A New Beginning
Next day.
I finished school and stopped by the bank to check my account book.
The bank was crowded, so Eunhye stayed home and I came alone.
Approximately eighty-two million won.
After the 0.1% fee charged by Human Games, the actual amount was eighty-two thousand won.
Even at thirty-five years old in my past life, I had never seen such a large sum in my bank account.
“If I split it with Eunhye, that’s four million and one hundred thousand each.”
It was no small amount.
Assuming the current market price held steady, it would be ideal. But it was impossible for the price to return to this level within twenty years.
Once the game currency cash-out was announced, countless people would start grinding Hero just to farm gold. That would flood the market and crash the prices.
“Even so, four million won would last me a year no problem.”
Future earnings would still be lower than now, but I would earn even more gold as I grew stronger and could hunt higher-level monsters.
“Of course, only if I don’t die first…”
Death meant starting over from scratch.
I would have to hunt rabbits, deer, foxes, wolves… every single monster I’d faced before.
Against an ever-growing player base that only gets stronger.
While I was still thinking about tomorrow, the apartment building came into view.
“I have to give the money to Eunhye…”
In the elevator I pressed the thirteenth floor instead of ten.
Ding. Ding.
The bell rang several times before Eunhye’s voice answered.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Doun.”
“Eh? Wait a second!”
Eunhye said she’d be right there, but it took five full minutes before the door finally opened.
“What brings you all the way to the apartment?”
Even though we lived in the same building, this was the first time I’d ever visited her home.
We always met at the entrance.
“Money came in today, so I came to talk about it.”
“Oh… come in first.”
The apartment was completely empty.
No sofa in the living room, no television.
“Sit over there. I’ll get water.”
“Thanks.”
Passing through the empty living room, the kitchen held only a small table and chairs.
It was obvious she lived alone.
When I arrived, there was only one pair of shoes by the entrance…
Eunhye placed a cup on the table and sat down.
“Eight million two hundred thousand won, right?”
“Yep. I’m splitting it four million one hundred thousand each. Give me your account number.”
“Okay… but I only want a little. You’re the team leader after all.”
Team leader.
Base pay was split evenly, but any extra income belonged to the leader.
A good leader would share fairly, but I hadn’t done that.
Still…
I had to share with Eunhye, who was bound to me by Family Pact.
We were both players.
Real-life friends.
And we would be working together in the future.
“Still, we have to split it. Give me your account number.”
Eunhye told me her account number and asked for only two million won.
It was a lot compared to what she had done, she said.
She didn’t have much to spend anyway.
It made my chest warm.
If I gave her two million, I would have six million left.
I could focus on Hero for the next two years without worrying about money.
But.
“No, let’s split it fifty-fifty.”
Two years would be even better, but one year was more than enough.
I had enough money now.
So I transferred four million one hundred thousand won to her account.
“Thank you, Doun.”
“No thanks needed. Money can always be earned. I’ll log in for an hour later. See you then.”
“Got it!”
I walked home using the stairs.
I knocked on my mother’s room door.
“Doun is here? Come in.”
“Yes.”
I called my company to tell my mother she could rest. Actually, she had been fired.
But it didn’t matter.
Now I would earn money, and that was enough.
More than enough, after everything my mother and sister had done for me in the past.
“Mother, here’s the account book.”
“What is this?”
I handed my mother the account book containing four million one hundred thousand won.
One million of it was already in another account for my own use.
“What…?”
“It’s money I earned.”
“How…? So much money…?”
I explained the recent game to her.
I added how much gold it could earn and how bright the future looked.
My mother only looked convinced after she called the company herself.
“Doun, you can’t live off the game. You have to work.”
“Mother, this is the future that will feed us.”
My mother let out a small sigh.
“Sigh… Even so, you can’t neglect your studies. Once your legs heal, you’ll go to work. Don’t worry about money.”
She told me not to neglect my studies, but both my mother and I already knew my top grades.
First in the class.
Perfect scores in every subject.
That was probably why my mother wasn’t too worried about me playing the game.
I gave my mother the account book and moved to my room.
Beep.
The computer boot-up sound played.
Recently, playing Hero had felt more like hard labor.
It was no fun. It felt like work.
But.
After earning eighty million won, I felt good.
I had more energy today.
“I have to work hard.”
This life, I would leave everything to the Hero game.
So I would work even harder.
[Cain, you’re here?]
[Yeah, today we’re hunting goblins.]
[Really!? Awesome!]
Eunhye, who had been growing tired of hunting foxes and wolves, answered to the word goblin with bright energy.
-Mass Goblin Extermination.
-Escort the Supply Train (Lila Route)
-Deep Forest Exploration.
…
While I was browsing the mercenary commission list at the mercenary building, a notification popped up.
Green Grape Mercenary Corps Quest: Mass Goblin Extermination.
Departure: Rion Castle Main Gate (30 minutes remaining).
1) Participate individually.
2) All three teams participate.
3) Refuse.
“Green Grape Corps quest?”
After the Green Grape Mercenaries split into three teams, we had been taking separate commissions per team.
Thanks to that, I had been leading three teams and earning plenty of extra income.
This time Captain Grape had taken on a mass commission.
I chose option two.
[Cain, it’s the corps quest.]
[Looks like all of the Green Grape Mercenaries are gathering. Let’s go.]
About a hundred mercenaries were already waiting at the Rion Castle main gate.
All of them were Green Grape members.
[Team Three is here too. Let’s move out!]
[Hooray!]
[Yes!]
Leading the way, the Green Grape Mercenaries set off.
[This time we’re doing a single-team operation.]
[Yeah, last time when the Strawberry Mercenary Captain was in command, we took heavy losses.]
[If I think back to that time…]
One of the NPC mercenaries told us about the operation where Jay had died.
At the time, the Strawberry Mercenary Captain had fought goblins only with raw strength.
Even though there had been plenty of time to plan, he hadn’t done it, and heavy casualties had followed.
[Halt! Team Leader, come here!]
Captain Grape stopped the mercenaries on the wide courtyard and spoke.
[Team One takes the center, Team Two the right, Team Three the left.]
Pointing with his fingers, the captain gave the positions.
[In one hour, five hundred goblins will arrive here. Before that, set up traps.]
Once he finished, Captain Grape turned first.
Team Two leader headed right, and I led Team Three toward the left flank.
[Cain, what should we do?]
[Since goblins arrive in an hour, get ready.]
[Got it.]
Trap Installation (Affects Intelligence)
1) Dig holes in the ground
2) Plant pressure spikes
There were only two possible actions.
“Both of them.”
For one hour I dug deep holes in the ground.
During the remaining time I scattered pressure spikes across the wide front area.
[Everyone ready! Goblins will arrive soon.]
Captain Grape’s voice came over the comms, and shortly after, five hundred goblins appeared.
When they spotted us, they rushed forward.
Several goblins that ran straight toward Team Three fell into the holes.
The pits didn’t have as big an effect as I had hoped.
But the pressure spikes did.
Normal goblins didn’t wear shoes.
With their bare feet, the spikes planted on the ground applied the Debuff: Agility Decrease.
Even more, since most goblins were already weak, the extra penalty made them far easier to handle.
Goblin warriors who wore shoes suffered less, but their numbers were too small to turn the tide.
After roughly an hour of fighting, very few goblins remained standing.
After that, Captain Grape finished the extermination by slaying the last goblin shaman.
[Cain, I leveled up.]
[Me too…]
Name: Cain
Level: 24
Class: Head of the Household
DNA: Gambler
Strength 31 Agility 33 Health 40 Intelligence 26 Charisma 25
Rion Castle.
Having completed the mission and received the reward, Captain Grape also shared additional profit from selling goblin loot with the team leader.
[Distribute it fairly among the team members.]
Captain Grape finished speaking and left the mercenary building.
“What now…”
During this time, the extra income from Team Three’s mission had been mine alone.
I wanted to keep it that way, but complaints were starting to build among the mercenaries.
They knew I was taking it all.
“I guess we have to start splitting it…”
Before, when they first joined the corps, the captain had given them weapons and armor, so no one had minded.
“Even though the captain gave them, I didn’t, so the recruits still received them for free…”
[Eunhye, from now on, extra income should be split with the NPCs.]
[Got it.]
I split the earnings I received from Captain Grape fairly among the team members.
They thanked me for the first extra income and then scattered.
[Thanks for today, Cain.]
[You too.]
Soon, the final exam period would begin.
I had been waiting for this day.
Only the day I would study with Eunhye and Doun.
Normally, after school I went to various academies.
On weekends too.
I never had a single free moment.
The most enjoyable time lately…
During the midterms.
That was when I had stayed behind in the classroom with friends to study.
Studying with friends was better than academy classes.
“Only ten days left until the midterms.”
Nine o’clock at night.
As soon as I finished academy and got home, I went to find my mother.
“Mom! This time I’ll study with my friends for the final exams too.”
“Again? There are really good teachers at the academy. Why do you say that?”
“I got a really good score on the midterms. Mom~.”
I clung to my mother’s arm and said.
“This time, prepare for the exam at the academy.”
My mother looked displeased.
Apparently, even though she came from a prestigious university, she trusted the academy teachers more than friends studying together.
“Mom, tell the friends to study well.”
At my words, my mother’s interest perked up.
“How well?”
“The three of them are studying. One of them is in the top three in the class…”
“Then?”
The moment “top three in the class” was mentioned, my mother’s interest instantly cooled.
“The other friends are the top of the entire class. They scored perfect on every subject for the midterms.”
“The top of the entire class!?”
“Yes!!”
My mother sat up straight and said.
“You’re going to prepare for the final exams together with that friend?”
“Yes!!!”
It happened.
My mother’s usual expression appeared.
She would sigh helplessly and approve anyway.
“Um… the top of the entire class, huh… All right. Then for one week you can study.”
“Yes!!!”
Next day.
After classes ended, I sprinted out the school gate.
“Doun!”
“Ah… Naeun.”
“Let’s study together for the final exams.”
Doun wore a troubled expression.
“I have to ask Eunhye too…”
“I’ll tell her! I’ll tell her myself!”
“Got it.”
As I was talking to Doun, Eunhye walked over.
“Eunhye, let’s study together for the final exams.”
Eunhye glanced at me once and said yes.
“Really! From tomorrow, study in the classroom after school? Don’t forget tomorrow!”
I made sure several times, then headed toward the academy.
It felt good that the academy would finally have a break, like a hamster wheel.
But more than anything, studying with friends was better.
Today, for the first time in a long time, I would attend academy classes with a happy heart.