4.

The Video Channel Site, launched in 2018 before dungeons even existed, remained the world's most popular website in 2022. Dungeon-related content was a huge draw, but videos on food, beauty, movies, and entertainment still racked up astronomical view counts. For streamers, it was their livelihood. Now, as always, the most important metric on the site was views. Subscribers and donations were crucial, but on a platform with over four billion daily visitors, nothing was more effective than creating a video that grabbed people's attention and went viral. In this world, a single hit video could earn a few hundred thousand dollars.

Consequently, streamers obsessed over titles and thumbnails. They crafted headlines that felt like clickbait but were strangely irresistible. They designed thumbnails that sparked a flicker of curiosity, compelling viewers to watch. Even in an age of dungeons and monster-slaying players, the art of fishing for views had never died.

Of course, viewers had grown more discerning and ruthless in their response to such tactics.

—Ugh, clickbait.

—Dropping a dislike. Peace out.

Videos that were all flash and no substance were inevitably dislike-bombed by viewers who felt their time had been wasted. Potential new viewers would see the ratio and steer clear. A streamer might get away with it once or twice, but they would eventually face a backlash, lose revenue, and watch their channel wither into a ghost town.

It was a high-stakes game. The video platform was a land of opportunity, a place where one could earn more than from clearing dungeons, but the effort required to capture and hold an audience's time had grown exponentially.

In that context, Kim Buja's channel, having just crested one million subscribers, was an anomaly. A million was by no means a small number, especially for a channel he'd been building since he started playing. But compared to the titans of the platform—dungeon-focused channels that pulled in tens or even hundreds of millions of views per video—his subscriber count was practically nonexistent.

—Look at that title. You have to click it.

—Provocative title. Thumbnail you can't ignore.

That was the consensus among visitors to Buja's channel. Every video he had uploaded since his awakening was utterly unskippable. Yet, after watching, no one ever complained that the titles or thumbnails were too provocative. No one hit the dislike button. They just quietly subscribed, eager to be the first to see what came next.

That was how he'd reached a million subscribers—almost entirely new ones. In less than six months, he'd gained over 800,000 followers. It wasn't record-breaking speed. Even before dungeons, rising stars hitting a million subscribers in a few months was not unheard of. In a world where content crossed borders effortlessly, it was nothing for a popular player to gain tens of millions of subscribers in a month or two.

—Why are his subs growing so slowly?

—A Legendary dungeon guide and a Legendary item unboxing? He'll hit ten million in no time.

The channel's growth exploded, ignited by two key videos. The monsters died in a single hit. The footage of him nullifying the Malevolent Spirit penalty with Holy magic, followed by the electrifying one-on-one duel with the Source of Evil, held viewers captive, making the 2x speed and 10-second skip buttons unthinkable.

—Bro, I watched all the ads.

—Dropping a donation on my way out.

Satisfied viewers left generous donations without a second thought. They didn't just watch his new dungeon guides; they dug through his archives, watching videos from his old gaming days.

—Wow, his control is insane.

—So that's why he can pull that stuff off in dungeons.

—How does he move like that? My legs would freeze if a monster just stood in front of me.

This video, the one with the Legendary Item Random Selection Box, was the final push that converted those loyal viewers into subscribers. Like with other famous players, just uploading it guaranteed a baseline of 200 million views.

—What is that?

—A weapon? No... what is it?

A Legendary item of unknown identity. The video ended without revealing what it was, fanning the flames of curiosity even higher.

* * *

Truthfully, ending a video on a cliffhanger like that was bad form. It was a technique best used sparingly, like in novels, to maintain a reader's curiosity and entice them to buy the next installment. Abusing it could ruin the rapport with your audience. Cutting the video at that exact moment wasn't a clever cliffhanger; it was a taunt. The entire video had been structured around the promise of revealing the Legendary item. It was like going to a steakhouse, being served an endless parade of appetizers, and then being told the kitchen was closing and to come back tomorrow. For a growing channel, it was a risky move that could trigger a mass exodus of subscribers.

Nevertheless, he'd had to end the video abruptly. More accurately, he'd had to edit it before the item's true nature was revealed.

"Oh, thank you, God, Buddha, whoever's listening," Kim Buja breathed, carefully lifting the item from the box. It was a single ring. He'd thought it was an accessory.

[You have acquired 'Weapon: Gold Ring'.]

Until he saw the hologram. And the item's stats.

"Good thing I didn't livestream this."

It had been a long shot, a 'what if' scenario he'd barely considered. If, by some one-in-a-million chance, he got something related to the Gold Maker class, he'd have to conceal it. He never imagined it would actually happen. He carefully stroked the ring now resting on his finger.

[Gold Ring]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Level: ★

▶ Attack Power +30(+65)

→ Enhancement +40 / 'Orange Aura' +5 / Pet Codex +8

▷ A weapon exclusive to the Gold Maker. Becomes bound upon equipping.

▷ Cannot be destroyed.

▷ Level 11 / You can use 5,000 Gold to raise the level. (0/5000)

▷ Can be transformed into any desired weapon type.

▷ 'Weapon Absorption' is possible. Absorbed weapons are converted into points required for the next level.

▷ Additional Attack Power is applied through the effect of Gold Power. + 12

▷ (Inactive Trait 2): Can be activated using 3,000 Gold.

His second-ever Legendary item. Kim Buja could say with absolute confidence, "I am the biggest winner of this event."

It was clearly a growth-type Legendary weapon. The restrictions, likely due to it originating from a 1-star box, could all be overcome with gold. When he reached level 11 and needed a 2-star weapon, he could simply transform it. It could grow with him. Best of all, it had its own traits.

"I don't like that everything costs gold, but..."

What was a little gold to him? He was the Gold Maker; his entire existence revolved around solving problems with money. Just a short while ago, he'd been flush with cash but stressing over where to find an exclusive weapon. This was a price he was more than willing to pay.

"A Legendary weapon!"

He had prayed daily for even a mid-tier dagger to replace his beginner blades. Not anymore. He no longer had to worry about a better Gold Maker weapon appearing down the line, either.

"I'll just feed them all to this."

He could simply absorb them. The ring would automatically convert their value into points for the next level. It was an elegant, brilliant design. Kim Buja didn't hesitate.

"So long, partners."

[Using 'Weapon Absorption'.]

[Absorbing 'Beginner's Dagger'.]

[Acquired 49 Weapon Points.]

Forty-nine points for one. Feeding both daggers to the ring yielded ninety-eight points. He'd been through thick and thin with those blades for nearly half a year; he grew a genuine attachment to them. His gaze lingered wistfully on the ring that had consumed them in a flash of light.

"They were pretty good weapons, too. Only ninety-eight points..."

They were used, after all.

As Kim Buja frowned at the paltry sum, the Gold Ring delivered a piece of news that lifted his spirits.

[The 'Beginner's Set Effect' trait has been bound.]

"Oho."

A wave of emotion too profound for words washed over him. After savoring the feeling, Kim Buja rose to his feet. It was time to film a new video—one to appease his furious viewers, and to test his spectacular new equipment.

* * *

In hindsight, there was no real need to hide a ring that could transform into any weapon. He'd be using it in his videos, and the fact that he'd gotten a weapon would become obvious soon enough.

"Ugh, if only I hadn't blurted that out."

The real problem was that in his shock at seeing the hologram, he had yelled, "It's a Gold Maker weapon!" If he'd been alone, he wouldn't have been so careless. But Jeong Seora had been there, and his habit of muttering to himself while filming had sealed his fate. The result was this annoying predicament.

"Well, I had to test it anyway."

He would have made a video to show it off regardless, so all's well that ends well.

Putting the minor slip-up behind him, he held up the simple, emerald-hued ring and considered his options. What would be a fitting debut? Something flashy. The first thing that came to mind was a staff, like the one Fly wielded. He'd seen the video—the power of that massive meteor crashing down from the sky, obliterating everything, was enough to make his legs tremble.

'I want to do that, too.'

But the desire remained a fantasy. In his old gaming days, and now in this new reality, magic was the exclusive domain of the rich. To use magic, he'd either have to level up his Gold Shop and buy the spells himself, or invest a fortune into Hwangdo. Both were distant prospects.

He had no choice but to play to his own strengths. What weapon would best represent him? After a moment's thought, he realized the answer had been there all along.

The instant the decision was made, two familiar daggers materialized in his hands. The shape was the same, but the blades now shimmered with an emerald light that matched the ring. The grips felt cool and new against his palms.

"A perfect fit."

With the weapon that would become his lifelong companion, he charged toward his testing grounds.

* * *

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