New Update
110 billion won. No matter how many times I counted, it was certain. That astronomical figure. All I had to do was submit the deposit request, and it would transfer straight into my account.
……For the first time in my life, money was starting to scare me. 110 billion won? How many lottery jackpots would I have to hit for that kind of cash?!
But what terrified me even more was how I was treating that astronomical reward as a given.
A salary that wasn't bad for a single guy living alone. And yet, the days when I'd shed bloody tears over every expense. The sweltering summers and bone-chilling winters where I'd obsess over every minute the AC or heater ran. Imagine dropping 110 billion won on the me from back then.
One thing was for sure: chronic insomnia. Every night, I'd lie awake wondering if burglars were breaking in. Or if I'd suddenly quit my job and my colleagues or boss would notice. What if the bank teller skimmed it off? I'd have tossed and turned over pointless worries.
In that sense, it was a relief.
『The heir to a great lineage, who was born into abundance and tasted the pinnacle of luxury.』
This extraordinary sense of money. Was it thanks to that setting? My mind didn't go blank—instead, it spun even faster.
“Above all, the most urgent matter is arming myself.”
Right, that's urgent. From level 55 to 134. My level had shot up dramatically, and by a lot.
The gear I was using now was honestly negligible. In front of high-level monsters, it was no different from just wearing a long coat.
I need to use my head here…….
But that brought its own problems. Say I geared up to match this sudden level spike. What then, for the next level-up?
Of course, there was no guarantee I'd level this fast in the next rift. But objectively speaking, even at 134, I was still low-tier. Catching low-level demons like imps was enough to boost my level.
Is it smart to buy gear for my current level bracket? For tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of won?
Absolutely not.
That naturally led to the next question. So, was I saying no gear at all? When I never knew when I'd have to dive into a life-or-death rift?
No, that wasn't it either. I had my own ideas.
‘Gear where the effects matter more than raw specs.’
Why? Items that derive their high value from effects rather than pure attack or defense stats.
‘There are items with great effects that ignore level restrictions.’
That's what I needed right now. Especially……
‘If only I had a bit more mana regeneration…….’
Mana regeneration items!
In the Count Ascura rift, I'd learned just how crucial mana was. Even setting aside the crisis from mana exhaustion, there'd been plenty of times I regretted running low.
If I could shore up my mana regen……
‘I might be able to hold out somehow.’
Until I could afford top-tier high-level gear, that is.
It'd be pricey, obviously……?
Back when Arcana was just a game, mage classes were treated like nobility. Flashy aesthetics aside, their baseline performance demanded massive investment to raise properly.
And for those mages, mana regen items were essential.
Now that Arcana was reality, their value had skyrocketed.
……Tens of billions per item? The gasps would echo for days.
Me, buying—not selling—items like that? Unthinkable before. But my emotions didn't waver.
I sat at the table. Back straight against the chair. Tilting the teacup leisurely now and then.
No item worth tens of billions—or more—could shake Grandfell's resolve.
Whether I got 110 billion or the whole world fixated on me, no unnecessary fretting.
The same went for the repeating quests filling up. Proof in my unchanged routine.
A my-way-or-the-highway stubbornness that bordered on vicious.
Suddenly, it hit me.
……Did middle school me really act like this?
But I shoved that thought aside. Getting my black history dragged out in front of my one and only niece, Arang, was bad enough.
*
Sometimes, the unknown holds the real value.
“What on earth is his deal?”
Lee Hoyeol's situation was exactly that.
The Count Ascura raid with Jessie Haynes. But the truth of that incident remained shrouded.
Hoyeol and Jessie—the principals—had clammed up like they'd made a pact.
“Let's start with the footage.”
From stone pillars erupting from the ground. To the moving statue crumbling before Hoyeol.
People strained to uncover even his class, let alone his identity.
But it had to make sense first.
The more they scrutinized the video, the more mysterious Hoyeol became.
“Alchemy's confirmed, at least.”
“Alchemy?”
“Yes. Zoom in here…… See? The ruins' debris turning into pillars, clear as day. Textbook alchemy…… But that doesn't add up. The mana cost for alchemy is insane…… How high is his mana pool……?”
“Expert?”
Former Arcana devs. AAU wasn't much different.
At AAU Korea, Seong Hyunjun was sick of hearing it.
Thud—he slumped at his desk and griped to his senior.
“Senior, I'm dying here.”
“What now?”
“It's all Lee Hoyeol this, Lee Hoyeol that. Total chaos……!”
Friends, cousins, even parents. Inquiries about Hoyeol flooded in.
He got it. How long had it been since a star player like this emerged?
No one in Korea had shone like Gaon's Nam Taemin—until now.
Olympic medals dominated chatter for weeks. Hoyeol had averted a rift collapse—a real catastrophe.
“Can't be helped. My kids go nuts when I get home. ‘Dad, just tell me!’ Swearing they won't blab at school.”
“That's what's killing me.”
“Exactly. Gotta know something to spill!”
They both stared at the monitor's Hoyeol.
What the hell? Those skills? Toppling Count Ascura? Even as ex-ops, they couldn't guess his level—or class.
Seong Hyunjun shook his head.
“Bigger issue: it's gonna suck long-term.”
Just answer nicely? Blame Hoyeol's prickly interview—the one blowing up as much as his feats.
“We're dying to know too. Can't just spill……”
From Arcana ops to AAU staff, secrecy was key. Act ignorant if you know, informed if you don't. Better half-ignored than stirring panic with loose lips.
Small mercy:
“First time I'm hyped for Thursday.”
Today was Thursday. New update maybe.
Details drop, Hoyeol hype fades? Ears saved.
Seong Hyunjun hoped.
“Rise. Rise……!”
Did his prayer work? Arcana site posted the update.
“It's up!”
AAU staff snapped to check. Seong Hyunjun sighed in relief.
……Shouldn't celebrate, but gotta survive!
Rifts: eternal time bombs. Hoyeol: assault on sanity.
Scroll—Seong grinned. Long list. Not just rifts—packed content.
This scale…… Hoyeol buzz dies down?
Wishful thinking.
Players checked too.
“Wait, real? This dropped?!”
“……Gotta meet again.”
“Hold off just till this update.”
“Damn. One more rival.”
Rival: Hoyeol, obviously. Massive update. Ex-players thrilled at the details.
A new region arrives at your side. Introducing the new region, ‘Yusra Archipelago’……
Yusra Archipelago!
Arcana game era legend. Rumored treasure island via quests, maps, NPCs.
Everything there: treasures beyond compare.
Players scoured the continent. Never found—till reality hit.
Assumed myth……
“Sickness then cure?”
Post-Ascura: Yusra drops.
“Every monster's coming. For real.”
Rankers/high-levels ignore treasure island? No.
Hoyeol shone brightest lately. Buzz only grows.
“This time, with full formality……!”
Good or bad.
“One humiliation's enough for the empire's unification.”
Yusra Archipelago. Treasure island. Hoyeol draws eyes.
But unfazed by attention or wariness.
Always the same.
Even scanning Yusra details.
“…….”
His haughty face unchanged.
…….
Yusra Archipelago? What's this now.
I sipped tea, scanning the update.
Lately, it's clear……
10-year gap: serious issue.
Recently: didn't recognize that pointed hat…… Jessie Haynes.
[Heaven's Punishment] turning Ascura to ash: impressive, but rank 4? Unbelievable.
Told a top ranker to mind manners……
‘Etiquette's basic.’ Lectured out of nowhere.
Forced a polite intro too……
Recall that blunder.
Yet shamelessly:
“This new tea isn't bad.”
Of course. 200-won green tea bags!
……Enough. Drop it.
Won't change anyway.
Knowing Jessie's ranker? Attitude stays.
Not just personality letting me chill on update.
10-year gap? Internet fixes it.
‘Yusra Archipelago.’
Core of this patch.
Green window up, type “Yusra Archipel”—
“?”
I froze.
Update's end.
“……This?”
One line hooked my eye.