A pleasant weight and warmth rested against my chest.
When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a ball of black fur busily baking a perfect loaf on top of my chest.
It was the so-called cat-loaf position, with all four paws tucked beneath the body.
“Mew!”
Upon seeing that I was awake, Bami’s violet eyes sparkled as it greeted me in the morning.
The sight drew a laugh from me.
“Yeah, I slept well. You slept well too, right?”
I carefully lifted Bami from my chest as it answered with a stream of “Mew, mew,” then got out of bed and started my day.
“Let’s see. Today….”
I wanted to head straight to the 4th Floor and hunt a GoldenGoblin… No, everyone else kept calling them GoldenGoblins, and now I was doing it too.
‘It’s a Petty ThiefGoblin.’
I was burning with the desire to catch the bastard that supposedly showered items everywhere, but there was somewhere I needed to visit first.
“It’s about time I put together some proper equipment.”
I planned to postpone climbing the Tower until the afternoon and visit an item brokerage company first.
I could easily use its services online, but if it had any immediately useful equipment, I could pick it up on the spot. I also intended to look around while I was there.
No one would ever guess.
The Bounty Lord, who had covered the front pages of newspapers for the past several days, had achieved records like EX and EX+ with nothing but a tracksuit and a single sword.
‘I’m the Bounty Lord, at least in name, so I should look the part. I don’t want to die either.’
The 2nd Floor Trial had been no easy task, but the 3rd Floor had been different again.
Even if I could not afford expensive, high-quality equipment, I felt I should at least wear something resembling armor.
I moved diligently, finished preparing, and took care of Bami’s breakfast.
“Bami, come eat.”
It recognized the word “eat” with uncanny accuracy and scampered over to lick my shadow.
I could not imagine how that counted as food, but it certainly ate with gusto.
In the meantime, I pointed at another shadow with my finger to see if it would eat that too, but it did not even look at it.
‘…Is there something different about my shadow?’
Ah. It is different.
‘Hmm, right. It’s very different.’
With Bami’s meal taken care of, I was finally ready.
“I’ll be back. Be good and watch the house. I’ll be home before lunch at the latest, so there’s no chance you’ll miss lunch.”
I petted it once and headed toward the front door. Bami worked its short legs furiously, came racing after me—pitter, patter, patter—and blocked my path.
“Mew! Mew! Mew!”
As expected, Bami had no intention of quietly letting me leave this time either.
“Sorry, but we can’t always be together. All you have to do is go NOM, NOM on my shadow, but I’m different. I have to work if I want to eat.”
“Mew?”
It blinked its jewel-like violet eyes and tilted its head, as if asking, ‘Why doesn’t he eat shadows?’
“If you insist on coming, then climb into my Inventory or something.”
I opened my Inventory, but Bami had no intention of entering it, and the Inventory was incapable of admitting it.
“It can’t be helped. Stay here and watch the house.”
What followed was a repeat of the previous night.
Every time I tried to leave, it wailed, “REEEOW─!” The sound weighed on my heart so much that I could not bring myself to go.
“Haa….”
In the end, I was back inside.
I flopped down on the floor, stroked Bami, and sank into thought.
“I can’t leave you home alone when you cry like this, but if I take you with me, your wings are a problem. If I could just hide those, I could take you somehow. Should I put clothes on you…?”
That was the exact moment it happened.
Had Bami understood my concern?
The purring creature, which had been enjoying my touch, suddenly darted into the gap between my crossed legs.
“Hey, hey. Slow down. You’ll get hur….”
Something was strange.
Had I seen it wrong?
“……t?”
Bami had jumped between my legs and vanished right before my eyes.
I rubbed my eyes and searched, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Startled, I called its name.
“Bami…? Bami!”
My shadow rippled slightly, and Bami poked only its face out from within it before tilting its head.
“Mew?”
Oblivious to my shock, it wore an innocent expression that seemed to ask, ‘Did you call me?’
It had startled me half to death by vanishing without warning.
A disbelieving laugh burst out of me along with my relief.
“So… there was a way.”
***
TemDaPam, the largest item-trading brokerage company in the Republic of Korea.
Apparently, when the Tower first appeared in the Republic of Korea and order had yet to be established, the company had begun with a street stall, or so the story went.
Now, some twenty years later, it had erected a magnificent building in the middle of Seoul.
‘Wow… A building in Seoul paid for by item brokerage commissions.’
It was large enough to rival the headquarters of any household-name conglomerate.
The sheer scale of Awakened-related businesses truly hit me.
‘They said there are 100,000 Awakened in Korea… 100,000 definitely isn’t a small number.’
Besides, the equipment used by our dear Awakened was hardly cheap.
‘Is selling pickaxes really the answer instead of mining for gold…?’
I gulped at the strange sense of pressure emanating from the entrance. The moment I stepped inside, the ‘Delicious Scent’ of the people coming and going greeted me.
‘Nine out of ten people passing by are Awakened.’
The interior was no different from a well-appointed department store.
The enormous central hall on the 1st Floor had an open ceiling stretching all the way to the top floor, and the skeleton of an unidentified giant flying monster hung in midair like a chandelier.
The decor made it abundantly clear that this was a place dealing in items from the Tower.
‘…That thing won’t fall, will it? From that height, even one small piece of bone could kill someone.’
Surely a company that had put up a building like this had prepared for something that obvious.
I chuckled at my own foolish thought and picked up one of the directories placed beside the entrance.
‘Now then, where should I go first?’
1F: Consumables / Appraisal Office / Buyback Center / Customer Service
2F: Swords and Blades
3F: Melee Weapons (excluding swords and blades)
4F: Ranged Weapons
5F: Magic Tools
6F: Armor
…
12F: VIP Lounge / Private Auction House
True to the name TemDaPam, which meant ‘We Sell Every Item,’ the place was packed to the brim with a comprehensive selection.
There was nothing it did not carry.
‘Appraisal first.’
My first destination was the Appraisal Office.
I had heard that customers who visited the physical store could have up to five items appraised free of charge, so I intended to find out the approximate market prices of my equipment.
I headed straight there.
Fortunately, because I had arrived right at opening, there was practically no one waiting.
‘Oh, the line is short. Coming out early was worth it.’
I took a number and waited for my turn, much as one would at a bank. It quickly became my turn.
“Welcome, valued customer. What item may we help you with today?”
A radiant smile forged by capitalism, unique to the service industry.
A woman who appeared to be around my age welcomed me.
“Ah, I’d like to have this checked first.”
I took the ‘Plunderer’s Red Breastplate’ I had obtained during yesterday’s 3rd Floor Trial from my Inventory and handed it over.
The Appraiser accepted it and examined it from every angle.
She soon tilted her head as if something puzzled her, then asked me a question.
“Sir, may I ask whether you personally obtained this item while hunting?”
“Yes, I did, but… why? Is something wrong with it?”
“Oh, no. Nothing is wrong. I only asked because this item is not in our database. That is impressive. You have already climbed far enough to obtain such a valuable item.”
To summarize the explanation that followed that pleasant compliment, she said that even a conservative estimate placed it at no less than 8 million won, while putting it up for auction could push it beyond 13 million won.
Anything of Rare Grade was clearly valuable.
‘All that suffering was worth it.’
Next, I became curious about Nocturne, the highest-Grade item I currently owned, and asked about it.
Of course, I did not recklessly take it out.
I merely asked indirectly.
“About how much does a Masterwork Longsword usually cost?”
I had heard that most crimes targeting Awakened began when someone revealed expensive equipment.
“Yes, you mean a Longsword, correct? Are there any particular options you are looking for?”
“Oh, no. I was only wondering about the approximate price.”
“Hmm, in that case… Longswords are always in extremely high demand. A Masterwork generally starts at around 30 million won, and most are traded for approximately 50 million won.”
Even a Masterwork cost that much.
And Nocturne was not a Masterwork, but a Masterpiece item.
“Then what about a Masterpiece…?”
“They start at 100 million won at minimum, but beyond that, it would be difficult even for us to say, ‘This is the price.’ The range varies tremendously depending on the Special Effect, even between items of the same Grade.”
A gasp escaped me at the sound of “a hundred million.”
No, it almost escaped aloud. I swallowed it down just in time.
‘I’m glad I didn’t take it out. I shouldn’t go around showing this off.’
Only one final appraisal request remained.
‘That leaves the helmet.’
The ‘Tooth-Studded Scrap-Iron Crown’ I had obtained on the 2nd Floor.
I had originally intended to sell it because it seemed like equipment only a Summoner would use, but….
‘Hmm, is Bami a Summoned Creature too?’
Bami came to mind, and I deliberated for a moment, but I had no idea whether the creature would be treated as a Summoned Creature.
More importantly, using that small, fragile creature in combat?
I did not particularly want to do that.
‘I’ll just get stronger myself. Selling this is the right choice.’
I took out the helmet and handed it to the woman.
“Please appraise just this last item.”
“Yes, valued customer. I have received the item.”
Another familiar wait followed.
‘I wonder how much this will be….’
That was the exact moment it happened.
“Mew?”
A tiny voice came from my chest—more precisely, from inside my shirt.
“…?”
When I lowered my head, a ball of black fur had poked only its face between the edges of my collar and was looking up at me.
‘When did this little thing…!’
Startled, I hurriedly pushed it back into the shadow inside my clothes.
“Shh.”
It had come out whenever it pleased, but when I put it back, it obediently went inside again.
After surviving the crisis, I quickly glanced around.
Fortunately, the people waiting in line were busy looking at their phones.
The Appraiser in front of me was also focused on the helmet and appeared not to have noticed anything on my side.
“Phew….”
“Sir?”
The Appraiser raised her head in response to my sigh.
“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. Please continue. That was just an interjection… something like that. The prices of higher-Grade items are much more impressive than I expected.”
She smiled as if she understood.
“You have already personally obtained a Rare Grade item. I am sure you will be able to obtain Masterwork and Masterpiece items before long.”
“Ha, haha… Yes, I hope so.”
I felt as though cold sweat was trickling down my back.
The employee focused on the appraisal again, then continued in an apologetic tone.
“The appraised value of this item is 6 million won. Its performance is unquestionably Rare Grade, but there are only a limited number of customers seeking Summoner-exclusive items, making it difficult to receive a fair price befitting its Grade.”
6 million won?
Six million for an item I could not even use.
As the Appraiser had said, it was cheaper than the breastplate despite being the same Grade, but this was still more than I could have hoped for.
Technically, I could use it if I ignored its options and wore it purely as a ‘helmet,’ but there was no reason to do that.
I would rather sell it and buy something else to use.
“The appraised value you quoted is the immediate sale price here, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct, valued customer.”
However, she soon asked me cautiously.
“Are you perhaps considering selling this item to us immediately?”
“Yes, I was thinking of doing that.”
“Hmm… If I were you, I would not sell this item immediately.”
“…What? Why?”
When I looked at the employee with a puzzled expression, she elaborated.
“As I mentioned before, equipment with Summoned Creature-related options has few buyers, but its price tends to fluctuate wildly.”
“Oh, does it?”
Hmm, I had not known that.
“That is why I mention it. How would you feel about listing it in an auction we operate? It will take some time, but if several Summoner-type Awakened participate, you may receive two or three times the immediate sale price, or perhaps even more. The commission is somewhat higher, but I believe this equipment has enough value to make it worthwhile, so I recommend it.”
The expert’s advice was as precious as gold and jade.
There was no reason to refuse when I might earn more money.
It was not as though I would starve to death without 6 million won immediately.
“Thank you for the useful information. I’ll follow your advice and list it for auction.”
After thanking the helpful employee, I immediately headed to the Buyback Center on the same floor.
TemDaPam might have begun purely as a transaction broker, but it had long since expanded into buying and selling items directly as the business grew.
Since I had come this far, I intended to turn all the crafting materials and minor scrap-grade equipment I had accumulated into cash.
‘The atmosphere here is completely different.’
The Buyback Center resembled the checkout lanes of a supermarket.
BEEP. BEEP.
As the mechanical sounds of item Grades being scanned rang out ceaselessly, Awakened lined up before over ten counters and waited for their turns.
This was a place that valued fast and accurate processing over friendly consultation.
I also stood at the end of the line and waited for a while.
My turn soon came, and the employee behind the counter mechanically checked the materials I presented before reciting the price in a lifeless voice.
“Two Giant Sawtooth Fangs and other materials, 105 material items in total… Including one Low Grade equipment item, the total purchase price is 7.8 million won. Would you like to sell?”
“Yes, all of it.”
“Payment will be issued after deducting an 8% purchasing commission. If you consent to the sale, please confirm the settlement amount and sign here.”
‘8%. I heard the Government Buyback Center only charges 5%.’
A difference of 3%.
3% of 7.8 million won was a staggering 230,000 won.
That was half a month’s rent…!
‘…My hands and feet are trembling a little, but still.’
When I thought of it as the price of hiding my identity, it was not that expensive.
‘I need to get used to having commissions taken. Even after the commission, it’s almost 7.2 million won. That’s still a fortune.’
Without hesitation, I swiftly scrawled my signature.
With that, I disposed of most of the crafting materials other than what I would use and finished converting them into cash.
Just looking at my account after another 7.2 million won had been added made me feel secure.
‘All right, next up is… shopping!’
My pockets were full now.
It was time to graduate from climbing in a tracksuit.