1.

Humans are fickle.

[Level has increased by 3.]

[You have acquired 3,000 Gold.]

"Finally, Level 7."

The reward washed away his lingering unease as if it had never existed. Or, more accurately, it was simply forgotten. The prize was just that substantial.

The levels were one thing, but 3,000 gold was a fortune—an amount that could produce noticeable results no matter how he spent it. It was a stark reminder of just how difficult Chapter 1-3 had been, and how perfectly he had executed it.

The hologram acknowledged his success in its usual, unwavering fashion.

[Achievement Unlocked: Chapter 1 Clear (U)]

[You have acquired 3 Stat Points.]

[Achievement Unlocked: (Chapter 1-3) Flawless (L)]

[You have acquired 5,000 Gold.]

[Achievement Unlocked: (Chapter 1-3) Slaughterer (L)]

[You have acquired Skill: Soul Harvest (N)]

"I can't believe these exist."

He'd never seen achievements like these before. Flawless and Slaughterer. The names alone suggested they were hard to earn, and they were both Legendary-grade. Seeing the achievement for completing the entire chapter confirmed it once more: he had cleared the final, most difficult part of Chapter 1 in the best way imaginable.

Three extra stat points and 5,000 gold. He hadn't done it for the rewards, but they certainly justified his methods. On top of it all, he had acquired his very first exclusive combat skill.

[Soul Harvest]

▶ Grade: Normal

▶ Classification: (Gold Maker) Passive

▷ Upon killing an enemy, there is a chance to harvest the enemy's soul.

▷ There is a chance to plunder the harvested soul.

▷ Spend 1,000 Gold to raise the grade.

▷ At Epic Grade, spend 5,000 Gold to activate Trait (1).

Technically, he already had plenty of Gold Maker skills, starting with the VIP abilities. But this was the first with a direct effect in combat.

'It doesn't exactly feel like a Gold Maker exclusive,' he mused. 'More like they just tweaked some generic skill.'

He had his suspicions, but the description made it seem quite useful, so he didn't complain. While other classes might have something similar, a passive skill that triggered just by killing an enemy was undeniably powerful. Furthermore, the growth-type aspect—a hallmark of his class—left open the possibility of it reaching Legendary grade, making the skill's potential shine even brighter.

'I like it.'

What he liked most was that it was passive. Kim Buja was a walking contradiction; he admired Fly's flashy magic, yet he personally disliked abilities that required too much micromanagement in a fight. Or perhaps it was simpler than that: he had a tendency to stack passives because their effects accumulated, and the loss was minimal even if he forgot about them.

In any case, the haul was excellent. And there were even more messages waiting.

[Loading unread messages.]

December 4th. The last month of the year had begun, and the hologram, which had awaited his touch for three days, finally revealed its contents.

['Event' will be activated.]

[Event: International Competition]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Date: January 1, 2023, 00:00 ~ Event End Date

▶ Classification:

1. Individual Match: January 1, 2023, 00:00 ~

→ 1 participant per country. Final winner acquires +20 points.

2. Team Match: January 11, 2023, 00:00 ~

→ Max 20 participants per country. Country that reaches the highest floor acquires +20 points.

▶ Reward:

1st Place: +30% Dungeon EXP gain buff applied to the winning country for 1 year. 'Treasure' Dungeon appearance rate +12%. 'Sudden Event' appearance rate +8%.

▷ All event rules will be revealed after the event begins.

The International Competition. A Legendary-grade event held every year without fail. The chance to participate in something he had only ever watched on screen made his blood boil with excitement. The thought of representing his country was thrilling.

This wasn't just any event. With only two categories, it would rank over 200 nations, and the outcome would determine each country's competitive strength for the entire year.

"This year's event is more important than ever," Jeong Seora said, explaining why she'd rushed over. "The national reward buff. This is the first time it's appeared."

A buff that applied to an entire country for a whole year was both a symbol and an insurmountable wall.

"The 30% experience boost will create an insane advantage in the ranking race, and the increased rates for 'Treasure' dungeons and 'Sudden Events' create the perfect environment for hitting the jackpot," she explained.

The implication was simple.

"We have to win. No matter what it takes."

This was about more than just honor. Since players were locked into their chosen country for a year after the competition began, a victory could even attract foreign rankers to join Korea next year.

Even without looking that far ahead, Korea's own players—who lived and breathed for their ranks—would be cheering with fire in their eyes. If the Jeongcheol Guild became the national representative and returned with a strong showing, the public would recognize them as Korea's number-one guild for the foreseeable future, as long as they didn't make any major blunders.

"To do that, we'll have to become the national representatives first," Kim Buja noted.

"Exactly," Seora agreed.

But to even attempt to carry that heavy burden, they still had a wall to overcome.

"SJ won't try to pull any strings, will they?" he asked nervously.

As Buja worried about being crushed by power before he could crush his rivals, the final hologram message eased his concerns.

[Pre-Event: International Competition Practice]

▶ Date: December 1, 2023, 00:00 ~ December 31, 2023, 23:59:59

▶ Classification:

1. Individual Match (Provisional)

2. Team Match (Provisional)

▷ This event can be held between players from the same country.

▷ Upon entering, all stats will be normalized.

▷ All players from the corresponding country can spectate.

▷ There is no limit on participation.

▷ Simultaneous participation is not allowed.

It was going to be a very fair international competition.

* * *

For five years, the SJ Guild had been Korea's undisputed national representative. No one could challenge them. Their overwhelming financial power, information network, and player levels were unmatched. While their performance on the world stage had been lackluster, making Korea's past gaming glory seem a bit embarrassing, they were dominant domestically. They had even returned from previous competitions with decent records.

But now, after their rising star Park Sijun had spent the last year getting thoroughly stomped by Kim Buja, jokes about the SJ Guild's image plummeting to rock bottom were commonplace. Still, they held their top spot because the foundation of high-quality players they'd built was solid.

So, when the event was announced, the forums lit up.

—SJ should probably still go, right?

—Even with stat normalization, SJ might be better for the team match.

—Honestly, you think anyone can beat Fly in the individual match? Elemental Wizards are absolute monsters in 1v1.

—Yeah, it's better to aim for the top 20 in the team match.

These comments, dampening the public's excitement, were fueled by the new national buff, a first in the competition's five-year history.

—It used to be that only the participating guild got benefits, but this time the whole country does, so we need to be serious.

—For real, even 20th place gets a 10% experience boost. Let's just aim for 20th.

Few even hoped for first place. They just wanted to make the cut. People argued that SJ should be sent just to scrape into the top 20 and secure the reward. Of course, the opposition was much stronger.

—That's why we need to have a national team selection match.

—Yeah. Honestly, what does Jeong Cheol lack compared to SJ? The team match is limited to 20 people anyway. Doesn't the Jeongcheol Guild seem superior in both the individual and team matches?

—Let's settle it fair and square with a selection match.

—Let's stop all the cronyism, nepotism, and power-grabbing in the dungeons.

It wasn't just a lot of people. It was a roar loud enough to silence the dissent. For so many to speak with one voice meant they had seen enough to be confident.

They had seen the Jeongcheol Guild. They had seen Kim Buja.

—Forget that show-off Park Sijun. Kim Buja is the real deal.

—I want to see Kim Buja's true skills in a stat-normalized setting.

—Kim Buja vs. Fly. Can we get this matchup?

Public opinion had shifted. The Dungeon Management Committee, which oversaw all dungeon-related affairs, had no choice but to make an announcement.

[To select this year's representative for the international competition, we will be holding a National Team Selection Match on December 10th (Individual) and December 21st (Team). Ten guilds have been selected to participate based on criteria established by the committee.]

Before the announcement, many had suggested limiting the qualifiers to just the SJ Guild, the Jeongcheol Guild, and perhaps the second-ranked guild. However, thanks to the hologram providing a public, observable system, more guilds were given a chance to compete. The public was pleased.

—This is good. A guild that's meant to go should have to beat everyone to get there. If they lose because of some variable, they'd lose in the main event anyway.

—Throwing in a few scrub guilds will make it feel more like the International Competition with its scrub countries lolololol.

—But wouldn't it be a huge buzzkill if a 10th-ranked guild won?

—If our skills are that pathetic, let's just stay home. I'd be embarrassed. Where did the prestige of Korea, the country that used to be #1 in every game, go? I'm not asking for 1st, but with our hidden potential, let's at least aim for the top 10, even if we don't have a single player in the top 30.

Beyond the spectacle, people saw this as a chance to shake up the stagnant Korean player base, which had grown complacent by protecting their positions and profits.

Expectations began to build. Who was the new rising star? Who would win in a head-to-head matchup? This once-a-year event was a chance to prove the countless rumors true or false. How could they not be excited? A full-power battle on a field where death had no consequence was the purest, most objective form of truth.

—If Kim Buja and Jeong Cheol fought, who'd win?

—Why would they fight? They're in the same guild.

—You'd have to put him up against someone like Jeong Myeongho from SJ.

And in all this speculation, Park Sijun's name rarely came up.

* * *

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