1.

He was well aware of the danger in his continued dealings with Sijun. Their relationship had started on hostile terms, and while his Legendary Class remained a secret, he had already extracted an item so valuable that most people would kill for it. Their public rivalry, amplified by the media, had shattered Sijun's carefully crafted image, causing him real, tangible damage. If their roles were reversed, Buja would have sought revenge without a second thought. It would have been perfectly normal for Sijun to lie low, quietly running dungeons to recover.

But Buja was confident. Their encounters had been brief, hardly enough time to truly size someone up, but he had learned one crucial thing.

'He's a prime whale.'

It was the perfect term for a sucker you didn't want to offend. And Sijun wasn't just any whale; he was a smart one. In Buja's experience, those who thought they were clever were often the easiest to rip off. Reaching that point was risky, of course, but he was more than willing to take that risk. He 'had' to.

'First, there's the money. Then, the dungeon rewards should net at least a few million more. And if the boss drops a Unique item? That's a massive jackpot.'

It was bait he had to take, even knowing it was a trap. Naturally, if it were a net with no escape, he would have walked away without a second thought. No matter how tempting the prize, this was reality, not a game where death meant a simple respawn in town.

Here, you went to the afterlife or, if you were lucky, got reincarnated in some fantasy dimension. You only got one shot. No prize was worth your life.

That's why he'd hesitated in the car. The question wasn't whether he 'should' take the deal, but whether it was 'possible' to succeed.

'It's possible.'

At the time, it hadn't been a certainty. Still, he'd accepted, knowing he could always back out later. But now, three days later—after grinding through Unique dungeons, collecting points, and raising his VIP Level—the possibility became achievable.

▶ Gold Held: 395G

"Phew, finally," he breathed, a wave of relief washing over him.

It hadn't taken that long—just three weeks of pure hunting, with no lucky achievement bonuses. He could have shaved a week off his time if he'd focused solely on his VIP Level, since he'd hit the 200 gold mark a while ago. Had he leveled up then, he wouldn't have hesitated in his meeting with Sijun. But he'd held back.

When it came to developing his Gold Maker class, he was determined to maintain his own pace, unswayed by external pressures. The content unlocked at each VIP Level inevitably required more gold. He'd already seen massive stat boosts from Gold Enhancement, and he suspected VIP Level 2 would offer similar benefits. The last thing he wanted was to level up, find a new feature, and be forced back into working because he was broke. He chose to build a small reserve, a decision made possible by the fact that he could still clear Unique dungeons without much trouble.

[Your 'VIP' Level is increasing.]

[Level-up cost is discounted by 4G (2%) due to Gold Power (2).]

[196G has been used.]

It was the first time he'd received a level-up discount.

"A four-gold discount," he murmured. It might not seem like much on a 200G expense, but for someone earning six gold a day, every single one was precious. Grateful for any small mercy, he watched as the box of VIP Level 2 benefits unwrapped itself before him.

[You have become 'VIP Level 2.']

['VIP Level 2' benefits will now be distributed.]

['Pet' system has been activated.]

['VIP2 Skill' has been activated.]

['Constellation' system has been activated.]

The flood of rewards made his head spin.

"Ha, this is definitely the best place to open loot," he sighed contentedly.

The refreshing sensation that enveloped his whole body, along with the surge of emotion, could only be savored in the bath—where Buja could enjoy his own private time, free from the bounds of time itself. A multi-million-dollar bed in a sprawling penthouse would work, but this bath had become his personal ritual. His own space. The stage at which he checked his rewards. It was the perfect motivation for conquering the next dungeon.

"First off, what's a pet?"

He eagerly untied the ribbons on the smaller boxes within the larger one, too impatient to draw out the suspense.

[Pet]

▶ Grade: 1

▶ Summonable Pets: 1

▶ Summoned Pet: None

▶ Pets Owned: 0

▷ Upon reaching 'VIP 3,' you can use 500G to raise the grade.

A simple hologram appeared.

"The grade probably increases the number of summonable pets or adds some other effects."

He was curious what kind of game-changing feature would cost a whopping 500G, but since he was nowhere near that amount—let alone the amount of gold needed for VIP 3—he put the thought aside. With no pets owned, the "Summoned Pet" slot was naturally empty. But something crucial was missing. He scanned the pet information again, even checking the fine print, but found nothing.

"What the hell? How do you even get a pet?"

Surely the system wouldn't use a cute word like "pet" only to force him to tame some hideous monster from a dungeon. The thought sent a shiver down his spine as images of the creatures he'd fought flashed through his mind. Was there a single one worth raising? He shook his head. He'd even take a zombie if it had decent effects, but none of the monsters he currently faced seemed remotely helpful.

He intensified his search, checking every corner of the interface, even under the holograms he hadn't opened yet.

"If it's not in the pet system, maybe it's somewhere else…"

"Phew."

And then he found it.

[You have completed the Achievement: 'Not Alone Anymore! (L)'.]

[You have acquired a 'Random Pet Summon Ticket.']

Not only had he earned his first Legendary achievement, but the reward contained his least favorite word in the entire system.

"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned. "Why the hell did they stick a gacha in here? For a Legendary achievement, they could have just given me a Legendary pet outright!"

For Buja, who had exactly one good memory associated with them, he was utterly sick of random draws. As if sensing his disgust, the system offered a description.

[Not Alone Anymore!]

▶ Classification: Achievement

▶ Grade: Legendary

→ When welcoming a new family member, one must have a heart that can embrace anyone who arrives! Best of luck!

"Son of a…"

Family wasn't something you left to chance. He took a deep breath, calming himself against the mocking text. A random draw was always a double-edged sword—a gamble. But this wasn't a gamble that cost him anything; it was a free spin he'd earned just for leveling up. No point in getting angry.

"If I get something useless, I'll just toss it and go back to soloing," he muttered.

Besides, he had a choice. The existence of a summon ticket implied there would be other ways to acquire pets later. He could just use this one, and if he didn't like the result, he could pretend the pet system didn't exist until he found a better option. Still, the thought of ignoring an entire feature felt wrong, especially compared to the power he'd gained from Gold Enhancement.

"It's better to run solo than be held back by something weird."

With his mind made up, he felt a sense of calm. Before checking the other rewards, he pulled up the summon ticket.

"Let's just get this over with." If he pulled the lowest-grade pet, he could immediately put it out of his mind and move on.

[Random Pet Summon Ticket]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Tear this ticket to acquire one random 'Normal' to 'Legendary' grade pet.

▷ Ticket Grade Effect: 'Normal' drop rate decreased by 10%.

▷ Ticket Grade Effect: 'Rare' drop rate increased by 5%.

▷ Ticket Grade Effect: 'Epic' drop rate increased by 2%.

▷ Ticket Grade Effect: 'Unique' drop rate increased by 1%.

▷ Ticket Grade Effect: 'Special' drop rate increased by 0.5%.

▷ Ticket Grade Effect: 'Legendary' drop rate increased by 1.5%.

"Huh?"

He had steeled himself for disappointment, but the details on the ticket made him pause. In a normal game, "Normal to Legendary" usually meant you'd be lucky to get an Epic. But these probability adjustments… they sparked a flicker of hope he hadn't intended to feel.

"A 1.5% boost… that's worth a shot, isn't it?"

If he was going to hope, he might as well aim for the top. It wasn't entirely baseless, either. This was a Legendary-grade item, after all. Even if the base chance was a fraction of a percent, an extra 1.5% was significant.

"Please," he whispered.

A month ago, he wouldn't have dared to hope. But now, having already defied the odds once, Buja found himself praying again.

'I doubt lightning will strike twice with a 1% chance, but still…'

He pushed the cynical thought aside.

"Even a Special! Hell, I'll take a Unique! Hup!"

Kneeling in the water, he raised both hands to the sky before plunging his head beneath the surface. As the warm water muffled all sound, he twisted his hands and tore the ticket. He held his breath for a long moment before surfacing. A new set of holograms appeared, displaying the result of his gamble.

[Congratulations! You have acquired a 'Legendary' pet.]

"Whoa! Holy shit!" he roared, splashing the water. 'Am I just one of those guys destined to succeed?' His luck had a bad habit of activating when he didn't need it, but for a prize like this, he'd gladly accept any penalty that came with it. He closed his eyes and offered a silent prayer.

"I don't believe in any gods, but… thank you." 'I'll be sure to thank you with my words from time to time.'

Composing his racing heart, he slowly scrolled down the hologram.

[You have acquired a Class-Exclusive Pet. It will be forcibly summoned as your first pet.]

[You can use gold to grow the 'Gold Dragon (L)'.]

He tilted his head, confused.

"Huh?"

He'd won a Legendary pet against a 1.5% chance. But what were the odds that, out of all the possibilities, he would get a class-exclusive pet that perfectly matched his own? After years of gaming, Buja could do the math in an instant.

"So it was a 100% drop rate all along," he deadpanned.

He immediately retracted his thanks to the gods. The elation of pulling a Legendary vanished. How could it not?

"I thought I was finally getting something for free."

He had set aside some gold just in case, but of course, it had to be a pet that required gold to be raised. He had no idea how useful it would be, but judging by the name, the road ahead already looked expensive and exhausting.

"I barely have enough gold to grow myself."

If he could raise it slowly, he would just leave it unsummoned for now.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, the space before him began to warp.

"Kyuu."

From the shimmering distortion, the chirp similar to that of a tiny sparrow echoed through the bath.

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