Offer Your Gold to Me This Instant

"Hmm."

Staring at the skill information window, I tilted my head in confusion.

A specific space?

As if in response to my query, an additional explanation popped up.

"That's my place."

My studio apartment was targeted as the eligible location for the skill.

An officetel of exactly 10 pyeong. Declaring this place as my territory...

What exactly would that do?

I didn't know the details, but it seemed like it would upgrade my little corner of the world. I'd have to use it to find out.

"My current maximum Blood Power is 163, so I'm a bit short." But that was fine.

If I invested all the stat points I had saved up while reaching Level 30 into Blood Power...

Tring!

"Perfect."

The conditions were met. Without a moment's hesitation, I activated the skill.

"True Ancestor's Territory!"

Flash—!

Suddenly, a brilliant crimson light burst throughout my room.

"Whoa?!"

"!"

Lili squeaked in surprise and scrambled behind my back, while Siyeon and Katarina flinched, their shoulders tensing.

"Do not be alarmed. This is merely a manifestation of my power," I said, reassuring my familiars.

Soon, a new window materialized before my eyes.

"Oh?"

Three new options.

Among them, the one that naturally caught my eye was 'Space Expansion'.

I tapped it, and an additional explanation appeared.

"No way, I can make my room bigger?"

This was absolutely insane.

But wait, was illegal remodeling really okay? This was a rented room, after all.

However, there was no need for such worries.

"Aha. So skills can even do things like this."

It was an incredibly convenient, mystical power.

The expansion cost was 1,000 Gold per pyeong.

Let's try expanding it by just 1 pyeong first.

Rumble—!

With a heavy, low vibration, the room stretched outward.

It was small, but a clearly visible empty space had opened up before our eyes.

"Whoa, the room got bigger!"

"Such a miraculous power... As expected of my Lord!"

"Master, this is magnificent."

All three of my familiars marveled at the same time.

"Hmph. A mere trifle for the True Ancestor."

My shoulders puffed up with pride, and I crossed my arms confidently.

But how much more should I expand it?

Me, Katarina, Siyeon, and Lili. For a family of four to live comfortably, we needed at least 30 to 40 pyeong to feel spacious.

My current balance was 250,000 Gold.

Normally, Gold was used to purchase items from the System Shop.

But since I didn't fight directly, I had no other place to spend it anyway. I had more than enough money.

"Let's go straight to 50 pyeong."

I made a bold decision and selected 50 pyeong.

I had a lingering grievance from always living in cramped spaces, and since I spent all my time cooped up at home, investing in my house didn't feel like a waste at all.

I spent an additional 39,000 Gold to expand the house to 50 pyeong.

Once the 10-pyeong room stretched into a 50-pyeong space, the furniture looked awkwardly huddled together in one corner, leaving the rest of the vast area completely empty and bare.

I'd have to rearrange the furniture later.

"Whoa! It's so huge!"

Lili began running around the newly widened house. Watching her zoom around made me feel inexplicably happy.

"Lili! How dare you behave so insolently in front of our Lord!"

Katarina ran over in a panic and grabbed Lili by the scruff of her neck.

"Kyah!"

"My deepest apologies, my Lord. I shall instruct Lili in proper etiquette once more."

"No, Katarina. Leave her be."

I waved my hand with a gentle smile.

"It pleases me to see her so happy."

"...!"

Katarina froze as she looked at my face.

"...I-I am pleased as well, my Lord," she mumbled in a small voice, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"Master. This is much more comfortable," Siyeon chimed in, offering her own thoughts.

Seeing everyone happy made me feel good too.

By the way, what was 'Territory Reinforcement'?

When I tapped the option, a list of upgrades cascaded down.

"Whoa..."

This was practically an all-in-one housing system.

Among these, the most necessary features were stealth and defense.

Stealth was essential to hide my identity, and defense was crucial to prepare for unexpected situations, like a Gate opening nearby. These were absolute must-buys.

And...

"Let's just buy this building too."

Since I had plenty of money anyway, I thought it would be better to just buy the entire building. It would be much more reassuring to own the whole building rather than having my territory squeezed into a single rented unit.

Also, in the same vein, it would be awkward to call external contractors to do construction in such a mysterious room.

It seemed better to just do the temperature control and interior design right now.

Since I was doing it, let's go full option!

I spent the Gold without hesitation.

Rumble—!

Another heavy rumbling echoed as the entire room began to transform.

Walls were erected, furniture was rearranged, and new wallpaper was applied to the ceiling and floor—all in less than a minute.

"..."

The familiars watched the transformation in utter awe.

"This is our new territory. How is it?" I asked confidently after the construction finished.

"To personally provide such a perfect domain with your own divine power... I am deeply moved to tears, my Lord...!"

"Master. This is truly magnificent."

"Whoaaa!"

The new home was a clean apartment layout with four rooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The wallpaper was a subtle, matte dark gray, giving it a luxurious feel, and the furniture had automatically settled into place.

My favorite part ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the window.

Beyond the closed window, a dark night sky stretched out like a screen. The stars and moon shone beautifully, so there was no need to hang blackout curtains.

"This is seriously amazing."

This alone was worth the interior design cost. It would be perfect to expand the space and remodel every time I got a new familiar.

Satisfied with my brand-new, upgraded room, I clicked the last option: 'Facility Construction'.

At Territory Level 1, there was only one thing I could build.

"Oho?"

A Special Training Ground. I didn't know what it was, but it sounded good.

I still had over 100,000 Gold left, so I should buy it right away.

Then I checked the price.

Price: 3,000,000 Gold

"T-Three million Gold?!"

My eyes widened.

Even adding up everything I've spent on territory upgrades so far, it was only about 140,000 Gold. But this one training ground cost 3 million Gold?

Is it plated in gold or something...?!

"Sigh."

Hit by the massive wall of 3 million Gold, I changed into comfortable clothes and collapsed onto my bed in exhaustion.

How on earth was I supposed to gather that much money?

I could probably earn it if I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went to the higher floors of the Tower, but that would take forever.

Of course, it wasn't urgent, but...

Since it was a 'Special' training ground, I really wanted it. And because I couldn't buy it, I wanted it even more.

As I stared blankly at the ceiling, licking my lips, Katarina, Siyeon, and Lili trooped into my room.

"My Lord. We shall attend to you by your side."

"Master, I will guard you from nearby as well."

"Lili wants to stay with Master too!"

"Wait."

Katarina and Siyeon naturally stood on either side of the bed, while Lili sat down right at the foot of the bed.

"Wait, if they do this, what was the point of making the house bigger...?!"

I made four rooms, yet everyone ended up gathering in my room. Well, they won't do this every time, so I let it slide for now...

"Surely they aren't going to ask to sleep together too, right?!"

I felt a bit of apprehension, but putting that aside.

"Right. Let's browse the Climber Community."

My record for clearing Floor 5, Chapter 1 should be posted by now. I was curious about the reaction.

Opening the community window, I saw that it was, as expected, burning up with posts about me.

"Hehe."

My lips curled up.

To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing how easily I cleared it, but seeing everyone marvel at it felt good.

I moved to the next post.

"Who is this person?"

They were a peculiar person who only used that emoticon since last time.

Seeing that they had a fixed nickname, they must be incredibly strong.

Even among such amazing people, there are concept players like this. Well, I guess I'm not one to talk.

"This person is very serious."

I wondered who they were.

But because of the community's general atmosphere, the comments were cold.

Especially one fixed nickname, who was absolutely roasting him.

Corpse Lover. This person seemed strangely fond of me from the start.

Their nickname was a bit off-putting, so I didn't want to get involved with them, but...

Either way, everyone seemed to want me to make an appearance. There was even a post praying for my return.

"...Donations?"

Come to think of it, I remembered Solple Jeonsa's guide mentioning a donation feature.

In the Climber Community, there was a feature to donate Gold to post authors.

That was how people who wrote high-quality guides, like Solple Jeonsa, made a lot of Gold.

At the time, I didn't really need Gold and only planned to lurk quietly, so I didn't care. But now, things were different.

I needed 3 million Gold to build the Special Training Ground.

And if it was this expensive, it was obvious that I would need a massive amount of Gold every time the territory level rose or new facilities were unlocked in the future.

The people in the Climber Community are all S-class big shots.

Wouldn't they donate quite generously?

"...Should I try it?"

I hesitated for a moment.

My real voice had already been revealed through the voice comment long ago.

Besides, I didn't necessarily have to say anything bad this time, did I?

Alright. Having made up my mind, I clicked the 'Write' button on the bulletin board.

And I turned on the voice function again.

Ahem. I cleared my throat.

Hmm. Is it too short?

Besides, I didn't mean to say anything bad, but somehow it came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out sounding incredibly dismissive.

I wondered if anyone would actually donate to a post like this, but I decided to upload it anyway.

[The post has been registered.]

After waiting for a moment...

Tring!

"Oh? They're actually giving me Gold?"

To my surprise, donations really started coming in.

But then...

Tring! Tring! Tring!

The momentum was far stronger than I expected.

"Wait..."

While small donations from regular users were exploding...

Massive donations from fixed nicknames were pouring in like crazy!

"What?!"

I stared blankly at the notifications.

What is all this?

The notifications showed no signs of stopping.

Donations poured in without a break. I could only stare at the system window, utterly speechless.

And just like that, I—

"Ten million Gold...?"

In just one hour, I had earned dozens of times more than what I had made climbing the Tower so far.