Chapter 2 - "Onyx's Treasure Trove"

"H-Huh?"

Though startled by the sudden kidnapping into a dungeon, Vulcan quickly pulled himself together. He tried to calm his mind and sink into a cold focus.

"What the...?"

But the dazzling sight unfolding before him made it hard to stay level-headed. A golden hill. That was the only way to describe it—a mountain literally made of gold coins.

A treasure warehouse? For real?

Vulcan swallowed hard, recalling the message he'd heard just before being dragged here. He'd been playing Gloria Saga since its launch three years ago and had delved deep into the lore, but he'd never heard the name Onyx. It made precise judgment difficult.

But the treasures before his eyes were real. Filling a massive, sealed chamber worthy of the name "treasure warehouse," gold coins and riches rippled everywhere, sparkling seductively as if beckoning him to take them.

99% chance it's a trap.

This was the kind of scene that would make most people charge in yelling about free loot. But Vulcan was one of Gloria Saga's early users, battle-hardened through countless trials. In a game where nothing came easy, setups like this were traps nine times out of ten. So instead of rushing, he tensed up.

His mindset was ingrained: where there were treasures, there were guardians or traps protecting them.

Whatever shows up, I'll kill it.

His expression darkened. To maximize haul weight for more gathering, he hadn't even brought basic combat gear. If a monster popped out now, proper resistance would be impossible.

Dying here would probably drop my iron ores.

So he valued the pile of iron ore in his inventory more than the glittering hoard ahead. Players always dropped at least one equipped or inventory item on death. His ores weren't stacked as separate icons eating space—they were conveniently bundled into one. A single death could wipe them all out, turning three days of effort to dust. He couldn't face another month in the red.

That horror was unthinkable, so he first sought countermeasures.

He scanned the ground and began picking up stone fragments. Using Gloria Saga's mechanic where anything unowned could be itemized, he started filling his inventory. The more item types he had, the lower the odds of dropping his iron ore on death.

One misstep could awaken a guardian or trigger a trap, so he minimized movements, shoving pebbles into his inventory with trembling hands.

"Huh?"

But what he picked up wasn't just stones. He'd thought it was a larger rock, but it was ore.

For a split second, his hairs stood on end and cold sweat trickled down his spine, but no reaction came. Since he hadn't touched the gold or treasures, no guardian appeared, no trap triggered.

So I can pick stuff up...

Vulcan felt a flicker of greed. If he could stuff his inventory full of that gold and loot, whatever dropped on death would still be profit.

Usually, such hauls had "[Acquisition Impossible]" restrictions or required defeating guardians. But ores were going in? No guardians or traps? Greed was inevitable, especially for Vulcan, who cashed in-game resources for living expenses. Their value hit him precisely.

If I sweep up a ton, iron ore's nothing.

Not copper or silver—pure gold. A armful would cover this month's bills.

So, stay sharp.

If acquirable, no need to rush. He could slowly grab what he could, then bolt with inventory stuffed if danger loomed.

Instead of greed, he methodically took confirmed pickups: floor ores. He'd already confirmed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠iron, copper, even Uncommon-grade Verite. Ores now tempted him more.

Rare+ ores outvalued handfuls of gold. No gold drops on death, but ores' cost-performance was superior. He lumbered forward at max safe speed, scooping ores.

As Vulcan predicted, the chamber held plenty of high-value upper-grade ores. In Gloria Saga, where finished items rarely dropped from mobs, such materials fetched premium prices—his heart raced.

Then, an odd ore caught his hand. Mining was a public gathering skill, but non-crafters maxed at C-rank—he hadn't handled many rare ones. He assumed it was special ore.

But as he lifted it, brilliant golden light erupted, shooting toward his forehead.

"?!"

No impact. Onyx's Soul Stone didn't collide—it was absorbed.

"Legendary!"

Forced job change. Shockingly, Onyx's Soul Stone was a job change item—for a Legendary class, no less! The highest known was Epic, and those were rare. Unthinkable.

"Nooo!!!"

But Vulcan screamed in horror at the next line.

Level reset! Top rankers eyed mid-300s; his 183 wasn't top-tier, but three years of growth. He needed those skills and stats for income now.

Reset? He'd considered deleting and restarting—his current grind barely covered costs. But no time: log off a day, and real hunger hit. Recreating from scratch? Skills, skillbooks (worse drop odds than finished items)—his bank couldn't handle it. He'd starve twiddling thumbs, ending at the same startline. Plus, attachment to his warrior.

Forced like this? But worse waited, hammering the nail in.

"Gah! Gaaah!!"

He clutched his neck, eyes rolling back without a scream.

"Me, a crafter?!!"

In a cramped, empty studio apartment, the young man—former owner of a level 183 warrior—bolted up from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his old capsule. Past tense now: his character was level 1 production class.

"Damn it. This month's bills somehow, but next month? How much is even left in the bank?"

Kwon Young-min bit his lip hard, pain snapping focus. Reset shock was huge, but wallowing was a luxury.

Minimize spending—even then, big expenses loom in months...

Back to reality, he calculated swiftly. Account intact, so items salvageable. Unusable now, sellable—but junk tier, low cash. Covers this month, but next? Zero income till leveled—negative even. Plus major outflow soon; needed buffer funds.

"Damn, of all things, a production class."

A never-before-seen Legendary job. Higher than the Epic he'd nearly snagged, life-altering. Grades: Common-Uncommon-Rare-Unique-Epic-Legendary. One step, but worlds apart—cause for cheers, reset or not.

But Young-min couldn't rejoice. It seemed production class. Meister: blanket term for all crafting lines in Gloria Saga.

And rare production users weren't prized for nothing. Crafting skill rank-ups were hellish; even then, Rare+ success rates abysmal.

"Legendary might ease odds, but..."

Higher jobs got bonuses, yet no official Epic+ crafts ever. Even Uncommon+ crafters in guilds grew slowly despite support.

Crafting gave EXP, but tiny amounts. Guild rideshares? EXP split by contribution. Combat needed for levels, but no real fight skills meant starvation.

"Wait, maybe it's fine. Combat's familiar; Legendary crafter? Guilds would beg. Bad contract sucks blood, but negotiate well... Argh!!"

Knowing pitfalls deepened his gloom. Positive spin failed.

"Pray it's blacksmithing at least..."

Worse: Onyx's Incarnation—blacksmith? Architect? Alchemist? Enchanter? Unknown. Pray useful blacksmith line.

No answers till job details; he deep-breathed, logging back in.

"...?"

Fwoosh—brief blackout, then foggy haze rushed at him.

"Guh?!"

Wham!! Face-smashing impact sparked stars—literal [Stun] debuff.

Level 1 could die... Huh?

Odd. No armor, yet HP untouched.

- How dare you keep this body waiting! Am I seeing things?

The attacker bellowed into view.

"T-Tu...?"

Familiar yet alien—any gamer's icon—floated up before him.

"Transparent dragon?!"

A fist-sized translucent dragon hovered, arms akimbo, scowling at Vulcan.