I browsed through the furniture category.
Now that I had some Coins, I couldn't keep living on bare, hard concrete forever.
“Money's meant to be spent once you've earned it, right?”
“That's right, Boss!”
Repeated clears had unlocked plenty of items.
Most of them were still beyond my reach, but compared to the beginning, I was grateful to have this much available.
“Now, what should I get? Oh, maybe I should do something about the concrete first.”
Interior decoration was among the newly unlocked options.
Perfect. Even if this was a shelter, did it really have to be so drearily gray?
The concrete probably wasn't good for my health, either.
This shelter was mine, and the ability would stay with me until I died.
If I was going to do this, I might as well decorate the whole place.
“You mean this floor, Boss?”
“No, all of it. Let's see.”
I'd make the color white so it would be easy to clean.
For the floor, I'd rather have vinyl flooring than marble.
The wallpaper would be white too, with a grass pattern.
“There.”
I made the purchase, and the changes took effect immediately.
[80,000 Coins paid.]
[Applied to Subspace Shelter (1st Floor).]
[Applies regardless of floor area.]
In the blink of an eye, the Subspace Shelter's gray interior turned completely white.
“Wow! Your ability's incredible, Boss! The whole place changed!”
“Looks good? I just went with what I wanted.”
“It's the best! Couldn't be better!”
It could put a seasoned interior designer to shame.
The System really was something else.
One click, and the entire interior was finished without me having to move a thing.
“Now let's bring in the furniture, one piece at a time.”
I couldn't just spend recklessly because I had Coins.
First came furniture essential for daily life.
“A bed fir... Huh?”
I'd been about to choose the items one by one when the price stopped me cold.
<Cozy Bed> (700,000 Coins)
Description: A bed that offers comfort like a cloud. Simply lying down allows you to fall asleep immediately, and it possesses excellent restorative properties.
Durability: 100,000
[Abilities]
Excellent Comfort
Excellent Coziness
Low-Grade Recovery
Warmth
Excellent Durability
A whopping 700,000 Coins. After paying for the interior decoration, I had 733,000 left.
I'd have to spend almost my entire fortune to buy it.
Thinking perhaps only beds were expensive, I checked the prices of the other furniture.
They were just as bad.
“Why the hell does a piece of furniture cost almost twenty times as much as a Crop Cultivation Machine? What about the turrets? Sure, they only have five Attack Power, but they're still turrets. Good grief.”
I couldn't sleep on the bare floor again, so I bought the bed first.
[700,000 Coins paid.]
[Cozy Bed has been moved to Storage.]
It hadn't even been a few hours since I'd called myself rich, and my Coins were almost gone.
Earning Coins was damn hard, but spending them was ridiculously easy.
Well, what could I do?
I'd just have to keep earning them.
I installed the bed right beside the Crop Cultivation Machine.
“It does look nice for something that expensive.”
It was wide enough for three people to lie on comfortably.
The frame was made of solid wood, with a thick mattress resting on top.
The shelter, which had smelled like nothing but a parking garage, suddenly filled with the scent of phytoncides in every corner, all because I'd placed a single bed in it.
The mattress looked so soft that it practically beckoned me to lie down immediately.
“I thought I'd have enough to buy all the furniture and even expand the place. Looks like I've got a long way to go.”
“It'll work out if we keep at it, Boss! Besides, we've got one more piece of furniture now!”
“Yeah, let's look on the bright side. We're only getting started. Might as well try out this expensive thing.”
I threw myself onto the bed.
The moment I touched it, I felt the effect.
My body sank deep into the mattress as though I'd fallen into a swamp.
It felt as if an angel were wrapping me in an embrace.
I didn't even need a blanket.
Just the right amount of warmth enveloped me, neither stifling nor cold.
Simply lying there made sleep creep over me.
Even the gunfire echoing through the shelter turned into an angel's lullaby.
Seven hundred thousand Coins?
The thought that it was expensive had long since vanished from my mind.
Compared to its effects, it was absurdly cheap.
Even with my strong willpower, I couldn't resist.
“…….”
“…….”
Only the faint sound of breathing echoed through the Subspace Shelter.
***
“Aah! Another great night's sleep!”
“Yaaawn! Slept great, Boss!”
We stretched at the same time and got out of bed.
It had already been five days since I entered the Tower.
Time really flew.
It felt like only yesterday that I'd bought the bed.
Back when I worked at the guild, one of the Climbers I managed had once told me something.
The Tower gave out enormous rewards, but its trials were unimaginably difficult.
Every day was a living hell, apparently.
Things were different for me.
I couldn't imagine happier days than these.
'It's largely thanks to my Trait.'
Climbing the Tower was difficult for three basic reasons.
Proper sleep, food, and fatigue.
Of course, the trials themselves were hard too.
But that was a problem for later.
Unless your Trait was complete garbage, you were bound to make it upward.
The real problems were those three things, which grew worse the longer you climbed.
Sleeping at someone else's house could be uncomfortable enough. The Tower was a place where people died.
How could anyone eat, sleep, and rest properly there?
Even the most adaptable person was bound to get worn down.
I was the exception.
I had the Subspace Shelter, a home that was one hundred percent safe.
The turrets took care of clearing the trials by themselves.
On top of that, I had a bed and food.
Go back to the way things used to be?
Not a chance.
That life had been several times more hellish.
Three straight years of overtime, chronic fatigue, migraines, and heartburn.
The trio that had constantly tormented me had vanished just from sleeping in the bed.
All I felt throughout my body was refreshment.
“The bed deserves a lot of credit, but to be precise, it's thanks to the soundproof wall.”
<Temporary Transparent Soundproof Wall> (10,000 Coins)
Description: A transparent soundproof wall that effectively blocks sound.
Durability: 500
[Abilities]
Sound Blocking
Transparency
Once I'd installed it around the turrets, not a single sound could get through.
Meanwhile, I could still see clearly outside the Subspace Shelter.
And that wasn't all.
“Let's see how they're growing. Oh, what a harvest! We've got a bumper crop!”
Plump potatoes hung in clusters from the Crop Cultivation Machine.
Even a rough count put the number well over a hundred.
The potato seeds I'd planted the day after buying the bed had grown into potatoes without any trouble.
The grown potatoes even produced seeds, which meant I could keep the cycle going indefinitely!
Before long, I'd need another Crop Cultivation Machine.
It was a relief, considering that sometimes no potatoes had appeared even after clearing Floor 1.
“We're potato-rich, Boss! Rich! Can I eat until my belly bursts?”
“Slow down. The potatoes aren't going anywhere.”
I'd been eating nothing but potatoes for five days, yet I wasn't tired of them at all.
Even chicken, my favorite food, made me sick of it after three days, to the point that I didn't want to touch it again.
'Did somebody put a spell on these things?'
I satisfied my hunger with a baked potato while checking the Subspace Shelter's Durability.
Durability: 55
“That's cutting it close.”
I'd been clearing the floor repeatedly with almost no breaks.
I should rest for a few days.
If I got greedy, this sweet life could shatter into pieces.
'I'll want full Durability before climbing the next floor anyway. I've got food and somewhere to sleep, so let's take it easy.'
I'd just sorted out my thoughts and finished my potato when—
[You have cleared the trial of Extreme (1F) again.]
[50,000 Coins acquired.]
[High-Grade Mana Stone (A) x1 acquired.]
[34 Durability consumed.]
The trial was over.
I was about to put on my glasses and look around for anything else edible one last time when more System messages appeared.
[You have defeated 30 monsters attacking the Subspace Shelter.]
[Subspace Shelter Enhancement has been unlocked.]
[You can now enhance the Subspace Shelter.]
I decided to postpone heading outside.
“Aren't we going, Boss? We need to refill the water too.”
“Just a second. A new feature unlocked. Let's check it first.”
I went back into the Subspace Shelter.
Work Otter came with me.
We'd grown so used to each other that being together had become perfectly ordinary.
<Subspace Shelter>
Durability (0)
Weapons (0)
[Materials are required for enhancement.]
There were two things I could enhance.
There were more options listed below, but they were still locked.
'They'll probably unlock when I enhance this enough, or defeat more monsters like I just did.'
I was already in urgent need of Durability.
And with Weapons available too, I might be able to clear trials even faster.
I selected Durability first.
Durability (+0)
- Poisonous Herbs Lv. 2 or higher (0/5)
- Trees Lv. 3 or higher (0/100)
- Branches Lv. 3 or higher (0/200)
“So that's how it works.”
Weapons was similar.
Weapons (+0)
- Poisonous Herbs Lv. 2 or higher (0/30)
- Trees Lv. 3 or higher (0/50)
- Branches Lv. 3 or higher (0/100)
The requirements weren't nearly as costly as I'd expected.
“Good thing I checked before leaving. I almost wasted more time waiting around, not to mention Durability. But why do I need poisonous herbs? And how am I supposed to get trees and branches?”
I didn't have to ponder it for long.
Countless trees were visible beyond the Subspace Shelter.
It looked doable.
I opened the Subspace Shelter Shop.
I entered the Tools category and browsed through it.
Fortunately, I found exactly what I was looking for.
<Sturdy Axe> (20,000 Coins)
Description: An axe capable of splitting anything. Its sturdy construction makes it difficult to break.
Attack Power: 30
Attack Speed: 1.5
Durability: 1,000
[Abilities]
Excellent Durability
Strong Power
There couldn't have been a more suitable tool.
I bought it immediately.
“I'll help too, Boss!”
“Okay. I can always earn more Coins. Two of us will be faster than one.”
I'd invested ten Stat Coins in each of my stats, so my body felt light.
I planted both feet firmly on the ground.
Putting strength into my torso and arms, I swung the axe.
THUNK!
For my first attempt, the blade had sunk surprisingly deep into the tree.
A few more swings ought to do it.
This time, I steadied my breathing and tightened my muscles.
Investing Stat Coins had increased my Strength, allowing me to control my muscles better.
And the result was—
CRACK!
The tree was cleanly cut and toppled over.
'This is no joke.'
Now I understood why people were so desperate to Awaken.
It felt like I'd become Superman.
[Successfully logged a tree in the Tower.]
[A skill has been unlocked.]
[Logging (Lv. 1) acquired.]
<Logging (Lv. 1)>
Description: Makes logging easier. There is an extremely small chance of achieving Perfect Logging.
I'd acquired another skill.
“It's pretty clear now. Skills are much easier to get in Extreme difficulty. I guess that makes sense, considering how much harder the difficulty is.”
“I did it too, Boss!”
THUD!
Work Otter might have been E-grade, but it was remarkably strong.
Who would've thought it could swing an axe so well with those tiny, adorable paws?
[Sturdy Log (Lv. 15)]
[Sturdy Branch (Lv. 14)]
Now that I'd acquired the Logging skill, I picked up the pace.
“Hyah!”
“Hyaaa, Boss!”
Trees fell one after another at a rapid pace.
The once-dense vegetation vanished before our eyes.
We were on the verge of clearing away more than half the forest.
[Materials for Durability (+0) enhancement are ready.]
[Materials for Weapons (+0) enhancement are ready.]
“We did iiiit!”
“We did, Boss?! Wooo!”
There was no reason to hesitate.
I enhanced both.
The materials we'd gathered in one place burst into brilliant white light and vanished without a trace.
Then—
[Durability (+0) enhancement will take 24 hours.]
[Weapons (+0) enhancement will take 24 hours.]
Now all we had to do was wait.
I'd exhausted myself swinging the axe for so long and checking the materials afterward.
For now, I needed to head inside, rest, eat, or do something to recover.
But as I turned to go back, I noticed something strange in front of us.
A cute cat with deep orange fur sat there, staring straight at us.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Neither of us could say a word.
It wasn't just that a cat had suddenly appeared. Its appearance was the bigger surprise.
A purple hat and a red cloak draped over its shoulders.
“A Mysterious Merchant?”