Chapter 61

Chang-sik the Walking L was streaming from his real-life apartment for the first time in a while with no VR, just him and the camera.

“Hey, what’s up, walking Ls. We’re not doing a gameplay stream today. This one’s just a chill hangout-slash-victory lap after clearing that hidden dungeon.”

└ Fucking look at Chang-sik grinning like an idiot. Can’t fucking stand him lol

└ Let him have it. Dude found the dungeon, cleared it first, and even lucked out into getting an S-rank weapon. No wonder he’s over the fucking moon.

After reading the chat blowing up about his so-called accomplishments, Chang-sik puffed himself up. “See? My viewers actually get it. Finding a hidden dungeon is one thing, but clearing it is a whole different ball game. You gotta do both, be the first to discover it and the first to clear it. That’s when it really counts. Two words: fuckin’ skill. Okay?”

└ LMAO skill my ass. You were lying half-dead after getting struck by lightning, dumbass.

Chang-sik scowled. “Fuck off. When the hell was I half-dead? I tanked that lightning on purpose to keep my party safe, you ignorant piece of shit. You don’t even deserve to type in my chat. Get the fuck out of my stream.”

He banned the viewer on the spot, but another annoying message soon popped up.

└ Okay fine, you cleared the dungeon, whatever LOL. But that S-rank weapon you got, wasn’t that just a glorified souvenir?

└ S-rank? More like S-tier trash.

└ Can y’all chill? Chang-sik’s gonna cry if you keep this up lmaoooo

└ LMAOOOOOO

Chang-sik was pissed as hell, but forced a smug smirk.

“Man, I’m not like you little shits. Who gives a damn about the options? What matters is that it’s a commemorative reward for the first clear of a hidden dungeon.”

└ Then why the fuck did you post it on Lotranet with that ridiculous price tag? And in USD only? No gold? LMAO

He let out a loud sigh. “It’s called flexing, dipshits. I never actually intended to sell it, okay? Got that? Whatever, man. From now on, anyone who brings up the axe in my stream gets banned. Don’t test me.”

Chang-sik was pissed off, prompting him to grumble to himself.

Jesus fuck, this is what I get? That’s what dropped after all that work? Fucking worthless trash? Fuck it, I don’t care if it’s some dumbass sucker... Can’t someone just fall for it and buy the damn thing already? I need that sale to cover the party payout I still owe.

He wasn’t good-looking, and his skills were nothing to brag about either. The only kind of content he could offer was spending a shitload of money to give his viewers some secondhand satisfaction. This time, too, he had blown a ridiculous amount of cash on new gear just to clear a dungeon full of lightning-type monsters. His bank account had been in the red for ages. He had even dipped into the fixed party’s shared payout stash to buy that gear, so now he was one bad review away from a goddamn ulcer.

Just as he was stewing, the chat suddenly shifted focus to the hottest name around right now.

└ Isn’t the hidden dungeon Chang-sik found actually kinda mid? Do-Jin’s the real deal.

└ True. Chang-sik keeps hyping it up like it’s some big hidden thing, but it’s just a regular-ass dungeon that hasn’t been found yet. Every first-time dungeon gets called “hidden” anyway.

└ You mean that mage guy? Dude’s on a whole different level LOL.

└ While Chang-sik’s getting his ass kicked in some basic-ass dungeon, Do-Jin’s out there casually soloing the “New Continent.”

As Chang-sik read more and more comments about this guy, his eyes began to twitch in irritation.

He snapped, “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Don’t bring up other streamers in my chat.”

└ Chill, chill, Chang-sik’s getting salty again. Probably pissed that his dungeon clear got buried under all the hype for that mage guy.

└ For real. Cut it out. Why you gotta compare our scuffed little Chang-sik to someone playing in the goddamn heavens?

└ LOL imagine him clearing that whatever dungeon and thinking, “Maybe... just maybe I’m next...?” That’s hilarious.

Those jabs hit a nerve, and Chang-sik finally lost it. “Fuck off, seriously. Do-Jin? That spell-spamming little bitch... What’s so fucking great about him? It’s all RNG and pay-to-win gear. Y’all saying he soloed Haberkan? Fucking soloed my ass.”

He scoffed loudly.

“Give me a fucking break. The Bloodshed Guild did all the work, and he just comes in for the last hit. That’s not a solo clear. In that latest video, this lucky bastard probably stumbled into a juicy quest chain and just rode the wave. That’s all it is. He’s spoon-fed by RNGesus. He’s not special, he’s just ahead ‘cause he spawned with a goddamn silver spoon. You clueless fucking morons wouldn’t know a real carry if it slapped you in the face.”

└ Damn... our boy Chang-sik never pulls his punches! Too bad none of what he says is actually true! LOL

After that last message, Chang-sik finally snapped and disabled the chat entirely.

Fucking hell. Because of that Do-Jin-whoever-the-fuck loser, I’m not even the center of attention in my own stream.

As he was gritting his teeth and swearing internally, a notification popped up.

—Lotranet Trade Page Alert

—A buyer is interested in your listed item.

“Huh?” He blinked at the screen in disbelief.

“That’s it for today, you trash-tier fuckers.” With those parting words, he shut down the stream and immediately opened up the Lotranet chat window.

Seller: You’re interested in the axe?

Buyer: Yes.

“YES! FUCK YES! I can’t believe some dumb fuck actually wants to drop 40 million won on this piece of shit!”

Overcome with joy, Chang-sik threw a victory uppercut into the air, but the deal wasn’t done yet.

Buyer: But honestly, it seems kinda overpriced for what it offers. I’d like to discuss the price.

“Oh my god. You cheap little shit. It’s just some cash, not a fucking car.”

Even though he was flat broke and desperate to fix his overdrawn account, Chang-sik immediately started trashing the buyer in his head. It was just second nature to him.

Seller: This is an S-rank weapon. 40 million won is actually a steal. You do realize there aren’t many S-ranks even on the market, right?

Buyer: S-rank or not, there’s a big difference between actual value and just the label. This is a warrior weapon with 50 base attack. That’s weaker than most level 30 gear. And the special options are way too situational to be useful. Honestly, it’s just a collector’s piece. Charging that much for it is way overboard.

Although every point the buyer made was true, Chang-sik still cursed under his breath. “Fuckin’ broke-ass bastard. If you’re that short on cash, just beg or something. Look at this cocky little shit running his mouth. If I wasn’t this desperate for money, I’d have told him to fuck off already.”

Nothing pissed him off more than someone being right. Because he had no comeback.

Seller: Then how much are you thinking? But just so you know, I don’t actually need to sell this, alright? So make sure you’re smart with your offer.

Buyer: Let’s make it a quick deal at 20 million won. You and I both know there’s no way you’re getting 40 for those stats.

“20 million?” Chang-sik’s lips twitched.

It was half the damn price, clean cut. Still, it wasn’t a bad price for the axe’s limited capabilities. Even if it was labeled S-rank, the player base was leveling up fast. Any Level 50 gear was already getting hit by real-time depreciation.

“Goddamn it, if you’re broke, go get a loan or something. And if you can’t even do that, maybe try robbing someone, yeah? Coming in here trying to slash the price in half.” Even as Chang-sik continued swearing, he hesitated.

Let’s get greedy. This guy sounds like some rich collector with cash to burn. If I act like I don’t give a shit and say I’ll keep it for nostalgia, maybe he’ll up the offer a little.

Seller: This was a first-clear reward from a hidden dungeon I discovered myself, okay? If you’re gonna lowball me like that, I’ll just keep it as a trophy. No skin off my back.

He held his breath, waiting to see how the guy would respond.

If he bails, whatever. I’ll just take the twenty. Can’t afford to be too picky.

Then the reply came in.

Buyer: I’ll take it for 18 million won.

What? Chang-sik’s brain short-circuited.

Seller: That’s a typo, right?

Buyer: No, it wasn’t a typo. 18 million, exactly as written.

Fuming, Chang-sik fired off a reply.

Seller: Are you fucking kidding me right now? I said I’m not selling for 20, and you come back with 18? What the actual fuck is wrong with you?

Buyer: Cool, I’ll knock off another million for the verbal abuse. 17 million won. Better hurry and take it. You and I both know this piece of shit’s about to be worthless real soon.

Seller: Fuck... you dumb fuck, are you serious? I’m not selling shit to you. I’d rather flush the damn thing down the toilet. Go fuck yourself.

Buyer: 15 million won. Final offer. Think it over. Even if you don’t sell it, it’s just a matter of time before the market’s flooded. Within a month or two, player base levels are gonna skyrocket. A trash-stat Level 50 S-rank? You’ll be lucky if someone offers you a million for that shit later.

“Fuck!”

Chang-sik slammed his desk. Everything this asshole said was true, which just pissed him off even more.

“Yeah, fuck it. Selling this trash for 15 million won is still a goddamn win for me. He’s the dumbass getting scammed.”

Negotiation? What a fucking joke. Sure, the guy would think he did great slashing off 25 million won, but at the end of the day, he just spent 15 million won on a piece of junk with no real use. In the end, Chang-sik hadn’t lost. He was ripping off a dumbass who thought he was being smart, some wannabe genius who didn’t know he was getting played.

Feeling good about that little mental gymnastics routine, Chang-sik finally replied.

Seller: Tch. You broke little shit. If you’re out of cash, just say so, man. I wasn’t gonna sell this, but your sad little life moved me. I’ll let it go for 15.

Buyer: Deal.

“Spineless piece of shit.”

Even though he’d said he wasn’t gonna sell it, here he was, caving in for the money. Still, he just had to send one last jab like he had the upper hand. And just like that, the S-rank axe had a new owner.

The money was deposited through Lotranet’s transaction system, and the weapon Chang-sik had listed would now be sent to the buyer. Since all transactions on Lotranet were anonymous and processed by their staff, Chang-sik had no way of knowing who had actually bought the item.

***

Seeing the words “Transaction Complete,” Do-Jin smirked. “If he’d held out all the way to the end, I would’ve just paid full price anyway.”

It was an item he needed, so if the haggling hadn’t worked out, he would’ve just paid what was asked. After all, if it was Chang-sik, there was no way he’d walk away from a deal when money was on the line, no matter how pissed he got.

“I didn’t spend my own money, sure, but hey, less heat from the company is always a win.”

Do-Jin casually opened his messages and shot Chun Ji-Hyun a text.

Do-Jin: Got the gear I mentioned. Price: 15 million won. Please thank Director Joo for approving the content production budget.

“If I’m out here making Rael Entertainment’s name blow up everywhere, they better cough up at least this much.”

With that, Do-Jin had successfully bought the axe with Rael Entertainment’s funds.