1.

Everyone regrets something at least once. Especially when making a decision that shapes an uncertain future. This holds true in games and in reality. You agonize for days over a purchase, only for a report to surface a day later, calling it defective, or a better model is released. The game you splurged on goes on sale. When that happens, you can't help but resent the version of yourself who made the call.

Buja was no different. He'd faced more of these crossroads than most. From the moment he first started gaming to the day he decided to dedicate his life to it, he'd made choices he could have regretted a hundred, even a thousand times over.

But if you asked him now, he would shake his head. He had decided not to live with regret.

'There's no point. Nothing will change.'

Regret was just emotional baggage. While it could sometimes lead to reflection and better choices, a person rational enough to learn from it probably wouldn't have made a regrettable choice in the first place. Even the most brilliant people make mistakes. What matters is satisfaction. Regret is born from greed.

'This was the right move, right?'

And greed could be summed up by a single, famous saying: the grass is always greener on the other side.

[Wait for Free Gold (L)]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Classification: Passive

▶ Level: 2

▷ Generates 2 gold daily at 24:00.

▷ Use 20 gold to level up.

▷ Trait (1) unlocks at Level 10.

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

The only changes were the level increase and the doubled daily gold generation. To reach level three now required twenty gold. In essence, the skill's efficiency had doubled. There was plenty of reason to be positive, but his mind inevitably drifted to the VIP Level he had forsaken.

'Maybe that Gold Enhancement was a way to raise my stats.' Or what if the VIP1 Skill was some unimaginably powerful attack skill? He might have been able to challenge Unique-grade dungeons, not just Epics.

A storm of what-ifs swirled in his head, but they never formed into a single, sharp emotion.

'I can just earn more.'

It was a promise he'd made to himself: no regrets. There was no guarantee he could keep it perfectly, so he'd adopted a drastic countermeasure. Don't overthink it. It was a brief deliberation, a moment of serious calculation, and a clear alternative. Besides, the rewards weren't valuable enough to justify a lifetime of second-guessing.

In fact, to banish any lingering doubt, he did it again.

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

[Due to Gold Power (1), the level-up cost (1%) is discounted by 0 gold.]

[20 gold has been used.]

The thrill of blowing through his hard-earned gold in less than ten seconds was intoxicating. "Hah, how long has it been since I could be this extravagant?"

He was already indulging in a fifty-thousand-dollar healing service; squandering gold that felt less than real didn't even make him flinch. He mentally wrote off his remaining nine gold and put the matter to rest.

'What's this Constellation system?'

The last hologram from his accounting session remained sealed. He decided to ignore it for now. 'It'll open when it opens.'

He felt refreshed, his body revitalized. It was time to collect his material rewards, not stress over things he couldn't access. Wrapping a robe around himself, he left the bathroom.

* * *

"No additional items were found during the cleanup," the waiting Dungeon Store employee reported. "The total from the Wolf King's carcass, nine wolves, and the rare herbs and mushrooms found inside comes to approximately 320 thousand dollars. We will send the detailed statement separately, and the funds will be deposited into the account you provided. Could you please confirm the account number one last time?"

"That's correct," Buja said, nodding in satisfaction without needing to do the math himself. He'd expected the Wolf King's sturdy hide to fetch a good price, but this was far more than he'd anticipated. And that didn't even include the items he'd personally collected.

'Being a player is definitely worth it.'

This was why dungeons were called the land of opportunity. A place where even a newly awakened player could, with enough skill, suddenly find themselves earning hundreds of thousands in a single day. The returns were greater than any other life-risking profession. It was no wonder everyone wanted to be chosen.

He casually slipped the jade ring from his left ring finger and offered it to the employee. "How much do you think this is worth?"

The man took it nonchalantly. "Did this drop from the Wolf King?"

"Yes."

It was an item from an Epic monster, with the potential to be an Epic item itself. The employee's calm professionalism as he inspected it was a testament to why players all over the world trusted the Dungeon Store.

[Wolf King's Ring]

▶ Grade: Epic

▶ Defense +6

▶ HP +1

"The stats are quite good," the employee noted. "Defense-type classes will love these options. Shall I pass it to our appraiser?"

"Yes," Buja replied. "Please get me a good price."

"Of course." After all, the loot always belonged to the player who cleared the dungeon.

Still, he had specifically taken this item on his own because in this world, the only person he could truly rely on was himself. 'This person seems trustworthy,' he mused, 'but you can never be certain of someone's true intentions.' If he stumbled upon a Legendary item while clearing a dungeon, how many people would have the integrity to return it? Even for an employee of a world-class corporation, a single item could change their entire life. The company's reputation might deter them from gambling over items worth a small fortune, but when an Epic-grade treasure was on the line, it was only human to be tempted. Buja had to be careful. The best defense was to never create an opportunity for doubt in the first place. After entrusting everything from the Epic dungeon to the Dungeon Store for appraisal, including the ring, he finally left the hospital to head home.

"Mr. Kim Buja!"

The voice was familiar. A gentle call stopped him in his tracks, and he turned reflexively. Wavy brown hair cascaded to her shoulders, framing skin as smooth and translucent as velvet. It was clear she had spent a pretty penny to look so flawless. She had delicate features, a slender jawline complemented by a graceful neck and a pair of deep-set collarbones. Her beauty made him wonder if he knew anyone so stunning. "Wait a second, this feels familiar," he muttered, the memory of what happened after he exited the dungeon yesterday surfacing. "Ah! From the dungeon entrance?"

"Yes, hello," she said, her voice bright. "I'm Jeong Seora from the Jeong Cheol Guild."

She was even more gorgeous up close. Any man's gaze would have been helplessly drawn to her. Seora approached with a radiant smile and offered her hand. Buja reluctantly shook it. She didn't seem to have any malicious intent, and while she had obviously followed him, he wasn't so conceited as to make a scene.

"I'll just have a word with him before I leave," Seora told the staff. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Of course, ma'am. Please contact us anytime, and we'll have everything ready for you wherever you need it."

In the end, Buja postponed his trip home and climbed into Seora's car.

* * *

Buja had always been a lone wolf. From his first day in the game 'Real World' to the final raid against the Demon King Balrog, he had worked alone. There was no grand reason for it.

"It's just more comfortable," he explained. "I don't like people meddling, and I hate splitting the profits even more."

It was that simple. He had never seen the point in joining a guild or a party. If a monster was impossible to defeat, he would grind until he could. Barring extreme restrictions, he could always pull more than his own weight. It wasn't pure arrogance; he occasionally accepted offers for collaboration. There was just one condition.

"I'm perfectly willing to raid with others for money. I'm not some delusional teenager who thinks he can conquer the world alone."

From the moment he had moved out on his own five years ago, money had been his singular goal. He was determined to live the life he wanted, funded by his own earnings. He had started gaming right as dungeons began appearing, but his talent hadn't translated into wealth, leaving him stuck in a cramped studio apartment. He had only made it this far by chasing money, working solo, and switching games whenever a better opportunity arose.

The same principle applied to reality. It had only been three days since his awakening. He had absolutely no desire to tie himself to an organization, especially not after discovering he could just buy dungeons from the Dungeon Store.

"The Dungeon Store is driven by profit," Seora countered. "Without players, the store wouldn't exist. They may take a large cut, but they won't stab you in the back for your items or shove you into a deathtrap, will they?"

"I'll guarantee your autonomy," she continued, undeterred by the wall he had already put up. She casually sipped her coffee, her voice calm and appealing. "Our guild is a small, elite group and fewer than thirty members. The support staff for those members, however, numbers over a thousand."

"Interference? There won't be any. We weren't planning to recruit anyone else, anyway. All our members are focused on conquering 4 and 5-star Unique dungeons; you probably won't even see them until they succeed. As for the split, we only take a minimal percentage from each dungeon. You keep every item you find. That's a rule that applies to all our members. If we want something you have, we trade for it."

It was a surprisingly reasonable offer.

"An eighty-twenty split, in your favor. The best rate in the industry. And for healing services, I'm sure you've heard of Jeong Cheol Hospital. We may be the third-ranked guild in South Korea, but I can confidently say we have the most capital." Her conditions were backed by unshakable confidence.

"Hmm, it does sound good," Buja admitted. But it wasn't enough to sway him. It was 'too' good. The offer was better than he could have imagined, and that alone bred suspicion—the same doubt he'd felt the moment he left the dungeon. "All this for a player who's only cleared a single 1-star Epic dungeon?"

"A dungeon you cleared in a single day," she corrected smoothly. "It'll be all over the news by tomorrow. If there's a signing bonus or an item you want, we can include it in the contract, up to a Unique Grade. Anything Special grade or higher, we can lend to you."

"And what if my class is just Normal?" he pressed.

"Then we'd want you even more," she shot back without hesitation. "If the world's first Normal-class player cleared a 1-star Epic dungeon in a day, that would make you a once-in-a-generation talent." Sensing his lingering skepticism, Seora cut to the heart of the matter. "I've been watching you for five years, Mr. Kim. To be honest, I believe your potential is more than worth the investment. Let's just say my generous offers are because I want to see the skills I've only ever witnessed through videos up close and in person."

"Hmm."

She had shed her lighthearted demeanor, and her earnest words made Buja nod slowly. Whether to trust her was his call. After a moment of consideration, he finally spoke. "Then let's do this."

Seeing his serious expression, Seora broke into a brilliant smile.

"I'll need to confirm your sincerity as well," Buja continued. "So how about this? You provide me with five dungeons of my choosing, no strings attached. I'll try things out under the conditions you've proposed, as if I were a guild member. After that, I'll decide. And only then will I hear your official recruitment terms."

Her smile faltered, quickly replaced by a look of stunned disbelief.

Seora was a woman who always spoke her mind. "You're quite shameless, aren't you?"

"Haha, I suppose I am," he replied with a grin.

If she was just testing the waters, this would be where she backed out. But instead, Seora leaned forward as if she'd been waiting for this, a new smile playing on her lips. It wasn't the fresh, bright smile from before, but a sly one.

"Alright."

Their eyes met, and for a long moment, neither looked away.

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