1.

Being over-geared, in a way, was a status even harder to achieve than leveling up. It might seem like anyone with money could do it, but finding an item with the desired stats was incredibly difficult. Besides, the world was overflowing with wealthy people.

The fact that the rich, who had been hoarding money for years before dungeons appeared, were still rich after pouring fortunes into the game for five years—directly influencing the price of Legendary items—proved one thing.

For them, items were an investment. They were endlessly consumed and supplied, but their value only rose. It was a phenomenon created by rankers who, upon hitting a plateau, had no choice but to turn to gear. The insurmountable wall presented by Legendary-grade items had driven their value to an absurd level.

And Kim Buja was feeling that power firsthand.

"This is insane."

This was a Legendary-grade dungeon. The monsters' stats and defense were on a completely different level from even Special Grade. In terms of difficulty, each mob was equivalent to a 3-star monster or higher. Mechanics aside, every single trash mob was a demon more powerful than a boss to a 1-star player.

And those monsters were melting away. When he stabbed, they shrieked. When he slashed, they fell apart. If his first Legendary clear had been a tear-soaked spectacle of burning through all his saved consumables, this was a massacre—as casual as one of his usual strolls.

"This, everyone, is the power of gear."

It took him exactly four hours and twenty-eight minutes to kill the boss. It was a new record, achieved by taking maximum advantage of the dungeon's simple layout, which only required him to kill monsters flooding a narrow passage.

A video designed to rub salt in the wounds of its viewers was uploaded to his channel.

* * *

The national representative of the Republic of Korea. A title that would normally be of little interest to the world.

[Korea's National Representative Changes from SJ to Jeong Cheol for the First Time in 5 Years!]

An article like this was something you'd only expect to see in Korea. Overseas, you might even get complaints about why it was considered newsworthy. But the international reaction was also heated, for one simple reason.

[A Rookie Following in Fly's Footsteps? Defeats Korea's Number-One Ranker with Overwhelming Prowess to Become National Representative!]

Buja was a guaranteed marketing sensation. He had cleared a Legendary dungeon with such perfect timing it was as if he had planned his schedule around the international event. He had even publicly posted his record-breaking time attack video, making a name for himself. And now, he was entering the very event where he might face Fly. Curiosity was inevitable.

Naturally, the new video on Kim Buja's channel gained a massive number of views the moment it was posted. For many reasons.

—What kind of insane gear is he wearing to talk like that?

—Let's see... one Legendary from the event, one that Sergei gave him to become friends, and one from the recent Dungeon Store VVIP auction. So, like, three?

—Where the heck do you get info like that?

—Just rumors going around. So only people in the know would know, right?

Kim Buja had never revealed his items. Even with the Legendary ring from the event, he had never disclosed its stats.

* * *

Nonetheless, up to three of his items had been all but officially revealed on the community forums. He didn't pay it much mind, which was why he could upload his videos so confidently.

—Wow, how much is all that gear worth?

—Forget dungeons. Wouldn't you be set for life if you just killed Kim Buja?

—He must have an ace up his sleeve if he's being this open.

—Dude, even Shin Hyeseong got stomped one-on-one. How the hell are you gonna take anything from him?

This topic was the perfect bait to capture public interest. The forums buzzed with everything from the laments of those who would struggle their whole lives to afford a single Epic-grade item to heated debates over item appraisals and stats. 'That must be the effect of this item. How many stats did he gain from his Legendary gear?'

—A Legendary Class with Legendary items. Was he Admiral Yi Sun-sin in a past life or something?

The envy was palpable. It was impossible not to be. Even the dungeon in the background of the video was Legendary-grade.

—So you really can do stuff like that if you just have the gear.

That was the takeaway for most people who watched the video. But the players who actually knew dungeons saw it for what it was.

—Hope there aren't any noobs out there who see this and think any random guy can clear a Legendary dungeon just by having good gear.

—I pray no one gets fooled and dumps their life savings into items. That guy has always relied on pure skill. He's the kind of guy who solo-clears content designed to be impossible even for a thirty-man raid, so don't buy into the hype.

—That's true. But your body has to be able to keep up. When old-timers go into a dungeon with good gear, they just end up becoming a bounty themselves.

It was a simple truth.

—Look at Park Sijun. He's decked out from head to toe and can barely clear a Unique-grade dungeon. Instead of watching guys clear Special and Legendary dungeons and getting foolish ideas, you'd be better off just grinding Normal and Rare dungeons and praying you hit the jackpot.

It was a taunt and a boast. Countless comments filled with envy and jealousy were posted, but in the end, they all boiled down to one sentiment.

—He is damn good, though.

—Can we actually get our hopes up this time?

—Even if he can't beat Fly, let's at least see him make it to the quarterfinals.

—I'm getting my hopes up.

'Holding the selection match was a good idea after all.' It had inspired faith.

—I heard the SJ Guild is doing some 'shed the gear' training, practicing dungeon clears without their items. Guess they finally realized they were outmatched in terms of pure skill, huh?

—If they were going to improve, they would've done it a long time ago. If they can't dodge with gear on, how are they gonna dodge without it?

And trust. Public perception was a frightening thing. The image of being number one, so carefully constructed over five long years, had been shattered in a single match. Of course, that too could be overturned in an instant; no one knew what the future held. What mattered was that this result was unlikely to change for at least a year, barring some major incident before the next qualifiers.

Amid the flood of attention and expectations, two weeks flew by. Christmas arrived, blanketing the world in a gentle flurry of snow.

* * *

Kim Buja was a man, after all. On a snowy Christmas, he wanted to go on a cozy date with his beautiful girlfriend. He wanted to spend a happy New Year watching the sunrise over the East Sea. He wanted to boast that his natural stamina, the kind not enhanced by items, was more than enough to prove his manhood.

'Wouldn't one day be okay? If not Christmas, then New Year's.'

After grinding in a dungeon until the very last minute, Kim Buja voiced his disappointment.

"This is just sad. We're not even a PR couple. Does the world have any idea that I'm unintentionally in a platonic relationship with you, Seora?"

Jeong Seora, who had been just as busy, nodded. "The world has certainly become more open-minded. We've been to a hot spring and a sauna together, and you call that a platonic relationship."

Her words were ripe for misunderstanding.

"Anyone who heard that would get the completely wrong idea. Why do you insist on wearing a rash guard every single time?"

"We're still getting to know each other," she said primly.

"And you refused last time when I offered to scrub your back."

She laughed at his grumbling and retorted, "Says the man who went straight into a dungeon without even replying when I asked if he had a moment on Christmas?"

To watch him make advances, one would think he was the most lecherous man on Earth, but in reality, dungeons were his number one priority. When she hinted at her disappointment, Kim Buja turned his head away.

"A surprise quest popped up. I couldn't help it."

He couldn't argue with that. The quest had appeared the moment he cleared his ninth Legendary dungeon, forcing him to enter the next one without a break.

[Mission: Complete the Tutorial]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Details: Clear each ★ grade dungeon 10 times.

▶ Reward: Level +1, Stat Points +10, 'Mimicry' Skill

▷ Completed Dungeons: Normal / Rare / Epic / Unique / Special / Legendary (9/10)

The mission, appearing almost like a hidden achievement, was enough to make his head spin. Above all, the reward that caught his eye was the skill. The name alone made it sound completely overpowered. Even if it wasn't, in a situation where he didn't have a single class-exclusive skill, it was more than enough to get excited about. He yearned for a flashy skill he could show off in videos, one that would let him burn through his overflowing magic—not cheap tricks like 'Wait for Free Gold' or 'Gold Enhancement' that only ever drained his wallet. The extra level and stat points were just a bonus.

So, having charged headfirst into another Legendary dungeon, the plain truth now tumbled out of his mouth, completely missing the deeper meaning behind Jeong Seora's question. "You asked if I had time, and I answered truthfully that I did not. I then asked if it was important, but you said it wasn't, so I went. I've been wrongfully accused, Your Honor."

"I'll take the circumstances into consideration," she said, playing along. "I was busy too, so let's call it even."

"Thank you."

If he could go back to Christmas Day, would he change his decision? He felt sorry toward Seora, but the answer was a firm no. It had been the last dungeon before the New Year, before the event started. As it turned out, his luck had been so rotten that he had only just gotten out yesterday. If he had gone in a day later, he would have been cutting it close. And how could he reverse a past decision when the reward was already in his hands?

'Just one more level to go.'

Finally, after nearly a year, he had reached a double-digit level and accumulated twenty bonus stat points.

[Mimicry]

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Type: (Gold Maker) General

▶ Level: 1

▷ Consumes Gold (based on Gold Power) to mimic a target's skill.

▷ A Level 1 penalty applies, resulting in only 10~100% of the effect.

▷ Mimics 1 skill at random.

▷ The mimicked skill lasts for 24 hours and is removed after one use.

▷ Can be leveled up using 5,000 Gold.

He got a skill, too. He was very pleased except for its two flaws.

'It costs gold again?'

The skill's mechanics mercilessly trampled on his hopes for a magic-draining ability. Not only did it have the bizarre property of costing more as his Gold Power rose, but the skill itself was doubly dependent on luck. At first glance, it felt less like a good skill and more like one that would backfire at a critical moment. He could find ways to use it, but since the cost was gold, it could potentially take thousands just to get the one skill he wanted.

Still, he didn't regret it. It would definitely get better as he leveled it up. Just like his Gold Maker class, which started at level 1, nothing was perfect from the start. So he nodded.

"Still, I'm glad I can greet the new year like this with you, Seora."

"Me too," she replied.

It was a shame they couldn't be together on Christmas, but at least they could be together now, just the two of them—even if they were armed like warriors preparing for combat instead of enjoying a cozy evening. She could live with that.

"It's still a little disappointing, though. I bought a Santa outfit just to show you and waited all day. I guess I'll have to wear it next year if I get the chance. What a waste."

Seora's comment made Buja speechless.

It had been fine until he heard that. As she spoke, an image of her in a new costume materialized in his mind. A short dress of red fabric trimmed with fluffy white fur…

"Sorry, but is there any chance for a do-over?" he hoped.

"Not a single one."

His desperate plea was met with a bright smile and a firm rejection. And with that rejection, the New Year's bells tolled, heralding the dawn of a new year.

* * *

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