3.

"Huh?"

He shot to his feet at the sight of the item hologram.

"Whoa! Holy shit!"

As the exclamation escaped him, his hand moved instinctively.

[$1.1 Billion]

His bid was $100 million higher than the starting price. A starting bid of that magnitude could only mean one thing: the item was, at minimum, Legendary.

[Starlight Ring]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Wear Restriction: Cannot be equipped by Attack, Defense, or Support-type classes.

▶ Attack +30

▶ Strength +40

▶ VItality +40

▶ Agility +40

▶ 'Starlight's Power': Allows dungeon entry without restriction once every 24 hours.

▷ A ring that holds the power of starlight gathered over billions of years. It lends its power to those who were not chosen.

Legendary items came from two sources. The first was dungeons, but fewer than ten Legendary items had been found that way in the entire world. In five years, few Special-grade dungeons had been cleared, let alone Legendary ones. The reason Legendary items still appeared at auctions was the same way Kim Buja had obtained his: events.

"Thank you, God."

Of course, this only meant the handful of existing Legendary items had grown slightly in number; they hadn't become common enough for just anyone to wear one.

Besides, the notion that all Legendary items were good was a dangerous misconception. In fact, items with useful, universally desired stats were exceedingly rare.

A minimum bid of $1 billion was the proof. For an ordinary Legendary, even $1 billion would be an absurdly low price. A flawed one would go for at least $7 billion, while one helpful for clearing dungeons could easily fetch $10 billion.

In other words, the item currently listed couldn't even command the base price its name alone should have guaranteed. The reason was obvious from the dead silence that followed his bid.

"Are you really going to buy that?" Jeong Seora asked, her expression uncomprehending.

The stats were excellent, of course. They could hold their own against items that sold for over $10 billion. In fact, looking at the last ability alone, its value was priceless.

But a single restriction had ruined the item.

"That's an item players can't equip."

The auctioneer's voice chimed in, providing a helpful explanation.

"This is a Legendary item for non-players. Simply wearing it can turn an ordinary person into a player of at least Level 20! Please note that the 'Starlight's Power' skill allows entry into any dungeon regardless of level, but it applies only to the wearer, not the party."

It was useless. High-level players couldn't use it to bring a non-player into a high-grade dungeon for an easy clear. The item's only purpose was to make an ordinary person slightly stronger. From a civilian's perspective, it was a fine item for self-defense, but the problem was its grade and price.

Who in the world, no matter how wealthy, would spend that much money on stats that would barely allow them to enter a 2-star dungeon? It was the height of inefficiency. It would be far cheaper to buy a 1-star Special-grade item with similar stats for a fraction of the cost. In fact, that would be a better long-term investment.

'Wear Restriction.'

That one line made the item worse than a Special-grade piece. Even if someone were to wear it, if they happened to awaken by that one-percent chance, the ring would instantly become a $1-billion paperweight.

Anyone could see it was a terrible buy.

Yet Kim Buja had bid the moment he saw it, unable to hide his excitement, after passing on countless useful items just because their price went slightly over his budget. He was either a fool or possessed.

As a rational woman, Jeong Seora dismissed such outlandish thoughts and arrived at a more realistic conclusion.

"Don't tell me you can bypass the restriction?" she asked, immediately adding, "No way," her expression a mask of pure confusion. Even as Kim Buja nodded confidently, she shook her head in disbelief.

"No, how? That's impossible."

Of course it was. No matter how many unbelievable things happened every day, a baseline of common sense still existed. For players, that absolute standard was the Hologram system. It had no bugs, no errors.

Its rules were immutable, and any advantage gained by exploiting its blind spots was permanent. That was why information was priceless. For a player, finding ways to exploit the system's loopholes was incredibly difficult.

But Kim Buja was saying it was possible. How?

There were many theoretical ways, from ignoring the wear restriction entirely to unsealing the item's effects after equipping it. All of them sounded absurd. But those were the only possibilities she could imagine. To her, the division of classes into attack, defense, and support was an absolute rule, as fundamental as a player's identity.

So he told her. The ongoing auction was more important than keeping her in suspense.

"It's not an error or a bug. It's simple. My class isn't in a category affected by that restriction."

"...Ah."

It was a simple, fundamental explanation. Of course, to Jeong Seora, it could also be interpreted another way.

"Is it a bug?"

If she could have accepted his explanation at face value, she would have. As the bidding stalled and the sale was confirmed, Kim Buja let out a sigh of relief and elaborated.

"My class is a growth-type. I don't know about other Legendary classes, but mine is. So it doesn't fall into those three categories, and I should be able to wear that. Probably."

In truth, anything he said would be hard to believe. Jeong Seora was at least trying to accept it because of everything she had seen him do. Anyone else would have scoffed and dismissed it as an elaborate lie.

"I'm not asking you to just believe me. It's just that you'll have more questions from now on, and I'm telling you this not just as my girlfriend, but as my partner. It's a growth-type Legendary class. Knowing that should help you make sense of most of the unbelievable things you'll see."

"Oh."

He wouldn't tell this to anyone else. Knowing that, Jeong Seora let out a deep sigh. She knew he had never lied to her. He wasn't joking, either. Besides, no one in the world would throw away $1.1 billion on a prank, especially on an item that might not even sell for half that price on resale.

Accepting it made things easier. And suddenly, everything else clicked into place: his mysterious actions, the secrets she'd wanted to uncover, his performance during the qualifiers.

"Incredible." Her slender fingers covered her mouth.

"Is it that surprising that I have a growth-type Legendary class?" he asked with a smirk.

Her reaction was both cute and validating, making his shoulders rise with pride. Maybe he should have told her sooner. He hadn't earned the class through effort, but he still felt proud of it.

"No, that part makes sense. I'm just shocked that you snagged an item for $1 billion that's worth ten times that to you. I've never seen anything like this in five years. You'll probably go down in history as the player who got a Legendary for the cheapest price ever, right?"

He fell silent.

Her next words revealed his misconception, but for a moment, he savored the thought. She was right, though. For him, the Starlight Ring would shine with unparalleled value.

"There isn't a single wasted stat on it. And that 'Starlight's Power' is just broken, isn't it?"

"Exactly. The thought of you leveling up with that and continuously farming 1-star Legendary dungeons is terrifying."

"But I can already farm them continuously."

"And that's the only reason I haven't had a stress-induced collapse yet."

The ring also provided a perfect public justification for his 'Constellation' effect, which allowed him to enter dungeons of different levels. He had bought it on impulse because the stats and price were too good to pass up, but in a way, that might be its most powerful feature.

"I didn't think I'd buy anything this useful. And I still have $400 million left over."

'Haaah.' He sighed and threw himself onto the bed. A sudden wave of sobriety washed over him, followed by a flood of anticipation. He closed his eyes and imagined the effect of his stats increasing by 40 each, and the even more noticeable boost of 30 Attack Power.

"This is bliss."

"With the remaining $400 million, you could just buy this hotel."

"If only. I'm in that good of a mood right now."

He wanted to try it immediately. The next two highlights were a Legendary weapon and the hide and bones of an ancient dragon from a 7-star dungeon, but he didn't even glance at them. They were useless to him, and besides, they were sour grapes. With only $400 million left, he cleared his mind and made a call.

"I'd like to take possession of my item now."

Soon, Dungeon Store employees arrived at their room and led him to a secure area where he could finally see it.

"Whoa."

The brilliant, sparkling ring of starlight. Its appearance alone was so stunning he could honestly say that investing $1 billion was not a waste at all.

"It goes well with the aura on your armor and weapon, Buja."

"If I wear this to the international event, I'll draw a crazy amount of aggro."

"I'll be counting on you in the team match, then." Jeong Seora offered her sincere congratulations. "You wouldn't give this to me as a wedding gift, would you? It's so pretty."

"If I could marry you with this ring, Seora, I would."

"Really?"

"I'll find a similar mineral and have one made for you."

"Tsk."

As they joked, there wasn't a hint of envy or jealousy between them. The thought of 'What if I wore it?' couldn't even form, given the item's unique nature.

Taking the ring, Kim Buja returned to their suite and picked it up carefully.

"Time for the donning ceremony."

The Starlight Ring settled into place next to the Gold Ring. The golden and pale-yellow lights blended mysteriously, adding to its style. He held up his left hand, now adorned with the rings, and savored the moment.

"My fingers are now worth over a billion dollars."

What would the effect be? He could already feel the tangible boost from the rising stats. It made sense; his numbers had practically doubled. It was a Legendary, indeed. His jaw dropped as he finally understood why it commanded such a price.

It wasn't just because of the change in his stats. It was because of the flood of holograms—the congratulatory messages from his Gold Maker class that appeared the moment he equipped the ring.

* * *

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