Spec-Up
"7.7 billion? You really got a steal."
"I know. I didn't think I'd actually be able to buy it."
I still couldn't quite follow how the whole thing had swung so wildly. The guy had shown up alone, thrown a fit, and vanished—then come crawling back, begging me to buy it. The viewers must have been satisfied with how it landed, because hardly anyone objected to the 7.7 billion purchase. So I bought it.
"Whoa. These options are insane."
They'd looked incredible just sitting there, but the moment I equipped the piece, the jump in my specs was impossible to miss.
Magic Power54→ 59(+10%)
Mana275→ 412(+50%)
Max Mana Regen / min+10%
The ten percent bump to maximum mana recovery per minute was clearly a meaningful option in its own right.
"Clean."
"Congratulations."
"It's all thanks to you, Sarang. I just blurted the name out—that must've put you in a tight spot."
"It's fine. Seop understood, so it doesn't matter."
Honestly, you could say the whole deal had ridden almost entirely on the stream. I'd mentioned the Lich King's Soul Pouch on air without even knowing where it was, and though it was Lim Sarang's connections that actually carried the word, that was how I'd ended up face-to-face with the owner. I knew that from his side of it the whole thing might feel like absolute bullshit, so I'd deliberately named a steeper price. When you barge in rudely just because you've got money, you have to stuff enough of it down their throat that they don't have room left to resent you. And as the price of that rudeness, I'd covered the exchange fee on top of the fifty billion.
"A deal this size, though—someone could've asked to be paid outside the game. Nobody did?"
The strange part was that everyone had taken Haven money and closed it out that way. If they meant to spend Haven currency inside Haven, that was only natural, but converting it to cash would cost a ten percent fee. Wouldn't it have been better to just demand cash and hand over the item? Was it because the stream was on?
While I was turning it over, Lim Sarang explained.
"Small amounts are fine, but once a private deal crosses into the hundred-millions, the National Tax Service opens an investigation. If you get caught, you can end up paying more than that ten percent in taxes, and the records get passed to Haven and your account gets suspended. It's a terms-of-service violation."
"Ah."
Fair enough. If some nameless stranger wired fifty billion—a little over sixteen billion in actual cash—for no reason at all, the National Tax Service wasn't going to just let that slide. Thinking about it that way, I was struck all over again by how much influence Windy wielded. Even if you withdrew tens or hundreds of billions, money pulled out of Haven wasn't taxed, was it? Did she skim a cut of that ten percent fee?
"You specced up properly."
"It'd be nice if I could equip the Lich King's Soul Pouch too. Guess I'll just have to sit on this one until level forty."
"You'll level in no time. Take it slow, and if you pick up one more five-star in the level-thirty range, you could even graduate your accessories. There are still a few five-stars in the thirties out there. Look patiently and you'll find one."
"Thank you. You helped me out again."
"I'm looking forward to it. A five-star solo clear. I'll be cheering."
The other viewers rooted for me out of plain fan loyalty, but getting this kind of special help from Lim Sarang left me genuinely grateful.
"Want to grab a meal, at least?"
"...What? A meal?"
For a second Lim Sarang's face went red as she asked again.
"What?"
She'd reacted so hard that I was the one who got flustered.
"Uh... sorry. I just felt like I was only taking help, so I wanted to treat you. If it's a burden, you don't have to. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. Last time, the photo had the viewers making things really awkward for you, didn't it?"
"Oh! Ah, no, it's— um, a meal..."
Is this really worth reacting that hard? Even as I thought it, I remembered she was a female celebrity—an idol whose stock was climbing fast. Right. One photo and sharing a meal didn't feel the same.
"Then I'll see you next time, if there's a chance."
I gave up cleanly and turned to go, and Lim Sarang caught me.
"No, no! It's fine! Eating. I don't mind!"
"What?"
"It's... I want to eat too. But, um..."
"Yeah."
"The stream... is on... you know that, right?"
"Huh...?"
I looked at the stream chat.
I could see the place had gone completely nuts. But what was the big deal?
"Isn't it better to treat you with the stream on? If we wander around eating and the viewers catch that, they'll get the wrong idea. And they helped a lot too. I can't treat all of them, but I should at least let them see us eating together."
"Ah. R-right. ....But I've never actually streamed in real life..."
Huh?
I looked at Lim Sarang, carefully voicing her worry, and asked again.
"In real life? I meant in Haven."
"Ah!"
For a moment Lim Sarang froze where she stood, then covered her small face with both hands. Only then did her startled reaction make sense.
"Pfft."
"Don't laugh!"
"Ah. Sorry. You misunderstood. I'm not that much of a piece of trash. Please don't look at me like some streamer who hides behind a hundred thousand viewers to fill his own pockets. Of course it wouldn't work in real life. A nobody like me having a one-on-one meal with a superstar like you? A scandal would blow up. A scandal."
If you asked whether I wanted to meet her even once, of course I did. But come on—this was a connection made through a stream. Trying to drag it into real life would make my intentions way too obvious. Even in Haven, when else was I ever going to share a meal with a celebrity this pretty?
"Th-then pick a date and let me know. I'm busy today, so..."
"Oh no you don't. You don't get to run away now, Sarang."
I caught her by the wrist as she turned, face still covered, ready to bolt. Something about the moment made me want to tease her.
"I'm saying it's embarrassing."
"Come on. What do you have to be embarrassed about? I'm the only one getting cursed out for creeping on you about a meal. Look."
I'd only said it in passing, but the chat was genuinely tearing into me.
And so, for those reasons, we headed to a restaurant for a meal.
Haven was packed with great restaurants. Being virtual reality, the variety of food it could render was enormous, and there were even plenty of users who came specifically for food tours—all the taste, none of the weight. It wasn't free, of course. This was another reality, so ingredients were expensive, and the better the food, the higher the price. Even so, you could still eat far more cheaply than in the real world.
"Wow. I've never been here. It's really good."
"Huh? Really? I booked it because they said it was a famous omakase."
"It's 1.5 million won a person..."
"How frugal of you."
"No. I love food, but in Haven that money should go to potions. Hehe..."
Every dish that came out was delicious, without exception—not because I was eating it with Lim Sarang, but good enough that I wanted to try the place once in real life.
"I should come here. In real life, too."
"Mm. It really is good. I'd like to come with the members sometime."
"What about me?"
"...What?"
"Come with me too."
"..."
"Kidding. Kidding."
The conversation was fun. The food was good, though having the viewers watching made it a little uncomfortable. Even so—how many men got the honor of eating with Lim Sarang like this, even in Haven?
"Oh! Siwoo, and the weapon enhancement quest—are you doing that after you clear the five-star?"
"Hmm. Oh! Right."
Mid-meal, Lim Sarang asked about the Dragon's Staff. I'd forgotten it completely, so I was grateful.
"Thanks. I'd forgotten. Hmm. If I can do the growth quest, I was thinking of doing it before I go in. Since I bought the accessory anyway, I figure it'd be nice to wrap the spec-up up cleanly."
"Right. I think it'd be good if your attack power were just a little higher from here."
"Want to do it together? The quest?"
"...With me?"
"If you're bored."
"Ah... I have a dungeon appointment tomorrow..."
"Then next time, a meal in real life..."
"Sorry."
At the continued attempts Lim Sarang let out a little laugh, then set both arms on the table, leaned forward, and smiled seductively.
"Shall we? Stream off. Just the two of us. One meal."
"..!"
Lim Sarang was no pushover either. This was not a level a guy who'd barely dated one woman could handle.
"Ahem."
And that face. That tempting smile. Right in front of me—how was I supposed to answer like it was nothing?
The meal ended with the viewers mocking me.
"Want me to stick with you until you head into the dungeon?"
"Nah. It's fine. I was joking. You've got your own things to do. Thanks again today."
I left the bittersweet meeting with Lim Sarang behind and headed for the Magic Tower.
"I got two good drops today, so I'm in a good mood. I'll just pick up this quest and go."
When I reached the Magic Tower and said I wanted to see the Magic Tower Lord, I was guided straight to the top floor.
"O descendant of the dragon. You have come."
"I want to grow this staff. What do I have to do?"
"Ooh. You wish to grow the staff."
Heh heh. The Magic Tower Lord stroked his beard and looked me over.
"But it seems the descendant is not yet prepared to draw out the staff's power..."
"What. There's a level requirement?"
"To draw forth the staff's first power, you must achieve level 10 by the measure of an adventurer's growth, and then return."
"Ah..."
"Of course! It is not that there is no way..."
"Huh? Really?"
"Ordinarily one would break the staff's seal with the power of level 10, together with the materials—but for an early stage such as this, I can assist you to that extent. Heh heh."
"Oh! Then tell me."
Such a good method. I said it all excited, and the Magic Tower Lord avoided my eyes.
"However, this old frame has grown frail with age, and my strength fails me... Merely liberating the Dragon's Staff to its first stage demands considerable mana... As you know, the Magic Tower's finances have not been good of late..."
"..."
This old bastard.
I let out a sigh.
"How much do you need?"
"Heh heh. It is not that money is strictly necessary, but as it pleases the dragon's descendant... I shall wring out what strength remains to me and assist you."
It was a question of order. Raise three more levels and enhance the weapon? Pay up, enhance the weapon, and walk into the five-star? Or leave the weapon at one-star, finish the spec-up with the single accessory, and go in like that?
"The materials required..."
The conclusion was already decided. If I'd just gone in, maybe not—but since I'd already bought an accessory, I wanted to close out this spec-up episode for good.