The Merchant's Dilemma and the Guild's Ambition
"Wouldn't you be worried if a family member or a close friend suddenly disappeared without a word?"
Why on earth do I have to explain such a basic fact?
The fact that I had to explain such common sense felt as jarring as being blindsided by a sucker punch.
"I don't have any friends I keep in touch with. My family is the type to just leave me be, thinking I'll handle things on my own, so they probably don't even know I'm trapped in the Tower right now."
She shrugged her shoulders.
Ugh! As if that's something to brag about!
Is this the tragic result of neglectful parenting?
"Then, will you give it to me when it's fully charged?"
"No. Give it to me when it hits 5 percent."
"...Okay."
I don't know what kind of mood she's in, but sometimes Seo Ian shows this contrary, stubborn side of hers.
She's difficult, so difficult!
She’s the most unpredictable type among all the Awakened I’ve ever met.
"Anyway, what are you going to sell me?"
I was just about to bring that up myself.
"I have low-grade recovery potions and boss damage elixirs."
The low-grade recovery potions were something I habitually packed, and the boss damage elixirs were fresh goods I’d whipped up in a pinch at a gathering spot I’d spotted while breaking through the walls.
"Just give me everything you've got."
'Give me everything' is Seo Ian's catchphrase.
I can say that with certainty because I’ve never met her without hearing those words.
Anyway.
I emptied my inventory of several bottles of low-grade recovery potions and two bottles of boss damage elixirs, handing them all over to her.
Then, I added a final remark.
"So, you know that covers the advance payment in full, right?"
Honestly, if I put my hand on my conscience and calculated it precisely, there might be a little bit of change left over, but I factored that into the delivery fee.
Delivery fees usually go up on days with extreme weather—like when it rains or snows.
And that applies just the same to days with system anomalies—like today, where the 24-hour rule is in effect.
Of course, if I had known about the system anomaly, I might have hesitated a bit more before intruding here...
...Though I probably would have come in anyway.
It’s hard to let a powerful team member like her slip through my fingers without shedding a tear.
"Huh? I already used up all the advance payment?"
"Yes."
"Well, alright."
Surprisingly, Seo Ian didn't say much. Instead—
-Thud.
"Wait, I told you the advance payment was already settled! Even with this?"
A massive bundle dropped at my feet.
It looked about three times the size of the bundle Seo Ian had thrown at me earlier as an 'advance.' The brilliant blue light leaking from the opening was, by anyone's standards, the distinct glow of Tick.
"That's why."
"What do you mean, 'that's why'?"
"I'm putting in more advance payment."
A smirk.
Seo Ian’s lips curled upward in a fierce arc.
Does she mean she wants me to keep intruding into wherever she is to collect more advance payments?
No, wait. Doesn't that mean I might end up intruding into another hellhole like this again?
Is she saying she'll step into these godforsaken Towers even more recklessly, trusting in the 'Rabbit' mask?
Worries swirled like a storm, growing in size by the second.
But...
'Doesn't this also mean I could reach level 80 faster if I buy experience potions with this?'
'Greed' shone brightly, pushing its way through the worries.
I added in a subtle tone, "Don't just give me Tick; give me experience potions, too. Limited time offer."
There's no such thing, of course.
But people tend to get impatient and agree to deals more positively when they hear the words 'limited time offer.'
I stared straight at Seo Ian as I said it.
Actually, when I met Park Siwoo at the Association earlier, he walked me to the back gate, and I had asked him if I could get experience potions.
I thought he’d agree to the trade readily, but unexpectedly, Park Siwoo had made a troubled face.
'There's already a customer who has pre-ordered them... I can only sell you one for today. If you want more, you'll have to place a pre-order in advance.'
Just one? Who is that supposed to satisfy?
Furthermore, I’m a typical homebody.
Meaning I absolutely loathe leaving the house.
I might go to the convenience store in front of my place, but would I go all the way to the Association—a distance I can't walk—for just one measly experience potion?
Of course, if I absolutely had to, I could, but I really, definitely, absolutely did not want to.
So I grilled him a bit.
Who was that pre-ordering customer, how many were they buying that I could only get one, and how long would a pre-order take?
Park Siwoo answered my barrage of questions quite faithfully.
The customer was Seo Ian, she had ordered a massive batch of 100, which was why there was only one left in stock, and custom orders usually took about a month.
'Can't I get them from another enchanter?'
If the efficiency isn't any lower, maybe I don't have to stick with Park Siwoo!
'Seo Ian has probably already pre-ordered from all the other enchanters, too.'
'Why on earth does she need so many?'
Does she drink experience potions like water?
100 from Park Siwoo seemed like plenty, but she asked others for more on top of that?
'It's because that Awakened is as greedy as she looks.'
'Excuse me?'
I thought they were close, so why the sudden backstabbing?
'And if it's Seo Ian, she'll use them all up and then some.'
He looked at her with eyes full of trust as he added, 'They only last 30 minutes, don't they? Does she really spend that much time in the Tower?'
'That's part of it, but Seo Ian's hobby is raising newbies... If you ask her to sell you some, you might actually get them cheaper than buying them from me.'
He smiled brightly.
I smiled along with him.
Didn't I say it before?
It was surprising that her hobby was raising newbies, but Seo Ian—even if she looks and acts a bit rough, she might actually have a heart of gold.
Anyway, back to the present.
As I was lost in the memory of my conversation with Park Siwoo, Seo Ian tilted her head and spoke up.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever bought experience potions from you? Why, do you need them?"
Seo Ian tilted her head.
"The more items in my inventory, the better."
"But no."
She flatly refused.
Is it because I asked for them instead of Tick?
"Then I'll buy them."
"I'm not selling."
"Why not? You seem to have plenty."
She must have plenty.
The source was Park Siwoo.
"Do you happen to know Kim Uju?"
As soon as I mentioned she seemed to have plenty of experience potions, she suddenly asked if I knew him.
"Why are you asking all of a sudden?"
Why is she asking me? Is she badmouthing me?
But knowing Seo Ian's personality, she seems like the type to say things to your face rather than behind your back.
Besides, I don't recall doing anything that would make Seo Ian speak ill of me.
We've only met once in the special floor, after all.
Ah, I did meet her one more time at the Association.
But we only walked together for about five minutes, right?
That was it.
"Are you close with him?"
A truly novel question.
If I were asked if I was close with myself, how should I answer?
...I suppose 'close' is closer to the truth?
But it might be problematic for an NPC to be close with a specific Awakened.
"...I get along well with all the Awakened, don't I?"
I spat out a safe answer.
"Anyway, I can't sell them because I have to give them to him."
...Huh? She can't sell them because she has to give them to me?
What is this?
Since when were we close enough to exchange things like that? It hasn't even been a week since we exchanged phone numbers! And even then, I couldn't reach her on that number.
For a moment, my mind went blank.
I froze, completely losing the flow of the conversation.
"...Did that Awakened ask for them?"
"Not exactly, but he'll need them, right?"
True. I do need them.
But isn't this all a bit sudden?
We've only met twice in reality, and we've barely exchanged a few words.
Does it make sense for her to refuse to sell them just to give them to someone like me?
Ah. She's trying to 'exchange' them for my special enhancement stones!
I should have known when she followed me around at the Association.
But I already sold them to Park Siwoo!
Has she not heard the news yet?
"How much are you selling them for?"
Let's try to steer this toward a 'sale' rather than an 'exchange' for special enhancement stones.
I asked her as if tossing the question out casually.
"I'm not selling them? I'm just going to give them to him."
"Just... give them?"
She is truly unpredictable.
The special enhancement stones aren't her goal?
"Ah. Of course, there's a condition. I'm going to tell him to join the guild I'm building."
It seems she had a different goal instead of the special enhancement stones.
But that wasn't the problem right now.
A guild?
Wait, Awakened? You're supposed to join my Special Strategy Team, aren't you?
You shouldn't be building something so reckless!
Besides, hearing the word 'guild' come out of the mouth of that outsider warrior tribe member.
It felt like a series of baffling and unbelievable events were unfolding, so I asked again.
"A guild?"
"Yeah."
"What brought that on all of a sudden?"
"It seems to be trending overseas these days."
It did look that way.
Before I entered here.
When I had the overseas Tower intrusion window open.
I had rushed here because I was surprised by Seo Ian's name and her abnormally long stay, but if not for that, I would have entered the US Tower.
It was the 53rd floor—the first time I'd seen a '5' in the tens place...
'It wasn't a solo run.'
Next to the floor number, there were four other names attached.
I could infer that they were in a full party of five.
But.
"Does Seo Ian follow trends?"
In my opinion, Seo Ian didn't seem like the type to chase trends.
I remembered the sloppy sweatpants she wore when I met her at the Association.
It was only because her appearance was so striking that she pulled it off, but those red-rimmed glasses, which would have looked tacky on anyone else, came to mind.
It felt incongruous that someone who dressed like that was suddenly looking for 'trends.'
"If it's useful? Like wireless earphones. It's not like I follow every trend, but I adopt them if I need them."
"Ah... but why Kim Uju, specifically?"
I know this isn't the question I should be asking right now.
I should be asking why she wants to build a guild, and if she needs cooperation, why she isn't considering joining somewhere else—like, for example, the TF team.
However, if the subject of the conversation is 'me,' doesn't that change things?
"Why Kim Uju? Because I like him."
"In what way?"
"...You're asking a lot of questions today, aren't you?"
Seo Ian's eyes, visible through the helmet, narrowed.
When the topic is 'me,' naturally, I have a lot of questions.
But I couldn't tell her the truth, as usual.
"That person doesn't seem to have much interest in guilds, though?"
Not a guild, but the TF team!
Specifically, our Special Strategy Team!
"He'll have to join one eventually, right? It seems like floors 50 and above can't be cleared without a party. Isn't that right? That's why the US and China are making such a fuss about building guilds these days, isn't it?"
How would I know that?
I don't know.
I've seen the list of overseas Tower first-place records.
The US and China. The first-place records for floor 50 and above only list one person's name.
What does this mean?
It means they cleared the Tower above floor 50 alone.
Because you can't leave a ranking record if you clear the Tower as a party.
You only get a ranking record if you are the first person to clear that floor alone.
But...
'What if, from floor 50 and above, you have to enter as a party, and only the name of the person with the highest contribution remains in the ranking record?'
The unkind Tower sometimes shatters expectations and hits people in the back of the head.
The hidden dungeon I entered right now is enough of an example to understand that part.
'I'll have to ask Rackcho.'
In times like this, asking my Rack-GPT is the most direct way.
"Why aren't you answering?"
What was the question again?
Right, whether floors 50 and above can't be cleared without a party.
Of course, I don't know the answer to that either.
"I can't say because of the system's restrictions."
Using the cheat key.
"But isn't there a huge difference in level and floor between you and Kim Uju?"
And changing the subject.
"True. Like you said, there's a big difference in level and floor."
"Then why..."
"That's why I have to grab him by the collar, raise him up, and take him with me."
Anyway, please ask the person involved for their opinion on that.
Seo Ian clenched her fist, her eyes flashing fiercely.
Now that she's filled her stomach, she has energy again—who would think she's someone who hasn't slept or eaten in days?
"But, Awakened Seo Ian."
"What."
"Where did one of your swords go?"
I finally voiced the question I'd been wondering about since earlier.
The silver, shimmering armor. And the twin swords she carries in an 'X' shape on her back are the trademark of the person named 'Seo Ian.'
But today, they were in a slash (/) shape, not an 'X.'
"It broke, damn it...!"
Whether I unintentionally pressed some kind of trigger button, she lowered her tightly clenched fist and began to tremble.
"Then we can't clear this dungeon either?"
No way.
But they say 'no way' is exactly what gets people...
Just like her tightly clenched fists, my pupils began to tremble as well.