The Price of a Monarch
The next day.
I stretched out on the bed in my one-room apartment.
“Ughhh, slept like a log.”
You truly slept soundly.
“I barely got any rest for two whole weeks. I deserve at least one proper day off.”
During the tutorial stage, I had only taken the bare minimum of breaks. Any lost stamina or hunger was recovered through Devour. I hunted monster essences without pause, and even after absorbing them all, I trained the power of Polar Night.
“A good night’s sleep really hits different.”
With a refreshed mind, I grabbed my phone.
What is that small contraption?
“An essential item for modern people.”
I scrolled through the internet news articles. The top trending story right now was:
[Is This the Arrogance of an All-Time Rookie, or Just Greed?]
I didn’t need to be told who that “rookie” was. I let out a chuckle and tapped the article.
Wow. The guy really wrote that with his teeth clenched.
It seems they are belittling you.
“Yeah. It’s a backhanded compliment.”
How impertinent! To dare slander my contractor like this!
The other articles weren’t much different. The major outlets pretended to praise my performance while slipping in subtle digs. Some tabloids were outright hyping up Park Jongwon from the Hwarang Guild.
“Oh? The East-West Daily gave me a really nice write-up.”
They must recognize your worth.
“Come on, it’s not about worth.”
It was a well-known fact that domestic media wrote articles according to the interests of politics and big business. If it was the East-West Daily, they were probably connected to the White Tiger Guild. So my favorable coverage could basically be seen as the White Tiger Guild’s intention.
I wonder what the White Tiger Guild is thinking by stepping forward like this. Either way, it’s pretty entertaining.
“They’re moving exactly as I expected.”
How is being insulted part of your plan?
“There’s a different side that’s burning with impatience.”
I lightly shook my phone. The screen displayed:
Missed Calls — 257
Messages — 999+
— This is Red Moon Guild scout, Seong Mi-jin. We would like to recruit you under the best possible terms. The Imugi Guild offers…
— We are looking for outstanding talent like Player Yu Jinho…
The atmosphere was completely opposite to the critical articles. Various guilds were practically desperate to even get a single phone call with me.
So many people desire you!
“Yesterday was the best chance to raise my market value.”
Breaking the all-time tutorial stage record. When the eyes of every media outlet were focused on me, I casually dropped the figure of 100 billion won. Even if no guild could invest that entire amount right away, that single statement had already half-established the equation that my market value equaled 100 billion.
The more the angry press beat me down, the more that 100 billion figure would stick in people’s heads.
Contractor, there is one thing you must keep in mind.
“What is it?”
If you make even a single mistake, you will fall immediately.
Nyx spoke firmly. Despite her words, I could clearly see the worry in her.
I placed my hand on top of Nyx’s head.
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
I had already experienced falling to the bottom in my previous life. In this life, such a thing would never occur.
If I couldn’t even overcome an environment like this, how could I possibly win a war against the Old Gods?
Hehe. As expected of my contractor, I believe you will do well.
“I am grateful for the Goddess’s boundless trust.”
Then what is on your schedule for today?
“Gotta make some money.”
I lightly patted the pouch hanging at my waist.
* * *
Boing. Boing-boing.
Nyx kept swaying her body left and right without stopping.
Ooh, there are so many four-legged iron horses.
“They’re not iron horses, they’re cars.”
Cars?
“Machines.”
It is so different from when I observed mortal society before!
Nyx looked around with an excited voice. Thanks to that, the eyes of everyone nearby focused on me.
“Is that a spirit?”
“Whoa, a player.”
“I’ve seen his face. He’s the guy who took first place in the tutorial.”
“Ah, the hundred-billion guy?”
“Then is that spirit also part of the first-place tutorial reward?”
People gathered in groups of three or five, chattering as they looked at me. It seemed becoming famous for taking first in the tutorial stage had real consequences. I was feeling the weight of this sudden popularity(?) anew.
“A hundred billion for a tutorial? That’s ridiculous.”
“We’ll see if it’s all hype.”
“But that spirit is super cute.”
About half of it was doubt or curses, while the rest was curiosity about Nyx.
I’ll turn that doubt into certainty soon enough.
“Goddess.”
Th-that! It’s so cute!
Nyx was making strange noises. When I followed her gaze, she was staring intently at a stick of cotton candy in a street vendor’s hand.
“Nyx.”
Y-yes? Did you call me?
“We’re almost at our destination.”
Ahem. I see. What a truly bewildering world this is.
Good grief. A goddess getting distracted by cotton candy, of all things.
By the way, what is that towering structure?
“It’s not a tower, it’s a building.”
A massive building erected after demolishing the old Yongsan Electronics Market. A fifty-story comprehensive shopping center dealing in player-related equipment. Of course, they didn’t just sell—they also bought.
I stepped inside the building. The lobby was lavishly decorated, with all kinds of ornaments harmonizing beautifully beneath a huge chandelier.
What a truly beautiful space!
“It’s all the flavor of capitalism.”
I shrugged once and headed down to the basement. The place that bought byproducts was on the second basement floor.
As soon as I entered, a completely different scene unfolded from the flashy first floor.
“Buddy, I can’t go higher than 200.”
“Why is a Drail Horn only 200? It should be 250!”
People were haggling fiercely. If the first floor resembled a luxurious department store, the basement felt like a traditional market. Players trying to squeeze out every last won, merchants raising their voices to knock even a single penny off the price. The value of byproducts from the Tower was being set in real time.
Is that uncle not here yet?
I looked for the shop owner who had been my regular in my previous life, but someone else was sitting in his spot.
Hmm.
If that uncle were here, I could have built a connection to the ‘Artisan.’ It seemed it wasn’t yet time to visit the ‘Artisan.’
Guess I’ll just sell it off roughly.
I looked around and approached a nearby merchant.
“I’d like to sell some tutorial byproducts.”
The merchant adjusted his glasses and scanned me from head to toe.
“Where are the items you’re selling?”
“Right here.”
I opened the Pocket of Desire wide.
Thud, thud, thud!
Byproducts wrapped in swamp lizard hides poured onto the floor. Powerful Moss, Thorn Boar hides, Silver Fang fangs—valuable tutorial byproducts piled up like a mountain. This was the result of two days of grinding without rest.
If I included the corpses I had Devoured, the volume would have been several times larger, but since it made me stronger, I had no regrets.
“J-just a moment, please.”
The merchant examined the byproducts with a trembling voice. I stood with my arms crossed, waiting leisurely for his appraisal to finish.
“……The total comes to just under 530 million. I’ll round it up and give you 530 million.”
An appraisal price not far from what I had expected. Surprisingly honest guy.
“Good. I’ll sell.”
“Wise choice. If you had dealt with someone else, you would’ve gotten ripped off.”
He even threw in a little self-promotion. Quite an amusing uncle.
My balance had ballooned. In just two weeks, I had earned 530 million won. Compared to the 100 billion I had thrown out in front of the reporters and guild representatives, this was an amount that actually felt real.
“This should be enough money.”
Then that cloud from earlier… Ah, never mind.
Nyx was practically drooling. Even though she cut herself off mid-sentence, her intentions were crystal clear. She really was an easy-to-read goddess.
“Since I earned it like a dog, I should spend it like a noble.”
Where are you planning to go?
I pointed at the ceiling.
“Up there.”
* * *
Fifth floor of the Player Comprehensive Shopping Center.
This was the free auction house. You registered items for sale, and once a transaction was completed, you paid a commission. It had a similar structure to the secondhand trading on Oimarket.
Because item prices were so high, most players preferred trading here over the internet.
Everything looks so shabby.
Nyx looked around the free auction house with bored eyes.
“There won’t be anything here that catches your interest, Goddess.”
Most of the items traded in the free auction house were low-grade. Used items with signs of wear, or non-mainstream skill books. On average, it was a place where common to magic-grade items were traded.
How boring. But you’re saying there’s something here that would be useful to you?
“Probably.”
I trailed off and scrolled through the free auction house list.
— Edin Plate Armor.
— Ice Arrow Skill Book.
— Flame Orb.
— Bash Skill Book.
As expected. At best, they were magic-grade or one-star skill books. Those defensive items would be less efficient than my Thorn Armor, so they didn’t catch my eye.
What about the skill books? They were the same grade as the countless essences I had obtained in the tutorial. Even if they were both one-star, there was no synergy to expect, so buying them wouldn’t be very fun.
But the minimum price for items traded in the free auction house started at ten million won.
I’d rather throw money on the ground than buy this junk.
I swiped through the list quickly. Let’s see… If my guess is right, it should definitely be here.
After checking the auction items for about five minutes, my constantly moving hand finally stopped.
“Found it.”
The item that caught my eye.
Cloud Flow Steps
Grade: ★★★
Type: Martial Arts
Price: 250,000,000 won
The first three-star skill book I had seen. More importantly, its classification was listed as ‘Martial Arts.’
“As I thought. Just as I expected.”
I swallowed a laugh.
Back in 2025, martial arts skills were looked down upon. They were restricted skills that could only be used if you had the ‘Internal Energy’ stat. On top of that, even after learning them, it took a long time to raise proficiency to 100%.
It would be several years before martial arts skills received proper reevaluation. Considering that the minimum price for a normal three-star skill was one billion won… 250 million was an absolute steal.
Are you sure there isn’t some other scheme behind this?
“What scheme?”
Your mouth is twitching.
She noticed that, huh. Nyx’s guess wasn’t wrong. At this point in time, there weren’t many people selling martial arts manuals.
If I was lucky… I might be able to form a connection with the person I was thinking of.
“Alright. Let’s buy it right away.”
Without hesitation, I pressed the purchase button. A confirmation text should have been sent to the seller who had listed the item.
I hope they contact me quickly.
There was no reason to linger outside for long. Since I was a late starter, I needed to climb the Tower diligently. Normally it would take a day or two after expressing purchase intent, so as long as I received the Cloud Flow Steps within that time, I wouldn’t be late.
But then—
Are you at the free auction house right now? I’ll bring it to you immediately.
……A notification arrived.
Oh. It seemed the seller was already inside the Player Comprehensive Shopping Center. That was convenient—I could save time.
I waited with my arms crossed for the seller to arrive.
Ding! The elevator doors opened and a man stepped out. He looked around, then spotted me and approached with a pleased expression.
“You’re the buyer for Cloud Flow Steps, correct?”
The seller smiled brightly. I barely held back the laughter threatening to escape and answered in a calm voice.
“Yes. That’s me.”
The person who had arrived holding a worn-out booklet was none other than Shin Junseok—the player famous in Korea as a martial arts user.