Of course. Here is the revised chapter with all the requested corrections and improvements, while maintaining the original word count.
***
"Ahh!"
"Cowardly bastard!"
The number of summoned guards matched theirs. But the levels were vastly different. In the starting city, the guards were level 99. For Lokan, it was difficult, but for those currently around level 50, escape was nearly impossible.
Their bodies were pierced in an instant, their vitality depleted. They collapsed almost immediately, writhing in wretched agony, their initial bravado completely gone.
"I'll take these."
*Thump!*
Stepping on their corpses, Lokan retrieved the items floating above them. Items from PKers killed by guards were free for anyone to take, but Lokan, with his imposing presence, scooped up all the dropped items without contest.
"… … What was that?"
"There was such a function?"
But the bystanders weren't left without a gain. They had just learned they could easily deal with PKers in the city by using the Shout mode—previously used only for role-playing—to call the guards. From now on, the city would likely self-clean.
At first, the PKers would try to retaliate in the open world, but the number of regular users was vast. Even if the PKers hid, a simple shout would summon the guards. And if users didn't call the guards, they had no intention of letting PKers go on the field anyway.
Having seen Lokan earn a savory side-income, they were bound to try it themselves.
"You idiots, did you forget that real PKers *do* get penalized in the city?"
Meanwhile, Lokan lightly stepped over their corpses and moved on. He clicked his tongue at their foolishness and felt a pang of pity.
If the only penalty for being a PKer was difficulty entering the main gate, but there were known loopholes, who wouldn't consider becoming a PKer?
Of course, at higher levels, one could escape from a guard or two and flee, but even then it was annoying. That's why there were separate criminal villages later on.
Because of this, even supplying them in the city wouldn't be easy, but dealing a decisive blow was difficult. The MP Guild was behind them.
"It's definitely not a major blow, but it'll still be annoying."
If general users bought consumables and delivered them to the PKers' location, their supplies could be maintained. It would be unavoidable and irritating, but that was the extent of it.
"I made money thanks to you."
Thanks to the additional income, Lokan immediately headed to the auction house.
* * *
Upon arriving at the auction house, Lokan listed all the items dropped by the Blood Chasers at a very specific price—expensive, but just low enough to make repurchasing them seem worthwhile.
Even if they were bid on and he only lost the listing fee, it wouldn't be a major blow to Lokan, so he set the prices temptingly.
"Come on, go buy them."
Of course, they could repurchase the equipment and attack Lokan with renewed strength.
But Lokan hoped they would. Then he could earn money from them all over again.
"Time to check the website."
It took some time to complete his auction listings.
Next, it was time to handle the 'real estate'. Guilds were now interested in the housing system and searching for houses to use as guild halls, so it was time to dangle the bait.
- Lion Heart: Lion Heart guild recruiting members! We have a two-story house in Moonglow.
- Mowgli: Jungle Book Guild recruiting members! We have a 3-room house in Keres!
Looking at the bulletin boards, the competition for usable houses was already fierce in other starter cities. The presence of a guild hall was a measure of a guild's power.
Because of that, almost all guilds that had moved to secondary cities were posting aggressively. Only the postings for the Kton area were quiet.
- Wind God: Guild of Winds recruiting members in the Kton area! Level 40+. No class restrictions.
└ Lilot: Do you have a guild house?
└ Wind God: Our Guild of Winds already has 20 members, but we only have individual rooms… … .
There were posts like this. In reality, just creating a guild was a monumental task requiring 50 gold—equivalent to 10 million won in cash. But it was human nature to want to join a better guild if possible.
The guilds that had spent a fortune tried to recruit members desperately, but the response was mostly lukewarm. The thought, 'In other cities, they say you can join a guild with a proper guild house at your level…' was a major obstacle.
"It seems the pot is starting to simmer."
However, offering a single room—which even an individual could buy—as a guild hall was too cheap. Small or medium guilds might accept it, but any guild serious from the start wanted to secretly find and negotiate with someone who had secured a larger, more luxurious house.
If the search took too long, they might give up, but it had been less than a day since the guild and housing systems were updated.
"This should be enough."
The post Lokan left on the trading board was simple. It stated that he owned a number of houses, including three-room and two-story properties, and planned to transfer ownership via auction to guilds. Of course, the method of ownership was long-term lease.
To others, it might sound like the ramblings of a vain scammer, but Lokan was confident. Things would change once at least one guild bid and it was confirmed that actual ownership was being traded.
"Huh?"
However, the reaction was different than expected. After Lokan made his post, while he was browsing other listings, his inbox caught fire with messages.
This was because the Skeleton Warrior equipment from the secret dungeon transaction he had listed earlier now showed as 'Transaction Complete,' meaning it had hit the market.
With trust established in Lokan's ID, people were also interested in his seemingly far-fetched real estate story. It wasn't strange at all; especially among Korean game enthusiasts, there were always one or two who pulled off the impossible.
"Heh, this is going to be fun."
Ironically, among those who sent messages were members of the MP Guild and the Blood Chasers. The ID Lokan used on the website wasn't 'Lokan', so they didn't recognize him.
"Okay, this should suffice."
After confirming that about 30 messages had arrived instantly, including inquiries from small guilds and individuals, Lokan posted another message. It stated that he would not answer questions via message and would only discuss transactions at the time and place mentioned in the original post. Any further unsolicited messages would be considered a withdrawal from the auction.
Immediately, the flood of messages drastically decreased. Only the occasional thoughtful message arrived. The smart ones would have started gathering funds instead of sending notes.
"I'm already looking forward to tomorrow."
He had set the auction for a day later. This was to let them stew in their thoughts and also to give them time to gather as much money as possible.
Of course, this timing came with a risk: they might try to collude and negotiate the price amongst themselves.
'Pfft.'
But Lokan believed that would never happen. Maybe later when the power balance was settled, but now was the very beginning of the game.
At this critical juncture, where every guild was vying for dominance, even if someone suggested collusion, the others would be too suspicious of each other's finances and intentions to maintain loyalty.
As someone who understood the greed of these guilds better than anyone, Lokan headed to his next destination with a light heart.
The Job Change Guild.
"Finally, the second job change."
Hundreds of players in the city had probably already completed their second job change. Having spent his first month focused on the starting city, his pace was 'insanely' fast, but on a overall server level, it wasn't exceptionally early.
However, there was a reason why clear information about the second job change wasn't widely available.
"Anyway, it's hard to predict what users will do."
This was because the second job obtainable at level 50 wasn't necessarily an extension of the first job. A player who became a Swordsman could choose Swordsman again, but they could also choose a completely different class like Wizard, Archer, or Priest.
On top of that, when you factored in hidden jobs unlocked by reaching certain locations or performing specific actions after obtaining certain classes, the number of possible combinations became enormous.
"What do you do when there are too many choices? You have no information." The problem was that no matter which one you chose, you would likely feel regret.
If you strengthened your existing class, you'd envy those with versatile skill sets. If you chose a hybrid class, you might struggle with low skill proficiency and mana issues, envying those who excelled with focused specializations.
These concerns, like the classic 'who do you like better, mom or dad?' dilemma, remained unresolved homework for years. But Lokan knew the answer.
"In the end, it's about the 'user'."
Either way, the player themselves must be skilled to become overpowered. No matter how good a class synergy is, a poor player won't benefit much. Conversely, even a class considered weak can be deemed overpowered in the hands of a highly skilled player.
Just like Lokan himself.
Therefore, Lokan was able to open the door of the Job Change Guild without hesitation.
[Zero Warriors Guild]
*Grunt!*
The sign for the Berserkers Guild, gleaming with a red light, looked shabby even by Trinsik's standards. It was inevitable, as Berserkers were a despised class.
"Is anyone there?"
"Huh? A customer?"
An NPC, who had been sleeping as if embodying the fact that no one sought them out, woke with a start. However, Lokan kicked the information desk with his foot, familiar and impatient, grabbing the NPC's attention.
"I want to change jobs."
"Hmm, you have a long life ahead... is it really time to give up already with a job change… … ."
"Stop the nonsense and give me the paperwork. It's for my second job change."
As Lokan growled lowly, cutting off the receptionist's genuine concern, the other's eyes sharpened.
"Hey, I'm serious."
After a quick visual assessment, the NPC realized Lokan already had the Berserker class. Furthermore, he wanted to choose the Berserker class again for his second job change.
This terrified the NPC, who felt compelled to make him reconsider. Reinforcing an existing class had its strengths, but also significant weaknesses.
"Think carefully. Once you decide, you can't go back. If you select the same class twice, you will see enhanced skills and stat bonuses, but you will lack skill variety. Achieving synergy between different skills becomes very difficult."
But Lokan was resolute.
"I know. So give me the paperwork."
This was because, as Lokan himself, he could turn even those shortcomings into strengths.