he couldn't get used to it.

No, this phenomenon occurred because he adapted so well.

"You're back."

Even after just a few hours in virtual reality, the brain adapts to that place and perceives it as reality.

Of course, the login times aren't usually long enough for such delusions to become severe. Coupled with memories of the real world ingrained over decades and the user's conscious knowledge that this is a game world, maladjustment upon returning to reality doesn't happen easily.

Nevertheless, accidents where people confuse reality and virtual reality occur occasionally because of excessive immersion.

In that respect, Kim Buja is vulnerable.

Because wherever he is, he immerses himself completely in his role and acts accordingly.

He is skilled at snapping out of it, but after spending a month or two living as Kim Buja in a fantasy continent, it isn't easy to adapt to reality immediately.

It's not a big problem.

Like jet lag, it would resolve itself after a little rest.

As he lay on the bed, a familiar sound reached his ears.

Kyuu!

"Ah."

Where had he heard that before?

He searched his memory for a moment to confirm.

A sound that was quite familiar but didn't come to mind easily.

Did he hear it when he entered a dungeon to farm gold for the mission?

While Kim Buja was confused, the source of the sound approached his eyes.

"Ah! It's been a while, Hwangdo."

Coo!

It truly felt like it had been a long time.

The Gold Dragon was still the size of a fist with charming belly fat.

It flapped its wings and flew around its master.

It felt as if it was expressing with its whole body that it wanted to rub its cheek against him but couldn't because of its pride!

Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over him.

"Have I been too negligent?"

Kyuu!

Aside from taking Hwangdo to a dungeon a few times to try and raise it when its level was low, he felt like he had almost forgotten Hwangdo's existence for over a year.

Actually, doing a rough calculation, between this two-month Gold Mission, the one-month event, the one-month national team selection, and the previous Gold Mission, he barely remembered seeing Hwangdo.

Since Hwangdo was always at home, he must have seen it, but the fact that it didn't remain in his memory meant he hadn't paid attention to it.

"Come here."

Squeaaal!

He snatched the flying Hwangdo out of the air and held it in his arms.

It struggled roughly, but it couldn't shake off Kim Buja's hand, which ignored the resistance and stroked its head.

"You little rascal, your stats are only 15. You can't beat me now."

[Gold Dragon]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Name: Hwangdo

▶ level: 1

▶ Stats: Strength (15) Agility (15) Stamina (15) Magic (50)

▶ Possessed Skills

1. Gold Growth

2. Holy Light

▷ Currently in a forced summon state. This penalty will disappear upon acquiring the 『Unsummon』 skill.

Hwangdo's stat window, seen for the first time in a while.

Certainly, the stats were incredibly poor, unfitting for the name Gold Dragon.

Looking at this and then at Hwangdo's sparkling eyes, he naturally felt that perhaps the time had come to pay some attention to it.

So he checked.

The Gold Shop.

Pet Category.

He had checked how to grow it in the beginning.

However, back then, the Gold Shop level was only 1, and let alone Gold to invest in Hwangdo, Kim Buja lacked resources for his own growth, so he had put it off.

Now, he had some breathing room.

Although he had spent money like water in Gold Mission Chapter 2-1, considering the holograms lining up as he finished the mission, there should be enough to grow Hwangdo to some extent.

Kim Buja marveled as he looked at the Pet Category of the newly expanded Gold Shop.

[Pet Growth Potion]

▶ Grade: Normal

▶ Usage Limit: level 10

▶ Effect: Upon use, increases the level of a summoned pet level 10 or below by 1.

A growth potion usable only up to level 10 costs 300 Gold.

The cost to raise it to level 10 is 3,000 Gold.

Of course, considering his recent spending, it wasn't that much.

Kim Buja had opened the Gold Shop anticipating that level of cost anyway.

But it was vaguely annoying.

It wasn't that the Gold spent on Hwangdo was a waste, but rather a question of efficiency.

"leveling up won't be everything, right?"

He didn't know how many stat points a Legendary pet gained per level, but it was certain that level 10 wouldn't be enough to roam dungeons with stats comparable to Kim Buja's current situation.

Furthermore, leveling up wasn't the end of it.

He had to consider the pet's skills.

Even at level 1, wasn't the first time Hwangdo was helpful when it learned 『Holy Light』?

To be useful despite lacking stats, it needed to learn usable skills.

The cost for that? He didn't even want to imagine it.

That wasn't all.

Looking at the [Pet Growth Potion], other items came into view as well.

"Pet Stat Growth Potion, Pet Doping Potion, Pet Recovery Potion."

There were far more types of items listed than one would need for raising a real pet.

Just thinking about what to feed and what to utilize made his head ache.

Kim Buja's decision was simple.

"I'll think about it after raising the VIP level."

Like the [Mount] system, many contents are only activated when the level goes up.

Even if his class sucked up Gold, he felt it wasn't right to just pay gold in the shop and buy growth potions to raise a pet without any plan.

"If they have a conscience, they should give some room to raise it through effort. If that really doesn't work, I can leave the Gold Shop for pay-to-win purposes later."

Wouldn't that be the proper way?

Watching Hwangdo, who opened its tiny mouth to yawn at the touch it felt in its master's arms after so long, he decided to rationalize it that way.

"I wish you'd eat delicious food and grow up big and strong, but you gorge on raw meat like crazy and your body won't grow without Gold. Amazing, my baby."

Still, in Kim Buja's opinion, Hwangdo was enjoying good fortune.

"Be grateful. Other pets like the Special-grade Death Knight are ranked below you, so they don't even get a chance to be summoned because you're taking up the slot."

Kyuu...

Regardless of his words, Hwangdo had already buried its head and fallen asleep.

Without hesitation, he tossed it onto the soft bed and stood up.

"Shall I get going?"

Thinking about Hwangdo had dissipated much of the despondency and dissonance he felt.

Then, the thought of hot water, which he had forgotten for a while, came to mind.

"At this point, isn't it basically a sauna addiction?"

It might be because he could enjoy his own time at home more comfortably without having to go to the hospital.

Moreover, the biggest advantage of a life where money is no object. Being able to keep the bath clean and at the optimal temperature 24 hours a day.

Herbs from dungeons are pricey, but compared to the money he earns, it's nothing so whenever he threw his body in, the perfect temperature wrapped around him.

Meaning no waiting for the water to fill!

He flung his clothes off and opened the door to the sauna room..

"Oh my."

"Huh? Ms. Seora?"

There was a guest who had arrived before him.

* * *

Jeong Seora readily permitted him to bathe.

"You really came back after filling exactly two months? I came just in case, but when you didn't show up, I was about to wash up and sleep."

"I'm glad I came right on time. If I had come a little earlier, phew."

"Pervert."

Despite Kim Buja approaching with a lewd smile, Jeong Seora didn't push him away and welcomed their reunion after two months.

Then she asked immediately, "Tell me the story quickly."

"Is that why you told me to come in?"

"Of course."

Kim Buja, who had entered the bath expecting to quietly calculate his earnings, found himself summarizing a two-month journey out of the blue. He shook his head but began his recollection.

Calculations could be done a little later.

How could he ignore his girlfriend looking at him with such desperate eyes after two months?

He summarized the two-month schedule simply and clearly, hitting only the key points.

"I needed to make as many kingdoms as possible into allies, but I think I only laid the groundwork. I'm not even sure if it will go well yet. I'll have to check the next chapter."

Summarizing it like that, he felt once again that he had run hard for two months.

Of course, the rewards for this chapter couldn't be expected to be huge. He had deliberately made enemies and caused strife. He caused a rift in the temple and succeeded in bringing in a good card called the saintess, but she couldn't be an ally nation.

Depending on how he utilized her later, she could be a great help in expanding his power, but in any case, the core of this chapter was making allies.

So he was even more curious.

How small of a reward would be calculated?

Did he perhaps clear a hidden quest and get something separate?

"That's amazing. As expected, you have no hesitation, Mr. Buja."

"What else could I do? It's the path I already chose. I'm trying to think of it as a game."

"Even if I can't say it's okay or justifiable, I'll be on your side, Mr. Buja."

The reason he could speak without reservation about a process that wasn't exactly clean—not just the result—was thanks to Jeong Seora's sincere words.

The process of killing someone and sacrificing innocent people, even in a game, touches on values enough to cause backlash in many people.

Kim Buja was the same. Nevertheless, trying to find another method because of that would narrow his options infinitely.

It was cowardly, but he had to rationalize it. It's better to be shameless than a hypocrite.

"You're not hugging me just as an excuse for that, are you?"

"Busted."

Kim Buja, who had buried his face to erase the lingering feelings, clicked his tongue and explained the conclusion in detail.

"A combination of a saintess and a princess. If I could film this and upload it, I think it would be a huge hit. It's a shame."

"I agree. Even if I can't show others, I wish I could show you, Ms. Seora. It's a truly interesting world."

It was a world he was immersed in enough that the lingering feelings of the continent washed over him again as he retraced his memories, and it was a world charming enough to warrant that immersion.

Truly interesting events, world history that could never happen on Earth, were being written there.

He wanted to record it. Someday.

Leaving his regret behind, he opened the holograms. Numerous contents were listed.

Among them, the first thing that caught his eye was the solution to that regret.

"Huh?"

[Recording of 'Gold Mission Chapter 2-1' is complete.]

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

Startled by his sudden standing, Jeong Seora asked, and he answered reflexively.

"It says it was saved. Suddenly."

He pressed it as he spoke.

Why did a hologram saying recording was complete appear for the first time in Chapter 2?

Was it a new feature appearing in Chapter 2?

The answer came quickly.

▶ Gold Mission Chapter 2-1

→ Save Cost: 1,000M

[Would you like to save?]

The message that popped up when he pressed Yes.

[Insufficient Mileage.]

It was the mileage system that had recently been activated.

* * *

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.