By morning, the excitement had grown even hotter than it had been before dawn. Naturally. Everyone waking up was hearing the news too.

Before dawn, people had simply been thrilled about the new record. Now things were different.

—Whoa lol. Isn't that the Black Heart set? That skeleton's gear is better than my entire loadout, fuck lol.

—How much does it cost?

—At least 30 million won per piece. A full set costs 200 million lol. And that's WITHOUT a weapon lmao.

—That's insane... So 300 of them means at least 60 billion won?

—Yep. Didn't think he'd actually do it, but he really put that stuff on skeletons lol.

—(FYI) Kim Minwoo has spent over 300 billion won at the auction house so far.

—... Not 30 billion, but 300 billion?

—Yep, you heard me. 30 billion would just cover the fees lol. Add up all the equipment, consumables, elixirs, and skill books that sold in bulk, and it's at least that much lol.

—Is that what it takes to be a Super Rookie? lmao.

—Not even a government would bankroll someone that hard, holy shit lmao.

Now the amount he had spent was an even hotter topic.

People tended to assume awakeners were filthy rich, but reality was a little different. They spent as much as they earned. More precisely, they often spent more than they earned.

Skill books, equipment, elixirs, potions... There were countless things to spend money on. That was why even famous awakeners often turned out to be flat broke. The whole system required them to keep spending money to grow stronger.

It was a suffocating cycle of spending.

Even so, no one was crazy enough to spend 300 billion won at level one.

Except Kim Minwoo, who had burst onto the scene like a comet today.

[(Breaking!) Renowned Foreign Scouts Arrive in Korea Without Warning! Is a Recruitment War Brewing? Kim Minwoo's Price Tag Estimated at One Trillion Won or More!]

—Oh, come the hell on lol. One trillion? Isn't that pushing it, reporter?

—Didn't you see the skeleton soldiers Kim Minwoo summoned? There were 300 lol. His potential is insane. He's worth a trillion lol.

—For real. He beat Isabella at level one. That's the least he deserves lol. He's already had 300 billion invested in him lol.

—Yeah, well, he wouldn't go even if they offered a trillion lmao.

—Exactly lol. Leave Korea, where Ilseong is, to become a foreigner with Korean roots? They'd probably have to offer ten trillion before he'd even consider it lol.

—Ten trillion is pushing it, no matter how you look at it lmao. But if I were Kim Minwoo, I wouldn't leave for one trillion either lol. His dad's the chairman lol.

Usually, recruitment stories like that had people reading anxiously. This time, they could sit back and read with a relaxed smile.

They might have mentioned ten trillion as a joke, but perhaps it really would take that much just to make an approach.

After all, Kim Minwoo's background was anything but ordinary.

—(Breaking) Kim Minwoo just opened a NewTube channel lol.

—For real?

—Yep. Channel name is Mangnani, the Delinquent lmao.

—Holy shit. Over 400,000 subscribers in just twenty minutes since he opened it...

—Huh? He posted a livestream announcement. Says he'll start once he gets over two million subscribers.

—Look at him striking while the iron's hot lol.

—I'm subscribing too lol.

Five hundred thousand, six hundred thousand, seven hundred thousand...

The subscriber count began skyrocketing.

* * *

Strike while the iron was hot.

That was exactly right. With public interest at its peak, there was no better time to launch a NewTube channel.

I reached two million subscribers in just two hours, then started the stream on my smartphone.

[Live Viewers: 512,321]

"Hello, everyone. I'm Kim Minwoo."

—Whoa lol. Is that your house? Why's it so huge? lmao.

—It's even crazier than those rich families' houses in TV dramas lol. Is this the first time we're seeing it?

—Ilseong really is something else...

—So what's today's stream about?

Seven hundred thousand. Nine hundred thousand.

The viewer count shot up at a frightening pace in mere moments.

Then the camera turned, revealing a kitchen filled with furnishings.

"Pretty impressive, right? These are Ilseong's kitchen furnishings. They run on mana stones, and they're incredibly efficient."

Standing in front of the refrigerator, Cedric opened the door and gave a thumbs-up.

—?

—??

—???

—????

—What is this? An ad?

—This fucking guy lmao.

—And why the fuck is that skeleton giving us a thumbs-up? lmaooo.

"I've got some homework to get through too. Please bear with me."

—Oh lol. Now I get why he named the channel that lmao.

—An ad on your very first stream? Are you fucking kidding me?

—Yeah, leave if you don't like it. Plenty of people will watch without you lmao.

—Chat was lagging like crazy anyway. Nice way to shake out the weak hands lol.

—Pest control right out of the gate lmao.

"It's a big house, so there's plenty to show you. Shall we go on an adventure together today?"

—(Translation) I'm going to advertise every piece of furniture in this house today.

—This is honestly making my head spin lol.

—Nope, you're not shaking me out lol. I'm watching to the bitter end.

—You're so handsome hehe. I became a fan after seeing the news yesterday! Your voice is so nice too hehe.

"Hey, Cedric. Sit over there."

"Understood, Master."

—?

—??

—???

—????

—Did that skeleton just talk?

—What is it? A ventriloquist skeleton?

"Well? Is it comfy?"

"It seems so."

"I told you to say it IS, not that it seems so."

"Master, a knight does not lie."

"Tsk. Talking back again?"

"... Ilseong is the best. Wuv you."

—What the hell am I watching? lmao.

—So what IS that skeleton? So what IS that skeleton? I've asked fifty times now.

—Now that you mention it, it does look a bit different from ordinary skeletons.

—Did he summon it with his S-grade skill? Those have multiple effects.

—Probably. Honestly, summoning 300 skeletons was a little underwhelming on its own lol.

—Oh lol. S-grades get rare skeletons too lol.

—But didn't it just call itself a knight? Was it a knight in a past life or something?

—Migrant worker skeleton lmao.

PSSHT!

Minwoo opened an Ilseong drink, took a sip, and spoke while looking at the chat.

"His name is Cedric, and he's my lackey. Say hello."

"... I am Cedric. Greetings, humans."

That was the turning point. The viewer count began climbing like crazy, going from one million to three million in practically no time.

Apparently, news stories or something were going up in real time.

'Well, that works out.'

Might as well get all the ads out of the way at once. Exercise equipment, the bedroom, the bathroom, air conditioners, mana-stone-powered cars, computers, and even Ilseong smartphones.

I introduced every kind of product. Since they made so many things, the advertising took a while.

"Whew. That's most of my homework done."

—This is more watchable than I expected lol.

—Yeah. The banter with the skeleton makes it so easy to watch lmao.

—I need to replace my computer soon. Maybe I'll switch to Ilseong while I'm at it.

—I'm thinking of replacing my fridge. Dorim's the go-to for home appliances, but... well, Ilseong probably isn't bad either.

It had been an ad, but the viewers' response wasn't bad. Not only was the house, revealed for the first time on this NewTube stream, spectacular, but Cedric the talking skeleton had also kept their eyes glued to the screen.

"Shall we have a quick Q&A before I end the stream? It'll be hard to answer if there are too many questions, so..."

[The minimum donation chat amount has been raised to 10 million won!]

—?

—??

—???

—????

—Ten million won?

—Oh lol. If you're broke, just lurk lmao.

—Someone will pay lol. There must be loads of people going out of their minds with curiosity by now lol.

That prediction was right on the mark.

[Han Ari donated 10 million won!]

—Is Cedric one of your S-grade summoning skill's effects?

"Yes."

[PpupPuBangya donated 20 million won.]

—How strong is he?

"Him? A bit stronger than an ordinary skeleton."

[ShanghaiChicken donated 40 million won.]

—I hear the scouts are here. Would you accept an offer of one trillion won?

"One trillion? Why bother?"

[Jemonia donated 10 million won.]

—Are you thinking of joining a guild?

"Not sure. I can't stand hassles."

[BonelessChicken donated 10 million won.]

—Have you decided which F-rank gate you're going to next?

"I'm thinking about it."

[Cho Ilhan donated 20 million won.]

—An S-grade skill usually has three effects. Summoning lots of skeletons, summoning a talking skeleton... What's the last one?

"Not telling ya."

[ShanghaiChicken donated 20 million won.]

—What do you think of the necromancer class?

"Don't do it if you don't have money."

[ShanghaiChicken donated 30 million won.]

—So it's okay if you do have money?

"Try it yourself if you're curious."

Then Minwoo clapped his hands.

"I'll wrap up the stream now. The next stream will be, well... whenever. See you."

By the time he ended the stream...

[(Breaking) A Talking Skeleton Appears! A New Frontier for Necromancers?]

[(Breaking) Kim Minwoo's First Stream Unleashes a Barrage of Ilseong Product Ads!]

[(Breaking) Kim Minwoo's Blunt Response to Recruitment! One Trillion? Not Nearly Enough!]

[(Breaking) Kim Minwoo Proves His Drawing Power! Live Viewers Exceed Four Million Despite Ads!]

.

.

News articles were already pouring out.

* * *

I'd said on stream that I was thinking about it, but I'd already decided where to go next. I'd found a clue while smashing my way through the Tomb of Osiris.

'There was a mural in a hidden chamber.'

A picture of a ferocious gorilla. Minwoo knew what it meant.

'A boss monster.'

The E-rank gate, Ulpaulu Forest. The gorilla was its boss.

"I've got a really good feeling about this."

Just finding one gem for the necklace had pushed the difficulty up an entire rank. What would come after that?

As a proper quest chain, the difficulty would naturally keep climbing. With luck, it might continue all the way to S-rank.

'As for Ulpaulu Forest, I can just forge an ID and head in.'

Of course, I had no intention of entering the gate looking like this.

Monsters in E-rank gates ranged from roughly level 51 to 100. Ulpaulu Forest had a difficulty rating of 90. With difficulty that high, its average monster level was almost 100.

Clearing it wouldn't be a problem. But if a level-25 awakener went in alone and wiped the whole place out?

Assassin organizations worldwide would be showering me with enthusiastic attention. That was how monstrous that rate of growth would be.

Naturally, I'd already thought of a solution.

This was Ilseong, the king of Korea's conglomerates. S- or A-rank might be another matter, but producing an awakener ID for someone around C- or D-rank was so easy it was boring.

I just had to put on a suitable disguise and enter the gate.

It wouldn't be Kim Minwoo, the newly recognized Super Rookie, clearing an E-rank gate. It would be Mr. Park Cheolung, a D-rank awakener. What could anyone say about that?

Solo clears of gates one rank below an awakener's own were common enough that it wouldn't look suspicious.

"Lots to get ready."

With such a huge level gap, a single tour of Ulpaulu Forest would push me past level 51. First, I'd need the next tier of elixirs ready to consume immediately.

'And I need to get the next skill book to +9 too.'

Summon Skeleton Mage.

It was the next summoning skill, available at level 51, in the E-rank awakener bracket. I planned to enhance this one to +9 before entering the gate too. That way, I could learn it as soon as I hit level 51 in the forest.

It was time to make up for the frustration of traveling around with nothing but slow-moving melee units.

Then there was equipment for the skeleton mages. Moving on to the next bracket meant there were plenty of things to spend money on.

The one saving grace?

'I got a lot of money.'

Setting a new world record had earned me Chairman Kim's wholehearted support once again.

And the amount was...

'One trillion won.'

We were in the trillions now. That was why I'd gone all out with the ads today, even revealing Cedric.

I had to earn my keep, didn't I?