Chapter 67: Do You Know "Digital Source World"?

“Sigh…” At last, the Beast let out a deep sigh, then finally turned off the computer. Alone, he sat in silence on the sofa, his gaze profound as he stared straight ahead, lost in thought.

Only after a long while did he stand up, his expression indifferent. Glancing at the exercise bench nearby, he was about to work out when he caught sight of the time—it was already 5:15, though he had no idea when it had gotten so late.

He wasn’t sure if he’d spent too much time scrolling through posts, or if he’d lost track of time while thinking. Or perhaps he’d simply been staring off into space for too long.

He had originally planned to have dinner at 5:30, but now, with only fifteen minutes left, there wasn’t enough time for exercise. With a shake of his head, he left the apartment, deciding to eat first and work out afterwards.

When the Beast arrived at his usual restaurant, the place had just opened for business. This was perfectly normal, after all—opening too early would only waste water and electricity, while opening too late would lose some customers. That was why they typically opened shortly after five, and why the Beast liked to come for dinner around 5:30.

“You’re early today. The usual?” As soon as he walked in, the owner spotted him and called out a greeting.

“Yes,” the Beast replied with a nod, sitting down at a table.

“So, you come in for dinner this early every day—what kind of work do you do?” A short while later, the owner arrived with his meal, curiosity written on his face.

“I…” The Beast thought for a moment. It seemed he didn’t really have a job. In the end, he shook his head and said, “I’m unemployed.”

The owner was surprised. “Really?”

“To be precise,” the Beast added, “I make money by playing games.”

What he said wasn’t untrue. Just from that guild token, which had sold at an astronomical markup, he’d already made three hundred thousand. Of course, he couldn’t withdraw all the money at once; some of it had to remain in the game. But all told, the Beast had earned at least four hundred thousand from playing the game.

Is the game really that profitable? In truth, it’s not. In “Digimon Source World,” rare materials and gold coins are exceedingly scarce. Even when defeating dungeon bosses, copper and silver coins drop far more often than gold.

The Beast had earned over four hundred thousand not because the game was easy money, but because he stood at the very top of its pyramid. In any profession—even as a beggar—if you reach the pinnacle, becoming a millionaire is still possible.

There are even professions where reaching the top means your net worth is measured in trillions. Of course, for most, that means fractions of a trillion, but a rare few might genuinely be worth a trillion or more.

Why was the Beast able to make so much? That four hundred thousand from the game was over four thousand gold coins, and how had he earned them?

The biggest source was selling his guild token for three thousand gold. The next was rescuing the Flower Fairy Beast. As for coins earned by defeating monsters or clearing dungeons, those were only a small fraction.

And even that small fraction was only possible because of the first-clear buff bonus; without it, he’d have gotten almost nothing.

Think about it: rescuing the Flower Fairy Beast might have seemed straightforward for him. But for anyone else? Without the aura to intimidate that Digimon, at a time when the game had just begun and everyone was still searching for Digimon eggs, how could they have saved her?

As for the guild token—it was obtained only after the Beast defeated the hidden dungeon’s boss, whose combined combat power was six hundred sixty-six, even stronger than the Beast’s current self. At that time, it was unique in the region.

Rarity is value.

If, in this world, gold and diamonds weren’t rare, but a pebble by the roadside was, and there was only one left, then that pebble’s worth would skyrocket. No matter how worthless it once was, now it would be priceless—maybe not enough to buy a country, but at least on par with diamonds or even californium.

But if it hadn’t been the Beast who experienced all this, but someone else, could they have managed it? Honestly, no one knows. The only certainty is that it wasn’t just the Beast’s team that took on the hidden dungeon, but only he succeeded in clearing it.

So, not everyone can be the Beast. Not everyone who tries to make money from this game will succeed. It’s just like online novels: the very best can earn millions a month, while those at the bottom can’t even afford six hundred a month in rent.

The owner exclaimed in surprise, “You make money playing games? What kind of game pays so well? Judging by how you dress, you must live in this neighborhood. I can’t say I’m an expert, but I know property prices around here, and even just renting costs thousands a month.”

He didn’t mention a specific number, mostly because prices, while generally high, do vary—maybe it’s two thousand on this side, three thousand on another. So “thousands” sufficed.

The Beast shook his head and said, “You know, anyone at the top of their field—no matter what it is—won’t go hungry. I’m just lucky to be at the top.”

Ordinarily, the owner might have thought he was showing off, but after several days of interaction, he could tell the Beast wasn’t boasting.

“So, which game do you play?” the owner pressed on. “Is it one of those with five-on-five professional tournaments, or the kind where you grind dungeons, or something else entirely?”

“Hm…” The Beast paused, glanced at the owner, and slowly replied, “Have you heard of ‘Digimon Source World’?”