*Shoooosh-*

*Chirp, chirp-*

The sound of the waterfall and the birdsong soothed his mind.

Ha Gangwoo sat on the neatly trimmed lawn, staring at the system window.

[Weapon Mastery][E]

Rank: F

Type: Passive

Effect: Allows proficient handling of all weapons. (Rank increases as skill is honed through practice.)

“No way.”

Gangwoo rubbed his chin, studying Weapon Mastery closely.

All the basic weapon skills he’d painstakingly raised were gone, but this more than made up for it.

‘Wonder if it works on guns too.’

The reason was simple—this skill covered weapons that his Basic Weapon Skills hadn’t touched.

The Training Room had been missing a few weapon types.

Guns, scythes, daggers—things like that.

But this Mastery had no such restrictions.

Just the single line: proficient handling of all weapons.

A faint smile spread across Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Broken.’

He’d gotten his hands on an unexpectedly broken skill.

Gangwoo turned his head toward the largest building.

[2 hours 15 minutes 11 seconds]

Just two more hours until the tournament began.

‘Probably fighting Players again.’

Gangwoo rose to his feet and reached out his hand.

‘Steel Sword’

*Shrrk—* The Steel Sword coiled into his grip, materializing as though it belonged there.

‘Who knew Sense had a trick like this.’

Gangwoo swung the blade through the air, letting the memory of his fight with Antero surface.

*Fwish—* Antero’s movements as he swung his weapon.

*Clang—* How he’d countered when their weapons clashed.

*Thud—* The way he pressed in close with his shield.

Gangwoo studied each detail, trying to replicate them.

And each time, the notifications came.

[The rank of Basic Swordsmanship has increased by one level!!!]

[The rank of Basic Spearmanship has increased by one level!!!]

[The rank of Basic Shieldcraft has increased by one level!!!]

The condition for ranking up was one thing.

(Rank increases as skill is honed through practice.)

When he’d first copied Jo Seunghyun cutting jelly, he’d thought—

‘Did I have a talent I didn’t know about?’

He’d always had confidence in his athleticism, but no one had ever called him a genius. Yet here he was, replicating another’s movements perfectly on the first try.

And after the fight with Antero, he understood.

‘So it was Sense.’

It all came from Sense’s spatial awareness.

The ability to read an opponent, the spatial perception to feel his own movements with precision.

That let him grasp the enemy’s actions clearly, and meeting the skill-up condition triggered the rank increase.

Gangwoo was still swinging his sword, recalling his fight with Antero, when—

*Ding-*

[The rank of Weapon Mastery has increased by one level!!!]

[Rank: F → Rank: E]

The Mastery had risen again.

A smile tugging at his lips, Gangwoo swung the blade once more.

*Fwish—*

Sure enough, he didn’t feel any direct surge in ability.

But now he understood.

The higher the skill rank, the more it refined the small habits in a fight, the way he read opponents—everything.

That was why his blade had finally touched Antero’s body, something that had seemed impossible before.

The Steel Sword in Ha Gangwoo’s hand dissolved smoothly, vanishing as if it had never been there.

“Kheuuugh~… Kheuuugh~…”

Ha Gangwoo dropped onto the grass beside Jo Seunghyun, who was snoring away in a dead sleep, and slumped down with a thud.

‘Come to think of it… I’m not even tired.’

It had been a long time since he’d last slept, but drowsiness didn’t touch him.

Was it the same reason Players didn’t age?

Still, the urge to shut his eyes hadn’t completely abandoned him.

Even now, if he closed his eyes, he felt like he could drift off.

But there was something he had to do first.

*Ding-*

[DLC-Shop]

–

–

–

(Refresh)

‘What’ll pop up this time?’

For Ha Gangwoo, this was the most important thing.

Refreshing the DLC-Shop’s stock.

A smile tugged at his lips as he clicked the Refresh button.

*Ding~!*

[DLC-Shop]

DLC-Warp Altar Update – 5,000,000 Gold

DLC-Book of Job Change: Blood Devil – 100,000,000 Gold

DLC-Test Product Pouch – 50,000 Gold

Ha Gangwoo’s mouth curled into a thin smile as his eyes swept the list.

“Oh?!”

He hadn’t checked the details yet, but even the names alone told him these were good.

‘Let’s take a closer look first.’

He started examining each item one by one.

First up.

[DLC-Warp Altar]

Grade: C

Description: The DLC-Warp Altar has been updated! Now use the Warp Altar to travel long distances easily and quickly!!

Effects

-Grants 3x Warp Altars.

-Unlocks the Warp Altar System.

Quantity: 1

Purchase Price: 5,000,000 Gold

‘Warp Altar?’

It looked like an item with a teleport-like function built in.

‘Wait, does that mean I can come and go from any place I want?’

It seemed decent enough, but the price was way too steep.

‘Pass for now.’

Ha Gangwoo moved on to the next item.

[DLC-Book of Job Change: Blood Devil]

Grade: A

Description: The DLC-Blood Devil has launched~!!! Use your enemies’ blood to enjoy a variety of skills and actions. (Warning! Due to the nature of the skill, your sanity might slip away.)

Effects

-Acquires the Job-Change Quest: ‘Blood Lord’.

Quantity: 1

Purchase Price: 100,000,000 Gold

‘Crazy…’

Like the Jumping Character, this was a product worth a whopping 100 million Gold.

‘Blood Devil?’

It seemed like an item that granted a class, but what kind of class was it?

The price tag never lied.

It had to be worth at least as much as the Jumping Character.

But based on the description alone, he couldn’t quite get a read on what the class actually was.

Not that he could afford it anyway.

‘Let’s skip it.’

Ha Gangwoo checked the last item.

[DLC-Test Product Pouch]

Grade: ???

Description: A DLC test product pouch. Try the product out before the update~!

(Note: All test products are time-limited items.)

Quantity: 2

Purchase Price: 50,000 Gold

‘Test product?’

It wasn’t cosmetics—what was this, a sample? A strange feeling prickled at him.

‘Is it like the Lucky Pouch of Crisis?’

Judging by the description, the contents looked similar to the Lucky Pouch of Crisis.

The difference was the price and the time limit.

‘Feels wasteful to use.’

A time-limited item—no matter the performance, it’d vanish when the clock ran out.

The price was a whopping 50,000 Gold. As soon as he bought it, he’d probably never recoup the cost.

‘Should I try it? Or just list it on the Auction House?’

He couldn’t decide which move was better.

If he put it on the Auction House, he’d definitely get at least 50,000 Gold.

DLC items were unique—someone might buy one out of sheer curiosity.

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin, mulled it over, then made a decision.

‘I’ll buy it first.’

[Gold Held: 1,263,210]

He had 1.2 million Gold right now.

That was the gold he’d saved up for the DLC items he could actually purchase.

No reason to hold back.

Once he left the Tutorial, gathering Gold would be even easier.

That was how Ha Gangwoo sized it up.

Ding-

[Purchased DLC Test Product Pouch x2.]

The moment the purchase went through, a hum—a halo of light gathered before Ha Gangwoo.

Pop-

Black cloth tied with a string—it looked almost identical to the Lucky Pouch of Crisis, just a different color.

‘I’ll test one first.’

No matter how he thought it over, selling seemed the better deal, but still—it was a DLC item.

It seemed wise to try it out and then decide.

One of the two lucky pouches in Ha Gangwoo’s hand vanished with a soft rustle.

[You have stored the DLC Test Product Pouch in your Inventory.]

The Store feature got more convenient the more he used it.

Ha Gangwoo tore open the remaining lucky pouch immediately.

Bang—smoke burst forth.

A single item materialized into form.

A sleek metal necklace, striking with its yellow gemstone.

[Runetail’s Necklace][!Time-Limited]

Grade: D

Durability: 42/42

Attack Power: 34

Vitality: +35

Description: A necklace made from Runetail’s core. It holds Runetail’s power, greatly increasing magic resistance.

Effects

-Magic Resistance +150

(Time Remaining: 23 hours 59 minutes)

‘Not bad.’

The grade was D—even on the Auction House, D-grade items went for at least 1 million Gold.

And the effect was practically game-breaking.

Only one problem.

‘Twenty-four hours…’

The duration was a mere 24 hours.

Ha Gangwoo’s brow immediately furrowed.

‘50,000 Gold for a day? That’s way too steep.’

No matter that it was a D-grade item—what good was it if it disappeared tomorrow?

Ha Gangwoo let out a long sigh, then looped the necklace around his neck.

“Still, the effect is solid.”

Uung— As the necklace settled around his neck, the yellow gem embedded in it flared with a harsh, vivid light.

‘Exactly what I needed, though.’

He didn’t know if it was coincidence, but right now, Ha Gangwoo’s only weakness was magic.

His body overflowed with overwhelming Stats, but his skills didn’t.

If he got hit with illusions or Derangement skills, he’d have no way to counter them.

But this item shut that one vulnerability down completely.

“Now that I think about it, it’s perfect.”

Seeing it that way, he started to think that opening the pouch wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

The Lucky Pouch of Crisis had given him an item to take down Lucifel at a critical moment, hadn’t it?

If he held onto these lucky pouches too, they’d definitely come in handy.

Ha Gangwoo lifted his head and checked the time remaining.

[2 hours 05 minutes 51 seconds]

With just over two hours left until the tournament, there was still some wiggle room.

Suddenly, Gangwoo’s expression hardened.

‘Of course she’ll show up.’

The final Quest on the 5th floor was the tournament. Lee Ayeon would probably be competing.

If that’s the case, then he’d have to fight the demon.

Ha Gangwoo’s face crumpled in an instant.

Catching a demon on the third floor had taken everything lining up just right.

The demon’s guard down, the Bullet of Ruin, Chae Seohyun’s Buffs, an Amplification Scroll—he’d thrown everything he had at it, and even then, he’d only barely scraped by.

But now? Could he really take down a demon under Lee Ayeon’s control?

No matter how he turned it over, he couldn’t find the confidence.

A dull creak as his fists clenched tight.

‘But I’m going all in anyway.’

Giving up wasn’t even an option.

All he could do was give it his best.

Gangwoo checked his item status.

[Steel Sword] – Durability: 18/35

[Chainmail Top] – Durability: 15/40

[Gray Leather Armor Pants] – Durability: 0/20

[Gray Leather Armor Boots] – Durability: 0/20

[RuneTail’s Necklace][!Limited-Time] – Durability: 42/42

[Reins’ Armlet] – Durability: 15/20

[Lucifel’s Ring] – Durability: ∞/∞

It wasn’t just the bottom armor—the shoes needed replacing too.

‘Let’s see.’

[Gold in possession: 1,163,210 G]

With his funds looking healthy, there was no reason to hold back.

Ha Gangwoo opened the Auction House and started browsing items.

***

[Gold in possession: 2,310 G]

The gold balance that had once been a feast for the eyes now scraped rock bottom.

Just in case, he bought six Mid-Grade HP Potions and this item.

“It was the right call.”

[Decay Gloves]

Grade: E

Durability: 22/22

Attack Power: 18

Strength: +15

Agility: +11

Description: Gloves crafted from Ghoul cores. Cursed to rot whatever they strike.

Effect

– Decays target upon impact.

*Decay — Destroys cells, causing rot.

A measly E-Grade item, and it cost a million one hundred ten thousand Gold.

‘Item prices have no average, do they.’

That was something he’d learned through shopping.

Just because items had the same grade didn’t mean their prices were similar. There were plenty of items that cost more despite a lower grade, simply because their effects were better and rarer.

Even just looking at these gloves, they were two to four times more expensive than other E-grade items.

But the effect—it seemed absolutely necessary for killing a demon.

If he had to pick the single most crucial item for killing demons, it was the Bullet of Ruin.

[*Ruin Attribute — Pulverizes the target, rendering it unable to recover.]

The Bullet of Ruin carried a Ruin Attribute, an effect that made recovery impossible.

And the reason that demon had died was almost certainly thanks to that very effect.

So he’d made the call, spent the gold, and bought the gloves.

Ha Gangwoo slid his right hand into the glove.

A grinding —

The feeling was deeply unpleasant, but there was no helping it.

‘Guess I’ll have to buy the pants and boots next time.’

[Gray Leather Armor Pants] -Durability: 0/20

[Gray Leather Armor Boots] -Durability: 0/20

Their durability was at zero, their grayish tint a sign they’d lost all effect. But he’d spent too much gold on the gloves; with what was left, buying proper gear seemed unlikely.

[Registered Items] (2/13)

[Rupicel Mineral]

-Time Remaining: 36 hours 13 minutes

-Current Bid: 10,000 Gold

-Buy Now: X

[Flame Petal]

-Time Remaining: 36 hours 13 minutes

-Current Bid: 1,520,000 Gold

-Buy Now: X

“Should I switch this to ‘Buy Now’?”

The only way to get money right now was to sell the Flame Petal.

‘No.’

Gangwoo shook his head.

His gear was already good enough.

Even if he sold it and used the 1.5 million gold to buy a couple more items, it wouldn’t drastically change his combat power.

Ha Gangwoo’s fingers brushed over Lucifel’s Ring, still on his hand.

‘And in case of emergency, I’ve still got this.’

Just as Gangwoo was lost in thought—

“What are you doing??”

Jo Seunghyun had gotten up at some point and was speaking with a chocolate bar hanging from his mouth.

“Getting ready to head to the tournament grounds.”

Gangwoo stood up from his spot and stretched his back. The blue sky, the crisp air—it filled his lungs deep and gave him a sense of calm.

‘A strange space.’

What *was* the Tower? It felt like he’d stepped into a completely different world.

As Gangwoo looked around, lost in the moment, Jo Seunghyun held out a chocolate bar and spoke.

“Want one?”

“Huh? Oh. Thanks.”

Gangwoo took the chocolate bar Seunghyun offered.

[Ranerjiba]

Grade: F

Creator: Latte

Description: An energy bar produced by Latte Co. Enjoy a fragrant, sweet chocolate flavor.

Effect

-Recovers 30 HP / 15 MP over 10 seconds

‘They really have everything, huh.’

He was hungry, anyway.

Gangwoo tore open the chocolate bar and took a big bite. The sweet chocolate aroma filled his mouth.

‘Not bad.’

Ha Gangwoo swung his arms as he headed for the tournament grounds, Jo Seunghyun trailing behind him like a lost puppy.

A sudden curiosity stirred.

Jo Seunghyun—who’d been tailing him since the sword training grounds to gawk—had he given up on the second test?

Ha Gangwoo munched on a chocolate bar and asked, chewing.

“You’re not taking Antero’s second test? And if this is a tournament, you might have to fight me, so why are you following me around?”

“Huh? Ah… I was originally planning to skip the second test.”

Jo Seunghyun scratched the back of his head furiously as he continued. The guy who was always grinning had, for some reason, a dead-serious expression now.

“But, I’m going to pass and go. I’ll sit this tournament out and watch your back, big bro, until the next one!”

Jo Seunghyun clenched his fist, then bared a grin as he spoke.

Ha Gangwoo tilted his head and asked.

“You can just skip a tournament?”

“Yes! The tournament keeps going, you know. People who stay long can be here for months. As long as you have Gold, you won’t starve!”

“Ah, I see.”

No wonder—Basic Swordsmanship was a skill you could only get from a Catalog here. Of course people would spend months, even years, to obtain it before leaving.

Ha Gangwoo stuffed the last chocolate bar into his mouth, then fixed his gaze on the tournament grounds.

‘More than I thought.’

A bigger crowd than he’d expected was gathered in front of the tournament arena.

Thump. Thump.

This was it. The final hurdle.

Crack—Ha Gangwoo clenched both fists and headed that way.