Chapter 12

Limited edition.

Unique.

First.

These were the words Korean gamers went crazy for, the things they would die for.

Honor.

Some might scoff and say it was just a pile of data, but to the players who enjoyed it, it was another reality.

Even before virtual reality, plenty of people had already used games as a refuge in everyday life, and now Fantasia had appeared, a place where you could literally live as ‘another self’.

In Fantasia, anything you could imagine was possible.

You could buy your own house, or take on a life-related Class, blend in with the NPCs, work alongside them, and make money.

Even if there was a Main Quest and you were destined to become a Hero who saved the continent, choosing not to follow that path and instead playing your own game in a supporting role was just another way to enjoy it.

Naturally, praise poured in, and its sky-high popularity didn’t fade in the slightest. If anything, even people who normally disliked the word ‘game’ were being drawn in by curiosity.

So in a world like that, what mattered was being first.

The glorious honor and reward given only to the user or Party that first cleared the Cursed Ferocious Bear of Main Quest Act 1.

No one challenged for that honor with their eyes on the 10 Gold alone.

Because to defeat the boss of the Corrupted Forest faster than anyone else, you had to spend far more money than that.

Which meant the users aiming for that honor were bound to be wealthy.

It wasn’t enough to simply run ahead of everyone else. They also needed the tools to carve into unexplored territory.

[The listed ‘Magi Purification Water (High)’ on the Exchange has been sold for 3 Gold.]

“This really sold? Seriously?”

Seeing it with my own eyes, an incredulous laugh slipped out.

You only had to browse the community forums a little to understand how people overflowing with money behaved.

Because every now and then, something happened that made you think, ‘They bought that for that price?’

But I had never imagined I’d be the one on the receiving end of that kind of flex.

“This is 3 Gold?”

Common Holy Water could be bought from the temple for 5 Silver.

And Corrupted Mana Stones? For Han Youngwoong, they were common materials that dropped from one out of every two Corrupted Monsters he killed.

To begin with, I couldn’t even understand why a Corrupted Mana Stone was selling for 10 Silver on the Exchange.

A production cost of 15 Silver had become 3 Gold.

“…This isn’t the time to be catching the bear.”

The users’ passion, effort, and investment toward the First Subjugation.

I realized it was far hotter and far bigger than I had thought.

I had to think carefully.

“If I go now and kill the Cursed Ferocious Bear to clear the Quest…”

The First Subjugation event would end.

The rewards, including the Title, would go to Han Youngwoong.

Of course, the Cursed Ferocious Bear wouldn’t disappear just because it had been hunted once.

It just wouldn’t be the first anymore.

Just a common respawned Field Boss Monster, stripped of any honor.

Would there really be any reason left to challenge it while buying ridiculously overpriced Magi Purification Water?

To begin with, once the Cursed Ferocious Bear was hunted, from that point on it would just become a Ferocious Bear.

“…I should probably hunt it a little later.”

It was a gamble, in a way.

Because it was a Field Boss that anyone could conquer at any time.

I had even told people the Strategy myself.

There was still the stage of figuring out the Field Boss’s patterns, but that was only a matter of time.

A choice where I could fail to catch either rabbit and lose both.

But I made it anyway.

“What’s so special about the First Subjugation?”

For Han Youngwoong, honor wasn’t that great of a reward.

The only reason I had planned to be the first to subjugate the Cursed Ferocious Bear was because I wanted the 10 Gold and the Heroic Grade Weapon Box that came with it.

Besides, the prettiest Title was still the Lucky Hero I had equipped right now.

So I was going to milk this for everything it was worth.

If the festival still wasn’t over after I was done profiting from it, then I’d try challenging it along with everyone else.

And if I got the reward then, great.

“I’ll already be in the black if I sell just three more.”

The night had grown deep.

It was time to sleep, but I clocked in at the Corrupted Forest instead.

Thanks to the +12 Enhancement on my top, even attacks flying in from unseen places weren’t especially dangerous, so every second of this event was precious.

“Kuhahahaha! Stop right there!”

“Kieeek!”

In the pitch-dark Moina Forest where you couldn’t even see ahead of you, bizarre laughter and the screams of Corrupted Monsters echoed out.

===

Over 140,000 people were watching EasyLife’s livestream in real time.

[Cursed Ferocious Bear, Field Boss First Subjugation Attempt! (+6 Enhanced Sword, Magi Purification Water purchased!)]

It was because EasyLife was sincerely challenging the same event so many other users were targeting.

EasyLife had already made a name for himself through early microtransactions.

Even after losing the number one spot in the Tutorial Tower, he didn’t break. Instead, he poured in even more money to upgrade his Equipment, drawing even more attention and support.

– Can this guy actually get the First Subjugation?

– Looks like he’s the first one trying the bear after purifying the Magi?

– No way, is he the one who bought it for 5 million won?

– Yep. He bought it for 3 Gold. Said he’s gonna buy one every attempt lol

(T/N: Dang, I remember back then when I was playing Dragon Nest. It was the first Dragon Raid ever and the Resurrection Apple was an item you need to clear it if you are noob and from then on, the price of that item skyrocketted. )

No matter the game genre, living vicariously through a stream was something guaranteed to work.

Because everyone had a desire to spend money freely without worry, buy things other people couldn’t have, and play the game.

And the decisiveness to buy something that looked excessive for the goal without even hesitating made it even more thrilling.

“We’re going in.”

The Cursed Ferocious Bear’s territory, with the Magi purified away, was a space nestled between tall cliffs.

It was a wide, circular clearing, and up to four people could enter.

“I’ve got it!”

Even though it was their first attempt, EasyLife’s Party handled the battle skillfully.

The Tanker held Aggro, the sub-Dealer backed him up, and they created openings for EasyLife to attack freely.

And there was even a Healer on top of that.

A perfect Party composition.

Of course, since they had only just gone through their Class Change, they couldn’t fully show off the strengths of their respective Classes, but it was still enough to vividly broadcast the thrill of a battle against a Field Boss.

But the Cursed Ferocious Bear was strong.

It was so enormous that the moment it crushed you, you felt like you would suffocate, and even blocking the attack where it slammed both arms down still shaved off a chunk of Health.

EasyLife’s attacks didn’t deal that much Damage either, and above all, it unleashed a barrage of Skills that went far beyond the stereotype of a mere bear.

Thud-!

“Watch out above!”

When the bear stomped its foot, large and small rocks shaken loose by the impact came pouring down from the cliffs.

They had to fight the bear while dodging randomly falling rocks.

Once its Health dropped, it would Roar and become stronger, and the attack where it leaped up and crashed down like a body slam instantly logged the Tanker out.

“Hah. It’s not easy. Still, with the Magi gone, it’s definitely doable. We tried a few times off-stream while the Magi was still there. The Tanker who posted on Fantasia Life is the one I recruited. Anyway, I think we can clear it if we keep trying, so cheer us on.”

Failure.

Considering the 3 Gold cost of the potion he had drunk, he probably couldn’t even calculate how much money had just gone up in smoke, but the fact that he still gave Feedback with a smile made the viewers cheer for EasyLife.

And that was exactly why so many users were watching and cheering for an event most of them couldn’t even dream of attempting.

– The Magi is apparently still spreading, so please clear it for us…

– I think it’s set up so that if the Main Quest doesn’t get cleared, the Magi will eventually spread to the towns.

– Proof that the size of the Corrupted Forest changed compared to a few days ago (photo)

This wasn’t just a festival for the vanguard, or something that only concerned the users leading the charge.

It was a crisis in Fantasia that would fall equally on the users taking things slow from the back as well.

“For now, I’m going to wait for more Magi Purification Water while giving Feedback. I’m trying to find someone who’s learned how to craft it, but apparently even breaking through Temple Contribution Level 1 is insanely hard? Our Healer is Level 1, so they’ve been refreshing commissions, but since you only get them once a day and Rare ones almost never appear, I think for now I’ll have to keep buying it off the Exchange if it shows up.”

EasyLife chatted with his viewers while going in and out of the Exchange.

“To the person selling Magi Purification Water, if you’re watching, buy the listed Corrupted Mana Stones, craft it, and put it up. I’ll buy it again for 3 Gold. You’re making 5 million won just by crafting it and listing it. Hurry up and put it up already.”

(T/N: What a fucking whale. lol)

– lololol

– I’m so jealous. I want to be that person.

– Bro, it’s nighttime right now lol

“Hey, who cares if it’s night? It’s 3 million won. You should be pulling an all-nighter for that. Did I tell you to go out and farm Mana Stones? Can’t you just buy them and press a button?”

– fr lol

– Is there some kind of crafting restriction?

There were plenty of users who spent money and plenty who challenged the First Subjugation, but a big part of why EasyLife was especially popular was this.

He was cool and uninhibited.

To some people, he might look rude and obnoxious, but because he never quite crossed the line, the things he said were fun and entertaining to listen to.

Maybe it was the ease of the wealthy.

Just like getting slapped with money could feel good, his rude remarks were funny because the listener was obviously benefiting too.

“Let’s see if any Armor got listed… Huh? You’re asking if I bought the Slime King’s Slime? I’ll reveal that when the time comes.”

As EasyLife rummaged through the Exchange while chatting about this and that, Magi Purification Water caught his eye.

“It’s up! …Hey. Seriously, are you gonna do this?”

– Magi Purification Water (High) : 4 Gold

– lololololol

– Entertainment mode ON

– Let the games begin

– Sole Seller VS sole Buyer

At the blatant price hike, EasyLife shouted.

“No one’s buying this but me, you bastard!”

It might have sounded arrogant.

But it wasn’t wrong.

There might have been quite a few rich people willing to invest 3 Gold if they were sure Magi Purification Water would get them the First Subjugation, but 3 Gold, or 5 million won, for a single attempt was by no means an easy price.

And on top of that, discussions were already piling up about whether there might be other ways to clear the Magi, along with analyses saying the price of Mana Stones would fall as more users entered the forest.

It was a boom.

An early-game boom.

A boom enjoyed by only the very small number of users who could craft Magi Purification Water.

That was why EasyLife’s complaint was reasonable.

As if acknowledging that, the Magi Purification Water listed on the Exchange was quickly taken down.

– Huh!

– It sold, damn

“Don’t make a fuss, guys. Who would buy this for 4 Gold?”

– He’s the most nervous one here lol

– ?? : Don’t make a fuss (refreshes every 3 seconds)

A long silence of 30 seconds.

EasyLife’s expression gradually hardened.

– Upvote if you think EasyLife regrets not buying it for 4 Gold

– It’d be hilarious if it gets relisted for 5 Gold lololol

Amid the viewers’ escalating teasing, it was relisted soon enough.

[Magi Purification Water (High) : 3 Gold 80 Silver]

“Ah…”

– lololololol

– He’s definitely a viewer lololololol

– This guy knows how to make it entertaining lololol

And so, the invisible bargaining continued.

– Magi Purification Water (Common) : 3 Gold 50 Silver

“This one’s Common! You bastard! I almost bought it.”

At 4 a.m., the epic tug-of-war of bargaining, which had drawn 250,000 viewers, ended sooner than expected.

“Fine! 3 Gold 30 Silver! That’s it. I’m absolutely not paying a single Silver more than that.”

[Magi Purification Water (High) : 3 Gold 31 Silver]

“Hah.”

Just as he was about to buy it, looking like a man who had just lost a negotiation with a terrorist as he vented his fury—

“…Huh?”

[This is a sold item.]

– ?????

– Huh?

– It got bought? By who?

After that, the one or two listed Items for Sale that appeared from time to time kept inching upward in price, but they sold instantly anyway, heating up Fantasia Life even further.