If the functional Stat Ring was an item that could only affect a few Stats, I wouldn't have liked it so much. I had the Trait of Mutual Growth, not affected by items or skills, for my Stamina and Willpower. So, no matter how much the Stats increased, it would just be useless if my Stamina and Willpower increased at the same time.

But I didn't have to worry about it when it came to the Stat Ring.

So I checked the item confidently.

[Functional Ring: Stats. (Legendary)

- It is a functional Ring that increases the performance of Stats.

: No wearable restrictions.

: Enhancement is impossible.

-Effect:

: Choose one of Strength, Agility, Stamina, Willpower, or Intellect: Increase Stat points by 1000.]

1000 Stat points was by no means small. With 1000 Stat points, it was not hard to regard the functional Ring as equal to, or higher than the Mythical grade.

But actually, the real option of the functional Stat Ring was different.

[It is possible to acquire additional Stat points equal to the current amount of the selected Stat. The additional Stat points cannot exceed 5000. For example, if you select Strength with a value of 10,000, you can acquire additional strength Stat points up to 5000, in addition to the basic increase of 1000. Conversely, if your current strength is 3000, you can gain up to 3000.

- After selecting this once, you need three million golden rings to select a Stat again.

-Physical Defense: 500

-Magic Defense: 500

-Durability: 2,550,000/2,550,000]

In other words, if I had more than 5000 of any Stat, I could acquire up to 5000 more Stat points, in addition to 1000 I received by default.

So, I could acquire up to 6000 Stat points with this item!

Obviously, nobody could increase the Stat points by that much with 0 enhancement and Legendary grade, even any Mythical grade items.

In fact, I could not get so many Stat points with the +6 Enhancement Ice Emperor's Guardian Sword reinforcing my Stamina, Agility, and Intellect!

I would not gain 5000 points unconditionally. As noted in the item description, there was a percentage chance of success. For example, I might increase my Stat by only 10 or 100 if I was unlucky.

Of course, I was ready for such contingencies, namely spending three million golden rings. I needed three million golden rings to retry the Stat immediately, which was only 1/10 the price of a magical skill Ring.

Anyway I shouted out right away, having only one Stat to focus on, "I choose Intellect!"

[You have chosen Intellect as the Stat to be applied to the functional Stat Ring.

-Intellect has been impressed on the functional Stat Ring.

: Intellect increases by 1000.

-In order to delete the current Intellect Stat and replace it with a new Stat, you need three million golden rings.]

[The optional ability of the functional Stat Ring has been activated.

- You currently have over 5000 Intellect.

: Intellect can be increased by up to 5000.]

Along with that message, the functional Ring shone brightly. A new message rang out.

[Congratulations! Your Intellect has increased by 4375 on your functional Stat Ring.]

The Stat value wasn't low; at least it was over 2500!

However, it was well short of 5000, so I was not satisfied with 4375.

Moreover, I had tens of billions of golden rings, and I could spend as many as I wanted. Even if I used three million golden rings several times, it would make little difference in the number of golden rings I currently possessed.

"Yeah, I really don't like that number. Reset Stats!"

[The Intellect Stat on your functional Stat Ring has been deleted.]

I immediately set the Stat once again, hoping to achieve 5000.

[Congratulations!

-Intellect has increased by 120 on your Stat Ring.]

"..."

Of course, that could happen because the Stat value I could obtain was between 1 and 5000.

However, a Stat value of 120 was so low that I reset the Stat before I even realized it.

It was incredibly easy for me to spend hundreds of millions of golden rings in just ten minutes.

"Man, 4375 is still the best I could get?"

4375 came on my first try, which was far from low. Actually, it was quite high.

I kept resetting the Stat because I was greedy, but I could not acquire a higher Stat value than my first time. I did see something over 4000 in the middle of my tries while I was resetting the Stat repeatedly, but I hadn't liked that number because I had already seen 4375.

So, I tried again and again, with the intent of obtaining something higher than 4375.

In the end, I spent hundreds of millions of golden rings without achieving my goal.

"Check item."

[Functional Ring: Stats (Legendary)

-Current Stat: Intellect.

: Intellect has increased by 1000.

: Intellect has increased by 3999.]

I could gain up to 5000, plus 1000 by default, but the most I could get was 3999 this time. I felt it was a great pity that it was one below 5000, but I decided to stop there.

Why? Because I wanted to save golden rings?

Honestly, it was true I wanted to save them. No matter how many golden rings I had, I had no choice but to feel sorry for myself if I had to spend golden rings meaninglessly. But the main reason was that I strongly felt I could not obtain a higher number than this even if I spent more golden rings, so I decided to go a little slower.

Just wearing this item was enough to increase my intellect by about 5000. That was more than enough for me!

After I made up my mind, I started hunting again. I was still in the Land of Titans, but I hadn't yet reached level 1200!

At family dinner time that day.

After I heard that my brother's marriage ceremony would take place next week, I had no choice but to ask my father, "He's getting married so quickly?"

My father responded casually, as if it was not a big deal, "Your brother is already old enough to get married. Besides, he has been seeing her for several years, so I decided that I didn't have to put off his marriage any longer. Her parents also agreed."

I was a little embarrassed by my father's decision to marry my brother off so hastily, but my brother and his would-be wife had known each other for almost ten years and had quite an intimate relationship, so I nodded along naturally enough.

Considering the age of my brother, who was now in his mid-thirties, I could fully understand why he needed to get married as soon as possible.

After that, we talked a little more about my brother's marriage, even after we moved to Study No. 3

Inside Study No. 3...

Looking directly at me, my father said in the presence of my brother, sister, mother, Director Sok, and Chief Secretary Ahn, "A lot of people will come to Kiyoung's wedding ceremony this time. Some of them will be people that I haven't invited."

I knew what he was trying to say. As far as I knew, there were lots of people who wanted to maintain good relations with my family because of me, even though I was not interested in them. They won't waste this great opportunity to see me by coming to my brother's wedding ceremony.

Looking back at my father, I replied, "I don't care. I just hope they won't stand in the way of my brother's wedding ceremony. If there is something I can do, I will do it."

My brother was ten years older than me. Because of our age difference, I had very few memories of him.