Gathering resolved the moment it was done — success or failure decided on the spot.
Success: straight into inventory with a clean pop.
Failure: crumble — gone.
I have no idea if shooting through a bowgun will count as gathering, but it’s a perfect chance to test it — no reason to hesitate.
— Fwip! Fwip!
Mind made up, he pulled the bowgun trigger without hesitation.
The Rapid Fire skill activated, sending two arrows in quick succession racing toward the far, glowing corner of the mine.
— Thunk! Thunk!
GROOOOAARRR!!!
“Oh——!”
“WHAT——!”
The sudden, bone-deep roar made Woo-joo gasp, and Hwang Gyu-beom let out a shout of alarm.
The mine began collapsing in an instant.
Oh no. That was the BOSS?!
The realization arrived faster than his life could flash before his eyes.
“Don’t just stand there!!”
Hwang Gyu-beom raised his voice, hoisted Woo-joo onto his shoulder——
And started running.
“AAAAAAAAHHH!!!”
Massive boulders crashing and rolling in from every direction.
Dodging some, blocking others, smashing the rest apart.
Somehow, through all of it——
They made it out of the mine.
“Careful getting down!”
“Thank you for saving me!”
Definitely a man with a daughter.
The care he took setting a fully grown adult male down on the ground was something else entirely.
“Are you alright!”
“Yes, thanks to you!”
His stomach was a little unsettled, but otherwise fine.
What wasn’t fine was the visibility.
Dust still billowing thick through the air, the world in front of him blurred——
And through the haze, one line appeared sharp and clear.
[Gwiam Giant has awakened!]
HP remaining: 70%
Two shots from the bowgun.
Plus the Gastric Acid Condensate coating.
Instead of the gathering he’d been going for — apparently it had taken 30% off the boss mob’s HP.
Didn’t see that coming.
“OH OH OH!! WANDERING MERCHA——NT!!”
A roar erupted from somewhere in front of him — louder and more magnificent than anything Seo I-an had ever produced.
Was he angry about waking the boss?
Given what he’d done, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything like please don’t shout, I’m startled.
He just quietly slid his eyes sideways to read Hwang Gyu-beom’s expression.
Did I…… do well?
Across the man’s face — nearly identical to the radiant grin from the family photo — was a blazing smile.
Teeth showing, grin fully deployed, he——
“When you said ‘melt things’ — you meant the boss mob’s HP?! Outstanding!”
Answered his question.
— Ding!
The second time he’d heard that sound, and he was standing in the all-blue room again.
And waiting for him there——
“Hewwo?”
“Ragcho, good to see you.”
“Of course-nya.”
He looked down at Ragcho.
The ragdoll cat’s blue-striped tail swaying gently.
Genuinely adorable every single time. Hazardous to the heart.
He wanted to pet her, but he couldn’t.
Touching the real Tower Merchant carelessly came with massive penalties.
“Anyway, come collect your reward-nya.”
[Floor 18 Reward Basket] floated into view.
He reached out and touched it.
— Flash!
This time he’d kept his eyes half-lidded.
The light was genuinely pretty intense.
[Floor 18 Contribution] — 20%
[Reward] — 1,000 TC
Wait, 20% and only 1,000 TC?!
With Seo I-an it had been 5% for 10,000 TC.
But this?
20% for 1,000 TC?!
“Ragcho. Isn’t 1,000 TC for 20% a little low……?”
The unexpected reward genuinely surprised him.
“Don’t compare Floor 40 to Floor 18-nya. The floor difference is more than double, and the difficulty gap is even wider — for what it is, this is a reasonable number-nya!”
Ragcho wouldn’t lie.
“Ragcho, can I ask something else? What effect did my contribution come from this time?”
“Give me a moment-nya.”
Ragcho closed her mouth and stared into the air.
Then looked back up at him and spoke.
“Awakened Kim Woo-joo’s contribution this time came from the ‘Supplementary Damage’ effect-nya.”
“Supplementary Damage?”
“You shot the bowgun and shaved off the boss monster’s HP-nya. That’s what applied-nya!”
“What about the Encouragement effect?”
He remembered giving Hwang Gyu-beom the burger, so he asked.
The tail that had been swinging in wide, lively arcs slowed noticeably.
“A floor someone’s running on repeat — what would trigger an Encouragement effect-nya?”
The cat looked at him with an expression that said are you serious right now.
Could cats actually make that face? It was both faintly irritating and distinctly odd.
“If they’re confident enough to keep coming back, feeling like they can do it is already a given — it’d be a contradiction-nya.”
“……By the way, Ragcho — I notice you keep your sentences short when you’re asking a question.”
“That’s my charm-nya. Anyway, are you buying anything-nya?”
Ragcho changed the subject.
“Show me the list?”
The 5×5 sales window appeared.
“The ring from before is gone.”
“You mean the Ring of Instant-Death Immunity-nya? The items change every time-nya.”
“Hmm…. Is it ever possible for the same item to show up twice in a row?”
“Back-to-back repeats never happen-nya.”
“Got it.”
Good to know for later — if anyone asked why the wandering merchant had the same thing twice, he’d say it was a wandering merchant thing and move on.
Anyway, there were only two items again this time.
First — a 1-Star greatsword.
“……Ragcho, is it possible for skills to appear when you hold a weapon?”
He thought back to what had happened earlier and asked.
“In most cases the skill appears first, and then the Awakened applies it to whatever weapon they find easiest to use-nya. Occasionally holding a weapon causes a skill to appear, but that only applies to special cases like Enchanters-nya!”
Having said that, Ragcho flicked her tail and stepped closer.
“And Awakened Kim Woo-joo is one of those cases-nya!”
You little — you knew the whole time?!
As for the greatsword — should he buy it?
The deliberation didn’t last long.
He didn’t like slow.
And just now — Hwang Gyu-beom, Awakened, greatsword user. Noticeably slow kill speed.
Greatsword: passed, without even asking the price.
Second item — wireless portable charger, inventory-attachable.
But there was no detailed description?
“Ragcho, what’s the second one?”
“It’s a new product-nya. It charges the smartphones Awakened use-nya. Inventory-attachable, so it doesn’t take up a separate slot, and it draws on Tower energy, so it doesn’t need to be recharged separately-nya.”
That much sounded fine.
“How much?”
“New product launch discount — 1,000 TC-nya! Regular price is 5,000 TC-nya!”
“Pricey……”
“NYA?!”
Today’s earnings: 3 TC from selling food. Gwiam Gastric Acid Condensate evaporated into nothing. Tower contribution reward: 1,000 TC.
Long session. Total profit: 1,003 TC.
He felt like he’d lost money somehow.
“But Ragcho recommends buying it-nya.”
“Why?”
“The higher you go, the more sections take a long time-nya.”
“Like, more than a full day sometimes?”
“Obviously-nya!”
Just then.
It had sounded for a moment like Ragcho had suddenly dropped the formal speech — he’d been startled even knowing it was just her verbal habit.
Still though — if the Tower Merchant recommended it.
“Then I’ll just take the second one.”
“Thank you as always-nya!”
“Oh, one thing, Ragcho.”
“What-nya?”
“The pickaxe I bought before — how much do you sell it to other people for?”
The Association Enchanter — Park Si-woo — had said Tower Merchants sold it at a rare rate for the cheap price of 10,000 TC.
But he’d bought it yesterday for 5,000 TC.
Had Ragcho quoted him the wrong price?
Or was there some kind of new-player discount?
Just idle curiosity.
And if Ragcho had made a mistake and it was causing her any trouble, paying the difference properly would be the right thing to do.
“To other Awakened I sell it for 10,000 TC-nya!”
“But you sold it to me for 5,000. Was that a mistake?”
He asked with a faint edge of nervousness.
But Ragcho just smiled warmly like nothing was wrong.
“In a intruded Tower, a 50% discount applies-nya. Oh — the inventory-attachable wireless charger you just bought already has a discount greater than 50%, so further discount is not possible-nya!”
Hearing that — a warmth rising from somewhere deep inside.
But alongside it, a genuine question. He asked.
“An intruded Tower? That means in practice it’s a discount that only applies to me in the whole world — why is that?”
“That’s not something I can tell you-nya. Isn’t a good thing a good thing-nya? Or would you rather pay full price-nya?”
“……No, that’s fine.”
Ragcho was being a little evasive, which was slightly suspicious — but what did it matter.
She was giving him a discount for no apparent reason.
And he now knew from the Association shop that the discount wasn’t a lie — he had a price reference to confirm it.
The more I dig into my trait, the more of a goldmine it turns out to be.
He was starting to understand why the system had classified it as EX rank.
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
[Awakened Community]
[Title] Wandering merchant! I really truly cannot thank you enough!!
[Author] Hwang Gyu-beom
— Thanks to you, fastest clear ever. Came home early today and my daughter was thrilled!
My contribution reward was the highest it’s ever been too, probably because the clear time was shorter.
Next time we meet, drinks are on me! I’d love to sit down for a glass with you!
The first mention of a wandering merchant in the Korean Awakened Community had been made.
At that moment, Woo-joo was still inside the Tower talking to Ragcho.
And Seo I-an was——
“Are you KIDDING me — this is about the rabbit, isn’t it. This little — he left me and immediately went to find someone else?”
She was sprawled across the sofa, phone in hand, face twisted into a scowl.
Before long, unable to contain herself, she started hammering at her screen at a pace that threatened to crack it.
[Title] BUNNY COME HEEEEEEERE!!!
[Author] Seo I-an
— YOU!!! Where did you go after leaving ME!!!!!!
“UGHHH. I’m so annoyed!!”
Seo I-an snapped and grabbed her own head.
Her neatly tied ponytail came undone into a full mess. She didn’t particularly care.
A comment came in.
└ [Anonymous12] what’s the rabbit
└ [Seo I-an] my one and only. you’ll never get to see it.
└ [Lim Ji-hun] isn’t rabbit your girlfriend’s nickname
└ [Anonymous12] so you got dumped?
└ [Seo I-an] why would I have a girlfriend
└ [Anonymous12] boyfriend then?
└ [Lim Ji-hun] probably no boyfriend either
└ [Anonymous12] fair given her personality
“What is WRONG with these people chatting away like they know anything — I’m already in a bad mood from not seeing the rabbit today and now THIS……”
Every word she typed out made it into the comment section.
And that day, she received a twenty-four-hour posting and commenting ban from the Awakened Community.
“Team lead! It looks like there’s something called a ‘wandering merchant’ apart from the ‘Tower Merchant’?”
“Could be a joke post from some Awakened grinding Floor 18 on repeat. Still, check it out just in case — go through both domestic and overseas Awakened communities.”
“Yes sir!”
Who were the heaviest users of the Awakened Community?
Awakened themselves?
No.
The non-Awakened office staff employed by the Awakened Association.
Unable to enter Towers themselves — they had an overwhelming need for secondhand accounts. Other Awakened people’s experiences. That was how they gathered intelligence and got work done.
“Team lead! Awakened Seo I-an posted again!”
“What’s her complaint this time?”
“She’s looking for something called a ‘rabbit’?”
“A rabbit? What’s that?”
Seo I-an, sometimes called the Awakened Community’s resident ghost — the ranker who never left.
Ninety percent of what she posted was complaints, grievances, contempt, or self-satisfaction.
The remaining ten percent was requests for items.
But looking for a specific person?
“I have no idea, sir!”
“Look into it!”
At the moment the Association began showing mild interest in the ‘wandering merchant’ and the ‘rabbit’ —
the wandering merchant rabbit in question had no way of reading any of it.
Not because he was an NPC — simply because he was currently inside a Tower.
Tower Floor 1.
Forest of the Forest Rabbit.
Exactly what you’d expect from a tutorial floor. Embarrassingly easy.
Monsters that went down with bare fists.
He shot the bowgun anyway.
Maybe it was the increased number of targets making it harder to concentrate — his accuracy had been dropping over time, and he wanted to work on that.
That said — Rapid Fire is a little underwhelming.
Skill: Rapid Fire.
Fire a shot — a phantom follows and fires one more.
The disappointing part: the phantom traveled in the exact same direction as the first shot, like a bunker buster. Both hit the same spot.
It would be so much more useful if he could just fire a second round immediately instead.
That would actually fit the skill name better, he thought.
— Ding!
He defeated the boss mob — the Big-Eyed Rabbit — but this time, he wasn’t transferred to the blue room.
Ragcho materialized in front of him instead.
“Finally running your own Tower-nya?”
“By accident, more or less. Anyway — you’re cute outside the blue room too.”
He smiled, pleased. Ragcho’s tail twisted into a knot.
“Saying that won’t make me raise the discount rate-nya.”
A faint purring woven under the words.
Ragcho seemed happy enough. That was enough.
“Reward first-nya!”
[Floor 1 Reward Basket]
Eyes half-shut, he tapped it.
— Flash!
[Floor 1 Contribution] — 100%
[Reward] — 100 TC
“Ugh! What kind of reward is this!”
The sheer shock of it produced a noise.
100% contribution and only 100 TC?
Floor 1 or not, this was below all imagination.
And he hadn’t done any gathering or synthesizing inside today — meaning he’d cleared as fast as possible specifically to maximize rewards.
And this was 100 TC. This was an insult.
“This is actually quite good-nya! Floor 1 doesn’t record rankings since it’s the tutorial, but at this rate you’d easily make the leaderboard on Floor 2-nya!”
At least she tried to console him.
“You’re kind-hearted too, Ragcho.”
“Heheh, stop saying things you don’t mean-nya~.”
The tail didn’t lie, though.
“Anyway, look at the items-nya!”
The sales window appeared.
Seven items this time, which was unusual.
“They’re all weapons.”
“On Floor 1, weapons are the most profitable thing for the Tower Merchant to carry-nya.”
Seven weapons.
Longsword, knife, bow, crossbow, handgun, gauntlets, wand.
One of each type, it seemed.
“How much?”
If they were cheap enough, he wanted to buy one of everything.
Even ones he wouldn’t use himself.
With his trait, holding a weapon could trigger new skills. Mixing and matching might be worthwhile.
“Weapons available on Floor 1 are all fixed at 500 TC-nya.”
“Is that the 50% discounted price?”
“Awakened Kim Woo-joo is entering, not intruding, so the 50% discount doesn’t apply-nya. Ragcho is so sorry-nya!”
Ears and tail drooping.
How did she always know exactly which things would get to him.
“No need to apologize. But……”
He’d earned 100 TC. Fixed weapon price: 500 TC.
The message: clear Floor 1 five times, buy a weapon, then go to Floor 2.
So that’s what people meant when they said Floor 1 is a five-run thing.
Today: 100 TC. Yesterday, after buying the charger, he had 3 TC left.
Current total: 103 TC.
“I’ll pass today and come back another time.”
“Understood-nya!”
“Oh — Ragcho. Can weapons only be bought on Floor 1?”
“Floor 1 is specifically the floor where you have to somehow acquire a weapon before Floor 2-nya! On Floor 2 and above, you can actually get even better ones-nya!”
“Good to know. Thanks.”
“It’s nothing really, nya-nya~!”
Back in the blue room, he turned it over in his mind.
He already had the bowgun. He was getting used to it, too.
It was a rental, but he could buy it outright if it came to that.
And there was always the possibility of getting a better weapon from Ragcho as he moved up floors.
Floor 1 is a five-run thing?
For him, that didn’t apply.
The next day.
A notification hit every corner of Korea first thing in the morning.
[A record change has occurred for Tower (Korea) Floor 2!]
— 1st place: Kim Woo-joo. 12 minutes 09 seconds 41.
— 2nd place: Seo I-an. 12 minutes 11 seconds 27.
— 3rd place: Hong Je-hun. 12 minutes 12 seconds 00.
Korean Awakened jolted awake by the alarm at the crack of dawn couldn’t get back to sleep.
For reference — Tower time records were only registered for first-time clears.
Only the time it took to defeat the floor’s boss for the very first time got logged.
People used these records to estimate a rough sense of someone’s class.
Which made a new first place the arrival of a new rising star.
Cause for celebration, surely.
But one person — only Seo I-an — couldn’t bring herself to welcome it unconditionally.
“Oh for —— Kim Woo-joo must have pulled a good trait.”
She alone found the situation uncomfortable.
Seo I-an had been on a royal road from the start — rising steadily on the strength of her trait since the very beginning of her Awakening.
And she’d built the records to match.
Now someone had gone and matched those records — nearly beat them — on the way up.
Kim Woo-joo.
Anyone else, she’d have cheered with both arms wide. But the name being Kim Woo-joo was the problem.
I’ll eat my swords if Kim Woo-joo ever clears Floor 25.
The words she’d said to Park Si-woo circled back through her head.
That moment——
— Buzz.
Phone vibrating.
She glanced at the screen.
[Caller] : Park Si-woo
— Awakened Seo I-an-nim. How are your hands holding up^^?
“Oh, for the love of——!”
Her hands suddenly felt sore for no reason. She started shaking out her wrists irritably.
And then, out of nowhere, a thought cut through.
……Wait. What if Kim Woo-joo met the rabbit too?!
That was entirely possible.