**[In exchange, you have obtained a special gift from the Giant race.]**
“As they say, there isn’t a person in the world who dislikes a gift.”
I waited for the gift to arrive, my eyes sparkling. However, even after a long time had passed, no item arrived. Instead, only a single system message appeared.
**[New category: ‘Location’ has been unlocked.]**
I stared blankly at the screen.
‘Location? What on earth does that mean?’
**[You have obtained the special gift of the Giant race, ‘Grand Footprints’. Please check the ‘Location’ category.]**
I immediately checked the Rocket Store’s categories. An unfamiliar icon had been added next to the existing items like consumables, equipment, and mercenaries. Without hesitation, I pressed the Location category.
A new window opened, and a hologram of a massive and mysterious landscape appeared. On a high plateau towering above the clouds stood giant rock pillars. Between them were footprints that looked as if they had been left by truly enormous Giants, and statues presumed to be of the Giants remained as well.
A detailed description followed below.
[Sanctuary of the Giants: Grand Footprints]
Description: This is a holy site for the Giants, preserving the footprints of the primordial Giants of the earth. It is also a sacred place for resting and reorganizing after a long journey.
Visit Effects
Health and Endurance Buff: Hunters who visit the sanctuary receive a buff that significantly increases Health and Endurance for a set duration.
Weight Limit Increase: By inheriting the strength of the Giants, the weight limit of possessions increases for a set duration, allowing for more loot to be carried.
“This is… a gift?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise. I hadn’t simply received an item; I had gained a place that could provide direct help to hunters. Specifically, the weight limit increase was an enormous benefit for them. It was a common occurrence for many hunters to abandon loot or return early due to a lack of inventory space.
I read further into the explanation to see how to utilize the Grand Footprints.
**[Doors connected to the location can only be installed in Boss Zones at five-floor intervals. They can only be installed up to floors conquered by humanity.]**
I fell into thought for a moment.
‘Boss Zones at five-floor intervals.’
This meant they could only be installed on boss floors like Floor 5, Floor 10, Floor 15, and so on.
“Since the Eì œ Expedition succeeded in clearing Floor 20 yesterday, there are four choices. Does the fact that the USA and China cleared Floor 25 also count toward the choices?”
**[If installed on Floor 25, the number of countries that can currently benefit is significantly low. (USA, China)]**
So that was how it worked. I didn’t worry for long. Since it was the first time and the number of hunters would decrease as the floor level rose, I judged it most efficient to install it in a place where the most people could use it.
“As expected, installing it in the Floor 5 Boss Zone would be best.”
If I installed it on Floor 5, where the most novice hunters challenged themselves, it would not only help many hunters but also build the Rocket Store’s reputation much faster. Through the system, I immediately installed the Grand Footprints in the Floor 5 Boss Zone. I set the entrance fee to 100 coins, the minimum cost.
**[A gate connected to the Sanctuary of the Giants, ‘Grand Footprints’, has been installed at the entrance of Floor 5 of The Tower. Awakened users who enter the sanctuary will obtain special buffs.]**
“Oh. The promotional effect is quite good.”
After installing the Grand Footprints in the Floor 5 Boss Zone, I examined the Location category in more detail. There were two types of locations in the new category.
[Sanctuary]
A sacred place obtained through a special bond with a race.
Can only be installed in Boss Zones at five-floor intervals and provides powerful buffs to hunters.
(Grand Footprints belongs here.)
[Shelter]
A stopover point installed on regular floors (excluding five-floor intervals) by investing coins.
Provides basic convenience facilities.
If Sanctuaries provided direct combat buffs to hunters, Shelters were responsible for the rest and supplies needed to conquer The Tower. While Sanctuaries could only be installed at five-floor intervals, Shelters could be placed freely on regular floors.
**[The first ‘Shelter’ installation is free. Please install the ‘Quiet Spring’ shelter.]**
‘Where should I put this?’
Like the Sanctuary of the Giants, I wanted to install it on a floor that as many people as possible would use, but considering the function of a Shelter, a floor that was too low would be meaningless.
“Ah. Now that I think about it, there were statistics for this.”
Which floors saw the most mercenary hires until now? Among the Rocket Store’s detailed indicators, there was such a function.
‘The floors where many mercenaries are hired must be the floors where hunters find climbing difficult.’
The floors recording notable figures were Floor 4 and Floor 9. Since they were the floors just before entering a Boss Zone, it seemed the risk was proportional.
“Should I try installing it on Floor 9 as a test first?”
It was an opportunity to see for myself how a Shelter functioned. As soon as I completed the installation, another system message followed.
**[Vending machines can be installed in shelters. These vending machines can be used even by non-members of the Rocket Store.]**
“A vending machine?”
I immediately installed a vending machine inside the Shelter. The vending machine was filled with potions and simple foods necessary for conquering The Tower. However, the price was set at twice the amount of items sold in the System Store. Considering that non-members could also use it, the price wasn’t outrageously expensive.
The Rocket Store was now evolving into a massive system that not only delivered items but also provided strategic bases according to the hunters’ movements.
***
F+ Rank hunter Lee Seong-cheol.
It had been a long time since he gave up fighting and switched to being a professional porter. Today, he intended to sleep in late after returning from a long expedition, but the vibration of his smartphone by the bed interrupted his sweet slumber.
‘It’s probably another pointless joke.’
However, the vibration he thought would end if he ignored it showed no sign of stopping until he finally woke up.
“Ah, what on earth are they talking about so excitedly?”
In the end, he rose with an irritated sigh and checked the group chat. The messages filling the screen were entirely about the Sanctuary of the Giants.
— They say it’s a buff that increases your weight limit?
— For real? Then it’s a mandatory buff for porters.
— Yeah, reviews are pouring in on the community.
— I’ll have to climb to Floor 5 even if I have to hire a mercenary.
— An entrance fee of only 100 coins for a duration of one week—isn’t that crazy?
— Because of this, it feels like there’s going to be a gap between us and normal porters.
— I wonder if porter fees will go up?
‘What is this about now?’
Though he had given up his life as a hunter, Lee Seong-cheol, who had once reached Floor 5 of The Tower, could not contain his curiosity. To see it for himself, he headed to Floor 5.
“A gate really appeared?”
**[Would you like to enter the Sanctuary of the Giants? (Entrance Fee: 100 coins)]**
**[You have used 100 coins for the entrance fee.]**
Upon paying the 100 coins through the gate, he arrived at a hill overlooking the Sanctuary of the Giants. A crowd was already forming, with many hunters filling the area in front of the gate.
“What? There are foreigners too? Wasn’t The Tower divided by country? Or is this some kind of integrated space separate from The Tower?”
**[You have entered the Sanctuary of the Giants, ‘Grand Footprints’.]**
**[Health and Strength stats increase by +20 for one week.]**
**[Possession weight limit increases by 50kg.]**
“It’s actually real. This is huge.”
At first, he only intended to check the buff and return.
“But the view is amazing.”
However, drawn by the magnificent vista of the massive sanctuary and an inexplicable sense of exhilaration, he felt an urge to see it from closer up. On a high plateau towering above the clouds stood giant rock pillars, and between them, massive footprints that seemed to be left by Giants remained clearly. The statues of Giants placed here and there boasted their majesty.
‘I want to go closer and see.’
Other people seemed to have the same thought as him, as a long line already stretched down the hill toward the sanctuary.
‘Should I stand in line too?’
However, at some point, the line stopped moving forward. Wondering what was happening, he looked ahead and saw that the procession could not advance past a certain point. At first, he couldn’t grasp the situation due to the heated voices mixed with foreign languages, but occasionally, Korean could be heard.
“There’s a transparent wall blocking the way up ahead!”
“We can’t go?”
“The system says access is restricted.”
Blocked by a transparent wall? But not everyone was blocked. A few people were passing through that transparent wall as if it were nothing.
“Then what about those people?”
“I don’t know either!”
Lee Seong-cheol was confused, unable to understand the reason. Just then, he heard a Korean person in the line muttering.
“Isn’t that person the A-Rank hunter, Yu Min-ha?”
“An A-Rank hunter?”
Hearing that, Lee Seong-cheol reached the transparent wall and tapped it with his hand.
“It really is there. But why were a few hunters, including Yu Min-ha, able to pass through the transparent wall without any restrictions?”
At that moment, a notification window popped up before his eyes.
**[! Qualification Restriction — Only honorable warriors who meet the requirements may enter the Sanctuary of the Giants.]**
Sounds of disappointment could be heard from all around as people turned back. Lee Seong-cheol felt a sense of bitterness as he looked at the notification. Having given up on fighting long ago, he was not an honorable warrior.
However, a strong craving to enter the sanctuary burned within his heart.
‘Even if the Rocket Store continues to connect these sanctuaries to The Tower, can I only watch from afar if I’m not a warrior?’
That was a truly regrettable situation.
‘Should I try being a hunter again?’
Inside Lee Seong-cheol’s heart, the embers of a dream he had already abandoned began to burn once more.
***
“Aria is a bit late today.”
Normally, she would return to Terra before lunch, but today lunch had long since passed and there was still no sign of her. While waiting for Aria, I checked the status of the newly installed bases. The entrance fees from ‘Grand Footprints’ on Floor 5 and the profits from the vending machine I installed at ‘Quiet Spring’ on Floor 9 were slowly trickling in.
Although they were small costs, the entrance fees for the sanctuary, which had expanded its user base to hunters worldwide, were already extraordinary.
“The vending machine is surprisingly lucrative.”
I wore a satisfied smile as I looked at the modest but steady income. It seemed the new products had started successfully. Just then, a new system message appeared.
**[The reputation of the Rocket Store has reached a certain level.]**
**[New function ‘Invitation System’ has been unlocked.]**
[Invitation System]
Members of the Rocket Store can purchase an invitation for 10,000 coins to invite one non-member hunter. The invited hunter will immediately join as a member of the Rocket Store without any additional conditions.
“Wow! This is finally here!”
This was the first new membership registration method created outside of emergency situations. I had been worrying about the problem of increasing the number of members. No matter how good a reputation the Rocket Store gained, becoming a formal member required fulfilling the peculiar condition of experiencing an emergency situation. This was an inevitable obstacle preventing an increase in member count.
‘People were clamoring for the membership requirements to be relaxed.’
But it was different now. As long as there was an invitation, a literal, legal method of joining the membership had been created where anyone could become a member.
“Finally… I finally have a way to increase the number of members!”
I felt a sense of liberation and joy, as if the frustration I had felt all this time was being washed away at once. I couldn’t even imagine how explosively the number of Rocket Store members would grow from now on.