*Whoosh-*

A searing light hammered his retinas before his vision finally cleared.

Golden architecture.

Street stalls.

A low, lively hum—

The savory smell of grilling meat.

“Special handmade potions for sale!”

“Weapon enhancements done here!”

“Who wants an arm-wrestling bet? Beat me and I’ll give you 10,000 Gold. Entry fee: 1,000 Gold.”

The fourth floor was a market.

Through the clamor of the crowded bazaar, snippets of conversation reached his ears.

“Did you just see that? Crazy, he’s dragging a demon around.”

“No way, isn’t that the team that hit S-Rank?”

“Oh—! Right, that was Lee Ayeon. She cleared S-Rank? That’s insane. I think I saw her heading straight up to the fifth floor. We’ve got to get past it by tomorrow.”

Everyone was whispering as if they’d witnessed something incredible.

Must be because of Lucifel, the demon Lee Ayeon was dragging along.

*She knows Lee Ayeon?*

That part was odd. Recognizing her name just from her face—was she that famous?

*Peaceful.*

Ha Gangwoo glanced around, then immediately opened his quest window.

Maybe it was because everything until now had been so harsh. The current situation felt almost too relaxed.

Ding-

[Quest updated.]

[Tower of Tutorial (4th Floor) — Exchange, Trade, and Games.][Main]

Grade: ???

Description: Activate the guide to unlock the Auction House, then gather Gold. (All fees reduced by 50%.)

Reward: Distributed proportionally based on Gold acquired.

This quest was about gathering Gold.

Whether from getting roughed up in the dungeon, the quest’s intent was plain.

*A quest designed with non-combat traits in mind.*

Right—this tutorial was built for non-combat traits, like Ha Gangwoo’s, aiming at shop- or crafting-type players.

A thin smile crept across Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

*So this existed.*

There was no reason to insist on S-Rank on the third floor after all.

For players like Lee Ayeon or Kang Seongbin, with combat-oriented traits, a high rank on the third floor would have been crucial. Not so for Ha Gangwoo.

A trait that let him buy one-of-a-kind items—he held a massive advantage on the fourth floor.

Ha Gangwoo immediately clicked the floating [!!!] button in front of him.

[Guide starting.]

[Auction House activated.]

[Please open the Auction House.]

Following the guide’s instructions, Ha Gangwoo opened the Auction House.

Ding-

[Auction House]

-Weapons

-Armor

-Catalogs

-Accessories

-Consumables

-Recipes

-Materials

-Other

[Register Item][Search]

A long list of categories burst into view.

“Ooh~!”

Ha Gangwoo crossed his arms and stroked his chin, looking intrigued.

[To register an item, place it up and set a price.]

The guide’s tedious explanation droned on.

[Auction House guide ended.]

The guide was over.

It had gone into detail about how to search, how to buy, and everything else.

What it emphasized most was the fee.

*A 10% cut—outright highway robbery.*

When selling an item, they took a whopping 10% as a fee.

A setup where the more you traded, the more you lost.

Even with the 50% discount here, the fees on future transactions would bleed him dry.

But Ha Gangwoo’s lips curled into a faint smile. He had something up his sleeve.

Gangwoo opened his Trait—the DLC Shop.

Ding-

[DLC Shop]

DLC-Inventory Upgrade — 500,000 Gold

DLC-Auction House VIP Pass — 1,000,000 Gold

—

(Refresh)

A soft grin spread across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

“Yeah. This is good.”

[DLC-Auction House VIP Pass]

Grade: E

Description: The Auction House VIP Pass is here!! Enjoy buying and selling items with VIP-exclusive privileges!!

Effects

– +2 additional listing slots.

– Zero sales commission.

– Pre-order Purchase function added.

– Sorting function added.

Quantity: 1

Purchase Price: 1,000,000 Gold

The item that wiped out the Auction House’s biggest downside: the commission fee. It was the Auction House VIP Pass.

Coming out of the dungeon, he’d thought it was decent for the price. But now, he saw it was anything but. It was outright broken.

The price was one million Gold—normally an unthinkable sum, but not anymore.

[Gold Held: 1,112,400]

The Gold from killing Lucifel alone was a full million.

Even after buying the VIP Pass, he’d still have a hundred thousand Gold left over.

His heart thumped.

This was intoxicating. With enough Gold, the DLC Shop was an endless frontier.

Enough to eye the Rankers themselves.

‘Buy it.’

Gangwoo made his choice and reached a finger toward the DLC—then stopped.

Jumping straight in seemed too rash.

‘Would buying it right away be stupid?’

The most critical function in that DLC was the commission exemption. But unless he planned to sit here and hawk goods all day, it was unnecessary.

Right now, it looked useless.

‘Let’s browse the Auction House first.’

Better to look around the Auction House before making a hasty call. It wouldn’t hurt to decide after.

Gangwoo opened the Auction House.

Ding-

[Auction House]

– Weapons

– Armor

– Catalogs

– Accessories

– Consumables

– Recipes

– Materials

– Other

[List Item] [Search]

There were so many items.

The first thing he searched for was this:

[Mana-Imbued Pistol] — 450,000 Gold

[Mana-Imbued Pistol] — 499,999 Gold

[Mana-Imbued Pistol] — 500,000 Gold

[Mana-Imbued Pistol] — 510,000 Gold

[Mana-Imbued Pistol] — 511,111 Gold

…….

…..

…

.

The weapon he’d lost when he killed Lucifel — the Mana-Imbued Pistol.

“This is insane…”

The Mana-Imbued Pistol’s price exceeded all imagination. Maybe because it was an E-grade Artifact. It cost twice as much as other E-grade items.

‘I just blew 500,000 Gold.’

The Mana-Imbued Pistol was an item he’d received from Antero’s gift after clearing the first floor.

It had helped him a lot all this time, been incredibly useful. Maybe that’s why seeing it destroyed now stung a little.

But the results were satisfying enough. He’d jumped a full eight levels, and on top of that, he’d snagged a ???-grade item.

Ha Gangwoo looked down at the red ring glinting on his index finger.

[Lucifel’s Ring]

Grade: ???

Description: A ring containing Lucifel’s madness. A powerful Demonic energy lingers here—beware, for it may drive you mad!

Effects

– Enables Demonization.

‘How much would this go for…’

Curiosity pricked at him, and Gangwoo immediately searched it up.

[No item exists.]

‘Nothing?’

Disappointing.

Since it didn’t exist in the system at all, there was no way to know what it was worth.

‘Then how much does a ???-grade item even cost?’

[RANK] – F E D C B A [S]

“Nothing.”

The top of the grade scale was S.

[Insufficient level.]

Even S-grade couldn’t be searched—let alone accessed.

“Should I try it?”

The fastest way to gauge Lucifel’s Ring’s value was to use it himself, but the eyes around him were far too many.

Lucifel’s first appearance alone had sent chills down his spine. Transforming into a demon and drawing stares on purpose? Too much of a hassle.

“Let’s save that for later.”

Having made that call, Gangwoo turned to his second question.

Whether he was truly the only one with a DLC.

The corner of Gangwoo’s mouth curled up as he searched for DLC.

[No item exists.]

‘Nothing.’

Not a single item showed up.

From the ‘Bullet of Ruin’ that had killed the demon, to the ‘Lucky Pouch of Crisis’ and the ‘Auction House VIP Pass’—all of it was nonexistent.

‘It can’t be that they just won’t list, right?’

His curiosity about the Auction House system kept flaring up. This newly appeared Auction House was the system most directly tied to Ha Gangwoo’s abilities.

If items couldn’t be posted on the Auction House, he’d have to sell them himself—and that would come with its own risks.

Ha Gangwoo immediately opened his Inventory.

[Rupicel Mineral][Crude Dagger][Flame Petal][Night Grape][Scroll (Clean)]

All five Inventory slots were completely full.

Gangwoo stroked his chin and double-checked the items from the lucky pouch.

[Flame Petal]

Grade: E

Description: A petal from the burning tree, the Fire Tree. Used for various purposes.

[Night Grape]

Grade: D

Description: A specialty of Shalon—Night Grapes. Their sweet and tangy flavor is exceptional.

‘At first glance, these are pretty meh.’

[Scroll (Clean)]

Grade: F

Description: A scroll imbued with Purification magic. When used, it removes all impurities from the body.

The only item that seemed remotely useful was the scroll.

“This one might be worth a try.”

Ha Gangwoo promptly selected [Register Item].

Ding-!

[Register Item]

– Place the item you wish to register in the Auction House.

– Starting Bid:

– Buy Now Price:

– Auction Duration:

(5% Fee)

“Hmm… Is it really this simple? Just post it up?”

Having skimmed the guide, the interface looked straightforward enough.

Gangwoo first tossed a Flame Petal into the registration slot.

Ding–

[Flame Petal has been registered.]

[Please set a Starting Bid and Buy Now Price.]

The system demanded he set a price from scratch with no handholding.

But the auxiliary data field — the one that should have shown market averages — sat blank.

[Flame Petal]

*Auction House Average Price: –

*Auction House Minimum Price (Buy Now): –

A sure sign this item had never been traded before.

In other words, it was one of a kind.

Then again, it was an E-rank item — nothing but junk with no practical effect.

“Let’s just put it up and see what happens.”

Having made his call, Gangwoo keyed in the prices.

[Register Item]

– [Flame Petal]

– Starting Bid: 10,000 Gold

– Buy Now Price: –

– Auction Duration: 72 Hours

(5% Fee)

He set the timer for roughly three days and pegged the starting bid to the average going rate for materials.

Leaving the Buy Now field blank meant the item could only be purchased via auction — so he left it empty on purpose.

[Would you like to register this item?] (Warning! Once sold, this action cannot be undone.)

[Yes / No]

Gangwoo tapped Yes without hesitation.

If the price didn’t work out, he could always cancel the listing — no big deal.

With that settled, he started registering everything else he had.

[Would you like to register this item?] (Warning! Once sold, this action cannot be undone.)

[Yes / No]

The last item he listed was the Crude Dagger.

This time, since the item had a trading history, the auxiliary system kicked in.

[Crude Dagger]

*Auction House Average Price: 100 Gold

*Auction House Minimum Price (Buy Now): 500 Gold

F-rank junk — the price was pathetic. Still, 500 Gold came out to a cool 5,000 won in real money; nothing to sneeze at.

Two items remained unregistered.

His stomach was already broadcasting a gurgling SOS for food.

[Night Grape]

Grade: D

Description: A specialty fruit from Shalon. Sweet and tangy, with exquisite flavor.

A tiny, green-tinged grape. This was food, plain and simple.

Gangwoo popped it straight into his mouth.

Crunch-

The moment he bit down, juice flooded his palate. Tangy — and surprisingly sweet.

“Delicious.”

He swallowed in one gulp.

“Huh? What the—”

A surprisingly pleasant fullness spread through his empty stomach.

And then—

Ding-

[HP recovered by 150.]

[MP recovered by 150.]

[Satiety increases Vitality Stat by 10.]

“Didn’t know food could do that.”

He’d thought it was just another meal, but as an item, it was clearly different.

Not just fullness—it actually boosted a stat.

‘Good thing I ate.’

No telling what was coming next, but he’d need to stay in the Tower at least another day.

He wasn’t about to let hunger cloud his judgment.

But hunger wasn’t the only problem.

[Scroll (Clean)]

Grade: F

Description: A scroll imbued with Purification magic. Removes all foreign matter from the body upon use.

His whole body was sticky with blood and grime, sour with sweat. Dirt had clumped into the gore, caking him black from head to toe.

The discomfort alone was enough to mess with clear thinking.

Rrrrrip—

Ha Gangwoo tore the scroll open on the spot.

[Scroll (Clean) used.]

The torn edges dissolved into a corona of light that swept over his entire body.

Ding-

[All foreign matter removed.]

The filth that had caked him fell away with the glow, piling thick on the ground.

His bare torso emerged from the grime, pale against the black dust.

Maybe it was the sudden cleanliness, but heads turned.

“What’s that shirtless guy doing?”

“Mind your business—this place is full of freaks.”

‘…’

He’d dumped his leather armor after the fight with Lucifel left it ruined. Now he needed a new top.

‘Gotta buy a shirt.’

Now that he actually needed an item, he really appreciated how convenient the Auction House system was.

Gangwoo opened the Auction House and searched for chest armor.

[Chest]

-Grade:[]~[]

-Enhancement:[]~[]

-Strength:[]~[]

-Agility:[]~[]

-Vitality:[]~[]

-Mana:[]~[]

“Oh—!”

The armor search even let him filter by grade and stat range. But right now Gangwoo didn’t need a great item—he just needed clothes.

Ding-

[300 Gold spent.]

[Shabby Cloth Top purchased.]

The moment the purchase went through, light pooled in front of him with a hum. Then—paf—a cloth shirt popped into existence.

[Shabby Cloth Top]

Grade: F

Crafted by: Min Inseo

Durability: 10/10

Defense: 5

Description: A top made from worn cloth. Low durability and defense, unsuitable for combat.

“Convenient.”

Buy what you want and get it instantly—couldn’t get easier than that.

A satisfied look crossed Gangwoo’s face as he pulled the item on. The fit was lousy—old and worn—but it beat walking around bare-chested.

‘What about my items?’

Suddenly he remembered the stuff he’d listed.

It had only been ten minutes, but he couldn’t help being curious.

Gangwoo selected [Listed Items].

His eyes went wide.

[Listed Items] (3/10)

[Rupicel Mineral]

-Time remaining: 73 hours 46 minutes.

-Current bid: 10,000 Gold.

-Buy it now: X.

[Flame Petal]

-Time remaining: 73 hours 46 minutes.

-Current bid: 120,000 Gold.

-Buy it now: X.

[Crude Dagger]- Sale complete.

[You have acquired 475 Gold.]

“Huh? What the hell.”

He’d listed that Flame Petal for a measly 10,000 Gold, and now the price had shot up like crazy.

“Who’d buy this junk?”

A whole 120,000 Gold. A grin spread across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

***

Inside a massive building, a colossal workshop. The company’s owner, Misha, was there.

Red hair, long and flowing in waves—a young woman.

Even in her office wear, her figure stood out unmistakably.

“Hmm…”

She rested her arm on the desk, staring at the system window before her.

[Hidden][Special Flame Enhancement Potion]

Ingredients

– Purified Water Imbued with Intense Mana x1

– Drake’s Blood x1

– Red Tree Root Sap x1

– Flame Petal x1

– Mana Concentrate x1

“Haah…”

Misha let out a deep sigh.

A Hidden potion recipe, no less. But there was another reason she sighed at this item.

“Why does it have to be this potion for the skill awakening material…”

That crafted potion was the material for her skill awakening Quest.

And she couldn’t make it.

If she were missing everything, she wouldn’t complain—but it was just one item.

The Flame Petal was nowhere to be found.

Misha twisted a lock of her hair around her finger, frowning.

‘A Hidden item? Or something from Scenario 3? An unknown Gate?’

No matter how much she thought, the question had no answer.

All she could do was have her employees scour the Auction House like a comb.

There were about a dozen potions she couldn’t make due to missing ingredients, and among them, this Hidden potion was an absolute must.

But worrying like this changed nothing.

Finally, Misha gave up.

‘Let’s just work.’

She steeled herself, pushed her chair back with a *thump*, and stood up.

Just then—

*Brrrring-*

A call came in.

Misha picked up the receiver.

“Yes, go ahead.”

-Boss!!! We found the Flame Petal.

A call from her employee.

Misha’s face lit up instantly.

“What? You found it? Where?”

-One item’s up on the Auction House. I’ve placed a bid for now, but… who knows what’ll happen.

“Get it, no matter what! I don’t care how much it costs!!”

Misha cut off her employee and shouted.

A sly smile crept onto Misha’s lips.

The Flame Petal she’d been searching for—finally found.