Everything starts from making a plan.
However, even with preparation, you can still feel anxious and stressed.
If nothing goes wrong after you’ve set up a plan, that’s one thing, but in the end, there are just too many variables to ever set up a perfect plan.
In that sense, Han Hyun-Jun, also known as “Nazarik” in ASA, was now feeling extremely nervous and uneasy.
‘To think I’d be tripped up—not by money or talent, but just because of an Equipment listing…’
Despite having talents rivaling those of a Super Player and even obtaining the crucial Legendary Profession, “Hecatoncheires,” he was still tripped up by a trivial variable.
Damn it, I thought everything would go smoothly.
Not only did he possess talent and a Legendary Profession, but in Korea, he was also the son of Mo Hyun, the chairman of a leading corporation—a true chaebol heir.
He’d never imagined he would lack any strength.
In fact, thanks to his outstanding skills and the support of top-tier Equipment, he cut the average graduation period from the beginner village—which normally takes seven days—in half, entering the level 10 city, “Truel,” in just three days and proving himself.
Riding that momentum, he even planned to cut the average ten-day period to reach Truel’s graduation level in half, aiming to clear it in five days.
But after running into the unexpected variable of “lack of Equipment listings,” he’d already been sitting in the Brokerage for seven hours, empty-handed and exhausted.
“Hah, even now, I still regret missing out on the Red Tribe Orc Warrior’s Bracer and the Leather Armor of the Brave Trom…”
He’d simply forgotten to exchange more Gold, and that was the source of all his troubles.
Because the defensive gear with good stats had all come up for immediate purchase at high prices, the Gold he had on hand wasn’t enough.
He’d rushed to the exchange, but sure enough, someone else had already bought them.
It was a shame to lose out on such outstanding Equipment, but he couldn’t just wallow in regret.
“At least I learned something from the experience.”
So as not to repeat the mishap, he’d exchanged a whopping 150 Gold—fifteen million won—and prepared thoroughly.
With this amount, there shouldn’t be any issues purchasing level 10 Equipment.
“Just let some new listings show up—I’ll sweep them all up.”
With determination burning in his heart, he refreshed the page.
That’s when, at last, a dagger with a bright red name appeared in the Brokerage window.
“Auction time is 10 minutes, starting bid 150 Gold?”
It had a pretty good “Poison” option, but it was five times the average market price of 30 Gold for a level 10 Unique weapon.
Judging by the short auction time and high starting bid, it was obviously a fake listing, but after so many hours of wasted time at the Brokerage, his judgment was starting to blur.
‘The price is absurd compared to market value. But if the unlocked ability is good, I could get at least 100 Gold for it, right? Or maybe 150 Gold is actually the right price? If it’s Switching Equipment, it’s possible.’
Switching Equipment.
This referred to gear used alongside your main weapon to take advantage of special abilities built into the Equipment itself.
Not just buffs, but healing effects, and unique abilities—most such Equipment fell under the category of Switching Equipment.
Because these items weren’t restricted by level, not only regular high-level users but even Super Players used them, keeping their prices high regardless of level or grade.
Born as a chaebol heir and raised to be sharp, his instincts were screaming at him.
“Right, there’s a reason why something is expensive. Maybe it’s a huge steal—no, I get the feeling this could be Equipment I’ll use for the rest of my life.”
As he debated, time kept ticking away, and the auction for Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger had already dropped to just five minutes, making him anxious.
‘Don’t get nervous. Stay calm and think it through one more time.’
Despite telling himself that, Nazarik found himself unconsciously biting his thumbnail.
Time continued to pass, and there were only about three minutes left to bid.
He wasn’t aware of it, but his nail-biting—his habit when anxious—was a sign he was already leaning toward buying it.
‘Let’s just buy it. It’s not like it’s bound Equipment, and I’m tired of being stuck in the Brokerage. Besides, I get the feeling its locked ability will be really good.’
With that, he poured the entire 150 Gold he’d exchanged into a bid for the Half-Dragon Dagger.
“Even if its unlocked ability isn’t that great, who cares? Better to level up quickly and become a Super Player as soon as possible than waste time stuck in the Brokerage. That’s the real gain.”
As he calmed himself, the auction time dropped below a minute.
’59…58…57′
The price was high, but the abilities of Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger looked so promising that his previous hesitation was replaced by excitement.
It was just like the thrill of receiving a new toy as a child, or waiting for your first car in your twenties.
‘No way anyone will outbid me, right? It’s a whole 150 Gold.’
As the time ticked down, his anticipation and anxiety grew, all sorts of thoughts racing through his head, but he shook them off.
‘No one would bid over 150 Gold for a mere level 10 Equipment unless they’re a chaebol heir like me… Or maybe the heir to Cheon-Ae Group, the richest conglomerate.’
Ten seconds left. No one had outbid him.
Even if someone found the dagger and rushed to the exchange, the auction would be over before they returned.
“That was just needless worrying.”
He realized his fears had been unfounded and let out a small laugh, just starting to get ready to collect his winnings.
[Your bid for Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger has been outbid at 151 Gold.]
[Your 150 Gold has been returned. Please check your inventory.]
At the sudden message, he let out a cry of shock.
“What…?”
At the same time, his competitive spirit flared.
‘I’m not about to let someone snatch away what I’ve set my sights on for just 1 Gold.’
He quickly raised his hand to place a higher bid.
But unfortunately, the 150 Gold he had was all there was.
“The exchange…”
He dashed out in a hurry, but he was already too late.
The auction time hit zero, and Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger vanished from the Brokerage window.
***
Immortal Emperor.
In 2039, at the annual World Championship, Nazarik earned a title from viewers who watched his play.
As you might guess from the title, he did not die.
Even when hit head-on by the strongest “Ultimate, Omni Life and Death” of “Elgarde Erga,” the so-called Archmage, and by the finishing move “Eclipse” of Gui Gok (ranked 11th overall), he still lived.
His unrivaled survivability led to rumors of him abusing bugs or even being a staff member.
Of course, developer Hyun Woo-Hyuk and Utopia vehemently denied it, and it took less than a day for the truth to be revealed.
Nazarik’s survivability was not due to any bug, but purely to his skillful use of abilities.
Strictly speaking, it was all thanks to Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger.
His dogged persistence came from his Profession’s skills, but surviving Omni Life and Death and Eclipse was entirely due to the power of the Half-Dragon Dagger.
‘To think that the Half-Dragon Dagger would end up in my hands…’
The corners of his mouth lifted until he felt like he’d float away.
While unlocking its treasure would require meeting certain conditions, that wasn’t a problem.
“This is the unlocking condition.”
Tears of Dragon’s Lifeseed.
It was an extract made from boiling Dragon’s Lifeseed Grass at the summit of Victory Dragon Mountain in the City-State of Mek on the Far East Continent. It was incredibly hard to acquire and cost a whopping 50 Gold—500,000 won.
Although it was quite expensive, he’d gladly exchange more Gold if it meant unlocking the Half-Dragon Dagger.
Chrrrk—
“They said once I pour this in, the blade would be revealed…”
As he spoke, the liquid slowly seeped into the dagger, and soon, golden light began to shine from the blade.
[Kasaka’s Flame reacts with Tears of Dragon’s Lifeseed]
[Kasaka’s Flame is grateful to you and recognizes you as its master]
[Unlocking conditions fulfilled. Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger reveals its true form.]
[True, Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger]
- Grade: Unique
- Type: Top-Tier
- Required Level: 15 or above
- Description: A dagger imbued with Kasaka’s Flame, who finally let go of his obsession to become a dragon after resonating with Tears of Dragon’s Lifeseed, attaining true power. It acknowledges the user as its master and will protect its master even in Pain.
- Attack Power: 110~160
- Main Option: Strength +15 / Agility +30
- Special Options:
- Dragon Fang: (Lvl. 20) chance to inflict paralysis, slow, burn, freeze, or poison at random.
- Wings Beyond the Shore: If struck by a fatal blow, death is nullified and HP will not drop below 1 for 3 seconds. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
Just seeing the unlocked abilities of the Half-Dragon Dagger gave him goosebumps.
“To think this is level 15 Equipment…”
It was as good as a level 20 weapon, or even a level 30 Unique weapon if he was being generous.
But most importantly—
Attached to the Half-Dragon Bracelet was Wings Beyond the Shore, even bearing the title of a treasure.
“This is insane!”
He couldn’t help but blurt it out.
Having knowledge of the future was proving to be an even greater advantage than he’d imagined.
“I need to revise my entire plan.”
Rather than just focusing on fast leveling, it was worth switching to a path focused on collecting treasure that would be called legendary in the future.
“To do that, I really do need to grow quickly.”
Most of the treasure that were relatively easy to obtain at this stage had likely already been claimed.
But those with high acquisition difficulty—like The Far Side of the Moon or Solomon’s Agony—were still unclaimed.
“That means I can’t just sit here.”
He strode forward with renewed determination.
***
The outermost edge of Shinaga.
It was the most avoided place in the area.
And for good reason.
Just getting close was enough to make you nauseous from the stench.
“The smell is awful.”
He wanted to turn back right away, but he couldn’t.
To complete the “Investigation of the Cause” quest he’d received from Shazam, he had to reach the hidden entrance inside.
He tried to hold his breath, but the stench only grew worse the further he went in.
Ugh…
Just as he was about to hit his limit, he spotted what he assumed was the entrance to his destination.
He hurriedly opened the door and stepped inside.
Inside, contrary to what he’d expected from the outside, the air was sweet and a single well-maintained building stood alone.
What stood out was the bizarre symbols on the walls, and in one corner, dozens of incubation tanks lined up, each one filled with Titanarum Seeds.
Just looking at them, he couldn’t help but smile.
“To think I found it on the first try. Some people spend all day just looking for the entrance.”
[You have discovered the Secret Instance Dungeon: Source of Stench, Black Sorcerer’s Cave!]
[You have found a clue to the source of Shinaga’s stench.]
[You have completed the Investigation of the Cause quest.]
Just seeing the messages pop up made him forget all the trouble he’d gone through to get here.
“They say good things happen all at once—guess it’s true.”
He felt so happy, it was almost too good to be true. But this was only the tip of the iceberg.
[You are the first to discover the Source of Stench, Black Sorcerer’s Cave!]
[You have achieved the Tomb Raider achievement!]
[Tomb Raider]
Awarded only to those who discover hidden Dungeons.
For three days after first discovering a Dungeon, EXP gained is increased by 100%.
A smile bloomed on Dahav’s face as he checked the Tomb Raider options.
Although it didn’t permanently boost his stats or grant a special ability, for someone seeking rapid growth like him, it was like a sudden tailwind.
“I’m telling you, ASA is a god-tier game with no flaws!”
But before he could bask in his triumph, a message window popped up before his eyes, bringing new worries.