Research (1)
Whirrrrr-
The massage chair installed in one corner of the living room at my parents' house began to move, emitting a mechanical sound.
Dudududu...
Even though I bought it at a 30% discount thanks to my shop level perks, it still cost 4 million won.
But it didn't feel like a waste of money at all.
Sure, it was just pocket change to someone like me with wealth in the trillions, but more than anything, my family's reaction made it worth every penny.
Among them, my grandma and grandpa loved it the most.
"Oh my, this feels amazing."
Starting with grandma, each family member took a turn on the massage chair, and before we knew it, an hour had passed. Now it was grandma's turn again to enjoy another round.
"Do you like it?"
"Ohhh I love it. But Jae-hyun, where did you get the money to buy something this expensive?"
"I have lots of money, Grandma."
Even right now, money was flowing in by the hundreds of thousands, even millions.
Money from hunting, fees from the marketplace, revenue accumulating from stores all over the place.
The economic activity of over 230,000 citizens was being directly converted into my earnings.
In that context, 4 million won was truly a trivial amount.
"Oh, my baby's all grown up now. All grown up."
Grandma said she had no memory of the past few months.
So from her perspective, her unemployed grandson who used to just play games all day had suddenly bought her an expensive massage chair.
Next to her, my mom, clearly in a great mood too, smiled and said:
"My sweet son, thank you so much."
Dad watched from the side with a pleased smile, while Grandpa sat on the sofa next to the massage chair, patiently waiting for his next turn.
"This is nice."
Even though I had spent hundreds of billions on my retainers, the amount spent here was far smaller-yet this moment was the most satisfying.
"Now that I think about it, this is my first real luxury."
I had spent billions and made even more, but this was the first time I had spent a large amount of money purely for my own satisfaction and not on a necessity.
"This isn't so bad."
At that moment, Dad, smiling warmly next to me,
said:
"Jae-hyun... Dad wants a Bentley."
"...Dad, you have a lot of money too."
Even just considering the number of monsters he's hunted, he must have earned at least several billion won.
"That's not my money. It's your mom's."
"Ah."
Dad had always been the type to give everything he had to Mom.
But now, due to a binding contract of subordination, he was literally and completely bound to her.
"If you ask Mom, she might buy it for you?"
"Don't even joke about that."
"Oh come on. You've earned so much."
From what I remember, Mom was actually a pretty generous person.
"Mom."
"J-Jae-hyun...!"
Ignoring Dad's objections, I went straight to Mom and asked:
"Can you buy Dad a car? His old one's totally wrecked, right?"
"A car? Do we really need one now?"
Her reaction came from having seen a world full of ruined roads and abandoned vehicles-so it made sense.
"There are a lot of people driving around Seomyeon now. The roads there have already been repaired. Once the rest of the city's roads are fixed, we'll be able to drive around again too."
"Really?"
Mom gave me a doubtful look.
She was trying to believe me because I was her son, but her face showed she was having a hard time accepting it.
But it wasn't her fault.
Anyone who had seen the destroyed roads caused by the appearance of monsters would react the same.
The solution to that was simple:
Just show her directly.
'Dongdaemun Open'
I connected the Seomyeon sky with the living room floor, allowing the cityscape to be viewed directly through the floor.
"See for yourself, Mom."
As she cautiously looked out over Dongdaemun, her eyes widened like a
rabbit's.
"Oh my..."
She saw a well-maintained city and people driving around in their cars.
"Is this really Seomyeon?"
"I told you. Look, you can even see our house from here."
"You're right..."
"Right now, only the Seomyeon area has cars, but soon all of Busan will look like this. So it's not a bad idea to have a car ready."
"Really?"
Mom looked like she was almost convinced. Dad was standing behind her, smiling proudly as he rooted for me.
And finally-
"Hm. I guess it's fine to have one car. It'll be convenient for going to Seomyeon."
"Excellent decision, honey!"
With a bright smile, Mom turned to Dad and asked:
"So, what kind of car do you want?"
At that moment, Dad's expression froze.
"A B-Bentley."
"How much does that cost?"
In response to the second question, Dad answered in an even smaller voice.
"I-I don't know. Maybe around 300 million won? Haha.'
He said it as casually as he could, as if it was nothing at all.
"No."
Mom's tone turned firm again.
"There are so many cheaper and better cars out there. Why would you try to buy something that expensive? Absolutely not!"
"But honey..."
"No. You might as well donate that money! Do you know how many people are struggling right now..."
Because Mom had lived her whole life without a hint of extravagance, her words carried more weight.
She had spent money on healthy foods from time to time, but never gave a second glance to luxury bags or diamond-studded rings or earrings.
There was no way a car costing 300 million won would be acceptable to someone like her.
I turned to Dad, who looked like he was about to cry.
"Wait, you were going to buy a car that expensive?"
I thought it might cost around 100 million at most. I never imagined it would be 300 million.
"Honestly, that price is more about brand image than actual features. Like Mom said, let's get a cheaper, better car."
"Son... A Bentley was my dream and my fantasy..."
Seeing Dad's twisted smile gave me a pang of sympathy, but as someone who lived an ordinary, modest life, I just couldn't understand spending 300 million won on a car.
"Isn't it just for showing off to other people?"
"That's the important part!"
Dad emphasized again.
"That's the whole point!"
""
"The envious looks from others! The attention when I step out of the car! That's what you're really paying for!"
Hearing Dad's sincere plea, I felt emotionally deflated.
To think he wanted to spend that kind of money just to impress others...
'I feel like spending 300 million on in-game item upgrades would be a healthier
choice.'
At least the upgraded item would remain.
And if you were lucky, you could even resell it for more.
'But still...'
Dad wanted it that badly.
"You want it that much?"
Sensing something from my tone, Dad's eyes lit up with hope.
" "...Son?"
"This is a one-time thing. I'll buy it for you just this once."
"Son!!"
Dad hugged me tightly, his face glowing with joy.
"I'm so proud of you!"
Considering how he'd fought in the vampire war, this wasn't even a big deal.
'Store, open.'
But there was a problem.
"Huh?"
The vehicle brand wasn't even listed in the store.
Maybe because it was such a high-end car, I'd never seen it before, and naturally, never registered it in the store.
You probably had to go to Seoul to find a Bentley.
'Hmm. If that's the case...'
Even if I somehow found the car, repairing it would cost billions.
'That's a bit much...'
At that moment, Dad, sensing danger like a ghost, spoke up.
"A man's word is his bond!"
"...Huh?"
"Son! I raised you to be a man among men!"
In other words, he was telling me not to go back on my word.
'He wants it that badly... I'll just get it for him.'
It's not like I don't have the money.
"There's one problem."
"Tell me."
"I need to find a Bentley, even if it's a broken one."
"If that's the case, leave it to me!"
With Dad's determination, it really felt like he could find one no matter what.
Then Mom spoke with a worried look.
"Son, isn't this too much?"
"It's okay."
She smiled warmly.
"Let's go eat now. I bought beef."
While Mom and Grandma went to the kitchen to prepare the meal,
"Jaehyun."
Grandpa approached me quietly.
"Yes, Grandpa?"
"There's something I've been wondering... In that world, you really did something, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Then... your grandma won't fall into that endless sleep again, right? That thing where she just keeps sleeping..."
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I took care of everything."
"That's a relief..."
[Blood relative Lee Bong-yeol's trust level has increased.]
[Blood relative Lee Bong-yeol's trust has reached 100.]
[You have obtained 'World Tree's Vitality'.]
At the moment I received confirmation that Grandma had completely awakened, a system message rang out.
'Grandpa...'
Even through the system message, I could feel the deep love he had for Grandma, and it warmed my heart.
"Ahem."
Grandpa cleared his throat.
"Do you have anything more to say?"
"Jaehyun. Anything is fine with your grandpa."
In the end, that day, I got Grandpa a Benz.
After finishing the meal, I used the Absolute Gate and returned to my apartment in Seomyeon.
I had been living here for several years now, and it was starting to feel more comfortable than my room at my family's house.
- Beep!
As soon as I got home, Kami, who had been pacing around the living room, jumped onto my shoulder and greeted me enthusiastically.
"Yeah. I'm back."
I patted Kami's head and thought to myself:
'Was this guy also once a being who obtained divinity like Lilith?'
Had he been demoted to a summoned beast after having his divinity devoured by the system?
Currently, the list of summoned beasts I owned was [3/11], having increased by one.
Originally, the total was 10, but with Lilith added, it had become 11.
'It's clear that one is unlocked every time certain conditions are met.'
I began to wonder if all the summoned beasts were somehow connected to beings who had once obtained divinity.
'Then what does that make me?'
Fwoosh.
I conjured a dark energy in the palm of my hand.
Thinking back to my conversation with Lilith, it was clear this power had achieved a divine status.
'Does that mean I'm a god?'
The White Dragon had said it would be impossible to save the family that Lilith had harmed.
In retrospect, that statement had some truth to it.
Had I not possessed divinity, I wouldn't have been able to even think of entering Lilith's domain, and I would've helplessly lost my family.
Or, unable to let them go, all of humanity left on Earth would have been abducted into Lilith's world and met a tragic end.
Also, had I not met the Progenitor and learned how to wield my power, the result would have been the same.
'I was lucky.'
I had been lucky.
To put it another way-
'It was dangerous.'
Realizing my power,
Being able to subdue Lilith-
All of it had happened purely because I'd been lucky.
'There's no guarantee I'll keep being lucky.'
For the sake of my future safety, I needed to fully understand the power I now held.
Fwoosh-
And so, that day, I spent the entire night wide awake, researching the dark
energy.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]