"Crazy."
An armor acquisition quest. And the first sealed weapon's stats. Lokan's expression went blank for a moment when he saw them.
*These abilities are only for the sealed state?*
No matter how you looked at it, it was an item that should be obtainable at level 100 at the earliest, or even level 150, and there was no restriction on wearing it. Even if you wore that one piece without any other armor, it would be comparable to or higher than the total defense of any warrior-class set.
"So, this is how it was… … ."
Come to think of it, the person who had cleared this quest originally was quite famous, even though he wasn't renowned for his skill control. Lokan didn't know how many parts the man had saved, including the Sealed Helmet of the Lion King, but looking at them, it was clear that it was a template.
"The problem is that there's no hint, though… … ."
There was no way to know where or how to get the rest of the parts, but Lokan wasn't too concerned. Because there was no way he couldn't do what that other player had done.
However, what he was interested in was whether the set effect would be activated without collecting all the parts. When it came to set items, their defining feature was that the set effect was gradually strengthened according to the number of worn parts.
"Anyway, it exceeded my expectations."
[The Hero's Trial has ended.]
[The Lion King's weapons have the power to attract each other. You can sense them by getting close to other weapons.]
[The instant dungeon 'Lion King's Tomb' will disappear.]
[Moving outside momentarily. 5, 4, 3… … .]
While Lokan was admiring his system, the system itself was working hard. The door he had opened by pointing at the wall seemed to have been the entrance to the Instant Dungeon.
After a moment, just as the surroundings began to dissolve into particles of light, Lokan's body was forcibly moved to the outside.
* * *
The place where Lokan returned was the square where he had first met the statue of the Lion King.
"Back to the square again?"
That was when it happened.
*CRASH!*
"What was that damage?"
With perfect timing, the statue collapsed on its own just as Lokan returned to the square.
But no one suspected Lokan. He had not returned to the village with the usual recall light. It was identical to the effect that occurs when using a return scroll, so it simply appeared as though the statue had collapsed on its own.
'The next step is the 'messenger of love' quest.'
Either way, Lokan was already thinking of the next plan.
The next goal was a continuous quest starting with the delivery of a love letter. In this quest, which one could receive after raising reputation to [Friendliness], it was only after completing 12 small delivery quests that the main characters of the love letter would confirm their love for each other.
'Oh, it's enough to make your stomach turn.'
But the problem was that the woman already had a fiancé.
In fact, it wasn't even just a fiancé; it was to the extent that the marriage was imminent. If one wanted to intervene, it was possible, but the problem was that the man wasn't considered much of a prospect. It wasn't that he couldn't make a living, but her family was among the wealthiest of commoners, and the man she was to marry was from a similar social stratum.
Because of this, the two loved each other, but the opposition from their families was fierce.
At the very least, there were so many questions about a situation where both of them were commoners.
The conclusion was to force the marriage to the man who had been arranged. The woman could not afford to disappoint her family's expectations.
As she left the man in tears, the woman entrusted Lokan with a present along with her last letter.
[Tear Emerald Necklace] [Magic]
A necklace made of emeralds that resemble a woman's tears. Imbued with her longing for her loved one and wishes for his well-being.
- Hemostasis effect
- Base health regeneration +50%
- All healing effects +20%
"Is it really okay if I take this?"
But the man only read the letter and said he would not accept the gift. He feared that if he kept it, he would suffer from self-doubt, never forgetting her. He said he might even be tempted to sell it later, as he would have to forge his own path, and it could take years or even decades to build a stable life.
Thanks to that, it became Lokan's.
'It's good, but… … .'
The effect of the Tear Emerald Necklace was amazing. It was unbelievable that it was only a Magic-grade item. It was good enough to keep using until he acquired the 'Elf's Tears Necklace', its higher-tier counterpart.
In particular, it was no exaggeration to say it was an item that boasted the highest efficiency for Lokan, who needed to rapidly raise his health within 5 seconds due to the aftereffects of Berserk. It was attractive enough to wear this necklace without considering other items, even if another item with the same effect wasn't a necklace.
But he muttered under his breath.
"Huh, living here or in real life is the same thing."
In truth, even Lokan didn't know the full story after this. There were rumors that this man eventually succeeded by clenching his teeth, stories that he committed suicide because he couldn't stand his shabby existence, and tales that he regretted it his whole life after marrying someone else just to forget her.
It was because the player who first cleared the quest never revealed the man's ultimate fate, even when the story was featured on a game broadcast, leaving everyone with a bitter taste.
So Lokan only hoped that the man would not make an extreme choice. It would be nice to see more, but unfortunately, he didn't have the time.
"Busy, busy."
Instead of following the man, Lokan moved on to the next quest.
There were many things planned initially, but because of the title effect, his reputation started at [Friendly], so all the reputation-grinding quests were skipped.
Instead, he could now access all the quests requiring [Friendliness] or higher reputation. He focused on the ones that were not exhaustible.
Quests that gave good rewards, a lot of experience, or a small but useful title. Lokan selected only those and solved them.
Among them, there were quite a few one-time-only quests, like the love letter quest.
Some had already been resolved by others, but Lokan was able to clear most of what he had planned for his first run.
"Good."
Thanks to this, he spent three full days working as a quest solver, but the results were satisfactory. As quest rewards, his level increased by one, and his main stats also rose by 10 or more due to title effects.
Moreover, it was not a loss at all because he also obtained useful special effects, such as increased resistance.
However, it seemed that Lokan wasn't the only one who was busy. He sighed and opened his ears to the various news circulating.
"I heard someone has already reached level 70."
"Level 70 is nothing. I heard there's already a level 80."
"Awesome, I'm so jealous. When will I ever hit level 50?"
"So, do the 'Daksa' quest. How many birds are you catching that you have time to gossip? Because of people like you, we can't even hunt properly."
"Ah, was it because of me yesterday? It's because of those damn PKers."
"Hey, who isn't cleaning up those bastards? I'm running a deficit every day from dying and running away."
Information flowed in about what level someone had reached, which job tree was trending, what item had appeared on the auction house for a jackpot price. So much information was available that it wasn't even necessary to visit the bulletin board.
'Soon, I'll have to speed up too.'
Hearing the news, Lokan once again strengthened his resolve. His own level-up speed was phenomenal, but the speed of Koreans' 'power-leveling optimization' was recognized worldwide.
To preempt the major opportunities in the future, it seemed necessary to increase his leveling pace a little more.
Still, there was one reason Lokan had not yet left the village.
'I think the time has come… … .'
Because the update he remembered was scheduled around this time.
He couldn't remember the exact time and date, so he stayed in the city and waited.
'I can't afford to miss it.'
And then, a new notice appeared.
[Notice 1. The guild system has been updated.]
[As of now, you can create a guild by purchasing 'Guild Stones'. Guild Stones can be destroyed by attack, so please install them in a safe place or pay a certain fee to the Guild Management Office for protection.]
[Notice 2. The housing system has been updated.]
[As of now, you can buy an empty house in the city or purchase real estate to build your own house. When you own a house, you must pay a certain amount of tax every month. If you are overdue for more than 3 months, the house may be auctioned off or automatically demolished.]
[Notice 3. Some items have been added. List of additional items: Contracts, silk bandages, hair dye… … .]
"Ah, finally."
It was the guild system update. Now, players could receive official recognition from the system, moving beyond just grouping up informally.
"Kids, you're in for a tough time."
Lokan smiled, confirming that the update was just as he knew. He already knew how much the 'Guild Stone' would cost.
The price for a scroll that could summon a guild stone was a whopping 50 gold. It was an amount too large for casual guilds to play around with, so there was a high probability that mid-tier groups would disband and their members would join the first guilds that were successfully created.
"The MP Guild is going to burn a little."
Coincidentally, the cost was the same as the amount he had earned from selling the secret dungeon information, which was quite amusing.
Of course, he had no intention of creating a one-man guild at this point, but it was fun to watch other people scramble.
However, he was very interested in the content of the second update: the 'housing system'. There was only one foreseeable outcome from this update, which allowed players to buy or rent empty houses in the city, or purchase land to build new homes.
Real estate prices were going to skyrocket!
Although the supply was limited, demand would continuously increase, meaning prices couldn't help but rise.
"The best investment is real estate."
For that reason, Lokan immediately went to the auction house and collected the proceeds from the sale of his auctioned items. Since they were inevitably popular items, they had all been sold.
[Holding amount: 65 gold 32 silver 63 copper]
A whopping 65 gold! At the current market rate of about 200,000 won per gold, even converted to cash, it was a staggering 13 million won. Yet, Lokan felt infinitely insufficient.
This was because what he planned to do next would require a huge amount of money far beyond that.
* * *
Lokan, who had raised as much money as possible, found the bailiff in the city hall faster than anyone else. He announced his intention to contract for vacant houses.
"I want to sign housing contracts."
"What kind of houses and in what form do you wish to contract?"
"I want to see three-room houses and two-story houses, as many as possible. I prefer the contract to be a long-term rental."
Interestingly, he sought rental, not purchase.
Simply put, it was the difference between buying and monthly rent. One could have their own house without necessarily purchasing it.
This was not something ordinary users would know, given the housing system had just been updated, but Lokan was an exception.
'65 Gold. It's tight, but if I can get ahead now, I'll just sit back and make money.'
Lokan, who followed the bailiff to inspect the vacant houses in the city, was satisfied and announced his intention to proceed with the contracts. The terms, as mentioned, were long-term rentals.
It was a method where, instead of paying a monthly rental fee, he would pay for a full year upfront, obtaining temporary ownership of the houses for that period. Additionally, the first contractor received the privilege of being the preferred negotiator once the contract period ended.
"Excellent. But… … you're going to sign a contract for all of these?"
The number was surprising. While long-term rentals reduced the monthly fee, it was still a minimum of one gold per month. A three-room house was 4 gold per month and a two-story house was 5 gold; contracting ten houses would cost 40-50 gold.
However, Lokan was contracting fifteen houses. Ten three-room houses and five two-story houses. In fact, it was safe to say he was taking every available three-room and two-story house in the village.
It was a massive contract that conveniently cost exactly 65 gold, so the bailiff was shocked and checked again.
"Yes, please process all of them."
"Excellent. However, the first month's rent must be paid in advance."
At Lokan's resolute words, the bailiff asked no further questions. Lokan paid the rental fee in advance, plus a fee totaling 32 silver and 50 copper. Thanks to that, Lokan became practically penniless.
[Holding amount: 13 Copper]
"Heh heh heh!"
But he only laughed like a man who had lost his mind, delighted by his own cunning.
"I'm not sure if I should just trade for double the price. Still, I should get at least three times as much. … "
Lokan was thinking of selling the rights to his long-term leased houses back to the guilds. Right now, they were focused solely on buying guild stones, but after that, they would inevitably turn their attention to housing.
They wouldn't yet realize that a guild house represented the guild's power, and that property meant influence. To store extra items and protect guild stones, which couldn't be left vulnerably in inventories, a single room was far too small.
In the end, they would have no choice but to rent the three-room or two-story houses that Lokan had occupied.
A real estate speculation strategy to eat other people's money using other people's land!
It was the moment the goose that laid the golden eggs fell into Lokan's hands.