Tap, tap, tap…
Park Bongcheol, the head of the Jinil Trade, was tapping on his keyboard with a gloomy expression on his face.
Midgard newbie here, I want to ask about the Beginner Pirate Ship Quest…
He was about to upload a post on an online community for Midgard.
He was a late starter, and all the walkthroughs he found didn't help him much due to his age.
Other users scolded him for his lack of skill, and his progress was slow as he couldn't join a party easily.
"I'd just steamroll it if I was high-level… damn, only if I could pay to level up," he grumbled
Game developers seemed to think that "pay to level up" was the worst thing they could make. The most Bongcheol could do was buy the best quality, high-level gear of his level.
"It's not enough. Maybe I should try and ride the bus, or whatever—"
As he spoke to himself, the office door burst open. "Boss! I think you should take a look at this!"
"…Assistant Manager Kim, I warned you not to mess around during working hours."
"I'm sorry, but it's urgent…"
Bongcheol clicked his tongue. Kim had only recently been promoted. Bongcheol promoted him as he seemed to know his stuff, but now he was acting like the new kid on the block.
Whatever news he was bringing, it couldn't be urgent enough for him to storm into the president's office. It was rather unpleasant, but Bongcheol decided to be generous today.
"Bring it over here."
"Yes, here…" Kim handed him his tablet.
Midgard's trading platform tab was pulled up.
'Look at this bastard. You're trying to brown-nose me, eh?'
Kim must have remembered that Bongcheol once said that he enjoyed the game and fetched this to him.
"Hey, Kim. I know what you were thinking, but this won't get…."
You anywhere… he couldn't finish those words.
The middle-aged CEO's eyes widened and Kim grinned as if he knew exactly what his boss had just seen.
"Assistant Manager Kim."
"Yes, Sir."
Kim's voice was solemn.
Bongcheol opened a drawer with a dead serious look on his face. He took out his passbook and placed it on the desk. "It's my gaming account. The password is 1738. Your promotion is at stake here."
"Leave it to me. Can you tell me the limit?"
"Up to fifty million for the bids, if you think you can get it for sure, up to seventy million.
"Got it."
Kim saluted before leaving the room. Bongcheol blinked dumbfoundedly.
"Where did this come from?"
Maybe someone had just been waiting for the right time, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Bongcheol had to take it himself.
That kind of event wasn't just happening at Jinil Trade.
"Raise it! Raise it again! I don't give a crap about the cost, bid some more!"
"Director! Dirrrector! We've got a situation hereeee!"
Those who had money, but no skill, swarmed to the auction.
It was too much investment for a mere game, but Midgard was already beyond a mere game to them.
Early starters already leveled up using the EXP Pills that were released when the game launched. However, latecomers like Bongcheol didn't get such an opportunity.
"General Manager Choi! Keep your eye on this for a second!"
"I told you to raise the bid!"
The price skyrocketed.
Seojin finally woke up and logged in to Midgard…
Transaction Complete
EXP Pill(10,000,000)
Price: 130,000,000￦
…to find a price that exceeded even his expectations.
"What is it… one, two three… seven zeroes? one hundred and thirty million?"
Seojin blinked slowly, scratched the back of his head, and looked back at the screen. It was definitely the item he had posted.
'But what's with the price?'
Seojin brushed his chin and tilted his head.
"I didn't count wrong… then… "
The shock finally hit him.
"So, this is the price that it sold for then."
Seojin could do nothing but laugh.
Though the scale of the number still didn't sink in, this was reality. One single quest reward had made him a fortune.
The money was in his bank account, and it won't go anywhere even if he doesn't act like crazy in joy..
That thought of that alone calmed Seojin.
"Wow…"
A short exclamation was enough for now.
It was Seojin who decided to choose this game as his new profession, and this was only the first result.
He could scream in happiness after he finished his work for the day, because right now he had more important things to do.
"Of course, I gotta grab something to eat first."
Seojin smirked.
He spoke of food, when in reality he'd eaten before logging into the game.
Seojin was talking about the in-game food.
"I heard some of the dishes the other players sell are delicious."
Cooking classes existed, and even some NPCs were running restaurants.
To his surprise, there was a popular eatery in Movelon that he had resolved to try before leaving the town.
If he went to the Tower of Choice straight away, he'd lose his chance.
"This is the reason I play RPGs…"
'I won't miss a single eatery.'
Seojin set off toward Movelon's shopping district with determination.
* * *
One hour later, Seojin was munching food with a content expression on his face.
"…How can it all taste so good?"
On one side of the table there was a special steak cut into bite-sized pieces, and on the other side of the table were some hearty meat skewers.
He had already devoured more than ten plates, but he was still shoveling food into his mouth.
'Virtual reality is the best!'
Since it was a game, he couldn't get full and he could only feel the taste. To be fair, Seojin thought it was an advantage. It meant that he could enjoy the pleasure of eating without any drawbacks of overeating.
He nodded and put down his fork.
His plate was empty, and finally, he had tried every single famous dish in Movelon.
"Gotta head out…"
Time to work.
His next destination wasn't too far away, so Seojin arrived quickly.
'The Tower of Choice.'
Seojin's eyes widened as he scanned the crowd. Visiting the tower was a rite of passage for every player, so it was no wonder that the gates were full of people. They were not only filled with combat classes such as Warriors, Archers, and Wizards but also specialized classes like Blacksmiths. Some of them were leaving hurriedly to test their newly acquired or strengthened skills, while others were sharing their opinions with each other.
Seojin shrugged after watching for a while. 'I'm a bit jealous.'
He was staring at the blue aura surrounding a Warrior's sword.
It was only a basic skill, so Seojin didn't know about its damage output, but the visual effect was spectacular. He imagined what that Warrior would look like during a hunt, wielding the sword with destructive force and slaughtering monsters.
Any RPG geek's blood would boil at the thought of it, however, Seojin just shook his head.
"It wouldn't have been easy to clear the quests like I did if I was a Warrior."
His hidden class sure had benefitted him, and not only on the financial side of things as his specs were also far above the norm.
Seojin stopped people-watching and sat down on a nearby bench. He started his final checks before entering the Tower of Choice.
"Status."
Seojin: Level 10
Title: Hero of a bygone era (All Stats +10)
Class: Silver Tongue (Hidden)
STR: 54
DEX: 55
INT: 51
LUK: 55
Remaining Points: 27
*All stats are penalized due to class adjustment.
Seojin's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he scanned the details.
"…It's amazing."
He had obtained four achievements thus far. Thanks to that, all of Seojin's stats were practically around fifty.
He hadn't even spent the stat points he gained.
With stats this high, he could steamroll any field or dungeon recommended for his level.
"If it wasn't for that last line…" Seojin grumbled.
Class adjustment. Thanks to that, his stats only affected the skills related to his hidden class.
While that alone was a considerable advantage, he still felt like it was a shame.
"At least they'll come in handy when I choose my specialization."
Seojin tried his best to change his attitude.
According to what Merhen said, the Tower of Choice gave players different tests according to their stats.
For example, a Warrior high STR and INT would have to complete the Spellblade test.
However, Seojin had similar stat points for all four, so he had a relatively wide range of choices.
"Let's go."
There was no reason to hesitate further.
Seojin was in a better position than anyone else. All that was left for him to do was to complete an easy chore and take the reward.
A message flashed up the moment he stepped into the tower.
Entering the Tower of Choice
Difficulty is scaled to player ability.
Recommended Level: Level 75
Seojin flinched as he read the alert.
"…That's rather sudden."
Including his remaining stat points, Seojin was close to Level 80. But that said, the difficulty scaling still didn't make sense!
Nevertheless, Seojin nodded enthusiastically.
"Happy to hear it. This should be fun."
Mad difficulty. That also came with mad rewards. Every RPG went by that formula.
Seojin preferred this dramatic increase to simple plain sailing.
"So, what's next?"
A system message popped up as if to answer him.
Welcome, you who walked in the past…
The past will remember you and deal with you accordingly…
Unlike those who walk on a given path, you are a pioneer…
It's up to you to choose your own path…
So, the responsibility is yours, and yours only.
Remaining Missions: 3
Selectable Missions: 1
The message faded away as three doors appeared on a wall of the tower.
At the top of each door, there was a delicately written word.
Coercion | Sympathy | Deception
'Well, I have three options…'
This seemed different from the normal classes, and it was clear that the doors were related to his stanceshift skill.
While the other classes could choose one path and stick with it, Seojin only seemed to be able to strengthen the basic skills he was already given.
He'd already made his decision.
'It's hard to trick people…'
Seojin's choice was Deception.
It was a skill that could be used in various situations, and above all, the most difficult skill to use properly.