The First Treasure Vault of Kahku, the Treasure Goblin

Indeed.

The mention of Kahku's first treasure vault implied the existence of a second, a third, and possibly even more.

Naturally, Seong knew the locations of all of them.

Thud. Rumble.

The heavy sound of the vault door echoed as it opened, revealing the interior.

However, it wasn’t a dazzling display of treasures or a vault overflowing with gold and jewels.

The inside was modestly furnished, designed for comfortable living. At the center of the room stood a single, substantial treasure chest.

Roughly a meter wide and 50 centimeters tall, the chest occupied considerable space. Seong boldly flung it open.

A golden radiance flooded the room.

Fwoosh!

“Wow.”

Even the normally stoic Seong found himself momentarily awestruck. The sheer number of gold coins and the ring placed prominently on top could make anyone's head spin.

As Seong examined the chest, the system immediately responded.

[You have obtained 555 Gold Coins.]
[You have obtained the Rare+ Item, 『Ring of Protection』.]

Five hundred fifty-five gold coins.

Adding this to the 104 gold coins Seong had earned from the starter village brought his total to 659 gold coins.

Considering the exchange rate—1 silver was roughly equivalent to $1, making 1 gold equal to 10 silver—the haul amounted to at least 9 million won.

The calculations spun rapidly in his head, and Seong's eyes widened.

“Nine million?”

Earning this much in just one day.

If another player had found a hidden piece this fortunate today, they might have written it off as pure luck.

But Seong was different.

With his unique ability to locate ghosts, he effectively held a cheat key to discovering hidden pieces.

While he couldn’t earn 10 million won every single day, even half that amount—5 million won—was extraordinary.

“Phew.”

No wonder people said Eternal World was a money-maker.

Rec

alling his sister Mina’s words, Seong swallowed hard. He now fully understood why so many players were trying to make money through this game.

Earning over 100 gold in the starter village had been impressive enough, but this—this felt monumental.

Still, Seong shook his head, maintaining his composure.

“I can’t always rely on luck.”

Meeting a ghost who knew about a hidden piece was still partly a matter of chance. Aware of that, he steadied himself.

Having confirmed the profitability of Eternal World, it was now time to review his rewards.

“The Ring of Protection and the new title—let’s check the title first.”

The new title, Hunter of the Mighty, seemed to suggest an offensive focus. Curious, Seong opened its details.

『Hunter of the Mighty』
→ 《Rare》
→ Awarded to users who defeat monsters at least 10 levels higher than themselves.
→ Increases defense by +10% when fighting stronger enemies.

“Hm.”

Not bad.

While it wasn’t an exciting offensive bonus, the added defense could still come in handy.

“Though… have I even been hit properly before?”

Aside from intentionally testing poison buffs against goblins, he’d avoided most attacks. Still, having the title wouldn’t hurt. One couldn’t evade every attack forever.

Next, Seong inspected the Ring of Protection. Judging by its name, it likely offered a defensive effect.

『Ring of Protection』
→ 《Rare+》
→ A mystical ring imbued with protective magic that activates simply by wearing it.
→ Defense +10%.
→ Generates an automatic shield equal to 5% of the wearer’s max HP once a day in emergencies.

“Oh?”

The ring’s effect wasn’t just a simple defense boost. The ability to create an automatic shield once per day was invaluable—ideal for blocking fatal or unexpected attacks.

This was a reward that even Seong couldn’t help but smile at. Satisfied, he stood up.

His business here was done.

Time to head back.

“I’ll return to the village and log out.”

Today had been eventful enough. While part of him wanted to keep playing, it was nearing dinnertime.

His mother’s complaints about Mina always being late for dinner came to mind. It was easy to sympathize—this game was difficult to put down.

With that thought, Seong headed back to the village of Persville, making sure not to forget the next step.

“I should also make that call once I get back.”

Recalling the business card he’d received earlier, Seong pondered over the offer.

“Contact me if you’re interested. We’ll offer you the best terms in the industry.”

First, he’d register the messenger code. Then, once logged out, he’d follow up through the Eternal World app on his phone.

The anticipation of what such “best terms” might entail made him grin.

1.

From a developer’s point of view, Kahku was an infuriating monster.

This insane goblin, known for amassing vast wealth, had spread his fortune across the first, second, third, and even fourth villages.

To make matters worse, his intelligence made him a master negotiator with humans. Capturing Kahku was an arduous task, as he roamed freely between villages, evading most players.

When a beginner player from the first village managed to kill him, cheers erupted in the development team. Even more so when Kahku’s Compass was lost—rendering access to his treasure vaults nearly impossible.

Among those cheering was Lee Won-sang, a senior member of the Eternal World User Management Team.

That joy felt like only yesterday.

But now?

“...It’s been raided.”

At the comment from Oh Jin-hyuk, his junior colleague, Lee ground his teeth in frustration.

Still, it was fine. No, truly—it was fine.

“This is trivial.”

“Pardon?”

Oh Jin-hyuk stared at him, genuinely worried his senior had lost it.

But Lee responded with a look of exasperation.

“It’s only the first vault, not the third or fourth.”

“Ah!”

“If the higher-tier vaults had been raided, we’d be in serious trouble. The first village’s vault only contained the Ring of Protection and 555 gold.”

“That’s true!”

“This doesn’t even need to be reported.”

“Thank goodness.”

“Exactly.”

Watching Seong log out after returning to the village, Lee sighed in relief. Today’s chaos was finally over. Perhaps now he could finally clock out.

Just as he was about to rise from his desk, Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong called out.

“Lee Won-sang, come to my desk.”

“Ah…”

Her voice was calm, but a sense of foreboding gripped him. Reluctantly, he made his way to her.

“What do you know about Overpalace?” Ji asked with a stiff expression.

“Ah, of course. It’s a mage tower formed by dark mages, unlike the divided white mages who are split into factions like the Tower of Fire or the Tower of Ice. Overpalace is the strongest collective in this game’s lore.”

Ji nodded, acknowledging his understanding, then continued.

“Did you also know Overpalace worships the former Overlord, Helena?”

“What? Uh… Oh… Oh no.”

Ji sighed deeply.

Yes, Overpalace, the most powerful group of mages in the game, revered Helena. And now that Seong had inherited her title as the new Overlord…

“Well, surely there’s no connection yet—”

“There will be.”

“...Right.”

Even as Lee tried to deny reality, Ji firmly shut down his protests.

“Let’s delay any interactions between Seong and Overpalace for as long as possible.”

“Understood!”

“We can’t interfere directly, but we’ll do our best to keep them apart.”

Lee nodded, resolute. For now, there had been no direct link between Seong and Overpalace, so there was still time to act.

“Create side quests with additional rewards to lead him away from Overpalace.”

“Additional rewards? For him?”

Rewarding a player who was already causing chaos felt counterintuitive, but Lee agreed nonetheless. They had to contain the situation.

“Can you handle it?”

“Yes, of course.”

Reassured, Ji nodded. She trusted Lee, who, despite his occasional grumbles, was reliable when it mattered.

Meanwhile, as they discussed, Oh Jin-hyuk noticed something strange on Lee’s screen.

“Wait, didn’t Seong log out? Why is the screen still showing activity?”

It was common for NPC-related actions to appear on a user’s screen, but Oh Jin-hyuk, still new, didn’t fully grasp the implications.

Curious, he watched the familiar figure of the Hindel Village elder writing a letter.

“The successor has appeared. It is time for the palace to awaken.”

Though Oh Jin-hyuk found the elder’s words peculiar, he dismissed them as standard NPC behavior.

Unbeknownst to him, Lee Won-sang would have wept tears of blood had he known what was unfolding.

2.

As Seong stepped out of the capsule, he stretched lightly, expecting some fatigue after prolonged gaming sessions. Yet, to his surprise, he felt the exact opposite.

“Hmm, my body doesn’t feel stiff at all.”

This was likely due to the memories and experiences he had absorbed from the ghosts in the game. These effects seemed to carry over into the real world, leaving him physically refreshed.

Realizing this instinctively, Seong exited his room and noticed the quiet house. It appeared no one else had returned yet. His mother, Lee Na-gyeong, was out for an appointment, and his father, Yoo Gwang-jin, hadn’t come back from work.

And his sister, Yoo Mina?

That was predictable.

“She’s still logged in.”

When Seong peeked into her room, the capsule was still running. Seeing this, he casually took out his smartphone.

Opening the Eternal World app, which he had downloaded earlier, Seong appreciated how versatile it was. Players could check their character information, use in-game messaging, and even access systems like currency exchange and the auction house.

In essence, anyone serious about Eternal World couldn’t go without this app.

As he logged into the app, a single registered user appeared in his messenger list. Since there was only one, Seong didn’t hesitate and sent a quick message.

[Seong: Hello, I’m the person you handed your business card to in the Goblin Settlement. I’d like to inquire about the terms you mentioned.]

“Now I just have to wait, right?”

Given that the recruiter was from a massive guild ranked 12th overall, he assumed they were too busy to respond immediately.

With that, Seong decided to take a shower to freshen up. Just as he reached the bathroom, a notification sound rang out: Ding!

“Huh?”

Curious, Seong checked his phone. The message was from none other than Lee Seong-young, the scout who had handed him the card.

“Already?”

The speed of the reply was almost alarming, showing just how eager they were to recruit him. How desperate could they be to respond so quickly?

“Well then, let’s see what the offer is.”

“Maybe... a yearly salary of 100 million won?”

He had heard that large guilds were willing to invest heavily in rising stars with potential. Although he didn’t know the exact numbers, it seemed plausible. With some anticipation, Seong opened the message and froze as his eyes widened at the contents.

[Lee Seong-young: Hello! This is Lee Seong-young from Sick Brothers Guild. Thank you for reaching out! For rookie players, our guild typically offers a signing bonus of 500 million won with an annual salary of 50 million won. However, for Seong-nim, we are prepared to offer a signing bonus of 1 billion won and an annual salary of 100 million won. We are also open to discussing additional conditions, so please feel free to contact us anytime! Thank you!]

“W-What is this?”

Seong blinked rapidly and swallowed hard as he reread the message.

The annual salary of 100 million won was as expected. But the signing bonus?

“A signing bonus of how much?”

He double-checked to ensure he hadn’t misread. It was clear—1 billion won. They were offering him 1 billion won just to join, on top of the annual salary.

For a moment, Seong was at a loss for words. Then, a thought crept into his mind:

“This has to be a scam.”