Shopping Trip
In the middle of a dim semi-basement studio apartment.
Kanch'o sat there stock-still, alternating his gaze between the sleeping Jinhyuk and the clock.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.
How many times did the second hand's sound echo?
Kanch'o suddenly jumped to his feet and rushed to Jinhyuk's bed.
"Captain! Captain! It's time to wake up! You gotta get up!"
"Mmm...."
"It's time to wake up! Didn't you tell me to wake you? Mission proceeding!"
Smack! Smack!
A tiny hand like a bean pod tapped its owner's forehead.
Jinhyuk reluctantly pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes.
Only then did Kanch'o wipe the sweat from his forehead and sit back down.
Yodel Ranger Vice-Captain Kanch'o, mission complete!
'Why am I so sleepy?'
Jinhyuk yawned, his eyes not even fully open yet.
This was the most unrestful wake-up he'd had in recent memory.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd woken up just a minute after falling asleep—he was that exhausted.
He hadn't overdone it in the Tower of Despair or anything, so it was strange.
Finally opening his eyes, Jinhyuk checked his phone.
06:01 AM.
"Kanch'o?"
"Vice-Captain Kanch'o!"
"I told you to wake me at noon."
"That's right!"
"But it's 6:01?"
"I was too bored, I couldn't help it!"
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly at Kanch'o's brazen declaration.
The last time he'd checked the clock had been 5:50.
Even if he'd dozed off for a full ten minutes, that meant he'd been yanked out of dreamland after just one minute.
"You're not sleepy?"
"I'm not sleepy at all! I slept earlier when you and Seira were training!"
Come to think of it, while he'd been getting pummeled by Seira, Kanch'o had been sprawled out on the bed, sleeping like a log.
His eyes sparkling bright even at this hour made sense, in a way.
Gazing at Kanch'o, Jinhyuk made a mental vow.
Next time, force him to unsummon whether he likes it or not.
"You're gonna sleep again?!"
"No."
He wanted to send him away and go back to bed, but after all the commotion first thing in the morning, the sleepiness had completely vanished.
Besides, today was a packed schedule.
He hadn't planned it this way, but starting the day early wasn't so bad.
As he rummaged through his clothes and got dressed.
"Going out?"
"Whoa, you startled me."
Seira, who had manifested without being called, spoke up.
She'd said she only appeared on her own when her master was in danger.
But it seemed like as long as he didn't explicitly order her not to, she could manifest at her own discretion.
"Heading to the Everything Store, then shopping."
"Shopping?"
"It's buying necessary things."
"There must be all sorts of items."
"Yeah. Clothes, food, you name it—everything except what's not there."
Seira, lost in thought for a moment, opened her mouth.
"That shopping thing... I want to go too."
Jinhyuk froze mid-motion and looked up at her.
He couldn't help but be puzzled.
She'd never expressed wanting to do anything specific, aside from eating chicken.
She hadn't shown curiosity about this world, either.
"On special days, merchants would come to the city. We'd go out to see them then. We even bought clothes and accessories unrelated to battle."
"Oh."
He decided not to voice the thought that Seira might be interested in such things after all.
Just because she was the captain of the Black Knights didn't mean her entire life had been filled only with swords and combat.
Jinhyuk rubbed his chin, eyeing Seira.
'Everything's a problem.'
Her dazzling silver hair, blood-red eyes, and ashen skin.
Even if he claimed she was from abroad, those features were anything but ordinary.
The moment they stepped out, people would definitely swarm, asking if she was in a Halloween costume.
'If only it actually were Halloween.'
Pushing aside the pointless musing, he started thinking of practical solutions.
"You'd have to wear a mask and a hat—would that be okay?"
"It doesn't matter."
"A really big one that covers your whole face."
"It's fine."
"Okay. Then just wait a bit. I'll go buy them."
It'd be good to cover those red eyes too, but there wasn't a place nearby to buy lenses, so he'd handle that at the shopping district.
He turned to head out, eager to grab them quickly.
"...?"
For some reason, Kanch'o was standing there, eyes gleaming.
"You're really not coming. The second you go out, it'd be all over the news."
He had seen a video once on NewTube where a summoner with high synchronization dragged their spirit around.
Every passerby had stared.
Even if people knew it was a class ability, it was still a rare sight, no doubt.
Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!!
His eyes shone even brighter, as if pleading, Take me too!
Jinhyuk squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed dryly.
This shopping trip... would it be okay?
The Everything Store in Dongdaemun was hazy with smoke today as well.
Oh Jaegap eyed the two people standing before him.
His regular customer, Eugene Jinhyuk, who usually came alone.
For some reason, he wasn't solo today.
"Girlfriend?"
"Just a friend."
"What's with the bag behind you? Starting elementary school? I can show you some decent bags."
"It's a pet bag. I adopted one. No need for a new bag."
Jinhyuk answered smoothly and opened his inventory, pulling out items.
He'd sorted them by rank and type beforehand.
Oh Jaegap puffed out smoke as he examined the spread-out items.
"This one's pretty good."
He picked up the Orc Warrior's Bracelet.
It was tower-exclusive, but a solid item for any close-range class.
"Why aren't you using it yourself? You're a swordsman."
"I'm focusing on building up cash right now. I'll use the next ones that come up."
Nodding, Oh Jaegap tapped at his calculator.
Whatever the reason, he was grateful the kid was selling.
Finally, he untied the pouch on one side, revealing glittering stones.
"Hoo. Uduum, huh."
A mineral used as accessories by Orc Druids and Orc Knights, mid-tier among orc tribes.
Not only pretty, but processing it granted strength boosts, so it fetched a high price.
Oh Jaegap looked straight at Jinhyuk.
Druids and Knights from the Tower of Despair appeared from the 15th floor.
The fact that Jinhyuk had these meant he'd cleared at least the 15th floor and beyond.
'The stuff he brought last time was total low-floor junk.'
Considering the dates and floors, it meant he'd climbed a floor a day, which was impossible under normal circumstances.
Usually, people spent a day or two gauging a floor because lives were on the line.
"How much per piece?"
"Uduum isn't top-grade. There are flaws. Still, for these... I can do 300,000 each."
"Yup. Selling them all."
From his research, market price was roughly 150,000 to 350,000 won.
This was an excellent deal.
"So, including the Uduum shards... total of 11 million won."
"Transfer to my account, please."
Tap.
"Transfer complete."
"Got it. Thanks as always."
"Come again."
Jinhyuk bowed his head slightly and turned to leave with Seira.
"Whew."
Oh Jaegap exhaled a plume of cigarette smoke as he watched the two walk away.
He wasn't one to pay much mind to others usually, but this kid tugged at him oddly.
'At least he's got a companion now. Good for him.'
They couldn't climb the tower together, but having someone to share things with was always a plus.
'Hm?!'
For a split second, he wondered if the thing in the pet bag counted as a companion too.
But it felt too trivial, so he decided to drop it.
Rustle, rustle!
"Behave yourself."
"It smells so yummy!"
"Keep your voice down."
They entered the outlet mall beneath Dongdaemun Station.
The outlet dealt in higher price ranges than the market, but that meant higher-level and rarer items.
Seira had told him to get a one-handed sword as a sub-weapon, in case he couldn't use his two-handed sword.
With some money to spare now, he'd made up his mind to splurge on one with options if possible.
"Seira. That's the women's clothing section over there. Go browse. I'll check out some gear."
"Got it."
Seira, hat pulled low, started walking.
A few silver strands peeked from under the hat, but no one paid it any mind.
Faded blue jeans, a loose-fit baseball jacket, and white sneakers.
He'd searched online for fashion typical of girls her apparent age and dressed her accordingly, so that helped.
"Captain. I have one suggestion-da."
"What?"
"If I come out of the bag, can I? I'll go invisible."
"If your invisibility breaks, you'll have to go back in."
"Understood."
Once he confirmed the invisibility, Jinhyuk let Kanch'o out.
Freed at last, Kanch'o stretched languidly.
Even if others couldn't see him, Jinhyuk could, so there wasn't much to worry about.
Jinhyuk headed to the weapon corner in one section, with Kanch'o in tow.
The area stocked everything from close-range weapons like swords, maces, axes, and flails to ranged ones like bows, crossbows, and staves.
At the sword shop, Jinhyuk's jaw dropped.
'The prices really are otherworldly.'
A sword with nothing but fire magic resistance went for 10 million won.
He knew tower-exclusive gear was pricey, but this exceeded even his wildest guesses.
"You know the 31st floor is the lava zone, right? Without resistance items, you'll collapse from the heat the second you enter. Special discount just for you—what's your budget?"
"I haven't reached that floor yet. I'll buy next time. Where are the other one-handed swords?"
"This way. We've got one infused with the power of wind that makes your body feel lighter just holding it, and one that causes explosions on a chance with every swing."
'40 million won?'
He nearly dropped his jaw.
That price for just explosions? Add anything else, and it'd easily top 100 million.
The weapon dealer, Kim Jingu, sized up Jinhyuk's appearance.
He didn't look rich or strong.
The type of player who, even with low sync rate, itched to show off their abilities.
Still wandering around like this meant he was a total newbie just starting tower climbs.
But a customer was a customer, money or not.
It was a merchant's duty to provide tailored service to get that wallet open.
"Looking for any specific options?"
"Do you handle cursed gear?"
"Pardon? You mean curse resistance gear?"
The question was so out of left field that he had to ask again.
"No. Gear actually cursed. The kind that harms the user."
There were occasional items with great options that sold dirt cheap anyway.
Things that induced sleep or bleeding just from gripping the hilt—status ailments like that.
Stuff no one would use even if you paid them.
'What would he even use that for?'
He was curious but didn't pry.
How a customer used their purchase was their business.
"Ahem. Please wait a moment."
Kim Jingu headed into the back of the shop.
He had one, as it happened.
A cursed item he'd bought by mistake and was nothing but a headache now.
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T/N:
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