The Fly Guild. Much like the Jeong Cheol Guild, it was founded by a player active under the alias 'Fly.' It was a common enough setup where the guild master's identity defined the guild, with no deeper meaning attached.

But anyone who knew Fly would never dare call his guild common.

He was the world's number-one-ranked player, a Level-69 Elemental Wizard with Legendary Class, officially known to wield at least four Legendary items of 5-star grade or higher.

The countless titles and accolades that followed him were rendered meaningless by those three facts alone.

Who could possibly compare? Whether it was level, class, or items, he was untouchable. And to top it all off, he had the world's most powerful guild at his back.

For such a man, attempting a 7-star Special dungeon was no longer a reckless challenge, especially with the event buffs. Moreover, like Kim Buja, he was a player who cleared dungeons himself, not one who relied on point farming.

—From clearing only Unique dungeons in the 7-star group to now a Special! That's our Fly!

—God Fly. We believe.

—Yeah, he should clear a Special at least once before going for an 8-star dungeon.

In truth, point farming was nearly impossible for the 7-star group, which comprised the world's top 100 rankers, so it was a choice born of necessity. A single dungeon could take three to four days to clear due to its difficulty and conditions. With fewer than ten teams in the entire world capable of such a feat, how could anyone possibly organize rotations to farm points?

Even so, the competition in that bracket was as fierce as in the 1-star group. To challenge a Special dungeon in such an environment—and to succeed—was a declaration that he intended to end the event rankings right then and there.

—Let's lock in 1st place.

—What happens if he gets a 7-star Special item from there and then a Legendary item as the event reward?

—What do you mean, what happens? He's already a god on a whole other level. I can't even get excited anymore. At this point, isn't Fly just competing against himself?

Fly was revered worldwide, practically deified, especially in America where heroes were worshipped. That was why the emergence of Kim Buja, who was making waves alongside their god, was not entirely welcome news.

—Hmph, what's the big deal? He's just messing around in a 1-star dungeon.

—Isn't that basically the tutorial? Our God was soaring even in 1-star dungeons.

—Didn't he clear all the Legendary dungeons up to 4-star on his way up?

Of course, they didn't see him as a threat. No one compares a mere mortal to the god they worship. They were simply… displeased.

—He probably set the same date just to get attention.

—He'll probably die anyway.

—Does he think Legendary is a joke?

—He must be underestimating it just because it's a 1-star Legendary.

It was a perfectly logical and reasonable assumption for anyone who hadn't seen Kim Buja's videos.

And it was for those people that the videos were uploaded.

—Huh? He's actually pretty good.

—Even our God Fly could do that much…

Fly also uploaded videos from time to time. They were so dazzlingly powerful that comparing them to Buja's felt almost insulting.

Elemental Wizard. Every time his staff, embedded with brilliant jewels, unleashed its power, a wave of area-of-effect spells would obliterate monsters before they could even get close.

But that wasn't all. To prove he was more than the stereotypical glass-cannon mage, he sometimes cleared dungeons alone. His protection wasn't a tank, but layer upon layer of magical shields.

'If Fly were a melee class, would he fight like that?'

The thought occurred to many because Buja's movements, while not flashy, were brutally clean. They were fast, efficient, and stripped of any wasted motion—a decisive lethality that produced only the desired result.

As his fame grew, so did the public's curiosity.

—I heard the Fly Guild is also filming their dungeon entrance.

—A counter-move?

—Nah, they're probably just making good use of the attention. What do they have to gain by going after a tutorial-level player?

—Then…

—Yep. Intended or not, this is a competition.

Whose video would draw more eyes? It wasn't an overt challenge, but a subtle battle of pride was brewing.

As the momentous Day 20 approached, people began to gather online, waiting.

—They won't go in the second it turns to Day 20, right?

—Who knows? He said he'd start the stream when he goes in, so we just have to wait. Surely he won't go in beforehand.

—They usually go in after sunrise. It's better to wait until your body's natural rhythm has woken up.

—Whatever, I'm turning on the stream and camping just in case. I'll go to sleep after I see them go in. My heart's pounding.

—Just go to sleep. It's just going to be a static shot of the dungeon gate.

—Still, it's a historic moment! I have to watch. And who comes out first is important, right?

—Are you seriously comparing a 7-star to a 1-star? Sheesh.

—Why not? A Special versus a Legendary is a decent comparison. Fly is going in with a guild, and Kim Buja is going in alone.

—Yeah, yeah, just watch it for fun. Why so serious?

Day 20. Despite the lack of an official announcement, the fans were determined to watch, even if it meant waiting a full twenty-four hours.

Perhaps for their sake, an announcement finally appeared.

—Is it from Fly?

—Nah, it's from Kim Buja.

The message was simple.

—You son of a… He just announced the exact time he's entering.

—What time?

—11:59 PM.

—LOL, is he trying to get attention by aiming for the lunchtime crowd? That's bold.

—What are you talking about? I wouldn't even be mad if it was noon.

—Then… you don't think?

—He's going to wait for the Week 4 buff before he goes in.

He was technically entering on Day 20, but it was a Day 20 that was effectively Day 21.

—Ugh, of course he is.

—I apologize for ever comparing him to Fly.

—I get it, though. He's a rookie. It makes sense.

—True, but… that's a little pathetic, Buja.

It wasn't really something to get angry about. People were just laughing at him for pulling a stunt—making it seem like he was challenging the Fly Guild by entering on the same day, while in reality, he was taking the pragmatic route by waiting for the Week 4 buff.

But that laughter didn't last long.

—Hey, the Fly Guild posted an announcement, too.

—What's it say?

—They're starting their stream at 10 PM.

Those in the know understood immediately. If the stream started at 10 PM, when would they enter? More importantly, what did starting the stream at 10 PM even signify?

—Honestly, going in after getting the Week 4 buff is the smart move.

5.

Kim Buja couldn't care less about the criticism.

"When only a hundred or two hundred people were watching, it was just the hardcore fans, so I never got any hate. It was kind of sad, actually," he quipped.

It wasn't like he lost anything from being criticized. The only real loss would come from letting it get to him and foolishly entering without the Week 4 buff.

"The Week 3 buff removes one dungeon penalty," he mused aloud. "I'm looking forward to seeing what Week 4 brings."

Shortly after he posted his announcement, the Fly Guild's followed.

"Smart," Buja grumbled with a click of his tongue. "Using me as a shield to take all the heat."

He had watched Fly's videos countless times, even before his own awakening. Fly was one of the few players Buja actually acknowledged.

"It's an honor, really. I never thought the day would come when I'd be compared to him. Though this part wasn't intentional."

Entering the dungeon on the same day was pure coincidence. He had announced Day 20 to generate buzz, but his real plan had always been to secure the Week 4 buff for a guaranteed clear.

And it seemed the Fly Guild had the exact same idea. Their decision to tackle a 7-star Special dungeon couldn't have been a spur-of-the-moment thing, either.

"Get the Legendary item and smash your own records. As expected, the establishment takes it all. This damn world."

"But you're catching up fast, aren't you?" Seora said, her voice confident. "If you succeed in clearing this dungeon, your chances will improve dramatically."

"That's true, but it's not a sure thing," he countered. "That's assuming I succeed and clear it within thirty-six hours."

There were too many conditions. That was the difference—the gap created by five years of dominance.

Shrugging, he did one last check in front of the shimmering dungeon gate. He patted down his equipment, checked his weapon, and adjusted the backpack filled with consumables.

"I'm getting good use out of all this," he said, glancing at the gear Seora had provided. "I'll return it without a single scratch."

Jeong Cheol stood silently nearby. He was also busy competing in the event, but he had taken the time to see Buja off.

"First place is probably out of reach for you now, isn't it? That's a shame," Buja commented dryly.

"I was aiming for fifth from the start, so it doesn't matter," Jeong Cheol replied, his tone flat.

He was competing in the same bracket as Fly and had his own dungeon clear scheduled with his guild after a short break.

Midnight approached.

[24:00:00]

A hologram materialized, announcing the end of the day and the beginning of Day 21.

[The 'Event' Week 4 buff is now active.]

▶ Week 4

→ An 'Event Buff' corresponding to the dungeon's grade will be applied.

The gate rippled like disturbed water. Kim Buja and Fly. At the same moment, the two players plunged into their respective portals.

* * *

Park Sijun's videos weren't even getting half the views they had in the first week. It couldn't be helped. The trend of using point farming to make a brief splash in the rankings had been popular in the first two weeks, but it had completely died out by week three.

"'It's not fun, there's no thrill of spending money, it's just a video of you driving around in a car, so it's a waste of time?'" Sijun read a comment aloud before summarily blocking the user.

He knew it was true. It wasn't fun. Even from his perspective, point farming was painfully dull. If he, the one doing it, was bored out of his mind, how could he expect anyone else to watch? He wanted to at least upload footage from inside a dungeon, but those videos would just show players entering, meeting the bare minimum clear condition, and immediately leaving. He stood no chance against Buja's spectacular solo monster massacres.

To make matters worse, the world's number-one ranker was now involved, and the event was entering its grand finale.

Only one thing remained: give it his all and at least secure the first-place rank.

—Just pray. Pray that Kim Buja dies in the Legendary dungeon, or that it takes him more than a week to clear it.

He had to pray, just as the comment suggested.

'Once I get first place, I'll just deny everything and focus on finishing strong.'

A Legendary item would be a massive power-up. He could upload a video of himself unboxing it, showing off his new stats. That would definitely get people's attention again.

Then he realized he'd had this exact thought before. Hadn't he comforted himself with the same logic last time, right before Buja had made a fool of him?

"Fucking hell, just drop dead already!" he spat.

Even as he cursed, a strange, unsettling feeling lingered. It was a dungeon with an overwhelmingly high chance of death, yet he had a sinking feeling that Kim Buja would somehow clear it, emerge triumphant, and rub it right in his face.

A heavy sigh escaped him as he saw Buja's name on the leaderboard. He was already in the top ten, his score having long surpassed Sijun's.

* * *

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