Chapter 18

“Thank you. Thanks to you bringing me such a fresh liver full of Magi, I was able to create the elixir I wanted.”

I had already handed the liver over to Cain before going to the temple.

Saying the elixir was finally complete, he handed it to me along with the reward.

[Cain’s Special Elixir (Legendary)]

[An elixir containing the lifelong secret formula of a legendary alchemist, created through a combination of Magi and special herbs. It amplifies the effect of digesting magical power, allowing one to accept more mana.]

[● Permanently increases Max Mana by +10%]

[● Permanently increases Magic Power by +5]

“Huh?”

Dazed by the 3 Gold, I absentmindedly accepted the special elixir and looked at Cain.

His small, chubby face had never looked so handsome before.

“Is it really okay for you to give me something like this as a reward?”

“Of course. I was able to make it thanks to you, Hero. I took one, and I’m giving the other one to you.”

“This is insane.”

“The permanent mana increase is applied like a Buff, so if your Magic Power rises, your mana will rise accordingly as well. You can drink it right now.”

I hadn’t expected this at all, but to think I’d receive a reward like this.

Who would have known?

That the fat alchemist I met in the forest was actually the owner of the potion shop right next to the plaza in the very center of Moina Village, where the land was most expensive, and on top of that, a Legendary-grade alchemist.

I had already recognized his kind nature when he bought the Corrupted Mana Stone at a generous price.

To be repaid like this, I was practically drooling with joy.

“I’ll sell it delici— no, I mean, I’ll drink it.”

My mouth was already watering.

If I took this not to a user, but to the Mage Tower, wouldn’t the mage NPCs go crazy and start throwing Gold at me?

A permanent +5 Magic Power was already a huge effect, but for mages struggling with mana, a +10% increase to Max Mana wasn’t just rain in a drought. It was more like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert.

In fact, information about mages had already started appearing little by little on Fantasia Life.

– The biggest of the many problems hidden behind the illusion of overwhelming attack power was, of course, mana.

– 3 downsides of mages. They’re expensive. They’re squishy (Health). Their mana usage is pathetic. But their one advantage, being strong, chews up all those disadvantages. If you raise a mage properly, they look insanely strong lol

– I watched a mage streamer use Fireball three times and run out of mana hahaha

– It costs money to change Classes, it costs money to learn Skills. It’s a money-eating Class that needs to be decked out in Magic Power or mana items just to use skills properly. On top of that, you have to live on mana potions, so if you don’t have money, don’t even think about being a mage.

===

It was a Class with incredibly powerful skills, but in return, it demanded a massive amount of mana.

Since it was a class for people with money, wouldn’t the competition be fierce if I listed this on the Exchange?

This was different from the Slime King’s Slime.

A temporary enchant on a weapon you would eventually replace and an elixir that increased a character’s mana by 10% for life were incomparable in value.

‘Selling it is probably the right choice.’

But because it also applied to Han Youngwoong, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

Should I really sell something that could raise my Stats for free?

Right now, with the way I fought using the Boing Hammer and the influence of Luck, mana didn’t really have much to do with me.

But what if a moment came later when I needed mana?

‘Ah, this is tricky.’

I could guarantee it would sell for at least 20 Gold.

The rich would scrape together Gold they didn’t even have just to take part in the bidding.

I looked down at the upgraded Boing Hammer with the wings that had grown from it.

The +12 Enhanced top and the Legendary-grade pants.

Recalling the thrilling sensation of hunting the Cursed Ferocious Bear made me hesitate.

‘Good grief.’

It was ridiculous that I was even hesitating.

I had come to Fantasia to make money.

I had to set my priorities straight.

If I was going to enjoy it, then I should enjoy it. If I was going to make money, then I needed to sell everything except for the bare minimum needed for investment.

Even if people said Fantasia was another world, it wouldn’t last forever.

Just because I had gotten lucky and found a chance to make a lot of money didn’t mean that luck would last forever.

“Agh.”

But in the end, after thinking about the money already deposited in my bank account and the Gold I had just received from completing the Quest, I decided to hold back.

“I’ll keep it for now.”

It felt wasteful to drink it right away, and just as wasteful to sell it right away.

I decided to keep it for the time being and carefully stored it in my inventory.

‘Sell it if I need to, or drink it if I don’t. Use it wherever it’s needed.’

As a dark gamer, it was a deeply unsatisfying decision.

But right now, Fantasia was fun.

Han Youngwoong, who had never been the protagonist in his life, was now in the spotlight, and he had even become the first to clear the main storyline.

And he had made money while doing it.

If I had the chance, I wanted to keep playing the game like this.

Making lots of money while also having fun.

Of course, that would only be possible if luck kept smiling on me.

The Golden Light that appeared everywhere gave me confidence that it could happen.

Above all, I had a justification.

The Lucky Hero must not die.

Because staying alive was the path to making even more money.

“It’s an investment, an investment.”

I checked the special elixir one more time. I had put it away like something I would sell soon, but tucked it into such a deep corner that my hand wouldn’t reach it easily.

===

Every hunting ground in the Moina region was crowded.

Even with the monsters respawning quickly, people said it was half users, half monsters.

The lower the level of the hunting ground, the harder it was to even spot a monster. It was enough to remind me of old PC games where people had a whole culture of claiming spots.

If you went farther out, it became empty enough to hunt comfortably, but the recommended level also went up.

And on top of that, areas with fewer people came with their own set of disadvantages.

– Be careful of PKs.

A ghost story-like rumor that had suddenly started spreading.

The idea that you should be cautious of users you ran into on deserted hunting grounds and roads instead of welcoming them was bad news for Han Youngwoong too.

“I can’t die.”

Even when fighting monsters, my body struggled, so I fought by relying on my Stats.

Could I really win against people who moved in groups?

So I kept walking and headed deeper in.

“They PK in secluded places? Then I just have to go to a place they can’t even enter.”

I had to pass through Moina Village to get to Hanimo anyway.

The wide plains on the way there, and beyond them another dark forest stretching out.

It was a wide plain with noticeably fewer people hunting, but many users glanced at Han Youngwoong.

And the way they slowly drifted closer was unsettling enough.

I quickened my pace.

Were they users looking to PK?

After crossing the wide plain in a hurry and arriving at the edge of the forest where the swamp spread out, the users who had been trailing me swallowed their disappointment and turned back.

“Phew.”

A marshy region at the end of the plains, connecting the edge of the Moina region to another region.

[Moina Swamp]

[A swamp that connects the Moina and Hanimo regions. Shallow marshes are spread widely throughout it, and various dungeons and a clan that protects the swamp can be found there.]

[● Recommended Level: 14~19]

No matter how much of the pioneer they were, the users were only in the low to mid teens at best.

Naturally, they had no reason to leave the monsters of the wide plains, which were strong but had simple patterns, and enter a hunting ground where the recommended level jumped sharply upward.

Besides, in Fantasia, the type of field had a huge impact on hunting.

You had to move your character yourself, and there was an enormous difference between the wide plain with its open visibility and the marsh full of thick trees creating blind spots, with muddy ground that made every step difficult.

Even if the same monster appeared, there was no need to compare which field would be easier.

‘It should be fine.’

And while that applied to Han Youngwoong too, I trusted my +12 Enhanced top and the Boing Hammer.

Splash, splash.

Only the sound of my footsteps sloshing through the floor of the quiet swamp could be heard.

There really were no users inside the swamp.

I hadn’t even gone very deep when a monster appeared from between the trees.

“Sheek-”

It was around 2 meters tall.

A Lizardman with yellowish skin covered in scales and fins.

“Very Fantasia-like.”

A Lizardman was such a classic fantasy creature that I was weirdly glad to see it.

When I approached with the Boing Hammer, it came at me too, thrusting forward a weapon that looked like a trident.

Sheek.

Without showing any sign of excitement, it slowly widened the gap while watching me.

Then, in the same instant, it slipped behind a thick tree and vanished.

“……?”

I hadn’t seen it come out from either side, so I assumed it was hiding behind the tree. I walked over and checked behind it, but it wasn’t there.

“Huh?”

At that moment, the trident came stabbing down from above.

“Whoa!”

I flinched at the attack coming from a completely unexpected direction.

It had climbed a tree.

With its large build and aquatic-looking appearance, I hadn’t expected that at all.

Boing!

The Boing Hammer I swung in panic fortunately managed to knock the trident aside.

A heavy recoil ran through my wrist.

My Stats had only been outstanding up to Moina Forest. Here, they were merely average or even slightly lacking.

“Not bad.”

But that was enough.

Attack power had never really mattered much to Han Youngwoong anyway.

Whoosh-

Sheek. Sheek.

The Boing Hammer I swung with perfect timing hit only the tree or missed the Lizardman entirely.

“Ugh.”

Just one hit.

I only needed to land one hit for Luck to trigger.

The Lizardman, nimbly dodging back and forth, was infuriating.

And the trident that flew out from my blind spots struck with maddening precision.

Stab-

My Health steadily began to fall.

It was a good thing my Defense was high. Otherwise, my Health would have bottomed out already.

‘Stay calm.’

‘Don’t get excited.’

‘This is just the Lizardman’s style.’

‘It’s using the terrain and its high Agility to chip away at me.’

‘If I get worked up and play into that, I’ll just become its prey.’

Shik- Shik. Shik. Sheek.

My Health was being whittled away as the wounds on my body increased.

Perhaps because it had judged Han Youngwoong to be weak prey, it would sometimes appear without attacking, curl its lips in mockery, and disappear again.

When my Health had dropped to around 30%,

I made my move the moment the careless Lizardman showed itself and thrust its spear.

“Die!”

I dumped the 10 Stat Points I had been saving into Agility, ignored the incoming trident, and smashed the Lizardman in the head.

Boing!

The plan worked.

A chance created by investing the Stat Points I had saved up.

But unfortunately, Luck didn’t trigger.

Shwish.

The Lizardman grinned at the blow that hadn’t even tickled.

Was it because of that?

Now it began appearing openly, as if telling me to try hitting it again, while thrusting its spear.

Boing!

It didn’t even bother dodging.

After taking that hit, it seemed to have concluded there was no need to avoid my attacks at all.

“Ha.”

To think Luck not triggering had turned out to be lucky instead.

“Alright, let’s see who wins.”

‘Do I really have to hunt this pathetically?’

I lamented my own lack of talent, and right after that—

Boing!

Fwaaat-!

“Sheek!”

Along with the burst of Golden Light,

[Lucky Chance!]

[Healing Effect Activated!]

[Health is restored by ‘????’.]

A newly acquired Skill.

The moment Lucky Chance activated, my Health, which had been nearly empty, instantly filled up.

“Huh?”

Sheek?

My body felt lighter.

The wounds covering my body had healed too.

For a moment, both Han Youngwoong and the Lizardman froze at the sudden change and stared at each other.

Han Youngwoong was the one who adapted first.

Grin.

Smiling, I raised my hammer and beckoned the Lizardman forward.

The flustered Lizardman hurriedly thrust its spear.

This time, I didn’t even bother dodging.

Instead, I traded blows and swung the hammer back at it.

Stab- Boing!

Stab- Boing!

Our weapons flew back and forth as we stood our ground in the swamp.

Which would come first?

My Health crashing to zero?

Or the hammer’s Luck triggering again?

In this fight, Han Youngwoong had no confidence at all.

Boing-Kwang!

[Lucky Strike!]

“So what if I’m bad at fighting? I fight with luck.”

It was a little shabby, but I ended my baptism into the swamp in the most Lucky Hero-like way possible.