Chapter 71
I Did It All (3)
5.
Among all the items I own, which one has the highest value?
Ariadne’s Thread?
It’s decent, sure, but honestly, I don’t need it right now.
With my current power, I can protect my family just fine. And it’s not like there’s a single item out there that could suddenly make me overwhelmingly stronger.
But this item is different.
The Lucky Matryoshka.
Its exact stats aren’t listed, but it’s an item that boosts my “luck.”
And so far, it’s been paying off big time.
Frankly, the reason my life in the Abyss has gone so smoothly might be thanks to this Lucky Matryoshka—let’s call it “Lucky Doll” for short.
Even as a rare-grade item, the difference it made was insane.
And now I can evolve it into a unique-grade version?
Into the Miracle Matryoshka?
Even the name smells like greatness.
“Let’s do it. Right now.”
Not a single moment of hesitation.
No question about it—this is a must.
[Congratulations! You are the first player to obtain <Miracle Matryoshka (Unique, Bound)>!]
[Miracle Matryoshka]
Grade: Unique, Bound
Description: The one and only Matryoshka that brings miracles. As you wish, as you dream! Dreams ★ come true!
Effect: When this item is in your inventory, all probabilities are affected by <Effect: Miracle>.
This item is bound.
Owner: Yoo Seong-woo (Meteor)[Through <Effect: Miracle>, item drop rates have dramatically increased!]
[Chance of obtaining items related to your journey has greatly increased!]
[All probability-based outcomes are now enhanced…]
“Who said this was a loser’s prize?”
Look at those options.
All I did was raise the item’s grade once, and suddenly the screen was overflowing with new effects.
Item drop rate boost? That directly affects my main source of side income—magic stones—and it’ll surely raise the drop rate for capsules and other valuable loot too.
Capsules blessed by Lucky Doll were already selling for a premium.
Now, with the Miracle Matryoshka—or “Miracle Doll” for short—on top of that?
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???????????
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Wait, you could upgrade Matryoshkas??
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WOW
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First in the world;;;;;;;;;
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Guess we’re calling it “Miracle Doll” now?
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Crazy
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What are those effects
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LOL this is unreal
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Can’t believe it turned out like this
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“Loser’s Prize” (actually 1st Place) confirmed
This is insane.
This is basically hitting the jackpot lottery.
Honestly, with this, couldn’t I just keep buying lottery tickets until I become the richest person alive?
Actually… not just lotteries. I could buy every country’s version of it…
Ian, buddy, Uncle’s gonna buy you a building full of toys soon.
Since Lucky Doll’s effect even worked outside the Abyss, maybe I really should try entering a lottery broadcast someday.
“Alright, kids. Since I just got the Miracle Matryoshka, let’s do a little test run.”
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Sounds good!
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LOL he’s doing a review video already?
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Imagine if that thing could be sold, how much would it go for?
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No idea
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Jackpot, huh?
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Worth all those raid hours as MVP
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He soloed the whole raid and then got the god-tier item too
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Wasn’t that supposed to be a “consolation” prize originally?
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It was only top-tier for the Meteor event
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Even Lucky Doll was priceless—now it’s Miracle Doll?! insane
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As expected of MetGod
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ㅇㅅㅁㄱ (Meteor god confirmed)
The test I’m about to do is simple.
I’ve got the Miracle Matryoshka now, right?
“So if it’s truly miraculous, then even if I end the stream early… my subscriber count should still go up, yeah?”
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??????
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Excuse me?
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?????
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What did you just say?
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…Huh???
“That’s it for today’s stream, everyone. Take care.”
[Broadcast has ended.]
You think I’d waste content that easily?
My existence is content. You think I’d blow valuable viewership data just for a “test”?
No way. I never lose out.
Never.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Sometimes when you end the stream like that… I really wanna punch you.”
“That’s high praise.”
“Damn right it is.”
Even pro streamer Inseop shouting me out—perfect ending.
You have to end broadcasts at moments like this. That’s when they hit big.
Today was a fantastic stream.
First the raid jackpot, now the item jackpot.
Also, my transcendence level went up by six in one go.
I’ll need to check later which stats to invest those points in.
“Wanna grab drinks after this?”
“Soju and soup place?”
“That’s what I mean by ‘grabbing drinks.’ Soju and gukbap—that’s life itself. Oh, we should ask the Ability Management Division to cover it.”
“…Didn’t you make a ton of money already?”
“Food always tastes best when someone else pays. Write that down.”
The raid site was already being cleaned up.
Today’s stream?
Not just good—perfectly good.
Peak concurrent viewers: 210,000.
Subscriber gains—I’ll check once I’m home.
As for rewards?
I got plenty. But honestly, with just this one Miracle Matryoshka?
Game over.
“Hey, Kurogane Tatsuya.”
“Yes, Sensei!”
“We’re planning a group dinner after this. You wanna come to Korea?”
Kurogane Tatsuya caught my eye, so I asked casually.
We worked hard together during the raid—he helped as part of the special task force, even scratched up the Knight Commander’s armor for me to land the final hit.
For that, I’d even buy him two bottles of soju.
“Though it might be hard, right? Japan and Korea aren’t that far, but you’d still need a flight.”
Since he’s Japanese, he can’t use Korea’s Abyss Gate.
Shiomi Yui, who was next to him, explained that, and then Tatsuya said something in Japanese rather urgently.
“He says he’ll get there as fast as possible.”
“Huh?”
“We have a private jet. Oh, may I come too? I’d love to visit Korea and pick up some things while I’m there.”
…A private jet, huh.
So that’s Japan’s rising star player?
What a life.
Well, we’ve got time—it’s only 2 p.m. now. Dinner at 6 should work.
“Then 6 p.m. it is?”
“Sounds great. We’ll prepare and fly over. If we leave from Fukuoka to Gimpo, it’ll be fast. There’s an Abyss Gate in Fukuoka.”
“Oh, so you can shorten travel that way.”
“Yup. Fastest route from Tokyo to Seoul.”
And so, our impromptu dinner plan was set.
I nodded and called out to the rest of the raid members.
“Alright everyone! You all worked hard today! I just heard the Ability Management Division will be covering our dinner tonight! Let’s give them a hand!”
“Wooooooo!!”
“Hell yeah!”
My sudden announcement made Deputy Chief Choi run over in a panic.
“Player Yoo Seong-woo?”
“It’s a great day, Deputy Chief. Come have a drink.”
“Well, yes, but we still have a lot of things to….”
And then—
a new message popped up before my eyes.
[Players from the Republic of Korea have successfully cleared <Floor 3 Raid>!]
[For the next 6 months, all players with Korean nationality will receive additional benefits.]Added Benefits:
+50% EXP gain
+30% Magic Stone drop rate
+100% Achievement points
One free teleport via Abyss Gate
[We look forward to the continued success of Korean players!]
Wait… this applies to everyone?
If it affects all Korean players, that’s just… unbelievable.
Tap tap.
“Hm? Deputy Chief Choi?”
“Take this.”
“Uh, what?”
“Eat Hanwoo. Or better yet, rent out an entire Hanwoo omakase restaurant. No—don’t worry, I’ll make the reservation right now.”
“Deputy Chief Choi?”
“INKEEPER!! CLOSE UP SHOP!! The Ability Management Division will pay for everything tonight! WOOOOOOOO!”
Deputy Chief Choi—
dead from happiness.
Well, good things are good things, right?
“Call the Minister! Get him on the line! It’s a jackpot! A JACKPOT!! Finally, we’ve done it! We’ve—!!”
“Deputy Chief, please calm—!”
And with that chaos,
the Floor 3 Raid ended.
A happy ending.
6.
By evening, the dinner party had begun.
Surprisingly, the Japanese players really did arrive in Korea within four hours, joining us at the restaurant.
The venue was a famous Hanwoo omakase spot in Majang-dong, nicknamed “Umakase.”
They were actually closed today, but the Ability Management Division begged the chefs to come in.
The raid players and staff all gathered together.
Maybe it was the shared near-death experiences,
but the atmosphere had completely changed.
“Earlier, your spear technique almost made me faint on the spot, hyung!”
“That’s only ‘cause your shield work was perfect!”
“Let’s drink, hyung! Mind if I keep calling you that from now on?”
“Of course not! Drink up!”
Now everyone was laughing, drinking, and toasting like old friends.
The mood was great.
If even one of us had died, there wouldn’t be a party like this.
“Sensei, a drink for you.”
“Oh, thanks.”
A glass of soju from Kurogane Tatsuya.
“Here, hyung.”
“Cheers.”
A refill from Inseop.
“Player Yoo Seong-woo! You’re drinking big tonight! It’s all on us!”
“This bottle’s expensive, isn’t it?”
“The Minister had some stashed in the Seoul branch, so I… borrowed it.”
“…That’s the kind of guy you are?”
“Don’t worry! The Minister’s already drinking himself under the table somewhere else! Oh, and he’ll be here soon!”
No idea where he got it, but Deputy Chief Choi poured me a huge glass of whiskey.
It was basically a feast.
They say guys bond through fights—well, they bond even faster when they fight together.
I accepted drink after drink with a satisfied grin.
Peeeeep!
Meanwhile, Peanut was devouring Hanwoo beef with her tiny paws.
A hamster eating beef… well, they’re omnivores, so I guess it’s fine?
“Player Yoo Seong-woo, what are your plans moving forward?”
“I’ll spend tomorrow with my family, then start climbing again. I’ve got a quest I’ve been putting off.”
Plenty of things to do—more than enough, actually.
One of the items I got from this raid was:
[Fragment of a Great Soul]
Grade: Quest
Description: A fragment of a great soul obtained from the Knight Commander Belmorin. It might be useful to bring this to the witch.
The witch Agatha Christine, the one I met through the Red Hood quest.
She gave me a quest to collect soul fragments—normally you’d need ten to complete it.
But when I got this one massive fragment, the quest cleared instantly.
So I’ll finish that, and then move on to the linked quest: [True: The Immortal Army].
“Just thinking about it pisses me off again.”
“What part?”
“Those Chinese bastards ruined my last quest clear, remember?”
“Ah, right.”
At least I saved my destination with Ariadne’s Thread, so it’s fine… but still, just thinking about China grinds my teeth.
Deputy Chief Choi, however, only smiled knowingly.
“Don’t worry. They’re probably in chaos right now.”
“Really?”
“Of course. They basically got kicked out of a raid that would’ve given their top prospects a massive buff. You think the higher-ups will let that slide?”
By the way, those huge buffs given to Korean players?
They also applied to the Japanese raid participants.
Double EXP, higher drop rates, double achievement points—
it all means they’ll reach higher floors faster.
You need those achievement points to unlock rank-up quests, after all.
“With proper analysis, it’s clear this raid will massively accelerate Korea’s overall climb rate.”
“That’s good news.”
“It’s a great opportunity for Korea to rise again…”
We were mid-conversation when Deputy Chief Choi suddenly stood up.
“Oh, the Minister’s here. That man over there…”
“The atmosphere’s good, huh!”
I turned—and saw an old man.
Though calling him an “old man” didn’t quite fit.
His physique was massive, his shirt looked ready to burst from the muscles underneath.
He looked more like a soldier than a government minister.
If “to survive is to be strong” were a person, it’d be him.
The imposing man strode right up to me, extended a hand as big as a pot lid, and smiled.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Hwang Beom-seok, Minister of the Ability Management Division.”
“Ah, I’m Yoo Seong-woo.”
“Ha ha! There were a lot of reporters outside on my way in. I told them a few things—ah, look, it’s on TV right now.”
Following his gaze, I turned to the TV.
It’d been on the whole time, but everyone was too busy drinking to notice.
On-screen was Minister Hwang himself.
“We intend to repay Player Yoo Seong-woo’s efforts through continued support. Consider this just a small taste of what’s to come.”
That’s what he said on TV.
But none of us could respond—
because everyone was staring at the screen, mouths agape.
「Minister! Can you comment on the massive buff Korean players just received?」
「Is there no official statement from the Ability Management Division?」
The press conference was chaotic, reporters shouting questions.
But the Minister calmly raised his hand to quiet them, adjusted his collar, and smiled.
「I have only one thing to say. Meteor MeTube—please subscribe, like, and turn on notifications.」
The conference room exploded into confusion.
Then he added one last line.
「If you’re Korean, please subscribe to Meteor MeTube.」
…Excuse me?
“How’d you like my press conference?”
“…Can a Minister even do that?”
“If they’ve got a problem, tell them to impeach me! Hahaha! Now come, drink with me! I rushed over just to toast with our hero, Player Yoo Seong-woo. We’ve got a lot to discuss—including advertisement contracts! But first—let’s drink!”
…This guy’s insane too, huh?
