Chapter 15: Preparing for a Level-Up

“F-rank… you’re serious?”  

The bartender-cum-weapon-dealer was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even laugh.  

Everyone who came to this shop was a player.  

Not just any players, either.  

This was a VIP weapon shop, after all.  

Only those recommended by the Player Management Office or well-established members of the five major guilds came here.  

There might’ve been the occasional D-rank, rare as that was, but an F-rank? 

Not even an E-rank had ever set foot here.  

What was even more absurd was Kang Jinsu’s follow-up.  

“And, of course, you mustn’t speak of this to anyone, just like before.”  

“What? I mean… of course not.”  

Speak of this? Are you insane? For real?  

The bartender had to summon every ounce of professionalism to keep his expression in check.  

Who would I even tell about this?  

“Of course.”

An F-rank walks into my shop and demands everything—who would I tell that to?  

He was inwardly fuming.  

If word got out, it’d ruin the credibility this establishment had built up.  

Even with a knife to my throat, my pride wouldn’t let me spill.  

“Sir, may I use my appraisal skill, if you don’t mind?”  

One of the few universal skills usable outside the Tower, [Appraisal].  

Most awakened players had it.  

Junseok shrugged in response. 

He knew the guy would use it anyway.  

The bartender locked eyes with him briefly, then recoiled, stumbling back a few steps.  

Trembling, he wiped his face with his hand.  

“You’re really F-rank…” 

“Oops, my apologies.”  

I thought he was about to curse out loud.  

Muttering in shock, the bartender quickly regained his composure.  

Mentioning F-rank as if it were some kind of offense made Junseok more annoyed than anything.

“No worries. It’s true. Being F-rank isn’t a crime.”  

The bartender glanced at Kang Jinsu, who quietly nodded with closed eyes, confirming it. 

“Well… uh… this is the first time a porter’s come here. So, for a porter class… do you need bags?”  

Kang, watching from the side, smirked slightly.  

He’d brought plenty of rankers here, but he’d never seen this guy so flustered.  

Normally, even when S-rank players who made daily news headlines visited, the bartender maintained a professional demeanor, recommending tailored items.  

“Well… a sword? I think a sword would be nice.”  

“Aha… you use a sword, then…”  

Junseok chuckled inwardly at the response.  

“You use a sword?” 

What kind of grammar is that?  

He could almost hear the unspoken follow-up: “What’s a porter going to do with a sword?”  

Sure enough—

“When you say sword, do you mean for dismantling monsters?”  

“Nope. For swinging and cutting, obviously.”  

“Oh… right. If I may, what’s your level?”  

“Level 5.” 

A brief silence fell.  

Junseok blinked innocently a couple of times before the bartender spoke again.  

“…Pardon?”  

Even Kang Jinsu furrowed his brow and tilted his head.  

“You serious?”  

Junseok checked his status window and nodded.  

“Level 5. Correct.”  

“Mr. Junseok, are you for real?” 

“Haha, I get it. Hidden camera, right? Some kind of composure test? Got me there, Team Leader Kang!”  

“Bongho, this isn’t a test. He’s a real customer.”

Not just any customer—a top-tier one.  

Still incredulous, the bartender blinked a couple of times before continuing.  

“You brought a level 5 F-rank porter to the VIP weapon shop? Is he, like, the Management Office Director’s son or something?”  

“No.”  

“Then why on earth?”  

“It’s classified. Just know he’s a resource needed for top-floor conquests, and we’re supporting him.”  

That was the truth.  

Junseok sighed and sat at the bar.  

“I don’t mind you talking about me, but if this is going to drag on, how about a glass of water or a cocktail?”  

The bartender snapped back into professional mode.  

“My apologies. However, we don’t have equipment suited for your level here.”  

“That’s fine. Just show me what you’ve got.” 

Stepping aside, the bartender revealed the weapons in the display case.  

As Junseok activated his appraisal skill, he saw an array of Rare and Unique-grade equipment. 

The equippable level averaged late 30s to 40s—standard for players tackling the 20th floors.  

This is VIP?  

“Where’s the real VIP gear hidden?”  

“You know about this place?”  

“It’s obvious just looking. And like I said earlier, from the left end to the right bottom—give me everything. Doesn’t seem like it’ll cost much.”  

“…Everything? That’s at least 13 billion won!”  

“I don’t like repeating myself.”  

“But… what are you going to do with all that?”  

“Call it a porter’s instinct.”  

“Huh?”  

“When I see items, I can’t rest until they’re in my inventory.”  

“But you can’t even equip them.”  

“Tch! I’ll use them someday. Just hand them over.”  

“…Understood.”  

Junseok pulled a few magic stones from his inventory.  

Clatter.  

A handful of low-grade stones, worth maybe a million won combined, rolled out.  

Is he trying to pay with those?  

The bartender, already overwhelmed, gave up on maintaining his composure.  

“Sir, those won’t cover it.” 

“The gentleman back there will cover the rest.”  

Pointing cheekily at Kang with his thumb, Junseok watched as Kang closed his eyes and nodded, confirming it.

“Give him everything. Open the VVIP section too.”  

The bartender, Park Byung-ryul, slapped his forehead.  

Either he was losing it, or the Player Management Office was.  

“And one more thing.” 

“Go ahead.”  

“Do you have a laser pointer? A really intense one, like a lightsaber.”  

***

The haul included a Unique-grade longsword equippable at level 15 and five or six Rare-grade weapons. 

He’d chosen daggers suited for throwing and weapons specialized for thrusting, but there weren’t many usable items that didn’t have level restrictions.  

Firing off five daggers—thud thud thud!—was hardly the Ten Thousand Flower Rain he envisioned, but still.  

Unique-grade items were naturally scarce.  

Legendary and Mythic-grade items above them were often soulbound upon acquisition. 

If Player A’s bound item was taken or used by Player B, it wouldn’t function and might even break, reappearing near its owner.  

The items themselves weren’t untouchable when bound, but they were as useless as rocks to others.

Thus, unbound high-grade items were rare, and their availability mattered more than their price.  

The truly valuable ones went to auctions. 

So, expecting a protective item to withstand the holy sword’s shockwave in a shop like this was wishful thinking.  

The real prize from the VIP shop was something else.  

“Burning Laser Pointer!”  

Junseok proudly held up the secondary weapon, but Nayeon’s eyes turned sharp. 

“What’s that toy?”  

It might look like a kid’s plaything, but it was a brilliant idea for gaining experience in the low floors. 

“You don’t see its potential.”  

Nayeon didn’t drop her skeptical, almost mocking expression, but seeing Junseok’s confident look, she reconsidered.  

Back when he was a porter handling logistics in the Tower, he’d seen the raid leader use a laser pointer.  

It wasn’t a toy.  

A real laser pointer that shot out a beam.  

The raid leader aimed it, and the team focused their firepower in that direction.  

What had impressed him most, watching from the back, was when the leader aimed it at a monster’s eyes, triggering status effects like vision impairment or blindness.  

Status effect = attack recognition. 

If the attack lands, finishing it off with thrown weapons should grant experience, right?  

It was a hypothesis worth testing.  

Thus, he’d acquired this from the VIP shop:  

Item Name: Burning Laser Pointer (Special)  

Category: Equipment – Secondary Weapon 

Description: A high-output burning laser pointer. 

Used for igniting objects or designating targets. 

Caution: Do not aim at human eyes.  

Normal -> Special -> Rare -> Unique -> Legendary -> Mythic -> Transcendent  

It seemed like an ambiguous item between Normal and Rare, but for Junseok right now, it was perfect.  

Like Nayeon, Yoo Junhyuk was skeptical.  

What are you going to do with that thing?  

“It induces status effects.”  

At that, Yoo Junhyuk instantly understood, muttering, “Well, damn,” and clicking his tongue.  

Your cunning is something else. 

I’ll give you that—you’ve surpassed me in scheming.  

It was a simple idea:  

1. Hit a monster’s eyes with the laser pointer. 

2. Inflict blindness or burn status effects.

3. Throw weapons from the inventory to finish it off.  

If I apply a debuff, whatever kills it afterward should grant experience, right? 

Even if it was only a portion, it’d be like party members sharing experience for participating in combat.  

It might be a temporary workaround with limits in the mid-floors, but it’d likely work smoothly up to the 20th floor.  

It was still just a promising hypothesis, but Yoo Junhyuk’s approval raised its chances.  

“You’re planning to use that item to trigger status effects, get combat recognition, and earn experience, right?” 

“Exactly. The best would be… you fighting for me.”  

Summoning her to clear floors might backfire until we build more rapport.  

Kang Jinsu had once warned him:  

“It’s best to maintain a good relationship with your summon.” 

Why?

“Summons are usually bound not to harm their master, right?”  

“Aren’t they?” 

“Humanoid summons are different. In the U.S., there are too many cases to count of summons killing their masters. Some do it for freedom.” 

“…Really?”  

“So, please, keep a good relationship.”  

Junseok glanced at Nayeon, who was stretching while watching TV, and spoke.  

“Wanna go for a walk?”  

Nayeon tilted her head.  

“Suddenly?”  

“You’ve only seen the outside world through TV, aside from the Tower. I want to test the sword I got from the shop, and we can’t do that inside.”  

Her eyes sparkled as she nodded, as if she’d been waiting for the suggestion.  

“Sounds good.”  

A clear smile crept onto her usually expressionless face.