7 – Episode 7. Talent of Greed
Look at yourself.
Maybe it’s because it’s a relic, but today I feel Jessica’s appearance is beautiful.
Ebony wood handles that have been dug to the shape of my hand, still in perfect balance, until the day they are too sharpened to become smaller.
‘Perfect, perfect.’
From noble mtl dot com
Even though I forgot about her because I fell in love with her TOE, she exquisitely appeared and saved me when I needed it.
As expected, one partner in this world is Jessica.
“Wow, this is my first time seeing weapon type artifacts. Can I touch them?”
Have eyes to see.
Dana seemed to be mesmerized by her figure as well.
Looking at my eyes, I slowly reach out my hand, but…
I’m not even sure. On the trivial human subject.
“Sup! What am I doing to my lifelong partner? Do not come. You’ll be happy when you come.”
“Ah, that’s shameful… I also showed you the ingredients. And let my mother use the pot.”
“This is not a tool, it is my soul mate. You also lent your mother’s pot, you didn’t lend her.”
“Partner…? Isn’t that… a kitchen knife?”
“Can’t a kitchen knife be your partner?”
“Um… Well… There are sometimes people with horns on their heads in this town… Making friends with tools is… Well, yes! I can!”
I’m not good at managing my expression. A look of bewilderment was smeared across Dana’s face.
But it doesn’t matter.
No matter what other people think, my values are firm.
I know very well that human beings are social animals and live their lives intertwined with other people.
But even the person who gave me this sword betrayed me.
Everyone lives according to their own desires, and there is no such thing as altruism in this world.
When a dangerous moment comes, money will leave first, followed by human beings, and in the end, only things and Jessica will remain in my hands.
So if there’s even a little bit of affection left in me… I’ll pour that affection out to Jessica.
Heukheuk I won’t throw away Jessica-chan anymore.
There is no need for trivial human understanding in this sublime mind.
And now this pub is also bye-bye.
I said my last goodbye to Dana.
“Thank you for today. The stew was also good.”
Then, Dana openly replied with a regretful voice.
“To go…? What about the pot? You said you were going to put the ingredients in…”
“I don’t need it anymore.”
Now that Jessica is back, there is no need for experiments.
The reason I tried using a pot was because I was curious about how that messy ingredients would change anyway, but now I have a more perfect method.
Now, no matter what dog material you get, you have nothing to fear as long as you are with Jessica.
If you clean it slowly as you always do, a delicious dish will be made.
Because we always did.
From the bar to the door.
As I traveled that short distance, Dana chased after me, constantly asking questions.
Why? Why are you no longer needed? Where are you going will you come again? Sleep? Do you have a good place?
I answered the question waterfall with 50% lies and 50% loosely and left the store.
I know you’re very lonely, but I don’t need friends, so you take care of your loneliness.
Still, I gave you quite a bit of information, so next time we meet at the tower, I’ll refrain from taking the first steps.
I work alone.
This iron rule is no exception, even if it’s someone with Dana’s name.
As soon as I left the store, I turned around and headed for the next door.
There is [Gilli’s Collector], The next destination.
In the game, the gray-haired grandfather was the owner, but Dana said that she was her older sister, maybe?
Has something changed here too?
It doesn’t matter though.
Whether it’s a woman or a grandfather, the important thing is that all the japtem from the village are gathered in this store.
Of course, the number one thing to buy is ingredients.
I need to find something useful as a cooking ingredient.
And if possible… I’d love to have that too.
After the release of the TOE, it was first discovered, but no one has been able to obtain it until now.
I couldn’t get it in the game no matter how much I researched it.
Maybe you can get it in the final round where you risk your life.
Dugazite!
**
“32 Gold for everything. I tried, but it’s a pity.”
At [Gilli’s Collection], The only shop in this town, the same scene would be played dozens of times a day.
First, when a climber dressed like a slug spills a lot of something on the bar.
The shop owner, a woman, casually calls out the price.
Then most climbers let out a deep sigh, or get angry, or play one of two endings.
This time it was the latter.
“No… This is not really a scam!? My inventory is full, but how can this be 32 gold!”
“If you don’t like it, you protest against the golden rule. The headquarters is on the 40th floor. Oh, but this is the first floor? What?”
“Ugh…”
“If you have any complaints, climb the tower. Climb the tower if you get lost. If you want to overturn the other person’s opinion, climb higher than him. How many times have I said The rules are the same for everyone. So even if you get mad at me, ah~ nothing will change, you kid! I’m the only one who buys your things, so you keep acting like that?”
“Ha… I’m sorry. This time, there are 10 returned soldiers… But it’s only this… I’m angry…”
“Ah~ did you see that? There are days like that in life. So, what would you like to buy today?”
Platinum blonde hair tied back and full red lips.
A woman wearing her short shorts and a loose white sweater that hides the pants.
Sugar Floyd, the owner of this shop, boasts a strong body and porcelain-like porcelain skin even though she is 40 years old.
Twenty years have passed since I entered the tower at the age of 20, so the appearance has settled down in my 20s.
Terribly, he did not age in the Tower.
She used to sit at this bar and spend most of her day looking down on her face.
Dealing with inexperienced climbers every day, admonishing them, then, as always, leaving a vial on the table.
Even now.
Tak-!
[Potion of Rest]
– A potion that reduces return troops by 3.
– 50G
This is the potion that most humans who arrive in this village live with.
Because they always have to enter the tower, find an exit to the second floor, and come back here if they fail.
The returning soldiers steadily piling up each time tightened their necks.
The young climber bit his lower lip as soon as he saw the vial.
And then Suga asked.
“You have accumulated about 120 gold, right? What should I do? Would you like to collect more and buy something else, or a potion today?”
Then he nodded and pointed to the shelf.
All the products of this store were hung there. If I were to say all of them, there are only three.
[Plain Dagger]
– The most common dagger in the Tower.
– Strength increases by +2 when using an attack card with a dagger.
– 300G
[Light breastplate]
– A breastplate made of small pieces of leather.
– Whenever a shield is created, an additional 1 is created.
– 300G
[Boots]
– Combat shoes.
– Nullifies tower traps once.
– Applied only once a day.
– 300G
After looking through the climber’s products, Suga returned in front of him with his head lowered to the ground.
As always, take a sigh.
“Haa…”
And also the crappy comments he always makes.
“Actually, I was going to save up more and buy a dagger…”
“But?”
“But I can’t help it because my life comes first… Two potions, please.”
“Good judgment. Come live again next time.”
The climber took the potion and left the store.
And Suga, now alone, blew his nose coolly.
While spitting out swear words in my head.
‘A foolish bastard. Why don’t I just die… If I do this, I’ll explode and die first.’
She wasn’t the real owner of this store.
And this store, too, was not a shabby first-floor general store.
This was originally the information gathering base for the Golden Rule Guild.
It was a watchtower for reconnaissance that was built to filter out dangerous people in advance, if there were people who stood out among the people who started on the first floor, they would reach out before other guilds.
Shops are originally the main job of the Golden Rule Guild, so they both work together.
Suga himself was originally a fighter active on the 40th floor.
Ten years ago, I spent days of bloody bloody slaughter enough to be nicknamed [Lightspeed Dash].
He was exiled here for 10 years for the nonsensical reason that he would not stop fighting even if he was wounded.
She was given only one job.
To observe and filter out newcomers.
Her day by day her job was eating away at her.
Just like that.
‘The return soldier is only 78 years old, and he takes medicine? Crazy bastard.’
It is dangerous when the returning disease accumulates.
That was an obvious fact that could be known even after living in this world for half a day.
At level 70, it’s like putting a foot on the threshold of death, and of course the pain is enormous.
So usually, after buying the medicine, I make a choice to reduce the number of returnees at least a little.
99.99% Of the people who have been through this place in the past 10 years have been like that.
‘But then what? What am I going to do after reducing the curse even a little?’
Gathering the return troops more slowly and steadily then killing them?
Or make sure you get to the second floor safely and die with a weakened body?
A safe decision in this tower meant certain death.
Those who move forward while avoiding the monster lose the opportunity to become stronger and die on the next floor.
Those who risked their lives to fight monsters gain the right to challenge on the next floor with a stronger body.
What’s the use of going to the next floor stably on a board that means nothing if you don’t reach the 100th floor anyway?
I’m sure I’ll die on the next floor.
‘I shouldn’t have safely reduced the curse, I should have gambled using the remaining 22 blanks!’
If you see an artifact in a trap, don’t avoid it, but push your hand through it regardless of means and methods.
To move on to the next thing with a profit somehow.
To be greedy without hesitation at the cost of life.
In the Tower, that was the only correct decision.
And it didn’t matter whether I knew it or not.
If you can’t make that kind of judgment, it will be filtered out on its own.
‘That’s why he should do well on the 3rd floor.’
She was always boring.
From noble mtl dot com
There are too many people who are not worth reporting.
The last 10 years have been a series of terrible days. Even today, a week left until the last day of service.
“Haaa… I want to hit right…”
And then the daily routine repeats again.
With my daughter-!
He was the 13th customer of the day.
“Hello.”
“Is this your first time seeing this face? Newcomer?”
“Yes, I am here today.”
“Today?”
“Yes. Is there any problem?”
She shrugs her shoulders and observes the man as he browses the items.
Rarely black hair and black eyes. And clothes that look like pajamas.
But the strangely clean body caught her attention.
If I had arrived today, I would have wandered around the tower, so it’s not strange at all if it’s half-deep.
However, the man did not even show signs of being a returning soldier beyond his clean body.
No wounds.
Is that even possible?
It was the first time in 10 years that she had asked her climber first.
“You came because of the curse, too, right? How many stacks?”