3.

The call with Seora had given him the courage he needed.

"Let's do this."

Just getting his weapon to +4 was a massive power spike. To a casual gamer, +10 attack power might seem trivial, but considering that even level-60, 7-star weapons rarely broke 300 attack power, let alone four digits, the difference was monumental. It meant that even with a basic level-60 weapon, the enhancement bonus alone would grant him over a three percent damage increase.

This wasn't a world with neat health bars, so that alone wouldn't let him steamroll everything, but it was the accumulation of these small advantages that paved the path to conquering a Legendary-grade dungeon.

More importantly, he was still just a 1-star tutorial player. This boost in attack power was the difference between killing a monster in one shot or merely wounding it, between incapacitating a foe with a body blow or needing a perfect strike to a vital point. That's why he had agonized over it.

[Do you want to enhance your weapon?]

▶ Current Level: 4 → 5

▶ Gold Required: 800

▶ Success Rate: 50% (+5%)

▶ Failure Rate: 50% (-5%)

▶ Destruction Chance: 0%

▶ On Success:

1. Attack Power +25 → Attack Power +40

2. Attack Power +1%

He had roughly 1,700 gold left—enough for exactly two attempts. The fourfold jump in cost made him want to curse, but the potential reward made him swallow hard. An additional increase of fifteen in attack power 'and' a one percent bonus. The effects of enhancement became truly tangible at +5, and the results were beyond imagination.

It was only one percent now, but what about later? One percent, three percent, five percent… The bonuses would stack, eventually granting him power comparable to a Legendary item.

In fact, he didn't even need to look that far ahead. The +5 effect alone was ridiculously overpowered. The additional 40 attack power was equivalent to the entire base damage of the Special-grade bow he'd bought. With this, no monster in a 1-star dungeon could possibly withstand his assault.

"Please."

If only he'd known, he would have poured every last piece of gold into this. Regret washed over him, but what was done was done. He couldn't turn back time. At every step, he had made what he believed to be the best choice. This was the outcome.

And for all his regrets, his growth had been undeniably impressive. It was just bad timing. The event—a surprise festival that had descended upon all players, not just him.

"Enhance!"

He threw the dice with all his might.

* * *

Day 8 passed, then Day 9. When Day 10 arrived with still no word from Kim Buja, Jeong Seora went to his penthouse herself.

"I came because I was worried," she said, stepping inside.

"Ah, sorry," he responded.

Fortunately, nothing seemed to be wrong. He was sprawled on his bed, lazily teasing Hwangdo. He didn't look like someone in trouble—or rather, he looked like he had a problem, just not the kind Seora had been imagining.

Before she could ask, he spoke. "I was just lying here, having a bit of an existential crisis. Has it been a while?"

"Yes, it's day ten. I should have called. Now I feel like a nagging girlfriend."

"Your concern, your possessiveness… I welcome it all," he replied with a roguish grin.

He laughed as she stomped her foot in embarrassment, then swung his legs off the bed. He had indeed wasted a bit of time, a luxury his former self would never have allowed. But the last few days had been uncharacteristically tense.

"I did it," he said, his voice steady. "Succeeded on a perfect fifty-percent chance."

"Phew, that's a relief," she breathed.

1. Weapon Level: 5 (Attack Power +40, Attack Power +1%)

In the end, he had spent 2,300 gold to raise his weapon's level by a mere two points. But the stats gained were equivalent to equipping a whole new weapon—or even two, in a 1-star dungeon.

"I'm curious," he murmured.

[Beginner's Dagger]

▶ Grade: Epic

▶ Attack Power: 8 (+62) (+15)

▷ This is a Gold Maker exclusive item. Options will not apply if equipped by other players.

▷ Additional attack power is applied due to the effect of Gold Power. +9

▷ Additional attack power is applied due to the effect of Weapon Level. +40

▷ Additional attack power is applied due to the effect of Weapon Level. +1%

▷ Additional attack power is applied due to the effect of 'Red Aura'. +5

▷ Additional attack power is applied due to the Pet Codex effect. +8

▷ Additional attack power is applied due to the effect of the 'Legendary Crystal Necklace'. +20%

▷ Additional armor penetration is applied due to the effect of the 'Legendary Crystal Necklace'. +20%

He could only imagine how devastating this weapon would be. A simple 1-star Epic dagger now boasted a staggering 85 attack power.

"Maybe I've been underestimating this," he mused. The added 25 attack power pushed the total from the fifties into the eighties, a difference that would be undeniably palpable in combat. His body was itching for a fight.

"Seora, I'm sorry, but we'll have to postpone our trip to that Japanese hot spring until after the event. Could you find me a Special dungeon?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ahem, say no more," he cut in smoothly, already gathering his gear. "I'm going to work hard and make a fortune so I can treat you like a queen." He scooped up Hwangdo and placed the creature on his shoulder. "You're coming too."

"Should I really book a Special?" she asked, already pulling out her phone.

"Yes."

Brimming with a newfound confidence, Kim Buja headed to a dungeon for the first time in three days.

4.

Park Sijun was, frankly, terrified.

'That son of a bitch… was he waiting for me to make a public challenge like this?'

That's how formidable Buja had seemed in the dungeon—his movements, his judgment, his seemingly endless supply of powerful items. And now he even had a Legendary. The competition was fierce, but with a monster like that, anything was possible. The day after posting his challenge, Sijun had quickly added a clarification.

—To those who are misunderstanding, this is to clarify. The comparison is based on RANKING, not total points! There's a huge difficulty gap between 1-star and 2-star dungeons. Since so many people are taking this seriously, I won't go back on my word, but I am setting a clear standard.

Anyone could see it for what it was.

—You scared?

—Lmao he's scared.

—Pathetic, Sijun.

—Wow, I heard SJ Group is running over ten parties for him. Is he really this afraid he'll lose on points? He's really no match for Kim Buja.

A barrage of brutal truths rained down, but he didn't flinch.

—Yeah, says the has-been who isn't even on the leaderboard.

—Get your name in the rankings before you talk smack.

—What's the point of being good alone? This is a ranking battle.

—Point farming is a skill too :)

The comment bots hired by SJ Group, along with his loyal fans, diligently defended him. But his anxiety lingered. Day four, day five… it was still just the beginning.

'No way, it can't be, right?'

He was burning through hundreds of millions of won a day to boost his score. People thought it was easy—just enter a dungeon and collect points—but he barely had time to sleep as he minimized travel between gates, catching five or thirty-minute naps when he could. There was no way Buja could keep up with that pace.

By Day 10, his confidence returned.

"Phew, of course."

'That's more like it.' The 6th through 10th place rankings for 1-star dungeons had already shuffled five times, but Buja's name was still nowhere to be seen. He had definitely fallen behind.

"Even if he's in the top thirty, it's too late now."

The point gap between the early days and now was massive. Watching the first-place player steadily accelerate, Sijun knew he was safe as long as he didn't fall behind himself. There was no way he'd have to fulfill that humiliating promise.

"Haha. Pisses you off, doesn't it, you bastard?" he sneered to himself. "Catch me if you can. You might be a big shot in a dungeon, but you've got no connections, no real guild. What can you possibly do?"

It might have seemed like an inferiority complex, but Sijun had suffered that much at Buja's hands.

—Looks like Kim Buja has definitely dropped out.

—No new videos either. Guess he's not uploading because he's failing?

—Turns out the one who got scared was Kim Buja all along.

As time passed, the comments on Sijun's videos began to swing in his favor. Rivalry! A head-to-head comparison! It was exactly what the public craved, and Sijun was happy to add fuel to the fire.

—Today, to create a definitive gap, I've prepared only Unique dungeons. And a new Unique item to go with them.

Just as he was basking in the certainty of his victory, ready to unleash his pent-up frustration, a comment caught his eye as he streamed during his transit. Then another. And another.

—Huh? Kim Buja just started a stream.

—LMAO what is that title??

—He's calling out Park Sijun.

His heart plummeted. 'No. It can't be. Was he waiting for this exact moment?' A thousand paranoid thoughts flooded his mind as he scrambled to open Buja's channel.

[Event Start. Current Points: 240. Going for 1st place to open the 2 Legendary boxes.]

The title was a blatant challenge. He clicked on the live stream and saw Kim Buja standing coolly before a dungeon gate.

"To be honest, since point farming is the most efficient method for this event, I gave it some thought," Buja's voice echoed from the screen. "Frankly, it felt like a waste of money. I figured even if I spent everything I'd earned, I couldn't beat the chaebols who wipe their asses with cash. But then my good friend Sijun here made a public promise on my behalf. It would be rude to just sit back and do nothing. So, I'm participating."

'I wasn't going to, but that jerk forced my hand.' Sijun's face twisted into a scowl. But when he saw the verified point total on the screen, he scoffed.

"How the hell is he going to get first place with 240 points?"

It was impossible. He couldn't catch the leader, who was gaining nearly 100 points a day. The only conceivable way was to clear a Special dungeon every single day, and even that was a fantasy. Overturning an 800-point gap was out of the question.

"And I won't be point farming," Buja continued, his voice ringing with confidence. "I will clear dungeons and raise my score using only my own strength. That should make things fair, right? I'll keep the live stream running out here, and I'll upload the full dungeon clears separately."

He was impossibly arrogant.

"First up is a Special-grade dungeon. Current points are 240. It should be 340 when I get back. Let's begin."

Then, amidst a chaotic storm of chat messages, he plunged into the dungeon without a hint of hesitation.

* * *

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