Meeting Shelter

Tiring~! Tiring~!

'It's selling way better than I thought.'

In Channel 3, Bloodstones and Ability Orbs.

In Channel 4, Awakening Stones and Bloodstones were selling at an incredible speed.

'What's surprising is the Ability Orbs in Channel 3.'

I had expected Bloodstones to sell well in Channel 3 for leveling up abilities.

But I didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know Ability Orbs would sell well too, because they were expensive.

'Since they're 40,000 points, I thought maybe only one or two would sell.'

The Ability Orb I listed in Channel 3 was 'Infection Cure'.

Infection Cure is an essential ability when bitten by a zombie, but 40,000 points is not a normal price.

'The standard way to earn points in Channel 3 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is by hunting zombies.'

It would take a considerable amount of time to hunt enough zombies to reach 40,000 points.

It seemed like groups were buying the Ability Orbs, which was obviously a good thing for me.

'Because from now on, I have to eat the Heart of Raistal whenever I have a spare moment.'

In addition to this, I was planning to raise the Hero Party's ability levels as well.

'I should also register useful Ability Orbs to use in emergencies.'

In short, it meant that I would have a lot of uses for points in the future.

Even so, it meant my combat power would increase by that much, so it couldn't be seen as a bad thing.

'Next is.......'

I continued to fill in the items while proceeding through the labyrinth with the Hero Party.

Then, about 2-3 hours later, I took out the bug repellent orb I had kept private and showed it to Rubyel.

"Rubyel-ssi. Please check if this orb works."

"Suddenly?"

"I've listed it on the Exchange. I'm curious if it still works after some time has passed."

"Is that so? It's definitely a good habit to check things like that."

Rubyel nodded and immediately took the glass orb to check it.

"The magic power is still contained in the orb? It seems magic power is preserved even when listed on the Exchange."

"If the magic power is preserved, then I just need to use it within 2 hours of purchasing it, right?"

"That's right. Still, it's best to use it as soon as you buy it for the best effect."

It meant that using it before the magic power drained out of the glass orb was the most effective way.

'I'll just write that in the product description.'

And the bug repellent magic orb cost 120 points when I bought it.

But since this could be the key to saving Channel 4, I listed it for 125 points.

'I hope this saves Channel 4.'

Thinking that, I decided to earn as many points as possible by filling the Exchange with items for a while.

After focusing only on earning points for a few days, I was fortunately able to collect a considerable amount of points.

[Points: 9,043,560]

I had collected a whopping 9 million points, and the biggest contributor to these points was, naturally, Channel 6.

Next was Channel 4. The last was Channel 3, which was a difference caused mainly by the types of items sold.

'Because Channel 6 mainly sells food ingredients.'

On top of that, I raised the price of those food ingredients by 3 times.

'Considering the population, it's a natural result.'

The population of Channel 6 is over 170 million.

Considering that population and the 3x price of food ingredients, it was a natural result.

'Channel 4 is doing pretty well, too.'

In Channel 4, everything I listed—Awakening Stones, Bloodstones, Ability Orbs, and bug repellent—sold well.

However, it wasn't a 3x profit like Channel 6, and the fact that Bloodstones and bug repellent orbs were extremely cheap also played a part.

'Channel 3 is.......'

As expected, due to the population difference, sales were slow after the first day.

Even when they did sell, it was mostly food, daily necessities, and Bloodstones, so the points earned were just so-so.

'Still, it's overwhelmingly more than Channels 1 and 2.'

Anyway, seeing that I had earned 9 million points, I felt reassured for some reason.

And apart from these points, I and the Hero Party continued to progress through the labyrinth and finally reached the 20th floor.

"The 20th floor is similar to the 10th, yet different."

The 20th floor, like the 10th, was a wasteland with barren land stretching out.

However, the difference from the 10th floor was that the overall color was gray, and there was even an eerie temperature.

'Elisicia said earlier that from the 20th floor, it gets gloomier and colder.'

That was exactly right.

"It's the 20th floor. We need to go to that pillar of light over there."

"A pillar of light?"

Checking it, there was indeed a very faint purplish-black light.

"It looks further than I thought...... is that right?"

"It should take about a week of walking."

A week.......

While I was thinking about the period of a week, Rubyel also spoke.

"From the 20th floor, the monsters get stronger and their numbers increase, so it's better to be a bit careful."

"If the monsters are getting stronger, then it would be better for me to fight, too."

Having come down to the 20th floor of the labyrinth, I could say I had adapted a little.

Now, shooting a gun at a monster was something I could do without any trouble.

"If it's the gun that you, Survivor, use......."

Rubyel had a thoughtful expression, perhaps recalling the power of my Taehwa-9.

"If I'm not a hindrance, it's right for me to help. That way, the chances of conquering the labyrinth increase."

To my answer, Rubyel nodded.

"That's true, too. For your information, from the 20th floor, the monsters have magic barriers wrapped around their bodies."

"Magic barriers?"

"Think of it as a kind of shield. You have to break that shield first to kill them."

It seemed that from the 20th floor, even the monsters were becoming special.

'So I have to break the shield.'

Then I thought, wouldn't it be helpful if I just broke the shield with my Taehwa-9?

Shortly after, about 30-40 monsters were seen running towards us from one side.

"They appear as soon as we come down. For your information, they'll appear like that more than 10 times a day."

Listening to Rubyel, I took out four Taehwa-9s from my inventory.

Then, I pulled the triggers on all four simultaneously to wipe out the rushing monsters.

Papapapapat!!―

Immediately after, beams of light were fired from the four gun barrels toward the monsters.

"......?"

However, the monsters were hit by the first 2-4 shots without any issues.

To be precise, even after being hit by the bullets of the Taehwa-9, there wasn't a single scratch on their bodies.

'Is that what a magic barrier is?'

Rubyel called it a shield, but to me, it looked closer to a kind of invincibility effect.

'I didn't know they wouldn't even flinch.'

Still, after 4 shots, I could see the monsters turning into mush, as if the magic barrier had broken.

However, it didn't kill all the monsters, as it wasn't easy to shoot and hit all the rushing monsters.

"About 10 left."

Moreover, even if I hit them all, the fact that the first 2-4 shots were nullified was also a cause.

"It's okay. The magic barriers should be broken to some extent."

Rubyel said this was enough and chanted a spell quietly.

Elisicia and Sirien also slowly walked forward, preparing to welcome the monsters.

"Burn."

Kwaaaaang!!―

Afterward, Rubyel created a massive flame explosion where the monsters were.

The flames didn't end with a single burst but continued to burn in a whirlwind form.

'The power is considerable.'

It seemed like the strongest magic I had seen so far.

Nevertheless, exactly 4 monsters broke through the flames.

"......."

Seeing the monsters that survived my attack and Rubyel's magic, I thought it wouldn't be easy.

'If it's like this on the 20th floor, will the 21st and 22nd be even harder?'

While I was thinking, the 4 monsters that broke through the flames were cleanly killed by Elisicia and Sirien's attacks.

"Thanks to Survivor-nim, the battle proceeded easily."

Elisicia said that the battle became easier because of me after killing the monsters in an instant.

Rubyel didn't deny ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that either, nodding and agreeing with Elisicia's words.

"That's right. At this rate, I think we can proceed to the 23rd floor without any issues."

I didn't answer Elisicia and Rubyel's words and thought for a moment.

'Would it be better to carry four more Taehwa-9s?'

Looking at it, it seemed better to carry more Taehwa-9s to increase firepower.

If I attacked while holding 8 Taehwa-9s, the results would be much better than now.

'No, rather, I should raise Telekinesis to level 40.......'

It seemed okay to carry 10 or more Taehwa-9s.

Moreover, if I made up my mind now, it was possible to raise Telekinesis to level 40 or 50.

'The problem is the Taehwa-9...... I have no choice but to trade with the Channel 4 military for this.'

I thought that if I could just get High-Grade Awakening Stones, I could trade with them.

<Friend, 'WantToRegress☆' has requested a 1:1 chat.>

While I was lost in thought about Telekinesis and the Taehwa-9, I received a message from Yoo Hyun-min hyung from Channel 7.

<Survivor★(2ch): Yes, hyung. What's up?>

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): I've collected 1.5 million points. Unlock the Meeting Shelter with this.>

I was inwardly surprised that he had collected 1.5 million points and replied.

<Survivor★(2ch): You collected it faster than I thought.>

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): It's a simple task if there's no one getting in the way.>

<Survivor★(2ch): But are you sure? You don't know what the Meeting Shelter is.>

I meant, are you sure about pouring 1.5 million points into something when you don't even know what the Meeting Shelter is?

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): It's fine. As long as I can enter the place called the Meeting Shelter and rest, that's all that matters.>

<Survivor★(2ch): What if you can't even rest there?>

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): The name is Meeting Shelter, so surely I'll be able to meet and rest. If not, then it can't be helped.>

Yoo Hyun-min hyung spoke as if 1.5 million points were just a pity to lose.

Perhaps Yoo Hyun-min hyung really thought that if it was 1.5 million points, he could just collect them again.

<Survivor★(2ch): Alright, I understand. I'll unlock the Meeting Shelter right away.>

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): I'll send the points first.>

[Points: 1,513,422]

I received the points Yoo Hyun-min hyung handed over and immediately unlocked the Meeting Shelter.

[The Meeting Shelter has been unlocked.]

[Integrated Channel Managers and Sub-Managers can use the Meeting Shelter anytime, anywhere.]

'Hmm.'

Is this it?

Thinking that, I opened the gallery and saw that a new button had appeared.

[Enter Meeting Shelter]

'Does pressing this button take me to the place called the Meeting Shelter?'

I wondered if it was a form where my body would be transported, like the arena.

'If Yoo Hyun-min hyung saw the message, he must have entered the Meeting Shelter.'

While I was thinking about whether I should go in and check too.

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): It's called the Meeting Shelter, but it's just a place with a green meadow stretching out.>

As expected, Yoo Hyun-min hyung had entered the Meeting Shelter, and he explained simply what kind of place it was.

<Survivor★(2ch): It's just a green meadow?>

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): Yeah. There's nothing else besides that.>

Is it a false listing?

'Still, 1.5 million points went into it.'

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): But can't you come in?>

<Survivor★(2ch): Ah. I want to go in too, but I'm currently proceeding through the labyrinth.>

<WantToRegress☆*(7ch): You can just take a short break and go in.>

I had the same thought, but the problem was that I was on the 20th floor.

I doubted if it would be okay to enter the Meeting Shelter in this place where monsters come running even if I just stand still.

'Maybe it wouldn't matter if it's just for a moment.'

I thought maybe 10-20 minutes would be fine.

<Survivor★(2ch): Just a moment.>

"Hero-nim. Can we take a short break?"

"Yes? Did something happen?"

"I unlocked something called the Meeting Shelter. I want to check it out."

For your information, I didn't designate Elisicia as a sub-manager.

So it seemed she didn't see the message that popped up at first, but Elisicia thought for a moment and then nodded.

"That's fine, but will it take long?"

"No. About 10 minutes? I'll just take a look for that long."

"Yes. Then that's fine."

Seeing Elisicia readily agree, I thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about designating her as a sub-manager, but decided to ask her later.

'Besides Elisicia, there are other people too.'

Thinking it would be better to ask everyone later, I decided to check out the Meeting Shelter first.

"I'll be back soon."

Having answered that, I pressed the [Enter Meeting Shelter] button on the gallery window.