Lee Tae-sung and Zhang Xuan focused on their meal after that.
The courses continued to arrive one after another.
Every bite was a feast of flavors that felt like a flash of light inside his mouth!
Lee Tae-sung had also visited omakase and expensive fine dining restaurants back when everyone was busy showing off on social media.
It was an enormous expenditure relative to his salary, but he had thought that such experiences were necessary while he was young.
They were certainly delicious and had a great atmosphere, but they were far too overpriced for the cost.
However, the experience here was different.
It had the power to make him focus entirely on the food until the course ended!
‘At this rate, I’d want to come back even if it’s expensive.’
Of course, he would have to hear the price to know for sure… Regardless, a very satisfying meal ended, and they moved on to tea time.
“Little Brother. What do you want to do in the future?”
“Well… first, I want to save money and buy a house.”
His primary goal was to escape his current studio apartment and live in a house with a view of the Han River.
“How modest.”
“Haha…”
“And after that?”
“Hmm. Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead, but I think I’d like to join a good guild.”
Joining a major guild and living a good life—that was the next step Lee Tae-sung had envisioned.
It wouldn’t be bad to join the Blue Dragon Guild, which was currently showing him goodwill.
He had met both of the Blue Dragon siblings, and they seemed like decent people.
“A major guild is fine. Only the top echelon of hunters can enter those, after all.”
No matter how much people said hunters made good money and became celebrities, that only applied to a handful of talented hunters.
For those with mediocre skills and no talent, it was a death-defying, extremely dangerous profession where they could easily lose their lives during a mission.
“But Brother, dream big. Why do you want to work under others?”
In truth, Zhang Xuan realized the moment he saw Lee Tae-sung that he had lived the life of an ordinary citizen.
A person can only see as far as they have experienced.
One can only spread their wings when they experience bigger and more numerous things, supported by their surrounding environment.
No matter how talented or capable someone is, if their circumstances don’t support them, they have no choice but to live like a chicken in a coop.
“From what I saw earlier, it seems the Association doesn’t treat you like an ordinary hunter either. Your records so far are good. Most hunters in major guilds went through such rookie days to reach their current positions, so why can’t you do the same?”
“……”
Lee Tae-sung blinked. He had never thought of it that way.
Having gone through his days as a job seeker and working at bottom-tier firms, the thought of needing to belong somewhere had naturally become ingrained in his mind.
However, he felt as if something had opened up at Zhang Xuan’s words.
He still lived in a studio apartment, so he hadn’t felt the change in his life yet, but Lee Tae-sung had certainly changed.
In terms of future potential, he was superior to anyone else.
Did someone like him really need to join a guild?
If he had the ability, he shouldn’t work under someone else; he should start his own!
‘This might actually work.’
Instead of joining a guild, he would start his own.
It seemed worth a shot.
Moreover, Lee Tae-sung possessed abilities that others didn’t know about.
With the recent awakening of the ‘Dream Shop,’ he could now bring items from the game into reality.
Although there was only one item for now and many restrictions, those limitations were bound to ease as time passed.
If he could use the Score Shop and the Dream Shop simultaneously…
‘I’ll be more competitive than any major guild.’
The Dream World might have items that weren’t even in the Score Shop.
The reverse was also true.
As long as he had enough points, Lee Tae-sung had gained a warehouse of resources that was nearly infinite.
The more he chewed on the thought, the more it seemed worth doing.
‘…But wait. Is this guy trying to use me?’
Lee Tae-sung looked at Zhang Xuan with slightly suspicious eyes.
Stirring someone’s heart with sweet talk was exactly the kind of thing a scammer would do.
Was he trying to shake him up and make him dependent so he could pluck the rewards later?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Shall I guess? You’re wondering if I’m trying to use you and stab you in the back later, right? Like a scammer trying to enchant you with clever words.”
“!”
Lee Tae-sung flinched. He was spot on.
“…To be honest, I can’t help but have those thoughts. Why are you being so kind to me?”
“Hahahaha. You’re quite interesting. You’re the first person to say that to my face, Brother.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. Plenty of people think it even if they don’t say it. In fact, many of my compatriots are indeed heartless scammers.”
Zhang Xuan grinned.
“Didn’t you save my life in Dream World?”
“That was just in a game.”
“Of course it was. But it’s a game that feels more real than reality. Can you really call that just a game?”
“…No, I suppose not.”
To Lee Tae-sung, Dream World was not a simple game.
It was another world he had to face with everything he had, and another life.
“Thanks to my father, I’ve walked an easy path my whole life. I could do anything just by reaching out or giving an order. But Dream World wasn’t like that.”
A high-ranking official wielding absolute power in China—at that level, it would be hard to encounter difficult situations in reality.
But Dream World was different.
For the first time, Zhang Xuan bowed his waist before NPCs, worked hard for research, and felt a sense of achievement and worth through various experiences.
Lee Tae-sung was the brother he had formed a bond with in that world.
“There are many bastards who flatter me because they want to look good, but it was quite fascinating to meet someone who saved my life without knowing anything, like you did.”
“Haha…”
“I don’t know how you feel about the things I’ve done for you, but don’t feel too burdened. None of it was difficult for me anyway. It felt like I was just traveling around Korea for the first time in a while.”
“…You turned the Association upside down, though.”
“What’s so hard about that? You have less courage than you look.”
And though Zhang Xuan didn’t say it out loud, checking to see if Lee Tae-sung was doing well was a necessary task.
Even if it was a bond formed in a game, he had accepted him as a little brother.
If such a person was being mistreated by others, it would be the same as damaging Zhang Xuan’s own face. It was unacceptable!
“And did you know? Surprisingly, I spent more time in the United States than in China.”
“What?”
“I hold a high-ranking position in the Party now thanks to my father, but I’ve been studying abroad since I was young. I went to middle and high school in America. My university was Harvard.”
“!!”
An elite from an Ivy League school!
Come to think of it, his English pronunciation at the airport had been at a native level.
It turned out there was a reason for that.
“I could have obtained US citizenship anytime, but a high-ranking official having dual citizenship would make it easy for people to attack me, so I didn’t.”
The reason Zhang Xuan was telling him about himself in such detail was simple.
He was saying that although he might be Chinese on the outside, having lived in America since he was young, more than half of his sensibilities were American.
“Is this enough for you to trust me a little?”
“Ah… haha. Yes.”
To be honest, he still couldn’t trust him 100%.
How could anyone immediately trust someone they met for the first time today in reality?
Zhang Xuan figured it would get better over time and didn’t push the conversation further.
“You don’t have to tell me what you want from me right now. When you’ve developed trust and ask for help, I will help you with everything I have.”
“I don’t know when that will be, but I understand for now.”
“Good. Let’s leave that talk here. Now, is there really nothing you want?”
Things he wanted.
Of course, there were many.
It felt like if he asked for a house right now, Zhang Xuan would buy it for him.
However, that didn’t seem like a good favor to ask.
This opportunity was too precious to waste on such a request.
‘What I need…!’
He felt a sharp realization just from getting a hint about what he should do in the future.
“Didn’t you say you would repay the debt of your life in Dream World?”
“That’s right.”
“Then give it to me as a Dream World item.”
What Lee Tae-sung needed most was an object from inside Dream World.
Since he was getting stronger through Dream World, obtaining something good from there was much better than material things in reality.
Furthermore, precious items in Dream World couldn’t be obtained just because one had money.
If that were the case, the conglomerates would have already taken over the top tiers of Dream World.
Wealth was only a part of it; besides that, skill, effort, and luck were needed in various ways.
Zhang Xuan blinked for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Haha! I didn’t expect that. You’re a truly interesting person, Brother. Yes, that’s right. Very well. What do you want? I’d love to hand over the secret skills of the Red Magic Tower that I’ve learned.”
“Oh. Is that possible?”
“No. If even I did something like that, I’d be kicked out immediately and have an execution order placed on my head.”
He had entered the Magic Tower with a massive donation, but he couldn’t do that.
Lee Tae-sung understood and nodded.
‘And actually, I don’t need skills right now.’
The power of the skills he had already mastered was excellent.
Developing them while leveling up was the priority.
Right now, there was something more urgent.
Namely, the amount of mana!
No matter how powerful a skill was, it was useless if he could only use it a few times.
The Heavenly Flame Palm he learned recently had a high mana consumption proportional to its power, so a countermeasure was absolutely necessary.
He was practicing the Solar Star Power Art whenever he had time, but he always felt it was insufficient.
“Then are elixirs possible?”
“They are. You want an elixir?”
“Yes.”
“I happen to have just the right thing. The research I was doing with Master Serina has finished, and it was elixir research. A fire-attribute mana potion. I have a supply coming to me as my share, and I’ll give that to you. How does that sound?”
“That’s great!”
Lee Tae-sung’s face brightened.
The hybrid art he practiced was the Solar Star Power Art.
Any elixir would be effective, but a fire-attribute one would be especially good!
“Good. I’ll see you in Dream World.”
After the storm-like meeting with Zhang Xuan. Upon returning home, Lee Tae-sung immediately lay down in his connector.
He had made an appointment with Zhang Xuan.
Zhang Xuan had taken up residence in Korea, in a place equipped with a connector.
After logging into Dream World, he met Zhang Xuan on the first floor of the Red Magic Tower.
“Take this.”
What he handed over were two potions.
[Red Heart Nectar]
- An elixir potion made with the secret techniques of the Red Magic Tower. An innovative method that saved 14% on manufacturing costs compared to existing elixirs.
- Based on Red Dragon’s blood, it strengthens and fortifies the heart.
- Increases mana capacity by 10 to 15 years depending on the user’s current mana state upon consumption.
‘Up to 15 years!’
Lee Tae-sung’s eyes sparkled as he read the description.
“You’re giving me two?”
“I have three in total. I’ll take one, and I’ll give you two. The effect drops significantly from the second dose onward, so rather than drinking it, you’d be better off selling it.”
“Big Brother!”
At that moment, Lee Tae-sung decided to serve Zhang Xuan as his true elder brother.
Where else in the world could you find a brother like this!
The elixir made with the secrets of the Red Magic Tower, Red Heart Nectar.
After receiving the potions from Zhang Xuan, Lee Tae-sung immediately consumed one.
Perhaps because it was the secret of a major magic tower, as soon as he drank it, his lower abdomen became warm, and the warmth spread throughout his entire body.
A sense of fullness saturated his whole being!
Opening his eyes in the training hall of the Flying Dragon Sect, Lee Tae-sung examined his physical condition.
‘It seems to have increased by about… 13 years.’
What he had previously was a little less than 5 years.
He had filled 4.5 years with elixirs, and the rest was gathered through mana cultivation.
But in an instant, it had become 18 years.
With his mana tripled, he felt as if he owned the entire world.
Lee Tae-sung jumped up from his seat.
His body felt light as he moved.
He felt like he could do anything, and he tested the Heavenly Flame Palm in the air.
-Sizzle!
A crimson palm strike cut through the air.
The power was impressive, but more importantly, there was no burden even after performing it.
Of course, even with this, a prolonged battle would be difficult, but he certainly had more breathing room now.
‘Should I drink one more?’
His gaze naturally drifted toward the one remaining Red Heart Nectar.
If one did this much, what would happen if he drank two?
Naturally, there wouldn’t be a dramatic effect like before.
Zhang Xuan had said the effect would drop significantly, and elixirs generally became less effective the more mana one had.
That was when a thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘Or… should I try using the Dream Reality Rune?’
The Score Shop had various items, but none that increased skills or mana capacity.
Those were abilities that individual hunters had to raise through training.
In such a situation, what if he brought this Red Heart Nectar back?
Wouldn’t everyone lose their minds over it…?