Even though he had made rough estimates earlier, the figure still surprised him when it appeared.
Sitting neatly in his inventory was a total of 51,623 gold coins.
He stared at the number for a moment, then clicked on it to open the transaction history. Going through the details, everything became clear.
Out of that total, the initial 10,000 gold coins came from the amount he had purchased right at the start of the game.
The rest, however, had all been earned.
Nearly 20,000 gold coins came from the remittance of dungeon entry fees from the Echoing Deep. Kaito had known this source of income would pay off well, but seeing the actual amount was still satisfying.
At first, the earnings hadn't been much. When players were still at low levels, the only difficulties being cleared were the Normal and Elite modes. At that time, Kaito had only uploaded guides for those two levels, since they were the only ones relevant. Players had relied on them heavily, which brought him a decent flow of income.
But before the Misty Palace dungeon was released, Kaito had made a strategic decision. Since he no longer had any use for the remaining Echoing Deep guides, he uploaded them all to the forums. This included the Hard, Horror, Nightmare, and even King-level difficulty guides.
He had priced them aggressively high, adjusting according to the profitability of each level:
Hard-level guide: 5 gold coins
Horror-level guide: 10 gold coins
Nightmare-level guide: 50 gold coins
King-level guide: 100 gold coins
The prices were steep, but justified. The higher the difficulty, the greater the rewards for the teams that could clear them. Since the guides were only sold for a one-time fee, Kaito had set the prices to fully reflect their value.
Not only had he uploaded them for public sale, but before that he had also distributed them to the two guilds, Storm Life and Crimson Rose, helping those two factions level up more efficiently. He had also passed them to his own Genesis Guild members when they were tackling the Echoing Deep dungeon raids.
By the time he uploaded the guides publicly, the timing was perfect. He had already squeezed every bit of direct benefit from the dungeon. Opening the guides to the wider player base ensured a massive influx of gold before everyone shifted their focus to the Misty Palace.
The sales alone had brought him close to 20,000 gold coins.
But the real windfall had come from the dungeon entry fees.
Once players had access to the higher difficulties, they dove into them eagerly. Hard difficulty, with an entry fee of 3 gold coins, quickly became popular. Horror difficulty, costing 5 gold coins, followed soon after. Nightmare required 7 gold coins, and King-level was set at 10.
For every entry fee paid, Kaito received 30% of the amount for one full month according to his reward for the first King-level clear of the Echoing deep. So the higher the difficulty, the larger the payments that flowed in, and with more and more players clearing these levels, his income surged far beyond what he had expected.
By now, the remittance from dungeon entries alone had crossed 20,000 gold coins.
Adding those to the gold from guide sales, plus his original purchased 10,000, gave him the total of 51,623 currently in his inventory.
Kaito leaned back, letting out a slow breath. It all made sense now.
Still, he couldn't help but feel satisfied. His planning and timing had paid off exactly as he had intended. He had squeezed Echoing Deep for every last drop of profit.
Now, with the land deal looming, the gold sitting in his inventory represented more than just money. It was the foundation of his future empire in Glory.
He quickly did the math in his head. The total price Romund's secretary had quoted was 89,653 gold and 15 silver. With a little over 51,000 already in hand, that meant he needed to arrange roughly 40,000 more.
It was a daunting sum, but far from impossible.
Kaito didn't waste time. He immediately called his second uncle through the panel.
Within seconds, the familiar figure appeared on the interface.
"What's wrong, Kaito?" his uncle asked, his voice carrying both concern and warmth. Then, with a smile, he added, "And congratulations, nephew. You're really a formidable player."
Hearing this, Kaito chuckled. "Okay Uncle, let's skip the formalities. I called you because I urgently need funds."
He quickly explained the situation. He had secured the Vice City Lord's approval and marked several prime plots of land in Astralis City. To complete the purchase, however, he required a large amount of gold coins far more than what he currently had on hand.
His second uncle listened carefully, his brows raising slightly in surprise. He knew how wealthy Kaito already was. In fact, according to his own analysis, Kaito might very well be the single wealthiest individual in all of Glory at this stage.
Even the top guilds couldn't compare. No super guild, no matter how powerful, had more than fifty thousand gold coins available as liquid funds. That kind of wealth simply didn't exist in one place at this stage. Yet here Kaito was, already saying he needed more.
Of course, his Second Uncle had no idea about his nephew's ambition, snatching up every piece of land available. If he knew, he would have definitely reprimanded Kaito. Not only that, he would have gathered the elders on a call to scold him together. That was exactly why Kaito had chosen not to tell him his plan in detail. And when his Second Uncle and the others arrived in Astralis City, they would see with their own eyes whether his decision was right or wrong.
Still, his second uncle didn't question him. He trusted Kaito's judgment completely. After a pause, he nodded firmly.
"Don't worry, Kaito. Right now I have more than twenty-five thousand gold coins with me. I'll send them to you immediately."
Kaito wasn't surprised. He knew exactly why his second uncle had such a large amount of gold available.
Most of Genesis's financial operations, the trades involving equipment, potions, and materials were managed by his second uncle. The guild's liquidity was largely under his control. The twenty-five thousand gold coins he mentioned were the direct results of Genesis's trade networks till now in Glory.
The equipment sales alone contributed heavily. Items like the Echo Core Ember Plate, and many others were in high demand. Some were made from blueprints that Kaito had personally provided to Genesis's lifestyle players. Others came from dungeon runs where Genesis teams had excavated valuable blueprints and handed them over to them. All of these items sold quickly, generating steady streams of income.
Then there were the potions. The Minor Regeneration Potion, in particular, had become a staple among players. The sales of these potions brought in continuous profits every day, and the demand only kept growing as more teams began challenging higher-level dungeons.
All of this explained why Genesis's liquidity could easily exceed twenty-five thousand gold coins.
Kaito also knew something else: the profits were only going to increase.
Right now, the Misty Palace dungeon was the focus of nearly every team. As groups pushed deeper into it, the need for equipment, consumables, and potions grew more urgent than ever. Genesis's merchants had positioned themselves near key leveling areas and dungeon entrances, selling goods to players right where they needed them. The profits from these ventures were far greater than ordinary trade.
That was why Kaito wasn't worried about draining the guild's liquidity. Even if every single gold coin was used for this land purchase, his uncle would recover the funds quickly. Even by the end of the day, another two or three thousand gold coins would flow back into Genesis's coffers.
So, without hesitation, Kaito said, "Uncle, send me everything you have. Don't hold anything back. I need all of it urgently. If we can secure this land, the profits will be far greater in the future."
His tone was steady but firm, leaving no room for doubt.
His second uncle fell silent for a moment, then nodded. He understood perfectly. Liquidity was important to a guild, but long-term profits mattered more. And the opportunity in front of Kaito was unprecedented.
"Kaito, you're right," his uncle said seriously. "If you can secure land in Astralis City now, it will benefit Genesis in ways we can't even measure. You're the first player to set foot there. That advantage alone is worth everything."
He didn't hesitate further. "I'll transfer all the funds to you immediately."
Kaito knew his uncle was making a sacrifice. For a guild, using up all available liquid assets was risky. It meant they had no buffer for emergencies or sudden expenses. But in this case, the gamble was worth it.
Genesis's lifestyle players were still working tirelessly, producing equipment and potions around the clock. The supply chains they had established near dungeons and leveling zones were thriving. Even if the liquidity was drained now, more would flow in within hours.
That was the strength of having a stable guild economy.