The sky was painted in scarlet twilight.

Beneath it, Gangwoo continued his item review on the Association building’s rooftop.

‘Hmm…’

Only one item now remained.

He settled cross-legged on a bench, narrowing his eyes.

[DLC – Costume Update]

Grade: A

Description: The Costume System has been updated. Tired of always wearing the same old armor? Then equip a costume. Keep your item stats, change your appearance. All the convenience, none of the boredom.

Effects

– Unlocks the Costume System.

– Grants 3x Costume Boxes.

Quantity: 1

Purchase Price: 100,000,000 Gold

‘Costume?’

An A-grade item, priced the same as a Book of Job Change or a Jumping Character.

‘So you wear it over your gear?’

To summarize what it said:

‘Keeps your equipment’s effects while changing your look.’

Not bad.

‘I’ll buy it.’

Decision made, Gangwoo purchased the item on the spot.

Ding—

[DLC – Costume Update has been purchased.]

With that, he had bought every item in the DLC Shop.

270 million Gold had evaporated in an instant, but he felt on top of the world.

[Gold Held: 278,525,310]

Still over 200 million Gold left. He had room to spare.

A satisfied grin on his face, Gangwoo picked up the DLC pack.

[DLC – Costume Update has been used.]

The moment he used it, the DLC pack dissolved into a halo of light and seeped into his body.

Ding—

[The Costume System has been unlocked.]

[You can now use the Costume Window.]

[You have obtained 3x Costume Box.]

With a burst of system chimes, three boxes popped into existence.

Dazzling rainbow-hued boxes tied with white ribbons.

‘Costume Window?’

Gangwoo picked up the boxes and opened the Costume Window.

[Costume]

Head

Face

Top

Belt

Bottom

Shoes

“Hmm…”

He stroked his chin as he studied the window.

‘Looks like the Equipment Window.’

The overall structure was similar to the Equipment Window. But he couldn’t pin down exactly how it worked.

He’d find out soon enough once he tried it on.

‘Let’s just use it.’

Ha Gangwoo tore open the box without a second’s hesitation.

The moment he pulled off the ribbon and lifted the lid—

*Fwoom!*

[You have acquired the Black Hoodie.]

A black hoodie popped into view.

“A hoodie?”

Gangwoo picked it up and inspected it with a baffled expression.

Plain-looking, size L — just right. Across the chest, the letters “DLC” were printed in block text.

He’d expected some weird getup from a Costume item, but this was just normal clothes.

‘This is the item?’

Puzzled, Gangwoo immediately opened the hoodie’s Status window.

[Black Hoodie]

Grade: D

Durability: 15/15

Description: A hoodie with a standard design. Embroidered with an exclusive DLC logo.

Effect

– All Stats +2.

‘Not bad at all.’

The Costume was better than he’d expected.

He’d have been satisfied if all it did was hide his gear — but boosting his stats too?

‘Let’s put it on.’

Gangwoo stripped off his worn-out T-shirt and pulled on the new black hoodie.

A satisfied smile touched his lips as he smoothed the fabric over his chest.

The material was surprisingly good — comfortable against his skin. And it gave off a faint, pleasant scent.

‘Can I just wear it over everything?’

The Costume system had unlocked, but he had no idea how to actually use it.

He checked the top-armor items in his Inventory.

Two pieces, right now:

[Red Steel Top]

[Chainmail Top]

Both were medieval mail with iron plating — heavy, and a pain to move in.

If the description on the hoodie was accurate, this was a game-breaking ability.

‘Let’s try it.’

His mind made up, Gangwoo swallowed dryly and summoned the Chainmail Top.

[You have retrieved the Chainmail Top from your Inventory.]

At the same time as the System chime—

*Shhhk.* The armor, made of interwoven steel links, settled onto his torso — then vanished from sight.

‘Is it on?’

The armor had disappeared the moment it touched him. It seemed to have applied, but nothing looked different.

Only one way to check:

Open his Status window and see if the effects were there.

Gangwoo opened his own Status window.

[Ha Gangwoo]

Level: 33

HP: 1,200/1,200

MP: 77/77

Strength: 100 (+21)

Agility: 70 (+2)

Vitality: 72 (+48)

Mana: 60 (+17)

Sense: 50 (+2)

Luck: 60 (+2)

Gangwoo stared at the window, a pleased smile spreading across his face.

‘This is insane.’

The Chainmail’s effects were active, and so was the hoodie’s +2 to all stats.

A system that made 100 million Gold feel like a steal.

‘Let’s open the rest.’

Now that he knew how Costumes worked, there was no reason to wait.

Gangwoo tore open the remaining two boxes in quick succession.

[You have acquired the Black Training Pants.]

[You have obtained the Average Man 1’s Face.]

One pair of average pants and a mask shaped like a human face.

Two items in total materialized.

‘The pants are obviously bottom-wear, but what’s with the mask?’

Ha Gangwoo brought the mask to his face, a suspicion brewing.

And then.

[You have equipped the Average Man 1’s Face.]

The system ping coincided with a sensation of the mask fusing to his skin, clinging tight.

“Huh?!”

Gangwoo fumbled at his face, checking.

‘What the hell is this.’

His face had transformed into someone else’s entirely.

He scowled, then stretched his mouth wide, testing expression changes. The muscles moved fluidly, without the slightest hint of foreignness.

So the Costume system had features like this too.

A smile suddenly spread across Gangwoo’s transformed face.

‘If I use this right, it’s a goldmine.’

He’d been getting tired of being recognized everywhere he went anyway.

This was exactly the function he’d wanted. And on top of that, a full face change? The applications for it seemed endless.

Gangwoo brushed a hand over his shoulder and looked up at the sunset-streaked sky.

At the far edge of the distance. A single, intensely bright pillar of light.

‘The Scenario zone.’

That’s exactly where Scenario 1 was located.

‘Let’s go.’

Gangwoo smiled and took a step forward.

***

Vrrrooom—

Ha Gangwoo sat on a bus seat, his chin propped in his hand.

‘As expected, this is far.’

The destination was ‘Scenario 1.’

A fair amount of time had passed since departure, but he was still en route.

A few things had happened on the way here.

First off.

He had learned the Catalog Seo Hyorin gave him.

[Extreme Strike]

Grade: D

Type: Passive

Effect: When swinging a sword, there is a 3.5 (3↑)% chance of unleashing a keen sword aura.

A D-grade Catalog, no less.

‘A sword aura… what does that even do?’

He’d finally gotten a weapon-related skill. But it was a probability skill. The base chance was a brutal 0.5%, but not for Gangwoo.

‘I should have tested it out.’

Thanks to his Luck stat, it had shot up to a full 3%.

Even so, he still didn’t know the skill’s exact effect.

‘Almost there.’

Gangwoo looked at the sky visible through the bus window.

The light pillar, which had seemed impossibly distant, now felt fairly close.

‘So that place has an Association building too.’

Before leaving, he’d questioned an Association employee and gathered some intel.

The Association’s work was the protection of humanity.

Originally, you had to clear N Gates and put in N hours of Association-related work every month.

The Gold they gave for that was 500 million Gold.

When he asked about this month’s quota, the employee said there was none for his joining month.

So, that meant he was a free man until the end of this month.

He planned to finish the Scenario as quickly as possible.

He also asked the employee about various things concerning ‘Scenario 1.’

The employee recommended partying up with three Association Players, but Gangwoo wasn’t keen on the idea.

When you party up, doesn’t the EXP get split along with the loot? If that’s the case, I’d rather hunt alone.

Just as Ha Gangwoo was about to leave, the clerk added one last piece of info.

“There’s an Association building in the Scenario zone. Please make use of it.”

So every Scenario zone had an Association outpost stationed in it.

‘Good thing I came to the Association.’

Right as Ha Gangwoo was feeling pleased with his decision—

The inside of the bus was buzzing with chatter.

“We’re almost there. Everyone came prepared, right?”

A young man in a sharp-looking set of metal armor—Lee Taewoo—asked his party members.

Two women and one man, clearly his party, answered back with bright expressions.

“Yes! What about you, Oppa? Ah! I can tell from your armor you came ready. As expected of a C-rank Player! Did you buy it with your signing bonus?”

“Ahahaha, no. It wasn’t that expensive. Top and bottom together, about 40 million Gold?”

“40 million Gold?! That sounds more expensive than your signing bonus. Oppa, you’re rich.”

“Whoa~ I’m so jealous. Mine’s a 1 million Gold set…”

Lee Taewoo wore a pleased smile at his party’s flattery.

From the way he talked and the look on his face, he seemed like someone with a need to show off.

The bus they were on was an Association-exclusive bus.

About ten Players were aboard.

‘All new faces.’

Ha Gangwoo scanned them, looking for someone he knew.

But not a single one was familiar.

Guess the Players who trained with me are still in orientation.

‘Maybe passing out was a good thing after all.’

Thanks to fainting, his training time got cut short. Net gain.

Ha Gangwoo tuned out the commotion, propped his chin on his hand, and stared into space.

‘Let’s browse the Auction House.’

[Gold Held: 278,525,310 Gold]

The Gold he had was comfortable. But he hadn’t spent a single coin—saved it all.

[DLC Shop]

–

–

–

(Refresh)

Refresh had a 24-hour cooldown. He planned to check it as soon as the timer ran out.

But there was an item he needed.

‘My MP’s short.’

That item was MP recovery gear.

Invisible, Swift Movements—

They all guzzled MP like crazy.

Ha Gangwoo looked down at the bracelet gleaming on his wrist.

[Reins’ Armlet]

Grade: D

Durability: 9/20

Attack: 15

Mana: +15

Vitality: +20

Description: An armlet Reins always wore. It has an initial engraved on it, as if it was a gift from someone. (F.E)

Effects

– Recovers 1 MP per second

The armlet he’d gotten from killing Reins.

When he first got it, he’d thought it was just a decent piece of gear. But the more he used it, the more his opinion changed.

‘It was so good it made him think, ‘Is there anything similar out there?”

That was why Ha Gangwoo wanted to find a comparable item.

‘Let’s search.’

Having made up his mind, Ha Gangwoo started digging through the Auction House.

[Engraved Silver Ring]

Grade: B

Durability: 41/41

Crafted by: Catherine

Mana: +110

Vitality: +132

A ring forged from refined silver ore. The craftsmanship bears the unmistakable mark of its maker’s experience.

Effect

– Recovers 1 MP per second

Sale price: 68,000,000 Gold.

‘Way too expensive.’

Most items were common-grade junk. The few decent Artifacts had price tags that were just absurd.

At those prices, he’d be better off buying from the DLC Shop.

‘Forget it for now.’

Ha Gangwoo frowned and closed the Auction House interface.

As usual, Gold was best spent in the DLC Shop — efficiency-wise, nothing else came close.

He checked the remaining Cooldown on his refresh.

[11 hours 21 minutes]

‘Just hold out a little longer.’

In eleven hours, he could browse new stock again.

Gangwoo clicked his tongue in regret and shut his eyes.

‘Time for a short rest.’

The moment he stepped into a Scenario, he wouldn’t have a second to breathe — just like when he’d entered the Tower.

So he decided to grab what little rest he could.

Gangwoo had just started to doze off when—

“Hey, have you heard the rumors about that L-Grade player?”

“Of course I have! They say he joined our Association!”

Four Party members behind Gangwoo were whispering among themselves.

As Association Players themselves, there was no way they didn’t know about Ha Gangwoo.

Their leader, Lee Taewoo, overheard them and puffed out his chest with a knowing smirk.

“I heard about it too. Something about getting knocked out embarrassingly while fighting an instructor?”

“Sure, he passed out, but I heard they went toe-to-toe. Rumor has it he looked almost like a level-100 Player.”

“Rumors get exaggerated. I’d like to see him myself, given how everyone hypes him up.”

Just hearing Ha Gangwoo’s name soured Taewoo’s mood. He didn’t get why everyone made such a big deal over a damn grade.

Grades could change anytime through reassessment once a Scenario ended.

What actually mattered was your Trait’s rank.

‘Pisses me off.’

Taewoo’s Trait rank was an impressive A. Yet the grade he’d received in the Tutorial was a measly C.

Maybe that was why he couldn’t stand seeing those smug bastards strutting around just because they’d lucked into a high grade in the Tutorial.

And that included Ha Gangwoo too.

Just as Taewoo’s face twisted in annoyance, one of the women in his Party — completely oblivious to the mood — murmured quietly.

“You know, that guy sitting alone kind of looks like the one from the rumors, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, now that you mention it… the back of his head does look familiar.”

The bus they were on was Association-exclusive. Its destination? Scenario Zone 1.

Their speculation wasn’t groundless.

And a Player sitting alone was bound to draw attention.

Taewoo scowled and fixed his gaze on the solitary man.

‘Is that guy really an L-Grade Player?’

A twinge of guilt pricked at Taewoo for badmouthing him behind his back.

An L-Grade Player, no less. If they got on the wrong foot, Taewoo would be the one losing out.

‘Should’ve just kept my mouth shut.’

When water’s spilled, there’s no scooping it back up.

Lee Taewoo strode over to the man and clapped him on the shoulder—once, twice.

‘Let’s confirm it. If it’s really Ha Gangwoo, I’ll apologize and kiss some ass. If not, I’ll just brush it off.’

The moment Lee Taewoo finished the thought, the man in the black hoodie met his gaze.

A smile crept onto Lee Taewoo’s face as he looked at the man.

‘What? It’s not him.’

Thankfully, just an ordinary Player.

The only oddity was the shabby black hoodie he wore.

‘Some beggar?’

Judging by the lack of any decent gear, he was probably an E-Grade Player at best.

‘Well, who’d party up with an E-Grade anyway?’

In an instant, he understood why the guy was alone.

‘I’ll just make up some excuse.’

Lee Taewoo plastered a friendly smile on his face and spoke.

“Hello! You’re with the Association, right? Looks like you’re on your own. Want to tag along with us? We Association folks should stick together!”

His current party members were barely better than pack mules anyway. One more wouldn’t matter.

But.

“No thanks.”

The man, as if bothered, spat out the short reply and turned his head away.

Lee Taewoo’s brow twitched.

‘This loner bastard’s acting all high and mighty.’

For a second, he nearly swung at the back of the guy’s head, but with too many eyes watching, he forced himself to hold back.

“Ah. I see. Maybe another time, then.”

Lee Taewoo threw out the words with a fake smile, but the man didn’t bother to respond.

‘This fucking loser is ignoring me?’

Rage flared up, but he swallowed it down and turned back to his party.

After all, he hadn’t really meant to invite the guy—it was just a move to boost his reputation with the party.

As if on cue.

“See? Oppa’s so classy! How rude was that guy, though?”

“Right. Thought he might be an L-Grade Player since he was alone, turns out he’s just socially inept.”

The party members praised him, lifting him up.

‘Yeah, that’s how it should be.’

Lee Taewoo barely stifled his grin as he sat down.

Screech—

BAMMM!!!!!

The bus collided with something and flipped over.