A clear sky, two suns. Zenon’s flower-filled abode.

Ha Gangwoo sat in the flower field, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips as he studied the item with obvious interest.

[Barzel’s Appetite]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Satiety: 0/100

Description: A glove infused with Barzel’s Appetite. A voracious hunger coils within—beware, for it may devour even its wielder.

Effects

– Barzel’s Appetite gains the [Devour] effect.

(Caution! Devoured targets are destroyed.)

*Devour: Absorb one ability from the devoured target and acquire it.

‘This is insane.’

It was a weapon in the form of a glove.

Its grade matched Lucifel’s Ring—??? Grade.

‘Absorb one ability?’

He’d only read the description, and already it reeked of broken, game-breaking power.

A look of deep satisfaction on his face, Ha Gangwoo slipped on Barzel’s Appetite without another word.

It cast no shadow, as if it had absorbed every last ray of light. The thing looked alien, but once on, it hugged his hand like a second skin—a leather glove.

*Crack.* Ha Gangwoo’s right hand, now clad in Barzel’s Appetite, clenched into a tight fist.

A satisfying sound—followed by a flicker of doubt.

‘How do I use this?’

Based on the description, this item seemed to work by devouring something, then gaining one effect from it.

If that was the case, a test would give him the answer.

Gangwoo’s gaze dropped to his left hand—to the glove already fitted there.

[Decay Gloves]

Grade: E

Durability: 22/22

Attack Power: 18

Strength: +15

Agility: +11

Description: A pair of gloves crafted from Ghoul cores. Cursed to rot any target they strike.

Effect

– Inflicts Decay on struck targets.

This was an item he’d bought before the fight with Lucifel.

Now it only served to boost his Strength and Agility; he had no use for it as a weapon anymore.

A shame to lose it, sure. But it was perfect for an experiment.

Gangwoo peeled off the clammy Decay Gloves and took them in his right hand—the one wearing Barzel’s Appetite.

“Huuu—”

A wary expression settled on his face as he summoned the Activation Word.

‘Devour.’

The moment he thought the word, Barzel’s Appetite stretched like rubber, its dark mass flowing forward and swallowing the Decay Gloves whole.

*Squelch—squelch—*

It pressed down on the *Decay Gloves* as a stomach would digest food, then—with a grotesque *gulp*—contracted back to its original shape.

‘Strange.’

The bizarre sight caught him off guard, but a smile crept onto his face anyway.

‘Did it really absorb the ability?’

*Devour: Absorbs and acquires one of the target’s abilities.*

“Absorbs abilities”—what a vague phrase. Did it only take the raw Attack Power? Or did Artifact effects count too?

It had only been a moment, but happy fantasies were already flooding his mind.

A short pause.

*Ding-*

The System window appeared.

Gangwoo smiled, intrigued, as he locked his eyes onto the screen.

[You have devoured the Decay Gloves.]

[Absorption Rate: 50%]

[Attack Power: +8]

‘Perfect.’

Gangwoo immediately pulled up Barzel’s Appetite’s Status Window.

[Barzel’s Appetite]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Satiety: 5/100

Attack Power: +8 (NEW)

Description: A glove imbued with Barzel’s ravenous hunger. Beware—this overwhelming appetite may consume the wearer as well.

Effect

– Barzel’s Appetite gains the Devour effect.

(Warning! Devoured targets are destroyed.)

Just as he’d thought—it took one ability from the devoured item.

This time, it was Attack Power. Yet disappointment flickered across Gangwoo’s face.

‘Absorption Rate…’

That penalty was the reason.

The Decay Gloves had an attack power of 18. But because of the absorption rate, only a paltry 8 had transferred over.

He had to admit—if the thing didn’t have limits like that, it’d be a balance-shattering piece of gear. The restriction seemed like a fair control mechanism.

‘Look on the bright side.’

Gangwoo reset his thoughts and made up his mind.

‘Let it eat.’

He’d feed it every item in his inventory that had no use.

Gangwoo opened his Inventory and scanned the list.

Inventory (8/10)

[Madness of Temperance]

[Warp Altar x1]

[DLC – Book of Job Change: Blood Devil]

[Catalog]

[Celeritra]

[Big Glaive]

[Red Orb]

[Warp Ring]

[-]

[-]

He wanted to grow Barzel’s Appetite right here, right now.

‘Three pieces, maybe.’

Gangwoo pulled out the low-priority items and set them down on the flower field.

[Red Orb]

[Celeritra]

[Catalog]

These were items he’d never use except to sell.

For raising Barzel’s Appetite, they couldn’t have been more perfect.

He gripped the Red Orb and immediately conjured the Activation Word.

‘Devour.’

Once again, Barzel’s Appetite stretched out like liquid, *schlurping* forward and gulping down the Red Orb in one bite.

Ding-

[Devoured the Red Orb.]

[Absorption rate: 20%]

[Mana: +6]

[Barzel’s Appetite]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Satiety: 10/100

Attack Power: 8

Mana: +6 (NEW)

He would’ve preferred Attack, but this time it was Mana.

‘The randomness is kind of a pain.’

He liked that it was a growing item, but this made things a bit awkward in its own way.

Frustrated, Gangwoo rubbed his brow. Then he narrowed his eyes, staring at one spot.

[Satiety: 10/100]

‘Wait… what’s this Satiety?’

That number listed on Barzel’s Appetite. Every time it ate an item, the Satiety number went up.

‘…No way.’

A grim thought flashed through his mind.

‘Is there a cap on how many items it can eat?’

If so, the items he’d just fed it were a critical mistake.

If there’s a fixed number of feedings, the ideal is to use only high-grade items.

But a single system window erased that anxiety.

*Satiety decreases on the same principle as weapon durability.*

‘Thank god.’

If it decreased with use, the best plan was to fill it up as much as possible.

‘Let’s feed it everything.’

Gangwoo immediately picked up Celeritra.

Under normal circumstances, this would’ve been his main weapon. But with the Big Glaive, he didn’t need it anymore.

Ding-

[Devoured Celeritra.]

[Absorption rate: 40%]

[Attack Power: +22]

Ding-

[Barzel’s Appetite]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Satiety: 20/100

Attack Power: 30 (22↑)

Mana: +6

‘Not bad.’

Ha Gangwoo clenched the fist wrapped in Barzel’s Appetite, the gauntlet snug around his knuckles.

He’d only fed it three items, but the stat jump was brutal.

‘Broken. As expected.’

Its early growth was slow, but give it time—it’d leave any S-Rank item in the dust.

Gangwoo picked up the last item, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

‘No way this works.’

It was a single small card. A Catalog.

[Catalog]

Grade: E

Devour had no restrictions or conditions.

*Devour: Absorb and acquire one of the target’s abilities.

That was it—just one ability.

‘Could it even eat a Catalog’s effect? I gotta know.’

His anticipation hit a fever pitch.

Gangwoo called the Activation Word to mind.

‘Devour.’

The moment the word formed in his head, Barzel’s Appetite stretched like liquid, elongating into a slick tendril that lunged forward and swallowed the Catalog whole.

It pulsed—gulping, swelling, deflating like a water balloon rocking in a tide.

‘Did it take?’

Gangwoo watched, wired tight, waiting for the system window to flash.

Ding-

[You have Devoured a Catalog.]

[Absorption Rate: 100%]

[Acquired one E-Grade effect.]

‘No fucking way.’

A huge grin split Gangwoo’s face as he stared at the message.

Thump. Thump.

His heart hammered out of rhythm.

He’d gambled on a long shot, half-certain it’d fail. It paid off.

Gangwoo pulled up Barzel’s Appetite status at once.

[Barzel’s Appetite]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Satiety: 25/100

Attack Power: 30

Mana: +6

Description: A gauntlet infused with Barzel’s appetite. Its ravenous hunger may consume even its wielder—handle with care.

Effects

-Barzel’s Appetite gains the Devour effect.

-33% (3↑) chance to explode on hit.

‘Hell yes!’

The moment he read the effect, Gangwoo pumped his fists.

On-hit explosion. And a solid 30% rate on top of it.

‘Alright. Cool it.’

Gangwoo pressed a hand to his chest, trying to steady the drumming in his ribs, forcing himself calm.

What he really wanted was to sprint outside and feed Barzel’s Appetite till it grew fat.

‘First things first. Focus on the Scenario.’

Gangwoo hardened his expression, crossed his arms, and stared into empty space.

[The Moment of Choice][Main]

Description: You stand at a fork in the road. Skypier awaits your aid. Choose the right path and reach the end of the Scenario.

Reward: ???

He had only one quest on his plate. But something nagged.

‘Why is it the same?’

The Scenario had clearly changed with the DLC—Another Story.

By way of example, Zenon had posed a new question, and they entered the secret laboratory to unseal the black box.

But the main quest before his eyes matched the contents of the clearing guide.

In other words, this current set of choices had changed nothing at all.

‘If I’m looking for what’s different…’

Ha Gangwoo turned his head and fixed his gaze on one spot.

“Teil! Come over here. This flower is so pretty!”

“Okay!”

Rain called out to Teil, and the prince ran over, holding Mimic in both hands.

‘Only the princess.’

It was the presence of Rain, the princess he had rescued through a Hidden Quest.

So far, Rain’s existence hadn’t affected the Scenario in any notable way.

Did that mean the choices would start diverging from here? No matter how much he mulled it over, no answer came.

“Ah, my head hurts.”

Ha Gangwoo clutched his scalp and flopped onto the ground.

A blue sky; warm sunlight streamed down between the clouds.

He closed his eyes slowly, drinking in the space around him.

A flower field of tens of thousands of blossoms. A refreshing breeze swept through, and the laughter of children echoed. With his eyes shut like this, his heart grew peaceful without him even realizing it.

‘But this place will soon…’

Having gathered his thoughts, Gangwoo opened his eyes slowly.

‘…’

A cold gleam flickered in his gaze.

Ha Gangwoo had made up his mind.

From the moment he’d activated the DLC—Another Story, he couldn’t predict what came next.

The good route, the fast route — he had no idea.

If no answer came no matter how long he thought, there was only one criterion left for his choices.

‘I’ll do as I please.’

Ha Gangwoo rose to his feet.

‘First, let me loosen up a bit.’

Standing at the center of the peaceful flower field, he brought the Big Glaive into his hands.

***

Whoosh—

Ha Gangwoo swung the Big Glaive lightly in the empty air.

The weapon was enormous, and its weight defied imagination — yet whoosh, the flowers merely swayed in the breeze.

“Whoa! That’s amazing.”

“Swinging a sword that big, yet it’s so gentle…”

Teil marveled, balancing Mimic on his lap, while Evan’s companion, Sam, gazed wide-eyed, mouth agape.

And so Gangwoo studied the Big Glaive.

The weapon’s effect was simple: feeding it Mana made it grow larger.

The description was straightforward, but using it clearly required skill.

‘This is tricky.’

Even with S-rank Weapon Mastery, it wasn’t easy.

In particular, the blade shrank the moment he stopped feeding it Mana. To maintain a fixed size, he had to inject Mana at steady intervals.

Could he really apply it properly in the chaos of combat? He had his doubts.

Ha Gangwoo clicked his tongue and stowed the Big Glaive into his Inventory.

Just then, Evan approached him.

“Player, have you made up your mind?”

He’d likely come to ask about progressing the Scenario.

But Gangwoo had already hardened his resolve.

He needed to hold out until tomorrow to steer things in the direction he wanted — which meant he had to stall.

“Give me a little more time to think it over.”

“…”

Evan’s face darkened at Ha Gangwoo’s answer. No surprise—Evan probably wanted to beg the neighboring kingdom for help this instant.

Ha Gangwoo let out a resigned sigh and walked over to him.

‘Just need to kill time for now.’

Scenario NPCs grew, they said. Dropping a few pointers now might pay off later.

Ha Gangwoo reached out, summoned the massive Big Glaive, and tapped it against the ground.

“As a warm-up, let me teach you a thing or two.”

“What? We don’t have time for—”

Evan tried to refuse, but Ha Gangwoo cut him off.

“You’ll be fighting monsters nonstop from now on. No harm in practicing.”

‘…’

Evan hesitated for a moment, then

“Fine. Teach me a thing or two.”

accepted the sparring match.

*Whirr-* Evan’s blade swung first, and a brief sparring session began.

***

After teaching Evan some swordsmanship, Ha Gangwoo met with Shamiel and showed her the mana control he’d newly mastered.

He also met Zenon’s disciple, Zelta, and dealt with this and that.

But even after all that, time still hung heavy.

In the darkening heart of the flower field, two moons hung in a sky studded with countless stars.

Ha Gangwoo lay back, hands behind his head, gazing up at the sight. It was a spectacle hard to see in modern society, but

his expression was grim.

‘Tomorrow, huh.’

The reason: what was coming tomorrow.

According to the intel, the day after the choice appeared—that was when it would arrive.

‘This has to be right.’

Ha Gangwoo recalled what the guidebook said.

He’d only studied the Kingdom Route in detail. That route was simple:

[Time of Choice][Main]

Description: You stand at a crossroads of choice. Skypier awaits your aid. Choose the right path to reach the Scenario’s end.

Reward: ???

Exactly the current situation.

With the [Time of Choice] quest active, it meant departing for the Teron Kingdom.

Along the way, items to seal the boss, the core to power them, and so on.

There were plenty of things to scrounge up, but supposedly, the moment he reached the castle, a Hidden Quest would appear.

But this route had a major flaw.

A monster army would attack Zenon’s hideout.

If the Scenario’s core NPCs—Evan and his group—all died, the Scenario was a failure.

In other words, he needed party members to buy time until the boss was dealt with.

But Ha Gangwoo had no party.

The Kingdom Route was impossible alone. So Ha Gangwoo had to decide.

What to do next.

Ha Gangwoo stared up at the sky with determined eyes.

‘So that’s how it ends up.’

According to the guidebook, no matter what he did, the Scenario’s Domination would funnel everything into one conclusion.

Ha Gangwoo intended to aim for the opposite.

The Gaia System gave solid rewards depending on difficulty.

So, if he pulled off that impossible ending—what reward would it give? At the very least, something on par with Barzel’s Appetite.

It was a gamble worth taking.

Ha Gangwoo closed his eyes slowly and waited for that moment.

‘…’

Had ten minutes passed like that?

He opened his eyes again, pushed himself to his feet.

‘Not tired at all…’

Too many thoughts buzzing in his head—sleep wouldn’t come. But just sitting there killing time felt like a waste.

Gangwoo tugged the hood of his sweatshirt down low and pulled up the System window.

[DLC — Shop]

–

DLC — Book of Job Change: Legendary Blacksmith – 200,000,000 Gold

–

(Refresh)

‘Let’s just hit Refresh.’

The Refresh Cooldown was already finished.

He could search for new items right now.

The only reason he hadn’t hit Refresh yet was the hesitation gnawing at him.

DLC — Book of Job Change: Legendary Blacksmith. It was too expensive.

But letting it slip away felt like a waste too.

Gangwoo crossed his arms and sank into thought.

[Gold Held: 391,356,500 Gold]

Roughly 400 million Gold in his pocket. A lot, and yet not quite enough.

‘What should I do…’

Gangwoo mulled it over again and again, then hardened his expression.

‘Buy it.’

He already had one Book of Job Change.

[DLC — Book of Job Change: Blood Devil]

Considering a Player can only hold one class, buying another just in case might be pure indulgence.

But DLC items were one of a kind.

If he put a Book of Job Change on the market, he could get two to three times the price at minimum. Expensive as it was, buying it seemed like the right call.

Ding-

[You have purchased DLC — Book of Job Change: Legendary Blacksmith.]

The instant the purchase went through, a brilliant halo of light gathered at the center of the moonlit flower field.

[DLC — Book of Job Change: Legendary Blacksmith]

Grade: A

Description: DLC — Legendary Blacksmith has been released~! This book contains the secret techniques of Stoss, the Legendary Blacksmith. Live up to that legendary name—enjoy the Gaia System through diverse abilities in crafting and even Enhancement.

-Acquire Job-Change Quest: ‘Stoss’ Teachings’.

“I’ll just stash it for now.”

One thing left.

‘What’s going to pop up?’

Gangwoo licked his lips with interest and twitched his index finger.

Ding-

[Refreshing the DLC Shop listings.]