1.

One of the few publicly known traits of Legendary dungeons was their brutal penalties.

[Clear Condition]

☆ Purify the Forest of Malevolent Spirits

▷ This is a Legendary-grade dungeon. Dungeon penalties are applied.

1. All levels, stats, attack power, and defense power of monsters in the forest are greatly increased.

2. All monsters in the forest are affected by the 'Malevolent Spirit' effect.

3. During darkness, the 'Curse of the Malevolent Spirit' effect is applied.

4. 7 days after entering the dungeon, any malevolent spirits that have failed to eliminate the intruder will evolve in a rage.

5. A hidden ☆ exists. If this condition is not met, the dungeon cannot be cleared, and all dungeon penalty effects will be enhanced by 50%.

Unlike other dungeons, the clear conditions and penalties were only revealed upon entry, and there were a staggering five of them.

"Brutal," Buja muttered, scanning the long list. The clear condition itself was simple, but achieving it would be anything but.

"First, I can't treat these monsters like they're 1-star. The 'Malevolent Spirit' effect probably means physical damage is useless. The 'Curse' is a debuff, and the seven-day time limit is irrelevant since I have to finish this in two days anyway."

He figured he'd have to find and destroy some kind of source of the malevolence hidden deep within the woods. To do that, he'd have to fight his way through hordes of terrifying spirits.

It was a grand yet straightforward task. Five penalties and a hidden condition—it certainly lived up to the Legendary name. A 1-star dungeon that effectively had two clear conditions.

"Hmm."

If he had entered blindly, he might have felt overwhelmed. But right now, he had two powerful buffs on his side.

['Event: Week 3 Buff' is active.]

[Penalty #3 has been nullified.]

['Event: Week 4 Buff' is active.]

['Event Buff: Encouragement!' has been activated.]

[For 24 hours after entry, all stats are multiplied by 1.5.]

"Whoa, damn," Buja breathed, rereading the text to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

The 'Curse of the Malevolent Spirit'—a debuff that would have been active constantly in the dense, perpetual twilight of the forest—had vanished completely. On top of that, the random Week 4 buff, 'Encouragement,' multiplied all his stats by 1.5. For the next twenty-four hours, that essentially nullified the first penalty as well.

Just by stepping inside, two of the five penalties had been erased.

"Can I just think of this as a 2-star Unique dungeon?"

Of course, the monsters would still be incredibly strong, befitting their Legendary status, but a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His body and mind felt lighter.

"Now I see why Fly also committed to this date."

Buja had entered trusting his own power, boosted by Gold Enhancement, more than any event buff. He was still confident he could have cleared it without them. Not that he intended to ignore the buffs he was given, but it was clear now that the true purpose of this event was to allow players to overcome their limits.

"I wonder how good the Week 5 buff will be."

The thought of what incredible bonus might be revealed on Day 28—a buff that would only last for three days—was tantalizing. Seeing the buffs increase in power so dramatically each week, it almost felt possible that the event's Legendary item could be a direct drop from a dungeon clear, not just a reward from a box.

"And that has to be me."

Stepping into the hazy fog, Buja pulled on the same enchanted overshoes from his Gold Mission, the ones that left no footprints, and began to move.

"Kyuuu," squeaked a small voice.

Perched on his shoulder was Hwangdo.

* * *

By now, Buja had resolved to trust and invest in every piece of content unlocked by his VIP level. Nothing would be wasted. As new features were added, the gold cost would inevitably rise, and the temptation to focus only on the most efficient upgrades would grow. But he had learned from Gold Enhancement and his other skills that the only way to unlock the Gold Maker's true potential was to invest evenly across the board.

That was why he had brought Hwangdo.

Of course, the tiny dragon wouldn't be of much help in a Legdenary dungeon. Its current abilities were less useful than a common snake's in this forest, and the most it could do was let out a surprisingly loud shriek born of draconic pride. In fact, the passive Legendary collection bonus Buja received just from having Hwangdo with him was far more useful.

Still, he had to get the creature accustomed to battle.

"Next up is Gold Growth."

He planned to develop the feature he had invested the least amount of gold in so far.

Gold Growth was gold spent not for himself, but for Hwangdo. It functioned much like the Gold Shop: as the pet's grade increased, new growth options would unlock, allowing him to mold Hwangdo into a true gold dragon.

In his mind, Buja pictured Hwangdo's final form: a colossal, golden beast whose sheer size and shimmering belly fat would make monsters tremble in fear.

But that was a long way off.

"I'll buy some of the buff skills available at Grade 2. And I need to level up the Gold Shop to learn some skills for myself."

For now, Buja had to be the star. Hwangdo's growth would help, certainly, but the amount of gold required to bring it up to his level was incalculable. That was a project for when he was swimming in gold, a side quest to raise his pet.

What he needed now was a supporter.

"Krieee!"

Swish.

A wolf-like creature lunged from the thick fog. Buja twisted aside, his dagger striking true, but he felt no satisfying bite of steel into flesh.

It was the same with every monster he'd encountered over the past hour. They were all spirits.

Fortunately, physical damage wasn't completely negated. It was heavily reduced—more than halved—until a certain damage threshold was met. Once that threshold was crossed, the 'Malevolent Spirit' effect would shatter, revealing the monster's true form and health bar. It was as if they had a second, spectral body layered over their physical one.

This made them incredibly tricky. If a monster managed to escape after its spirit form was broken, it would regenerate the effect after a short time.

Stab!

"Scriee!"

"I really have to finish this within twenty-four hours," Buja muttered, his movements growing more urgent. "Before this gets any longer."

The dungeon was just as he'd expected. With the event buffs, even a Legendary Grade felt manageable. The monsters had trickier mechanics, but a little extra effort was all it took to put them down.

The problem was what would happen after a day passed. Time was on the monsters' side. After twenty-four hours, the first penalty, currently nullified, would return with a vengeance. If he couldn't figure out how to purify the forest within seven days, a straightforward path could turn into an impossible climb.

He invested his remaining gold to prevent that.

"Gold Growth, 'Holy Light'."

[500 gold has been used.]

['Hwangdo' has learned 'Skill: Holy Light'.]

[Holy Light]

▶ Grade: 1

▶ Classification: Active

▷ When used, it grants a holy effect to the target.

It was his entire fortune, saved up after his top and bottom armor enhancements had luckily succeeded on the first try. He'd been holding onto it for an emergency, never imagining he'd use it like this.

"Hey, cast it," Buja ordered.

"Kkyuu!"

Startled by the sudden surge of knowledge in its mind, Hwangdo flapped its tiny wings before focusing and drawing on its magic at Buja's command. It may have been a hatchling, but a dragon was a dragon. Honoring its master's will, it shaped the magic within its body for the very first time.

Vwoom—

A pure white light, faint but distinct, enveloped the twin daggers in Buja's hands. It didn't seem powerful enough to part the fog, but that didn't matter.

"Krieeee!"

'Pshnk!'

As long as it was enough to dispel the 'Malevolent Spirit' effect. The unsatisfying feeling of cutting through empty air vanished, replaced by the solid impact of steel. The 'Holy Light' Hwangdo had cast was a perfect counter. In a Legdenary dungeon, just as in a game, attributes were everything. The holy damage bypassed the spirit effect entirely, giving the monster no second chance.

It was an incredibly effective strategy.

There was just one drawback.

"Kkyuuu," Hwangdo whimpered, exhausted.

Three or four casts were the limit for Hwangdo and its meager magic stat of 50.

Buja didn't mind. He had anticipated this.

"Drink up," he said, holding out a small vial.

"Kkyu?"

Ninety percent of the consumables in his backpack were not for him. They were the mana potions from his daily VIP box.

"Let's go. We finish this in twenty-four hours."

"Kkyu!"

He hadn't piggybacked on the Fly Guild's hype for nothing. He had made his own preparations. Now, it was time to prove it.

2.

In terms of sheer viewer numbers, Kim Buja's stream couldn't hope to compete with Fly's. The difference in their global recognition was simply too vast.

However, among the dedicated communities, active players, and anyone with a serious interest in dungeons, there was a clear bias. They were far more invested in Kim Buja's Legendary dungeon clear.

—Well, Fly will probably clear it. It's what he does.

—He makes the impossible possible.

It was a natural reaction. Even to other top-tier rankers, Fly was in a league of his own, and they knew they had little to gain from watching him succeed again.

Kim Buja, on the other hand, was different. He uploaded full videos of his clears. Even for a 1-star player, a Legdenary dungeon held immense value. Just being able to see its layout, its unique mechanics, and a successful strategy would be a massive help.

Most importantly, Kim Buja was a rival they needed to watch.

—What happens if he actually pulls this off? Within three days?

—Forget three days. If he just succeeds, his stock will skyrocket, event or not.

—For real. A solo clear of a 1-star Legendary dungeon. Wouldn't that make him the second person in the world to do it?

—Did Fly get the 'first' title for that too?

—Who cares about the title? If you were him, would you be upset about that? Buja awakened just over six months ago, and he's about to become the hottest rising star right behind Fly. Sponsorships for Legendary items, worth way more than some title, will be lining up. The top guilds will be throwing offers at him.

The jealousy of his rivals poured into the stream's chat as curses. 'Die. Don't come out.' It was a cruel sentiment, but it was a necessary trial for anyone aspiring to become a true star.

In the end, it was a battle against oneself. If you could overcome it, the curses of others were nothing more than empty envy.

"You'll overcome it, right? This time, too?"

Among the countless curses, a few earnest cheers shone through. Jeong Seora, a true fan who knew he had weathered similar storms in countless games long before dungeons became reality, offered a quiet prayer.

* * *

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