Episode 13: Team Reinforcement (1)
After clearing the Labyrinth, I returned home and checked the marketplace to finalize gear for Hertia and Caligo.
Equipment sets came in countless varieties and combinations.
Naturally, the pricier ones stood out.
The most popular was the Gale Set, boosting speed for early skill activation—a key advantage for setting up the battlefield.
But popularity meant absurd prices.
A single piece of a Hero-rank Gale Set with decent base stats cost over 40 million KRW.
Add a speed sub-option, and it shoots into the hundreds of millions.
Back in the game, these were so rare they barely hit the market.
‘But I don’t need speed.’
I have Hertia.
Her damage scales with health, so high health is ideal.
Plus, considering Caligo’s future skills, the Decay Set, which reduces enemy max health, was a solid choice.
‘As expected, the Decay Set is dirt cheap—practically a steal.’
Selling my reward set selection boxes would net 15 million KRW each.
Low for selection boxes, but Labyrinth gear has a lower ceiling.
Still, with 15 boxes, that’s 225 million KRW total.
Enough to buy Legendary gear.
I considered summoning a third villain, but gearing up these two is the priority.
With the Elf Legion fight in a month, expenses will pile up.
Plus, my party still has two empty slots.
I can’t blow all my money if I want to fill them with the summons I want.
‘Alright, let’s list the boxes for sale and add good items to my cart.’
《Equipment Set (Hero) Selection Box x2 sold successfully.》
I thought Labyrinth gear’s low ceiling would make it hard to sell, but it went faster than expected.
《2,850,000 KRW deposited after a 5% transaction fee.》
Seeing the balance in my account felt satisfying.
Now, time to gear up Hertia and Caligo properly.
‘Let’s buy some equipment with this!’
《Purchased Legendary Blossoming Despair Helmet (Decay).》
《Purchased Legendary Blossoming Despair Armor (Decay).》
…
***
My next destination: the Tower of Strife.
The only ‘raid-required’ tower, with one in each country.
Its structure is like a ‘compressed Legend Seven,’ packing Episodes 1 through 7 into its floors.
With 100 floors, mid-bosses every 5 floors, and floor bosses every 10, the rewards are substantial.
Notably, the game’s bosses—the Seven Sins—don’t appear.
Stages meant for villain boss fights have substitute bosses instead.
No one knows why.
Since I gained the ability to summon villains, I assume it’s tied to my awakening.
Additionally, the Tower has a ‘raid deadline.’
Failing to clear the top floors by the deadline triggers a ‘dungeon break.’
The first dungeon break… I don’t want to think about it.
The day the Tower rose, goblins, orcs, and even dragons from movies rained fire from the sky.
Adventurers barely stopped the chaos by entering the Tower.
Since then, governments worldwide established laws and systems favoring adventurers.
‘…That horror must never happen again.’
I don’t want to experience that nightmare twice.
If things had gone slightly worse, I’d have lost my parents and sibling.
Back to the point.
South Korea’s progress is at floor 94.
Compared to powerhouse nations that cleared floor 100 and escaped the Tower’s threat, it’s not bad.
The issue is, this progress isn’t entirely our own.
Nations that cleared their Towers deploy spare forces to weaker countries, demanding concessions in exchange for protection against dungeon breaks.
South Korea is one of them.
I’m not complaining—among weaker nations, we’re better off.
Some countries, lacking leverage to offer, get minimal ‘humanitarian’ aid and descend into near-anarchy.
But this fragile peace won’t last forever.
In a month, the main episode update could bring chaos.
For all I know, another Tower might pop up.
“But I can’t just sit and worry.”
I have power now.
Strength to face torrents and storms head-on.
For myself, my family, and those around me.
I’ll blaze through the Tower of Strife.
Might as well save this country while achieving my goals.
‘Now, let’s plan the raid party…’
The Tower of Strife is tough, so the government’s official guide recommends multiple party compositions tailored to each floor’s gimmicks and strategies.
It’s not wrong, but it’s lacking.
Half-right, half-missing—a half-baked map.
More voodoo than strategy, relying on luck.
‘But I can raid it far more efficiently.’
Still, team reinforcement is an unavoidable necessity for climbing the Tower.
The first step: meet the minimum requirement for entry—a party of at least four summons.
I’d love to summon another villain, but my funds are running low.
So, buy random summons from the marketplace to fill the party?
Hah, no way!
‘The market. It’s been a while since I went in person.’
The ‘marketplace’—exclusive to awakened adventurers—is safe and convenient but often lacks cost-effective deals.
The best bargains are at the ‘market.’
Why? Money.
Sellers avoid marketplace fees, so unique items often appear at the market.
‘The market near Seoul… Hwaseong Haenggung in Suwon is the famous one, right?’
Without hesitation, I headed to Suwon.
Arriving at Hwaseong Haenggung, I was struck by the sight of foreign faces.
In a place steeped in Korean tradition, there were countless vendors selling summons and various equipment items.
“Gale Legendary Set for sale! Initiative guaranteed!”
“Rare-rank and above summons, cheap! Come take a look!”
Despite it being a weekday, the market was bustling.
With tight security, people’s faces showed no tension.
But my destination wasn’t this crowded, prime spot.
Vendors in the main plaza were big players selling popular items—Gale Sets for speed or summons tailored to established strategies.
Prices were inflated, but people bought them reluctantly, unaware of better options.
I headed past the main plaza toward the alleyways where smaller vendors set up.
I’d visited here on a work trip before awakening and found some interesting items.
‘Let’s see…’
As I moved to check out the quieter shops—
“Hey, buddy, start here!”
A foreign tout began soliciting at the alley’s entrance.
Less crowded than the plaza, they approached more aggressively.
“Looking for something specific?”
“Yeah, Hero-rank summons.”
“Hero? You’ll need the main plaza for that. We don’t sell pricey summons here.”
“Prices there are too inflated. I’ll just browse.”
“C’mon, nothing good deeper in! Just buy some gear here!”
Ignoring the touts, I ventured deeper.
The alley grew gloomier the further I went.
Vendors looked dejected, lacking any drive to sell.
I was starting to wonder if I’d come to the wrong place when—
“Check out my summons!”
At the alley’s edge, someone stood out.
A high school-aged boy had set up a stall.
His sign, made of flimsy cardboard, was rough.
‘Hero Summons for Cheap. Sale List…’
‘…Bingo!’
His list included some intriguing summons.
Not all were listed, but a few were ‘limited-time pickup’ summons.
‘These are dirt cheap. Does he not know their value?’
In this reality, limited pickup summons are nearly impossible to obtain except through selection rights.
They’re often several or dozens of times pricier than same-rank summons.
Yet this kid’s prices were rock-bottom, even compared to regular summons of the same rank.
Does he realize he’s underpricing them?
“Hey, kid.”
“Yes?”
“Got any Hero summons besides what’s listed?”
“Oh, yeah! I do.”
“Can I see them?”
“Uh, I don’t think you’ll want anything I have.”
“I haven’t said what I’m buying yet.”
“I can tell. Your walk says you’re not the type to come here…”
My walk?
It felt perfectly normal.
Do people who come here walk differently?
“Just show me. I might find something.”
“Alright, as long as you don’t complain.”
The boy showed me his summons one by one.
I understood why he warned about complaints.
They were Hero-rank, but extremely situational.
‘No wonder others were disappointed.’
His summons were mostly slow, meaning no initiative.
Even with decent performance, they’re discarded without speed.
To use them effectively, you’d need speed-boosting gear like the Gale Set, which is outrageously expensive.
The cost outweighs the benefit.
That’s probably why passersby either pitied or grumbled at him.
“Not great, huh?”
“Yeah, they’re a bit… off.”
“Ugh, I studied their abilities and thought they were good when I bought them. Guess I have no eye for this.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll buy. Cash or card?”
“What?”
“Payment. How do you take it? Card okay?”
Among his stock were two summons I needed.
Hard-to-get ones, too—lucky find.
Does he know some of these are rare limited-time summons from just before I quit the game, released during a power-creep spike?
“Card, cash, both fine. Which ones are you buying?”
“Flame Veil Temina and Cowardly Golem Iron.”
“What? Those two?”
“Yeah. How much?”
“Uh… 3 million each.”
“Hmm, that’s a bit tricky. Let’s negotiate. How about we talk it over at a café?”
I moved with the seller to a nearby café to haggle.
Next chapter button missing
ReplyDelete