A Briefcase of Billions

A briefcase filled with neatly stacked golden 50,000-won bills.

"Here's the advance payment of 1 billion won for now."

Lucifer said proudly.

It didn't look like that much at first glance, but with bundles of 50,000-won bills, the scale was just different.

A whopping 1 billion won.

Is this for real?

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sheer amount.

Then, Lucifer's words suddenly came back to me, and I asked again.

"Wait, advance payment?"

"Yes. The total for the item sale was 5.5 billion won, but they said Bulmyeol Guild only has about 1 billion in actual cash on hand right now."

5.5 billion won.

Out of that, 1 billion.

Of course. There was no way a Legendary-grade item's sale price would be just 1 billion won.

I could really become a landlord now.

The dream I'd always chased was suddenly within reach.

For reference, the cash they'd handed over was completely clean money with no issues or tracking.

Lucifer added an explanation.

"They said it would take time to get the remaining 4.5 billion in cash. Sa Choiheon said if you're okay with it, Master, they'd exchange it for items from Bulmyeol Guild's vault."

Exchange for items?

Not a bad proposal.

In reality, even getting the remaining 4.5 billion in cash would make it hard to use.

If I deposited it in a bank, the teller would report it, or the tax office would come calling.

Showing up at a real estate office with that much cash would just get me treated like a lunatic.

So, trading for items might actually be better.

And it was intriguing in its own way.

I'd even get to check out Bulmyeol Guild's warehouse myself.

There were rumors online about it—like a treasure trove stacked with all sorts of valuables.

There have to be cooldown reduction items in there.

In a world where high-grade ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠items were impossible to buy even with money, getting exactly what I wanted would be perfect.

If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing caught my eye, I could always take the cash.

"I'll go check it out later and let you know if there's anything worthwhile."

Lucifer patted his chest as if to say leave it to him. I grinned and nodded.

"Yeah. I'll count on you then too."

The haul was way bigger than expected.

Not only had a massive sum landed in my hands, but I'd also forged a connection with Hunter Sa Choiheon.

On top of that, not just as Mumyeong, but the Awakener Alliance that had nearly threatened all of Korea was wiped out.

"That leader of the Awakener Alliance... he's dead, right?"

"He was the type who deserved to die, so don't worry about it, Master."

I didn't feel any pity. Just as Hunter Sa Choiheon had said, he was an utterly vile villain.

It was shocking, but for different reasons.

A secret organization straight out of movies or comics actually existing in real life.

Noticing my expression, Lucifer hurriedly pulled a pendant from his pocket.

"I brought the pendant too. Try it on."

"Right, that thing."

It was the Legendary-grade pendant that dropped from the demon.

Every single option was excellent, but the most important one was the cooldown reduction.

This shaved off a full 25%.

I immediately hung the pendant around my neck.

At the same moment, a message window popped up.

Less than a month now.

The Instant Death cooldown had visibly shortened.

But isn't the cooldown math a bit stingy?

The reduction was multiplicative, not additive.

A common game mechanic—multiplicative meant you needed way more gear to stack them effectively.

Well...

If eliminating cooldowns were that easy, rich hunters would be spamming massive skills nonstop.

I still need to gather as many cooldown items as possible.

Instant Death had no range limits or real costs, aside from a bit of hunger.

Cooldown was the only bottleneck.

Solve that, and my power was overwhelming.

"Lucifer, good work..."

But Lucifer looked a bit off.

Sweating, with a dazed look in his eyes. Very different from usual.

Was the fight with Belial that tough?

"You okay?"

"Pardon? Oh, of course. I'm perfectly fine."

If he said so, then fine. But then I remembered something I'd forgotten.

"Oh, almost slipped my mind. Lucifer, I've got something prepared for you as a reward for your hard work."

"Pardon...?"

Lucifer tilted his head.

I pointed to the pork hocks on the table.

Of course, piping hot jumbo pork hocks I'd ordered ahead of time before he arrived.

It was the best I could do.

He stared at them like he was entranced.

"Thank you. Your grace is as vast as the heavens, Master..."

"No, no need to go that far."

He looked like he might cry any second, then bolted to the table and started devouring the pork hocks like a man possessed.

Chomp, chomp. Nom nom.

Seeing him eat so heartily made me proud.

"While we're at it, let's order a few large pizzas! Chicken too—all of it. Tell me anything else you want!"

I pulled up the delivery app on my smartphone and started ordering whatever caught my eye. No balance? Just pay cash.

Why skimp after making this much?

Today was flex day.

The next day.

I ate well and slept soundly. A refreshing morning.

Nothing different from usual, but why did it feel so great?

Sitting on the bed in a daze for a bit, I realized why.

It was the 1 billion won.

I squeezed out way too much toothpaste by accident while brushing, but it was fine. I had 1 billion won.

Can't deposit it all, though.

No more worries about daily life for a while, that's for sure. I could spend within reason.

The sense of security was on another level. Who knew having money could bring this much peace?

But something felt off.

Lucifer, who should have been up first thing, was still buried under the covers.

"Ugh..."

And groaning in pain. I pulled back the blanket to check on him.

"Lucifer?"

His forehead was burning up. No joke—hot enough to nearly burn my hand.

"You okay? Did you get hit with some curse?"

Solomon's 72 demons—Belial. Sounded ominous just by name.

Did I take him down too easily? Was this the hidden trap?

"No."

Lucifer shook his head at my question.

Then what? A cold? Apostles catch colds?

As wild guesses swirled, Lucifer forced his mouth open.

"This is probably... because I disobeyed your order, Master."

"Disobeyed my order? When?"

I asked, but something came to mind.

- Just a bit longer, please wait a little more.

- No, if I can end it now, I'll end it.

Right after, he'd fired off beams, but Belial didn't die.

Did that count as disobeying?

"It's nothing..."

Lucifer staggered to his feet anyway.

"It'll pass with time. No need for you to worry, Master..."

Thud.

He collapsed right there.

"Don't force yourself."

He did it for me, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the system counted it as disobeying. What kind of bullshit system was that?

Splash.

I soaked a towel in cold water and placed it on his forehead first.

I tried giving him cold medicine and potions from the house, but no effect. Arms crossed, I sat in front of him.

"We'll wait till you recover."

"I'm ashamed..."

Today's schedule wasn't anything major.

A D-rank instance gate and an F-rank labyrinth.

Might get a unique skill reset scroll as a reward.

For reference, the demon kill reward hadn't come in yet.

Maybe because I cleared it at Legend+ level, not just Legend. Still processing.

"Rest here today."

I stood up.

Instance gates and F-rank labyrinths were soloable anyway.

"B-but it could be dangerous..."

My level was 50 now.

Hard to even get in danger in an F-rank labyrinth.

Same for D-rank instance gates. They spawned sub-D-rank monsters, all lower level than me. No traps either.

"!"

But Lucifer's gaze as he looked at me was unusual.

Not at me, but at the starlight floating around me.

He narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Master, has a new constellation appeared?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Is its modifier... White Dawn...?"

"Yep."

Lucifer's eyes shook.

"That bastard... how does it know... no mercy, gotta squeeze it dry..."

Lucifer's words cut off. His fever spiked, and he collapsed to the floor.

I asked the white starlight in the air.

"You two know each other?"

"..."

A pretty sloppy message. Playing innocent meant they knew each other.

"Whatever."

I'd ask Lucifer when he woke up.

"Rest up."

Today's plans were no big deal solo.

Plus, I still had the black feather from Lucifer. If shit really hit the fan, I could summon him.

I grabbed a water bottle and leftover pizza from yesterday into my backpack. Then I opened the system ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠window to generate the instance gate.

Vmmm—!

"Let's go in."

I stepped toward the circular purple gate.

The inside of the gate was a wide-open plain.

Nice air.

The breeze over the plain felt refreshing. Untouched by human hands, maybe.

In the distance, an orc settlement.

No ambush worries here.

A huge advantage. As long as I avoided rushes, defeat wasn't possible.

Details would show up close.

Weakling Extermination range was 100m anyway.

Quick warm-up before heading out.

I swung the Annihilation Sword lightly, did some side jumps in place.

Level up 20 times. Needed time to adjust to the changed body.

Even with Weakling Extermination, prep for the unexpected.

Swish, swish!

Stats felt higher for sure. Intense movement, not a drop of sweat.

Good enough.

No plans for sloppy melee.

My skills weren't combat-oriented. No movement aids or power amps.

Just thorough elimination.

Combat my style.

Annihilation Sword in hand, I headed for the orc settlement.

Snort, snorrt—!

Primitive village. One orc on watch.

Bwooo—!

The horn blast from its hand echoed across the village.

No need for prep moves.

One word was enough.

"Weakling Extermination."

Fwoosh—!

The horn-blowing orc dropped dead instantly.

No trace left. I timed it late on purpose.

To gather the orcs inside.

Snort, snort—!

【Lv. 39】

【Lv. 41】

【Lv. 37】

Orcs rushed in at the horn sound, rusty swords and stone axes in hand.

Decent weapons.

Compared to goblins with crude blades, highly threatening gear.

Normally, a solo hunter would fight them head-on.

Instance gates were solo-only.

Kill 25 orcs on an open plain, no hiding or running.

Tough physically and skillfully.

Not for me.

I pulled the black mask from inventory and put it on.

Shh.

I vanished before their eyes. The orcs looking my way started scanning around.

"Weakling Extermination."

I called the skill name on purpose. Seemed better that way.

Splatter, fwoosh—!

Bloodstorm engulfed the area. About ten orcs returned to nothing. The wind carried a foul stench of blood.

Snoort—!

Snort?!

Surviving orcs in the back yelled in unison. They swung weapons wildly, searching for the vanished me.

But their attacks couldn't reach.

I'd already moved far out of range.

"Weakling Extermination."

Fwoosh—!

Death's wave swept the orcs again. They vanished helplessly before it.

All regular orcs in the village annihilated.

"..."

An eerie silence settled over the village.

Then, the central tent rustled.

"Snoort!"

Out emerged an Orc Warrior.

【Lv.49】

This gate's boss.

Different from the others in appearance. Bulging muscles, 1.5 times bigger.

It went berserk, swinging its weapon with massive force.

Whoosh! Whoosh—! Whooosh!

The wind from its swings reached me.

Normally, I'd have to face that head-on?

No way. One hit and I'd be done.

How do other hunters clear instance gates?

"Weakling..."

Whooosh—!

The moment I started the chant. An axe hurled my way.

Boom!

It embedded five steps from me. My heart dropped for a second.

"..."

In that split instant, the Orc Warrior had heard my voice and thrown.

Heard me from this far?

Insane hearing. But I'd been careless.

Damn.

Stealth didn't mean safe. Instant Death didn't mean invincible.

A mere D-rank Orc Warrior did this—what about higher monsters?

Thump thump.

Heart wouldn't calm. Head cooled rapidly instead.

Worried about heart sounds, I chanted short and soft.

"Die."

Fwoosh—!

Regular orc or warrior, equal before Weakling Extermination.

Orc Warrior exploded, leaving one magic stone.

D-rank gate cleared.

"..."

Victory, but uneasy.

Bad luck and that axe would've hit direct. Devil Pendant would've saved me with defense, but still risky.

No more mistakes like that.

I reviewed the moment.

Chants short and quiet. No complacency even in advantage. Always watch enemy moves.

No gaps for anything remotely strong.

Future monsters way tougher than Goblin Warriors.

"Hoo."

I sighed, pulled pizza from bag, took a bite. Clear done. Eyes to system window.

Time for rewards.

Legend rank again.

Now the real part.

Would the unique skill reset scroll come out?