Chapter 70 …
Back in Demrock’s heyday, famous miners were said to earn around 10 million won a month. By that standard, this was incredible.
Even Dohyun himself had never surpassed 2 million back then.
‘And I made that in a single day.’
Was this why they called it a god-tier game?
He had often heard that the money earned in GodOS couldn’t simply be dismissed as “game money.” He had expected a decent sum when he obtained the item.
Even so, experiencing it firsthand didn’t feel real.
He really made 16 million won? Just from using the auction house once?
[Deposited into the linked account.]
[Balance: 16,894,670 won]
“Ah.”
As if to hammer home the reality, the balance glowing on his account made Dohyun let out a breath of awe.
‘16 million won… what can I even do with this?’
He had painstakingly saved up 4.5 million over a year and a half just to buy a used capsule.
With this money, he could buy a far better capsule outright in cash.
Not only that—add just a bit more, and he could even get a compact car.
‘And I’m still low level.’
Of course, he had used the Zidhar shortcut. And he’d been lucky.
The enemies in that hidden field—information nobody else had yet—just happened to drop Raven’s near-graduation gear.
At that moment, one thought came to mind first.
‘…Man, I should’ve farmed a bit more before leaving.’
At the time, he thought it was enough, but now it felt wasteful.
He should’ve squeezed everything he could out of that place for a month…
Then again, he had basically been force-warped out. It wasn’t like he had a choice.
Suppressing the creeping stomachache of regret, Dohyun shook his head.
What was the point of agonizing over the past?
‘Nah. There’ll be plenty more chances to make money. Think of it as an investment.’
No matter what, he had made 16 million won in a single day at this stage.
Considering the basic RPG principle that equipment gets more expensive at higher levels, there would be plenty of chances to earn even more.
He didn’t know if he’d hit another jackpot like this, but he wasn’t too worried.
‘With the Eye of Truth, what is there to worry about?’
He possessed a ridiculously overpowered trait.
He couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face—
“What’s with that creepy smile?”
“Heh… huh?”
At the familiar voice, Dohyun looked up.
There stood Hyuna at the slightly open door, staring down at him with visible disgust.
“….”
Embarrassed, Dohyun instantly put on a solemn expression as if nothing had happened.
Ignoring Hyuna’s incredulous snort, he asked flatly,
“What.”
“…Nothing. Mom says come eat.”
“Eat?”
“Yeah. She was going to leave you alone if you were gaming, but you came out at the perfect time. You didn’t plan that, did you? Anyway, I told you, so I’m going.”
Dohyun’s previously blank eyes suddenly sharpened.
He sprang to his feet and blurted,
“Hey, wait. Did you eat yet?”
“No? I was just about to.”
“Mom too?”
“…Huh? Yeah. Why?”
Hyuna looked uneasy at his sudden shift in energy.
Her eyes clearly said: what is he up to now?
And honestly, she was nervous.
‘What is he fixating on this time?’
Normally he was quiet, but whenever something caught his interest, he always made that exact face.
And every time, he would do something completely out of left field.
Even now, she vividly remembered the time they were grocery shopping as kids and he suddenly became obsessed with the cops-and-robbers scene on a display TV and disappeared without a word. They had searched for two hours.
‘He fixed that after getting in huge trouble… but still.’
People don’t change that easily.
Even as an adult, he still occasionally did unpredictable things when something hooked him.
Sometimes it turned out well.
Sometimes… not.
Hyuna’s mind raced.
‘What could he possibly get fixated on while eating? Cooking? A new recipe?’
A memory flashed of the time he watched some weird anime and suddenly dragged her to the mart insisting on doing some kind of food battle.
He had made a strange dish back then…
It hadn’t tasted bad.
But there was no guarantee this time.
She didn’t particularly want to gamble when their mom’s cooking was already proven.
‘Let’s refuse first.’
Just as Hyuna, decision made, was about to speak with a cynical expression—
“Perfect. Get ready. We’re eating out.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking but I’m not— …huh? What?”
“Let’s go eat out. My treat.”
Maybe because the words were too normal.
Or because they were completely unexpected.
Hyuna froze.
Then she snapped back and asked,
“…You? With what money?”
“I’ve got it, punk. Plenty.”
“Suddenly? Wait—what are we eating then?”
Dohyun smirked and answered in the coolest voice imaginable.
“Big bro’s buying beef.”
“What?”
“Korean beef.”
“WHAT?!”
Eyes wide, Hyuna clamped a hand over her mouth and bolted out the door.
“Mom! Mom!! Don’t serve the rice! Put it back, hurry!”
“What is wrong with you all of a sudden? Oh my—look at you putting the bowls back. Try being this tidy after meals for once.”
“Just get ready quick! Oppa’s buying beef! Korean beef!”
“Huh? Buying beef? Don’t talk nonsense—tell him to come eat.”
“No, not asking—he’s buying!”
Listening to the commotion between mother and daughter outside, Dohyun leisurely changed clothes.
Putting on his jacket and cap, a faint smile lingered on his face.
Beef really was the truth.
“Wow, that was great. I told you the beef here is good.”
“Mom enjoyed it too. Thanks, son. You didn’t overdo it, right?”
“Not at all.”
As soon as they got home, the mother and daughter greeted him with smiles, and Dohyun just shrugged coolly.
It wasn’t bluff.
At most, it had cost 200,000 won.
With over 16 million still in his account, it barely made a dent.
“But where did the money come from? You just got discharged—how are you earning already?”
Now that she was full, Hyuna finally voiced her curiosity.
“I’ve been gaming lately.”
“Gaming? GodOS? You made money from that?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“No way. You only started three days ago. How does that make sense?”
“I just got lucky and sold a gear set drop. The prices are definitely different from Demrock days.”
“Even so… I’m pretty high level myself, and this feels weird.”
She was level 71—respectable even if not max level.
Considering she earned basically nothing, it was hard to accept.
If anything, her expenses were higher than her income.
“You think you’re the same as me? This used to be my profession. I’m a pro.”
“What’s with that annoying face? Why is that so punchable?”
Hyuna frowned at his smug look.
But she had no real comeback, so she just puffed her cheeks.
She didn’t know her brother had once been ranked number one, but it was true he had been so absorbed in gaming that he used to give their parents allowance money and buy gifts.
Well—that was only during Demrock’s early boom.
After the game died, he had fallen back to receiving allowance instead…
‘Still… I guess he really does have talent. We’re siblings—why don’t I have any?’
Well, whatever.
From her perspective, free food was free food.
And honestly, being a gaming addict suited him perfectly.
Besides, these days GodOS was treated as more than just a game, so having gaming talent could even be considered a blessing.
“Looks like my son really has talent for games~.”
“I’m on fire.”
“Ugh. If I ever have kids, I’m teaching humility first.”
“Yeah. It’s good to be humble—like me.”
“What is wrong with him?”
Even Chae Misook—who came from the generation that treated games like a disease—was smiling warmly.
As she watched the siblings banter, she suddenly asked,
“Then can I look forward to the future, son?”
“Of course. Just say the word, Lady Chae.”
“You and your talk… Anyway, it sounds like things are going well, but you don’t need to buy us things. Just save your money properly. Dohyun, you used to earn well before and still blew it all without saving a thing. Games can collapse anytime, so you have to save while you can. So…”
Her gentle tone had somehow turned into a full lecture barrage.
Dohyun and Hyuna stopped bickering and exchanged glances.
‘I’m heading in. Thanks for the meal.’
‘Don’t go. Please.’
‘Good luck.’
Ignoring Dohyun’s pleading eyes, Hyuna escaped.
Dohyun ended up stuck listening to another ten minutes of nagging before he was finally freed.
Back in his room, he let out a sigh.
“Seriously… Mom worries too much.”
But… she wasn’t wrong.
He really had blown through money back when he was doing well.
Still, Dohyun wasn’t completely reckless.
This time, he planned to manage things properly.
Click.
Out of habit, he sat at his desk and turned on the computer.
Ever since Demrock days, it was second nature for him to check the homepage first.
“Let’s see… what’s the news today— huh?”
Scrolling casually, Dohyun froze.
[The King’s Return! Let’s analyze Kaiser…]
[Kaiser and his great achievements.]
[Melssal vs Kaiser — who wins?]
“…What is all this?”
The homepage was filled entirely with posts about him.
Still stunned by how different it was from that morning, a memory flashed through his mind.
“Ah… graduation ranking.”
He had taken rank 1 when graduating Raven.
Since every user logged into GodOS would have seen it, maybe this situation was only natural.
‘Even I have to admit… that score was insane.’
The first-ever S-rank.
Once he grasped the situation, curiosity replaced confusion as he scrolled down with interest.
—Kaiser oppa, I’m your fan. (wiggle wiggle)
—Why did you come back only now? My neck almost broke waiting.
—Where’d all the “Kaiser is washed” people go? Thought Melssal was the trend? Snatched rank 1 immediately, huh?
—It’s still just one city. City ranking isn’t absolute strength. By achievements and skill, Melssal is still ahead.
Seeing people still remember and welcome him made him oddly proud.
Of course, there were antis and doubters—but he didn’t care much.
Not everyone could think the same.
“This really reminds me of Demrock.”
Back then too, top rankers had dominated the scene until Dohyun surged up late.
Naturally, many existing fans were uncomfortable with his rise, and he always had to prove himself.
But in the end, he did.
And he claimed rank 1.
“This time won’t be any different.”
Sure, the gap now was much longer than the few months back then…
But so what?
He had countless hidden pieces and the skill to fill that gap.
Just as he was scrolling without concern—
“…Hm?”
A strange post caught his eye.
[Top 100 guilds? Let them all come! …Kaiser’s overwhelming ambition gave me chills.]
Author: NuclearCider
To be honest, I thought even Kaiser would be washed after being gone for 1 year and 6 months.
You know how pro gamers often can’t perform the same after a long break.
Since expectations for Kaiser were so high, I thought the pressure would keep him from returning properly… but nope. The moment he came back and took Raven rank 1, I got goosebumps.
But even then, I assumed he’d obviously join a guild.
With this much attention, refusing basically means turning everyone into enemies.
And it’s hard to establish yourself without a guild now…
Turns out my faith was lacking.
Guild? Forced compromise?
Our god Kaiser doesn’t do that.
Top 100 guilds are beneath him—why would he join one?
He just ignored them outright and kept doing his thing like a boss!
Isn’t this the definition of a real man?
“…What is this guy talking about?”
Not a single word of the long post made sense.
Top 100 guilds? Recruitment? Picking fights?
What was all this?
“…Ah.”
Even while confused, Dohyun’s instincts rang with warning.
Something…
Something was happening.
