Chapter : 03
The Rice-Eating Hero’s Capitalist Streaming
Constellation Game [Lyca]
It took me a whole week of deliberation before I finally decided to enter the Gate.
It wasn’t that the Gate itself was scary.
I’d been through countless Gates before, so I had no aversion to entering one.
The problem was that, unlike the beta version where death simply sent you back to the beginning, death here meant actual death.
In short… I didn’t want to die.
If it were before I reunited with my family, I probably wouldn’t care much about life. But people’s hearts are surprisingly fickle.
“Just in case, my son…”
“Yes, Father.”
“I’d rather you stay away from the Gate.”
“……”
Even so, the reason I chose to enter the Gate was ultimately money.
By chance, I overheard my parents talking and realized that our family’s financial situation was far worse than I had imagined.
“Honey, now that Geonyul is back… maybe we should move?”
“I’ve been thinking the same. There’s no reason to keep living here paying such high interest.”
They were paying hundreds of thousands in loan interest every month, and it seemed their earnings barely covered it.
In other words, they had at least a billion won in loans, and living expenses kept eating away at it. Selling the house wouldn’t even clear the debt, and moving wasn’t easy because of my father’s convenience store.
My parents said it was just a little hard, but from my perspective, it was much worse.
If I had returned just a little later, our family might have ended up on the streets.
So, just getting a regular job wouldn’t solve my filial debt.
I realized I needed far more money than I thought.
“In the end… the Gate is the answer.”
So, after deciding to enter the Gate, I made a rather systematic plan.
My weapon was the experience of having played through over a thousand characters—something no one else had.
Using that, my only way to make real money was to earn as many Lyca Points (LP) as possible.
“As long as I don’t overdo it, I just need to find a way to earn as much money as possible.”
So I entered the Gate solely to make money.
“Heh, new adventurers are always welcome. Dave, was it?”
To me, the safety of my long-separated family was more important than saving the world.
Ding!
[You have encountered the village chief ‘Mordini’ of ‘Beresht’.]
[Conditions met.]
[Quest cleared.]
“Until you’re ready to embark on your adventure, feel free to rest here in Beresht as much as you like.”
[Quest reward obtained: ‘Apprentice Hero’s Equipment Box’.]
And even though I was a mediocre hero, things would be different inside the ‘Starting Island’.
Someone like me, who had leveled characters over a thousand times, could not exist on the main Earth server.
Normally, players on the Earth server prepare extensively before entering a Gate.
Because the Gate is a place where you literally risk your life…
They spend money to set up equipment and train in virtual simulations before attempting the Gate.
So, for these “normal” aspiring hunters, an [Apprentice Hero’s Equipment Box] was essentially meaningless.
Most players spent tens of millions of won to enter fully equipped with Tier 2-3 gear… so no one cared about a Tier 1 starter item.
But I couldn’t do that.
I had no choice but to enter the Gate with almost nothing.
To me, the Apprentice Hero’s Equipment Box was an invaluable starting fund.
[You opened the ‘Apprentice Hero’s Equipment Box’.]
[Choose one of three pieces of equipment.]
[A. Apprentice Adventurer’s Sword]
[B. Apprentice Mage’s Staff]
[C. Apprentice Hunter’s Bow]
So choosing the right starting gear required extreme care.
I had to earn the most money with the least maintenance cost.
“Hmm.”
In that context, the ‘Apprentice Hunter’s Bow’ was a pass.
This was not a weapon I would choose in this life.
“Unless my ancestors are buying the arrows for me.”
Hunters like it because they can hunt at a distance with less risk, but arrow costs in Lyca are never trivial.
The higher your level, the more expensive arrows become, and like other equipment, you need high-tier arrows for proper power.
Tier 5 arrows cost over 10 million won per 100 arrows.
So the right choice here is…?
Ding!
[You have selected ‘Apprentice Mage’s Staff’.]
It was a staff.
[Item obtained.]
You might think, “Isn’t a mage an expensive class?”
Yes. Mages can be more expensive than archers. So normally, I wouldn’t play one.
But why did I choose the staff…?
[You sold the ‘Apprentice Mage’s Staff’.]
Because it’s the most expensive.
[You obtained 15 LP.]
These 15 LP would become the seed money for my growth.
“Good. The price is the same as in the beta version.”
Anyone else seeing someone sell starting equipment would probably shake their head.
Without equipment, you can’t hunt. Without hunting, you can’t make money…
And replacing equivalent equipment would cost even more.
So, selling the staff might seem like foolishness.
But who am I?
I’m a veteran of the Starting Island.
I knew how to leverage these 15 LP to the maximum.
After selling the staff, I headed to the blacksmith at the edge of the village.
“Never seen this adventurer before! What brings you here?”
This wasn’t the normal blacksmith.
“What? You’re buying what?”
It was a blacksmith specializing in farming tools.
I planned to get the most cost-effective weapon there.
“Hmm, an adventurer buying a shovel? Never seen that… but I guess I can sell it.”
[Purchased ‘Sturdy Iron Shovel’.]
“Yes! This is good quality.”
The ‘Sturdy Iron Shovel’ had less attack than the Apprentice Adventurer’s Sword, but it had three times the durability, lighter weight, and was one-third the cost of the staff.
[5 LP spent.]
If I hadn’t sold the staff, I would have started with a loss of over 10 LP.
Sure, it might look less heroic, but it keeps me fed.
“Now the remaining item…”
I had already decided what to buy with the remaining money.
Potions?
No. A rice-eating hero doesn’t use potions.
Potion users aren’t here to earn money.
So, I spent the rest on a survival safety net.
[Purchased ‘Beresht Return Scroll’.]
[10 LP spent.]
Insurance is necessary when anything could happen inside the Gate.
“Good. Now I’m ready to hunt.”
Finally, I was ready for work.
“Let’s start with the Beresht front yard.”
So, for the first time since returning, I headed to my hunting ground… or rather, my workplace.
Back in the days with the fairies, I had tried countless classes, including the ‘Architect’.
The first weapon I received as an Architect in a guild was a shovel.
- “You want me to fight with this?”
- “Of course. A shovel is a surprisingly good weapon.”
Even early Architect skills included shovel techniques, combining sword and shield movements.
Rrrr…!
Especially against mindless monsters like this one, it was perfect.
I didn’t have the skill now, but if I recreated the movements, I could achieve 80% of its effect.
Here’s how:
Thunk!
Raise the shovel vertically and block with precision.
[You perfectly defended against Starve Dog’s attack.]
[Damage reduced by 99%.]
Then slam it into the stunned monster’s head…
Crack!
[Dealt critical damage to Starve Dog!]
[Starve Dog is stunned.]
Finally, shove the shovel into its mouth and finish cleanly.
[Dealt critical damage to Starve Dog!]
[Starve Dog successfully defeated!]
No other weapon could handle it this easily. Not exaggeration.
Shovels are the only early-game weapons that allow flexible offense and defense.
If I had used a sword, one bite from a Level 4 monster would nearly kill me.
“Could I have avoided it all?”
But was the yard monster really strong?
I picked the strongest one in the area.
The Starve Dog, the neighborhood newbie bully, was a Level 4 monster.
Naturally, a Level 1 getting bitten by a Level 4 would nearly die.
[Monster hunt successful.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level up.]
[Reached Level 2.]
Why start with a risky fight?
[Challenge completed.]
[Conditions met.]
To get a title:
[‘Giant Slayer (Hero)’ title obtained.]
Defeating a Starve Dog at Level 1 was the easiest way to get this title.
Giant Slayer
Type: Title
Tier: 5
Grade: Hero
Equip Effect:
All combat stats increase by 30 when fighting higher-level enemies.
Passive Effect:
Attack power increases by 15%.
The condition is to defeat an enemy with stats at least twice yours… harder as levels rise.
It’s a Tier 5 hero title—not easy to get.
Now or never.
“Hmph.”
Collecting all free ways to power up… that’s an essential skill for a rice-eating hero.
“Exactly.”
After achieving the first goal smoothly, my inferior equipment was partly covered.
[Engaged a higher-level enemy.]
[‘Giant Slayer’ title effect activated.]
[Stats increased.]
[Combat power +85.]
[Current combat power: 137]
The conditional 30 stat bonus was almost like wearing a full Tier 2 set.
[Dealt critical damage to Starve Dog!]
One shovel swing and the dog couldn’t respond—effectiveness proven.
Even targeting its weak points, a Level 2 killing a Level 4 in one hit is tough.
[Starve Dog successfully defeated!]
Thanks to this, hunting speed increased. After a couple more kills, loot dropped.
[Loot obtained from Starve Dog.]
Of course, such a weak monster doesn’t drop anything valuable…
[Obtained ‘Tough Meat Chunk’.]
Little by little, it adds up. 0.1 LP if sold carefully.
1 LP roughly equals 10,000 won, so that’s about 1,000 won.
“Wait, that’s 1,000 won?”
In beta, I’d ignore such trash. Now, even stinky meat felt valuable.
[Dealt critical damage to Starve Dog!]
[Starve Dog defeated!]
Hunting indiscriminately, even a <20% drop rate item fell.
[Obtained ‘Small Beast Bone Fragment’.]
The item could sell for 0.3 LP at a shop.
“Ah.”
Even picking up trash felt rewarding, like finding a free Americano coupon.
[Starve Dog successfully defeated!]
[Obtained ‘Tough Meat Chunk’.]
[Obtained ‘Small Beast Torn Leather’.]
Turns out, simple grind hunting is actually fun.
Maybe my real talent was in rice-eating.
Thwack!
Screech!
While thinking this…
[Obtained ‘Corroded Bone Necklace’.]
The last monster dropped an unexpected “chicken coupon”.
Corroded Bone Necklace
Type: Equipment – Necklace
Level Requirement: 1
Grade: Normal
Tier: 1T
Durability: 20/20
Main Stat: Attack +2
An old necklace made from the bones of a starving beast.
I gasped…
“Insane.”
Pupils dilated, body shivered. Worth about 2.3 LP. Enough for fried chicken?
Even farming a Tier 1 necklace sent dopamine soaring.
[Obtained ‘Corroded Bone Necklace’.]
Time to equip it.
[‘Corroded Bone Necklace’ equipped.]
[Stats increased.]
[Combat power +4.]
[Current combat power: 141]
Every stat point counts at this level.
Crack!
[Dealt critical damage to Starve Dog!]
Excitedly slaughtering the dogs, my level rose again.
[Experience gained.]
[Level up.]
[Reached Level 3.]
One more level and I couldn’t hunt here anymore.
Once I matched the Starve Dog’s level, the ‘Giant Slayer’ effect would no longer apply.
So it was time to move to the ‘Starting Forest’.
Thinking of the aggressive reindeer there made my mouth water.
“Wild Reindeer, the one that drops antlers.”
The reindeer drops a rare herb called ‘antler’ at very low rates. Worth 13 LP.
An absolute jackpot.
“Ahhh.”
Hunting suddenly became really fun.
No more just earning lunch money. My steps were now heading toward the Starting Forest.
