After the Rocket Store’s invitation system was unlocked…
A post appeared on the Hunter community’s marketplace board offering a Rocket Store invitation for sale.
[Sale] One Rocket Store invitation. 1,000,000 won.
As soon as the post went up, the comments were filled with people mocking the seller, asking if they were joking.
— Are you insane? Who would buy that for a million won? LOL.
However, the person who left the first comment overlooked something.
There were upper-rank Hunters who were interested in the Rocket Store’s services but hadn’t had the opportunity to join.
A moment later, the message board began to buzz again.
— Is it sold? I’ll buy it right now for 2,000,000 won.
The person who left that comment was none other than the A-rank Hunter, Yu Min-ha.
She had entered the Sacred Ground of Giants herself this morning, obtained the Honorable Warrior’s Buff, and realized something.
‘A Rocket Store membership will definitely be helpful to me.’
She also thought that, while the degree might vary, other upper-rank Hunters wouldn’t feel much different.
One must strike while the iron is hot.
For someone like Yu Min-ha, 2,000,000 won was not a burdensome amount, and it was better to save time with money than to compete with others.
‘First, I have to buy the Membership Badge that raises all stats.’
Yu Min-ha’s own unique ability was quite peculiar.
Unlike others, she was a swordsman who used Vigor instead of Mana.
While her skills were powerful, Vigor—unlike Mana—had no proper means of recovery, which placed a clear limit on her combat endurance.
Because of this, it was difficult for her to participate in large-scale expeditions, so she worked for the Association Inspection Department.
The only way for Yu Min-ha to increase her maximum Vigor was through elixirs or equipment that increased all statistics.
Therefore, she was keeping a sharp eye out for an opportunity to gain membership in the Rocket Store.
**[You have been invited by a Rocket Store invitation. Would you like to accept?]**
After Yu Min-ha moved quickly, the price of invitations—which were limited to one per person—continued to skyrocket.
Finally having officially joined the Rocket Store, Yu Min-ha looked around the shop to find the product she wanted.
What she wanted was the badge that increased all stats, but there was a condition that she had to buy other products first to purchase it.
However, there were no products worth buying immediately.
The limited-edition items were already sold out, and there was still time left before the regular restocks of Goat Milk, Honey Sweet Potatoes, and Cream Potatoes.
There was Snake Scale Protective Ointment, but she didn’t particularly need it.
‘Should I buy it anyway…?’
Just as she was hesitating, a new product caught her eye.
**[New Product ‘Fruit of the Pyra Bambusa’ has arrived.]**
– Fruit of the Pyra Bambusa: Consuming it increases all stats by +1.
Upon seeing the description, Yu Min-ha did not hesitate and immediately pressed the buy button.
She could not hide her joy at finally obtaining an item close to an elixir, something she had longed for.
But this was just the beginning.
***
I was watching with satisfaction as members flooded in through the invitation system while I ate ramen for lunch.
However, I soon faced a serious problem.
“Members are increasing, but I have nothing to sell.”
The problem was that there were nowhere near enough products for regular sale.
The Goat Milk, Honey Sweet Potatoes, and Cream Potatoes that were regularly stocked were not enough to handle the increased demand.
No matter how many members I had, it was useless if there were no goods to sell.
“Guardian!”
Just then, Aria flew toward me, huffing and puffing.
Her hands were filled not with Dryad’s Essence, but with yellow fruits I had never seen before.
“Please take these!”
Aria smiled brightly as she handed me the fruits.
I took one from her, feeling puzzled.
“You’re here? But what is all this, Aria?”
“It’s the Fruit of the Pyra Bambusa.”
“What is that?”
**[Fruit of the Pyra Bambusa]**
A precious fruit from the Pyra Bambusa that blooms once every fifty years. It has a sour taste.
Upon consumption, all statistics permanently increase by +1.
I was shocked after reading the description.
A fruit that permanently increased stats was as valuable as an elixir.
“You brought so many of something this precious?”
Aria nodded at my question.
“Well… it’s usually precious, but it’s not rare at this time.”
“What does that mean? Is it a riddle?”
“The Pyra Bambusa blooms once every fifty years, and when it does, they all bear fruit together. Right now in Terra, there are so many Pyra Bambusa fruits that they’re a bit of a nuisance.”
I harbored some doubts at Aria’s words.
“How can a plant that fruits once every few decades be so widespread?”
“I heard that usually, they reproduce asexually rather than through fruit.”
At that moment, a scene from a documentary I had watched while lounging in my room recently flashed through my mind.
“It has the same life cycle as bamboo.”
Aria nodded and looked surprised at those words.
“Bamboo?”
Usually, bamboo reproduces by sending out bamboo shoots through roots that spread widely underground.
Some species bloom in cycles of fifty to 120 years.
When the entire bamboo forest blooms and bears fruit at once, predators cannot eat all the seeds, allowing some to fall to the ground and sprout.
In this way, they ensure genetic diversity and succeed in generational turnover.
“It sounds exactly like your explanation, Guardian! One slight difference is that Pyra Bambusa seeds take a long time to germinate.”
“How long?”
“Almost one year?”
“How did it survive then?”
“Basically, its resistance is so good that it can live even in places where contaminated mana is thick. Once it sprouts, its reproductive power is incredible. The surroundings soon turn into the golden light of the Pyra Bambusa.”
That’s amazing.
But the more I heard, the more it resembled the ecology of bamboo.
Would the problems be similar, too?
“At the end of the documentary I saw, they said bamboo is a symbol of disaster in one region of India. They said rodents like squirrels and rats thrive on a massive scale and ruin the surrounding crops.”
“Oh! That’s right. The Dryads in Terra are worried about that right now, too! Once the Giant Rats that increased in number finish eating all the Bambusa fruit, they eventually start gnawing on the roots of other plants. That’s why I brought an armful of fruit.”
“That’s some of the best news I’ve heard lately.”
“Pardon?”
“I was just looking for a new product to sell regularly in the Rocket Store.”
“Aha! That’s a great idea! Since it’s a fruit that permanently increases stats, the Hunters will love it!”
With Aria’s help, I immediately asked the Dryads to gather more Bambusa fruits and send them this way.
The product registration went smoothly!
**[You have registered ‘Fruit of the Pyra Bambusa’ in the Rocket Store.]**
The reaction was explosive.
It was a natural response considering the value of permanent stat increases.
Besides that, the stories of the Sacred Ground added today and the appearance of the rest area were also hot topics.
[Visited the Giant’s Sacred Ground + 9th Floor Rest Area Review]
I went to the Giant’s Sacred Ground on the 5th floor. It was worth the 100 coins. With the buff, I cleared the 9th floor mobs much easier than usual. Also, a real rest area appeared in the center of the 9th floor. It definitely wasn’t there last time I challenged it. I went to the rest area, and it was clean. It was nice that they sold potions and food. Two thumbs up.
— Is the Giant’s Sacred Ground buff for real?
ã„´ Yeah. Stamina, endurance, and weight limit all increased.
ã„´ Aside from that, the 9th floor rest area is also awesome. By the time you reach the middle of the 9th floor, you’ve usually used all your supplies, but you can restock at the rest area and head back up.
ã„´ I went there too, and the prices of items in the vending machine were a bit high. But it’s worth buying if it’s an emergency.
— Is it true that the Rocket Store invitation price is over 1,000,000 won right now?
ã„´ What do you mean, a million? Since it’s one invitation per person, it’s whatever they ask for right now. It passed 2,000,000 won.
ã„´ Yeah, I thought it was a lie at first. I guess the upper-rank Hunters were waiting for it too. I heard it’s a frenzy to become a Rocket Store member.
ã„´ That means the upper-rank Hunters judged it to be worth that much?
ã„´ To upper-rank Hunters, that amount is basically pocket change anyway.
[Can’t rest areas be installed on other floors too?]
If more places like this appear in the middle of the Tower, it would be much easier to rest and resupply, and the clear rate would likely go up.
— It just started. Don’t be so impatient. The Rocket Store Owner will take care of it.
ã„´ For real, lol. Your faith is lacking. You impious fellow.
— I still can’t predict what other products the Rocket Store will add. I thought they would just sell items.
First it was cooking, then mercenaries, and now a Sacred Ground. Lol.
ã„´ If you can predict it, you’re either a god or the person involved. Lol.
— It would be legendary if they opened one on the 14th and 19th floors specifically. The floors right before the boss zones are always the hardest.
ã„´ Oh, true. That was the toughest part.
— I heard foreign Hunters are also in an uproar. Thanks to the Rocket Store, the speed at which humanity conquers the Tower might significantly increase.
[Where on earth does the Rocket Store pick up these elixirs?]
The membership badge, all kinds of food, and now this Fruit of the Pyra Bambusa with the difficult name… how many levels did the person who ate all of them effectively gain?
I’m so lucky, lol.
— Does this really increase permanent stats? Is it not a lie?
ã„´ When have you ever seen the system lie?
ã„´ This is insane… it really has the effect of an elixir?
— Damn, I tried to buy one but it’s out of stock. Sucks.
When is the restock?
— Stats aside, it’s cheap and tastes good, so I just bought more. Lol.
ã„´ Don’t buy several just because they’re tasty. The stat increase only happens once. Give others a chance, damn.
ã„´ Whatever~ Take it up with the Rocket Store, they sell it regularly.
— If you eat that, it’s the same as gaining a level for free. That’s crazy.
[I gave the fruit they’re selling this time to our Happy.]
But his stats went up. It looks like it’ll cost me double the price of elixirs.
Honestly, elixirs are too expensive, and if the Rocket Store sells pet food like this, I’ll buy two of each.
— Who is Happy? A dog?
ã„´ (OP) My summoned beast.
ã„´ You should have written that.
ã„´ Look at that naming sense. I thought it was a puppy.
— My summoned beast’s name is Choco. Nice to meet you.
— That’s not what’s important; it means you can give permanent stat buffs to summoned beasts too.
ã„´ (OP) Yeah. If I feed it a lot, I think it’ll be more reliable than most Hunters. It’s even highly loyal to me.
I’m so jealous. My summoned beast… I wonder if a phoenix is going to hatch from the egg. When is it going to hatch?
I let out a happy scream as I watched the flood of order notifications.
But the joy was short-lived. As I could tell from the community reaction, I realized the stock was being depleted much faster than the orders were coming in.
Although there were many fruits sent by the Dryads, it was not enough to handle the demand of all the members.
“Should I have limited the purchase quantity?”
But according to Aria, weren’t there so many fruits that they were rotting?
I instinctively felt that there was a problem with the supply of goods.
I had to seek a new way to receive a stable and large-scale supply of this precious fruit.
I immediately sent a request message to the Dryads saying I wanted to receive more Pyra Bambusa fruits.
The Dryads’ reply came back quickly.
**[We express our gratitude. You have solved the problem of the overflowing Pyra Bambusa fruit for us. However, to harvest more fruit, there is the issue of needing to purify the land overflowing with contaminated mana. If you solve this problem, the fruit harvest will be faster.]**
I fell into thought after reading the message.
I couldn’t just give them more of the World Tree’s branches, which I didn’t have many of.
“So for a mass supply, a mass purification is necessary…”
Looking at the overflowing fruit, I felt frustrated that I couldn’t grasp the new business opportunity right in front of me.
The explosive reaction from the Hunters was joyful, but at the same time, a new homework assignment was thrown at me: how to handle this massive demand.