- Guys, someone finally cleared an Under Arena!
- Cut the bullshit.
- It’s true. Is the Under boom finally coming back?!
During the first year after the Great Upheaval, Players had lined up to challenge Under Arenas as well.
But they were difficult to clear, the penalties kept piling up and reducing the number of Players, and they produced neither Mana Stones nor Gold.
As a result, avoiding Under Arenas had effectively become an unwritten rule.
The public understood the situation.
However, compared to Under Arenas, the Quests in ordinary Arenas also looked painfully dull in the eyes of the public.
- This is what an Arena should be! Combat!
And so, when a Player with a one-of-a-kind Class—displayed spectacular combat unlike anything anyone had ever seen, simultaneously fighting at close range while commanding Minions—then openly discovered and cleared even a Hidden Quest in an Under Arena……the public experienced an incomparable rush of dopamine!
“I…… seem to have underestimated your value somewhat. I admit it.”
In an instant, enormous Player organizations and members of the highest social circles from all over the world began approaching Dojin.
They offered every imaginable benefit in hopes of signing him.
“Now that you’ve finished proving yourself, I’ll continue providing you with my Skill as stated in the contract. The distribution ratio has also been adjusted to 9:1. If you want, Mr. Lee Dojin, I can acquire not only Arena access but Items for you as well.”
His influence had reached a level that even Hangang Group, a global conglomerate, could not afford to take lightly.
The purpose of Test Guild, which Hangang Group was developing on a small scale, was simple.
To cultivate Rankers who would remain friendly toward Hangang Group in a society centered around Players.
And through his performance in the Under Arena, Necromancer Lee Dojin had more than sufficiently proven that he possessed the potential Test Guild was seeking.
Far more than Hangang Group had expected.
Thanks to that, even viewers such as HecleJjang, YoungMasterJang, and DesertPrince were beginning to creep closer.
‘How irritating.’
Rahi suppressed her annoyance with reason and took a sip of tea.
Warm chamomile tea with a spoonful of honey really was the best thing for calming stress.
“In that case, now that I’m done proving myself…….”
“……?”
Dojin had been sitting quietly until now.
Then he suddenly spoke.
What was it?
“I’d like to start preparing for the next Arena I’m going to log into.”
“…….”
Rahi herself was sometimes called a workaholic.
But Dojin, who had just cleared a dangerous Under Arena and immediately brought up his next Arena the moment he logged out, was undoubtedly no less of one.
***
One of the buildings owned by Hangang Group.
Inside a penthouse located in one of them, Dojin quietly unpacked his belongings.
He had already moved out of his old one-room apartment in the hillside slum.
- If secrecy is important, it would be better for you to stay at one of our Group’s hotels or penthouses altogether.
Perhaps Rahi had grown somewhat anxious because Dojin made so few demands.
She had practically pushed the penthouse onto him.
Apparently, it was a reward for not being lured away by the overseas scouts who had approached him behind the scenes.
“Not bad.”
No matter how focused Dojin was on leveling up and survival, even he could not help having his attention stolen by the penthouse interior for a moment.
It was his first time living in such an extravagant building.
Even so, Dojin was carefully examining his surroundings.
More precisely, he was concentrating on sensing the flow of mana.
“No bugs or CCTV cameras.”
Mana Stones and Gold had become the central materials of modern society.
Gold could produce clean energy surpassing electricity, while Mana Stones were, above all else, a new-generation metal that was both light and hard.
There was hardly any field in which they were not used, from smartphones to construction.
The penthouse Dojin had entered was inside a newly constructed building erected by a Hangang Group construction company.
As a cutting-edge building, it had been built with Mana Stones used generously throughout, while all its circuitry utilized Gold instead of electricity.
Dojin could clearly sense that through the mana.
Before his regression, he had lived as an ordinary man of modest means.
After the world fell apart, sleeping rough had become part of his everyday life.
Yet after regressing, he had gone from a one-room apartment, to a tent, and now to a penthouse.
“Well, if they’re giving it to me, there’s no reason to refuse.”
During the brief grace period remaining before the Main Scenario began—wouldn’t living in a large, luxurious home for a while be an amusing experience in its own right?
Dojin gave a faint chuckle and opened a window.
It was none other than…….
“Store.”
At that moment, a new window appeared before him.
Store Access Confirmed
Player Grade Confirmed: D
Logging into D-Grade Store
Dojin recalled information he had heard from his comrades before his regression.
‘There isn’t much worth seeing up through the E-Grade Store…… but starting from D-Grade, there were at least a few useful things.’
The lowest-grade Stores truly sold nothing but the lowest-grade Items.
They were exactly the sort of things that might briefly appear at the beginning of an apocalypse—
Items so basic that even an ordinary person who had just been thrown into the apocalypse would desperately need them.
Only from the D-Grade Store onward did it begin selling Items that were at least worth a Player’s attention.
And among them, the place containing what Dojin currently needed was…….
<Auxiliary Equipment Store (D)>
Mana Recovery Bracelet
Stamina Buff Necklace
Agility Enhancement Ring
Naturally, the Items filling the Store window were of no interest to Dojin.
He rapidly scrolled down the Item list without stopping, so quickly that one might wonder whether he was even reading the entries.
“……Found it.”
Ever since regressing, Dojin had constantly been thinking.
How could he survive?
How could he take revenge?
For either of those things, Dojin first needed to grow stronger.
That was why he had opened the Store.
Although he could currently access only the D-Grade Store—every Store user received a special service on their first visit.
Player Lee Dojin’s first Store visit confirmed.
“As expected. So this is how it works.”
First-Time Customer Surprise Discount Service activated.
Two roulette wheels suddenly appeared before Dojin.
One was divided into five sections from A to E.
The other was divided into five sections from 10 to 50.
Before Dojin’s eyes, both roulette wheels began spinning rapidly.
Once, twice, three times, four……
Then their rotations gradually slowed……until they finally stopped.
One landed on A.
The other landed on 40.
“……!”
Dojin had already known what the result would be, but a smile still formed naturally on his lips.
Player Lee Dojin granted access to A-Grade Store (1 use).
All Items 40% off.
‘Exactly as my comrades told me before the regression.’
Dojin checked his Status Window.
“I have 14,150 Gold in total right now.”
The funds he had accumulated by taking first place in the Disc Breaking Arena, increasing his views through streaming, and receiving donations.
Since this was the A-Grade Store, he might have to spend every last bit of his Gold this time.
“Still, this is a first-access service. I should invest now.”
The Store was a Hidden System permitted to only a small number of Players even before his regression.
Like a real shop, the Store occasionally provided services to its Player customers.
‘They said there were benefits for milestones like the first visit or hundredth visit.’
In particular, a Player entering the Store for the first time received a one-time opportunity to access a higher-grade Store.
The Player had to make the choice most advantageous to them during that opportunity.
If they missed it, it would be a very long time before they could access a High-Grade Store again.
“Let’s see…….”
If this was an A-Grade Store, there was a good chance it contained the Item Dojin wanted.
What Item did the current Necromancer Dojin need most?
A spear?
Armor?
Those would have been good choices if he were still a Magic Spearman.
But now…….
“……This is it!”
Dojin purchased it without hesitation.
……Although the massive sum of 1,200 Gold vanished in the process.
[Hecate’s Bracelet (A)]
Description: An Item that increases the owner’s Mana and restores consumed Mana.
Classification: Equipment-Type
Effect: Mana +100, Mana Recovery Rate +50%
Price: 1,200 Gold
‘Last time, I benefited from the compatibility between <Poison Heart (C)> and the Three-Eyed Wolf, but I can’t expect to get lucky every time.’
A Necromancer was still ultimately a Mage-type Class.
The more Minions he possessed, the greater his advantage.
And maintaining that many Minions required an enormous amount of mana.
“Thirty is my limit right now, but that number will keep increasing.”
Dojin continued shopping for various other things.
Mysterious Coupon(?) - 600 Gold.
Its Grade was unknown, yet the fact that it was openly displayed in an A-Grade Store seemed suspicious enough that Dojin decided to buy it.
“If I ignore it now, it’ll probably keep nagging at me later. Better to buy it while I’ve got the chance.”
Mithril Spear (A) - 900 Gold.
A mithril weapon with excellent aura conductivity while the metal itself was also exceptionally durable.
At this price, it was practically free.
An unconditional purchase.
“The spear I’ve been using is already too worn out. I don’t think it can withstand much more aura.”
He considered buying armor too……but none of the displayed Items appealed to him.
The high-quality ones were far too expensive, while the reasonably priced ones did not offer satisfactory performance.
Still, the final Items he discovered were not bad.
“Holy shit……! There are this many Potions?”
Mana Recovery Potion (B), Wound Healing Potion (B), and Stamina Recovery Potion (B).
Each cost 120 Gold.
In the end, Dojin invested every last piece of his remaining Gold into Potions.
‘I need to make damn sure my life insurance is covered!’
With that, Dojin finished purchasing Items.
There were plenty of other things he wanted, if he was being truthful……but he could not start owing Rahi money already.
At minimum, their relationship had to remain equal……
No.
Unless Dojin himself firmly held the upper hand—he would never be able to prepare for the future.
“Then tomorrow, it’s time to visit the auction house.”
***
Even before the regression, the Store had been a System available to only a small number of Players.
At the present point in time, nobody except Dojin even knew the Store existed.
That was why most Players primarily purchased and used equipment created by people using Mana Stones.
Such equipment could not compare to Items from the Store, but gear crafted by skilled artisans was still fairly excellent in its own right.
And when an Item could truly be called a masterpiece, Players would line up to buy it.
That was why corporations often put such Items up for auction.
Just like the place Dojin was currently entering with Rahi.
“If there’s any equipment you want, just tell me.”
“I hope they have plenty of good Items.”
Dojin gave an appropriate response to Rahi.
But the auction Items were not his objective.
After all, hadn’t he already shopped to his heart’s content through the Store System last night?
Dojin’s green eyes swept across the auction hall.
What he was looking for was not an Item.
It was a person.
‘Humanity’s last Healer, Tyron Maxwell.’