Through the portal, six climbers arrived on the second floor.
Soft blades of grass, the warm embrace of the sun, and a refreshing breeze greeted them.
Across the utterly peaceful meadow, hundreds of rabbits grazed idly.
Then, one of the climbers cried out.
“—Wait. What’s that over there?”
He pointed to the center of the field, where…
Three human corpses lay dismembered and scattered in a gruesome display.
“…Ugh, damn it…!”
Their bodies were charred black, as if caught in an explosion, and blood was splattered everywhere.
These were unmistakably the three climbers who had entered just moments before them.
“Aren’t these the three who went in before us?”
“What on earth happened…?”
“But these people… it hasn’t even been a few minutes since they entered…!”
As the bewildered climbers exchanged frantic whispers,
a golden flash of light erupted, enveloping the corpses.
The blood-soaked bodies slowly vanished, and in their place, a message appeared.
[The effect of Angel’s Blessing (Small) has been activated, resurrecting you outside the Tower.]
Immediately after, a new system window materialized before the climbers’ eyes.
[Entering the second floor – 《Rabbit’s Garden》.]
[Clear Condition – Survive for 10 minutes.] (Trial difficulty eased)
[※What you see is not all there is. Good luck.]
“……Survive for 10 minutes?”
“From what? The rabbits?”
Anyone unaware of the situation might have laughed it off.
Yet, among the climbers present, not a single person was smiling.
They had just witnessed, right here, the bodies of climbers whose bodies had been torn to shreds.
However, even at this very moment, the rabbits continued to graze as if nothing had happened.
The meadow was excessively peaceful, which made it all the more eerie.
“……But, who’s that over there?”
Someone pointed towards the center of the field.
Amidst the cluster of rabbits, a figure lay particularly languidly.
It was a beastkin with rabbit ears, a woman dressed in a bunny girl outfit.
Reclined on the grass, she munched noisily on a delicious-looking cookie, her gaze fixed on the climbers.
One of the climbers cautiously approached and spoke.
“Who… are you?”
To his wary voice, the rabbit beastkin—
picked up another cookie and popped it into her mouth.
And said nothing.
“……”
They had been utterly ignored.
The climbers’ expressions subtly twisted.
A surge of anger began to rise from within them.
“Haaah…”
The rabbit beastkin even yawned, then spread out and lay down.
Finally, one climber, whose anger had boiled over, shouted.
“Hey! We’re asking who you are!”
“…Hmm? Did you call me?”
“Yes! You!”
The rabbit beastkin finally turned her gaze.
“Who are you to ask?”
“?”
“Did you lease this place?”
“…What?”
She answered a question with a question.
“No, this is the Tower, what do you mean lease—”
“Well, I did.”
“……?”
“This is my home, you know? Shoo, shoo~”
She even made a shooing gesture, waving her arms.
Her tone, her attitude. Every single detail grated on their nerves.
“……This brat?”
Anger spread rapidly.
For some inexplicable reason, every climber began to feel an unidentifiable fury towards her.
Ultimately, the climber who had first exploded in anger drew his sword.
“……Damn it! She’s probably just a tower monster! I’ll kill her!”
As he swung his sword and charged towards the rabbit beastkin—
Several rabbits nearby sprang up like lightning, clinging to his body.
-Click!
KABOOOOM—!!
With a deafening explosion, the field was churned up.
The climber who had charged with his sword was torn to shreds and flung to the ground.
It was the same tragic sight they had witnessed just moments before.
“……Wha, what…? Just… just now…?”
One of the climbers, gripped by terror, collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, the rabbit beastkin picked up another cookie, ate it, and chuckled.
Then she pointed a finger at the blood-soaked field.
“These rabbits, they’re really quite timid, you see~ If they feel even slightly threatened… they go KABOOM★ and explode~ Aren’t they just adorable?”
“You… you crazy bastard…!”
“Oh~ can’t do a thing, can you? So pathetic~♥”
Bringing a hand to her mouth, she let out a mocking laugh.
It was blatant derision.
Again, the climbers’ faces twisted.
Fury was pushing aside their fear.
Forgetting even their own mortality, only the impulse to tear apart the infuriating being before them remained.
Until that moment, the climbers remained utterly unaware.
That the rabbit beastkin was none other than Inabak Levitate Rukki, the administrator of floors 1-10 of the [My Home Tower],
And that their burgeoning rage was a direct influence of Rukki’s inherent power: 『Fury』.
But at that very moment—
“Hey.”
A familiar voice.
Ariel Tricia emerged through the portal onto the second floor.
As her divine aura spread, the ‘fury’ that had gripped the climbers vanished as if by magic.
The climbers, having regained their senses, looked at each other in confusion…
Ariel Tricia crouched before Rukki, her eyes sharp, and spoke.
“…What are you doing?”
“Oh… watching humans?”
“Tell me honestly. You were trying to kill all the climbers, weren’t you?”
“…Uh… Dehehe☆Pelo?”
“……”
Ariel Tricia raised her right hand, shaping it into a ‘knife hand’ stance.
“Save me!”
“But you won’t die.”
“No, that’s one thing, and this is another!”
Ariel Tricia sighed and lowered her hand.
“…Fine, I’ll let it slide this time.”
“Phew~ I knew you wouldn’t hit me anyway.”
“Good. Let’s go make some more rabbit stew.”
“?”
Soon after, Ariel Tricia grabbed Rukki by the scruff of her neck and headed towards the portal.
“Are you going to take responsibility if the flow of trials stops? Reflect on your actions!”
“Ugh-ack!!!”
And just like that, the two disappeared through the portal.
Immediately after, a system window appeared.
[The trial on the second floor is forcibly cleared.]
[As a reward, you will each receive 5 ‘Exploding Rabbit Jerky’.]
[A portal leading to the third floor will be generated.]
“…?”
The climbers stood stunned for a moment before finally collecting themselves.
“…Was that… really a Tower Administrator just now…?”
“Uh… it perfectly matches Crow’s description…”
“I think I saw them in the promotional video too…”
“Did we… really meet a [Tower Administrator]?”
Amidst a mix of shock and excitement, the climbers cautiously proceeded to the third floor.
However—
[Third Floor – 《Minotaur’s Pasture》]
[Please select your desired trial.]
[1. Milk 1L from a female Minotaur.]
[2. Disassemble 3 Exploding Rabbits.]
“…?”
The real ‘trials’ were only just beginning.
****
At the same time, on the twelfth floor – 《Gwangmyeong Market》
“……This is insane. This place is truly insane!”
A climber, utterly captivated, stroked a piece of leather.
The material, boasting incredible elasticity, showed no scratches even when cut with a knife.
[Obsidian Dragon’s Carapace Leather]
[Price: 134 Tower Coins]
“This, for 134 Tower Coins…? Seriously?”
It was a material unimaginable on Earth.
As soon as the word ‘dragon’ was attached, wasn’t it always treated as a legend, whether in games or novels?
Yet here, it was being sold at a mere street stall.
Beside him, another climber stared wide-eyed at a high-performance magic stone.
[Supreme Magic Stone]
[Price: 75 Tower Coins]
“…They’re selling so many Supreme-grade stones?”
“This price… is this real? This would cost millions of won on Earth!”
Rare items, absolutely unobtainable for less than a million won, were being sold here for the equivalent of approximately 380,000 won in Tower Coins!
“Hah… I converted my Tower Coins to cash because I thought there was no use for them, but if I’d known this, I wouldn’t have!”
The climbers’ hands trembled, and their eyes, as they opened their wallet windows to check their Tower Coin balance, were filled with regret.
And then—they turned their heads to look.
An item called a legend,
the [Holy Water of Glorious Angel] they had so yearned for, filled the display case.
But no one dared to touch the golden bottle.
“……10,000 Tower Coins?”
The climbers bit their lips, gazing at the golden bottle.
The liquid inside, just by looking at it, emanated a sacred light.
[Holy Water of Glorious Angel (Superior)]
[Price: 10,000 Tower Coins]
[Effect: Restores 100% Health and Mana, Cures all status ailments, Treats all mental illnesses, Heals all injuries, Grants [Angel’s Blessing (Medium)] upon consumption… (Omitted)]
For some reason, even without using the [Appraisal] skill, a system window would appear when they brought their hand close to an item, allowing them to quickly check its effects.
“How much is this… in Korean won?”
“……5,000 won multiplied by 10,000. It’s a 50-million-won potion. Wow, seriously…”
“Still, it’s quite cheap considering the effects, isn’t it?”
Even upon a second look, the [Holy Water of Glorious Angel] possessed truly astonishing effects.
Its effects were, quite literally, close to a ‘miracle.’
It seemed as though even a patient with spreading cancer would be cured,
And if the military supplied this to all its soldiers, that war would already be over.
But the problem was—the price.
It was an amount inaccessible to ordinary climbers, and even to considerably strong ones.
And the truly frightening thing was… this wasn’t the end.
“……Hey, don’t you have the same thought?”
Someone whispered quietly from behind.
“This Tower, you see… it seems designed to ‘make you spend Tower Coins.’ There are convenience facilities, a market… and all the items are just insane.”
“Right. Before, there was hardly any reason to use Tower Coins, was there? Skills were enhanced with essences obtained through farming, and it was more efficient to buy weapons made by climbers with crafting skills using cash…”
“But now that we’re here, and legendary items that can only be bought with Tower Coins have suddenly appeared… demand is bound to explode. Tower Coins are going to skyrocket!”
At his words, the expressions of the surrounding climbers changed dramatically.
Until now, Tower Coins had been nothing more than ‘enhancement currency.’
Those who had grown sufficiently strong would farm hunting towers and dungeon-type towers for coins and byproducts, selling everything on the market… a practice known as ‘Tower Coin farming’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘ssal-meok,’ referring to the act of repeatedly clearing low-level content for a steady, albeit small, income of in-game currency, much like ‘rice farming’ for sustenance.).
As a result, Tower Coins were consistently supplied and flooded the market.
Their value had been falling, and it seemed destined to continue.
But now—
The ‘consumption points’ had suddenly and explosively increased!
“Currently, one coin is worth about 5,000 won, but with this structure… it could soon reach 10,000, even 20,000 won!”
“Does that mean… the cheapest opportunity to buy this is right now…?”
At that, the climbers’ gazes once again converged on the [Holy Water of Glorious Angel].
The golden liquid shimmered faintly, as if proclaiming itself ‘an opportunity.’
If they didn’t buy it now… it felt like they might never be able to afford it.
But even if they wanted to buy it now—they simply didn’t have enough Tower Coins!
“Hey… what if we pool all our Tower Coins and buy just one? Then we can split the profits proportionally when we sell it.”
“…That’s an absolutely insane idea… Let’s do it right now.”
The climbers opened their wallets and began to scrape together their Tower Coins.
It was then.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey! What is this! What the hell is this?!”
One climber let out a short scream.
Inside the display case he pointed to with a trembling finger, never-before-seen bottles were neatly arranged.
[Tears of Glorious Angel]
[Essence of Happy Dream]
[World Tree Sap]
At that moment, the climbers’ breath hitched.
The [Holy Water of Glorious Angel] before their eyes was merely ‘the entrance.’
The true mysteries and miracles were only just beginning!
