The Rabbit and the Ranker

The ‘Hawk’s Eye’ skill I got from the skill book.

The only description provided was a simple instruction: “Blink your eyes twice in quick succession to activate for 3 seconds.”

There was absolutely no mention of its effects or anything of the sort. So, the moment I entered the Tower, I blinked like a madman, looking like someone who’d just gotten a face full of dust.

At first, nothing happened.

‘Is it a scam? But there’s no way Rackcho, a Tower Merchant, would lie to me, right?!’

I wandered around, nursing that doubt for a while. Then, I ran into Hong Jehun. Since the Cold Resistance Potion didn’t help my eyeballs withstand the biting wind, I reflexively blinked rapidly.

And then, I saw it.

It stayed like that for three seconds. Thanks to that, I finally understood how the skill ‘Hawk’s Eye’ worked.

‘I guess it’s only fitting for a trait like Intrusion; even my new skill is something that applies to other Awakened.’

Still, it was a bit different from a standard status window. It didn’t show levels, traits, or skills. Instead, it displayed the emotions the person was currently feeling. I suppose that was because my rank was low.

‘……But from my perspective, this is an incredibly useful skill.’

It showed unexpected information, but I was more satisfied with it than I’d anticipated.

Anyway.

“Do you want to know how an NPC avoids the cold?”

“Is it… the Strength stat?”

Hong Jehun offered a plausible answer. For reference, the Strength stat increases a physical-type Awakened’s attack power while simultaneously reinforcing their physique—essentially making their body tougher. Even I thought, ‘That actually makes sense.’

But that wasn’t the answer I had in mind. I shook my head.

“It’s possible if you have a Cold Resistance Potion.”

“A Cold Resistance Potion?”

“It helps you endure the cold for one hour. The effect is incredible.”

I wasn’t just blowing smoke; it was the truth. I’d used it myself, so I could recommend it with confidence.

“How much is it?”

Ah. I’d forgotten to set a price.

“300 Ticks.”

Just like how fish cakes at a ski resort are expensive, or ice cream sold deep in the mountains in midsummer is pricey, I quoted a price three times the cost of a low-grade recovery potion. Besides, Hong Jehun was a ranker, wasn’t he? He’d have more money than he knew what to do with.

“I’d like to buy quite a few. How many can I get?”

His words snapped me out of my thoughts.

“One should be enough, do you need more?”

I only had one on me at the moment. I’d managed to craft two, but I’d just used one myself.

“There’s no guarantee that we won’t encounter more cold floors like this in the future.”

He replied, blowing warm air into his hands because he was cold. A fair point.

“I only have one in stock today. If I get more later, I’ll set them aside for you, Awakened Hong Jehun.”

Merchants always like regular customers. And if it’s a confirmed client with a supply contract, even more so. And for me, it was no different. Especially if that connection could lead to ‘Contribution Points’?

Need I say more?

“Thanks.”

“Oh, but Awakened Hong Jehun.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you need a potion that increases boss damage by 20%? It only lasts for 5 minutes, though,”

My sentence didn’t get to finish. Our eyes met. A gaze, sparkling with almost burdensome intensity, was fixed on me.

“How many of those do you have? I’ll take them all!”

As expected of a ranker. Just like Seo Ian, he didn’t even ask for the price.

“Does it take long?”

“The boss appears 10 minutes after the Eternal Flame is raised.”

I was currently standing on the snowy mountain, chatting pleasantly with Hong Jehun. It wasn’t that I wanted to, but we had to wait here for 10 minutes until the boss appeared. Perhaps it was the Tower’s plan to freeze us to death while we waited for the boss?

Just as that reasonable suspicion began to simmer in my mind, I opened my mouth.

“Are you confident you can clear it?”

Only when the Tower is cleared does the Tower Merchant appear, and only by meeting the Tower Merchant can I receive Tower rewards based on my contribution. That’s why I asked Hong Jehun if he was confident.

He didn’t answer, just smiled faintly. When you can’t tell what someone is thinking? Blink, blink!

……I guess he’s confident he can clear it, right?

“Oh, but you know.”

He suddenly turned to me and added.

“Yes?”

“By any chance, could you also get something related to the Ice attribute?”

“Suddenly?”

“Actually, I’m an S-Rank Ice-attribute Awakened, so I need a lot of Ice-attribute items.”

A neat smile appeared on that calm face of his.

“…I’ll make sure to set those aside for you when they come into stock.”

In any case, he was likely the only Ice-attribute Awakened in the country with the purchasing power to afford such items. And help equals contribution. Higher floors equal higher efficiency. There was no need to refuse.

“Thanks. I think I understand why Seo Ian is so obsessed with you.”

“Do you know Awakened Seo Ian?”

I didn’t get an answer to that. Just then, the snowy mountain trembled, and the floor’s boss monster, the ‘Frenzied Snowy Yeti,’ revealed itself.

“Rabbit, stay far back!”

As he said, I put some distance between us. Then, my vision was dyed pure white by something I couldn’t tell was snow or light. Roars that threatened to tear my eardrums exploded from everywhere. A feast of snow fell from somewhere, threatening to bury me.

‘Ah…. From now on, I’m skipping any floor with snow.’

2:12 PM.

There was a notification that all Awakened in the country could hear.

I heard that notification sound inside the Blue Room I’d been dragged into in an instant.

“Meow?”

My head naturally tilted downward. Rackcho, as cute as ever, was wagging its tail and greeting me.

“Hello!”

“But why are you so wet today, meow?”

“I got buried in snow.”

“Still, you managed to survive, meow!”

Rackcho’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Maybe thanks to the Cold Resistance Potion, the snow around me melted quickly even when I was buried, allowing me to get out. Of course, I had a hard time because I couldn’t breathe the moment I was buried.”

“Items crafted from materials found in the Tower are always useful on their respective floors, meow!”

Ah. No wonder. So that’s why the boss damage increase potions kept appearing as duplicates?

A sudden realization!

“First, your reward, meow!”

I was used to this now. I squinted my eyes and reached for the 41st-floor reward basket.

Flash!

“Wow….”

A gasp of admiration escaped me unconsciously. 35,000 Ticks? Are you crazy?

“Is this also an encouragement effect?”

“That’s right, meow! Uju, you made Hong Jehun think he could clear it, meow~!”

“But isn’t the contribution percentage a bit high?”

It was 5% with Seo Ian. Now it was 15%. It felt like the ratio had jumped too much.

“Did the Cold Resistance Potion help that much?”

That was the only thing I could think of, so I asked Rackcho. Rackcho snorted, “Hmph!” and explained.

“That’s not it, meow! It’s the difference in confidence, meow! On the 40th floor, Awakened Seo Ian already had some thought that ‘maybe I can clear this if I try hard!’ But just now, Awakened Hong Jehun was climbing the Tower thinking, ‘Isn’t it still too early to clear the 41st floor?’, meow!”

“Then does that mean if they both appear together in the future, I should just shut up and bet on Hong Jehun?”

“Why is the conversation going that way, meow?!”

Rackcho, who already had big eyes, widened them even further.

“Because no matter how I look at it, Seo Ian is much more ‘majestic,’ right? Like, the feeling of ‘I have to clear this no matter what!!’ is stronger, isn’t it?”

“Meow….”

“On the other hand, Hong Jehun is like, ‘Water is water, the sea is the sea.’ The feeling of ‘If it doesn’t clear, it can’t be helped,’ right?”

“Meow…?”

“If so, who would feel more strongly that they ‘can clear it’ because of my help?”

“Grrr! Contribution isn’t such a simple problem, meow!”

“Oh my.”

Rackcho hissed and puffed up its fur. It was a Ragdoll, so it already had long fur, but puffing it up made it look even more voluminous! It felt like its cuteness was maximized as it got bigger.

“Cute.”

“Are you crazy, meow! I’m angry right now, meow!”

It got even bigger, as if it hadn’t puffed up all its fur yet. I wanted to tease it more to see how big it could get, but I stopped because I was afraid I might break our relationship.

“Then what kind of problem is contribution? Are there any specific criteria?”

I asked what I was curious about.

“There are criteria, but it’s classified, so I can’t tell you, meow! What I can tell you is that the maximum contribution you can get as a hidden party member is 50%, meow!”

“I wasn’t expecting more than 50% anyway….”

Intrusion always takes me to floors higher than the ones I’m climbing. 50% or more is just a pie in the sky. I don’t know what will happen later, but I climbed two floors today.

“Anyway! What I mean is, if Awakened Uju just thinks about helping others and acts on it, that’s the way to get the highest contribution, meow! It also means don’t discriminate between people, meow!”

Tower Merchants don’t lie.

“Anyway, thanks. Actually, since Intrusion is a trait only I have, I was at a loss because I had nowhere to get information.”

When I smiled, Rackcho shut its mouth for a moment and then let its fur settle down.

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

“Can you pull up the sales window?”

A 5x5 sales window appeared before my eyes. Two slots were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠filled.

“The pickaxe is 5,000 Ticks, right?”

“You remember that, meow? Uju, you’re smart, meow!”

“I’ll buy the pickaxe for now.”

The guy, his name was……. Anyway, an enchanter who looked like a combat-type Awakened had asked me to buy it for him. Since he was the one who lent me my first weapon, the Light Bowgun, showing this much sincerity was the least I could do.

“Is this a key?”

“It’s not just a key, meow! It’s a ‘Secret Key’, meow!”

“…It looks like one.”

Usually, the law is that if you hover your hand over an item, a detailed description appears. But this one had the name ‘??Key’ and the description ‘????’. Are you kidding me? The system? With me?

I stood there with my mouth agape, looking back and forth between the air and Rackcho.

“That’s also fine, meow!”

“There’s almost no detailed description, though?”

“I can’t tell you the details because of system restrictions, but if you have it, it will be helpful someday, meow.”

‘Someday.’ This word refers to an unspecified future time. But no one knows when that unspecified future time will arrive. It’s like insurance. And while coverage is important for insurance, what’s more important than that is… the premium!

“How much is it?”

Let’s hear it first. Unlike Mr. Seo or Mr. Hong, I’m not a ranker who can just say ‘give it to me’ immediately.

“It’s 30,000 Ticks, meow!”

210 million won. I tried not to think about it, but my internal calculator automatically started clicking away at the absurd amount.

“No, Tower Merchant.”

“Meow?! Why are you being so distant all of a sudden, meow! That hurts a little, meow!”

As if protesting, its thick, bluish tail tapped up and down!

“I earned 35,000 Ticks today, and if you suddenly force me to buy this and demand 30,000 Ticks, what am I supposed to live on?”

I asked, politely clasping my hands in front of my chest. No, seriously. Think about it. 35,000 Ticks earned luckily today. Pickaxe 5,000 Ticks. Key 30,000 Ticks. Is this right?!

Wait a minute. Hold on. Come to think of it, it’s been a bit strange for a while. Could it be that Rackcho is setting the prices like this on purpose to take all the money I’ve earned? Otherwise, how could items appear that fit the amount so perfectly?

Besides, they say Tower Merchants don’t lie, but is that really true? Maybe it’s just something that’s been cemented as fact because it can’t be proven? Once I started, the doubts followed one after another.

When I stared at it with narrowed eyes, Rackcho’s deep eyes rolled to the other side.

“……B-but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it’s worth more than that, meow! The cost price is 60,000 Ticks, so if you buy it now, you’re saving 30,000 Ticks, meow!”

No matter how cute it is, a Tower Merchant is a Tower Merchant. As soon as I showed a negative reaction, it tried to persuade me by specifically mentioning the benefits I’d gain. As expected of a merchant.

When I squinted my eyes and stared at Rackcho as if looking into its heart.

“You can buy it later, meow. But it will be necessary for your rapid growth in the future, meow.”

Rackcho changed its tune.

“Then I’ll just get the pickaxe, and I’ll buy the key if it comes out next time.”

“Thank you as always, meow!”

After buying only the pickaxe and exiting the Tower, I immediately pulled up my status window.

Thanks to Hong Jehun, my level went up by 5. This is why I can’t quit Intrusion even if I’m tired. Anyway.

Remaining Stat Points = 0. Quick stat distribution. The reason I raised Strength was that I was starting to feel the limits of my stamina while wandering around large maps. The reason I raised Intelligence was the increasing number of mobs, and the fact that I used rapid-fire skills like basic attacks. I was starting to feel like I was running low on mana.

‘This should be a decent stat distribution.’

My actual profit for the day was 30,000 Ticks. Instead of buying a key that I didn’t know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when I’d use, I decided to choose the path that would make me stronger right now.

“Let’s see.”

I pressed the Strength stat button.

‘Is it 1,000 Ticks each? That’s cheap?’

I thought I could just raise Strength by 15 and Intelligence by 15 with the remaining 30,000 Ticks. I was playing with my fingers, thinking that, when.

“Ah….”

It seemed the price increased by 1,000 Ticks with every duplicate purchase.

No, it doubled. 15,000 Ticks evaporated in an instant after raising the Strength stat 4 times. Since I’d already splurged, I raised Intelligence 4 times as well, exhausting all the income I’d earned today.

Meanwhile, at that time. The Awakened community was crowded with Awakened who had naturally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heard the notification. It was burning bright. Because there was no better firewood than clearing the highest floor.

First, the teasing of Seo Ian, who was in a rival relationship with Hong Jehun, was what sparked the fire. While the topic continued, the person who had thrown the firewood into the community appeared.

The post he left behind became a massive amount of gas, leading to a chain reaction of explosions. The existence of the ‘rabbit’ and the ‘wandering merchant,’ which people thought were just jokes, was now real. One was a person whose name wasn’t well known, and the other was someone whose name was well known but whose credibility was a bit ambiguous. But today, Hong Jehun, who had a polite image and only said the right things, mentioned it. With that, the existence that had only been passed down like a ghost story began to be recognized by many people as real.

Meanwhile, someone who read the post Hong Jehun uploaded was typing on their phone keypad with the speed of someone who had dumped all their stat points into Agility.

She didn’t react to the countless comments. Instead, she wrote and uploaded one more new post.

Seo Ian, who had uploaded the last post, ignored the comments that were starting to run at a terrifying speed and threw her phone onto the bed.

“Haa… damn it, the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get.”

She frowned deeply, feeling the heat rising to her head, and swept her bangs back. But the heat showed no signs of subsiding. She wasn’t angry right now because the rabbit hadn’t appeared in her Tower. It was because the rabbit had appeared in front of Hong Jehun of all people. And that was why it was so annoying that Hong Jehun had climbed the highest floor again this time.

She had managed to narrow the gap by barely clearing the 40th floor, but as of today, it was back to a one-floor difference. Back to square one.

“It’s damn hard to be the first to reach the highest floor even once.”

Just once. Reaching it just once would be enough. To gain a voice in the Awakened Association, to completely root out the rot that was still stinking up the association, and to make sure the taxes that were disappearing somewhere were properly used in places where they were actually needed.

But.

“Haa… but how come the distance isn’t shrinking?”

A sigh burst from her lips. Whether it was about herself being a little lacking, about a society that wasn’t working properly, or about the rabbit that had appeared in front of Hong Jehun so suddenly without any sense of timing—even she couldn’t tell.