As soon as I woke up in the morning, I checked the community.
I was curious about the reactions to the new services of the Agnes Holy Knights that were revealed yesterday.
[Is Leon really gone? ã… ã… ]
Is it true that Apprentice Paladin Leon was chosen for the Saint’s Guard and can’t work as a mercenary anymore?
— Yeah, it was in the Rocket Store announcement. He was appointed as the youngest member of the Guard.
— Ah, that’s a shame. I reached the 10th floor thanks to Leon.
— Still, it’s a promotion, so we should congratulate him. Isn’t being in the Saint’s Guard a huge deal?
— But does that mean we can’t hire a Paladin for 3,000 coins anymore?
— No. An Apprentice Paladin dispatch service was created. Other apprentice paladins are coming instead of Leon.
[Are there any new apprentice paladins?]
I was sad that Lemon was gone, but they say they’re dispatching other apprentice paladins instead. Has anyone tried them?
— I just hired one, and while he’s not as good as Leon, he wasn’t bad.
— What was his name?
— Was it Edward? He’s blond and looks like a real paladin.
— Leon was more handsome though lol.
— Appearance isn’t what’s important; performance is. How are his abilities?
— He can do basic healing, blessing, and purification. But he didn’t have that friendly feel like Leon.
— Still, where else can you hire a paladin for 3,000 coins?
[Isn’t the Sanctuary installation service freaking broken?]
Undead/Demonic monster abilities decreased by 50%, and Health/Mana recovery speed increased by 200%. Isn’t this a key item for the 25th floor strategy?
— The 500,000 coins is the problem. It’s not a cost an individual can handle.
— Couldn’t a guild invest in it? If they succeed in a high-floor boss raid, they’d recover more than that.
— That’s true.
[Did the Association get better connections than expected?]
Up to 20 people simultaneously receive +150% damage against undead. It even increases poison resistance. Even 150,000 coins isn’t bad if twenty people split it.
Does the Association have closer contact with the Rocket Store than we thought? I thought it was just a place that ate up taxes with slow responses.
— Isn’t this exactly the buff for the 25th floor? They already announced that swarms of undead would appear.
— Now that you mention it, that’s true. Bringing in the Ghoul’s Stench probably has something to do with it too.
— Right. If you combine Ghoul’s Stench + Sanctuary + Paladin’s Blessing, isn’t the 25th floor strategy guaranteed?
— The Rocket Store is really supporting the expedition with both heart and soul. It’s so freaking reliable.
— For real lol.
‘The Ghoul’s Stench part is right, but the Agnes Holy Knights were a coincidence.’
They’re making assumptions on their own again.
The services of the Agnes Holy Knights were garnering massive interest, just as expected.
Especially with the 25th floor strategy approaching, the appearance of undead-specialized services was perfect timing.
‘Wait, the new services are getting so much attention, but is there one product being left out in all this?’
It was the War Paint I had recently obtained from Barbarian Kargar.
It was clearly a product with good buff effects, but even though some time had passed since its release, I hadn’t seen any reviews on the community.
Unable to suppress my curiosity, I typed “War Paint” into the community search bar.
Sure enough, the number of related posts was small.
[Has anyone used the Barbarian War Paint?]
The effect of the Mark of Valor looks good, but there’s not a single review. Has anyone used it? Seeing how no one uses it, is there something wrong with it?
— Maybe people just aren’t interested?
— Or is the price too high? It doesn’t seem expensive though.
— Don’t you have to carve it onto your bare skin and take off your shirt like a Barbarian?
— That’s why no one uses it lol.
— No one has experience with it, so there’s no one to answer.
— At this point, you’d think someone would buy it out of curiosity, but nothing.
‘So that’s the problem…’
Searching a bit more, I found a few more similar posts.
Most of them looked up the War Paint out of curiosity but gave up because they weren’t sure how to use it.
‘Is it really because you have to take off your armor for it to work?’
Considering the case with the Snake Scale Protection Potion, perhaps the Association had already finished its analysis.
First, I sent an inquiry to Yun Tae-seong.
— Mr. Yun Tae-seong, I have a question about the Barbarian War Paint.
[Ah, the War Paint? What would you like to know?]
— The buff effects are clearly good, but it seems people aren’t using it much. Do you happen to know why?
[According to the results from the Power Analysis Office, it seems to be because the patterns must be engraved directly on the body. While they can be erased during battle, people generally have a strong aversion to permanent tattoos.]
— So that was the reason. Have you tried testing it in other ways? It seems a shame for it to be buried like this.
[Yes. We are currently testing if it still works when engraved on armor or shields. However, the results aren’t out yet.]
I also thought about it on my own.
Since I had brought the product in, it would be better if it sold well.
‘First, let’s ask Kargar directly.’
I sent an inquiry immediately.
— Kargar. I’m contacting you because I have a question.
[It is good to see you. What are you curious about?]
— Does the War Paint only work if it’s engraved directly on the body?
[Applying it to the body is best. It doesn’t smudge easily and the effect lasts a long time. However, the effect will still manifest if drawn on weapons or armor. Barbarians also draw additional patterns on their weapons.]
— Do you happen to have any other pigments? People on Earth are reluctant to get permanent tattoos.
[Of course I have them. Those used for festivals or rituals. The effect is less, but it disappears naturally after a few days.]
‘Oh! So there were things like that!’
It was exactly the kind of pigment people would want right now.
— Could you perhaps tell me the recipe for that pigment?
[Of course. But a price is required. Kargar also has a request.]
Then, a new quest window appeared.
**[A Simple Request]**
Requester: Barbarian Kargar
Content: There have been many battles lately, so my axe blade has become dull. I need a whetstone to sharpen the edge. Please find me one good whetstone.
Reward: Ritual Pigment Recipe and one additional pattern design.
‘This is easy enough.’
I ordered a high-quality whetstone from the System Auction House and sent it to Kargar.
[Truly grateful! As promised, I shall send the recipe for the temporary War Paint.]
Soon, new products were registered in the Rocket Store.
**[Barbarian’s Ritual War Paint (7-day duration)]**
**[Additional Pattern Design: Mark of Strength]**
‘Great! The number of choices has increased. Now people will be able to use it without feeling burdened.’
Just then, Aria’s voice came from the living room.
“Guardian! Mago is awake!”
I rushed out to the living room.
After eating the crystals over the past few days, Mago, who had been sleeping more than he was awake, had finally woken up.
“I was worried because he’s been sleeping for days. Is he all done sleeping now?”
*Gao!*
“I knew dragons slept a lot while growing, but I didn’t know it would take this long,” Aria explained. Meanwhile, Mago got up and walked elsewhere as if he weren’t interested.
I naturally thought he was going to eat minerals since he hadn’t in a while.
However, he sat down in front of the World Tree and began to stare at it silently.
“It’s not food?”
*Gao.*
As a soft light flowed from Mago’s body, the leaves of the World Tree began to rustle gently.
Even though there was no wind.
“Mago is communing with the World Tree!”
“What?”
“It seems he wasn’t just sleeping for the past few days.”
“…Has he grown?”
The growth wasn’t physical; there hadn’t been any changes since he grew immediately after eating the Ent’s Crystal.
Looking closely, the light of intelligence in his eyes seemed to have grown stronger.
He had never shown interest in anything other than the minerals he ate.
Had he developed an interest in other things?
Of course, that interest didn’t last long.
As soon as Mago finished communing with the World Tree, he immediately returned to his familiar self.
“Gao! Gao!”
Mago turned away from the World Tree and ran toward me.
There was a clear intention in his eyes.
It was a signal that he was hungry.
“That’s our Mago. I thought something had changed, but his appetite is the same as always. I was almost disappointed for a second.”
I laughed and brought over the pile of minerals I had received from Kajlak over the past few days.
As soon as Mago saw the minerals, his eyes sparkled, and he lunged at them.
*Crunch! Munch!*
“Oh my, he must be really hungry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat this frantically before,” Aria said with a surprised expression.
His appetite had always been great, but today he was devouring them even more intensely.
“It seems he consumed a lot of energy while growing. Anyway, he’s really eating like a glutton. Just like Aria.”
“What did you say?”
Mago put one whole mineral into his mouth and chewed it like a crunchy snack.
Then, he immediately reached for the next mineral.
“Gao! Gao!”
It was as if he were shouting ‘More! More!’
“Eat slowly, I’m not going to take it from you.”
But Mago continued to swallow minerals without even having a moment to listen to me.
In an instant, half of the prepared minerals disappeared.
“At this rate, we’ll run out by the end of the day.”
I muttered worriedly. Then Aria nodded.
“Then Kajlak will be really happy. He’s been pestering us, asking if there are any new gems.”
“Right. While Mago was asleep, Kajlak contacted me several times. He seemed completely fascinated by the gems Mago makes, asking ‘Is there anything else that sparkles?’ or ‘When is the next gem coming out?'”
In fact, Kajlak had sent messages almost every day for the past few days. He seemed to be completely captivated by the gems Mago created.
*Burp!*
Mago let out a satisfied burp and held out his hands. Two small jewels were sparkling brilliantly.
“That’s my Mago! You showed us a mysterious side for a moment, but in the end, it’s all about this.”
I proudly stroked Mago’s head. Mago wagged his tail as if he felt good.
“I should contact Kajlak now. He’ll probably be so excited he’ll start dancing when he hears this news.”
Aria spoke with a smile.
“He must have been waiting and waiting. What will he bring this time?”
“Who knows. He’ll probably bring everything even if he has to ransack his warehouse. That Gnome’s greed for gems is truly something else.”
While watching Mago’s spectacular return to eating, a system message suddenly popped up.
**[The Rocket Store’s level has increased! (Level 4)]**
“Huh? The Rocket Store reached Level 4?”
It seemed the level had increased due to the unlocking of the Influence System and the accumulation of various recent successful transactions.
**[New functions have been unlocked!]**
**[The Rocket Store’s exclusive Subspace has been activated.]**
“Subspace?”
An explanation window appeared.
**[Subspace Storage]**
Rocket Store exclusive independent space created.
Environment where living organisms can reside established.
Size: 100m x 100m (Expandable upon Level Up)
Time Flow: Identical to the real world.
“The size is incredible.”
By my calculations, this space was larger than a 3,000-pyeong soccer field.
Moreover, looking at the description, it wasn’t just a simple warehouse but an independent space where living organisms could live.
“Aria, look at this!”
Aria flew over, looked at the hologram, and was startled.
“Wow! A space like this is being created?”
“Yeah. But looking at this gives me an idea. What if we move the World Tree here?”
Aria’s eyes sparkled.
“That’s a really good idea! We’ve changed its pot, but it’s clear it will reach its limit eventually.”
The World Tree had grown noticeably recently, and the pot was starting to look cramped.
If it were a Subspace, it could grow to its heart’s content in a much larger area.
“Then shall we try it?”
I activated the Subspace Storage. An entrance that looked like a portal appeared before my eyes.
“Wow! it really appeared!”
Aria flew excitedly around the portal.
Mago was also staring at the portal with curious eyes.
“Gao?”
“Yeah, Mago. It’s our new space.”
I carefully lifted the World Tree, pot and all.
It wasn’t as heavy as I expected.
Was it because I was in a good mood?
Or maybe it was the power of the Subspace, but it was lifted smoothly.
As I passed through the portal, a wide, plain-like space unfolded.
The sky was filled with soft light, and the ground was covered with fertile soil.
“This spot looks good.”
I planted the World Tree near the center of the space.
As I removed the pot and let the roots touch the ground directly, the leaves of the World Tree shook as if in joy.
“Wow! The World Tree seems to really like it!”
Aria cheered and flew around the World Tree.
Mago also took a spot next to the World Tree with a satisfied expression.
*Gao.*
“Mago seems to like it too.”
After successfully moving the World Tree, I looked around the vast Subspace. A 100m x 100m area was truly expansive. It was so spacious that the single small World Tree looked lonely in it.
“Other spirits will be comfortable if they visit here too.”
Besides the baby bird spirit that visited first and the squirrel spirit that had already settled in.
Mago and Aria seemed to like it as well.
“Guardian, this place is amazing! It feels like our secret base from now on!”
And so did I.
“It feels good to come out to a wide space after being cooped up in the house. It feels like I can breathe.”
Having this place makes me feel like I’ll have the strength to hold out until Level 5.
Looking at the additional functions, it was even possible to create additional structures using coins.
“It would be nice to invest some coins and make one side a warehouse and the other a park for walks.”
“That sounds great!”
To do that, I naturally had to earn more coins.
Why is there no end to it, no matter how much I earn?
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