The Price of Growth
"Excuse me? Didn't you give me your business card back then?"
When I scolded him for giving me a bronze hammer instead of a business card, Park Siwoo actually widened his eyes in surprise.
"If you had given me a business card, I would have called you when the Association staff turned me away, wouldn't I?"
"Hmm-."
For the record, I have absolutely no memory of receiving a business card from him. A business card is a person's name tag and identity. Even if I had been momentarily blinded by the bronze hammer, I’m not the type of person to be so careless as to lose a card someone handed me.
"Haha. Well, I can just give you one now, can't I?"
He tapped his chin as if searching his memory, then smiled brightly as he pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to me. He was just going to brush it off like that? Well, I couldn't complain.
"Anyway, the reason you came to see me today... is it about a weapon?"
It was obvious.
"Yes."
"I assume you aren't here to extend a rental period."
"Right. I need a new weapon-. Oh, right, Enchanter."
"Yes?"
"How much can I sell a Highly Radiant Special Enhancement Stone for?"
This was the item I had briefly discussed with Seo Ian outside. She had insisted I sell it to her, but I told her I’d think about it. When dealing with hospitals or other high-value items, you don't just check one place.
"A Special Enhancement Stone?"
"Yes."
Park Siwoo’s eyes widened for a moment before he crinkled them into a smile again.
"So that was your reward for taking first place in the special floor?"
"Well, yes."
It was too late to pretend I was just curious; I had already posted about it on the community forums. Park Siwoo must have seen it, commented, and told me to come to the Association shop. But then he let me get turned away at the door? Thinking about it again, the treatment was ridiculous. What if I had sold it to another enchanter? Hell, Seo Ian had been pestering me to sell it to her just moments ago.
"The average price is 300,000 T.C., but..."
An astronomical sum for a stone the size of a fist.
"If you are truly thinking of parting with it, I am willing to purchase it for 400,000 T.C."
"Awakened Seo Ian offered me 500,000 T.C."
I lied through my teeth without a hint of hesitation.
"600,000 T.C."
The exact development I wanted. Yes! That’s it!
"Then, please show me some weapons."
At my words, Park Siwoo gestured for me to follow him as if he’d been waiting for it.
"Are you planning to stick with the Light Bowgun form?"
"Yes."
"Then how about a 3-Star Mist Light Bowgun?"
"What’s that?"
"It’s a special weapon with an exclusive skill. In this case, it has a chance to generate mist upon attacking, which also applies damage-over-time."
"How much is that?"
"Because the options rolled well, it’s exactly 600,000 T.C."
"Oh? The price matches perfectly, like magic."
Having been burned by Rackcho before, I intentionally stared straight into Park Siwoo’s eyes as I asked. Was he just calling out a price that matched exactly what I had? It was a distinct possibility.
"A 'plain' 3-Star Light Bowgun without options can go for 300,000 T.C."
He showed me a weapon with a dull name: '3-Star Light Bowgun'. Wow. I hate to say it, but it looked really cheap. That thing was 300,000 T.C.?
"...If I add some T.C. or cash, could I get a higher-grade weapon?"
If I’m going to spend the money, wouldn't it be better to go high-end? As far as I knew, 5-star items were only available in the US and China, and the highest grade available domestically was 4-star.
As I fell into deep thought, Park Siwoo—living up to his reputation as the Association’s ace—read the room and spoke up.
"Awakened, if you don't mind me asking, what is your level?"
A random question. Huh?
"Why do you ask?"
Park Siwoo just smiled in response. Was it a trait of Association people? Why replace answers with smiles? Though, it seemed only Team Leader Oh Wontaek was the one who could twitch his lips like that. Regardless, I answered honestly.
"24."
I’d spent yesterday resting after the special floor, so my level hadn't changed.
"It seems you're looking for a 4-star weapon, but 4-star weapons and above have a minimum level requirement of 80."
Ah. This is rigged. What good is having a lot of T.C. if I can't buy anything? Or could I buy it?
"Can I not wear it?"
"You can wear it, but the stats won't apply. It defaults to a flat +1 stat bonus, so it might actually be weaker than fighting with your bare hands."
So I could buy it, but I couldn't use it. Great.
"Do you even have a 4-star Light Bowgun?"
"If you need one, I could go into the workshop and make one for you today."
Park Siwoo said it with a casual tone, as if it were nothing. Was this the dignity of one of the top two enchanters in the country? He suddenly seemed like a different person.
"However, one Special Enhancement Stone won't be enough."
He looked at me with a smile that said, 'Not a chance!'
Damn it, just how much was it?
"How much is a 4-star Light Bowgun?"
"2 million T.C. for the base, plus extra depending on the additional options."
These crazy people. It wasn't 'just' anything. 2 million T.C. meant a fortune in cash. Even with my conversion rate, that was 14 billion won. And that was just the base price?
"Do many people use 4-star weapons?"
Wouldn't that price range be a burden even for rankers? If they weren't using them, did I really need to? My resolve began to waver.
"There aren't many, but the top 5 rankers all carry 4-star gear. As an enchanter, I get my materials from inside the Tower, so I’ve geared myself entirely in 4-star equipment for safety and efficient material gathering."
What exactly do these enchanters do? It looked like they were raking in more money than the combat-type Awakened.
"You have no choice but to use a 3-star weapon until level 80 anyway. And it goes without saying that the sooner you get your hands on a 3-star weapon, the easier your growth will be."
Ha. Hearing it put that way, he was right.
"But are there no other 3-star Light Bowguns?"
Why specifically the 'Mist' one?
"There are ones with 'Flame', 'Lightning', or 'Frost' prefixes, but those are attribute-dependent. If you have a specific attribute in mind, tell me. I’ll match it. Even if I don't have it in stock right now, I can head into the workshop and make it for you today!"
I thought to myself: A 'Light Bowgun of Intrusion' probably doesn't exist. And even if it did, it would probably be useless! If it had an option like 'Increases Intrusion speed' or something, my heart would probably crumble like a sandcastle.
"...I think 'Mist' is the best choice."
"I agree. ...But are you really planning to sell the Special Enhancement Stone?"
"Are you trying to change your mind now?"
Look at this guy. Everything was going smoothly just a moment ago!
"Haha. No. What I wrote in the community comment is true. If you're going to sell it, sell it to me. I’ll give you the best price. However, as a small tip for a naive, beginner Awakened who doesn't know any better: that item is hard to find even if you have the T.C. It’s not an item where the materials drop easily."
Come to think of it, I have one Special Enhancement Stone material. They said if you collect 10 fragments, you can synthesize them using a crafting recipe. I’ve been doing my Tower runs and my 'Intrusion' work, and I’ve only ever found one.
Even so.
"If I keep it, will I have a use for it?"
"If you intend to keep climbing the Tower, you should keep it. If not, selling it is fine. Special Enhancement Stones are used to upgrade items from +5 to +6 for 4-star gear and above."
It was a much kinder and more useful explanation than the System's vague, [Drag to an item you wish to specially enhance to proceed!]. And thanks to that, it was easier to make a decision.
'If you intend to keep climbing the Tower, you should keep it.'
Since I have a growth-specialized trait, if I don't climb the Tower, who will? Of course, the moment that thought crossed my mind, I felt like I saw a silhouette flash through my head, but I put that aside. In any case, at some point, the existence of the Tower had started to give me a sense of 'fulfillment'. I wanted to go as far as my strength would allow.
Therefore.
"I'll sell it."
Powerful weapon = Faster growth. And there was no rule saying I had to use it right now. Besides, a Special Enhancement Stone is only useful if I already have a 4-star +5 item. It was better to circulate the capital and grow rather than letting it rot in my inventory.
"Hmm."
Park Siwoo’s eyebrows twitched as if he were puzzled, but he soon pulled out the 3-Star Mist Light Bowgun. We settled the rental fee for the bowgun I’d been using and completed the trade.
"Oh, and this is a gift for successfully closing the deal. I hope you find it useful."
He smiled. I thought we were done, but Park Siwoo pulled a bunch of things from his inventory and handed them to me. Another bronze hammer... wait, no. How many are there? One, two... exactly 10 bottles.
They were transparent bottles that looked like recovery potions, half-filled with a milky, water-diluted liquid.
"No, why so many... actually, is it because the transaction amount was so large?"
"That’s part of it, yes."
"Thank you, Enchanter!"
There’s no reason to refuse a gift. I thanked him immediately. "But what are these?"
Park Siwoo continued his explanation calmly, as if he expected me to ask.
"It’s a Debuff Cleansing Potion I’m giving you in advance, hoping for our next meeting. It’s good to carry these from the 20th floor onwards."
"Do debuffs start appearing from the 20th floor?"
"They come in the form of slowed movement, lowered stats, or reduced attack power. It’s quite annoying. In boss time-attack situations, there are often cases where people fail to clear because of those slight stat drops."
But my customers never look for these? Ah, maybe because they’re such an essential item? People rarely look for essentials like recovery potions because everyone already has them. Seo Ian had looked for a low-grade recovery potion once, but that was the first and last time I’d ever seen it. Anyway, I’d gotten 10 of these items that would be useful from the 20th floor onwards for free.
"I'll use them well!"
"Don't just use them recklessly. Use them only when you're in a really tight spot. Unlike recovery potions, they don't work every time you drink them; they have a cooldown."
I put them in my inventory and hovered my finger over them. Sure enough, the words 'Cooldown: 1 hour' were written in tiny text at the bottom, like the fine print on an insurance contract. If I drank one to clear a debuff and then got hit by the same debuff again, I’d be stuck waiting for an hour. ...Is this thing actually useful?
A doubt arose in my mind. Then, suddenly, a material item at the edge of my inventory caught my eye.
"Oh, by the way, Enchanter!"
"Yes?"
"Do you happen to buy Special Enhancement Stone fragments?"
If you collect 10 'Special Enhancement Stone Fragments', you can synthesize one 'Highly Radiant Special Enhancement Stone'. Of course, the day would come when I’d collect the materials and make one myself, but since I’d already sold the finished product, what was the point of holding onto the pieces? I figured it was better to put them to good use now.
But why did his expression change so suddenly?
"...You have those? May I ask where you obtained them?"
For the first time, a crack appeared in Park Siwoo’s relaxed expression. It was very slight, but I could see it.
"Yes, I have them. Inside the Tower."
...What’s with that reaction? Should I not have asked?