Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Player Shop
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I spent a fortnight performing nothing but repeat missions on the 15th floor.
Waiting for the cooldown of my Random Summon to reset, honing my Shadow Step skill, experimenting with the energy shield, and stockpiling magic stones to fund the purchase of combat gear.
Ah-ha!
One stone, four birds.
What a well-rounded plan!
Perfectly executed.
"Energy Shield."
Zzzing!
A transparent, glass-like membrane enveloped my entire body.
"Shadow Step."
Swat! Swawa-wat!
Joo-hyuk's figure moved in a zigzag pattern.
Each movement left behind an afterimage.
It was starting to look pretty decent.
Anyone seeing it would likely think I was quite high-level.
Joo-hyuk felt it too.
'Do I have talent?'
Ah, no way.
Just puttering around on the 15th floor like this...
Repeat conquest complete.
The problem was the fact that it took less than ten minutes.
It was over before I could even try anything.
Shadow Step was one thing, but what about the Energy Shield?
I had to test it somehow.
Should I ask Kosak to lightly stab me with his dagger?
"Huh?"
"I said, stab me. With your dagger."
"...U-urgh,"
Upon hearing the request, Kosak covered his mouth with his hand and stumbled backward.
"W-why would you ask me that? If you're displeased, just beat me to death. I-I'll never do it again."
"No, I just want to see if the Energy Shield works properly. Give me a light poke."
"Kyaaaaah! I didn't hear anything! I can't hear, I can't hear..."
"..."
What's with this guy?
He's being ridiculous.
I'm not asking him to kill me, just to give me a little poke.
No choice.
I'll have to figure it out myself.
Time passed quickly.
Continuing the 15th-floor repeat missions.
The patterns varied each time, but they were just Goblin Workers, so it wasn't difficult.
Joo-hyuk practiced his skills.
Meanwhile, Kosak beheaded the Goblin Workers.
I had to do something.
Just as I was thinking that...
"Huh?"
Through the tall grass, I spotted a terrified Goblin Worker crawling away stealthily.
'...One of them?'
And it wasn't even holding anything.
Alone, unarmed, a measly worker.
"Hmm."
A perfect opportunity to test the Energy Shield.
What should I do?
I had to decide quickly.
The mission would be over soon, and I'd have to exit.
'Ah, whatever.'
Swawa-wat!
Using Shadow Step, Joo-hyuk blocked the crawling Goblin Worker's path.
Thud!
Joo-hyuk's ankle and the Goblin Worker's head collided.
Perhaps thinking it had hit a log, the Goblin turned its head to move another way, but thump! It was blocked again.
It paused.
Only then did the Goblin slowly raise its head.
Joo-hyuk looking down, the Goblin looking up.
Their eyes met.
A brief silence flowed.
Right then!
"Kyaaak!"
The Goblin bit down on Joo-hyuk's ankle with its yellowish, sharp teeth.
Crunch! Grind!
"Urgh, damn! You scared me!"
Biting my leg?
Wham!
Joo-hyuk kicked the Goblin's head with a soccer kick.
"Kehk!"
Whoosh!
The Goblin, kicked by the foot, flew toward Kosak, who was enthusiastically performing a sword dance.
Kosak then swish-slice! disposed of the flying creature mid-air.
"Nice pass! You must have played some socc—... Huk!"
As if remembering something, a startled expression flashed across his face as he quickly ran toward Joo-hyuk.
"Summoner Bong!!!"
He scurried over in a flustered, panicked manner.
"Ah, no, d-did you fight a g-goblin? What were you thinking? A-are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine, really."
It was true.
Even he hadn't expected his strength to be this much.
To send a Goblin flying with a single soccer kick, even if it was just a worker.
Although he hadn't killed it.
'Well, I am level 16.'
Also, the power of the Energy Shield.
It had clearly bitten my ankle, but not only did it not hurt, my pant leg wasn't even torn.
Only broken pieces of the Goblin Worker's teeth remained on the ground.
"I've told you many times, haven't I? You mustn't be so brave."
"It's just one."
"One becomes two, two becomes three, three becomes four."
"It's just a weak worker."
"A worker becomes a scout, a scout becomes a warrior, a warrior becomes a shaman."
"..."
"Please take care of your precious self, Summoner Bong!"
What is this guy's real deal?
I know his loyalty is high, but he's taking the 'faithful retainer' concept too far.
If he were a eunuch in the Joseon era, he'd probably have received the king's abundant favor.
"Alright, I'll be careful."
And so, for a fortnight, I performed nothing but repeat missions.
My skill proficiency increased, and magic stones continued to pile up.
A whopping 22.5kg. If sold at market price, that's 11.25 million won.
'Should I visit the Player Shop at the Management Bureau soon?'
To visit the Management Bureau, I first had to notify a staff member.
The staff I met during the contract, or the magic stone collection staff.
The people Joo-hyuk knew were two.
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il and Section Chief Lee Min-ah.
The choice was naturally Jeon Gwang-il.
It's easier to meet a man than a woman.
So I sent a message saying I wanted to go to the Player Shop, and shortly after, a call came.
"Hello?"
- Ah! Player Bong. You want to visit the Player Shop.
"Yes, that's right. Can I come now?"
- I'll send a car right away.
"There's no need for that, I'll take a taxi."
- No. It's a benefit all contractors receive. You can also sell your magic stones at the shop.
"Hmm, okay. I'll wait."
What? They send cars for regular clients too?
Is that for real?
I'll accept this level of special treatment coolly.
The estimated number of players in South Korea is about 7,000.
It might be even less.
The reason the government can't give an exact number even though they have contracts with almost all players is because of unregistered players, players whose qualifications have been revoked, and players who have already died, making it difficult to get an accurate count. It's always inconsistent.
Unregistered ones are completely unknown, so let's skip them.
Qualifications are revoked if a player doesn't conquer the Tower for three months; the system itself deletes them.
The government only finds out months later.
Because they are players who don't engage in magic stone production activities.
The government terminates the player contract and stops subsidy payments, or revokes special benefits.
Then there's player deaths.
The largest number occur during non-repeat climbing missions.
Naturally, the higher the floor, the more dangerous it is.
But does that mean repeat climbing missions are safe?
Not at all!
Even for the same mission, the patterns are never identical.
For monster subjugation missions, the locations and numbers that appear can vary, and for trap-breaking missions, the positions and types of mechanisms change every time.
I experienced this during my 15th-floor repeat conquests.
Thinking it would be easy because I'd done it once before, rushing in carelessly could get you killed.
Even mission abandonment requires running to the Tower entrance, the safe zone, to declare abandonment.
You die while running away.
Over 20 years, the number of players who have died in Korea alone is in the thousands.
What happens when players die?
They are processed as missing persons.
Because their bodies can't be found.
Given this situation, the state is making efforts to ensure player safety and encourage magic stone production.
One of these efforts is the Player Specialty Shop.
The shop is located in the basement of the Awakening Management Bureau in Hannam-dong.
They sell equipment and weapons at low prices, charging only the material cost, but they're still expensive.
Joo-hyuk arrived at the Awakening Management Bureau by car with the staff member.
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il was waiting for him at the main gate.
"Welcome, Player Bong."
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all. Please follow me."
The Player Shop was in the basement of the Management Bureau.
But this wasn't a place you could just walk into either.
"Let's get you registered first. To enter the Player Shop, there's a separate procedure."
It wasn't a particularly special procedure.
A palm vein recognition method to verify identity.
Just place your hand on the glass panel for a scan.
Beep!
"From now on, you can visit and use the shop anytime without calling ahead."
"Okay. Thank you."
"...Would you like a tour of the shop interior?"
"No, I'll look around by myself."
"Hahaha, alright. You can also have items delivered after purchase, so feel free to use the service."
Come to think of it, it had been a very long time since I'd visited an offline store like this.
I could count the times on my fingers.
I'd only done online shopping.
Talking to staff.
It's not easy.
But since I'd mustered the courage.
Joo-hyuk placed his hand on the vein recognition glass panel by the shop entrance door.
Beep-dik!
"Ooh..."
The shop interior was quite lavishly decorated.
Staff selling goods, but not a single customer in sight.
Even considering the small number of players.
Why is there no one?
'Is it because it's too expensive?'
This is when the elite teams have it good.
They get equipment items provided for free.
'Let's start with the magic stone sales booth.'
Magic stone sales.
The money earned from conquering floors 1 to 15: 7 million won.
Plus, if I consign the 22.5kg of magic stones obtained from the fortnight of 15th-floor repeat conquests for sale?
"22.5kg confirmed. The market price is 11.25 million won. Once connected with a buyer and sold, the funds will be deposited into your account within three days."
"Uh, c-can I use it here right away?"
"Of course. You can. If you make a purchase, it will be deducted from the money you'll receive later, so please keep that in mind."
"Okay, okay."
Now, shopping time.
However, it wasn't a very enjoyable time.
Let's buy quickly and go home.
'Weapons...'
The weapon display corner.
Gleaming sharp swords, long greatswords, short daggers, staffs, spears, bows, even pistols.
"Are you looking for something specific?"
"...Ah, no. Nothing in particular, just browsing for now."
"Please let me know anytime if you have any questions."
It's definitely hard to talk to a staff member you're meeting for the first time.
Thankfully, it was a male staff member.
I had to ask what I was curious about.
"Can you take all of these into the Tower?"
"If you carry them on your person, yes. You can also put them in your inventory."
The Tower-exclusive inventory only accepts items from the Tower.
So why can these items go inside the inventory?
'Ah, they're made from magic stones and Tower metals.'
Metals produced in the Tower.
From around the 30th floor onward, rewards become more abundant.
Metals not found on Earth come in ingot form.
Basic 3kg, up to 10kg if the conquest goes well.
Types of metals include Adamant, Orichalcum, Sektoneum, etc.
Equipment made from these metals and magic stones can also be placed inside the Tower-exclusive inventory.
That's why they're very expensive.
The cheapest weapon is 20 million won per piece.
There are plenty that are even more expensive.
These are also items sold to players at material cost only.
If you bring the materials, they'll even make them for free, no labor charge.
"Players are also exempt from sword-carrying permits. However, firearms are only available for rental. And entry must be made at designated locations."
Of course.
No matter if you're a player, you can't just hand out guns.
But guns have their limits.
They might be somewhat usable up to the 20th floor, but bullets won't penetrate on the 30th floor.
Bows or crossbows, as ranged weapons, are possible.
Because there are skills that utilize bows.
On the other hand, guns have no usable skills.
What would be good?
I should have at least one weapon.
Not so much with the intent to attack monsters with it, but for self-defense.
So that in a crisis, I could at least smash a monster's head and run.
'Huh?'
One item caught my eye.
A dark, metallic club.
A weapon commonly called a mace.
'That looks usable.'
At my request to the staff, I actually held the handle. The weight distribution felt right, and it wasn't too heavy.
'I like it.'
Honestly, bladed weapons are a burden.
How do you slash and stab a moving thing?
I can't even clean a live fish.
Good.
A club is perfect.
"How much is this?"
"Ah, that's an Adamant metal mace. The price is... um, 2 million won."
"Huh?"
2 million won?
Did I hear wrong?
"I-it's an item a customer returned."
"..."
Suspicious.
The baseline is 20 million won.
'Could it be?'
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il's face flashed in my mind.
From sending a car when I said I was going to the Player Shop, to arriving and finding not a single customer, to an Adamant weapon being a mere 2 million won.
It was all too obvious.
Thanks to my timid personality, I've always prided myself on having an uncanny sense of awareness.
'What should I do?'
Call him out and demand they sell it at the proper price?
Or...
'Let's just buy it.'
Act like an innocent, clueless person who knows nothing.
Since I didn't know, I wouldn't be responsible.
"Wow! That's incredibly cheap. I'll take it. I'll buy it."
"Shall I wrap it for you?"
"No. I'll put it in my inventory."
Alright, I got a weapon. Now what should I buy?
But now that I'm here, there isn't that much I want to buy.
Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su asked Jeon Gwang-il.
"How is it? Has Player Bong started shopping smoothly?"
"Yes, he's doing it now."
"There are no other customers, right?"
"None. I sent texts to all other players saying the shop is closed today."
One more thing.
"The prices?"
"I told the staff in advance to put everything on a 90% sale. If it were free, he probably wouldn't take it."
"Well done."
I hope he has a fruitful shopping trip.
That way, he'll start climbing the 16th floor.
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