Back when he'd stood at the crossroads, Jin-Woo had chosen the "Blessed Random Box" instead of the "Cursed Random Box." The result of that choice was a key to the Demon Castle. Thanks to it, he'd entered the Demon Castle Dungeon and gained a great deal. His level had gone up considerably, he'd acquired more items, and as for gold… he'd earned so much that he was starting to worry he'd actually have to spend some of it.
*'If I were given the choice again, I'd pick the same thing without hesitation.'*
But. That didn't mean he wasn't curious about what the other option held. The "Blessed Random Box," which gave you what you wanted, and the "Cursed Random Box," which gave you what you needed. What had been inside the other one?
*'The Blessed Random Box definitely had something I wanted in it.'*
Now a golden opportunity had arrived to put that curiosity to rest.
'…'
Jin-Woo waited tensely for the System's response. Unlike usual, the System's reply seemed unusually slow. Ding! His worries turned out to be for nothing—shortly after, the System responded.
[You have selected the item: "Cursed Random Box."] [The selected item is being provided.]
Whhhhoom. A small box materialized in front of his feet.
*'Yes!'*
Jin-Woo picked up the box with a trembling heart. But the weight of it felt eerily familiar. Could it be? He hurriedly opened the box and checked inside, his eyes going wide.
"…This is?"
***
Having left the Demon Castle, Jin-Woo headed straight home. He wanted to wash. He hadn't bathed once the entire time he'd been inside the dungeon. He could buy water from the shop, but there hadn't been anywhere—or any time—to wash up.
*'With monsters everywhere, there was no way I had the luxury of taking a nice shower…'*
Shhhhhaaaa—once he got home and let the hot water wash over his body, he finally felt like he'd truly escaped the dungeon.
*'Home really is the best.'*
After changing into fresh clothes, Jin-Woo draped a towel over his damp hair and came out to sit on the edge of the bed. It was time to take stock of everything. He pulled up his status window first.
*'Status Window.'*
Ding. A string of text so long it was dizzying appeared before his eyes. Jin-Woo's gaze stopped at the stats window.
[Distributable Ability Points: 20]
The ability points he'd received as a quest completion reward were still all there, untouched. Naturally, he dumped every last one into Intelligence. Ding.
[Stats] Strength: 178 Stamina: 137 Agility: 147 Intelligence: 149 Perception: 119
Only now had Intelligence finally surpassed his other stats. It still fell short of Strength, but considering he hadn't even glanced at Intelligence not long ago, this was remarkable progress. Strength, Stamina, Agility, Intelligence, Perception. Things were balancing out.
*'There's not a single stat I can afford to neglect.'*
Somewhere along the way, he'd gone through a period of intensely investing in each stat one by one, and he'd come to realize that every stat had its own domain and its own strengths.
*'Wait a minute…'*
Since things had turned out this way, what if instead of focusing on one stat, he raised all of them evenly? An all-stats player. The thought suddenly sparked a greedy ambition. It was a happy dilemma—there wasn't a single stat that felt lacking.
*'Once Intelligence surpasses Strength, I'll start bringing the other stats up to match.'*
Having reached his conclusion, Jin-Woo turned his eyes to the skills window. That was where the third reward waited.
[Reward 3. Undisclosed Reward]
He'd thought the first reward, "Item of Your Choice," and the second reward, "Bonus Stats," were more than enough, so in truth, he hadn't paid much attention to the third reward. Just mild curiosity, really. But once the reward actually arrived, he was left speechless.
[Reward 3 is being granted.]
Along with the message, what appeared in his hand was a scroll roughly the same size as his Dungeon Entry Permit.
*'What's this?'*
Caught off guard by the unexpected reward format, Jin-Woo unrolled the scroll with wide eyes.
[Blueprint: Elixir of Life] You can learn the crafting method for the item "Elixir of Life."
Jin-Woo's eyes grew wider.
*'I can craft items myself?'*
He'd thought that only magic-type Awakeners could forge mana-infused weapons… but come to think of it, he was a magic-type himself.
*'Still, just having a blueprint lets me learn how to make an item…'*
Jin-Woo's heart started pounding. At the same time, a question arose. What exactly would this let him create?
*'What is the Elixir of Life?'*
Jin-Woo read the information about the "Elixir of Life" item written on the blueprint.
[Item: Elixir of Life] Acquisition Difficulty: S Type: Consumable A mysterious potion that can cure all diseases through the power of powerful magic. Its full effect is only manifested when an entire bottle is consumed.
*'It can cure… all diseases?'*
The moment he read the description, Jin-Woo thought of his mother in the hospital. He'd already confirmed through Yoo Jin-Ho on multiple occasions that an item's effects could apply to other people. If he could truly craft the "Elixir of Life," that meant he could save his mother. The fingertips gripping the scroll trembled faintly with excitement. The materials were also relatively simple.
*'Fragment of the World Tree.'*
He'd obtained it by killing Vulcan on the 50th floor.
*'Spirit Spring of the Echoing Forest.'*
This one he'd acquired by defeating the necromancer Metus on the 75th floor. And the last one.
'…Purified Demon King's Blood.'
An item that hadn't appeared yet. But given that the two preceding materials had dropped from bosses, he could easily guess where to find the "Demon King's Blood" as well. Above.
*'It's probably referring to the Demon Castle's final boss at the very top.'*
In other words, as he progressed through the Demon Castle Dungeon, the materials needed to craft the "Elixir of Life" would be gathered one by one in sequence. Just then.
"Ah."
A gasp escaped his lips before he could stop it. That was how surprised Jin-Woo was. Could it be… that the item the Blessed Random Box had promised to give him—what he wanted—had been this Elixir of Life all along?
*'Mother…'*
At the thought that he might be able to see his mother healthy again, Jin-Woo's eyes reddened. That was when a message appeared. Ding.
[You can learn the Crafting skill through the "Blueprint: Elixir of Life."] [Would you like to acquire the Crafting skill?]
The mechanical voice snapped him back to reality. To craft the Elixir of Life, he had to successfully conquer