Gifts for Loved Ones
A message popped up.
‘Equal’ distribution changed to ‘Contribution’ distribution.
Pushing aside his twinge of guilt, Mu-hyuk headed back out to hunt.
"Let's move out."
"Yes, sir!"
It wasn't long before they encountered two vampires.
He lined up the Bone Swords to block their charge, and with Enhanced Bone 1 and 2 ready in case any broke through, there was hardly any danger.
In that formation, he fired arrows alongside the Bone Archers to deal damage, then unleashed mage spells once their cooldowns reset, inflicting heavy losses.
Of course, the Bone Swords right up close did the heaviest lifting.
Kraaaah!
These were monsters that seemed at least mid-level 60s, but vampires only doubled their power through bloodsucking.
They couldn't drain skeletons, so it was no surprise they felt weak against them.
Even so, it took five Bone Swords getting reverse-summoned before they finally took the vampires down.
Experience gained. ×2
As expected, two were nothing like one.
Three would probably reverse-summon over ten...
Mu-hyuk felt the need for a break.
He reverse-summoned all the skeletons, found a spot, and sat down.
Come to think of it, four hours had already flown by since entering the building.
His satiety was pretty low too, so he decided to rest and cook something.
"You guys hungry?"
"Ah, yes..."
"Hang tight."
Building rapport with the knight aspirants couldn't hurt.
Their growth was slower than users right now, for sure. But once they hit level 100 and became proper knights, things would change.
Once they started real subjugation quests, their leveling speed would rival any user's.
They might even grow into key members of a knight order someday.
No reason such talents couldn't emerge from this group.
Maintaining good relations could give him a leg up later on.
Turning his head, Mu-hyuk caught sight of the aspirants watching him with sparkling eyes.
"..."
Innocent kids' faces, waiting eagerly for food.
Right, they were just teenagers, after all.
Even without those calculated reasons, sharing food with a group would just make it taste better anyway.
Besides, switching the distribution still nagged at him.
Suddenly, his own mercenary mindset felt petty.
Pathetic.
It was just a few days' difference. Was he overthinking it?
Maybe he'd been treating them as mere NPCs.
But now, hunting together?
Were they just game characters?
No.
They breathed, spoke, felt emotions—they were human. Mu-hyuk didn't want to think of these kids as fake.
In Illusion, at least, they were real.
A self-deprecating smile crossed his lips.
His hand moved on instinct.
‘Contribution’ distribution changed to ‘Equal’ distribution.
In the end, he'd switched it back.
He didn't know why.
But he wanted to.
Yeah, just because.
Only then did his mind ease.
Pfft.
A light chuckle escaped as he brushed off the stray thoughts, letting him focus fully on the cooking.
A simple but heartfelt soup came together.
Cooked food surpassing your level.
‘Dexterity (1)’ has increased.
‘Cooking’ level has increased.
‘Dexterity (1)’ has increased.
Dexterity rose by two points.
◈ Food infused with the chef's care.
◈ Stamina +2 for 3 hours
Cooking reached level 4.
*
They all shared the soup.
Stamina has increased.
That message brought a smile to Mu-hyuk's face.
"Whoa, this is seriously delicious, Squad Leader!"
"The best!"
The praise lifted his spirits even more. The soup's great taste and warmth lightened the mood all around.
The aspirants' initially stiff, awkward expressions had softened into bright smiles, helping too.
Before long, they were chatting among themselves, getting friendly, and even exchanging casual talk with Mu-hyuk.
Treating them as real people let him interact more humanely.
The meal, lasting just over an hour, wrapped up.
"Alright, back to it."
"Yes, sir!"
They roamed the fourth floor together.
Then they ran into three vampires.
"Summon."
He called up skeletons to engage.
Kirrik, kiririk.
Two were tougher than one, and three were way harder still.
Not only did every Bone Sword shatter, but five Bone Archers and two Mages got reverse-summoned too.
To protect himself, he committed Enhanced Bone 1 and 2 from the rear—and they showed power on another level from the regular Bone Swords.
Especially Enhanced Bone 2.
Wearing the Dark Knight set gave it the edge over Enhanced Bone 1 in every way.
Each sword swing carved wounds into the vampires so deep even Mu-hyuk was impressed.
Krraaaah!
The raging vampires couldn't hold out and finally perished.
Experience gained. ×3
The aspirants watched intently, their faces serious.
Witnessing real combat would surely aid their growth.
Hunting vampires on the fourth floor, time slipped by until it neared midnight.
With the hour late, he ordered the aspirants to bed down and logged out.
To shake off the lingering unease, he showered, then lay in bed checking his phone.
Messenger first.
"..."
Nothing.
Tch.
Mu-hyuk checked texts next.
Spam.
Mostly junk.
Oh ho.
Then he spotted one.
An incentive deposit from Illusion.
One, ten, hundred, thousand...
18,856,500 won.
After 3.3% tax...
Rough math said viewership had jumped at least 3%.
Insane.
Honestly, Mu-hyuk hadn't expected this much.
He'd have been thrilled with just 1.5% more...
And if the info board hit top 3 for views?
Time to buy Illusion stock.
Musing that, he logged into the Illusion homepage.
The info board...
"Holy..."
He'd hoped, but for it to actually happen.
His two posts claimed 2nd and 3rd.
Part 1 at 2nd with 3.7 million views, Part 2 at 3rd with 3.5 million.
The broadcast exposure had exploded the views.
Given the tip board's weekly total-view ranking, top 3 was inevitable.
Payment from Illusion was a lock.
2 won per view...
14.4 million won.
Money's piling up.
Selling just a few known tips netted this much.
Keep timing info releases right?
No more money worries.
Buy Illusion stock too...
Planning that, his family crossed his mind.
Hmm.
Dad's frayed wallet.
Mom's worn-out shoes.
Sis... she bought her own stuff and partied fine. Pass.
No big-ticket like house or car, but he could afford those little gifts now.
Yeah, let's do it.
A satisfied smile as he closed his eyes.
The phone slipped from his hand.
Thud.
In the quiet, Mu-hyuk had drifted off to sleep.
The next day.
Still hunting fourth-floor vampires, Mu-hyuk checked the time.
7 PM.
Today, early logout for family gifts.
He'd ordered the aspirants to rest safely—no big worries.
What to wear.
Showered at the gym already. Skip.
Now picking clothes.
"Hmm."
Nothing appealing.
This no, that no.
Clothes swayed on the rack. He grabbed a decent-looking white dress shirt.
Stripped off the dingy one, donned the new.
Added a clean jacket and plain jeans. Done.
Not bad.
Satisfied, he headed out to the nearby department store.
"Welcome."
The entrance staff greeted; Mu-hyuk ignored and entered, scanning floors.
1F: food.
2F: fashion.
Second floor it was.
Escalator up.
His eyes widened.
Accessories gleamed from the entrance.
Gold necklaces, rings standard; diamonds sparkling.
Whew, how much for those?
Glanced at prices.
GIA Diamond.
1 carat: 8.8 million won.
Crazy.
Shaking his head past displays, watches appeared.
Luxuriously flashy, as expected.
Damn, cool.
Guy thing—watches drew the eye. No expert, but they looked sharp.
Hold out a bit longer.
Soon he'd buy them without blinking.
He believed that.
Step, step.
Rounding the corner, Mu-hyuk halted.
A bag brand display caught his eye.
Ferragamo, Montblanc, Goyard, Hermès, Colombo, etc.
Hmm.
Half wallet, so no huge burden, but consider Dad's view.
Hermès or Colombo over 1 million; Goyard 700-800k. Ferragamo and Montblanc around 400k.
Skip Ferragamo and Montblanc.
Hermès or Colombo pricey.
Goyard it is.
Seemed right.
Into the shop; staff welcomed.
"Welcome!"
"Yeah."
"Looking for something?"
"Half wallets."
"Ah, this way."
Followed to the display. Staff showed and explained each.
Honestly, it went in one ear out the other.
Hmm, all much the same...
Then one stood out.
Deep gray with subtle pattern—simple, refined color.
"This one's good."
"Ah, that one? It's..."
"How much?"
"Yes. Originally 880k, but sale now: 705k."
Perfect price.
"I'll take it."
From spotting to buying: about a minute.
This was guy shopping.
"Cash."
"Thank you."
Out of the shop, Mu-hyuk grinned, pulling his phone.
Mom's shoes—what brand.
Searched, found a good one.
Ferragamo.
Right next door.
"Welcome."
"Hi."
"Need help?"
He could pick a wallet himself, but shoes? Better get advice.
"Gift for my mom. Suggestions?"
"Mom? This way."
Listening closely to the sales assistant.
"This is our bestseller loafer. Glossy or matte finishes. Great color too..."
Clean, pretty shoes.
Nice.
Refined without excess.
Perfect for her age.
"Great."
"Right?"
"Yeah. Glossy black."
"One moment!"
Packaged, to checkout.
"420k."
"Cash."
With two gifts secured, Mu-hyuk left the store and hailed a taxi.
Told the driver the destination, then called home.
"Yeah, on my way home."