The real splurge on money began with purchasing equipment for the Dark Knight.
[Sun Plate Armor]
- Grade: Unique
- Category: Lower-tier
- Usable Level: 25 and above
- This is the armor of the Lion King Melainin, the conqueror of the Helios Confederation, the united northern nation.
- This is the armor worn by the invincible Lion King Melainin during his youth. His tribe worshiped the sun, and it is said that Melainin always prayed to the sun before going into battle.
- Set Options: Strength +8 / Stamina +8
- Special Options:
- When 2 set items equipped: Strength, Stamina +10
- When 3 set items equipped: Strength, Stamina +15
- When 4 set items equipped: Strength, Stamina +25
- When all 5 set items equipped: Strength, Stamina, Agility, Spirit +10; Physical and Magical Defense +10%
Not only the gauntlets, but also the pants, armor, helmet, gloves, and boots—Dahav purchased all five pieces of the Sun Plate Armor set.
Though the grade was at the extreme end of Unique, being a ‘set’ item made the price considerably steep.
The earnings from the recent video views far exceeded the cost, and Dahav didn’t hesitate to pay even what little money he had left.
‘Pff… After all, the Monster Pioneer class really needs to wear armor to fully showcase its strengths. Until now, the feeling was more like the class was just a support role.’
Originally, the Monster Pioneer class that Wilhelm played was not meant for direct frontline combat but specialized in handling familiars from the rear, supporting them entirely.
Above all, this kind of equipment was a structure where no one could really lose out.
‘You can always just resell it.’
Considering the rarity, disposal wouldn’t be difficult either, and if he were lucky, he could even get more than he paid.
‘So, I was hoping to get the shield as well if possible…’
But there was no shield on the market.
The shield was the most popular piece of equipment among tank-class players, to the point where there was a saying: “No weapon for dealers, no shield for tanks.”
It was the top priority in item setups.
Because of that, even if the rest of the armor pieces weren’t over-invested in, tankers would go all out on the shield, buying the best they could.
‘There’s just no decent shield listing at all…’
Dahav was just about to give up and close the marketplace window when a new item caught his eye.
There was an item that caught his focus instantly.
He hurriedly clicked it to confirm the details.
[Weakly Radiant Sunfire Fragment]
- Grade: Unique
- Category: Lower-tier
- Usable Level: No restriction
- This is a fragment that fell from the shield once used by a certain king during the Golden Era. It seems like it could be used somewhere.
It had the alluring ‘unique’ trait, but the word ‘fragment’ meant it was not a ready-to-use finished product.
This item was a crafting material, and its name was a uniquely sun-tinged rare item.
Though it was a unique item he hadn’t seen before, Dahav’s heart began pounding rapidly.
‘This is the shield material Gemini used, isn’t it?’
Gemini, Paladin of the 12th Palace.
The name of the 9th-ranked Myth Guild Master.
Yet, compared to the guild’s ranking, Gemini the Master wasn’t within the top 100 individual rankings and didn’t attract much attention.
In fact, in the 1:1 PVP ranking, the 9th guild’s master was so weak it was almost laughable.
But Gemini’s true value appeared on the large-scale battlefield.
He earned the title Paladin of the 12th Palace not only due to his class, Sign of Zodiac, but also because of his set items, including the legendary ‘Sun King’s Hoplon’ shield.
‘And this fragment is one of the materials to craft the ‘Sun King’s Hoplon’ set shield.’
Like the Banryong Danwol sword, the Sun King’s Hoplon was one of the rare shield-grade items, and seeing it made Dahav’s heart race — but he quickly calmed himself.
‘But there should be three fragments, right…’
To create the finished shield, three fragments were required, including the Sunfire Fragment and two more.
‘Well, I have to at least get it for now.’
The price was quite steep at 50 gold, but since he had decided on an aggressive investment, Dahav didn’t hesitate long.
Considering the finished product, it was basically a steal; he had no choice but to buy it for the potential alone.
[Purchase of Weakly Radiant Sunfire Fragment completed.]
Though he bought it for the potential, trying to gather all the fragments left him feeling helpless.
‘Haah… It’d be great if whoever is selling these has three fragments and just got tired of failing at crafting, so they’re offloading them.’
Of course, that was wishful thinking.
Gemini himself had spent at least three months visiting the marketplace every day trying to collect all three fragments.
Even he knew that was impossible, and he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
‘Damn it, I better check one last time for any shield listings.’
He mechanically searched ‘shield’ again and immediately noticed two more items.
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Thank you, God.”
***
Utopia Company, the birthplace of ASA.
Known simply as ‘UtoCom,’ the company’s user management team, due to its enormous global userbase, had branches in every country to oversee players.
But exceptions always existed.
The team responsible for monitoring Korean users at headquarters was known for their sharp attention, specializing in closely observing influencer players, regardless of nationality, who significantly impacted the game.
After a year of operation, the initial chaotic process of identifying and distinguishing special observation targets was mostly complete, and unless new targets appeared, their daily task was simply to keep an eye on existing ones.
Thanks to this light workload and the privilege of watching the players’ dazzling gameplay in real-time, the department became the golden division within the company, envied by other employees.
However, the one day when new targets were added, like today, was anything but peaceful.
At headquarters, the head of the Influencer Management Department, Yang Juhwan, stared at a certain user with disbelief.
“You’re telling me they already gathered all three Sun King’s Hoplon fragments that look like collector’s junk? Without anyone leaking info?”
Of course, it was unlikely.
Neither Hyun Woo-Hyuk nor the Utopia Company chairman nor the employees they hired had ever leaked information to players.
One team member casually spoke.
“If you look at that player’s past, they’re quite a sharp player who digs deep into the game. But gathering fragments is not the end game, right? So it’s fine.”
“Yeah, I hope that’s true. But what kind of player is this? Spending huge amounts to collect items not even suitable for a 30-level novice? Do they think they’re some god’s son or something?”
“I can’t check due to privacy laws, but their nickname is ‘Dahav.’”
“Dahav?”
Yang Juhwan frowned, paused to think, then spoke as if recalling something.
“The Sacred ground of Synaga?”
“Yes, the one you praised the other day for both physical and mental prowess and subscribed to their channel.”
“In terms of skill, that’s obviously a super player.”
“And they’re sharp too.”
The team leader massaged his thumb and index finger as if soothing rising tension.
“Good. But if they figure out the crafting conditions quickly, that just means more work for us.”
“Damn it. After a year of chaos, I was finally hoping for some rest.”
The curse slipped out involuntarily.
Others called the golden department only a mockery of the intense work of the past year.
Back when ASA first opened, they were constantly overwhelmed.
Passing through that time to the current management system, another huge variable had just been added.
“Well, he started the game late, so he has to endure having a low level. At most, his manager rank would probably be around Wolf.”
In the headquarters’ influencer division, managers were categorized and managed by rank: Rabbit, Wolf, Tiger, and Dragon.
The Sun King was a key figure at the center of the world view, and for an item of such central importance to appear already was no trivial matter.
Luckily, Dahav’s level was still quite low.
As Dahav grew, some unpredictable variable might occur, and even among top-tier players, a ‘Dragon’ grade could jump ahead and snatch the item first.
Still, complete reassurance was impossible.
“What if they really make the Sun King’s Hoplon?”
If that happened, given the item’s special traits, the variable would be very hard to contain.
A teammate answered naturally.
“It’s not like we haven’t done overtime before.”
Without realizing it, the highest ranks—Tiger or rather Dragon—appeared in his mind.
Though a grim observation, it was still premature.
“No, it can’t be.”
“Exactly. We’re not a game company that stirs up needless hype. The team leader knows it requires insane luck to get this item.”
“Right, they have the money, skill, and intuition, plus the luck? Someone with all that just doesn’t exist.”
The teammate’s reassurance finally calmed Yang Juhwan.
“So, no need to worry too much. Let’s just keep a close watch for now.”
“Indeed, it’s the presence of competent staff that leads.”
All thanks to the team leader’s sincerity, the influencer management team smiled brightly, unaware of what the future held.
***
Paladin of the 12th Palace, Gemini.
During the guild wars, seeing Gemini’s playstyle going head-to-head with the Sirens earned him his title.
As the title suggests, he demonstrated his true worth in large-scale, multi-party wars rather than one-on-one duels.
Miss Guildwin’s individual members were no match against the power of the Sirens, who gathered stars to form a formidable force, and in reality, they were outmatched.
But when Gemini appeared on the battlefield, the tides astonishingly turned.
He didn’t directly engage in combat, but the effects of the auras he sent out were exceptional.
‘At first, everyone assumed the colorful buff abilities were all from Gemini’s Sign of Zodiac skills.’
Not entirely wrong.
But those abilities weren’t 100% thanks to his class.
‘About 30 to 50% of it came from the Sun King’s Footsteps set he wears.’
Among the powerful equipment boasting overwhelming performance, one of the items was the shield fragments he had obtained.
Gemini also struggled for a while trying to find the crafting conditions.
“Because it was basically impossible to find normally.”
Unlike the Half Dragon Dagger, it didn’t have straightforward conditions or was ready to equip like usual items.
Thanks to these peculiarities, Dahav remembered clearly.
He smiled slightly and equipped the ‘Iron Gauntlet’ he bought from the marketplace.
Then, he took out the three purchased fragments from his inventory and scattered them on the ground.
[Weakly Radiant Sunfire Fragment]
[Trembling Sunstone Fragment]
[Sunlit Memory Fragment]
With a loud clang, the shield fragments began to crumble into small pieces.
Though it looked like madness, Dahav paid no mind and continued breaking them apart.
‘This is the… combination condition!’