9.

"Put it to good use."

The Beginner's Safe Campfire from the Gifts Galore Every Day! box, which had been with him since VIP level 1, along with simple potions, was the item that took up the largest portion of the goods appearing daily.

Despite appearing so often, their grades varied wildly from Epic to Special, and the corresponding duration and the level of dungeon they protected against were also random. This was a flaw, if one could call it a flaw, but since he didn't have much use for them anyway, and with the daily gift boxes increasing, they were becoming items that were a hassle to manage.

While pondering if there was a way to extract some value from them, the survival condition came to mind.

He collected the times of the campfires usable in 2-star dungeons and filled up 12 hours' worth.

It wasn't that difficult.

Even if there were many low-grade campfires, the minimum was 1 hour, usually 3 to 6 hours, and there were even a few 12-hour ones.

It wouldn't have mattered if he just lit a single 12-hour one.

The reason he lit them in small increments was simply to clear out the Gift Box inventory a bit.

He did prepare thoroughly just in case the campfire might be breached simply because it was a Legendary Grade dungeon, but fortunately, such a thing did not happen.

Countless monsters swarmed from all directions and reached the vicinity of the campfire, but they couldn't break through and only lingered around the perimeter.

A Legendary Class flying above Legendary!

"I was actually pretty nervous."

Honestly speaking, he was scared.

Even while choosing this dungeon, he thought several times about excluding the risky Special Dungeon and finding one focused on survival clear conditions again.

The dungeon itself was close to the worst, enough for Kim Buja to have such thoughts.

It felt like they had dumped every condition that would make it hard for a user into a bowl and kneaded it together.

Gold Buja or whatever aside, they had made it impossible to clear using normal methods.

Even the mighty Fly wouldn't be able to handle this dungeon.

The '100 monsters' condition was the biggest stumbling block.

And what unlocked that was the campfire.

If the dungeon countered the User, one could say the Gold Maker countered that once again.

With a single item, he was able to clear the worst dungeon more easily than any other.

He laid down a few 1-hour ones, then a 6-hour one, and spent the time leisurely napping.

Naturally, the reaction was hot.

It felt even more gratifying because it wasn't hot in a bad way.

"Mr. Buja, we're getting a lot of contacts asking how to purchase that campfire."

"They can't purchase it. It's a secret of my Class."

"The more I see, the more fascinating your Class seems."

"Of course, that's why it's a Legendary Class."

In a way, it was a true trump card.

One that would shatter people's expectations at once.

'So you can clear a dungeon like this too.'

'You can clear it without catching a single monster.'

For survival dungeons themselves, there are many cases where they are cleared without catching monsters.

However, this was the first time someone cleared it by calmly sleeping while surrounded by monsters right before their eyes.

Because it was the first, it was special.

Because it was special, rewards poured in.

[You have achieved the 'Achievement: Found Alive Among Monsters (L)'.]

[You have achieved the 'Achievement: Non-Violent Pacifist (L)'.]

[You have achieved the 'Achievement: (Special) Perfectionist (L)'.]

[You have achieved the 'Achievement: My Home Under the Sky (L)'.]

[Legendary Achievement Effect Lv3 is activated.]

▷ Legendary Achievement Effect Lv3

→ Additional Attack Power +6%

→ All Stats +3%

→ EXP Acquisition +1%

Powerful rewards that couldn't even be compared to things like people's high praise or applause.

It was the moment he felt the worth of pouring nearly a week into dungeons, risking his life.

"This is why I run dungeons."

The 2% Additional Attack Power, 1% All Stats, and 1% EXP Acquisition gained from collecting 20 Legendary Achievements were secondary; the rewards given by these four achievements were happiness itself.

[You have obtained 8,000 Gold.]

[You have obtained 30,000 Gold.]

[You have obtained Ability Points (5).]

[You have obtained 25,000 Gold.]

He could say it decisively.

"Sweeter than Gold Missions."

The mere 30,000 Gold for the mission had long been forgotten.

The 63,000 Gold he could use right away and the 5 Ability Points were rewards he couldn't get elsewhere even if he tried!

He brushed away the slight regret that it would have been nicer if they gave Special Ability Points.

Filming a single video for a week and getting this level of reward was extracting as much value as possible.

He also re-imprinted his presence in people's minds after the two-month hiatus.

Of course, this isn't the end.

There are overflowing things to do.

Right now, he had to work on the 2-star Dungeon Constellations and further raise his level.

He spoke in the video as if he had graduated from 2-star Dungeons, but he couldn't even imagine when he would be able to ascend to 3-star Dungeons.

It was time to find a new method.

Gold Missions, Achievements.

They were too probabilistic and required too much time investment to rely on for leveling up.

"The time has finally come."

He carefully opened the skill window.

A skill that was once treated as the main force and consumed the most Gold, but at some point was pushed to the back burner and faded from memory.

"VIP level."

It was a point in time when new content was needed.

10.

After the event, Users became busy.

There was no special reason.

"Wow, this EXP event is such a sweet deal, isn't it?"

"50% plus the National Competition buff makes it a total of 80%. That's insane."

"I think I can break through level 60 within this year."

Because the holograms gave out EXP buffs to keep them busy.

Although he stopped at 2nd place, this was also the reason Fly, who similarly received the EXP buff, was able to reach level 70.

And it was also the two months Kim Buja missed while doing Gold Missions.

Anyway, the 'Happy New Year!' event came to an end.

During that time, many Users diligently ran dungeons and applauded the end of the tutorial.

"It feels like receiving the rewards for 5 years of suffering all at once."

"Hey, we still have nine months of rewards left."

"Let's milk at least 30 percent of the value out of it. There's no guarantee we'll take first place next year, anyway."

"Eh, with the Jeong Cheol Guild and Kim Buja, we'll make it into the top five at least."

They were ecstatic.

They pinned their hopes on the words 'Tutorial End'.

It was inevitable.

After all, once the tutorial ended, the only things given to the players were rewards.

Even if the buffs only applied to a select few, the results of the National Competition Event provided noticeable benefits for a full year. This was interpreted as a signal marking the start of a full-scale competitive structure.

Because of this, most guilds went beyond simply rejoicing and began to prepare.

"More diverse types of dungeons might appear."

"Given the increased probability of 'Sudden Events' and the appearance of 'Treasure' dungeons, it's likely that negative types of dungeons will also emerge, right?"

A player must always be able to foresee the worst-case scenario.

Benevolence was not a virtue of the Hologram.

Give and take.

High risk, high return.

There was a reason they were lavishing gifts upon the players.

This was the same Hologram that, for the past five years, never once held an event related to experience points.

Yet, the moment the tutorial ended, it launched a 50% experience boost event with absolutely no strings attached—not for an hour, a day, or a week, but for three whole months.

Not only that, but it also granted buffs lasting for one year to the winning team and ten other teams.

'There is no way this is free.'

'There is definitely a reason.'

While ordinary players rushed to suck up whatever sweet nectar they could, the guilds with foresight ran on reduced sleep, driven by anxiety.

To prepare.

To adapt to dungeons that might undergo cataclysmic changes.

Thanks to that, they achieved significant growth in a short period.

The eyes of the Jeong Cheol Guild members were more alive than ever.

They were ready.

Ready to challenge any new dungeon the moment it appeared.

They maintained their equipment and worked hard to improve their teamwork.

Opportunity comes to those who are prepared.

One month after the Sudden Event ended, on the first day of April, when the scent of spring hung in the air.

"Everyone, assemble!"

The opportunity they had been waiting for arrived.

"Monsters have appeared in Gangwon-do! We're moving out!"

But it was an opportunity in a form they had never expected.

* * *

It was a heart-pounding moment.

"How long has it been since I raised this?"

I couldn't even remember.

Ever since reaching VIP level 3 and opening the Gold Shop, I had decided that the massive sum of 5,000 Gold for the next level was too burdensome. I had resolved to use that money to devise other, more efficient means of upgrading my specs instead.

Now, that thought returned to me; the time had come when growth was necessary.

Of course, there were still more efficient ways to increase stats or attack power than raising the VIP level.

However, right now, rather than weighing efficiency based only on stale, legacy content, I needed to unlock new content and figure out how to cash in on it.

A new challenge.

Situations involving mounts or mileage systems could arise.

Regardless, I had to try.

Especially now, when I had gathered so much Gold. That way, if I drew a dud, I could just laugh it off as a failed enhancement attempt and move on.

"Tower of Trials activation. I have to have a good feeling about this."

The Tower of Trials, which activates upon spending 5,000 Gold to raise the VIP level.

Just hearing the name gave off the feeling of a jackpot rather than a dud.

For Kim Buja, who rarely had memories of suffering a loss associated with the word 'Tower,' it was a word akin to a lucky charm!

[You have used 5,000 Gold.]

[Due to the influence of Gold Power (25), the level-up cost (25%) is discounted by 1,250 Gold.]

[VIP level has increased. 3 → 4]

[VIP4 Skill is activated.]

[The Tower of Trials is activated.]

Holograms lined up in rows, and for the first time in a long while, the VIP level increased, spewing out new content.

My fluttering heart urged me to check it quickly.

[VIP level]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Classification: Passive

▶ level: 4

▷ VIP4 Skill benefits are currently applied.

▷ You can increase the level by using 11,000 Gold.

▷ Next level Benefits: VIP5 Skill, VIP Token Activation

The VIP level had risen by one, and the content for the next VIP level was previewed.

Seeing that it required 11,000 Gold simultaneously triggered my competitive spirit again.

"Should I splurge?"

As always, it had already been proven through many experiments that it wasn't a bad idea to push levels all at once when one had the means.

Setting aside objective indicators, it simply put my mind at ease.

The comfort that comes from the relief of knowing I wouldn't have to worry about it for a while.

Jeong Seora approached Kim Buja, who was conflicted.

"Mr. Buja, I think you need to come with us right now."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll explain on the way. Let's get moving first."

Caught off guard while debating his purchase, he was dragged out of the house.

The waiting limousine headed straight for Gangwon-do.

* * *

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