I Gain Infinite Gold Just By Waiting-Chapter 257: Episode 4-1_Purification (1)

1.

After clearing the first dungeon to test Shadow Partner, Kim Buja felt it in his bones.

’Where exactly is the limit supposed to be?’

He wondered if the word “limit” even applied to this game. Every time he felt like he had hit a wall, a new skill would drop into his lap and grant him a completely different kind of power. That didn’t mean it came out of nowhere, though. It felt more like something that could have appeared at any time, but just happened to show up now.

In any case, after experiencing the glorious performance of a level 6 refinement effect, he had no choice but to tweak his plans.

“I should head into a 9-star dungeon soon.”

He finally had a reason to at least try. He couldn’t jump straight into a Legendary run, but he figured he could take a shot at Normal, maybe even Rare if he was feeling ambitious.

He quickly dismissed the worry that he was being too cautious, given that he had already soloed an 8-star Legendary dungeon. Right now, the highest-tier dungeon publicly known was 9-star. There might be a 10-star dungeon somewhere, but since no one had seen one, 9-star was effectively the final tier. There was no way that final dungeon would just be a quiet ramp-up in difficulty like the others.

And even if it was, he couldn’t afford to go in with that mindset. You always had to assume the absolute worst.

“At minimum, I should assume it’s three times harder.”

He wasn’t worried about new patterns or clear conditions. In games, what players feared most was always the numbers game. New mechanics were only rough until you adapted. Once you got used to them—or if you had the talent to adapt quickly—they weren’t much different from what came before. But if the developers simply cranked up the numbers or nerfed your character, there was no counterplay. Even if the monsters were the same as yesterday, the difference in feel would be enormous.

By that same logic, if the monsters’ stats in a 9-star dungeon were massively boosted, then no matter how familiar they looked, the difficulty would be absurd. On top of that, the addition of another clear condition was a huge variable. He had always had the luxury of picking conditions one by one, but in reality, each additional condition multiplied the player’s burden several times over.

Even so, the fact that he was willing to attempt a 9-star dungeon, even at a lower difficulty, meant that Shadow Partner had given him that much of a power spike.

“Even taking it to level 7 would be broken.”

Of course, to raise it to level 7, he would have to increase his SVIP level and then upgrade the option again, so he was looking at a minimum of 100 million gold. But he expected that the 10% increase in proc chance per level would translate directly into a visible stat boost.

“In that case, I should start grinding hard again.”

The path ahead was becoming clear. Frequent plan changes like today were always welcome.

Just as he was steadily preparing for his showdown with the Demon King, it came.

[The entry time limit for Gold Mission Chapter 4-1 will expire in 48 hours.]

“Huh?”

A completely unexpected hologram popped up at a completely unexpected moment. He always had the mission in the back of his mind, but he hadn’t seen a notification in so long that the words felt strangely distant.

At the same time, he hesitated.

’Was there a time limit?’

He couldn’t remember. It made sense. After finishing Chapter 3, he had focused entirely on the final battle with the Demon King and had pushed the Gold Mission out of his mind. He hadn’t planned on going in at all, so he hadn’t bothered to check. He didn’t recall seeing any particular holograms back then, either.

But now, after all this time, it had come knocking.

He cautiously opened the Gold Mission window.

▶ Chapter 4

# 4-1: Purification

[Purification]

▶ Grade: Chapter 4-1

▶ Description: The continent, tainted by evil, is slowly sinking. Before it is completely swallowed by darkness, before the final light is snuffed out, stop the spreading darkness and purify it.

→ Details: Slay 10,000 Demonic Beasts / 1,000 Lesser Demons / 20 Intermediate Demons / 5 Greater Demons

▶ Reward: ???

“Wow.”

His heart dropped. Anyone would have flinched at that choice of words.

’Purification.’

And a Chapter description telling him to purify evil. What was evil? How was one supposed to erase the evil that had tainted the continent?

Most people would give the same answer: kill the Demon King.

That was the first thought that crossed his mind as well. Was Chapter 4 going to be a single, final Chapter? Had he been running hard, only to find this was all the time he had? Was he supposed to fight the Demon King here? He had been slowly feeling out his chances, but if he fought now, could he win? Or should he go in and just try to survive as long as possible to buy more time?

A thousand different thoughts raced through his head.

But thankfully, that wasn’t it.

“Whew.”

For a second, he wondered if this Chapter had popped up because he had neglected the Gold Mission for too long. He even felt a twinge of guilt, suddenly feeling bad about having slapped down a magic circle and then ignored it for ages.

“I should at least go take a look.”

He was still far from ready. Guilt aside, if he could stall for more time, he wanted to go in only after he had squeezed out every last bit of preparation.

But he had no choice.

Forty-eight hours.

That was how long he had. If he had to go in anyway, he might as well go in quickly.

And honestly, he was curious.

’Even if it’s not the Demon King, I should at least be able to handle Greater Demons, right?’ 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

With that thought, he was about to jump in right away when something stopped him.

’Wait.’

It had been a while, but there was no way he would forget what he needed to bring when traveling to another world. No matter what, the continent was far more dangerous than an 8-star Legendary dungeon right now. As always, the continent was a world where Kim Buja was the underdog. It had been that way from the beginning, and it would be that way to the end.

Which was why he always had to be thorough.

“Bound items are all in place.”

In truth, there wasn’t much he actually needed to pack.

Entering the portal would strip him of all his gear; he couldn’t take anything with him.

That’s what gave him pause.

He’d lose everything he was wearing.

He wasn’t facing the Demon King just yet, but he still had to fight Great Demons. And he was supposed to do that without one of his greatest sources of power—his equipment?

“Mm.”

At least he didn’t have to worry about his weapon or accessories.

The Gold Ring was a bound item, so it would stay with him. It had always done its part to protect him.

He had also just bound his new accessories, so as long as some freak accident didn’t occur, they would be a huge help in clearing the “Purification” quest.

His armor, however, was another story.

He’d bought his current set specifically to clear the Sand Castle and had never felt it was worth the cost of binding.

This meant that if he returned to the continent now, he’d be going in without any armor.

No matter how good his weapon and accessories were, how was he supposed to survive with nothing to protect him?

That was the dilemma.

’Binding them feels like such a waste.’

He was short on gold, too.

He’d already blown a fortune rolling for top-tier enhancement effects; even the cost of binding a bare-minimum set felt like a burden.

Still, he had the option. He could grind like a madman for the next forty-eight hours and bind a chest piece and leggings, at the very least.

He mulled it over.

“Mm.”

After wrestling with the decision, Buja finally made up his mind.

“I’ll just go.”

In the past, he would have erred on the side of extreme caution, choosing to bind his current armor even if it meant using it once and tossing it.

Now, however, he had at least established a foothold on the continent.

It was like having a vacation home.

Before, the continent had been just a travel destination, forcing him to pack everything from A to Z. Now, it felt like he had a fully stocked vacation house waiting for him; all he needed to bring was himself.

’Picking up some decent, random gear over there might be better than binding this set anyway.’

Besides, this wasn’t just any vacation home.

It was a home built by the most successful dragon on the continent.

A dragon’s lair.

Surely, among the legacy left by two dragons, there had to be at least one piece of armor he could use for a while.

“Let’s go.”

His vision went black for an instant, then a world shrouded in deep darkness unfolded before him.

* * *

A single ray of hope shone proudly beneath the abyssal dark.

The ruins visible beyond that pure white space were so desolate it was hard to believe this had once been the true heart of the continent, the capital of the Empire.

’...Still the same.’

He could see the faces of the survivors, people saved for no other reason than their presence in the imperial capital. Yet not a single one of them looked happy.

They couldn’t be.

The world was collapsing.

The faces of those who had died at the hands of demons were still vivid in their minds.

They were safe for now, but for how long?

Could the continent really survive with only the people gathered here?

When would the light protecting them finally go out?

In a world where nothing was certain, all they could do was watch as everything fell apart. There was no peace to be found in their hearts.

“Buja!”

A voice called out his name as he surveyed the crowd, and he turned.

The imperial princess, as blindingly beautiful as ever, ran toward him. Despite the exhaustion that made her face gaunt, her expression was radiant as she threw herself into his arms.

He couldn’t even remember how long it had been, and seeing her pure, uncomplaining joy made him feel a pang of guilt.

How long had she waited?

Inside the magic circle, the people below and the princess above had been in the same boat, unable to find any answers.

He sighed, thinking of all the time she must have spent calming her people, giving them hope, and simply enduring.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Not at all. While you were gone, we formed alliances with every settlement we could still reach. We’ve been waiting for you.”

The princess was far stronger than he gave her credit for.

She didn’t just lean on him.

The blood of the emperor who had once ruled the continent still ran strong in her veins.

In a world where no one wanted to take a single step outside the magic circle, she had been doing everything in her power to push back the encroaching darkness.

Thanks to the Demon King’s descent, the infighting among humans had at least come to an end.

“There are some who sided with the Demon King, but there hasn’t been any more fighting between humans. Everyone is trying to join forces and gather in one place if they can.”

The Demon King was not an all-knowing, all-powerful god.

Even if countless demons had crossed over from the Demon Realm, the continent was far larger than people realized.

“The Demon King and his legions have destroyed many kingdoms, but they say the demons aren’t as terrifying as the history books made them out to be. Still, no one has any idea how to kill the Demon King himself...”

It had only been a few months.

In that short time, he had assumed the continent would be completely lost, yet it was more lively and hopeful than it had been during the previous Chapter.

A smile tugged at his lips.

He hugged the princess and patted her on the back.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

He had prepared a great deal and had even considered the possibility that he might have to do this alone.

But he had been wrong.

As always, the continent had kept turning without him. His role had never been to be the protagonist from start to finish.

“I’ll find a way to take down the Demon King.”

That was why he could make that promise.

Because he wasn’t alone.

Because there were countless others who loved this continent far more than he ever could.