Episode 81
081. Petty-Bourgeois Thinking
“Are you confident?”
These were Cha Yu-kyung’s first words, watching the negotiation from the side. Even she seemed surprised by how quickly the talks had ended. In truth, golden hand himself was in a daze.
“Well, I was confident… but I never expected them to accept this amount… Ha, haha.”
golden hand laughed awkwardly.
13 billion won.
It was an amount he had just thrown out there. Negotiations are usually like that—ask for the moon, the other side haggles it down, and you repeat until you find a middle ground.
But that entire process was skipped. Panteria had accepted Geumson’s demanded amount without question.
‘Is 13 billion cheap? Did I seriously lowball it? Or maybe…’
He didn’t know Panteria’s internal circumstances, but they seemed to be in quite a hurry. The fact that they ended the negotiation in an instant, without any minor haggling, suggested as much. At that moment, a message chimed on Geumson’s smartphone.
[Deposit: 1,300,000,000 KRW]
[Balance: 1,600,524,929 KRW]
13 billion won, transferred directly into his account. Combined with the cash he had liquidated through Changsoo, it amounted to roughly 16 billion. Panteria’s work was fast. However, only upon seeing the amount actually deposited did it finally feel real.
’16 billion…’
The cash earned through “Lepione”. golden hand felt his sense of monetary scale wavering slightly.
‘Is 13 billion just a trivial sum now?’
golden hand smiled. If 13 billion was trivial, he planned to raise it to a level that wouldn’t be trivial at all. Slowly. He intended to increase the amount while gradually upping the number of transactions. Oblivious to his suspicious thoughts, Cha Yu-kyung’s eyes sparkled as she spoke to him.
“You’re amazing. I didn’t even get a chance to step in. And I had no idea you were so fluent in English!”
“Just survival English, survival English.”
“That was full-on business English… Anyway, let’s go! The move should be mostly finished by now.”
Cha Yu-kyung took Geumson’s arm and led him away. At the mention of the completed move, golden hand snapped to attention. As significant as the negotiation was, he was now curious about his new place to live.
Ding—
The place they arrived at was a penthouse located at the very top of the building. The elevator doors opened with a cheerful sound. The curious thing was the lack of a front door. The living space came into view as soon as the elevator opened.
“Wow, a place like this… actually exists. But without a front door, the heating and cooling bills must be…”
golden hand voiced a petty-bourgeois worry. In response to his concern, Cha Yu-kyung smiled gently.
“We’ll handle all those things, so please don’t worry and just live comfortably, Mr. Geumson.”
Only then did golden hand begin to look around his new home with ease. He couldn’t close his mouth. Floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides presented a panoramic view of Seoul, and the interior was filled with top-tier furniture and cutting-edge appliances. As for the belongings he brought from his studio—every single item was neatly organized.
“I hope you like it. All amenities—a gym, swimming pool, screen golf range—are available within the building. You can use them anytime you need.”
Despite Cha Yu-kyung’s explanation, Geumson’s gaze was fixed on his old capsule unit, placed right in the middle of the living room. The sole item that clashed completely with this luxurious space. Perhaps noticing his gaze, Cha Yu-kyung quickly added,
“We wanted to replace your connection unit with a new model… but we thought there might be some special settings we weren’t aware of, so we brought it as is. If you wish, we can replace it for you right now.”
Geumson sighed inwardly with regret.
Special settings? Nothing of the sort. He had just used an old model because he couldn’t afford a new one.
‘What a shame. I guess I’ll have to buy a new connection unit myself after all.’
Remembering his account balance again, his chest naturally puffed out. But outwardly, he feigned nonchalance and shook his head. It already felt burdensome that they had secured such a house for his protection; asking for a connection unit on top of that seemed excessive.
“No, it’s fine. I’m used to this one, so it’s comfortable. Thank you for your consideration.”
Truthfully, if their transactional relationship with Panteria had been more established, he might have asked. But so far, he had only received things from the Future Faction without having done anything for them in return. Hence, golden hand took a step back.
Cha Yu-kyung nodded as if she understood and headed toward the elevator. Before leaving, she turned back for a final word.
“Well then, get some good rest. If there’s anything inconvenient while you’re settling in, please contact me anytime!”
Alone in the penthouse, golden hand was enveloped in hollow silence. For a moment, he blankly stared down at the sprawling Seoul cityscape beyond the window. It was peaceful. This tranquil moment still felt like a dream. Moreover, Megan. Megan’s face flickered in his mind.
“When that time comes… will I also be able to see through it?”
golden hand muttered to himself. Perhaps on that day when the ‘Eyes of Direct Perception’ develop to their extreme. Maybe then, she would recognize golden hand. Megan alone might understand golden hand, who had struggled in solitude all this time. But.
“That day must not come. Otherwise, what’s the point of all my suffering?”
There was no time to wallow in sentimentality.
Megan’s comfort? He didn’t need it.
It would be better if Megan’s abilities didn’t develop to their extreme. If the ‘Eyes of Direct Perception’ reached their peak, it would mean humanity’s situation had also deteriorated to its worst.
Geumson steadied his resolve once more. Then, he opened the capsule. The familiar old model capsule.
The environment had changed, but what remained unchanged was this: golden hand would connect to “Lepione”.
[Connecting to “Lepione”.]
[TIP. Quick-witted children are always in danger, but being slow doesn’t guarantee safety either.]
“Danger? More nonsense.”
Contrary to the tip’s warning, Astrid’s floating island was nothing but peaceful. Still, something felt empty.
“Walker? Wooalker…”
As Geumson pondered, Iron Walker, standing beside him, scratched its head as if worried. Looking at Iron Walker, Geumson realized what was amiss.
“Tia? Where did Tia go?”
Tia, who was always perched on Geumson’s shoulder, was nowhere to be seen. Just then, a voice came from behind.
“It seems you’ve finally returned. Did you enjoy seeing the world?”
It was Astrid, greeting him. Tia, who had been on Astrid’s shoulder, swiftly hopped over to Geumson’s shoulder.
— Tiat! Tee-tee-tiit!
Tia clung to golden hands shoulder, expressing her joy, but then glanced at Astrid and made a somewhat boastful gesture. As if flaunting her friendship with Astrid.
“That little one seemed bored while you were away. She’s been running all over the city.”
Geumson found Tia’s behavior baffling. Just before logging out, Tia had definitely been on his shoulder. According to Lepyon system, entities bound to a player should disappear upon logout and be resummoned upon login. Yet, Tia was acting as if she had been here the whole time.
‘Are mythical-grade beings just different in some way?’
Perhaps it was because this place was safe. With an absolute being like Astrid present.
‘I’ll have to keep an eye on this.’
As Geumson worriedly patted Tia’s head, Astrid smiled softly and spoke.
“Now, shall we begin the lesson? The start of magic is ‘understanding.’ Before wielding power, you must know the essence of that power.”
[Grand Archmage Astrid’s tutelage begins.]
With the brief message, Astrid reached her hand toward the center of the bookshelves. The books moved on their own, parting to make way, and several dusty, old tomes flew out from within, landing gently in her hands.
“These are books that will help you understand the essence of power.”
[Skill Book ‘Magic Control’ acquired.]
[Skill Book ‘Elemental Affinity’ acquired.]
[Will you use them?]
golden hand used the skill books without hesitation. In that instant, a vast amount of information flooded his mind. Unlike ordinary skill books, it felt like knowledge was being forcibly hammered into his head. Astrid’s teaching method was surprisingly rough.
[Magic Control Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
Description: The ability to meticulously control magic within and outside the body. Minimizes magic consumption and maximizes efficiency.
Effect: Magic cost of all skills reduced by 20%. Magic regeneration rate increased by 20%.
[Elemental Affinity Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
Description: Increases understanding of the power of all elements—fire, water, wind, earth—and allows freer manipulation of that power.
Effect: Power of all attribute-based magic increased by 10%. Attribute resistance increased by 10%.
What he thought were basic skills had effects superior to most ordinary skills. It was astonishing that Astrid would bestow such skill books so generously. Astrid lightly tapped golden hand’s shoulder.
“Now, shall we begin? Try to feel the breath within you.”
Golden Hand closed his eyes and, following Astrid’s words, used his skills to focus inward. At first, he felt nothing. But simultaneously, messages appeared.
[The effect of the title ‘Successor of the Stars’ activates.]
[The effect of the title ‘Narcissist’ activates.]
[The effect of the achievement ‘The One Who Revived the Ancient Heart’ activates.]
.
.
.
[Total Skill Proficiency gain increased by 350%.]
A faint haze of magic began to rise around golden hand’s body. A small flame sparked at his fingertip, transformed into a droplet of water, and then scattered away as a gentle breeze.
