I Gain Infinite Gold Just By Waiting-Chapter 271: Episode 53_Epilogue (1)

1.

If you asked him what the single greatest gain from killing the Demon King was, Kim Buja could answer without hesitation.

“If I had to pick the two turning points in my life, the first would be awakening as a Gold Maker, and the second would be killing the Demon King.”

At a glance, someone might think it was nothing more than taking down a slightly special boss. Even though it was the Demon King, in other people’s eyes, he was still just a somewhat stronger boss. The most you could expect from that would be peace for the continent and some extra rewards.

Nothing else really came to mind. What could you possibly gain from killing the Demon King? At best, some experience, quest rewards, maybe a bit of honor for slaying him, and his hide.

That was all Buja had expected, too. He’d thought that would be the entire package—the rewards would be better than usual, sure, but that would be it. He’d be impressed for a moment and then move on.

He had gone in trusting only in the outcome of saving the continent and the quest rewards that came with it. That was all he’d counted on.

“If I’d known it would be like this, I would have executed the Gold Mission more thoroughly, more perfectly.”

The rewards that poured out were so incredible that he could confidently call this the second turning point of his life.

Just the experience and gold he earned from killing the Demon King were enough to make anyone’s jaw drop.

There were hidden quests that had been tucked away, and a mountain of items dropped from the Demon King.

In the end, even the Demon King was just another boss in this game. Those items, and the absurd amount of experience—enough to level him up even though he was already past level 70.

The divine gifts granted to the hero who had saved the continent were sweet enough to wash away all his hardship and fatigue in one go.

And that wasn’t all. Even greater rewards lay in wait, as if the system wanted to show him that the spoils from the Demon King himself were nothing in comparison.

“The final reward for the Gold Mission was just... electrifying.”

First, his level broke into the 80s. His gold surpassed the 500 million mark, at which point he stopped counting, and he received at least ten points for every attribute.

The rewards were ridiculous. But that wasn’t the most important part.

Levels, stats, and gold alone weren’t enough to constitute a turning point in his life. Those things merely shortened the time it would take to reach a destination he was already headed for.

Even without them, Buja would have gotten there on his own eventually. The rewards simply shaved time off the journey.

“I love you, God.”

There had always been one thing Buja grumbled about as he grew as a Gold Maker: the lack of an exclusive skill.

Now, a combat skill packed with the class’s unique traits had finally appeared.

It was a combined reward for defeating the Demon King and reaching level 80.

[Authority Mimicry]

▶ Rank: (S) Legendary

▶ Type: (Gold Maker) General

▶ Level: 1

▶ A fusion skill combining Mimicry / Soul Harvest / Authority Amplification

▷ Absorb and mimic the authority of any race you kill.

▷ You can use it freely and gain additional effects proportional to your Gold Power %.

▷ Authorities Currently Held

1. Demon King

’Had the system been so stingy with skills all this time just to save them up for this moment?’

It was satisfying enough to wipe away all the resentment he had built up over the years in one stroke.

Levels, gold, stat points—he didn’t care about any of that.

This one skill alone made him so happy that he would have been willing to give back everything he had received so far. Of course, he had absolutely no intention of actually giving anything back.

“I am the Demon King.”

Heh heh. A smile wouldn’t leave his lips.

The Demon King’s authority. The words might sound simple, and one might think, ’How big of a deal can it really be?’ But for Buja, who had both suffered under it and wielded it himself, it was an overwhelming power he would never speak of lightly.

Better yet, he didn’t have to choose just one of the Demon King’s authorities; he could use every single one the Demon King had possessed.

This only applied if Soul Harvest was successful, of course. In this case, the Demon King on the continent had died completely at Buja’s hand, his soul absorbed without a single speck left behind, allowing Buja to use its power without any loss.

That was the reason. The reason he could confidently declare that he would clear a 9-star Legendary dungeon whose difficulty had just been cranked up.

“Hwangdo.”

“Kyuu?”

Hwangdo had now evolved to the point where he could proudly be called a full-fledged dragon.

Not only had Buja grown thanks to the Gold Mission rewards, but Hwangdo had as well—so much so that one could almost believe he was a clone of Cassius.

He could no longer fit inside the house, and his mere presence floating over Seoul was enough to make global headlines.

In his polymorphed form—the small bird he had once been—Hwangdo chirped in response to Buja’s excited chatter.

“I’m worried.”

“Kyu-uu.”

“I talked all that big game, but what if something completely ridiculous happens in there?”

There was hardly anything more pathetic than that.

If he strode into the dungeon insisting he was right while everyone else tried to stop him, only for it to turn out that the majority had been correct all along...

He wouldn’t even have time to feel embarrassed before he died, just as he almost had against the Demon King, his existence buried within the dungeon.

But that wasn’t what Buja was worried about.

“I’m not worried about failing. I’m worried it’ll be so easy it kills the mood.”

Even for him, someone who had played countless games and experienced more stat combinations than he could remember, this was a reward he couldn’t properly gauge. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

It wasn’t just a matter of having a few more skills. In gaming terms, it was like taking a fully-leveled character and then stacking a boss monster on top of it.

What would happen if a player who could normally control only one character suddenly got another? And not just any character, but a boss monster.

He would have to test it himself to truly know. His excitement multiplied. He wanted to go in as soon as possible.

“I should just go.”

Why bother waiting?

He stepped out of the house.

* * *

The first person to hear of Buja’s return was Jeong Seora. It was only natural, as he had contacted her the moment he got back.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t be the first to see him.

“What? You’re going in?”

Ever since the “Final Dungeon” event went live, players have been insanely busy. The guilds supporting them were so swamped they barely had time to sleep.

Jeong Cheol had told her to take some time off to see Buja, but she’d refused.

No one wanted to see him more than she did, but that was exactly why she had to stay at her post.

Just as Buja devoted himself to his work, she needed to do hers properly so she could stand before others without shame.

Of course, the biggest reason was something Buja himself had said.

“You said you were going to rest for about two weeks, remember?”

There was no reason to force herself to make time to see him.

In a few days, once Jeong Cheol finished the dungeon he was wrapping up, she would be able to take at least a day off. She was counting on that and refused to leave her station.

But then, over the phone, he told her he was standing in front of a 9-star Legendary dungeon.

“What on earth....”

She wasn’t angry. If something like this were enough to make her furious, she would never have considered continuing their relationship in the first place.

She was just worried.

“Is your body okay?”

He had just returned from a war with the Demon King. From what she’d heard, he had nearly died and even lost an arm. Of course she was worried.

On top of that, no one understood the changes to the real-world dungeons during his absence better than she did, which only intensified her desire to stop him.

She wanted to tell him that a 9-star Legendary dungeon now was not the same as it was before. But she didn’t.

As always, she was his fan. She could offer advice, but she wouldn’t stubbornly try to overturn a decision he had already made.

She had watched him longer than anyone. Every time he had shown that kind of unwavering resolve, the results had left her in awe.

—“I’ll show you. I wish you could be the first to see it, but I’m sorry you’ll have to watch it live.”

As soon as their call ended, the live indicator lit up on his video channel.

Viewers from all over the world flooded in. Even players who had been sacrificing sleep to run dungeons made time to watch the stream, as long as they weren’t currently inside one.

Their actions made it clear that watching this would benefit them more than running another dungeon.

And half of them were there to see if their dire predictions would come true.

—If you act like you don’t know how the world works, you’re gonna get put in your place.

—Shouldn’t someone stop him? If he goes in there, there won’t be any "later." It’ll just be the end.

—And how exactly are you going to stop him? Even an aircraft carrier is useless against a top-tier ranker.

—Let’s just watch. We’ll find out soon enough.

What would happen?

Amid the confusion, Buja entered the dungeon and proved them all wrong. He showed them.

—...?

—What the hell?

A Gold Maker with the Demon King’s authority, controlled by none other than Kim Buja. He showed them exactly what that combination was capable of.

He showed them who was truly in charge of this “Final Dungeon” event.

Stronger monsters, stacking penalties, more than ten clear conditions—none of these shackles could hold Buja back.

Even the boss monster, with its new patterns and an aggressive opening that startled the viewers, was forced to its knees before the Demon King’s authority.

—If this event was the system’s counterpunch against the players, then Buja is the player who just countered that counter.

—My god. He’s nullifying the stacking penalties by just clearing the dungeon before they can even kick in?

—If you hunt like that, how much EXP do you get from a single dungeon?

—I feel like he’s getting in one day what I’d grind for five years to earn.

The 9-star Legendary dungeon, meant to be a gatekeeper to the final 10-star dungeon, had been turned into a personal time-attack stage, thoroughly dismantled and toyed with.

For the viewers, a video like this did not inspire admiration or envy so much as a crushing sense of futility.

—If this were a pay-to-win game, I could at least console myself by saying he’s some rich sucker who dumped billions into it. But this guy does everything himself. The sense of loss is insane.

—Some of us almost died running the same old dungeons we’ve always done and ended up with dungeon PTSD. Sigh.

Naturally, the naysayers vanished. In their place, comments speculating on new possibilities began to pop up.

—At this point, is 10-star doable?

—10-star... Just hearing it gives me chills.

—Honestly, 9-star Legendary or 10-star, what’s the difference? The nauseating penalties are the same either way. I bet he can do it.

—The important thing is he has to solo it.

—Hasn’t Buja been a solo player from the start?

Even Fly had admitted to being outclassed by this event. And now, Buja had smashed it to pieces, showcasing his overwhelming power.

He uploaded the video as-is.

“Curious how I got this strong? Then pay up. The final showdown with the Demon King and the princess’s coronation as Empress—both included in this special bundle!”

It was the dawn of a new world.