Great Thief's Boots (1)

6,327,250 gold. That was the total tax revenue collected through Kaljen Castle over the past four weeks. In cash terms, it exceeded 600 million won—an enormous sum. It would have been less than half this amount under normal circumstances, but thanks to the crowds drawn by the recent Achievement Event ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the final week, it had at least doubled compared to the previous month. And this tax revenue would continue to grow steadily as players' levels kept rising.

"This is the amount I've collected over the past month. It's increasing bit by bit every day. It might seem a bit pricey, but if you succeed in defending the castle, you absolutely won't lose out."

The group gathered in a rented inn room in Kaljen Outer Village consisted of just three people. New Yorker, the treasurer of Olympus. Baragi, vice guild master of Atlantis. And Pandora, guild master of Amazon. All were renowned players shaking up the Tayen server.

"You're planning to abandon tomorrow's siege anyway since you're holding it solo. Do you really have to sell it for that much?"

"I don't get why you're saying that when you already know everything. If you leave the castle empty, Taesung will snatch the obelisk first—do you really want that?"

"Exactly, Baragi. Even if you buy it on a whim and fail to defend, you'll just lose the gold. If you're unhappy, feel free to back out."

"Phoenix builds a nation, and now Atlantis is getting antsy too? Can you hold Kaljen Castle in this siege? Phoenix can't even spare reinforcements because they're busy with their own mess."

Taesung was a common enemy, but that didn't mean the guilds were united. From their usual relationships and the fact that two of the Four Great ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Guilds' executives were here, Sandro could gauge the tensions.

"Now, now, that's not the point right now, is it? Anyway, you're all busy, so let's wrap this up quickly. As I mentioned before, you three have all brought the Great Thief Boots, right?"

"Yes."

"Of course."

"Half the boots circulating on the server are probably gathered here."

"Haha! You're probably right. Then, as I said earlier, we'll give it to the one who offers the highest additional gold."

After Baragi's brief grumbling, they opened trade windows one by one to confirm the items and additional gold. Truth be told, auctioning an empty castle to these three famous guilds could be seen as pretty rude. He could have sold it privately, but he wasn't entirely sure it would sell this way—and more than anything, he desperately wanted those Great Thief ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Boots—so he'd subtly encouraged some competition. In the end, though, he'd told them in advance that he'd sell outright to the highest additional bidder rather than a free-for-all auction.

"First, New Yorker."

"Yes."

+2 Great Thief Willipeng's Strange Boots and 1.2 million gold. A solid amount.

"Next, Baragi."

"Check it."

+2 Great Thief Willipeng's Strange Boots and 1.51 million gold. Atlantis had invested heavily.

This would mean handing it over to Olympus at a loss, but he'd already discussed it with Hellfire, so he was prepared to swallow that much.

"Finally, Pandora."

"Here."

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

Amazon Guild had just claimed their first castle after a successful siege in a beginner zone. Not expecting much, Sandro checked the trade window—and couldn't hide his surprise.

'Whoa? +3 Great Thief Boots?'

To think someone had the balls to enhance this rare, expensive item!

Enhancement success rates were relatively high at low levels. But even so, attempting it on a field-drop Legendary like this was extremely rare. The loss from failure and destruction far outweighed the gains from a +1 boost. In fact, you could say almost all +3 or higher Legendaries came from dungeons.

From Pandora's perspective, she desperately wanted Kaljen Castle but figured +2 boots wouldn't cut it, so she'd gone all-in with a gamble. No matter the deal with Hellfire, he couldn't lie and hand it over to someone else after she'd shown such sincerity.

'Hellfire just wanted Atlantis not to get Kaljen anyway... this should be fine.'

These boots could be a lifelong treasure. Passing up a +3 version was too regrettable.

"I've confirmed all your offers. The new owner of Kaljen Castle is Pandora of Amazon. Thank you both for participating. Hopefully we can do business again next time."

Baragi turned away with a disappointed look but took it coolly. New Yorker hesitated, as if he had something to say—clearly caught off guard since it didn't match what he'd heard.

Only after New Yorker left could Sandro finally talk one-on-one with Pandora.

"When I heard about the Kaljen Castle sale, I really wanted it, so I put up my trusty Great Thief Boots as collateral. We're still short for claiming a second castle, but the guild's grown enough that I'm confident we can defend it."

'Huh? Amazon already has that many members? Haven't seen them much in the fields... impressive anyway.'

Amazon was a fairly well-known major guild, and its guild master Pandora was a tall young woman about Sandro's height. Running a guild in a VR game like Tayen was tough for young leaders, but she seemed to be handling it well. For a born solo player like him, it was unimaginable—she truly seemed remarkable.

They chatted amiably, ironing out the sale details.

"So, we'll transfer the castle at noon tomorrow. You've got plenty of defense prep to do."

"Yeah, tonight's the last night for Kaljen Castle, huh? Still tons of people inside, so you'll collect a good day's taxes at least."

"Sorry for dragging it out to squeeze every last coin. See you tomorrow at that time!"

"Your event brought in all these users, so as the buyer, it's only fair I give you this courtesy. See you tomorrow, Lord!"

The deal required one side to hand over their item first. He was supposed to receive the boots when transferring the castle tomorrow, but he asked for prepayment. Pandora said she'd planned to trust him and hand them over first anyway, then generously traded the Great Thief Boots and left the room.

"Whew, guild masters really are something else."

Watching her boldness stirred a bit of self-reflection. Alone in the inn room now, Sandro carefully inspected his new acquisition.

"Kuhaha! To think the day I'd equip this item would actually come! Great Thief Boots you couldn't buy for any price! Hell yeah!"

This Legendary footwear dropped at ultra-rare rates from legendary chests—not monsters. It was famous among players for two reasons. First, it had a movement speed boost rare even for Legendaries. Second, it granted the adhesion effect—aka 'wall-climbing'—that had gone viral in countless YouTube videos.

"It's practical as hell, but the style is on another level. How jealous I was seeing people run up village walls!"

When VR games launched, players craved experiencing fantasies impossible in reality. Illusion, the top-tier god company praised by all, scratched that itch perfectly, seamlessly integrating those dreams throughout Tayen. From superhuman leaps of meters or sprinting 100 meters in 5 seconds... to soaring freely through the skies with magic!

Of course, these weren't handed out freely—they required grinding levels, farming gear, and more. But the mere possibility hooked people.

The Great Thief Boots, newly introduced to Tayen, had set communities ablaze upon release. They let you emulate Hollywood's iconic spider-hero: scale sheer cliffs vertically, hang upside-down from cave ceilings or building roofs. As Willipeng said, no place became unreachable—a unique ability turning you into a master infiltrator.

"During the Rozentas siege, climbing those walls... without absent NPC guards, it'd have been tricky. With these, infiltration anywhere is worry-free. And me? I'll put 'em to better use than anyone in Tayen!"

Tayen's instanced dungeons were mostly party-oriented. Endless trash mobs led to party raid bosses—a standard setup for an MMO emphasizing group hunts.

But Illusion overlooked one loophole.

'Most dungeon bosses require parties, but I can solo 'em!'

That meant if he could bypass the mobs packing the path to the boss room... he could reset dungeons endlessly, cherry-picking bosses forever.

Thud, thud.

He walked to the wooden inn room's corner, pressed his foot against the wall, and climbed straight to the ceiling—upside-down.

"Was gonna rest today... but now I've got one more way to milk this final day dry."

15 hours until handing Kaljen Castle to Amazon. In his remaining time as lord, he'd farm Orc Priest Ultar over and over.

Upside-down on the burrow ceiling, relentlessly dashing to his boss room—jump after jump!