Chapter 33: Episode 7 _ Hitting the Jackpot on Top of a Jackpot (2)
4.
[Enhancent successful.]
[Legendary Achievent! You have acquired 32 stat points.]
[ 15 Success Count: 2]
He had cleared the hurdle once again. An 87% chance of success was by no ans low, but the fact that it was for a
15 enhancent made the mont tense. Fortunately, the 13% chance of failure had not betrayed him. In fact, he’d even received a bonus.
[‘ 15 Random Box’ evolves into ‘ 15 Special Random Box’.]
[A special option is added to ‘ 15 Special Random Box’.]
There was no way to know the probability of evolution. He had simply gotten lucky, and an additional 23% chance had even granted him a special option. A reward for those who dare, and for those who invest.
[ 15 Random Box (Scenario Quest: Act 1)]
* Grade: Legendary
* Option 1: Drops a random item when opened.
* Special Option 1: Increased chance for the dropped item to have a special effect.
The change was simple, but incredibly impactful. His expectations soared. The preparations were complete.
“Heh heh.”
The stage was set; all that remained was to gather the spectators. He opened the hologram to check the viewer count. The number of people who had followed from the Specialists’ channel was displayed in the translucent chat window.
“Whoa.”
“What? What is it?” Yeseul asked.
“Did a lot of people co?” Seolah inquired.
Over twenty thousand people had been watching before, but he couldn’t expect the sa numbers after switching channels to a male strear. Still, even considering that, the count was high.
“Fifteen thousand.”
“...Wow!”
“Incredible.”
Of course, neither Yeseul nor Seolah was the type to get overly excited about viewer numbers. They ran their channel as a side hustle, just to recoup their in-ga investnts. That was why they had shared the link to Simin’s channel without hesitation. Their excitent was purely about the box about to be opened.
“Hurry up and open it. I’m so curious,” Yeseul urged.
“Hold on.”
The chat was scrolling by too fast to read. Thanks to Betago, comnts from viewers all over the world were translated and displayed in the chat window.
—Hurry! Hurry!
—Go for it. Do it!
—You arrogant bastard! You gonna keep your viewers waiting?!
Amid the chaos, Simin unerringly picked out the insults directed at him. Just as he was about to open the box, he paused, scowling at the chat.
“This son of a...”
’I didn’t co here to get cussed out by a bunch of strangers!’
Trembling with feigned rage, Simin suddenly began fiddling with the hologram. There was a thod to his acting.
’Heh heh.’
Frowning, reacting sensitively to insults—he’d laid the groundwork perfectly.
“Sorry, but I’ll be switching to a paid broadcast now.”
As he spoke, the screen went black. The viewer count instantly dropped to zero.
“Huh?”
Yeseul, who had been watching the stream status, shifted her gaze from the box to him. It was an incomprehensible move. How could he just throw away fifteen thousand viewers in an instant?
“Are you crazy, Oppa?”
A paid broadcast was fine. Switching now would certainly cause a backlash, but it would also entice a lot of people to pay. But in the long run, wasn’t it too transparently greedy? Streaming revenue could be generated from donations and video views based on a large audience. In fact, it was a proven fact on other platforms that video views were more profitable.
“I don’t need any of that,” Simin said flatly. He knew all of that, but his judgnt was different. “I just have to make my channel worth paying for!”
“...Wow. The sheer audacity.”
What kind of world was this? It was a world led by a new generation that didn’t hesitate to spend money on their hobbies, as long as it suited their tastes. And Simin’s ability was rare enough to provide them with the vicarious thrill they craved. That was enough.
“Admission fee is $1.”
“Oppa, will you go out with ? That was so cool,” Yeseul praised.
“Get lost.”
He shot her down again without a second thought, then sat and waited.
“Just have to wait ten minutes.”
“Maybe it’s better to just open it now?” Yeseul suggested.
“Will you be okay?” Seolah asked, concerned.
His bold move could blow up in his face. But even if he had proceeded with the free stream, he wouldn’t have made any money.
’Who’s going to send donations to a male strear? They’ll all just watch and leave.’
As a forr avid viewer of personal broadcasts, Simin knew this well. No matter how entertaining a stream was, he had never once sent a donation to a male strear. He’d rather earn a little from paid viewers and upload the video to his channel for views later. A video like this was guaranteed to get a certain number of views anyway. This line of thinking was born from the confidence that he could make money even without streaming revenue.
"Haah...”
Of course, he was still nervous.
’Please, let there be at least a hundred.’
He closed his eyes with a silent, fervent prayer. Ten minutes passed quickly, and slowly, the chat window began to fill with curses and comnts.
* * *
The mont of truth. A crimson aura flowed from the box that had once been a worthless piece of junk. The hope that it might contain a Legendary-grade item made his hand tremble as he reached for the lid.
’Please.’
If it did, he would beco a multimillionaire overnight. It would be the first Legendary item obtained by a player. He could sell it to one of the three people watching him right now for hundreds of thousands of dollars, sight unseen. That made him even more nervous. There was always the ‘what if’.
’Dammit. If so piece of crap cos out of this, I swear to God, I wasn’t bluffing about ruining the ga.’
Anxiety made him curse under his breath. What if, after all this, a useless Normal-grade item popped out?
He took a deep breath, pushing the negative thoughts away.
’Good thoughts bring good things. Think positive. You spent fifteen gold on this, Simin.’
He conveniently forgot that he had sold those fifteen enhancent stones to Kang Yeseul for two gold coins each.
He opened the box. Carefully, yet manfully.
“Ah, whatever!”
Flash! The tightly shut box sprang open, and...
“Huh?”
“...What? Is that it? Just one?” Yeseul asked.
A small ring had popped out. It was a plain, simple silver band.
Simin fell silent as disappointnt washed over his face.
“Pfft. Hahaha. Oppa, isn’t your disappointnt a little too obvious?”
“Shut that mouth before I shut it for you,” Simin shot back.
“I’d welco it if you used your lips!” Yeseul teased.
“I could also use my fist,” he retorted, though his eyes never left the silver ring on the ground. He even checked inside the box to see if any of its friends had failed to co out, but there was nothing else. This was it.
His life felt empty. Had he worked so hard for this?
“No!” he snapped, shaking himself out of his stupor.
It wasn’t over yet! It’s not over ’til it’s over. It might look like a simple silver ring good for a point or two in stats, but who knew? It could be a Legendary item despite its appearance!
He picked up the silver ring. And his disappointnt instantly turned to elation.
“Hahahahahahaha!”
5.
Back in the real world for the first ti in a while, Simin imdiately dove onto his bed. Normally, he would have washed up, eaten, and gotten right back into the capsule without a mont’s rest, but for now, he decided to give himself a break.
“You did good, Simin. That was a brilliant gamble.”
He had every reason to be proud. He had hit the jackpot. Twice.
[Sky Bank. Receiver: Han Simin. Deposit from Kang Yeseul: $230,000.]
The reward for his efforts. And...
[Ring of Blessing]
* Grade: Legendary
* Level Requirent: 1
* Option 1: EXP Gain
30%
* Special Option 1: Additional EXP Gain from Nad Monsters
50%
...the item from the random box. It was enough profit to quit the ga right then and there.
“Ha. To think a day like this would finally co.”
What good was having an ability others would kill for if there was no ga to support it? After a long wait, a ga that was practically another reality had been released. From now on, the path ahead was paved with gold.
“Hehehe.”
He could finally say goodbye to this crappy bed that made his back ache every morning. Happy thoughts swirled in his mind.
“What should I do first?”
It was a well-known fact that money was best enjoyed the mont it landed in your account. Simin got out of bed and started to wash up.
“La la la!”
He shaved for the first ti in nearly a month and put on so crisp, clean clothes. The door to his studio apartnt, usually shut tight against the world, swung open. Even as he walked down the street, his mind was still on Fantastic World, but he headed straight for a real estate agent.
“Ti to move into a decent place.”
People earned money to eat well and live well. He spent all day playing gas, so busy that he barely noticed how cramped his tiny room was, but it was ti to escape the cold showers and resident insects for a taste of comfortable living. Once he saved up more, he’d buy a house in a great neighborhood, then a flashy car just for show, and after that, he’d work hard, save up, and buy a building so he could live off the rent without ever having to play a ga again!
“Hahahahaha!”
It was a dream shared by more than ninety percent of the people living in South Korea, a dream Simin himself had held since he was twenty. But things were different now. He had seen the possibility. On top of $230,000, the Ring of Blessing could fetch several tis that amount if he auctioned it properly. An item that accelerated character growth in such a realistic ga? It was sothing the wealthy would sell their houses to buy. And its grade said it all: when it ca to EXP items, anything less than Legendary was a joke.
’If I enhance it before selling, I could probably get at least two million for it.’
The thought alone made his pulse race. Buying a building by playing a ga was no longer a far-fetched dream from old novels.
“Sir, I’m looking for a studio apartnt in a decent location for rent. As long as it has hot water and no bugs, I’m good!”
He took the first step toward his dream.
* * *
Finding a place for lease near plenty of restaurants and a subway station wasn’t difficult. After setting his move-in date for a few days later and treating himself to a solo Hanwoo beef dinner, Simin returned ho and imdiately lay down in his capsule.
“I rested for too long.”
He’d taken a whole half-day off! In a normal online ga, that was more than enough ti to fall behind in levels and miss the latest trends.
“I need to reflect on my actions.”
The sa was true for Fantastic World, but it didn’t matter as much to Simin, who could play effectively regardless of his level.
“Ti to raise my FW forum grade, too.”
Before logging in, he proudly posted on the forums about the server’s first Legendary item, his
15 dagger, and his
13 armor. A wide smile spread across his face as he prepared to connect. What a ga of hopes and dreams. Ti to get back in there and make so more money.
The mont he logged in, his high hopes were dashed. He found himself in the Specialists’ guild building, facing all three mbers.
“...Why is everyone gathered here?” Simin’s smile faded. ’What’s with those looks?’
“Stop looking at
like you’ve been waiting to ambush .”
“Oppa!” Kang Yeseul cooed, sidling up to him.
“Whatever you want, the answer is probably no,” Simin said, pushing her away. As he did, Jeong Hyeonsu stepped forward—a surprise, considering he usually looked at Simin with disapproval.
Hyeonsu got straight to the point. “I want to buy that ring.”
“...Excuse ?”
“The Ring of Blessing. If you’re planning to sell it, sell it to us.”
“Ah!”
So that was it. No wonder they all looked so serious. The ring was certainly an item worth panicking over. Simin casually raised his left hand, and all eyes focused on the simple silver ring on his ring finger. It didn’t look very impressive for a Legendary item, but its single option was absolutely OP.
“Of course, if I’m selling, it’s going to you guys. I may have joined as a business partner, but you’ve all helped
out a great deal.”
Relief washed over their faces at his sincere words. A 30% experience bonus was an incredibly valuable stat.
’Sigh. If only it weren’t for the penalty.’ If his EXP penalty were only around 200%, Simin would have considered using the ring himself. But even with the boost from the ring, he wouldn’t break even on the experience needed to level up. While it would certainly make leveling easier, he knew he’d profit more by selling it sooner rather than later, so he had quickly abandoned the idea.
“I’m going to sell it, but you’ll have to wait a bit,” he said.
A confused silence fell over the group.
“I’m going to enhance it a little first.”
Their eyes widened in shock.
Having said his piece, he showed no lingering attachnt and dangled so bait. “Give
about two weeks? It might take longer. Once the enhancent is done, I’ll send you the item link, so you can start thinking about a price.”
The unspoken threat was clear: if he didn’t like their offer, he’d sell it to soone else. Giving his guildmates the first chance to bid was all the camaraderie he was willing to offer.
“The second act of the main quest requires level 50 anyway, so we’ll just keep hunting,” Jeong Seolah said with a determined nod.
“Sounds good. I’ll be on my way, then.”
Simin left the guild building after seeing Seolah’s resolute expression. He had put on a big show, but no one was more nervous than he was.
’Alright, Simin, let’s hit the jackpot!’
He didn’t even need to find a custor. They were already waiting with their bank accounts wide open. Only a fool would fail to capitalize on this.
’I’ll get this thing to
15, no matter what it takes!’
But to do that, he needed to make so preparations. His steps led him toward the enhancent forge.
* * *
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