Episode 101
101. The Obvious Thing
golden hand had witnessed the miracle drawn by Astrid, no, by the Archmage. An overwhelming calamity. Not a calamity faced by humans, but one faced by monsters. It was clearly a calamity absolutely necessary for the Age of Ruin. However, precisely because of that, golden hand could not hand over the brooch.
golden hand was not a true mage. Even if the system called him a wizard, Golden Hand himself did not think so. He was far from an Archmage, and even if he learned magic from Astrid, he had no confidence of becoming one.
But he knew someone who could become one. No, someone who could definitely become an Archmage.
‘Jung Ha-rin!’
The legendary Archmage, Jung Ha-rin. Though her direction differed from Astrid’s, she was undoubtedly an Archmage. She too could become a calamity. She possessed the qualities to become a definite calamity with a higher probability than golden hand. She should become Astrid’s disciple.
But as long as Geumson remained her disciple, she might not be able to. Therefore, he had to step aside. In this state where memories were lost. So that Jung Ha-rin could be accepted as a disciple.
“The brooch is…”
golden hand too felt regretful. He wanted to learn magic from Astrid like this. But he must not grow strong alone. One cannot win by bearing it alone. That’s why he hesitated, but Astrid seemed to read the hesitation in his eyes and smiled faintly.
“It’s alright. But someday, I want to remember. The memories with my first disciple.”
Astrid wordlessly patted his head. At her words, he gritted his teeth. Then he bowed his head sincerely.
“Yes, Master. Someday… I will, without fail!”
Simultaneously, a message appeared. That dizzying message slowly obscured Astrid’s retreating figure.
[You have successfully completed the City Defense Alliance Quest: Airtos Defense Battle.]
[Achievement: Savior of Airtos]
[You are recorded as the first hero to save Airtos from crisis with overwhelming contribution.]
[Even the system expresses awe at your overwhelming contribution.]
[Effect 1. All stats permanently increase by 10!]
[Effect 2. When fighting multiple enemies, all attack power increases by 20%.]
[Effect 3. When crafting magic-type items, the ‘Grand Success’ chance increases by an additional 10%.]
[You have achieved 1st place in contribution and receive rewards.]
[1st Place Reward: Acquired 5,000,000 gold.]
[1st Place Reward: Acquired Honorary Citizenship of Airtos.]
[Golden Hands is appointed as an ‘Honorary Advisor’ of the Airtos wizard Tower.]
[You can now assign quests to wizards from Airtos.]
[1st Place Reward: Acquired Scroll of the God’s Whistle (Ancient).]
[Fame increased by 10,000.]
.
.
.
Rewards that dazzled the eyes. And among them, the single one he most desired. The Scroll of the God’s Whistle. It had come into golden hand hands.
Pshwoosh-
Having returned to reality after his conversation with Astrid, Geumson should have been filled with fatigue from playing for days and nights on end. But what he felt was rather a sense of refreshment.
‘What is this? Why does my body feel so light?’
Geumson stretched, loosening his stiff body. He should be utterly exhausted from the consecutive days of battle and crafting work. Instead, vitality surged through his body as if he had just woken from a deep sleep. As if leveling up in Lepione had affected his real-world physique.
“This… Could reality synchronization have really started?”
An ominous foreboding flashed through Geumson’s mind. But he immediately shook his head.
‘No, there are still five years left. It can’t be this fast.’
Recalling memories from his past life, full-scale synchronization only began after the Gates opened. Perhaps it was just his imagination, or maybe due to his recent regular lifestyle. Playing Lepione is a routine, so this counts as a regular lifestyle.
‘But still, what if… Nah, it can’t be.’
To shake off the unease, Geumson tried using what he had learned from Astrid in Lepione. He attempted to sense the magic within his body and gather it at his fingertips. But no change occurred.
His fingertips didn’t even twitch, and the surrounding air remained calm. He felt nothing, let alone magic. Just in case, he even murmured the skill name quietly.
“Solar Smite.”
Naturally, no light bloomed from his right hand. No heat was felt either. Only then did Geumson let out a sigh of relief.
“Well, it would be troublesome if it started this early.”
It was not yet time. To face that chaotic era when reality would become like the game, he was still woefully unprepared. Reality synchronization had not begun yet. Right as he relaxed, reassured by that fact—
Ding-dong-
A loud doorbell rang. With a puzzled expression, Geumson headed to the front door. At this hour, only one person would visit him.
“Wow, this is amazing. Did the Future Group really give you this place? To live in for free?”
It was his friend Chang-soo. Chang-soo waved a shopping bag containing premium Korean beef, his eyes wide as he scanned the splendid penthouse interior.
“Can I look around? Wow, grilling meat here with the Seoul night view must be insane!”
Chang-soo ran to the floor-to-ceiling window and exclaimed in admiration. Geumsong watched his back and chuckled. Yet, it seemed Chang-soo had something to say to him.
“Hey, thanks. Sales at ‘Rags and Riches Exchange’ are no joke because of you!”
Chang-soo turned around and gave a thumbs-up. It was thanks to Geumson mentioning his exchange a few times on stream.
If I get a reward… Well? I’ll exchange it at Rags and Riches Exchange.
Gold? Wouldn’t that be Rags and Riches Exchange? Their exchange speed is insane…
What if they scam? I trust Rags and Riches Exchange. You can use other exchanges. But I use Rags and Riches.
The ‘Rags and Riches Exchange’ that Chang-soo had mentioned in passing a few times. It had given wings to his fledgling currency exchange business. Beaming from ear to ear, Chang-soo laid out the Korean beef he brought on the table, making a fuss.
“Alright, my treat today! It’s practically a housewarming, gotta have some meat at least!”
Sizzle-
Sssssss-
Chiiiii-
The premium Korean beef, boasting exquisite marbling, sizzled appetizingly on the hot grill. A savory aroma filled the house.
“Ahh, this is the taste! But seriously, you’re amazing. How did you get a place like this for free?”
“They provided it for security reasons. Honestly, it’s a bit burdensome though.”
“Security… Well, it’s better than that studio. I saw your stream, you had over 300,000 viewers. At that level, I get it.”
Even Chang-soo, initially puzzled, had nodded recently after watching the stream. Because he had confirmed in real-time the growing influence Golden Hand wielded in Lepione. Moreover, this Airtos siege was no ordinary quest.
Unofficially, it was a forced quest tied to massive Chinese capital. And golden hand had disrupted it. So, the Future Group’s response didn’t feel excessive at all. However, from the perspective of someone running an exchange, Chang-soo seemed curious about something.
“But hey, why did you do that enhancement event for free? From what I saw, you could’ve charged at least 100,000 gold per person.”
100,000 gold is 10 million won. Depending on the grade, a reasonable price for enhancing Unique or Legendary grade items. The exchange operator’s sense was indeed sharp. But it wasn’t a conversation that moved golden hand much. Leading the Airtos defense to success was more important.
In five years, the world would change. Saving money to buy luxury goods, cars, houses, wasting it on entertainment… There was neither time nor meaning in such acts. golden hand expression had become somewhat like that of an ascetic monk. Seeing that expression, Chang-soo worried.
“Hey, why do you look like you own the whole world? Did you get depression from just playing games? Move your body, your body! Being cooped up in a capsule all day, your belly fat… Huh? Belly fat! Belly fat… it’s gone?”
Chang-soo’s hand, which had tried to pinch Geumson’s stomach, swiped through empty air. Beneath the loose t-shirt, what could be felt was not soft flesh, but the firm outline of well-defined abs.
“What, are you working out? Since when?”
“Just… it happened while playing the game. You should play Lepione too instead of running around everywhere.”
“What nonsense… Really.”
“You should think about dropping other games soon and focusing solely on Lepione. I’m serious, so get ready.”
Seeing Geumson’s serious expression, Chang-soo also nodded. In fact, Chang-soo had felt it too this time. Because the revenue from other games was incomparable to Lepyon revenue. Looking at Chang-soo, Geumson suddenly asked in a serious voice.
“Hey, but what will you do with the money you earn?”
“Do with it? First, buy a house like this! It’s nice, right, a place like this.”
“A house? Then what next?”
“Buy a bigger, better, different house?”
“No, are you obsessed with houses or something? Besides that.”
“Dunno. Can’t I think about that after I make it first? There are too many uses.”
Geumson also nodded at Chang-soo’s answer. If Geumson had no memory of the future, he would have given the same answer. But golden hand asked one final question.
“Then what if, in about five years, monsters suddenly appear and the world starts going crazy?”
“Hey, Mr. Geum! Stop talking nonsense and just eat the meat!”
“No, just try to imagine it.”
At Geumson’s persistent question, Chang-soo thought for a moment, then let out a deep sigh. He seemed to be pondering seriously.
“Hmm, if that happens… I’d have to earn money even more desperately.”
“What? Earn more money? It would become meaningless.”
“Why meaningless? It would be more meaningful.”
It was an unexpected answer. Geumson asked for the reason.
“Why?”
“Haven’t you seen movies? You’d need to build a bunker, right? A bunker that wouldn’t matter even if a nuke falls. Who’s going to build that kind of bunker for free?”
“A bun… ker?”
At that moment, Geumson’s mind went blank, as if struck by something. Because he had forgotten something too obvious.
