Item Stats So Astonishing You Can't Help but Stare

The item stats were so absurd they made you gasp just looking at them!

Kim Tae-hyun, thrilled out of his mind, kept going without pause and completely cleaned out the enhancement stones.

By the time he finished, not even a handful of them remained.

Even so, Tae-hyun rose from his seat with deep satisfaction and stretched.

I really did make the right call joining hands with McCraney.

It felt like he'd scraped every last useful thing out of the warehouse.

The enhancement stones and ore had been valuable enough, but he'd also hauled out potions, bandages, and scrolls.

He'd taken so much that his relationship with McCraney had definitely worsened, and it would probably be harder to squeeze things out of her in the future, but even so, this was plenty.

"Tae-hyun!"

"Oh, Rufo."

"What in the world did you do? Lady McCraney is absolutely furious."

"For a merchant, she's got a pretty narrow heart. Shouldn't she be willing to make at least this much of an investment?"

His shamelessness was so thick it was like he'd slapped a black iron shield across his face.

"...In any case, you should be leaving soon."

"All right. Let's go."

Tae-hyun spotted Pelmas loitering over by the corner of a building in the distance, glancing this way.

Tae-hyun beckoned to him.

"Pelmas!"

"...!"

The moment Tae-hyun called him, Pelmas flinched and turned his head away.

"We're heading for the royal palace now. Want to come along?"

Tae-hyun's reason for asking was simple.

Last time, on Katerand Island, he'd left Pelmas behind, and the man had whined about it endlessly afterward.

But Pelmas hesitated.

Rufo couldn't understand why he was hesitating, but Tae-hyun caught on immediately.

"Don't tell me you're scared of going to the royal palace?"

"......"

"For crying out loud!"

Thud!

"Ow!"

When Tae-hyun kicked Pelmas, Rufo asked in alarm,

"Tae-hyun, what are you doing? And Pelmas, why are you afraid of going to the palace? What's there?"

"Forget it. It's nothing. Let's go."

As Tae-hyun said that and turned away, Pelmas came hurrying after him in a panic.

"No, Tae-hyun! I'll go too!"

"I don't like dragging along people who don't want to come."

"Please, you have to let me come! If I sit this one out too, I feel like I'll be sitting out forever!"

"Sharp of you."

There was a very simple reason Pelmas clung to him so desperately.

Tae-hyun was not the kind of person who would kindly leave someone behind and forget about it.

If he skipped out, retaliation later was all but guaranteed.

"Been a while! Have you been well?"

Admiral Brangsong waved cheerfully the moment he spotted Tae-hyun.

Tae-hyun bowed his head politely.

Right now, he needed to stay on Brangsong's good side.

There was no guarantee trouble would arise once they reached the palace, but if it did, the only people who could help were reliable friends.

"Haha. Thank you for your concern, Admiral."

Once he made up his mind, Tae-hyun changed his attitude immediately.

If he needed something, he was perfectly capable of becoming as humble as necessary.

Brangsong nodded, then looked Tae-hyun over and said,

"Still, your clothes are a bit informal for a visit to the palace."

He was pointing out Tae-hyun's appearance.

A coat, armor, and on top of that, a mask.

At a glance, he looked exactly like some free-spirited adventurer.

Brangsong, in contrast, wore a neat, elegant uniform.

"Take off the mask. If you wear one before His Majesty, it may be taken as disrespect."

"Understood."

Tae-hyun obediently removed the mask.

There was no real issue here, anyway. The only ones around were Brangsong and the soldiers, plus Pelmas and Rufo.

They were all NPCs. There was no danger of Tae-hyun's identity getting exposed.

Once Tae-hyun took off the mask, Brangsong nodded and spoke again.

"And as for your clothes... hmm. There should be something to spare. Wait a moment."

At Brangsong's gesture, his subordinates moved quickly.

"Take it."

Tae-hyun looked over the well-made uniform.

As armor, it was awful, but the options were interesting.

So this means I can play at being a noble?

A number of possibilities instantly sprang to mind.

Brangsong had no idea that Tae-hyun was entertaining wicked thoughts and was simply pleased that the outfit fit him well.

"It suits you nicely! Keep it on until after you've seen His Majesty."

"Well... all right."

He could wear his armor beneath the uniform.

The armor was that well made, and its sizing made it perfectly possible.

He regretted not being able to wear the coat over it too, but even this much was enough for him to fight if something happened.

Besides, Tae-hyun wasn't the sort who fought by taking hits head-on.

When Tae-hyun returned after changing, Rufo whispered from beside him,

"Tae-hyun, you look like a completely different person."

"Shut it."

Pelmas also whispered,

"Tae-hyun, you really do look like a different person."

"You want to die?"

"Why am I the one getting threatened?!"

Wow, this is seriously comfortable.

That was what Tae-hyun thought as he rode along.

Of course, he wasn't galloping at full speed.

The whole group was traveling slowly.

Still, the trip was incredibly comfortable.

There were swarms of high-level soldiers under Brangsong's command.

So the moment even the slightest inconvenience came up, the soldiers stepped in and handled it immediately.

"The road's a little muddy."

"We'll go fill it in!"

"That bridge looks a bit unstable."

"We'll reinforce it at once!"

Ah, so this is why people pay huge sums to hire subordinates.

It was comfortable enough to make him think exactly that.

There were quite a few players with command skills who hired mercenaries or soldiers and made them their subordinates.

It let them effectively run party play even while solo, and all kinds of annoying tasks could be handled with a simple order.

Thanks to that, all Tae-hyun, Rufo, and Pelmas had to do was ride their horses at a leisurely pace.

Of course, it wasn't all advantages.

"I was thinking of helping out with the cooking..."

"Absolutely not!"

"You're our guest! Why would you cook?!"

The soldiers opposed the idea with the resolve of men ready to die for it.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

If I cooked for a group this big, how much experience would that be...?

Tae-hyun could only smack his lips and back off.

He'd already learned this back on Katerand Island.

Once these soldiers had made up their minds, they absolutely would not budge.

So he could do nothing but ride.

I'm bored. So bored.

There hadn't been many times while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠playing Fantasy Online 2 that Tae-hyun had simply sat still.

Not every player threw themselves into the game as hard as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he did.

Some people just ate food they could never eat in real life, gazed at scenery they could never see in reality, and enjoyed the game at a relaxed pace.

Everyone had their own way of having fun.

But this kind of laid-back enjoyment didn't suit Tae-hyun's personality.

Feeling his hands itch, he looked around.

Lush forests and mountains.

Mysterious flying monsters wheeled through the sky above them... and from deep in the mountains came all manner of cries.

It was a fantasy world in the purest sense.

Looking at it all, he felt his mind beginning to settle.

Maybe I've been too impatient. Yeah... taking it slow and enjoying it is part of the fun too...

"Master. Master."

Yong-yong, having woken from his sleep, spoke to Tae-hyun.

"What is it?"

"There are enemies in the distance."

"......?"

Tae-hyun tilted his head.

The soldiers here were not low level. Some of them were archers, and archers naturally had extremely broad vision.

And yet there were enemies they hadn't noticed?

"Really?"

"They're fighting on the far side of that mountain."

"And how do you know that?"

"Master, who do you take me for? I am a great Gold Drag—"

"Spare me the introduction. How do you know?"

Denied the chance to boast, Yong-yong answered sullenly.

"I heard it."

"By sound? That's impressive."

Tae-hyun turned his horse toward the source of the noise in the distance.

Then he cracked the reins.

"Hyah!"

"...?!"

The soldiers nearby all startled and turned to stare at him.

"Tae-hyun! Where are you going?!"

"Tae-hyun! You have to stay with the group!"

"Haha! Can't hear you!"

Tae-hyun ignored the shouts behind him and spurred his horse forward.

There was only one reason.

I need to do something too!

If he told the soldiers there were enemies in the distance, then what?

"Tae-hyun, please remain where you are!"

"We'll handle it ourselves!"

They'd leave him behind and deal with it on their own. Obviously.

Tae-hyun would end up unable to level his swordsmanship skill, unable to level his magic skill, unable to level any other skill either...

In short, he'd gain absolutely nothing.

In that case, it was better to charge in first and fight.

Even if the soldiers came rushing after him, the situation would already be over by then.

The thought from just moments earlier—taking it slow and enjoying it is part of the fun too—had long since vanished.

Hearing the soldiers behind him scrambling to get ready and follow, Tae-hyun kept riding.

Then he asked Yong-yong,

"By the way, Yong-yong."

"What is it, Master?"

"You said you knew someone was over that mountain because you heard them."

"That's right, Master."

"So how did you know they were enemies?"

If they were so far away that even the sharp-eyed soldiers couldn't see them, then calling it an ambush would be a stretch.

And yet Yong-yong had identified them as enemies right away.

Could it be that a Gold Dragon had some mysterious ability even Tae-hyun didn't know about?

Tae-hyun looked at Yong-yong with that thought in mind.

So he really is a Gold Dragon? Even weakened, he still has abilities—

"What are you talking about? Anything in this world that isn't my subordinate is an enemy."

"......"

Tae-hyun nearly fell off his horse.

His posture wobbled for an instant, then snapped back into place thanks to his superb athletic sense.

"Master, focus on riding! You'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fall!"

"Whose fault do you think that is?!"

Tae-hyun explained to Yong-yong that the world was not divided into subordinates and enemies.

So from now on, if he heard something, he was to report what he heard first instead of making assumptions.

But Yong-yong was stubborn.

The pride of a true Gold Dragon.

"I don't understand what you're saying. If they're not my subordinates, then they're enemies."

"I'm telling you not to judge it like that. Just report who they are to me first."

"No. If they aren't my subordinates, then they're ene—"

Tae-hyun grabbed Yong-yong and dangled him into empty air.

While riding at full speed.

"What are you doing?!"

"Will you report first or not?"

"!"

Yong-yong was highly intelligent.

With the insight and intellect befitting a Gold Dragon, he immediately understood one thing.

This human would really drop him.

"Obeying your command is my joy, Master. Ha ha."

"Much better."

Tae-hyun set Yong-yong back on his shoulder.

To an outside observer, Yong-yong might've looked like an ordinary pet.

A cute little pet that glittered gold.

Who would ever imagine that this adorable creature had once blown an entire island off the map?

"By the way, when are you going back?"

"Didn't I tell you I used up too much power because of Dragon's Breath?"

"I'm asking for the exact time. Or at least a method."

"Hmm. I don't really know the time. Power gathers very slowly... though the way to gather it quickly is simple."

"...?"

"Defeat strong enemies and absorb their power."

"...Don't tell me you're asking for a cut of my experience?"

Even as he asked, Tae-hyun already knew.

Damn it!

If he wanted to restore Yong-yong quickly, he'd have to share experience with him.

What a dilemma.

All at once, Tae-hyun found himself genuinely conflicted.