4.

Three hours later, Buja emerged from the dungeon.

'Flash!'

With the burst of light, a familiar scene materialized around him. "Logout…" he murmured.

It truly felt like logging out of a game. Crushing fatigue and surging pain washed over him. The ordeal had been incomparably more difficult than any game, but the sense of accomplishment was wonderfully, tangibly real.

And so were the rewards.

"How many are there?" he wondered, looking at the stack of unread notifications. He'd been too busy fleeing from the enraged wolf pack while trying to grab as much gold as possible to read any of them. The sight made him proud. He would save them, savor them slowly once he could rest.

"Haaah." He drew in a deep breath of fresh air, forcing his stiff body to stretch. Every muscle screamed, but nothing was broken. The minor cuts and bruises were already a dull ache he could ignore.

'They're fast.' He noticed one of the guards inside the restricted area spot him walking out of the dungeon gate and immediately made a call. He briefly considered asking for a place to sit but decided against it, slumping to the ground right where he was. His clothes were already filthy, and he wanted to savor the afterglow of his first clear under the night sky.

"Mr. Buja!"

He would have, if not for the melodic voice that cut through the quiet. His gaze shifted toward the sound. Beyond the restricted area's perimeter, a woman with strikingly fair skin was waving at him, her form clear even in the dim light. He tilted his head.

'Who is she?'

Even from a distance, her tall, statuesque figure was undeniably beautiful. He wracked his brain but came up empty. He had no memory of ever knowing a woman who looked like that. Unless she was a forgotten childhood friend, there was only one other possibility. He glanced at the other people waiting nearby.

'Isn't this an excessive investment for a one-star, even if it is an Epic?' The thought was puzzling. Buja was confident, but he never overestimated himself. He knew all too well that in a game, failure meant a character's death; here, it meant his own. That knowledge made him wary. 'They don't even know I have a Legendary class, so why deploy a honey trap of this level? And she's acting so friendly too.'

He might have been jumping to conclusions, but the fact that she knew his name was suspicious enough. He turned away from her cheerful wave and stared back up at the night sky.

"Mr. Buja!" her voice called out again, persistent.

He ignored it, not looking back until the Dungeon Store employees finally approached.

"Good work," one of them said. "We'll begin the cleanup immediately." Six players in full gear, all working for the Dungeon Store, filed past him into the now-empty dungeon. A flicker of curiosity about their process crossed his mind, but he wasn't interested enough to watch. He followed another staff member to a waiting car.

"We'll head straight to the hospital," the employee informed him.

"Okay."

There was a fifty-thousand-dollar fee. Entering a dungeon was one thing, but for a player, what came after was even more critical. For a casual stroll through a low-level dungeon, it wouldn't matter, but it was a player's destiny to challenge even harder dungeons for greater rewards. The moment you returned alive, you had to start preparing for the next. The top priority was always to heal quickly and completely. The Dungeon Store's comprehensive post-clear services were how they justified their thirty percent commission and upfront payments, making it the industry standard.

"We've reserved a VIP room for you," the staffer continued. "Please rest comfortably and contact us when you're ready. We'll come pick you up."

A private hospital, exclusively for Dungeon Store clients. The moment he arrived, he was guided to a moving medical capsule. He lay back as it glided silently toward his room.

'So this is what money can do.' It was a level of luxury he'd never known. To think that after a grueling dungeon clear, he was met not with his cramped studio and a cup of instant ramen, but with a state-of-the-art healing pod. The thought was a potent fuel for his ambition. He closed his eyes.

* * *

"He's gone."

"Wow, how cold," Seora remarked, a curious smile playing on her lips. She had been calling out to him for over ten minutes, and after a single, dismissive glance, he had gotten into the Dungeon Store's car and vanished. This was not the expression of a proud woman stung by rejection.

"He seemed completely uninterested, didn't he?" she mused aloud.

"Whether he's looking for a guild or selling items, this is the prime time to negotiate," her subordinate analyzed. "It's unheard of for a player who can solo an Epic dungeon not to know that, yet he didn't even spare a glance. If it's not a calculated move, it means he's already with a guild. But he left with the Dungeon Store, not a guild vehicle, so that seems unlikely…"

How intriguing. He was exactly as she remembered from five years ago, and her curiosity flared.

"We have people at the hospital, right?"

"Yes, we should be able to confirm who he contacts."

"If he only awakened two days ago, he wouldn't have had time to join a guild," she reasoned. "But keep checking until we're sure."

"Understood."

With the immediate situation handled, Seora finally let out a sigh. "I even undid a button, and he didn't even look." 'This might be more difficult than I thought.'

Contrary to her lighthearted tone, her mind was racing. In the car on the way home, she mentally scrapped all her previous plans. His behavior outside the dungeon was certainly different from that of a typical player—it was fascinating. But when she analyzed the 'why' behind his actions, it was no laughing matter.

'He killed the boss within twenty-four hours. He has a class that let him walk out without a scratch. Even assuming his gear is Rare or Epic, his class has to be Unique or higher.'

That was the kind of player he was. Though he was just a newbie under level 10, would someone like that really think about joining a group?

"Take me to the hospital," she said, her decision made. "Looks like I'll have to chase after my star, five years later."

The car, which had been heading home, changed direction and sped toward the Dungeon Store's private hospital.

* * *

5.

As he soaked in the tub, his wounds knitted themselves shut, new skin forming over cuts and bruises. He vaguely recalled someone mentioning the bath was a concoction of troll's blood and the cells of two other monsters, but the explanation had come and gone in a sleepy haze. All he knew was that when he opened his eyes, it was daytime, and the pain and fatigue had all vanished.

"I'm coming here after every dungeon from now on," he decided. The fifty thousand didn't faze him. He'd already committed to starting from zero; there was no sense of pressure.

'I'll just earn a lot more.' And he was confident he would.

Instead of getting out of the spacious tub, he began to review his piled-up rewards.

"So, the gold drop is sometimes one per monster, sometimes not. I wonder if it depends on their level."

In many ways, this first dungeon had been an experiment. Hunting was important, but it was also a chance to get a clearer sense of direction for his Gold Maker class. The results were better than he'd expected, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

'Dungeon hunting is definitely the fastest way to progress in the beginning.'

One monster, then another. Instead of experience points, he gained gold. While this meant his personal level would stagnate, it wasn't a major issue for someone like Buja, who believed skill could compensate for any lack of stats. More importantly, it was a way to acquire gold far more rapidly than the single piece his skill generated each day.

"And there's an Achievement system, too."

He had systems other players didn't. This had to be the power of a Legendary class. Having multiple paths for growth was a distinct advantage. "Achievement Info."

[Achievement Info]

1. An Achievement for an Achievement!

2. First Experience (E)

▷ 2 achievements on record. Effects not yet applied. (2/5)

▷ 1 Epic achievement on record. Effects not yet applied. (1/5)

The paths to power were surprisingly detailed. 'I get stronger by collecting achievements.' It made him wonder if he'd ever need to put points into his stats at all. An exclusive Epic item set right from the start. A system for growth through achievements, even if he didn't know the effects yet. Thinking about the potential of VIP Levels and gold was thrilling.

With a surge of anticipation, he pulled up the details for his two core skills.

[VIP Level (L)]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Classification: Passive

▶ Level: 0

▷ No benefits at Level 0.

▷ Use 50 gold to level up.

▷ Next Level Benefits: Gold Enhancement, VIP 1 Skill

[Wait for Free Gold (L)]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Classification: Passive

▶ Level: 1

▷ Generates 1 gold daily at 24:00.

▷ Use 10 gold to level up.

▷ Trait (1) unlocks at Level 10.

▷ Level-up cost is discounted by 1% due to Gold Power (1).

With only thirty-nine gold, his options were limited. In the long run, leveling up 'Wait for Free Gold' was the smarter play. An investment of 10 gold would pay for itself in ten days, after which it would be pure profit. He knew this, yet he hesitated, his eyes drawn to the benefits of the VIP Level.

'Gold Enhancement and a VIP 1 Skill.'

It could unlock new ways to spend gold. It was a choice between the safe choice of leveling up 'Wait for Free Gold' and the uncertain potential of the 'VIP Level'. He couldn't be sure which would be more helpful right now. In truth, neither was essential for clearing dungeons at his current level; his beginner's set was more than enough. That was why he was deliberating. The efficiency of both options seemed comparable, meaning he wouldn't suffer a major loss either way.

'If I earn just eleven more gold in the next dungeon, I can raise the VIP Level. If I level up Wait for Free Gold, I'll have to run a few more dungeons to catch up.'

It was a matter of choice. Buja didn't dwell on it for long. He rose from the tub, viscous healing water sluicing off his body.

"I should earn every coin I can." A few more dungeons were nothing. Besides, he'd be earning an extra gold every single day while he ran them. "Worst case, I can just laze around at home, and the gold will still roll in."

He could level up his VIP status slowly with the profits.

[The level of 'Wait for Free Gold' has increased.]

[Level-up cost is discounted by 1% due to Gold Power (1).]

[10 gold has been used.]

"Lifelong pension, let's go!" he cheered to himself.

It had been a very productive accounting session.

* * *

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