[Real Account] Four years ago, I bought an NFT for "30 million yen per piece," and this is what happened. This is IkeHaya. The cryptocurrency market is gradually showing signs of excitement! In Japan, it hasn't been much of a topic, but yesterday, the 5th largest market cap asset, $BNB, updated its all-time high! I have a feeling that BNB is becoming the hidden star of this cycle. I'm excited. By the way, did you know that the world of NFTs is also starting to heat up again? Today, I will share a story about an investment I made in an NFT four years ago. This is not just a story about making or losing money. It's a real account of how one investment can connect to the future. Enjoy! ==== The main character of the story is an NFT called "CryptoPunks." This is the first NFT created for profile pictures (PFP), characterized by its pixel art design. It's not just an image file; it's "fully on-chain," meaning the art is engraved directly on the Ethereum blockchain, making it a kind of "indelible digital asset." I bought this in the summer of 2021. The price was 101 ETH, which was about 30 million yen at the time. I still vividly remember clicking the "purchase" button with trembling hands at home. Why did I spend such a large sum on a pixel art piece? Actually, I had seen these CryptoPunks being sold for tens of thousands of yen around 2018. "Why is a mere pixel art piece priced like this?" I couldn't understand and ended up passing on it, resulting in a bitter experience of missing out on an opportunity. If only I had bought about 100 of them back then... "I don't want to miss out this time." That thought, along with my expectations for the future that NFT technology could unlock, drove me to make the 30 million yen decision. ==== However, the future was not so sweet. After I bought it, the price of CryptoPunks amusingly dropped. The value that was 30 million yen plummeted to as low as 8 million yen at one point. That's less than a third... I could hear the voices of the haters saying, "IkeHaya, serves you right!" and "Reverse god!" Normally, at this point, one might get discouraged and sell. But I didn't sell. Once I believe in an investment, I stick with it to the end. That's my style. In fact, I haven't sold Bitcoin since 2017 (I had unrealized losses from 2018 to 2020). "It's okay, just like Bitcoin, this will definitely go up again." I believed that and kept waiting. HODL is the only way to win!!!! ==== And now, four years have passed. CryptoPunks has finally regained its value of 30 million yen. Welcome back!!!! However, to be precise, this is only in terms of Japanese yen. I bought it for 101 ETH, but its current value is still about 50 ETH... So, if you look at it in terms of Ethereum, it's still half. Come on, let's get the other half!!! Even if it has become unrealized profit, I have no intention of selling this NFT at all. Because I believe that the true value of this CryptoPunk is far beyond this. I genuinely think this will become worth "1 billion yen" in the future. If that happens, will I sell to realize the profit? No, no, quite the opposite. Actually, it's already possible, but CryptoPunks are recognized for their "collateral value," meaning I can borrow money by putting it up as "collateral." If it reaches a value of 1 billion yen, I might be able to raise about 200 to 300 million yen at a relatively low interest rate. With that borrowed money, I plan to further expand our business, CryptoNinja. The 30 million yen pixel art is not just a sell-and-done deal; it becomes the "seed money" to create the next dream! ==== And this story doesn't end with just my personal investment. The rising price of CryptoPunks is considered a "leading indicator" that the entire NFT market is heating up again. Right now, CryptoPunks is rapidly regaining its price. This means... we can have expectations. In 2022, an NFT boom occurred in Japan. Many people probably remember that excitement. I say this myself, but I believe that the domestic NFT boom in 2022 would have been much smaller without me. Without the "CryptoNinja" I launched, there probably wouldn't have been CNP, LLAC, or even TMAs... And the reason I started CryptoNinja was precisely because of the CryptoPunk I bought for 30 million yen. After spending a large sum, I realized, "Oh, this technology is real," and I began to fully engage in the "NFT business," which hardly anyone in Japan was attempting at the time. The rise of CryptoNinja from there is needless to say. Globally, we are still the only NFT project that has successfully been adapted into a TV anime! (And we're in our third season) ==== Now, the NFT market is starting to heat up again overseas. There is a good chance that this wave will come back to Japan once more. That "hot summer" when everyone had sparkling eyes and was crazy about chasing NFTs. Just like CryptoNinja, the market's excitement can be a trigger for new businesses to leap forward. We might be able to experience that summer again, this time on a much larger scale, together. My 30 million yen NFT investment has finally returned to the starting line after four years. Now, this could be fun from here on out! I will continue to work hard to launch the NFT market in Japan. If you want to join this challenge, please take this opportunity to purchase our partner's proof, "CNP." (I will summarize the purchase method in a reply. You can buy it in Japanese yen as well.) Short-term investors have largely exited, and an overwhelming HODL community has formed. Business developments are also progressing significantly. The price is around 120,000 to 140,000 yen per piece. You can buy it for a bit cheaper at 70,000 to 80,000 yen if you make an offer (though you won't know which one you'll get). Fortunately, new owners are continuously increasing. There are many business and marketing learnings to gain, so I also recommend purchasing it with an online salon feel!