As I stared at the hologram screen, my heart began to throb rapidly.
Only a few hours ago, I was just an ordinary person, but now I had reached out to a hunter standing at the crossroads of life and death and saved him.
Just the fact that the hunter on the other side of the screen survived safely filled a corner of my chest with a tingling sense of pride.
Though I was trapped in this cramped room, it felt good to know that I could be of help to someone in the world.
Just then, a blue system message appeared before my eyes again.
[You have successfully supported Hunter Kim Hyeon-su (F) in his ascent of The Tower.]
[You have gained 300 experience points!]
[300 Tower Coins have been paid as a reward for the successful trade!]
“I can’t hunt monsters myself, so I get experience points this way? And 300 coins?”
The potion I bought for 100 coins in the System Store sold for 300 coins, leaving a net profit of 200 coins.
To think I could earn coins so easily while just sitting in the corner of my room.
A very practical sense of joy, different from the pride I felt earlier, washed over me.
“In a way, it feels like I’m taking too much of an exorbitant profit.”
But that thought soon faded.
This wasn’t just the price of a potion.
It was the price of a life returned from the brink of death.
“Thinking of it that way, it’s not even that expensive.”
[New function activated following your first successful trade!]
[The Auto-Replenish Function has been activated. Sold items will now be automatically purchased from the System Store to replenish stock.]
“Auto-replenish?”
It meant I didn’t have to buy items one by one myself.
Once I registered an item in the inventory, it would refill itself every time it was sold.
This was no different from an automated income system where money was earned even while I slept.
“It’s convenient, I like it.”
[Tutorial: Using Abilities (2)]
[Try selling various items in the ‘Rocket Store’. You can purchase desired items from the System Store and register them in the Rocket Store.]
I immediately opened the System Store window.
Unlike during the tutorial, dozens of items were now listed.
What items would hunters need most desperately?
What should I sell to save both my wallet and the hunters’ lives?
“The things I heard while working as a porter are coming in handy now.”
It didn’t take long to narrow down suitable items.
A Bottle of Water (1 Coin)
: The most basic essential for survival.
Minor Mana Potion (100 Coins)
: A low-grade potion that restores mana.
Emergency Rations (2 Coins)
: Small, long-lasting energy bars. They taste terrible, but they solve basic hunger.
Mini Water Filter (25 Coins)
: A portable filter that purifies contaminated water into drinking water.
First Aid Kit (20 Coins)
: Contains antiseptic, bandages, gauze, adhesive strips, etc. It doesn’t provide instant recovery like a potion, but it’s used for emergency treatment of trauma like bleeding.
Flash Scroll (40 Coins)
: A disposable magic scroll. When used, it emits a powerful flash to temporarily blind dark-attribute monsters or illuminate dark areas.
Things that were common enough to be everywhere outside were essentials directly linked to survival inside The Tower.
Moving my fingers, I registered the items in the Rocket Store one by one.
It felt like I was playing a tycoon management game.
Every time I registered an item, the messages updated.
[You have registered ‘A Bottle of Water’ in the Rocket Store.]
[You have registered ‘Emergency Rations’ in the Rocket Store.]
[You have registered ‘First Aid Kit’ in the Rocket Store.]
Once all the items were registered, the Rocket Store’s product list, which previously only had Minor Health Potions, became much more substantial.
I closed the store window with a satisfied smile.
The items would sell themselves anyway; all I needed was time.
Gurgle.
Suddenly, a loud growl echoed from my stomach.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t had a proper meal today.”
The only food I had left was a few packs of instant rice, some kimchi, and a few cartons of eggs I bought a days ago.
“I’m fine for now, but what do I do when I run out of ingredients later?”
I had no idea how long it would take for someone to clear all 100 floors of The Tower.
Of course, since there was a System Store, I probably wouldn’t starve to death.
However, the taste of the emergency rations I had tried while working as a porter was the absolute worst.
If someone had to endure that until they reached the 100th floor, their quality of life and motivation would surely plummet.
Was there any other way?
I began to ponder desperately.
“Wait, the internet still works. Can I do something about this with my ability?”
With a ‘nothing to lose’ mindset, I opened the online shopping app I frequently used.
As usual, I put several bags of ramen, instant rice, and side dishes into my cart and pressed the checkout button.
“Please!”
The moment the payment was completed with half-doubt, something unbelievable happened.
Whoosh—thud!
A small but familiar sound came from one side of the living room.
Just like how the potion was delivered to the hunter named Kim Hyeon-su, a delivery box I had just ordered descended from the living room ceiling attached to a small parachute.
“Holy crap! It actually works?”
A hollow laugh escaped me at the absurdity of the situation.
I thought I was completely cut off from the outside world because of the penalty of being confined to my room, but thanks to my ability, I was actually able to procure goods more conveniently than anyone else.
I grinned and ripped open the delivery box.
Freshly delivered bags of ramen caught my eye.
“I won’t have to worry about starving to death from now on!”
Taking a bite of the hot ramen, I finally felt like I could live.
As a sense of relief settled in, the periodically updating system messages and the hologram screen before me began to catch my eye.
[Trade Successful: Emergency Rations]
Purchaser: Hunter Park Min-jun (F+). Currently on the 6th floor of The Tower. Had not consumed food for 2 days.
Another notification followed shortly after.
[Trade Successful: A Bottle of Water]
Purchaser: Hunter Lee Jin-woo (F). Currently on the 4th floor of The Tower. Was suffering from dehydration.
[Trade Successful: First Aid Kit]
Purchaser: Hunter Choi Jeong-in (F). Currently on the 3rd floor of The Tower. Bleeding occurred due to a monster’s attack.
Even while trapped in my room, I was directly helping someone in the world.
And earning profits that bordered on extortion!
“Is this what they call killing two birds with one stone?”
After finishing a whole bag of ramen, my stomach was full and my worries had subsided.
Suddenly, I was curious about the reaction of Kim Hyeon-su, who had safely escaped earlier.
“He must have been incredibly surprised by my ability.”
Maybe something had been posted on the internet?
…First, there was nothing special in the news section.
Next, I checked the hunter community I often visited.
When I accessed the community’s main screen, a title caught my eye.
[Not a prank, I bought a potion from a place called the Rocket Store on the 3rd floor of the Tower]
Author: TowerNewbie
I almost died while trying to challenge the 3rd floor because I was surrounded by a large mob. To make matters worse, I was out of the potions I brought. I thought it was really over, but suddenly something called the Rocket Store popped up in front of my eyes and sold a potion for 300 coins.
Thanks to that potion, I barely survived and cleared the 3rd floor.
– Wow. This is the first time I’ve seen such a creative troll.
– Lmao, did you fall asleep while shopping all night and have a dream?
ã„´ A shop popping up inside The Tower?
ã„´ Is this some kind of shopping mall viral marketing?
– I’ve been a hunter for 10 years and I’ve never heard of anyone with that kind of ability.
– Characteristics of a post that says it’s not a prank: It is a prank.
The post, which was about to be buried under a mountain of downvotes, saw a reversal as time passed.
As I scrolled down, the atmosphere of the comments began to shift subtly.
– Sorry, but I experienced it too.
ã„´ For real? What happened?
ã„´ I spent two full days trying to clear the 6th floor and was about to give up because I ran out of food, then the Emergency Rations pop-up appeared.
ã„´ Crazy, it was real?
ã„´ But why did it take you two days to clear the 6th floor? It usually takes a day and a half at most.
ã„´ My weapon broke from a Kobold attack, so I had to use a spare. Damn it.
– I was also going to give up because of bleeding, but I bought a bandage and cleared it.
ã„´ So I wasn’t the only one who experienced it.
As the number of comments from people who had experienced the Rocket Store grew, the community heated up with hope and debate.
[If this is real, can’t Korean hunters pass the second condition?]
Author: BettingOnDestruction
Did you guys read that Rocket Store post? If it’s real, doesn’t it solve the chronic problem for hunters, which is the lack of supplies? Then wouldn’t going to the 5th floor be much easier? Are we not going to be destroyed?!
– Is the ability just delivery? Lol
ã„´ You idiot, the biggest problem while climbing the Tower is the lack of supplies. Inventories are so small that if you pack potions and emergency rations, there’s no space, and it’s heartbreaking when you have to give up halfway. That’s a cheat-level ability.
ã„´ 10% of the hunter population has never even challenged the Tower, and this guy seems like one of them.
ã„´ Others would at least try and give up to know the true value of this ability. Stop showing your ignorance.
– For real, if it’s this much, the difficulty of climbing the Tower drops significantly.
ã„´ Is a favorable wind blowing for the conquest?
– Hey, whether the ability is delivery or whatever, being able to immediately deliver goods to someone in a life-threatening crisis is totally broken.
ã„´ For real, the survival rate for Tower challenges is going to soar.
All the attention in the community was focused on the Rocket Store.
From posts to real-time search terms, everything was plastered with content about the Rocket Store.
I was checking the incoming comments one by one when I suddenly stopped.
– Is the ability just delivery? Lololol
Thanks to many people passionately arguing and posting counter-comments on my behalf—since I couldn’t post myself—I felt my shoulders square with pride as I watched.
Because of them, I realized once again that my ability was truly incredible.
“But what they said isn’t entirely wrong.”
My goal was to support someone in clearing the 100th floor so that my confinement penalty would disappear.
Providing decisive help for clearing the 100th floor with just this current ability?
That was out of the question.
Objectively, my ability was indeed a game changer that would give wings to the sluggish Tower conquest.
“That’s true. But right now, the limits are clear.”
The world leader, the United States, had only just managed to reach the 25th floor.
Even if inventory issues were resolved, there were clear limits to support using only items sold in the System Store.
[Congratulations! Your level has increased! (1↑)]
In the meantime, several more trades must have been successful, as I perfectly timed reaching Level 1.
[You have automatically acquired a new unique skill.]
[You have acquired the Dimensional Exchange (F) skill!]
Dimensional Exchange?
I rubbed my eyes.
[Tutorial: Dimensional Exchange (F)]
[You can exchange items, specialties, knowledge, and more with races from other dimensions.]
“Does this mean I’m trading with different races?”
I immediately tried using the Dimensional Exchange skill.
In the window that appeared before my eyes, I saw a list of requests from various races.
[Request for winter gear] – by Barbarian
[Regular purchase of Red Fang of the Red Wolf] – by Lamia
[Small purchase of Glow Mushrooms grown in the Tower] – by Halfling
[Urgent request for 100 Grade 9 Magic Stones] – by Dwarf
Unable to contain my curiosity, I clicked on the Barbarian’s request.
[Request for winter gear]
Requester: Barbarian Kargar
Content: Entered the snowfields of the Tower. Kargar cold. No clothes. Need warm thing. Don’t want to freeze.
Reward: Hard labor (Mercenary system activated)
“Additional rewards will be provided depending on the items provided.”
The content was simple, but it took me a while to understand it.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.