The CCTV footage showing the construction site was playing at high speed.
For quite a while, no one entered.
Then a man slipped inside.
"Wait! Stop!"
"Ah, yes."
"Go back a little and find a frame where we can see the man's face."
Normally, they did not bother with this level of detail.
His job involved reviewing CCTV footage from all across the country.
He should have been allowed to handle it however he saw fit.
But—
'When the youngest daughter of Ain Group is the one asking, I can't exactly refuse.'
He was just an ordinary office worker.
What choice did he have?
It was not particularly difficult anyway.
He rewound to where the man entered and searched for a moment when his face was visible.
He repeatedly moved the footage forward and backward before stopping on the clearest frame.
All that remained was to zoom in.
"Could this be him? But I can't really make out his face. Not even on the CCTV."
His face looked hazy, almost as though it had been covered by a black mosaic.
If one stopped actively thinking about him, he seemed likely to vanish from one's memory almost immediately.
"Could I take a look?"
"Oh, of course. I should've realized. Sorry for hovering."
Before things became troublesome, the employee hurriedly left.
Jin Arin was alone in the room.
She narrowed her eyes.
"So this is the guy. I went through all this trouble just to get one recording."
She decided to look on the bright side.
At least now she knew for certain who he was.
"Come to think of it, he looks familiar. Where have I seen... Ah! That man I thought I'd misread!"
She vaguely remembered him.
And that made her even more certain.
'Does he have some kind of concealment skill?'
There was no doubt about it.
Otherwise, someone as capable as her would not have failed to recognize him.
"But what was his name again?"
What a damned skill.
It even interfered with her ability to remember his name.
There was no need to think about it for long.
She hurried toward the Association Headquarters.
All she had to do was check the list of people who had undergone Potential assessments.
'I found a talent!'
Her steps were lighter than they had been in a long time.
"Home!"
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) is delighted that you have finally arrived home!]
The moment I arrived, I headed straight for the shower.
I tossed my clothes into the laundry basket and turned on the cold water.
It felt as though all the heat and exhaustion clinging to my body were being washed away at once.
Fire climbed right onto my head and enjoyed the stream of water.
He opened his mouth toward the showerhead and started gargling with it.
Apparently, it felt nice and refreshing.
-Blegh.
"...Why did you spit it on me?"
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says he just felt like it!]
He had worked hard today, so I decided to let it slide once—
-Blegh.
"……."
A commotion immediately erupted inside the cramped shower.
Fire became the fugitive.
I became the pursuer.
He had grown larger as he leveled up, so I thought catching him would be easy.
SWISH!
I could not even graze him.
Once he started using obstacles to his advantage, it became even worse.
After ten minutes without making any progress, I decided to use my ultimate cheat.
"No food."
-Waaah?! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) receives a tremendous shock!]
[Fire(EX) apologizes and says it was only a joke!]
That worked.
In the end, he was caught in my hands and met his punishment beneath a deluge of water.
Afterward, the two of us made peace and collapsed onto the floor.
"That was seriously the most exhausting day ever."
-Waaah.
[Fire(EX) replies, 'Me too.']
I had not headed straight home after clearing the Forgotten Absolute's Trial.
I had searched the area for any more trials like it and gathered additional materials while I was at it.
By the time I finished combing through all of Gwanaksan, it was already seven in the evening.
It was well past nine when I finally got home.
It had been brutally exhausting, but I had no regrets.
I had not found another trial, but—
Burning Stonewood ×235
Blazing Cotton ×54
My hard work had earned me a substantial haul.
And there were Mana Stones on top of that.
There were still more things I needed to check, but—
"I'm too tired today. I can't take anymore."
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) agrees vehemently!]
I fell straight into dreamland.
The next day—
Thanks to sleeping soundly in the Warm Bed inside the Spirit Shelter, I was in perfect condition.
It had taken several rounds of pleading before Fire finally let me sleep there.
The recovery effect was incredible.
From now on, I should sleep inside the Spirit Shelter whenever possible.
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says he's in perfect condition!]
[Fire(EX) says the bed he made is quite good!]
"Of course. Look who made it."
Fire gave a thumbs-up, looking thoroughly satisfied.
I prepared a simple breakfast.
There was Spam, steak, and plenty of other food, but—
"Let's keep it simple today."
When you could not be bothered, instant noodles were the answer.
Five packets in total.
And three eggs on top of that.
-Waaah.
[Fire(EX) says it smells good, but asks whether it's processed food again!]
His complaints lasted only briefly.
The moment he tasted a bite, all his grumbling about processed food vanished.
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says the strong flavor makes it more delicious the more he eats!]
"Some people have never eaten instant noodles, but no one eats them only once."
After filling our stomachs, it was finally time to check what I had put off yesterday.
Starting with the Item.
"None other than SSS-Rank!"
My eyes were glued to the golden treasure chest I pulled from my Inventory.
A world-class Item, the kind that would normally appear on the news, was sitting right in my hands.
If I sold it, I would probably get hundreds of billions of won at minimum.
It would be an amount of money that could not even be compared to the Lucky Charm.
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of doing that.
Why would I give it to someone else when I could use it myself?
I immediately checked its details.
<Random Treasure Chest(SSS)>
Description: Once a week, something you need will appear at random.
Its ability was simple.
The one-week cooldown was a little unfortunate.
It would have been nice if I could use it every day.
Still, it was an SSS-Rank Item.
Even if the result was random, something worthwhile should appear.
I also had the Lucky Charm.
There was no reason to hesitate.
Use it!
[Random Treasure Chest(SSS) is being used!]
RUMBLE. RUMBLE.
The Random Treasure Chest shook repeatedly before bursting open in a brilliant white light.
Once the light faded, a gleaming pickaxe lay inside the open chest.
It had a luxurious, sturdy handle and a dark gray head curved into a perfect arc.
One glance was enough to tell that it was an exceptional pickaxe.
And I was right.
[Pickaxe of Efficiency and Luck(S+) acquired from Random Treasure Chest(SSS)!]
[Random Treasure Chest(SSS) can be used again in 168 hours.]
<Pickaxe of Efficiency and Luck(S+)>
Description: Whenever you mine materials, luck may trigger and double the amount harvested. Any material can be mined at high speed. It is exceptionally durable and powerful.
"Oh! S+!"
As expected of an SSS-Rank Item.
To think my very first use had produced an S+ Item.
But the Item itself was unexpected.
"A pickaxe? Is it telling me to become a miner?"
There had to be a reason it appeared.
The chest said it would randomly produce something I needed, so I would probably find a use for it soon.
Next was the Spirit Shelter.
After crafting the bed, several new pieces of furniture had become available.
<Fire(EX)'s Spirit Shelter>
❰Possessed Buff: Exceptional Regeneration(D+) Lv. 1❱
❰Possessed Furniture: Warm Bed(E)❱
❰Floor Area: 5 pyeong❱
……Exceptional Regeneration(D+) Lv. 1 can level up upon reaching 10,000 Hunger
……A new buff can be acquired by defeating a Hidden Monster
……A Buff Water Purifier(E+) can be crafted after acquiring Burning Stonewood (0/45) and Purification Stone (0/20) (Five other pieces of furniture can also be crafted)
……Floor Area can be increased by 1 pyeong after acquiring Burning Stonewood (0/50)
"Purification Stone? There's another kind of material? Don't tell me that's why it gave me a pickaxe."
There were plenty of places where materials could be gathered, just like Gwanaksan.
But most did not have an environment like Gwanaksan, so they were packed with people every day.
Everything would be collected within ten minutes, to the point where buying the materials was usually easier.
"I'll think about that later. First, let's expand the floor area."
A total of nine pyeong.
The 235 pieces of Burning Stonewood I had collected were reduced to only five in an instant.
Why was gathering materials so difficult when spending them was this easy?
I decided to be satisfied with the fact that five more pieces of furniture had become craftable.
Finally, Fire's Hunger was nearly full.
There was the remaining Spirit Stone he had consumed, but the A-Rank Mana Stones had contributed the most.
One alone had filled a staggering 50,000 Hunger.
I could have waited for the last bit to fill before entering the Tower, but—
"Let's just get the Tower out of the way first. It's not like it'll be difficult."
We entered.
Then—
[Fire(EX)'s possessed skill, 'Meteor(EX),' activates.]
That was all it took.
[You have cleared the 5th Floor of the Trial Tower!]
[Destination: 1/1]
[You have annihilated every trap on the 5th Floor of the Trial Tower!]
[A new record has been achieved!]
[The Trial Tower 5th Floor World Ranking has been updated to Rank 1!]
[Clear Time: 11 seconds]
[You have succeeded in overwhelmingly clearing the 5th Floor of the Trial Tower!]
[Lowest-Rank Mana Stone(F) × 316 acquired!]
[Low-Rank Mana Stone(E) × 231 acquired!]
[Lower-Intermediate-Rank Mana Stone(D) × 53 acquired!]
[Intermediate-Rank Mana Stone(C) × 32 acquired!]
[Upper-Intermediate-Rank Mana Stone(B) × 11 acquired!]
[High-Rank Mana Stone(A) × 1 acquired!]
The Tower really was lucrative.
Even the Forgotten Absolute's Trial had only given me three A-Rank Mana Stones.
Yet one had dropped on the 5th Floor.
My happiness lasted only briefly.
[Hunger has reached 64,000!]
[Fire(EX)'s Level increases by 1!]
❰Fire(EX) Lv. 8❱
❰Possessed Skills: Hellfire(EX), Meteor(EX)❱
❰Hunger: (0/200,000)❱
……A new skill will be unlocked upon reaching Lv. 10
……Lee Chanyoung will unlock a new skill upon reaching 200,000 Hunger
"...Wasn't it only supposed to double?"
A few A-Rank Mana Stones?
Not even close to enough.
How much would the requirement increase next time?
At this rate, every won I earned would immediately be reinvested into Mana Stones and Spirit Stones.
When would I ever actually have money left over?
'Looks like it'll be a long time before I'm rolling in money.'
Still, the skill I received was fairly useful.
[Successfully reached 64,000 Hunger.]
[Skill, 'Charming Light(C-),' acquired!]
<Charming Light(C-)>
Description: A Light Spirit makes anyone who sees you perceive you as attractive.
It might not provide much physical assistance, but appearance-related skills remained useful for a long time.
People naturally treated good-looking men a little better, after all.
-Waaah! Waaah?
[Fire(EX) says he has finished all the instant noodles!]
[Fire(EX) asks where you're going today!]
I did not have to think for long.
I had spent the past several days running all over the place to raise this little guy.
We deserved one day off.
"We'll just sell the monster byproducts, then go for a walk in the park. I suppose you'd call it a picnic."
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says nature is always wonderful!]
Yesterday, we had eaten gimbap and cup noodles.
Today, it would be chicken and beer.
There was nothing quite like drinking beer at Han River Park in the middle of the day.
We arrived at Han River Park.
The moment I spread out the picnic mat, my plan fell apart spectacularly.
Animals kept swarming me without pause.
-WOOF! WOOF!
"Oh my! I'm so sorry!"
Charming Light seemed to work especially strongly on animals.
Dogs trying to mount me were only the beginning.
Crows, pigeons, cats, and every other kind of animal kept gathering around me.
Only after I turned off the skill did things finally calm down.
For a moment, I thought my chicken-and-beer picnic was ruined.
But the situation was not entirely bad.
"Squeak!"
"You want me to follow you?"
A strange rabbit I encountered during my walk called out to me.
It led me into an overgrown area devoid of people.
The closer I got, the more powerful the Mana I sensed became.
Fire must have felt it too, because his eyes began sparkling brightly.
At the destination stood the entrance to a deep cave.
I carefully stepped inside.
Different kinds of blue stones covered the ground.
There was even Burning Stonewood inside.
[Purification Stone]
[Burning Stonewood]
[Low-Rank Mana Stone(E)]
This was basically—
"Jackpot."