Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Price of Myth
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One hundred million won is a huge sum of money. In the provinces, it's enough for a detached house with a yard. In Seoul, you could buy a two-room apartment. If you're aiming for growth, it's enough to purchase a Grade 4 magic tool or a Grade 3 elixir.
For an ordinary office worker, it's an enormous amount that's hard to grasp even after slaving away for a full year.
But in Revenge, it's different.
Any character with total spending under one hundred million is just called no-spend.
Meaning it's no different from not spending at all.
‘Of course, it's not really that different.’
That's just how they're treated. Revenge is a war-based game, and PvP is inherently relative. The true no-spend players even lower down don't participate in wars at all, so it's inevitable.
‘Let's see, spending levels...
Total spending from one hundred million to around five hundred million gives you decent combat power.
It's the level where you can move beyond solo hunting to mid-tier content like mob trains or raids. Players at this stage have hero characters and hero gear, but haven't reinforced to +9, and their collections are mostly empty.
Total spending over five hundred million up to one billion? Now you're joining top guilds—the ones that hold or conquer castles, the [war guilds].
At the very edge, acting as meat shields.
Over one billion up to five billion, and you're mid-tier in war guilds. You might snag a legend class or legend skill.
At this point, collections and guardian reinforcements contribute more to combat power, so it's the phase of filling those out.
Around seven billion total spending, and you've finished a solid setup. You're roaming top hunting grounds, labyrinths, towers, etc. When mob trains break out, you're the core fighters leading groups.
And nearing one hundred billion? You're on par with a typical guild master. If you've built your guild well, you might hold a key point. Multiple legend classes, skills, pets, guardians. Collections over 80% complete—you're a powerhouse who struts anywhere.
‘And... the next tier is nuclear spender. The so-called whale user.’
Total spending over one hundred billion. A character that's maxed out nearly all existing paywalls in Revenge.
Holding a key-point castle is a given, with dozens of legend classes. Collections over 90%, guardians caught up to character level.
Revenge's definition of [strength] is utterly unlike normal games.
In typical games, since users start equal, there's a baseline [fairness]. No matter how skilled a veteran is, one person can't take on 10 or 100 in direct fights!
But not Revenge.
Even hordes of low-tier players can't scratch a nuclear spender. If one deploys, enemies need to bring equal strength. Whales. The ones called [big brothers].
“But... myths are items even those whales wouldn't dare touch.”
Nemesis's policy on myth grade was fundamentally ‘ultra-premium.’
Unlike legend grade, obtainable by dumping a few tens of millions (reasonable?), myths come with all sorts of conditions. Barriers no normal player can overcome.
Synthesis doesn't work.
Combining four lower grades for a higher one doesn't apply to myths. Well, it technically does, but with a condition.
‘You must be a key-point castle lord.’
That's why there were only eight myth grades so far.
The Ghost Dragon's Nest in Cheonyeon hadn't been conquered yet, limiting myth classes to eight!
Even those acquired this way deactivate automatically if you lose the castle lord seat in a siege.
‘Myth skills and gear remain, but without the transcendent trait all myths share, [Transcendent Realm], their effects are massively diminished.’
A truly horrific system. Key-point lords defend with their lives, while challengers persist through repeated failures—that's why.
‘But... there's another way to get a myth class.’
Advanced class summon ticket.
Draw it in one pull, and all those conditions vanish.
The problem?
The price.
Expected value: one hundred billion.
Again, one hundred billion total spending makes you a top player already. Guild master, collections nearly complete.
And you blow that on a single pull? For one class?
‘That's insane.’
Summon cards come in three tiers—not by type like class, guardian, or pet summons, but by grade.
First: push items in your mailbox, guild exchange, event shops—[basic summon cards].
Basic cards only yield common (90%), rare (9%), unique (1%).
Next: [standard summon cards].
Available at auction house for 100 diamonds (10,000 won) each. Yields common (90%), rare (9%), unique (0.9%), hero (0.1%).
And the grand prize: [advanced summon cards].
1,000 diamonds (100,000 won) each.
‘Insane price.’
Enough to buy a top AAA game with all DLC. And that's for one card... utterly mad.
Plus, the odds aren't even better.
Common (90%), rare (9%), unique (0.9%), hero (0.09%), legend (0.009%), myth (0.001%). Just adding tiny legend and myth slots to the pool.
100,000 won per shot, 1 in 100,000 odds.
Statistically, you need to pour in one hundred billion for a myth, so no one thinks of challenging with advanced cards.
‘Some players bought one or two out of curiosity, got commons, freaked out, and backed off.’
That's why almost no one gets myths from advanced cards. Way too inefficient.
‘Though it's not zero—that's the scary part.’
But those who went that far were already key-point whales, so myth players stayed at eight.
Still, it's a game.
Even for billionaires with cash piles at home, one or two hundred billion isn't pocket change. If you get real benefits like I do, sure, pour in trillions—but it's just a game, right?
A character reaching transcendence changes nothing in reality. Just bask in-game glory and done.
“So no additional myth players emerged.”
Until now.
[The twelfth myth has been born here and now.]
Alex: Whoa. Castle lord bros going too hard? Expected value 100 bil, and they're still pulling?
SexyKing: Whoa. So much money. Jealous.
Alex: You guys too, but Nemesis most of all. Selling data scraps for that much cash...
-The starlight from the heavens splits the mountain.
-One day, as a streak of light, it ascends to the sky.
“What's this?”
Puzzled by the unfamiliar text format, I scan the chat.
And there's the answer.
Leroc: Holy shit, Meteor Dragon? Insane. Not synthesis—straight dumping 100 bil for a pet pull?
Calspanic: Oh, gotta spectate. Which city? Ah, Thunder Mountain. On my way!
“Meteor Dragon?”
The name sounding straight out of a history book, I search the fan site.
[Meteor Dragon (Myth)]
The meteor that cratered a mountain became a dragon after a millennium and ascended.
This mystical transcendent has immense combat prowess and a blessing that boosts its master's luck.
Collects drop items regardless of distance.
[Transcendent]
[Flash Breath]
[Star's Blessing - Luck (Myth)]
“Good... thing?”
Meteor dragon. Myth grade, dragon—obviously great, but hard to feel. Only one myth-unique trait, other two are active skills.
“Not a ride pet either... a buff pet with this size?”
Curious, I check details.
[Transcendent]
All stats rise one tier. (Cannot exceed 999.)
Ultimate correction on all skill use.
Resistance to all lower-tier attacks rises one tier.
Ignores over half of all lower-tier defenses.
“Similar to transcendent realm.”
Then the other skills.
[Flash Breath]
Deals maximum flash damage to all in sight.
[Star's Blessing - Luck (Myth)]
Luck +500. (Cannot exceed 999.)
Effects are dead simple. Too simple—brain feels simple.
“All in sight? Sane...? And Luck +500.”
Luck is the one stat you can't bonus-point. Affects crits, parries, blocks—all probability skills.
Above all, famous for boosting drop rates.
“This exists? Where's balance...”
But Revenge never had balance.
Unlike games where everyone starts fair.
In a way, it's hyper-realistic.
“Bro! Bro! You hear the news?”
While I'm working, Chang-sik rushes over, chattering.
“Revenge is blowing up. People dumping hundreds of billions! That's your game, right bro?”
“Whoa. So many rich folks. But even with money, how do you drop tens of billions? With that, I could do anything.”
The myth-class frenzy didn't die down.
[Ever heard of myth classes? In Nemesis Soft's latest MMORPG Revenge...]
It hit the news.
[Ah, piss off! Get lost! You think I'm one of those myth-pulling Revenge bros? Where would I get that cash!?]
Variety shows mention it.
[This spending is excessive. A data scrap for 100 billion from the start...]
Even late-night debates.
Huge buzz all around.
But I ignored it, headed to work at Steel Witch. Worked Star Knight shifts, manned the convenience store counter.
Before I knew it.
December arrived.
“Good work this month.”
“Please check your account.”
Paycheck in. Adding weekend stunt fees, bank balance now tops thousands.
“Nice. This should let me breathe.”
After stunts, back to my one-room. Shower done, back to room.
About to log in—
“Ah.”
Suddenly recall Ardenia's refugees.
“Right, return scrolls must be cheap now? No buyers... Was 10 for 10 dia, 100 dia was too much.”
Sit back down, open auction house.
Check lowest price.
640 dia.
“...?”
Blankly stare, not grasping.
“No way... 10 for 640 dia?”
Return scrolls, once 100 won each, now 6,400 won—a month later. Previous 100 dia inflate was illusion; now over 6x that.
64x original price.
“...What? Why? Not stocks—why the price surge?”
Stare at auction for ages—
Entranced, list my 8,000 return scrolls at 600 dia per 10-pack.
Ding!
Sold out in one minute.
“...?”
Claim tab: 480,000 dia. 48 million won.
“What?”
Blank for a moment.
“What the?”
Can't comprehend.
“What is this?”
Repeated questions. But.
Auction house stays silent.