'Before that, there's something left to do.'
He was ready to leave for Trinsic at any time, but there was still unfinished business: the sale of the secret dungeon.
He hadn't anticipated leaving Cton so soon, but fortunately, he had set the auction deadline for one day. Otherwise, he would have had to go through the trouble of returning to Cton from Trinsic just to finalize the deal.
'If I had a Rune Book, it probably wouldn't matter.'
A Rune Book, which allowed you to save locations and teleport to them, would remove distance limitations. Unfortunately, the Rune Book was only sold in the second city, namely Trinsic. Even if he went to Trinsic and bought one, it meant he wouldn't have Cton's location saved, forcing him to travel back the conventional way.
The cost of buying and using the Rune Book wasn't high, but the time spent was valuable. Would there even be a reason to return to Cton once he left?
'By that time, the inter-city teleportation system will probably be updated.'
In reality, he only needed to convey the method of entering the secret dungeon, but giving an actual demonstration was a common practice for such trades. Even so, who would make a down payment on uncertain information?
'The contract system will be updated soon, but for now, I'll just have to wait.'
Contract items facilitating trades with various conditions would be introduced soon, but for now, direct transaction was the only way.
'Besides, my connection time is almost up...'
Simultaneously, his daily access limit was nearly reached; he had about 5 hours left before he could log back into the game. While he was accustomed to using every minute of his allotted time, the accumulated fatigue was significant, and he decided it was better to take a break and handle some real-life errands.
'Time to log out.'
He left his character in a safe spot on the outskirts of the city and logged out.
* * *
*Whoosh!*
The capsule hissed open, and Youngmin's eyes fluttered awake. The capsule was still filled with the special nutrient solution. Finding the correct button, he pressed it, and the liquid level rapidly drained. A warm, drying wind quickly evaporated the moisture from his clothes—which were essentially just his underwear, so it didn't take long.
"They should release the capsule suits soon," he muttered. A dedicated suit to wear inside the capsule was slated for release, but not yet available.
Youngmin quickly got dressed and used his foot to tap the power button on his desktop computer. He wanted to check the reactions to his forum post. He could have done it in-game, but he didn't want to waste precious access time on that.
As *The Lord's* homepage loaded, he navigated straight to the trading board.
"Huh?"
Youngmin's expression shifted to one of surprise. His post was pinned as a 'Hot Topic' on the board. He initially thought it might be due to numerous comments accusing him of lying, but then he saw the title of another article right below it.
[Secret Dungeon Discovered! Confirmed: Hidden dungeons exist alongside public ones. An expedition log by honorary reporter 'Kwang'.]
'Is this already out?'
Kwang was an honorary reporter for a famous game webzine and a well-known user. He had revealed information about a secret dungeon in a detailed travelogue format. Crucially, it was in a different starting area from Youngmin's Cton. Thanks to this, the perception of Youngmin's post shifted from being a potential scam to being credible, since his had been posted earlier than Kwang's.
The comments section was flooded:
– *KnockKnock: So it's real. Not all dungeons are public.*
– *BangtaeWarrior: Is this for real? Looks shady.*
– *TheSlayer: It's true there are secret dungeons we don't know about. But is this one legit?*
– *Wobbly: This was posted before Kwang's. Maybe Kwang stole the idea?*
– *ChaMiseul: @Wobbly, the dungeon Kwang found has different monsters.*
– *Shamshir: If it's real, it's a goldmine. But why sell it? If it were me, I'd farm the Skeleton Warrior set solo.*
– *Kwang: Hello, this is Kwang! Based on my experience, this post seems very credible. It might be expensive, but if the poster is open to an interview, please contact me!*
– *Ramses: Sent you a private message.*
– *Helladin: Please check your messages.*
– *TopBuyer: PM sent. Offering 5% above the highest bid.*
The reactions were a mix of envy, desire, and skepticism. His inbox was full, requiring him to page through the messages.
While it was tricky to verify identities with just a forum ID, Youngmin wasn't concerned. He already spotted some familiar names.
"These guys won't try to cheat."
His first picks were those claiming to represent 'guilds'—groups that would formally establish themselves as soon as the guild system was updated. Recognizing the names of some reputable ones from his past life, he focused on them.
The transaction would happen after the access restriction lifted, but for now, Youngmin replied to a select few notes and deleted the rest, comparing their offers.
"First, filter out the unreasonable ones."
Most offered in-game currency or real money, but some had附加条件 that were unworkable—offering items of 'equivalent value' or power-leveling services, likely because they were short on cash.
He scoffed. They were probably already active in the second city, maybe around level 35. But he was confident that with Berserk, he wouldn't lose to anyone under level 100.
After eliminating those with odd conditions and those from different server regions, only two serious contenders remained.
"Let's go with this one."
He ultimately chose the 'MP Guild'—which stood for Manner Play, not Mana Points. True to their name, they were known for helping newcomers and policing player-killers. While not the most powerful, they had a long-standing, positive reputation. In his previous life, their paths had never negatively crossed.
"It's almost scarily perfect."
He finalized the deal via the transaction system, arranging the meeting point. A slight shiver ran down his spine at how smoothly things were aligning after his regression. Could things really be this favorable? He felt a flicker of anxiety but brushed it aside. He had already experienced the worst. What mattered now was whether he possessed the strength to power through any situation, no matter how bad.
What if he had overwhelming power this time? What if he was stronger than the King of Creation himself, capable of crushing any guild that dared to swarm him?
A faint gleam lit up Youngmin's eyes.
"Need to go shopping for now."
He wasn't a foodie; he just needed practical, nutritious meals. Normally, he'd bulk order online, but he felt the need for some fresh air.
* * *
As he stepped outside, a slightly chilly evening breeze brushed against his cheeks. The local supermarket was about a 10-minute walk away. He made a point to move around during his mandatory log-out periods, but he'd still lost significant muscle mass since his return. He told himself he needed to walk more, if only for his conscience.
It was late September, just after the semester started. The street in front of the university should have been bustling, but it was surprisingly quiet.
'Mid-terms should be soon... Ah, it must be because of *The Lord*.'
It reminded him of how streets would empty when a major national drama aired. He recalled news reports about small business owners complaining of decreased foot traffic and consumer spending due to the game's popularity.
"What level did you get to yesterday?"
"I just hit level 2!"
"Lucky! I died and I'm barely level 1. Is it because of the level difference?"
"Your control must be off, kekeke."
Fortunately, the few people on the street were all talking about *The Lord*. Perhaps university students were more tuned into games, but he could feel its pervasive popularity.
As he walked, he spotted a familiar face approaching.
'Who is that?'
A woman with the kind of flashy, conventionally attractive look that some men favored—long, loose wavy hair. She was with a man, seemingly a couple. The woman was the familiar one. It was odd; he didn't know many women.
Slowing his pace, he stared intently. The woman turned her head, noticed him, and her face stiffened.
'Ah...'
It was Lim Soo-hee, his ex-girlfriend who had cheated on him and then dumped him. Having never seen or contacted her since his return, he had almost forgotten her face. For her, they had broken up just a few months ago, but for Youngmin, it felt like a lifetime away—a forgotten past.
'Well, this is awkward.'
He felt nothing—no anger, no nostalgia—but he braced for potential drama. Their breakup had been messy.
Then, he vaguely recognized the man next to her. The affair partner, her current boyfriend.
'He plays *The Lord* too, right?'
Pieces fell into place. He remembered hearing that this guy was a decent player. His ex-girlfriend, Lim Soo-hee, also enjoyed games, and one of her criteria for an ideal type had been "a man who's better at games than me." *The Lord* would be a perfect activity for them, a pretty standard date course for that type.
'Okay, and they're coming from...'
Coincidentally, they were walking from the direction of a motel he frequented with Lim Soo-hee during their relationship.
"Hi... Youngmin."
He had planned to just ignore them and walk past, feeling nothing, but the woman spoke first, likely misinterpreting his expressionless face.
"Oh, hey. How have you been?"
"Okay... I heard. It's... been tough, I guess?"
Youngmin's expression twisted slightly at her tone, which feigned concern. Who had started these rumors about him being a wreck?
'Can't be helped.'
They had been a somewhat high-profile campus couple. In everyone else's eyes, Youngmin had nearly dropped out after the breakup, so rumors would have spread.
While it was annoying, he had no intention of letting the misconception stand.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I took a leave of absence because of *The Lord*, not because of you."
"Yeah, sure. That's good to hear."
However, Lim Soo-hee looked at him with a patronizing expression, clearly thinking he was making excuses.
'Oh, I messed up.'
He realized his mistake too late. While he had been preparing for the game for three months before its release, for everyone else, *The Lord* had seemingly dropped from the sky just a month ago. His reason sounded like a pathetic cover story.
But he didn't bother to correct her further. Arguing would only make it worse. She was irrelevant now.
"Anyway, good luck. Oh, if you're struggling in the game, let me know. My boyfriend is pretty good at *The Lord*. Maybe he can help you out sometime."
It wasn't a sarcastic jab, just a condescending offer. The boyfriend looked down at him with a mix of superiority and pity. Youngmin smirked internally.
"Yeah? What's your in-game ID?"
"Pyria."
Misinterpreting his question as subservience, a smirk played on Lim Soo-hee's lips.
'Pyria. A girly ID.'
Judging by the fact he didn't remember the name from his past life, the guy was probably mediocre. Youngmin nodded, committing the ID to memory, and delivered his parting line.
"Right. Got it. Okay, if we meet in-game, I'll go easy on you just once."
"What are you...?"
"Kwon Youngmin, what do you mean...?"
Youngmin casually walked past Lim Soo-hee and her stunned boyfriend. She would know. He hadn't changed his in-game ID from his previous life; it was still Lokan.
If he revealed himself now, it would only lead to annoying confrontations. But someday, they would find out. Who he really was in the game, and whom they had so condescendingly pitied. They would realize how ridiculous their words and actions had been.
'But for now, this is enough.'
Youngmin left the remnants of his past behind and continued on his way. After buying a load of groceries and snacks and arranging for delivery, he returned home to find a reply from the MP Guild. The deal was settled.