3.

There was only one reason Kim Buja turned his back on Park Sijun without a shred of lingering regret.

'Just as I thought, he took the bait perfectly.'

Park Sijun immediately vented the humiliation and absurdity of the encounter on his personal social media and video channels.

It was the natural sequence of events; anyone, not just Park Sijun, would have reacted the same way.

Just like in video games, "bus" services existed in dungeons—stronger players carrying weaker ones through content. Although they weren't numerous, a market price existed for their services.

Of course, such services were rarely seen for dungeons of Unique-grade or higher.

Parties capable of clearing Special-grade dungeons or above were so few they might as well be considered non-existent.

Even if someone were to catch a bus in those high tiers, it was usually a matter of personal connections, barely squeezing in to carry luggage.

Naturally, this did not apply to the Legendary-grade.

Even a 2-Star dungeon was considered impossible to clear if it was Legendary grade.

To be a customer seeking a carry into a place where even porters became a burden—forcing players to haul their own supplies—was unheard of.

It was nothing short of a suicide pact.

Because of this, there was no set market price for a bus ride in a Legendary dungeon.

It was a seller's market; the price was whatever the supplier named.

Even if that price was a Legendary item, the buyer had no room to complain.

Or rather, normally, there shouldn't be any buyers.

Or suppliers, for that matter.

Instead, one could only vent their grievances to other potential consumers.

A few days ago, Buja came to me and said this: "Lately, dungeon clears have been blocked and my income has stagnated. I want to procure some items to break through the 2-Star section, but I have no money." Then he asked me: "If you give me the Legendary item you possess, I will carry you all the way through a Legendary dungeon."

It was laughable.

The only Legendary item I have is my weapon, this shield.

Give up my weapon to ride a bus to a Legendary dungeon?

What would that leave me with?

Yes, I lack the ability to clear a Legendary dungeon right now.

But I believe that if I proceed step by step, I can achieve my goals one by one.

In the 1-Star tier, I broke through to Special grade.

For 2-Star, I intend to move forward with my party members with Legendary as our goal.

A video claiming accomplishments in a Special dungeon cleared by a bus, accompanied by such nonsensical ramblings, wasn't even worth watching.

"Mm, good."

However, Kim Buja nodded as if satisfied.

Park Sijun had filmed the video exactly as he wanted, performing his role magnificently.

Was it to draw more attention?

There was no need to put Park Sijun through such trouble for that reason alone.

Interest had already been piqued by the lively challenge of a latecomer throwing down the gauntlet to Fly, who had just hit level 70.

People were intrigued.

Fly, who wrote new records every day, versus Kim Buja, who chased after him in a unique way.

The one thing the perfect Fly lacked.

Records.

Kim Buja, who had documented his growth through video step-by-step since his first awakening in the 1-Star tier, versus Fly, who appeared like a comet to become a ranker and only uploaded the occasional video since.

Kim Buja was currently achieving feats that Fly could not go back and replicate.

A field that the frontrunner, Fly, could not block.

An element where Fly could not accept a challenge to demonstrate his superiority.

That alone was enough to gather a crowd.

The reason for adding Park Sijun's video lay elsewhere.

"Do you think this is enough?"

"Hmm, we'll have to wait and see if anyone actually bites. It's an attractive product, but the cost of paying with a title and stat points is a bit too high..."

"Even if not now, someone in need will eventually come knocking."

Promotional effect.

For Kim Buja, who entered dungeons alone, an extra spot in his party was like a scheduled movie screening or an airplane seat.

Whether he cleared it alone or with two or more people, the effort remained the same.

The only difference was sharing the honor.

And even that could be solved by simply not broadcasting the run.

In short, he'd be a bus driver! He was conducting a business in reality that was openly done in games.

There was no problem with it.

It was a practice already performed by many players, and while there was a lot of talk about it, it was a business recognized not only by the government but by the world.

Of course, the liability lay entirely between the players involved.

That was why it wasn't easily conducted.

People only flocked to drivers with perfect credit and reliability, and naturally, prices were set high.

Kim Buja was simply stepping one foot into that market.

Not as a full-time profession, but as a side hustle.

"Sweeping the first-clear rewards of a tier's dungeon for the price of just one Legendary item doesn't seem too bad. If they're lucky, they might even loot a Legendary item themselves."

"We do have to consider various issues, though."

"That is true."

For now, he didn't expect any customers for the 2-Star dungeons.

No matter how much 2-Star Legendary dungeons were evaluated as impossible to clear, they were ultimately still 2-Star.

If rumors spread that a player wealthy enough to throw around Legendary items and spend money like water was taking a bus in a 2-Star dungeon, it would be paying money to tarnish their own reputation.

He figured that at least one player willing to endure that might show up around the 5-Star or 6-Star level.

By that time, he planned to create a Special-grade slot and accept Special-grade items as payment, too.

It was a stepping stone for the future.

And a notification of Kim Buja's direction.

'There's no need to only walk a clean and praised path. I'll let Fly hog all that glory; I'll just walk the path of money.'

He wouldn't care even if people pointed fingers.

If it were the old Kim Buja, he wouldn't have revealed this side of himself at a moment when so many might push back against his values.

He used to believe that hiding moderately and doing things secretly was good for everyone involved.

Because the envy and jealousy of those who couldn't stand seeing others succeed were tiresome.

But his mindset had changed significantly while proceeding with the Gold Missions.

He had become more proactive and resolute.

If you have power, you should use it.

Not being swayed by others was the correct way to walk one's own path.

'That's the only way to earn more money.'

A belief born from a terrible hybrid of capitalism and the law of the jungle.

Having finished his preparations, Kim Buja headed toward the dungeon.

* * *

A 2-Star Normal Dungeon.

A level of dungeon where any 2-Star player could form a party, enter, and clear.

Perhaps even more populated than 1-Star Normal dungeons, it was a place used by many as a means of livelihood.

There was nothing special about it.

There were no penalties, and one simply had to conquer monsters with simple patterns.

Most clear conditions were also easy.

Therefore, no one thought much of entering a 2-Star Normal Dungeon.

At most, someone might ask, "Oh, going to your part-time job today?"

It was that easy.

While nowhere in a dungeon is perfectly safe, Normal dungeons were essentially farming grounds for players who were somewhat skilled and had sufficient levels and equipment.

As such, clearing a Normal dungeon solo didn't usually become a big issue.

The difficulty increased slightly, but it wasn't impossible.

However, today was different.

—What's the cut going to be?

—Honestly, expecting a speed-run record is overkill. No matter what, 1-Star and 2-Star are different. Aren't there quite a few people who die after crossing over from the tutorial?

—That's only true for the dimwits who got bused through 1-Star and barely met the cutline to rank up. Smart players adapt immediately and run 2-Star just fine.

—True. Lately, even 4-man parties clear it in about 48 hours. They're skilled, but for Kim Buja, maybe 12 hours minimum?

—Eh, he cleared a Legendary faster than that. I'm betting on 4 hours.

—Still, the 2-Star map is huge to begin with, so I say 6 hours.

—Yeah. Even if I optimize the clear conditions, 3 hours? No matter how fast he is, you have to consider Kim Buja's level. Just because he's wearing Legendary items doesn't mean the monsters will melt instantly.

It was merely a 2-Star Normal dungeon.

Just entering it was generating massive interest and people were commenting.

The fact that the entrant was a player who had cleared a 1-Star Legendary dungeon played a part.

Common sense dictated he should clear it.

However, the interest was amplified by the fact that this would lead to Rare, Epic, Unique, Special, and finally, Legendary grades.

This was just a bridge.

People were holding back their urge to skip to the end because they didn't want to spoil a work that was structured like a blockbuster movie with a grand beginning, development, twist, and conclusion.

They found entertainment in other aspects.

In content like Time Attack, even if the skill level didn't match the difficulty, there were various observation points, making it very popular.

Naturally, the focus for the 2-Star Normal was on the clear time.

No, Kim Buja had explicitly announced that the core of this "Dojo Challenge" was the Time Attack itself.

Even though it was practically an arrogant declaration that he would definitely clear up to Legendary, no one denied him.

Because he had shown so much.

—He'll succeed. He wouldn't have come back after ghosting for two months unless he saw a winning angle, right?

The disappearance caused by the Gold Mission provided an exquisite plausibility.

Receiving immense attention, Kim Buja stood before the dungeon.

His appearance, standing there without even holding a weapon, was certainly different from other players.

—Is he not taking anything?

—He has his weapon as a ring, so he'll probably summon it inside.

—Envious. Carrying a weapon is such a hassle for me; if only I had an option like that.

—Yeah, that single option costs over $10 billion.

—Weapon aside, what about consumables?

—That's Kim Buja's Class. What was it called again? Buying consumables and stuff from a shop.

It had to be different.

Because he was a Legendary Class.

All this attention and the progression of the video were possible only because he was a Legendary Class.

"The first gateway of the 2-Star Dungeon Time Attack Dojo Challenge: The Normal Dungeon."

He displayed the details with a simple comment.

[Clear Conditions]

☆ Defeat the 'Ogre King' inhabiting the Murky Forest

☆ Defeat 1,500 monsters inhabiting the Murky Forest

▷ This is a Normal-grade Dungeon.

A hologram and description certifying it as a Normal dungeon appeared.

"Watching other dungeon guide videos, I noticed people generally choose whatever dungeon they want. There don't seem to be any specific rules, and since the important things in a Time Attack are the grade and the clear itself, I chose the clear conditions that would allow for the fastest record."

He drove the point home to prevent any other talk. No further words were needed.

"Then, I'm off."

He took a step. The prepared timer lit up.

1 second, 2 seconds.

Kim Buja, who had looked relaxed, suddenly threw his body into a run toward the dungeon gate.

A strong will to shave off even a single second. The viewers gulped.

It was merely a Normal dungeon, but seeing him give his best from the start brought tension even to those immersed in watching.

Right, the grade of the dungeon wasn't what mattered.

Time. The will and the build to reduce it by even one second. That was the focus.

—It would be great if we could watch in real-time.

Regrettably, the on-site tension didn't last long before they returned to reality.

The unavoidable limitations of technology.

However, the disappointment of the people smacking their lips didn't last long.

—Huh?

Because not long after, before their tension had even fully cooled, Kim Buja returned.

* * *

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.