Chapter 47:Money and Talent Pour In

 Chapter 47: Update (2)

Just obtaining the Coin Information Privilege was enough to make my heart pound like it was about to explode, but with the store update coming right after, I genuinely couldn’t think straight.

Yet it wasn’t an unpleasant dizziness at all.

If anything, I was overjoyed.

New things are always exciting, and I was especially thrilled to see what kind of amazing changes the quest would bring.

*When is the loading going to finish?*

I waited a little longer, but the “Loading Complete” message still didn’t appear. I pushed down my anticipation for the update for a moment and decided to check the ‘Coin Journal’ I was holding first. As I unrolled the scroll, text floated up into the air.

[September 9th.]

[Korean time, around 11 AM — Nicola Corporation CEO mentions DdokDdok Coin. With just one word, “cute,” the price slowly begins to rise.]

[September 10th.]

[By 9 AM Korean time, it has risen 13%.]

[After the fluctuation rate reset — drops to -9%.]

[Hits the lowest point at 10 AM, then continues upward.]

[September 11th.]

[Korean time, 9 PM — Nicola Corporation CEO mentions virtual currency DdokDdok Coin again.]

[DdokDdok Coin’s price explodes upward.]

[Reaches its peak at 10 PM.]

[Afterward, it continues a downward trend.]

[September 12th.]

[From 7 AM Korean time, it begins to plummet.]

[By 8:57 AM, it has dropped -15%.]

[At 9 AM, it still hasn’t recovered and shows signs of weakening.]

[September 13th.]

[Korean time, 8 AM — Nicola Corporation CEO posts a drunk photo on Stargram.]

[At 8:30 AM, he drops a bombshell statement.]

[Announces a linked business plan to allow all Nicola Corporation products to be purchased with DdokDdok Coin.]

[Investors from all over the world rush in, creating an enormous upward surge.]

[Exactly 20 minutes later, a post goes up saying it was just a joke made while drunk, and the price crashes.]

This information was a little unique.

It felt like someone had written down their own investment log in journal format.

But one thing was certain.

It was incredibly helpful.

*This seems like it would be as fun as day trading…?*

A strong sense of anticipation washed over me.

“I should write this down first.”

Worried the scroll might disappear, I hurriedly copied the journal contents into my memo pad. As I did, I couldn’t help but feel a bit put off by the Nicola CEO’s behavior.

“…Did he just scam the entire world?”

I thought, *So people like this really exist.*

It was unrealistic, but I didn’t doubt it. No — it was more accurate to say I *couldn’t* doubt it.

Because this was information given by the quest.

It was a ‘Coin Journal’ with 100% reliability. So there was only one thing I needed to do right now.

“September 9th, 11 AM.”

All I had to do was prepare and wait for that day.

*

Some time passed.

[…Loading Complete.]

[Store update has been completed.]

[Try purchasing new items.]

The store update was finished.

I cleared my distracting thoughts.

I had checked the information and knew it started on the 9th. Since I had plenty of time, my priority now was to examine the updated store.

Full of excitement, I opened the store.

Store Open.

A hologram appeared before my eyes.

[Detailed Menu]

1. Currency

2. Talents

3. Miscellaneous Items

The menu was now divided into three categories.

Currency, Talents, Miscellaneous Items.

I could roughly guess what might be there, yet at the same time I thought, *No way.*

The correct order would be to check them one by one, but honestly, number 2 was the one I was most curious about. In the end, I couldn’t resist my curiosity and tapped on Talents first.

*Tap.*

As soon as I touched it, a new hologram popped up.

[Talents]

1. Creative Mind of a Painter (Consumable)

Required Prerequisite Points: 35

Passive Purchase Required Points: 350

2. Chartist’s Eye (Consumable)

Required Prerequisite Points: 35

Passive Purchase Required Points: 350

3. Talent Observer (3 uses)

Required Prerequisite Points: 35

Passive Purchase Required Points: 350

4. Random Talent

- Grants various talents at random.

Required Prerequisite Points: 35

My mouth fell open at the contents.

This was an absolute jackpot.

Creative Mind and Chartist’s Eye…?

“This is insane…?”

Especially Talent No. 2, ‘Chartist’s Eye’, which only cost 35 points. I had 22 points left after buying the information privilege, so if I gathered just 13 more points, I could buy the talent right away.

Even though it was consumable, thinking about the day-trading profits I could make in 3 hours, it was definitely not expensive.

Of course, there were also permanent Passive purchases. The problem was that the point cost was currently so high it felt overwhelmingly burdensome.

“I’ll have to think about Passives… later.”

I examined the Talents section again.

The Creative Mind of a Painter felt a bit expensive.

Still, even so…

As I continued buying various items and the required points kept rising, the Creative Mind—which would likely stay at 35 points—would inevitably catch my eye.

While it might fall short for short-term day-trading profits, when it came to long-term gains, the value from things like emoticons would be considerable. If it expanded into various businesses, the returns would be enormous.

I hadn’t tried Talent Observer yet, so I skipped it for now.

“And the last one, Random Talent… Hmm…!”

I had no idea what would come out, which only made me more curious. No one could predict what amazing talent might pop out from there.

From my experiences so far, gaining a talent was far more enjoyable than I had imagined. It required going through a unique process, and there was a real sense of accomplishment that came with it.

That was why I always felt a deep sense of emptiness whenever a talent disappeared.

*It would be nice if I could keep using them forever.*

I used to think that all the time.

But now…

Even though they were consumable, as long as I gathered enough points, I could buy them again and again.

And that wasn’t all.

Once point acquisition became much smoother than now, purchasing permanent Passives would also become fully possible.

That part really pleased me.

For now, I decided to wrap up my thoughts here.

My heart was racing.

Just one talent was enough to make me this happy. I calmed my excitement a little and pressed the back button.

The first screen appeared again.

This time, there was no hesitation.

I immediately selected number 1: Currency.

[Currency]

1. Stock Information

Required Prerequisite Points: 60

2. Coin Information

Required Prerequisite Points: 60

3. Real Estate Information

Required Prerequisite Points: 60

4. Random Information

- In addition to stocks, coins, land, and real estate, randomly grants various types of information such as commodities, artworks, economic trends, etc.

Required Prerequisite Points: 60

It had become much more detailed than before.

The required points had also increased.

That was something I had already expected. It had been the same when I bought random draws twice before.

It seemed that when I purchased the Coin Information Privilege this time, the update and point increase had happened simultaneously. There was a high chance that the 60-point cost would keep rising the more I bought. It was tight, but I was confident I could gather enough.

Next was number 3.

It was time to check the last category: Miscellaneous Items.

[Miscellaneous]

1. Future Sight (Consumable)

Required Prerequisite Points: 150

2. Treatment Medicine (Low-grade)

Required Prerequisite Points: 100

3. Stamina Enhancement Potion

Required Prerequisite Points: 50

4. Fatigue Recovery Potion (Low-grade)

Required Prerequisite Points: 20

5. Random Miscellaneous Item

- Grants various random items excluding Talents and Currency.

Required Prerequisite Points: 100

There were quite a variety of items here.

“This is interesting too.”

It seemed everything outside of Currency and Talents was categorized here. What surprised me most was that Random Miscellaneous Item cost a whopping 100 points. I wondered if the day would ever come when I could buy it, but the high cost probably meant it was that special. I made a mental note to keep it in mind.

“Future Sight was really good, though.”

The Stamina Enhancement Potion was decent too.

Anyway, I had now checked every category.

The conclusion was simple.

Everything had become much better than before.

Although the required points had increased, the system had become overwhelmingly more convenient to use. Being able to buy information on stocks, coins, land, and real estate separately was great, and the ability to choose specific talents was also very satisfying.

There were too many things I wanted to buy.

My motivation surged.

I felt a strong need to earn even one more point by spending a lot of money.

Earning more money, spending more, buying more items, and utilizing them—this was the basic cycle I reaffirmed once again.

*

There was still some time left before I could use the newly acquired Coin Information Privilege. During that time, Ryu Seong decided to look for a few more places to set up regular donations. The store update had brought many changes to his thinking.

Short-term quests could appear anytime and anywhere, and their probability was low, which made them time-consuming. In contrast, regular donation quests reliably gave points at the end of every month. So now was the time to make proper use of them.

First.

Do good deeds through regular donations.

Second.

By securing a large amount of points.

Third.

Using them to purchase items from the store.

That was the true path to making money.

This was exactly why he couldn’t afford to be afraid just because the regular donation amount was increasing. Bigger donations would return even bigger points.

Spending large sums of money still felt awkward and unfamiliar, so he had been putting it off. But now was the time to use it properly.

For the sake of a better future.

There was only one thing he needed to decide.

Where to donate.

And that part wasn’t something to worry about.

He already had a place in mind from the beginning.

Elementary, middle, and high school.

His alma mater held the deepest memories for him even now. The help he had received back then was something he would probably never forget for the rest of his life. He wanted to give that same experience to other children.

*Someone is supporting you.*

*Don’t give up.*

*As long as you have the will to move forward, I will always push you from behind.*

That was the only thing Ryu Seong wanted.

Starting with a donation to his alma mater, he planned to gradually expand support to orphanages and various other places in need. There were so many people who needed help in different ways, so he decided to take it one step at a time.

After organizing his thoughts,

He called Jinchan Elementary School.

(Yes, this is the Jinchan Elementary School administrative office.)

“Hello? This is alumnus Ryu Seong.”

(Ah, yes.)

“I’d like to make a small donation to the school.”

(A donation, you say?)

“Yes. I wanted to start donating regularly, so I called.”

(First of all, thank you very much. This matter may require several procedures, so could you possibly visit the school once?)

“Yes, that’s fine.”

(Then please come at a convenient time, excluding weekends.)

“Would today work?”

(Of course.)

“Understood.”

It looked like he would have to stop by the school.

They would probably need documents as well.

Since he had plenty of time anyway, he headed straight to the elementary school.

“It’s been so long.”

Some parts were exactly as he remembered, but a new gymnasium had been built on one side—a building he had never seen before. Other areas also looked like they had been renovated.

Children were running around and playing on the playground. Just watching them brought back a flood of memories.

It was a nostalgic time.

He unknowingly smiled as he watched the children, then belatedly snapped back to his senses.

*Ah, this isn’t the time.*

He hurriedly headed to the administrative office.

“Excuse me.”

“Ah, yes. How can I help you?”

“I’m the one who called earlier. I’d like to set up a regular donation.”

“Ah, so you’re the person from the call.”

“Yes.”

“Please come this way. The director just stepped out to the restroom. She’ll be back soon.”

He sat down on a chair and waited for a moment.

“Would you like some tea?”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

“We have green tea. I’ll bring you that.”

“Yes, thank you.”

He was savoring the aroma and taste of the green tea when,

“Nice to meet you.”

A middle-aged man with a dignified appearance approached.

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