Various environments exist on each floor of the Black Tower.
There are caves, desert-like wastelands, forests with grass and trees, even denser jungles, rugged mountains, and snowfields with raging blizzards…
The tower’s interior was no different from real environments.
The rolling stones were real, the hard-textured trees were real, and the delicate grass was real too.
Would players who entered the tower just stand and stare at such things?
To commemorate entering the tower, they would pick up stones and put them in their tower-exclusive inventory, break off branches to store, and even pull up a few blades of grass to keep.
But when they exited the tower, everything disappeared.
Stones, branches, grass—everything.
Was it because they were in the inventory?
Maybe it would be different if they held them in their hands upon exit.
But the result was the same.
No drops, no gathering.
Only conquest reward items.
They could only take out what was given to their tower-exclusive inventory as rewards.
Nothing else was allowed.
But what about the items that came out of Razix’s backpack?
Somehow, he had skinned the enormous Armored Basilisk, mined magic stones, and pulled up plants that looked like herbs.
“Are you saying Razix gathered and brought all this?”
“Hoeng, I’m sorry, Summoner. Those people finished the conquest too quickly. I could only get this much.”
“What bad people! Just conquering on their own and ending it as they please!”
“HOENG!!!”
In any case, it was astounding.
It was surprising that Razix was only a Rare rank.
Well,
Gobang was also initially Rare.
Strong but not very smart.
Similarly, Razix is capable but has minimal combat power.
Ah.
To think we were going to drive out this precious being because of low combat power.
We need to reflect deeply.
Juhyeok hugged Razix tightly, rubbing his face against him while saying:
Soft and round,
“Oh, Mr. Razix! You’re the best! The absolute best! A true angel among angels! Gwangma can just get lost!”
Then the others also joined in.
“Th-that’s right. A truly excellent summoned being.”
“Sir Razix, may this humble maiden also embrace you once?”
“Excellent. The warrior will protect Razix.”
“Hoeng?”
Razix didn’t know how to react.
He thought he would be scolded for not filling his bag completely.
Yet they were praising him like this.
“Hoeee…”
The items Juhyeok had received up to the 41st floor.
Except for a few, over 90% were magic stones.
What’s the point of achieving S++ conquests?
Just to get magic stones and go home.
It’s the same for other players too.
Being a player means making a living by selling magic stones.
Occasionally, conquest rewards might include metals, leather, herbs, or items, but the probability isn’t very high.
In this sense, Razix’s tower gathering ability is enough to overshadow an LSSR. Imagine so many material items tumbling out of such a small backpack.
‘It seems to be a backpack with capabilities similar to an inventory.’
We’ll stay together until the end.
No replacement.
What about the 51st floor?
Well, we can just bench him.
And achieve characteristic enhancement once more.
By any means necessary.
“Mr. Razix, you feel disappointed because it ended so quickly, right?”
“…Yeeng.”
“Then shall we go in once more?”
“Tomorrow?”
“No, now.”
“Hoeng? But it’s only once a day…”
“We can go in. I can do it twice. Hahaha.”
“HOEEK?”
Razix was shocked.
With eyes wide open,
“…Hoe, Summoner, you’re so cool. Amazing.”
“Shall we go in now?”
“Yeeng.”
“Then let’s go!”
Spot!
[Entering the 41st floor of South Korea’s Black Tower.]
※ ※ ※
Before starting the conquest.
Juhyeok gathered the summoned beings.
“Alright, since we’ve already completed an S++ conquest of this floor. As slowly as possible. So our Razix can work comfortably, understood?”
“Yes, sir! I’ll drag it out until the mission time limit!”
“Will try. Lizard, kill late.”
“This humble maiden will move alongside Sir Razix.”
“Hoeng!”
It’s exciting.
Just how many materials will he gather?
Razix moves out.
Roll-roll-roll.
Enlarged Gobang went forward to block the path, preventing basilisks from approaching Razix.
Kozak also assisted.
Razix had already started gathering activities, far ahead.
‘He’s fast, so fast.’
His legs were merely decorative.
They posed no obstacle to Razix’s movement.
Perhaps his round body was designed for convenient movement.
He rolled over there, wiggling his bottom while working, then rolled elsewhere to wiggle his bottom again.
His appearance was so cute that just watching him was enjoyable.
Juhyeok wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
“Kyaaah!!!”
Dallae screamed like a madwoman as she chased after Razix.
‘Hmm,’
The strict, dignified, and serious princess of the Heavenly Empire was nowhere to be seen.
Meanwhile, Gobang grabbed an approaching Armored Basilisk’s tail and tossed it away.
He didn’t even kill it.
Despite quite some time passing, the kill count remained at 0.
Razix seemed to have finished his gathering activities.
He stopped rolling around and stood in front of Gobang, looking up at him.
“Hoe…”
“Laborer Razix, can we kill lizard now?”
“Just one.”
“Understood.”
The most curious moment.
Just how would he skin the hide in one piece?
Gobang grabbed the tail of a passing basilisk.
Then whirled it around and slammed it to the ground!
Thud!
“Got it.”
Suddenly!
“Hoeeeeng!”
Razix burst into tears.
Juhyeok immediately scolded Gobang.
“Hey, why are you making him cry?”
Kozak too,
And Dallae,
“You bastard! I knew you’d cause trouble someday! Now that you’re SSR, you think you can do whatever you want?”
“That’s too much, Lord Gobang! Such harsh treatment towards the small and weak Sir Razix! Even among servants, one must maintain courtesy.”
Gobang, startled, waved his hands in denial.
“Uh, I, I just caught the basilisk.”
True.
Why did he cry?
So I asked.
“Hoeng, killing it like that ruins the hide. We’ll have to throw it away.”
“Ah!”
He needed to skin it, but slamming it so violently ruined the hide.
Originally, basilisk hide has an automatic scratch recovery function, but it can’t recover from devastating impacts like this.
So Juhyeok took out his Cold Dusk’s Golden Mace, received as a special privilege.
“Just trust me. I’ll cleanly kill one for you.”
“Hoeng, if you hit it with that, the hide will freeze and shatter. You don’t need to kill any, Summoner.”
“…”
What’s with these guys?
Each preventing me from hunting in their own way.
Nothing to be done.
Juhyeok gestured to Kozak.
“Oh my, Mr. Razix, you should have said so earlier. This SSR Kozak will kill it cleanly for you.”
“Hoeng?”
“With this dagger’s blade energy, I’ll stab its eye and…”
“Hoeeee,”
Razix’s eyes sparkled.
The hunt began again.
Dallae held her bell and cast confusion on the basilisk.
Then Gobang lightly broke its legs and restricted it, and Kozak finished it off.
Thus, a basilisk corpse without a single scratch.
Razix immediately stepped forward.
Taking out a short knife from his chest, he cut here and there.
Grabbing the basilisk’s jaw with his short arms,
“Heave-ho!”
As he rolled around, pulling strongly,
Riiip!
“Wow!”
Clap clap clap clap!
Juhyeok and the rest of the summoned beings applauded.
Complete separation of body and hide.
It was like shedding skin.
The skinned hide automatically went into the small backpack.
‘That seems to be a skill too.’
Of course.
Razix isn’t Normal but Rare.
Incredibly skilled and experienced.
No wonder he’s so well-regarded.
After one, another one.
It takes some time, but who cares?
It’s not like we’re aiming for an S++ conquest.
But after the sixth one was killed.
“Hoe, that’s it.”
Huh? What do you mean it’s over?
“Bag is full.”
“Ah…”
It seems that backpack has limits too.
Well, considering how big one hide is.
It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to be satisfied with this.
Monster hides,
These are rare and expensive.
Even the combat boots Juhyeok wears are made from basilisk hide.
They’re used for crafting armor, but also for general production.
Things like bags, shoes, wallets.
Very durable, and due to their rarity, they fetch a high price.
But the quantity is so limited that they can’t be commercialized.
Instead, celebrities like singers and actors, as well as wealthy individuals, are desperately trying to obtain monster hides.
How much pressure is there from animal protection organizations these days?
They protest naked, demanding that innocent animals not be skinned for human greed, causing a commotion.
So even celebrities have to be mindful of animal protection groups.
But what about custom-made products from monster hide?
Animal protection groups’ arguments wouldn’t hold water.
Surely they wouldn’t argue that monsters also have the right to live peacefully?
A sudden thought.
I want to feed Razix a Summoned Being Rank Increase Rune.
And thus create a laborer who hides his strength, the strongest laborer in history.
‘I’m really curious.’
SR Razix, SSR Laborer Razix.
How would he change if his rank increased?
The backpack capacity would definitely increase.
‘Maybe he could bring not just tower materials but also items?’
He was a companion with promising development.
※ ※ ※
Juhyeok and his party exited the tower.
This was the conquest that took the longest time so far.
The narrow living room of the officetel was filled with items Razix had gathered.
“Hahaha!”
“Hehehehe.”
“Hoehehe.”
They were full without even eating.
Assuming everything is sold, how much would this all be worth?
Six whole basilisk hides.
Adding the one skinned earlier, a total of seven.
Just these alone left no room in the living room.
Magic stones mined from inside the tower: 50kg.
Market value: 25 million won.
Unknown herbs.
They would know after an appraisal.
Tower rewards give dried herbs, but these were freshly picked.
He said he couldn’t mine ores.
Well, that could be done later.
Everything went into Juhyeok’s inventory.
Despite his level increase expanding the space, it was nearly one-third full.
Laborer Razix, now confirmed as an official member.
A total of five family members.
‘I can’t postpone this any longer.’
Moving was urgent.
He wanted to move right away.
A spacious house was essential for the summoned beings’ comfort.
Juhyeok turned on his laptop.
He opened a real estate website to search for a decent apartment.
Apartment prices were not easy on the pocket.
Even if not a penthouse, a reasonably spacious apartment would cost over 5 billion won.
Expensive ones were over 10 billion.
Well, in a market where some are even priced at 20 billion.
‘Expensive, so expensive.’
Looking outside Seoul would give more options.
You could buy a larger apartment for a much lower price.
But he didn’t want to leave Seoul.
This was Juhyeok’s hometown.
His parents and family were here.
Click, click,
Even while thinking, he continued searching for apartments.
Nothing appealed to him.
He knew the reason why.
The penthouse that Jeon Kwang-il had offered wouldn’t leave his mind.
It kept lingering in his thoughts.
How nice would it be to live there?
It was difficult to detach from something he had once set his heart on.
This is why first loves are unforgettable.
In the end, Juhyeok looked at the pictures of the penthouse he had given up on.
The devilishly tempting penthouse that was always a burden, whether you had money or not.
If he were a real macho man, he would have just gone for it without hesitation.
‘Oh right! What happened with the Holy Sword rental?’
Let’s ask while I’m at it.
He turned on his smartphone after a long time.
Since civil servants are busy, he’d text.
A moment later.
Ding!
A text notification sounded.
That’s a quick reply.
Let’s see. The rental fee…
“Huh?”
What’s this?
Juhyeok rubbed his eyes and checked the message again.
‘They… rented it twice?’
My goodness!
What a windfall.
Rented twice?
And they’ve even completed the exact payment.
20 million dollars, 26 billion won.
‘With this, there’s absolutely no problem buying the penthouse.’
Ahhhh!
The world’s strongest nation, the USA.
A country full of macho men.
Thanks to the gracious American player, 20 million dollars, 26 billion won, will soon be deposited into his account.
Truly befitting the title of the world’s top player.
I might as well call him brother.
Brother Gerald Watson.
Give me 26 billion won, and you’re my brother.
Of course! Absolutely!
If I had known he would rent it twice, I would have given him a discount.
He even says he’ll visit again in a few months.
As he should.
To conquer the 67th floor.
“Everyone, please gather round. I have an important announcement.”
“Yes, sir!”
“What is it, my lord?”
“The warrior is ready to listen.”
“Hoe?”
Showing them the laptop screen,
“We’re moving. To this place.”
“Wh-where is this?”
“Isn’t this the palace we saw before?”
“A big house.”
“Hoeeee…”
“But how much does it cost?”
“20 billion.”
“…What?”
Kozak trembled as he spoke.
“T-too expensive. You’ll need a loan. Then Master Bong will become house-poor. We won’t even be able to eat ramen.”
Where did he hear about being house-poor?
“Then loan sharks will come. That’s when ribbons are needed.”
“I’m not borrowing money, though?”
Making such frightening statements so casually.
“Even if you bought it, who would clean such a big house?”
Just then!
“Hoe, please lift your feet! Feet!”
“…”
Swish-swish-swish!
Razix instantly swept past with a mop, cleaning the floor.
Kozak gazed at Razix’s retreating figure.
“…It should be fine to buy it.”
Dallae also offered her final, heartfelt advice.
“This humble maiden is worried. To indulge in such luxury for mere servants. Please reconsider.”
“It’s fine. I can always earn more money. Right, Mr. Razix?”
“…Hoeng?”
With our treasure trove,
What is there to worry about?