Chapter 12
Guys, someone finally cleared an Under Arena!
Stop lying.
It's real. Is the Under boom finally coming back?!
During the first year after the Great Transformation, Players had lined up to challenge Under Arenas.
But clearing them had been far from easy.
Penalties piled up.
Player Levels dropped.
And Under Arenas gave neither Magic Stones nor Gold.
Eventually, avoiding Under Arenas became an unwritten rule.
The public understood why.
But there was also no denying that compared to Under Arenas, ordinary Arena Quests looked painfully boring.
Arenas really are best when there's actual combat!
And then...
The world's only Player of his Class appeared.
He demonstrated an unprecedented style of combat, fighting in close quarters while simultaneously controlling minions.
Then he boldly discovered and cleared a Hidden Quest inside an Under Arena.
The public experienced a rush of excitement unlike anything else.
“It seems I underestimated your value somewhat.”
“I'll admit it.”
In an instant, massive Player organizations and members of the global elite began approaching Do-jin from all over the world.
They offered every imaginable benefit.
All in hopes of signing him.
“Now that you've proven yourself, I'll continue providing my Skill as stated in the contract.”
“The distribution ratio has also been adjusted to nine-to-one.”
“And if you want, I can secure Items for you as well as Arena access.”
Do-jin's influence had grown enough that even Hangang Group, a global conglomerate, could not afford to lower its guard.
The purpose of Test Guild, a small project within Hangang Group, was simple.
Raise Rankers who would remain friendly toward Hangang Group in the future Player-centered society.
And through his performance in the Under Arena, Necromancer Lee Do-jin had more than proven he possessed the potential Test Guild was looking for.
From Hangang Group's perspective...
Almost too much potential.
That was why viewers like HecleJjang, YoungMasterJang, and DesertPrince were beginning to creep closer.
How irritating.
Ra-hee suppressed her annoyance with reason and took a sip of tea.
Warm chamomile tea with a spoonful of honey really was the best thing for calming stress.
“In that case, now that I've finished proving myself...”
“...?”
Until now, Do-jin had been sitting quietly.
Then he suddenly spoke.
What was it?
“I'd like to start preparing for the next Arena I'm going to enter.”
“...”
Ra-hee was often called a workaholic herself.
But Do-jin, who had just logged out after clearing a dangerous Under Arena and was already talking about the next one...
He was clearly no less of a workaholic.
One of the buildings owned by Hangang Group.
Do-jin quietly unpacked his belongings inside a penthouse there.
He had already moved out of the small one-room apartment in the hillside neighborhood.
“If secrecy is important, it would be better for you to stay at one of our Group's hotels or penthouses.”
Perhaps Ra-hee had been slightly anxious because Do-jin rarely asked for anything.
She had practically pushed the penthouse onto him.
Apparently, it was a reward for not accepting the offers from overseas scouts who had contacted him behind the scenes.
“Not bad.”
Even though Do-jin's goals were leveling up and survival, even he could not help looking around the luxurious penthouse for a moment.
He had never lived in a building this extravagant before.
Even so, he carefully inspected his surroundings.
More precisely...
He focused on sensing the flow of mana.
“No wiretaps or CCTV.”
Magic Stones and Gold had become core materials of modern society.
Gold produced clean energy that surpassed electricity.
Magic Stones were extremely light and durable new-generation materials.
They were used in almost everything, from smartphones to construction.
The penthouse Do-jin had entered was inside a newly constructed building made by a Hangang Group construction company.
Because it used the latest technology, Magic Stones had been incorporated generously.
Even the building's circuits used applications of Gold rather than ordinary electricity.
Do-jin could clearly sense all of it through mana.
Before his regression, he had lived as an ordinary citizen.
Then after the world collapsed, sleeping outdoors became normal.
After regressing...
A one-room apartment.
Then a tent.
Now a penthouse.
“Well, there's no reason to refuse if they're giving it to me.”
During the short grace period remaining before the Main Scenario began...
Living in a large, impressive home for a while might actually be a fun experience.
Do-jin chuckled.
Then opened a window.
The Shop.
“Shop.”
A new window immediately appeared.
[Shop Access Confirmed.]
[Player Rank Confirmed: D]
[Logging into D-rank Shop.]
Do-jin recalled what his companions had told him before the regression.
There isn't much worth buying up to the E-rank Shop...
But starting from D-rank, some useful things appear.
The lowest-rank Shops truly sold only the most basic Items.
The kind of things that might appear briefly at the beginning of an apocalypse story.
Still, to an ordinary person who had just fallen into an apocalypse, even those Items could feel desperately necessary.
Only from D-rank onward did the Shop begin selling equipment genuinely useful to Players.
And among those categories...
There was one in particular that interested Do-jin.
[Support Equipment Shop (D)]
[1. Mana Recovery Bracelet]
[2. Stamina Buff Necklace]
[3. Agility Enhancement Ring]
[...]
Of course, the Items immediately displayed were of no interest to Do-jin.
He rapidly scrolled through the Item list.
So quickly that someone watching might have wondered whether he was even reading the names.
“...Found it.”
Ever since regressing, Do-jin had been thinking constantly.
How could he survive?
How could he take revenge?
For either of those goals...
He first needed to become stronger.
