"Are we... robbing a vending machine?"
Ha-Eun stood behind Ren, holding a cheap wooden staff he had bought her at a convenience store. She was wearing new clothes—a tracksuit Ren had made her buy—but she still looked skeptical.
They were in the abandoned Guro Subway Station, deep in the maintenance tunnels. In front of them sat a dusty, unplugged soda machine.
"It's not a machine," Ren said. "It's a door."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins.
"The entry code is specific," Ren muttered. "Two quarters. One dime. Three nickels. In that order. If you get it wrong, it dispenses a grenade."
"A grenade?!" Ha-Eun stepped back.
Clink. Clink. Clink-clink-clink.
Ren pressed the 'Soda' button.
WHIRRRRR.
The machine didn't dispense a drink. Instead, the entire front panel hissed and slid open, revealing a swirling vortex of gold energy.
[Hidden Dungeon Discovered: The Goblin's Treasury]
[Rank: D]
[Entry Limit: 2 Players]
"Jackpot," Ren grinned. "Let's go."
He stepped through. Ha-Eun hesitated, then followed.
Inside, the world changed. The walls weren't rock; they were stacked gold bars (fake, illusion magic). The floor was tiled with copper coins. The air smelled of ozone and polished metal.
"Whoa," Ha-Eun reached for a gold bar on the wall.
"Don't touch the walls," Ren warned. "They're mimics. They'll bite your hand off."
Ha-Eun snatched her hand back.
"SCREEEE!"
From down the corridor, three creatures charged at them. They were goblins, but not the loincloth-wearing kind. These goblins wore tiny, tailored business suits. They carried briefcases and wore spectacles.
[Monster: Junior Accountant Goblin]
[Level: 5]
[Weapon: Razor-Sharp Ledger]
"Business Goblins," Ren said. "Ha-Eun, you're up. Test out your new skills."
"Me? What do I do?"
"Burn them. Visualize the fire. Don't worry about mana conservation. Just blast them."
The goblins screeched, opening their briefcases to reveal rows of jagged teeth.
Ha-Eun panicked. She pointed her staff and squeezed her eyes shut. "FIREBALL!"
WHOOSH.
It wasn't a fireball. It was a flamethrower. A torrent of red-hot flame erupted from her staff, filling the entire hallway. The heat was intense, singing Ren's eyebrows.
The goblins didn't even have time to scream. They were vaporized instantly.
[Experience Gained!]
[Experience Gained!]
The fire faded. The hallway was scorched black. The gold-illusion walls flickered.
Ren whistled. "Not bad. A bit messy. You wasted 40% of your mana. But effective."
He walked over to the piles of ash. He kicked through the soot until he heard a clink.
He picked up a coin. It wasn't copper. It was solid gold.
[Item: Goblin Gold Coin]
[Value: $1,000]
"Is that... real gold?" Ha-Eun asked, wiping soot from her face.
"Real enough to sell," Ren tossed it to her. "Keep it. That's your tip."
"A thousand bucks? For one kill?" Ha-Eun's eyes sparkled. The fear vanished. "Boss, how many of these guys are in here?"
"About two hundred," Ren said, starting to walk deeper into the dungeon. "And a Manager at the end who drops the real prize."
Ren looked at the minimap in his mind—a memory from ten years in the future.
"We need to hurry," Ren said. "The dungeon resets in two hours. We need to clear the vault before the market closes."
"Yes, Boss!" Ha-Eun shouted, gripping her staff. She was suddenly very motivated.
Ren smirked. Greed, he thought. The best motivator.
"Next room," Ren ordered. "Try not to melt the loot this time."
...
The double doors at the end of the dungeon were made of solid mahogany, polished to a mirror shine. A golden plaque on the front read: [CEO'S OFFICE - KNOCK FIRST].
Ren didn't knock. He kicked the doors open.
BANG.
The room inside was massive. A red carpet stretched across the floor, leading to a desk the size of a tank. Behind the desk sat a monster.
It was a Hobgoblin, easily eight feet tall. It wore a pinstripe suit that strained against its bulging muscles. A gold chain hung around its neck, and its tusks were capped with platinum.
[Boss Monster: Chief Executive Hobgoblin]
[Rank: C]
[State: Angry about the intrusion]
"ROAR! (You didn't schedule an appointment!)" The Boss bellowed, grabbing a massive marble nameplate from its desk.
"Ha-Eun, shield!" Ren ordered, not stepping back.
The Boss hurled the nameplate. It flew like a cannonball.
"I can't block that!" Ha-Eun screamed, diving to the left. The marble slab smashed into the wall behind them, embedding itself two feet deep into the stone.
"Don't tank it, dodge it!" Ren shouted. "Look at the screen behind him!"
Behind the Boss's desk, a magical holographic chart floated in the air. It looked exactly like a stock market ticker, with a jagged line moving rapidly.
"That's his attack pattern," Ren explained rapidly. "When the line goes Red, he attacks low. When it goes Green, he attacks high. When it goes Flat, he's vulnerable!"
"How do you know that?!"
"I read his quarterly report! Now, get ready!"
The line on the screen flashed Red.
"Jump!" Ren commanded.
The Hobgoblin swung a massive briefcase low along the ground. Ha-Eun jumped, the wind pressure of the swing nearly knocking her over.
The line flashed Green.
"Duck!"
The Hobgoblin threw a gold bar at head-height. Ha-Eun dropped to her knees, feeling the wind of the projectile ruffle her hair.
"This is insane!" she yelled, firing a bolt of fire that sizzled harmlessly against the Boss's suit. "My fire isn't hurting him! His suit is fireproof!"
"It's an Armani," Ren noted. "High magic resistance. Aim for the chandelier!"
"What?"
"The chandelier! It's not secured properly! It's a safety violation!"
Ren pointed to the massive crystal fixture hanging directly above the Boss's desk. The chain holding it was rusted—a detail Ren remembered from a forum post five years in the future.
The line on the screen went Flat. The Boss paused to adjust his tie.
"NOW!"
Ha-Eun didn't question him. She channeled all her remaining mana into a concentrated spear of flame. She aimed not at the boss, but at the rusty chain.
SNAP.
Gravity took over. The two-ton crystal chandelier fell.
The Boss looked up. "Grah?"
CRASH.
The sound was deafening. Crystal shards and metal crushed the Hobgoblin into his mahogany desk. A cloud of dust and expensive glitter filled the room.
[Critical Hit!]
[Target Neutralized.]
Ren walked through the dust cloud. The Boss was pinned, groaning, HP flashing red at 1%.
"You're fired," Ren whispered.
He plunged a dagger into the monster's neck.
[You have defeated the Chief Executive Hobgoblin!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
A golden chest materialized on top of the wreckage.
Ren didn't hesitate. He kicked the chest open.
Inside, there was no gold. No weapons. Just a single, rolled-up parchment sealed with wax.
Ha-Eun limped over, exhausted. "Paper? We almost died for paper?"
Ren picked it up. His hands trembled slightly. This was it. The foundation of his empire.
[Item: Land Deed - District 9 (Gangnam)]
[Class: Territory Ownership]
[Description: Grants absolute ownership of the 12 blocks comprising District 9. This deed supersedes all pre-Awakening claims.]
Ren grinned. It wasn't just land.
District 9 currently housed the headquarters of the Golden Dawn Guild.
"Ha-Eun," Ren rolled up the scroll. "Do you know how to tie a tie? We need to look presentable. We're going to the Hunter Association."