“Turning my life around, huh…”
Kangwoo recalled the life he had lived before awakening.
That was to say, before he had been stranded on the 100th floor of the Tower.
The life he had lived back then.
When he was very young. During a time he could barely remember.
He had been alone since then.
Fortunately, the director of the orphanage who had taken care of him was an incredibly kind and good person.
Even though the director herself was not financially well-off, she always did her best to somehow take care of the children at the orphanage.
Naturally, her sincerity reached the children as well, and thanks to her, they were able to grow into adults without major difficulties.
Kangwoo was one of those children.
Of course, once he reached the age to leave the orphanage, life became difficult.
But one thing was certain.
If it hadn’t been for the director’s help, he would have learned that there was a bottom even beneath the bottom.
“…….”
He looked around his shabby studio apartment.
Yellowed wallpaper.
Flooring that became sticky and clung to his feet whenever summer arrived.
A showerhead with a weak stream of water.
A sink that occasionally produced rusty water.
It wasn’t only his apartment that was shabby.
Even Kangwoo’s life itself had been shabby.
Even though it had been quite some time since he left the orphanage, he had never even managed to set foot inside the door of a decent workplace.
When he was a student, studying had always been pushed aside because he had to work part-time jobs to cover his living expenses.
Of course, that situation remained the same even now.
His entire day was filled with part-time work.
There was no time to study or invest in his future.
The best he could do was tighten his belt and put away the tiny amount of money he could save.
At that rate, after saving for roughly forty years, he might be able to afford a small house.
…It was truly a bleak reality.
A cycle of poverty that he could not escape.
That had been Kangwoo’s life before awakening.
“Haha.”
In the past, thinking about such a reality would make him depressed.
But now, things were different.
He could genuinely smile with happiness.
From today onward, instead of struggling just to survive in the cold reality of life—
He could afford to live leisurely and pursue his own happiness.
“Then…”
Kangwoo smiled happily and turned his head.
What he was looking at was the ramen sitting on the table.
“Let’s eat the ramen first and think about it.”
It was the ramen he had been cooking before being forcibly transported to the 100th floor of the Tower.
He had been so frustrated that he hadn’t even gotten to eat a single bite.
He had tried to somehow recreate it in the Demon King’s Castle.
But perhaps because it had been created by people with master’s and doctoral degrees putting their heads together—
Even the Level 900 chefs on the 100th floor couldn’t make anything remotely similar.
“Phew. Phew.”
He carefully picked up some noodles.
Then he cautiously blew on them to cool them down before putting them straight into his mouth.
“…!”
The food he had eaten on the 100th floor had all been made to suit the tastes of demons.
Compared to those damn foods, this ramen had an incomparably rich and savory flavor!
“Wahaha!”
Kangwoo exclaimed loudly in delight as he slurped down the broth.
It was extremely hot, but Kangwoo’s Level 999 tongue was sturdy.
“Hahahaha!”
Coolness and heat.
And the spicy richness of the broth.
All of it danced across his tongue.
Laughing loudly, he devoured the ramen in an instant.
Kangwoo was happy.
Even though it was something so simple.
But this was only the beginning.
He could experience even greater happiness.
And what he needed for that happiness was clear.
“Let’s sell the items.”
Money.
That was what Kangwoo needed now.
If he wanted to, he could sweep up all the money in the world.
But Kangwoo didn’t want to go that far.
“First… let’s sell something appropriate.”
The strongest Hunters in South Korea were currently attempting to conquer the 32nd floor of the Tower.
A Tower consisting of a total of 100 floors.
And Floor 32 was still relatively early in the Tower.
Naturally, their average level was only around 250.
Even the average level of their equipment was around 200.
Most of their equipment was Epic or Unique grade.
Some of them did possess Legendary skills.
But their skill levels were still quite low.
The item those Hunters needed.
An item Kangwoo wouldn’t even bother using himself was—
[Lv 237 Faded Holy Sword]
“That’s about right.”
The item was defective right from its name.
But the standard for that defect was Kangwoo, who was Level 999.
To Hunters with an average level of 250, it would be the best weapon they could possibly obtain.
“…Should I sell some armor too?”
After thinking for a moment, Kangwoo shook his head.
Honestly, even the [Faded Holy Sword] was already overwhelmingly powerful by current standards.
If he sold armor of a similar level on top of that…
“They’d clear Floor 37 without much trouble.”
That couldn’t happen.
Kangwoo had completely emptied the warehouse of the Demon King’s Castle.
He intended to sell everything.
He needed to control the balance appropriately if he wanted to sell it all.
And it wasn’t just equipment.
There were all kinds of elixirs and consumables with special effects.
There were even secret manuals that could teach countless skills.
He couldn’t release everything at once.
He wasn’t going to ruin his future just because he was blinded by immediate profits.
“Alright. Let’s enter YongsaNet.”
YongsaNet, the Awakener-exclusive community operated by the system.
Any awakened person who had completed the tutorial could use it regardless of where they were.
[YongsaNet has been accessed.]
“…Phew.”
Kangwoo had awakened as a Demon King rather than a Hero.
He had been worried that he might not be able to access it.
Fortunately, he could.
He quickly entered the auction house.
Phrases such as complete security, anonymous transactions, and safe trading guaranteed flashed across the screen.
Then countless items appeared.
“This is 5,000? This one is 100 million? Why is this one 300 million?”
Kangwoo stared blankly at the listings and muttered.
He wondered if he was seeing them incorrectly.
Honestly, in Kangwoo’s eyes, all of these were items he wouldn’t use even if they were given to him for free.
Yet those very items were selling for tens of millions of won, easily surpassing 100 million.
He blinked several times as he checked the effects and performance of the [Faded Holy Sword] in his inventory.
Then he compared them with the effects and performance of the items listed in the auction house.
“…….”
For a moment, he considered selling an item with worse performance.
But then he remembered that South Korea had been unable to clear Floor 32 for a long time, causing dimensional rifts to appear in various places.
The [Faded Holy Sword] would probably be necessary for them to clear it without too much difficulty.
“Alright. Let’s sell it.”
Having made up his mind, Kangwoo listed the item on the auction house.
The starting price was a reasonable 100 million won.
If he set it too low, no one would pay attention to it.
He set the auction duration to a reasonable twelve hours.
That was to prevent competition from becoming too intense and driving the price too high.
He planned to list more good items in the future.
Wouldn’t he need money to buy those as well?
“I wonder how much it’ll sell for.”
Kangwoo muttered with a small smile.
[The sale of the Faded Holy Sword has been completed.]
[Sale price: 1.32 billion won.]
[Fee: 132 million won (10%)]
[1.188 billion won has been deposited into your YongsaNet account.]
“It sold for a decent price.”
But Kangwoo’s reaction was completely different from that of ordinary Hunters.
That was only natural.
Before he appeared, the most expensive item ever sold at the auction house had been—
Only around 500 million won.
Kangwoo had set a new record for the highest auction price.
At nearly three times the previous record, it had sold for a price that had been unimaginable until now.
If anyone had seen Kangwoo’s calm reaction, they would have been shocked.
But anyone in Kangwoo’s position would have no choice but to react calmly.
His inventory was overflowing with endgame-level items.
Rather, it would be strange for him to be surprised that one of them had sold for 1.3 billion won.
“A ten-percent fee, huh.”
Kangwoo frowned for a moment.
But before long, he nodded.
It was a little disappointing.
Still, it was an amount he could easily accept.
The YongsaNet auction house was operated by the system.
Complete security.
Guaranteed anonymity.
Safe transactions.
For Kangwoo, who had no desire to reveal his identity or become famous, it was practically a necessity rather than a choice.
He hated troublesome things.
He might not have been like this before being stranded on the 100th floor of the Tower.
But perhaps because of the years he had spent there and the influence of [The Demon King’s Soul]—
Kangwoo had changed somewhat.
Of course, he considered it a positive change.
In any case, the fee didn’t matter.
One insignificant item overflowing in his inventory had just sold for 1.3 billion won.
What if he sold all the other items?
Even if tens of billions or hundreds of billions of won disappeared in fees—
His account would still show trillions of won.
And it wasn’t even money he had earned through blood, sweat, and tears.
To be honest, it wasn’t much different from game currency.
It felt like repeatedly activating a “Show Me the Money” cheat.
“Alright.”
Remembering an old game, he chuckled and got moving.
He had already decided what he would do first once the money came in.
He roughly picked out the shabby clothes hanging in his closet and put them on.
Then he slipped into his grimy shoes, whose soles were on the verge of falling apart.
“Hello.”
“Hello. Where are you headed?”
He took a taxi—something he couldn’t even have imagined taking in the past.
He vividly remembered how his salary had stayed the same while the base fare kept creeping higher and higher, making his chest feel tight just looking at it.
Recalling those old memories, Kangwoo smiled faintly and gave the driver his destination.
“Please take me to Mirae Orphanage.”
“Mirae Orphanage? I’ve never heard of it. I guess it’s not around here?”
“That’s right. It might be a little far.”
“Let’s see… Oh dear! That’s really far. Are you sure?”
“Haha, yes. Are you okay with it, Driver? It’s pretty far—”
“Hmm. It’s good for me, but…”
“It’s good for me too since I can get there quickly, so it works out for both of us.”
“Haha, is that so? Then I’ll get going.”
The taxi smoothly pulled away.
Kangwoo gazed out the window, lost in thought.
They passed through shabby alleys before reaching clean roads.
Huge buildings that matched the polished surroundings came into view.
It was like an entirely different world from the shabby places he had lived in.
Like black and white.
Two things that could never blend together.
Clearly divided despite existing in the same world.
And therefore, even more cruel.
“…….”
Kangwoo recalled the thoughts his former self might have had.
He chuckled and erased those thoughts from his mind.
Things were different now.
His life reversal had begun.
There were already 1.1 billion won sitting in his YongsaNet account.
That was money an ordinary person would struggle to save even after working their entire life.
It meant he had already effortlessly achieved someone else’s lifelong goal.
Kangwoo began thinking about pleasant things.
He imagined everything he could accomplish from now on.
He thought about all the happiness he could comfortably obtain.
“…Oh.”
Kangwoo spent his time like that.
Then he muttered softly at the sight of a familiar landscape.
A shabby landscape from the days when he used to live there appeared before him, far removed from anything clean or glamorous.
It lay somewhere between a paved road and an unpaved one.
Unknown weeds swayed gently along the roadside.
A bus stop reduced to little more than traces.
An abandoned house that no one knew when it had been vacated.
A convex mirror that had been brutally dented.
A streetlight completely consumed by vines.
The taxi carrying Kangwoo traveled to the very end of that landscape.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you, Driver.”
“The fare is rather expensive… Oh dear!”
“Keep the change. I’ll be going.”
“No, wait—”
He smiled faintly, closed the rear door, and stepped out.
Just before he handed over the money, Kangwoo had noticed the uneasy expression that briefly crossed the taxi driver’s face.
That uneasiness had probably come from his shabby appearance.
And his destination was Mirae Orphanage, of all places.
From the driver’s perspective, it was understandable to worry that he might not be able to collect the fare.
“Haha.”
But Kangwoo didn’t feel bad about it.
If anything, he found it amusing.
If he had been his old self, the situation would have upset him.
It was the kind of situation where someone judged another person by their appearance, then instinctively avoided or feared them.
What had just happened was a quiet sense of satisfaction created by the gap between the reality that Kangwoo’s life had been turned around and the taxi driver’s misunderstanding.
Kangwoo could laugh at that gap.
He lightly began walking.
Toward Mirae Orphanage, which looked cleaner than the shabby surroundings.
“Hehehe! Catch me if you can! Catch me!”
“Grrrr! Stop! Get back here!”
“Do you think I’m stupid? Just because you tell me to stop doesn’t mean I will!”
“You’re dead if I catch you!”
As he approached the orphanage, various voices reached his ears.
The cheerful threats of murder made him smile naturally.
When he got a little closer, the orphanage playground came into view.
Simple but clean playground equipment caught his eye.
The sandbox, completely free of even a single weed, was almost unbelievable.
The only slightly strange thing was that the paint on the equipment had peeled off.
If it was the director, she would never have saved money when it came to the children’s safety.
Just as he began wondering about it and looking toward the orphanage building—
“Ah!”
One of the children spotted Kangwoo and shouted.
At that cry, all the other children turned their heads.
Then a deafening chorus of voices erupted.
“It’s Big Brother Kangwoo! Waaaah!”
“Waaaah! Big Brother! When did you get here?!?!”
“Oppa Kangwoo! Oppaaaa!”
“Carry me! Carry me!”
Kangwoo burst into laughter when he saw the children running toward him.
It was impossible not to smile when looking at these adorable children.
“Hahaha! Mincheol, Dohyung! Have you been doing well? Arin and Seohyun too?”
“Yes, Big Brother! I’ve been doing great! Hehehe!”
“Oppa! Pat my head! Pat my head!”
Kangwoo spread his arms wide and embraced the children.
The children who arrived later tried their best to squeeze into any available space so they could get into Kangwoo’s arms.
Seeing them like that, Kangwoo couldn’t help but laugh loudly again.
“Kids? What’s going on… Oh my! Kangwoo!”
The director had come outside because of the commotion.
She hurried over to Kangwoo.
“Hehe, Director! Big Brother Kangwoo came!”
Mincheol, who was in Kangwoo’s arms, smiled brightly as he spoke.
The other children began chattering excitedly about Kangwoo as well.
Watching them fondly, Kangwoo spoke.
“Kids, can I talk with the director for a little while?”
The children giggled and answered, “Yeees~,” before disappearing.
They seemed reluctant to leave, though, as they lingered nearby and occasionally peeked at Kangwoo.
Kangwoo smiled at them again.
The director then spoke to him.
“Shall we go inside and talk?”
“Hmm, yes. That sounds good.”
Kangwoo followed the director inside the orphanage.
As he walked behind her, he made eye contact with children who weren’t playing outside but were instead building with blocks, working on puzzles, or reading books inside the building.
He smiled faintly at them before continuing to follow the director.
“Huh? Isn’t that Kangwoo? Hey, what the heck! Long time no see!”
“Oh, Teacher, you’re here too. It’s been a while.”
A young female teacher named Lee Jihye had spotted Kangwoo.
She greeted him with genuine happiness.
“We’ll talk in a little while.”
“Sure! See you in a bit!”
After the brief exchange, Kangwoo entered the director’s office.
Click.
The director closed the door and prepared some tea for him.
A brief silence followed.
As Kangwoo quietly took a sip of tea—
“Kangwoo.”
“Yes, Director.”
The director of Mirae Orphanage, Kang Mirae, spoke with a slightly stiff expression.
…Ah.
Kangwoo quickly understood what Kang Mirae was thinking.
Children who failed to find a proper place for themselves after leaving the orphanage.
Those children would struggle and endure somehow until they reached the point where they felt they could no longer survive.
And then, they would eventually return to the orphanage where they had grown up.
And Kang Mirae could never turn those children away.
She would gather whatever money she had and put it into their hands.
Kangwoo guessed that Kang Mirae was assuming he was in the same situation as those children.
So Kangwoo spoke first.
“Has the situation gotten worse?”
“…Yes. Things have been very difficult to manage lately.”
After a brief silence, Kang Mirae answered.
The peeling paint on the playground equipment.
Toys wrapped tightly in tape.
Books that were so worn out they were beginning to tear apart.
Anyone could see what was happening.
There was no reason for Kang Mirae to lie.
“Did the donations stop? Or…”
“Kangwoo.”
Kang Mirae interrupted him.
She took a deep breath, preparing to say what she had been hesitating over.
“I have plenty of money.”
Before she could speak, Kangwoo spoke first.
Once words were spoken, they could not be taken back.
He didn’t want to hear the director say something weak or helpless.
Besides, if she did—
Regardless of what happened afterward, wouldn’t it make Kangwoo himself feel sad to hear her struggling?
And today was supposed to be a happy day.
He didn’t want this situation.
“…What did you say, Kangwoo?”
Kang Mirae asked with a bewildered expression.
Kangwoo smiled and answered.
“I said I have plenty of money, Director. I came here today to make a donation.”
“Wh-what? How…?”
Kangwoo smiled again.
“I awakened.”
“A-awakened…”
Kang Mirae didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry.
A Hunter?
It was true that Hunters made a lot of money.
But their lives were always in danger.
In other words, the money Kangwoo was offering to donate was—
“N-no. You can’t. That’s the money you earned with your life on the line. How can I…”
“It’s okay.”
Kangwoo answered without hesitation.
In the first place, this life of his—
It would have disappeared if it hadn’t been for the director.
And besides, wasn’t this money really his life payment?
“It isn’t money I earned with my life on the line. I make money safely.”
“…Kangwoo.”
Kangwoo told her nothing but the truth, without a single lie.
But perhaps Kang Mirae believed that his words were a lie meant to hide his sacrifice.
Tears began to fall from her eyes as she approached him and gently embraced him.
“Thank you, Kangwoo. Thank you…”
“…….”
“You’ve always been this kind of child, haven’t you… You really have…”
“…….”
He considered explaining that he really wasn’t lying.
But instead, he carefully wrapped his arms around the delicate body of the director.
