I Gain Infinite Gold Just By Waiting-Chapter 202: Episode 44_Recon Unit (2)

Episode 202

2.

The live stream suddenly shut off.

For the viewers, it was a bolt from the blue. For a stream to cut out at the most critical moment—it was enough to make you wonder if he had done it on purpose.

—You son of a…

—Even TV dramas have the decency not to end on a cliffhanger that bad.

—Wow, he just ends the stream at that moment?

Naturally, the chat was flooded with outrage. It wasn't just a few impatient people.

—Unsub

—Now

—Unsub

—Now

Even with angry subscribers spamming threats to unsubscribe, the stream didn't come back on.

But people understood that, too.

—You don't think something happened?

—The timing didn't look like he turned it off on purpose.

—You really think he'd stop to end the stream in that situation? It looked like it got cut.

The timing of the stream's termination was definitely infuriating, but from the viewers' perspective, it also looked like a situation where it would have been impossible for him to deliberately hit the off button at that exact moment.

The Ice Lord had appeared right in front of him. A blizzard had closed in.

—What if something popped up that he didn't want to show, so he killed the stream?

—If he's still thinking that far ahead in that situation, then so be it. His life could be on the line; you think he's going to be thinking about the broadcast? If he dies, it's not like leaving behind information matters anymore.

—True. If it were me, I'd at least want to leave some info behind out of sheer spite.

—Yeah. And it's a region where even satellites get blocked. Stopping a live feed should be nothing for the Ice Lord.

Whatever the truth was, the debate raged on.

Because everyone was dying of curiosity.

—What's happening right now?

—We all agree the 5-star Freeze got blocked, right?

—Seems like it. Would've been nice if we'd at least seen the hologram.

—The more I think about it, the more it feels like he cut it to prevent info leaks. Either way, I just want results ASAP.

What happened after the first recon unit? What happened after surviving not by the Ice Lord's mercy, but by being immune to Freeze?

Logically, there was nothing to be curious about. The Ice Lord might look human, but she was still a dungeon boss. An encounter like that could only end one way: in a fight.

The only reason the discussion was branching off into all sorts of other theories was this:

—"You possess the qualifications"? Sounds like there's something else going on, right?

—That's why I think he killed the stream on purpose.

—There's definitely something more to this!

The Ice Lord's smile and her cryptic words. The fact that no battle had started by the time the feed cut out.

People speculated and tried to connect the dots. What did it all mean? They wouldn't know the details until Kim Buja came back out or the stream resumed, but for now, the consensus was this:

—Buy Freeze items now.

—How high is this price going to go?

—Shouldn't Fly be taking that ring back? It's like a key item.

—He probably has another one. That's why he gave it away.

At the very least, the first gate to attacking the Ice Castle was clear: you had to be prepared for the blizzard and the 5-star Freeze.

* * *

"For those who possess the qualifications, the Ice Castle is always open. I shall be waiting."

With those words, the Ice Lord vanished.

He hurriedly turned his head toward the Ice Castle. The massive ice gates that had been firmly shut were now wide open, as if welcoming him.

He slowly examined the hologram.

[Right to Enter the Ice Castle.]

He had a rough idea of what was going on.

"What a load of crap…"

A dry laugh slipped out.

The two players who had survived as part of the first recon unit had simply been lucky. It had been the Ice Lord's first and last bit of consideration for humanity. No, it wasn't even consideration. It might have been a marketing ploy.

The "5-star Freeze" blizzard that people had been making such a fuss about was nothing more than a test to prove one was qualified to enter the Ice Castle.

In other words, all Kim Buja had done was finally earn the right to step inside.

It was just that one thing, but he felt it was enough. Most high-rankers had probably figured it out from the Ice Lord's words alone. That was why he had deliberately let the stream cut right around then.

'Prices are going to spike even more.'

He had no idea what would happen from here. If he went back now and returned later, would he still have the right to enter? If he came back without Freeze immunity, would he have to take the test again? Those were things he would have to verify.

More importantly, once he stepped inside, he didn't need anyone to tell him what he would be facing. He knew this was where it truly began.

'So the choice is between forcing your way in or walking in comfortably and then fighting.'

It was hardly a choice. Unless you knew the secret to the blizzard, anyone who came here would be hit with the 5-star Freeze. If you endured it, the gates would open automatically, meaning status-immunity items were mandatory.

"Hmm."

A powerful curiosity stirred in him.

'Should I go inside, just once?'

Even he could feel that he shouldn't. He had met the entry condition, but that was only for enduring the "5-star Freeze." Entering the dungeon called the Ice Castle after that and fighting the Ice Lord—an 8-star recommended-level boss at level 86—was a completely separate issue.

The safest option was to head back now, while the monsters were still leaving him alone. He could come back later, and for now, he could be satisfied with having gotten Tear of the Glacier—an item more valuable than any ordinary Legendary—as a freebie for as long as the Ice Castle existed.

But that wasn't who Kim Buja was.

"Coming all this way and just leaving would be a waste."

It wasn't simple bravado. The information he had already gained was plenty, but that "plenty" still wasn't enough.

'Because the conditions might change next time.'

There was a reason he had cut the stream. He had shown the bare minimum of decency; everything after that, he would monopolize. He had received an item of incalculable value, but that was just compensation for staking his life. He didn't need to feel guilty.

Explaining why 5-star Freeze was necessary and what came after—that was entirely up to him. And to even reach the point where he could decide whether to share that information, it was only natural to gather as much of it as possible.

Whether he spread it or not, whether he sold it or not… you can't decide not to sell something you don't have.

"Let's go."

More than anything, he still had a card left, prepared for the final moment.

Kim Buja's steps carried him into the Ice Castle.

3.

Kim Buja was a member of the Jeong Cheol Guild, though it was rare to see him there these days. Between the Gold Missions and the national competition, he had been operating solo most of the time.

Of course, even before all this, he had never been the type to show up for guild events or gatherings. The only real difference now was that the Jeong Cheol Guild had started to wonder where he was.

His girlfriend, Jeong Seora, was especially bombarded with questions.

"I haven't heard from him yet, either."

Normally, Jeong Cheol wouldn't ask these kinds of questions. He trusted that Seora, not just as his daughter but as a key member of the guild, would handle things on her own.

The fact that he was asking anyway meant he was genuinely curious. It was like wanting to see the next episode of a drama just a little earlier than everyone else.

"He'll contact us when he gets back," Seora said. "Let's just wait a bit longer."

To be honest, Seora was just as curious. Who wouldn't be?

Even ordinary people with no connection to the Ice Castle were desperate for information. For a guild that was preparing to challenge it—pouring in hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars—a single piece of information could be the key to clearing the dungeon ahead of everyone else.

And it wasn't just any dungeon.

It was the only one of its kind on Earth.

Who would be the first to clear it?

Right now, it was an impregnable fortress that no one could even properly approach, but once players strong enough to challenge it began to appear, it would inevitably turn into a time-attack race. School ties, hometown connections—they would have to use every advantage to get even a single step ahead, even if it meant being criticized for collusion.

In a situation like this, the fact that all they could do was wait was unbearable for players who had grown by throwing themselves into the field and learning firsthand.

They had no choice but to wait.

'I really wish he'd hurry up and get back.'

That wasn't just Jeong Cheol's thought.

Countless staff members sat waiting, their screens open to Buja's now-ended stream. Even Jeong Cheol Guild members who rarely showed their faces had come out.

While everyone was silently praying, the voice they had been so desperate to hear finally rang out.

"What's everyone doing here?"

"Huh?"

"It's Kim Buja!"

A light dusting of unmelted snow covered his clothes and hair. Holding a torn piece of parchment in his hand, Kim Buja had returned.

* * *

It was no coincidence that so many Jeong Cheol guild members had gathered for the first time in a while.

They could have just watched the stream at home, so why had they gone out of their way to clear their busy schedules and come to the guild house?

"Nothing much happened. Really," Buja began.

It was because he had announced it in advance. He had said that when he returned, he would head straight to the guild house. He hadn't even formally asked for the guild members to be summoned; he had just tossed out a single line.

That was enough to bring even the laziest members in early to wait for him.

And to them, Buja didn't bother to hide anything.

"Once I got Freeze Immunity to level 5, the entry condition was met. The castle gate opened, and the Ice Lord disappeared. That's it."

Silence fell over the room.

It was simple, and many people had already inferred as much from what the Ice Lord had said in the video, but hearing it directly from his mouth was different.

Speculation versus certainty.

There wasn't a single player who didn't understand the difference between the two, especially not when every piece of information was directly tied to their survival inside that dungeon.

"Level 5 Freeze Immunity is mandatory. Trying to tank it with just Resistance might not be the worst idea if there are no immunity items on the market, but I can't say for sure. Anyway, after that, you actually enter the dungeon, and the real challenge begins."

Everyone listened intently.

Even though Buja hadn't said a word about keeping it secret, not a single person looked like they had the slightest intention of spreading the information.

Of course not.

"Let's not go around blabbing about this," someone muttered.

They were an elite, tight-knit guild. Before they were a guild, they had been comrades who had spent decades together. They were also seasoned adults with experience in both society and dungeons. Loyalty aside, they understood perfectly well what the backlash would be if they leaked information that Buja had so generously shared.

It might not seem like a big deal. It might be information that others had already guessed. But if they traded away his trust for the brief thrill of turning that guess into a certainty, there would be no "next time."

To these resolute people, Buja offered one more gift.

"I actually went inside for a bit before coming back."

As the silence stretched, he brought out the real information, and everyone fell even quieter, listening.

"I bailed after five minutes, using this."

He let out a short, incredulous laugh, and the half-torn parchment in his hand said the rest.

"Recommended level: 8-star dungeon. Four penalties revealed, two still hidden with question marks."

The guild members remained silent.

"An 8-star Legendary dungeon. You can think of the boss as level 86."

They were stunned into silence.

"I'm cutting my losses for now."

That was as far as the second recon team's intel went.