The Price of a Hidden Gem

The interior of the newly built apartment felt spacious enough for one person to live in. Under normal circumstances, Seo Ian would have been tearing the place apart, expressing her rage that her name wasn't at the top of the rankings. But today, she was busy letting out exclamations of genuine awe.

It wasn't just that Hong Jehun’s name was above hers that surprised her; it was what sat right beneath her own name that was truly shocking.

“Hey… this guy is a total freak, isn’t he?”

That was the sentiment that slipped out the moment she saw the name in third place.

“Wait, he cleared the 5th floor yesterday, didn’t he?”

Ian checked the detailed rankings from the 1st to the 6th floor, wondering if her memory had been distorted. Kim Uju’s name was present up to the 5th floor, but absent on the 6th. More importantly, the date of his 5th-floor record was marked as yesterday.

“And he hit 3rd place? …Seriously, was Park Siwoo right?”

At first, she had been quite convinced that Kim Uju was the ‘Rabbit’, but seeing the special floor rankings, that theory began to crack. She had initially suspected that Kim Uju was a ‘Transformation-type Awakened’ capable of turning into an NPC. After all, there were already documented cases of Awakened who could transform into werewolves or beast-like creatures.

But…

“Kim Uju didn’t even show a shadow of a rabbit in this special floor, let alone transform into one.”

Furthermore, Kim Uju had used his skills in his original form to deal damage to the boss. If he were a Transformation-type, it was common knowledge that he should only be able to use skills while in his transformed state. Because of this, the hypothesis that he was an S-rank Combat-type Awakened, as Park Siwoo claimed, carried much more weight than the rabbit theory.

And regardless of the truth, it was undeniably impressive. He had clearly just fired off one skill after another. Yet, with just that, he had accounted for 20% of the boss’s damage. She and Hong Jehun had weapons, gear, and accessories specifically tailored for special floors—all categorized by the map type. They even brought along potions that maximized efficiency for those floors. And even then, they only managed 27%.

But Kim Uju. He looked like he’d walked in with nothing but a single weapon, yet he hit 20%. Even if she didn’t want to acknowledge his potential, she couldn’t deny it. The results were staring her right in the face.

The rabbit was one thing, but something else had caught her eye. Her eyes burned with desire and obsession. Without hesitation, Seo Ian picked up her phone. She ignored the pile of missed calls, deleted them all, and dialed a number.

“Why isn’t this jerk picking up? He just got kicked out, didn’t he?”

The signal rang only once. Displaying the typical impatience of a hot-tempered Korean, Ian frowned. Before the second ring could even finish, Park Siwoo’s voice came through the receiver.

“Hey. Can you get me a meeting with Kim Uju?” Ian dove straight into the point without preamble.

“Yeah. Me.”

“If that doesn’t work, at least get me his phone number.”

“Even if he says no, make it happen. You’re good at that kind of thing.”

A promising new Awakened. She couldn’t let him slip away. Already, many useful Combat-type Awakened, including ‘Stephen Lee’, had been leaked to other countries. Furthermore, with the recent ‘China-run’ of Jegal Cheong, who had been Korea’s best enchanter, Tower climbers were facing even greater difficulties in securing supplies. It was infuriating to lose any more of Korea’s talent to other nations.

A light chuckle followed over the line. “Yeah. But I thought I was the only one thinking about guilds, yet Hayden just started one.”

Hayden Moore. The lightning-type Awakened who firmly held the #1 spot in the US rankings. He had suddenly founded a guild within the US just a few days ago. Currently, there was a fierce debate in the US between those who argued, ‘Climbing the Tower is a matter of national defense and must be managed by the state,’ and those who insisted, ‘In a capitalist country, forming a guild for profit is not a problem, provided there are legal regulations to prevent abuse.’

Of course, Hayden was pushing forward regardless, and no one knew what kind of deal he had made. However, experts believed that since his guild members were providing strong support, it would soon be concluded that Hayden would get his way.

And.

“Once Hayden cuts the ribbon, I’m making mine right away.”

Ian was looking forward to it. If she built a power base, it would serve as an effective means to check the Association’s monopoly and recklessness. Individuals were weak, but groups were strong. She believed a society where many people were upwardly leveled was healthier than one where a few monopolized power and passed it down.

“You’re obviously in. What are Awakened supposed to do without an enchanter?”

The call ended with mutual laughter. And as for Kim Uju, he was Kim Uju, and the rabbit was the rabbit. While she had been clearing the special floor, she had wondered if the rabbit had appeared in other Awakened’s towers, so she checked the community on her phone.

And then.

She discovered a post that turned her fatigue into instant rage.

“There was a rookie on the special floor today.”

In a cafe located in the lobby of the Korea Awakened Association, Hong Jehun, who had his phone face down on the table, spoke in a calm voice.

“I saw him too. You mean the guy in 3rd place?” A girl with a neat bob cut, still looking youthful, sipped her sweet frappe while staring intently at Hong Jehun sitting across from her.

“Yeah. I wonder what his trait is…” Hong Jehun trailed off, fiddling with the paper cup in front of him.

“That’s strange? Did you eat something wrong today, oppa? You’re showing interest in another Awakened, which isn’t like you at all? …Well, I guess everyone who entered the special floor today is curious. About his trait.” The girl smiled brightly.

In truth, she was also curious about the trait of the new Awakened she had seen for the first time. It was only natural. A newbie entering the special floor for the first time—it was enough to pique anyone’s curiosity. From the moment the boss ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠appeared until they exited the Tower, he had just fired his light bowgun repeatedly. Yet, he had contributed 20% to the boss damage. It was only 7% less than the 1st and 2nd place finishers.

“I looked him up a bit, and it seems he intentionally moves slowly from the 3rd floor onwards. Maybe he doesn’t want to be in the spotlight?”

“If so, wouldn’t it be better not to poke around? If he’s hiding it on purpose, the more you dig, the more he’ll try to hide.”

That was also true, so Hong Jehun couldn’t easily refute it. However.

“Still, if I’m going to start a guild, I really want to bring that friend over to our side.” Hong Jehun smiled calmly.

“A guild? Wasn’t that just talk back then? Are you really going to make one?” The girl’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. It was understandable, as Hong Jehun was in a position where he should have been preventing the formation of guilds. Currently, support was given to individual Awakened, which meant Hong Jehun monopolized it, but if guilds started popping up everywhere, their influence would grow, and there was a high possibility that a portion of the support going to Hong Jehun would be distributed elsewhere. However, he smiled as if he didn’t care much about that.

“You can go fast if you go alone, but I don’t think you can go far.”

Actually, it hadn’t been long since he started thinking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this way. This 43rd floor. A volcanic zone, the exact opposite of his own ice-attribute affinity. It wasn’t just a disadvantageous affinity; it was a completely polar opposite. His damage output was reduced by 50%. The damage he received was doubled. He started thinking that maybe he should form a party. He didn’t know how many more of these polar-opposite affinities would appear in the future. And struggling like this every time…

He was starting to feel a sense of dread. It was already well-known that many people went missing inside the Tower above the 40th floor. Just a few days ago, another #1 ranked Awakened from India had vanished without a trace inside the Tower.

“Actually, I did think of Seo Ian at first, but…”

“Oppa. You have such big dreams?” The girl burst into laughter, finding the mere thought amusing.

“I figured she wouldn’t join anyway. That’s why I need the Kim Uju card even more.” Hong Jehun’s eyes, filled with conviction, shone calmly.

Meanwhile, at a time when rumors were spreading like a wave among Awakened, how could the Korea Awakened Association be quiet?

“Yoon Jinki…”

It hadn’t been long, but Oh Wontaek, the team leader of the Talent Management Team at the Korea Awakened Association, called for his favorite employee in a listless voice, which was unlike him.

The Wandering Merchant Rabbit case. Since it only appeared in Korea, countries were requesting information, making it the top priority. Therefore, he had handed it over to Enchanter Park Siwoo, who had volunteered to look into the Kim Uju case, while Yoon Jinki was organizing information about the rabbit.

It wasn’t without results. First, the rabbit wore a mask, and while the outfit changed slightly, shorts and a short-sleeved shirt were the basics. It was confirmed that it only appeared in Korea, used the Korean language, and always sold useful items for that specific floor. It was determined not to be an Awakened. This was because Awakened who had opened the party window out of curiosity all unanimously stated that only they were on the party list.

So, he thought one task would be wrapped up once he organized that and handed it over, but…

“Damn it!”

“No, Team Leader! Suddenly! Swearing!”

“No! I wasn’t swearing at you! I was swearing at myself! At myself!”

A string of profanity burst out momentarily. Team Leader Oh Wontaek hadn’t realized he was swearing as naturally as breathing, but as soon as he did, he apologized to Yoon Jinki. Then, he carefully clutched his precious hair, which had been thinning out lately, and buried his face in his desk.

The Kim Uju Awakened case exploded right after he finished organizing the Wandering Merchant Rabbit. He hadn’t just scraped into 3rd place; he had surpassed the likes of the US and Germany to take 1st place. Calls were coming in from every country. Their interest wasn’t in Hong Jehun or Seo Ian, whose names they saw often, but in Kim Uju, who had newly risen to the top.

By his own account, he was a D-rank physical enhancement-type Awakened. But if he reported it like that, he’d be kicked out and told, ‘Get out.’ He had to last until retirement to get his civil servant pension…

“Yoon Jinki!” Oh Wontaek, caught by the leash of the civil servant pension, lifted his head and sat up properly.

“Let’s get Kim Uju Awakened’s profile properly.” He couldn’t delay it any longer. A meeting with him.

Yoon Jinki’s eyes sparkled like a child hearing their dad say they were going to an amusement park. And he immediately began preparing to head out. He must have been curious too. No, in fact, there wouldn’t be a single person who wasn’t curious about ‘Kim Uju’, the hottest topic worldwide right now. That’s what Oh Wontaek thought.

Meanwhile, at that moment. In my studio apartment, I was looking at my inventory with a wide grin, my hands moving busily.

“You have to open these without expecting too much to get the good stuff!”

I was secretly hoping, but I pretended not to be overly expectant as I opened the ‘Special Floor Reward Box’. Unlike usual, the box opened with a flashing rainbow light. Just looking at it made me feel good; such a flashy effect meant it was 100% a good item. I knew this from over a decade of gaming experience.

The items I got were two in total. The first one was:

Huh? I know something similar to this. I had bought something like it from Rackcho before. Back then, it was random from F-rank to S-rank. Anyway, I shouldn’t overthink it now. Quickly! Without thinking, snap it up! That’s how you get the good stuff!

-Shing!

At the same time as the refreshing sound I’d heard before.

“……Nice, right?”

It was a pretty helpful description today. Reading it, I could grasp roughly what it was about. It wasn’t the powerful one-shot skill I’d hoped for, but what if I used it together with the Hawk’s Eye skill? If I could land it accurately on a glowing red weak point? It would yield efficiency incomparable to just raising stats. It wasn’t a flashy, cool one-shot skill like other Awakened had, but what did it matter? As long as it was efficient. Besides, it looked like I could use it with whatever other skills I got in the future, so it wasn’t a bad skill to have. Plus, it was S-rank.

“Is this why people sang songs about the special floor, special floor?” This was the moment I fully understood and felt what they were saying.

“But what’s that black box?”

As I said earlier, opening the special floor reward box gave me two boxes. One gave me the skill ‘Tracking’, and inside the other black box was…

I know what that is. You could make it through a crafting recipe if you collected 10 Special Enhancement Stone fragments. But it must have been a rare drop, because I’d only collected one so far. When I placed my hand on the rainbow-colored crystal-like shape, the text popped up:

I glanced at the light bowgun sitting right in the front slot of my inventory…

‘Why is it gray?’

I’d heard that the only time an item turned gray was when its durability was depleted and it was forcibly stored in the inventory. Tilting my head, I timidly placed my finger on the light bowgun.

‘Well, I wasn’t planning on it anyway.’

I hadn’t planned on enhancing this weapon anyway. It was a rental, so it wasn’t really my weapon. And I was about to change weapons soon, so what was the point of enhancing the old one? “…Wait, when I glanced at it earlier, was I level 24?”

When I returned to my room and activated the system window, I hadn’t looked closely because I was busy opening the reward box, but I had caught a glimpse of my level. The number 24 was displayed. That’s right. I’d gorged on experience points in the special floor. This was the moment I fully understood why people risked their lives to enter the special floor. Anyway. I’d sell this special enhancement stone and buy a weapon with it. But I didn’t know the market price for this item. In that case, what do you do?

What else!

I posted it and was about to wait for an answer while raising my stats, but I couldn’t do that. It was because people started posting replies one after another, as if they had been waiting.

I felt stung by the remark that hit the nail on the head and tried to press ‘back’ pretending I hadn’t read it, but.

The paragon of cool deals had personally staked her claim. And.

If there’s the Tower Merchant Rackcho in the Tower, there’s the Association Merchant Park Siwoo in reality. Looking like a Combat-type Awakened, he even attached an emoticon that was hard to imagine coming from his face, demanding a meeting with me.

Huh? I thought I saw a comment with a familiar name just now, but when I blinked, it changed to ‘Comment deleted by administrator authority’.

……Let’s pretend I didn’t see that.

I was about to press the back button for real this time, but.

A long comment of nearly 2,000 characters started like that, so long and rambling that reading it made me feel like I’d become the world’s biggest scoundrel. To summarize, it was a request to please contact them. They said there was a problem with the documents I’d filled out when registering as an Awakened at the Association. Yeah, I guess I should do that. But it would probably be faster to go in person than to do it by text. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Besides, I had to go to the Association to change my weapon and sell the special enhancement stone anyway.

“I’ll finish it all at once!”

Originally, every act of going outside is ‘work’. As a homebody, I opened my phone’s memo pad to write a list of things to do outside tomorrow. And at that moment.

-Knock, knock.

I hadn’t ordered any delivery food? Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

If so, there was only one possibility, wasn’t there? That delivery food had been misdelivered to my house. To prevent the misfortune of it being misdelivered by pretending I wasn’t home, I spoke up.

“It’s the real estate agent~.”

Ah, right. I was preparing to move, wasn’t I?