3.

The denizens of the player communities, who spent their days scrolling through forums, cared about two things: loot and legends. What new item had dropped, and what new player had emerged. While the world was full of both, only a select few ever became hot topics. After all, even for the most dedicated forum trolls, time was a precious commodity.

[Newbie here, got a 1-star Rare armor piece.]

A post about an item that could fetch tens of thousands of dollars barely got a second glance, let alone a comment. A few half-hearted congratulations, and it was buried. After five years, the community had become jaded, constantly demanding something fresher, more shocking.

[Anything new and exciting these days?]

These were the armchair rankers who would dissect even Epic and Unique items, endlessly debating their worth.

[A 4-star Special weapon just dropped in Japan!]

— Oh! A sword.

— Price?

— Whoa, are those stats for real?

— Here's the player's channel. He's keeping it for himself. GG.

But if you earned their recognition, you could become an overnight celebrity. Such was the power of the player communities, a place where nearly all dungeon-related business was conducted. And it was here that Buja's name began to circulate.

[Anyone know this Kim Buja guy? He was a big deal on the game streaming channels. An awakened player joined Jeong Cheol Guild and is now chain-running Unique dungeons.]

— Isn't that the guy who soloed an Epic right out of the gate?

— Yeah, he's the one who took that Special accessory set from Park Sijun in a bet.

— He's still using it? I thought that whole thing was staged.

Accurate information was scarce. The Jeong Cheol Guild was keeping a tight lid on things, so the only news came from reporters sniffing around for a story. But once the community's interest was piqued, they were relentless.

[A player is soloing only 1-star Unique dungeons? For real?]

— Probably just media hype.

— I'm going to go see for myself.

Few of the players who frequented the forums were truly idle, but they were nothing if not proactive.

[Went to the location from the schedule I saw online. He really does go in alone. It's a restricted area, so I couldn't get close, but the perimeter isn't huge, and you can get a decent view. Lots of reporters and other guild reps around too, so it doesn't seem like a lie.]

— I'm a player. Should I try to sneak in? It's only 1-star, even a level 1 can enter.

— Sure, go for it. Just secretly disable the anti-stealth wards, slip past the Jeong Cheol guards, and tail Buja without getting aggro from the monsters. I'll say a prayer for you in advance.

Slowly but surely, Buja was taking over the forums.

[Breaking: Park Sijun Arranges Secret Meeting with Kim Buja Following Dungeon Clear!]

The buzz around him was growing louder by the hour.

* * *

"What do you want?" Buja asked flatly. He and Sijun were sitting across from each other in a limousine heading toward the Jeong Cheol Guild's private hospital.

"I thought we were friends," Sijun said with a practiced pout. "Can't a friend just come to see a friend? You're being cruel."

"Our friendship is over."

"Fine."

After a few more rounds of pointless banter, Sijun's demeanor shifted. "I need to ask you a favor."

At his serious tone, Buja simply stared, his silence making it clear he would listen before deciding.

"As you know," Sijun began, "that bet with you completely destroyed the reputation I'd built."

"That's what you get for running your mouth trying to impress Ms. Jeong," Buja retorted without sympathy.

"It never would have happened if you hadn't cleared the dungeon, but of course, I don't blame you," Sijun said, quickly changing his tune when Buja turned away in disgust. "The result is that you lucked into two Special items, and because some kid half my age ran to the press calling me his 'friend,' I've been branded a pathetic leech who has to ride a rookie's coattails."

"I see," Buja said, his voice devoid of emotion. It was a sad story, but he wasn't kind enough to feel pity for a man who had tried to have him killed. "So what?"

The drive to the hospital was long, but not long enough for this conversation. Sijun let out a heavy sigh and finally got to the point.

"Clear one Special dungeon with me."

The request was direct. Buja's reply was just as blunt. "How much are you paying?"

At his words, Sijun's eyes darted around. He wasn't calculating a price. 'Can he actually do it?' he wondered. A normal player wouldn't respond that way when asked to carry them through an impossible dungeon, especially without a single piece of information. For Epic-grade dungeons and above, the difficulty could swing wildly based on clear conditions, penalties, or even the environment. Yet Buja's first question was about payment. It was either supreme arrogance or absolute confidence.

Unfortunately for Sijun, he couldn't afford to find out which. He had to bet on the latter.

"Fifty million dollars," he said, his voice steady. "In cash."

"Hmm."

Sijun watched him closely. His plan hinged on Buja being able to clear a Special dungeon, and this reaction was all the confirmation he was going to get. And then he saw it. The eyes that had remained unshaken, even when answering so confidently, flickered for a split second at the mention of fifty million dollars.

'Good thing I brought cash,' Sijun thought. Fifty million dollars was a staggering sum, even for a chaebol like him. For a player who had probably never seen a nine-figure sum in his life, it had to be mind-boggling. Even as a rising star backed by a major guild, selling dungeon runs wasn't a common practice.

"You came prepared," Buja noted, a hint of something unreadable in his voice.

Sijun leaned forward, forcing a smile. "Of course. I know what you must think of me, but I'm not the type to hold a grudge. Honestly, I'm furious that my plans were ruined, but after seeing what you can do, I realized this could be an opportunity."

"To solve your problems with money?"

"Money and my class are all I have," Sijun admitted with a shrug. "Think about it. It's not a bad deal for you. If you're already planning to clear a Special dungeon, what's the harm in letting me tag along and pocketing an easy fifty million?"

"So, you'd take the dungeon rewards?" Buja pressed.

"A fifty-fifty split on everything," Sijun clarified. "If a Special item drops, however, it's mine. The one you took belonged to my older brother, and I promised him a replacement. In exchange, anything Unique or lower is yours. How about it?"

"So you're betting fifty million dollars on a single Special item?" Buja asked, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"Not exactly," Sijun countered, a flicker of desperation in his eyes. "If we record and upload a video of us clearing a Special dungeon together, I can salvage my reputation. This is a one-time deal, I swear. I won't ask for anything else after this. Think of it as a mercenary job—just this once, as friends."

"A mercenary?" Buja echoed thoughtfully.

The conversation ended there. Sijun didn't press the pensive gamer any further as their car pulled up to the Jeong Cheol Hospital. The moment the vehicle stopped, Buja rose from his seat. He met Sijun's questioning gaze with a single nod and spoke just before stepping out of the car.

"Deal. But just this once," he declared, his voice firm. "As for the cash, have it delivered to Seora before we enter. Same as last time."

"Great."

"And make sure it's clean. No exceptions."

"Got it."

And just like that, in the thirty minutes it took to drive to the hospital, a fifty-million-dollar contract was sealed.

* * *

4.

After receiving medical attention, Buja changed into a fresh robe and headed toward the VIP healing bath—a chamber that also served as his private loot room. He expected it to be empty, but a familiar figure was waiting for him.

"Oh? Are you making house calls now?" he teased. "What on earth happened while I was gone?"

"It's hard to make anything official when you're never around," Seora retorted with a playful smile. "You've been cooped up in dungeons for two weeks straight. What's there to make official?"

Their conflicting schedules had kept them apart, but her face was as beautiful as he remembered. Her bright, welcoming smile was healing.

"This robe is hardly the right attire for a serious conversation," Buja noted, gesturing to his clothes.

"A shame," she replied smoothly. "Because the conversation I have in mind isn't meant for robes, either."

During their long-overdue reunion, she asked about the eventful thirty-minute car ride. Buja recounted the details without hesitation; there was no reason to hide anything from Seora.

"Are you really going to do it?" she asked, her brow furrowed with suspicion. "The whole thing sounds incredibly shady."

On the surface, each piece of the deal seemed reasonable.

"He's offering fifty million for a Special dungeon clear, without even knowing if a Special item will drop," she mused, ticking off the points. "Granted, a good drop could be worth more than that, so I can see the logic. But a fifty-fifty split on the rest of the loot, letting us pick the date, and having his team handle the rewards and the dungeon prep… It's all too perfect, isn't it?"

It was so perfect, it was suspicious. Buja nodded in agreement.

"I was originally planning to clear it solo," he admitted, "but with terms like these, I saw no reason to refuse."

It wasn't as if he was some master of deception, immune to being swindled. He'd been scammed right under his nose countless times in games and had taken heavy losses chasing deals that were too good to be true. A hundred, a thousand times over five years—even with all that experience, he wasn't impossible to swindle. But those hard-learned lessons had honed one thing: his intuition.

'He definitely has something up his sleeve,' Buja thought, his mind racing. 'I would never gamble that much money on a whim like this. Especially not with someone who just ripped me off for forty million, and certainly not with such favorable terms.'

His intuition screamed that this was big. Big enough for Sijun to dangle fifty million dollars as bait to get something else—something he considered a bargain at that price. With that kind of money, Sijun could have hired a mercenary team with better conditions than Buja's. Yet, he'd framed it as a personal request, even using the word "mercenary."

"That's exactly why I'm doing it," Buja declared, a curious glint in his eye. He wanted to know what prize was worth swallowing so much pride and money to obtain. "But first, I need to meet the conditions to clear a Special dungeon."

With that, he pushed open the door to the bath.

"Should I leave this open for you?" he asked with a smirk.

Seeing his unwavering confidence, Seora rose from her seat.

"Tempting, but maybe next time. I have a schedule to keep."

Smacking his lips in mock disappointment, Buja plunged into the healing waters.

* * *

Three days later.

[Your 'VIP' Level is increasing.]

Three weeks of relentless grinding had finally paid off. As a cascade of holograms filled his vision, he reached for the phone resting beside the bath.

"Hey," he said into the receiver, "let's set a date."

A triumphant smile spread across his face as he scanned the system notifications, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

* * *

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