3.

Everyone has worries. It's a universal truth, regardless of age, gender, or wealth. In fact, people who seem to live without a single care in the world might actually be carrying more burdens than others. The drug scandals of top stars, the suicide of a millionaire, the divorce of a seemingly perfect celebrity couple—everyone has their own troubles, and most of them are things money can't solve.

Sergei was no exception. He had his own worries.

"I'm actually not very good at clearing dungeons," he admitted.

Objectively speaking, he was good. Even in Kim Buja's eyes. He had money, great items, and the players he ran dungeons with were also high-level, all equipped with Unique-grade gear or better. It was a situation where humans were slaughtering monsters, not the other way around, and the world called that being good at clearing dungeons.

But Sergei didn't think so.

"It didn't really matter that I wasn't good. Just seeing myself get stronger by wearing items was satisfying enough. But in a corner of my heart, I longed for more. I want to clear higher-level dungeons. I want to fight spectacularly on my own."

It was his dream, his hope. The kind of dream anyone might have had in their childhood: to become the hero of a story, charge into the heart of the enemy camp, and wipe them out. It doesn't just disappear when you become an adult. Especially not after dungeons appeared, granting the power of a player and making that dream achievable.

Sergei said he had been fulfilling that unattainable dream by watching others' videos. It wasn't enough to make him writhe in regret, but it was enough to live with, finding vicarious satisfaction. In the recent event, too, he had planned to have fun by obtaining a Legendary item.

Until he saw Kim Buja.

At first, it was curiosity. It piqued his interest. What kind of player was this, suddenly catching up not from the beginning, but from the middle of the event? But it wasn't score manipulation. It was purely his own skill, and with the video of him clearing a Legendary dungeon, everything was completely overturned. He felt no anger that his game had been spoiled. There was only admiration and respect. In a word, vicarious satisfaction.

"That was the player's life I had always wanted."

A moving story of starting from the bottom and achieving success with talent alone. It probably wasn't just Sergei who thought that. Jeong Seora was amazed every time she saw Kim Buja, and the countless people who watched his channel must have admired, envied, and dreamed of such a life, which is why they would watch his videos dozens of times without missing a single one.

"Hmm, I see."

The words didn't stir much emotion in Kim Buja. He was just a little surprised, having grown numb to the constant envy. But this was coming from someone with Sergei's background and immense wealth. If he put himself in his shoes, it was the same. Kim Buja also envied Sergei. He was jealous and wanted to live his life. But he couldn't.

"That's a rich man's dream."

He was too busy living his own life. The desire to watch someone else's life up close, wishing it were his own—that was a luxury only possible for those who were completely satisfied with their own lives and had little left to interest them.

The box Sergei offered was the result of such a luxury.

"A gift for my friend. I'm not asking for anything in return. It's enough for me if you continue to upload videos, meet up for a drink sometimes, and sell me any good items you decide to part with. I'd be even more grateful if you could send me a private hunting video just for me every now and then."

In a way, his words could be seen as a contract for entertainment rather than a friendship. But Sergei was confident as he said it, and Kim Buja didn't particularly mind. After all, all relationships change depending on how you look at them. Friend or whatever, what did it matter? What was important was what was inside the box.

"Oh, you shouldn't have, haha!" he said, uttering the insincere pleasantry as he carefully opened the box.

'I hope it's an item. Since he's rich, at least something Unique-grade.' A big part of him becoming friends was also hoping for a handout. Hoping for a freebie he didn't deserve, he took out the object inside.

An earring.

Before he could check the item information, Sergei spoke. Buja could have listened while checking, but he met his gaze out of respect. At first glance, it looked good. The emerald-colored earring looked like a set with his Gold Ring. It was a simple design, not too flashy for a man to wear. In this day and age, gender didn't matter when a player wore an earring, but the design was still a major factor in its price.

'If it's Unique-grade and looks this good, it must be worth at least a few million dollars, right?'

For accessories, the price varied wildly depending on the stats, not just the grade. The Ring of Vitality he was wearing was a Special Grade, but a Unique-grade one could be better depending on its options.

But the word that came out of Sergei's mouth was far from Buja's expectation.

"It's a Legendary-grade earring that I cherished. I thought it would be more effective for you to wear it."

"…Excuse me?"

"Legendary…." Jeong Seora whispered, turning to look in surprise.

The words "You're lying" couldn't quite make it out of his mouth.

[Earring of the World Tree]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Defense +20

▶ Vitality +15

▶ Magic Power +40

▶ Can use 'Protection of the World Tree (★★★★)' by consuming magic.

▷ An earring made from the root of the World Tree, imbued with the power of nature.

▷ Protection of the World Tree (★★★★)

→ Creates a protective barrier with the powerful force of nature. The barrier lasts for 10 seconds.

All he had to do was see it with his own eyes. The moment he confirmed it, his jaw dropped.

"No…"

Just five minutes ago, they had been casually dropping formalities, vowing to be lifelong friends. Now, Kim Buja looked ready to drop to his knees.

"To think you'd give such a precious item to someone as humble as me!"

His expression, his tone—not a hint of playfulness. For a moment, Buja suspected this might be payback for overtaking him in the rankings, that he would pretend to give it and then take it back. But the moment he heard Sergei's hearty laugh and his words about how he was glad he came to Korea, a tsunami of emotion washed over him.

"Damn. I'll clear dungeons for you for the rest of my life, my brother."

And he made a vow. He would tell Sergei first about any pro tips he discovered. Even if he had a video revealing the secrets of his class that would guarantee a billion views, he would at least show it to Sergei!

He carefully put on the earring.

"I'll take this piece of trash out for recycling tomorrow."

Park Sijun's Earring of Vitality, which had been so useful until now, was tossed aside. Of course, he didn't actually throw it away but carefully tucked it into his pocket.

Losing the 'Vitality Accessory' set effect was a bit of a shame, and he briefly wondered if there might be a matching ring, but he wasn't foolish enough to say something so shamelessly greedy. Besides, even with the set effect, the Earring of the World Tree had far better stats. Its three bonuses—Defense, Vitality, and Magic Power—were prime options that not just he, but any magic-using class would kill for. On top of that, it had the four-star skill 'Protection of the World Tree.'

Simply put, it was his first active skill. And a four-star shield at that. He wanted to test it out right away, but now was not the time.

"It's shameless of me, but I'll accept it. Thank you."

"I always believe that while money can't buy friendship, it can make it stronger," Sergei said, as if reading his mind. "That item is precious to me as well, but I'm gifting it in the belief that my future friend will succeed and bring me even greater joy. Please make good use of it." He shook his hand and stood up.

"Next time you have a chance, give me a call, my friend. I'll give you a proper tour of a Legendary dungeon."

"Haha. Thank you! I will definitely visit!" Sergei exclaimed.

"Yes, you must. I want to treat my friend in my own ways, too."

And so, the brief but momentous meeting ended with an unexpected gift for Kim Buja.

* * *

Usually, when players change even a single weapon, they go into a Normal-grade dungeon—specifically, a 'Survival' type, which is best for testing—to adapt. Even in a world where one's life wasn't finite, damage was still real, and accurate information about one's damage output was directly related to hunting efficiency. Moreover, one needs to adapt to the effects of a new item and the changes in movement from increased stats to avoid panicking in a real battle.

Therefore, it wasn't strange for him to head to a dungeon.

"I've prepared a Special-grade one," said Jeong Seora.

"Thanks. I'll treat you to something when I get out."

"Can I have something expensive?"

"We can book a Royal Suite in a place like Guam or Cebu and go on a five-night, six-day trip," he offered.

What was different was that Kim Buja was entering a Special-grade dungeon in the middle of the night, at almost 3 a.m., to test his new item.

He wore the ring and earring that shone with an emerald light in the moonlight as he drew his weapon—the dagger that had now become his trademark. He could have changed it, but he couldn't find a reason to.

"Now that I have a shield, maybe I should just stick with the dagger."

It wouldn't be a bad choice. He could always switch to another weapon whenever he needed to.

Having finished his preparations, he drew up his magic. He could feel the formless energy existing in his body in high concentration, but it felt awkward, as he'd never had a reason to use it. Still, he knew exactly how.

A low hum filled the air.

It moved slowly, taking shape, forming a rough image of what the skill described. Magic left his body and enveloped him in a very thin, transparent film. The delicate layer surrounded his entire body, yet it felt sturdy enough to block anything.

With a soft whoosh, the barrier solidified.

"Oh!"

Games and reality are different. One of the most representative examples, after having only one life, is the manifestation of skills. The speed at which people use skills is said to be the difference between 3G Wi-Fi and fiber-optic internet, as the individual capability required to construct a skill varies. In that sense, Kim Buja, materializing his first skill, couldn't be more satisfied.

"Not bad."

The first time is always the hardest, and he had accomplished it in less than a second. It wasn't something to be overly surprised about, but he was relieved.

"It's a relief, it's not that different from a game."

He uttered words that would make others want to throw a fireball at him, speaking calmly in front of Jeong Seora, a support-type class, before stepping into the dungeon.

* * *

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