The Wandering Merchant's First Steps

Immediately after Seo Ian fired two streaks of sword energy into the air, a swarm of wyverns lunged at her.

Once she finished them all off, the boss, a Large-Horned Wyvern, appeared before long.

It was as if its actions were saying, "I was only going easy on you until just now."

Seo Ian began to pour out her skills with a momentum that couldn't be compared to what she had shown before.

It was the pinnacle of flashiness, intensity, and sheer coolness.

I was so captivated and enthralled by that spectacular sight that I couldn't even bring myself to pull out my phone to record it.

And finally.

The moment the Large-Horned Wyvern plummeted from the sky.

Along with a sound I’d never heard in my life, I was transported to a room that was entirely deep blue.

“Meow?”

The sound came from below. I looked down to see a Ragdoll cat with blue-tinted stripes looking up at me.

Only then could I realize it. The fact that his—no, her—40th-floor Tower conquest had been successfully completed.

Relieved of the tension, I caught my breath and stared at the cat.

“Are you a Tower Merchant?”

“That’s right, meow. My name is ‘Rackcho’, meow.”

Honestly, it was cute. A talking cat, of all things.

Even the name was cute.

But I couldn't bring myself to mimic it. First off, the appearance. I couldn't turn into an animal. And adding "meow" to the end of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every sentence? My mental fortitude wasn't high enough for that; it was absolutely impossible.

I decided to go with the concept of a "Wandering Merchant": a human form, wearing a mask, and using a relatively normal tone of speech.

It was a stream of thought that occurred in an instant.

“Anyway, take your reward, meow.”

Rackcho’s voice snapped me out of my musings. Immediately after, a [40th Floor Reward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Basket] floated before my eyes. I reached out and touched it.

Flash!

It was uncomfortable to keep my eyes open, but a flash of light that I could just barely endure without closing them blinked for a moment.

If 5% is 10,000 T.C, then 100% is 200,000 T.C?

My jaw dropped. It happened so naturally that it took a while for me to realize my mouth was hanging open.

“Then that Seo Ian person, no, that woman, gets 200,000 T.C? No, wait, since I skimmed 5% off the top, did she take 190,000?”

I asked Rackcho, wondering if she knew.

“That’s right, meow. Uju, your math is fast, meow. You’re smart, meow.”

Oh. But.

“…Does the contribution show up as 95% for the Awakened Seo Ian…?”

This was important. Extremely important. If that were the case, Seo Ian would go looking for the missing 5%, and she would immediately realize that I was the reason.

'Should I just brush it off as a travel fee?'

What if she said she never called for one and started dancing around with her dual swords? I was empty-handed. That meant I had no way to win. Besides, there was a clear difference between her full plate armor and my sweatpants; it was obvious who would crumble even if our sleeves just brushed against each other.

“If it showed up in the contribution, the meaning of a Hidden Party Member would fade, meow. I take back what I said about you being smart, meow.”

“Then?”

“A Hidden Party Member’s contribution is ‘processed as hidden’, meow. Seo Ian is probably seeing a notification showing 100% contribution right now, meow. It’s all because Uju’s 5% contribution is being processed as hidden, meow!”

I understood the general feeling, but—

“Like you said, I’m not smart, so there’s a part I don’t understand… If I enter a party with several people as a Hidden Party Member, then what happens?”

Rackcho let out a "Hmph" through her nose. It was a genuine "Hmph."

“I’ll give you an example, meow. Let’s say it was a 3-person party, and they took 40%, 40%, and you, Uju, took 20% contribution, meow.”

“Okay. Let’s say that.”

“Then, on the two people’s notifications, your 20% contribution is processed as hidden, so it appears as 50% and 50%, and they only receive the reward for 40%, meow.”

I understood now. In the end, in other people's eyes, the total excluding my contribution looks like 100%. Therefore, even if I skim off some contribution, it doesn't show!

'Phew. I almost ended up with a one-time-use trait.'

“And Seo Ian is probably more interested in the Loot Box than the T.C, meow!”

“Loot Box?”

“It only appears for the person with the highest party contribution, meow. Most of the time it contains an additional T.C reward ticket, but on rare occasions, it contains incredibly good weapons or armor that even we can’t sell, meow.”

“What is ‘gear’?”

“You don’t even know that, meow? It’s weapons, accessories, and armor, meow.”

……A cat using slang. Anyway, a Loot Box that only appears for the person with the 1st place contribution. Is that why Awakened go through life-or-death situations to solo play? Now that I think about it, I’d seen it in the Awakened community. Posts bragging about what they got from a Loot Box.

I had assumed it was a box that Tower Merchants sold at a rare chance, but I had completely guessed wrong. Well, it’s fine now that I know.

By the way, I had now personally learned how Awakened could drink those expensive recovery potions like water. 'If I earn this much, isn't 100 T.C worth it?' I could probably even stock up on them. It was a new realization. And thinking that this was my future made it even better!

“Ah, but Rackcho. I don’t think I did anything, so how do I have 5% contribution?”

It was curiosity born from sincerity. I had just been sucking my thumb in the back while she—no, he—was catching monsters. It wasn’t that I wanted to do that, but the wyverns were just too fast. I wasn’t confident I could even graze them. Besides, they were floating in the air. I couldn’t reach them. And above all, I lacked attack skills. Need I say more?

“Contribution does not lie, meow. Wait a moment, meow.”

A moment of silence followed. Rackcho, who had been staring intently into the air, met my eyes again and began to speak.

“Awakened Kim Uju’s contribution this time came from an ‘Encouragement’ effect, meow.”

“Encouragement effect?”

“The ‘Low-Grade Recovery Potion’ and ‘Boss Damage Increase Elixir’ that Awakened Kim Uju sold to Awakened Seo Ian gave her the mindset of ‘I can do this!’, meow. That triggered the Encouragement effect this time, allowing you to receive a share of the contribution, meow.”

Selling items. Giving the owner of the floor the mindset that they can do it. Encouragement effect triggered. Contribution distribution possible.

'So that was it!'

In short, no matter the process, as long as I helped the owner of the floor I intruded upon to clear it, I could receive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a share of the contribution. Furthermore, this cat said "this time" it was encouragement. That meant—

'It’s not just a cheerleader role like this time; it’s possible through other methods too!'

Truly, the more I dug into it, the more it was a perfect trait for a newbie, specialized for growth.

“Anyway, are you going to buy something, meow?”

Rackcho’s sharp voice broke my train of thought and stuck in my ears.

“Can you show me the sales list?”

Instead of an answer, a window appeared before my eyes. It looked like a 5x5 inventory window, but the border was blue.

“There are only two?”

It wasn’t full; only the first two slots were occupied.

“We know things are heavy, meow. We can’t carry around a full sack, can we, meow? It’s rare for us to carry them full, meow.”

“Right. You guys have it tough too.”

I soothed her appropriately and brought my finger to the item in the sales window. The first item was, as it looked, a Tower-exclusive pickaxe.

“Is a pickaxe a weapon?”

“A pickaxe can be used as a weapon, but it’s actually an item needed for gathering skills, meow.”

“I thought you could just gather by brushing it with your hands?”

“It depends on the map, meow. In most cases, you can’t gather with your bare hands, meow.”

Tower Merchants do not lie. It was common knowledge among the Awakened.

“How much is it?”

“5,000 T.C, meow!”

Oof. That’s too expensive. My brow furrowed naturally. I’d hold off for now. I moved my finger to the second slot. It was, as it looked, a ring. But it was one that added an extra life.

Isn’t this incredibly useful just by looking at the ability?

“Rackcho. How much is the ring?”

“Exactly 5,000,000 T.C, meow!”

It was an amount I couldn’t even dream of. Thanks to that, I could give up quickly.

“But do I need to buy a pickaxe?”

For now, the only skills I have are ‘Gathering’ and ‘Synthesis’. But what if I go outside the Tower and buy new combat-related skills? What if I end up using those primarily? Do I really need to buy a pickaxe that’s only needed for ‘Gathering’?

“You absolutely need it, meow! A pickaxe is a huge help in earning T.C, meow! That means it’s an item that helps Awakened Kim Uju achieve much faster growth, meow!”

I said it before, but Tower Merchants do not lie. They just stay silent if they don’t know or if it’s difficult to answer.

“I’ll take the pickaxe.”

“Thank you as always, meow~.”

Half of my daily wage evaporated. Still, since it’s an item recommended by a Tower Merchant, it’s probably better to buy it.

'Anyway, what should I do with the remaining T.C?'

I’m tired for now, so I’ll go home and think about it. I’m planning to go to the Association tomorrow anyway.

***

Meanwhile, at that time.

Currently, the highest floor in South Korea is the 41st. And until just a moment ago, only one person had their name on the South Korean 40th-floor record. Hong Jehun. Because he was the only one in Korea who had cleared the 40th floor or higher. But that wasn’t the case now.

“Yeah. This is right. Obviously, my name should be higher than Hong Jehun’s!!”

The interior of a 34-pyeong apartment that felt spacious for one person to live in. Beyond one wall of the living room, which was made of floor-to-ceiling glass, the Han River stretched out refreshingly. In addition, the neat yet sophisticated interior, accented with black, white, and red, reflected her tastes perfectly.

And on the sofa in that house. A hearty smile spread across the lips of Seo Ian, who had been watching the news on her phone. A difference of over 10 minutes! This was all thanks to that rabbit I saw earlier.

However…….

“Ugh, damn it! Seo Ian, you idiot! You were so blinded by the boss!!”

Suddenly, Seo Ian slapped her cheeks. Both her palms and cheeks stung, but that didn’t settle her regret at all.

“A Wandering Merchant? That’s not something that appears every time, right?”

Her eyebrows arched in doubt. Seo Ian was among the early Awakened who awakened almost as soon as the Tower appeared. Therefore, she had much more experience entering the Tower than others. Yet, yesterday was the first time she had ever met a ‘Wandering Merchant’.

The eyes, deep as a lake, that peeked through the rabbit mask. Those deep eyes still lingered in her mind.

“Even the items he sold were much cheaper than what you can buy from a Tower Merchant after clearing the Tower, right? And they were useful.”

The only things worth buying from a Tower Merchant are recovery potions and equipment items. But recovery potions are easily obtained in reality, and equipment items are ridiculously expensive. It means the cost-effectiveness is at its worst. But that 20% Boss Damage Increase Elixir the rabbit sold. Yes, the ‘percent’ was important. No matter how expensive equipment is, it only raises stats by that ‘numerical value’, but elixirs inflate abilities by a percentage of total stats.

“Is there no way to find him…? Or a way to call him out again…….”

If only she could. She was willing to sell her soul if it meant she could.

***

And at that time.

I was sitting with my back against the wall of a semi-basement monthly rental room where a musty smell lingered, looking at my status window.

“Maybe because it’s the 40th floor, the experience is decent even with 5% contribution.”

Hehe.

The corners of my mouth rose naturally. My cheekbones were ascending. It was a moment where I could fully understand what it felt like to be full just by looking at it.

Wow. I just breathed, and I’m already level 4!

“Hehe, I should raise my stats first.”

Awakened receive 1 stat point per level. Since there’s no fixed formula, they say you can just invest them however you feel comfortable.

Strength literally increases power (damage). Intelligence similarly increases the damage of magic-type Awakened. Agility makes movements (a prime example being evasion) faster. Ah, I didn’t know about Luck, so I looked it up; they say it increases item reward rates and the probability of rare items appearing from Tower Merchants. It’s an essential stat for Enchanters, they say.

Anyway, the golden rule is to invest in Strength or Intelligence early on. You have to get stronger to climb the Tower. Only when you have some breathing room can you invest in Agility to increase speed or Luck to increase the probability of items appearing.

“Hmm…. What should I invest in?”

Come to think of it, I don’t have a single attack skill. I left the Tower and pulled up the skill purchase window, but it was blank. To be precise, it said: [You cannot use skill purchases yet because you have not met specific conditions!]

Specific conditions. This was a point where I could clearly understand why Awakened curse the system for being unfriendly.

In that case, I had to judge which stats to raise by looking at my traits, but even looking at my traits, I couldn’t get a feel for whether this was physical or magical.

“Eh. I’ll just consider it an investment for the future. It’s a waste to just leave them unused, right?”

I moved my fingers without hesitation.

All-in on Agility. If you invest Strength or Intelligence wrong, they become sunk costs that can’t be recovered. But what about Agility? As you go into the later stages of the Tower, more people invest in it. Because there comes a moment when you can’t keep up with the speed of the monsters inside the Tower.

“If I don’t know if it’s Strength or Intelligence, it wouldn’t be bad to raise the stat I’d have to raise later anyway.”

Besides, my trait is ‘Intrusion’. I have to go in and find the ‘owner of the floor’. That way, I can help them and receive a share of the contribution. The important thing here is that I have to find the owner of the floor. Honestly, finding Seo Ian? I’m certain it would have been difficult if she hadn’t climbed up the cliff.

If you snoop around the Awakened community, you often see people saying, "I waste all my time wandering around the Tower," and I could fully understand that today. If even the space above the cliff is set that wide, what about other spaces? My judgment was that if they were wider, they were wider, and it would be rare for them to be narrower than today.

That’s why I could invest in ‘Agility’ without any lingering regrets. Because if the speed at which I move increases, I would be able to make contact with the owner of the floor that much faster.

After investing in Agility like that, a system message appeared with a clear sound.

Ding-!

'No, suddenly? But what’s up with the description?'

I’m truly admiring the system’s unfriendliness many times today! But humans are animals of adaptation. As a small and precious Awakened newbie, I immediately picked up my phone and accessed the Awakened community. I typed ‘Lightweight’ into the search bar. Quite a few posts popped up.

They say it’s a passive skill that appears when Agility is overwhelmingly higher than other stats, and it disappears immediately if you raise other stats to balance it out. In most cases, since Agility can’t be higher than other stats, it’s said to be a ‘wrong’ skill that gathering-trait Awakened—in other words, Enchanters—often obtain while trying to move quickly through the Tower early on.

'Ah, Enchanters. What on earth are you guys…….'

But I’m not in a position to pity others right now. Because I’ve ended up with the same wrong skill as them.

'Still, skills are the more the merrier. It’s better than not having one right now.'

It would be more convenient to go around looking for people inside the Tower I’ve intruded upon.

I put down my phone, tapped my cheeks to wake myself up, and looked at the clock. It was already 9 PM. I finished my meal quickly and lay down on my bedding. I have to go out tomorrow, so I need to sleep early and wake up early. Why, you ask? Because I couldn’t get a combat skill today, so I have to go find a weapon tomorrow!