A tranquil atmosphere permeated the 99th-floor conference room of My Home Tower.
“Hehe… I wonder how many Tower Coins I’ve collected? Let’s take a look!”
[Tower Coins Held: 342,085]
“Woohoo! wwwwwwwww”
Ariel Tricia threw her arms up, cheering and dancing with unbridled joy!
It had been barely a week since My Home Tower first manifested on Earth!
Moreover, climbers had only begun to seriously enter the tower a mere four days prior!
Yet, in such a short span, Ariel Tricia had managed to amass a staggering quantity of Tower Coins by simultaneously engaging in ‘commerce’ and ‘trials’!
It was an amount so immense that other tower masters would have been utterly stunned, perhaps even collapsing in shock, had they witnessed it!
“Our home’s recreational facilities are truly the best!!!!!”
…In truth, this immense wealth was primarily due to the brisk sales of high-value items such as [Holy Water of the Glorious Angel], [Essence of a Happy Dream], and [World Tree Sap].
Nevertheless, the recreational facilities had also steadily contributed to the revenue, so her statement wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
With a substantial sum of Tower Coins now accumulated, she allowed herself the luxury of leisurely reviewing the sales figures.
‘Even so… the [Tears of the Glorious Angel] haven’t sold as well as I expected.’
Ariel Tricia glanced at the bottle she held in her hand.
[Tears of the Glorious Angel]
[Effect: Significantly enhances the user’s physical abilities based on their ‘physical capabilities’ and ‘growth potential’. (Enhancement: minimum 2.5x ~ maximum 300x increase)]
[Duration: Proportional to the user’s ‘mental fortitude’ and ‘willpower’; higher physical enhancement reduces duration.]
[Side Effects: Upon expiration, the user may experience severe muscle pain and shortness of breath for a certain period. Excessive overuse can lead to shock and death. (Enhancement Multiplier × Duration = Side Effect Duration)]
Simply put, it was a conditional buff potion whose effects exponentially increased with the user’s potential and willpower.
If an ordinary person, not a climber, were to consume it, they would typically see a 3 to 5 times enhancement, lasting about 10 minutes, followed by 30 to 50 minutes of muscle pain as a side effect.
But what if a climber with considerable strength were to use it?
For instance, Kim Chunsik, a [Soldier] class who entered in the early days, could expect a 7 to 8 times enhancement with a duration exceeding 15 minutes.
And a climber with high potential like Otaku, a [Swordsman] class, might see an enhancement of over 10 times, but their mental fortitude would likely not keep up, resulting in a duration of less than 3 minutes.
What if Crow, the [Graviturgist], were to consume this?
– Physical Abilities: 72x enhancement
– Duration: 43 minutes
He might very well transform into an invincible monster.
Of course, the crushing muscle pain and shortness of breath that would follow the duration could be entirely alleviated with a single cup of [Holy Water of the Glorious Angel].
However, the true problem with this potion lay elsewhere.
‘Even if the body grows stronger, if the senses cannot keep pace… it becomes a poison, rather than a boon.’
While physical abilities are temporarily and drastically enhanced, the brain struggles to process such rapid changes.
One must quickly adapt to the suddenly empowered physique; failure to do so leaves one vulnerable, making it even more perilous.
Moreover, given its limited duration, any time spent adapting directly translates into wasted time, incurring significant losses.
Climbers, furthermore, have no way of knowing precisely what effect these [Tears of the Glorious Angel] will have on them.
Since the effects remain unknown until they purchase and consume it, it is understandably difficult for them to commit to a purchase.
“So, I even lowered the price to 2,000 Tower Coins… but it’s still not moving as much as I thought.”
For reference, 2,000 Tower Coins is approximately 10 million Korean Won.
This means that Ariel Tricia was selling her own tears bottled up for ten million won each!
It truly seemed as though her conscience had fled beyond the cosmos, but in terms of sheer effect, the price was actually quite reasonable.
“Then, perhaps I should dilute the [Tears of the Glorious Angel] by about 100 times and rename them [Weakened Angel’s Tears]? I could adjust the price to around 22 Tower Coins?”
To improve accessibility, Ariel Tricia decided to try selling a diluted version, the [Weakened Angel’s Tears].
[Weakened Angel’s Tears]
[Enhancement: 1.2x ~ 3.5x]
[Duration: (Nearly identical to the original [Tears of the Glorious Angel])]
[Side Effects: Very mild muscle pain, though it can worsen with excessive consumption.]
In summary, while the enhancement effect was drastically reduced, the duration remained the same, creating a potion that allowed for a partial, indirect experience of the original’s power.
“Next up… the [Essence of a Happy Dream]?”
[Essence of a Happy Dream]
[Effect: Upon consumption, the user experiences their most desired dream, with all five senses activated for a realistic experience. (No pain is felt within the dream.)]
[Side Effects: Forced awakening during sleep can cause several hours of delirium; excessive consumption can lead to being unable to wake for days; long-term use can induce depression and withdrawal symptoms due to the disconnect between dream and reality.]
[Price: 320 Tower Coins]
In short, it was an enchanting potion that allowed one to experience anything they desired within a dream.
Roughly 1.6 million Korean Won.
Though not a drug, its vivid experience held a temptation sweeter than any narcotic.
Even Ariel Tricia herself, when feeling tired or down, would drink this potion and find healing within a happy dream.
However, this potion also came with equally severe side effects.
“Fortunately, I’m also selling the [Glorious Angel’s Feather Amulet] alongside it.”
Thus, Ariel Tricia sold the [Glorious Angel’s Feather Amulet] right next to the [Essence of a Happy Dream].
This amulet was a high-grade item Ariel Tricia had personally crafted by plucking her own feathers!
Its price was a staggering— 20,000 Tower Coins!
That amounted to approximately 100 million Korean Won!
“…But at this price, shouldn’t everyone be able to afford it? Why isn’t it selling?”
It seemed her conscience had truly absconded to a different dimension, far beyond the outer reaches of space.
…Though she said that, in truth, the amulet’s performance was certainly worth its price.
Merely carrying Ariel Tricia’s feather permanently provided mental healing and mental fortitude enhancement. By expending the feather’s power, it could also continuously ward off potent misfortune.
What’s more, as long as a misfortune close to death didn’t strike, these effects could be utilized almost indefinitely!
“My feathers grow back quickly anyway, so perhaps I should lower the price a bit to 18,000 Tower Coins?”
It seemed her runaway conscience had at least made it back as far as Andromeda.
“[World Tree Sap]… I’ll skip that one, it’s a bother. How much have the others sold?”
As she meticulously organized the product list and checked sales, Xian Nightmare approached her side.
“Haaah… What are you doing?”
“Work…?”
“That sounds dreadful.”
“But you need to work too. You still have to set up the floor trials, don’t you?”
“That sounds even more dreadful…”
Despite her grumbling, Xian eventually sat beside Ariel Tricia, opened a system window, and began to work.
“Oh, you’ve already drafted the proposals?”
“Yeah, just take a look. If they seem fine, you can register them as is.”
“Hmm… This one’s good, but this one needs a little tweaking…”
Xian’s eyes remained sleepy, yet her hands moved with precision, efficiently setting the difficulty and rewards for the trials.
However, her next words were unexpected.
“…Ariel Tricia-nim.”
“Hm?”
“How does it feel… to be back on Earth now?”
Ariel Tricia stared blankly at Xian for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
“It’s hard to say I’m ‘back.’ I can’t even leave the tower, so I haven’t been able to properly experience anything.”
Xian nodded indifferently,
But her fingers fidgeted, betraying a sense of unease.
“Then… when will we be able to go outside and see it?”
“Earth… you mean, modern society?”
“Yes. Libraries, cat cafes, PC rooms, game consoles, processed foods… all the things Ariel Tricia-nim told me about.”
Ariel Tricia chuckled softly and nodded.
“I’ll definitely show you. The real modern amenities, the real game consoles, the real processed foods… everything.”
Everything Ariel Tricia had shown Xian so far had merely been illusions experienced through dreams.
Xian had yet to experience ‘true modern amenities’.
“So, I promise you. One day, we’ll all go outside the tower together—and have an amazing time.”
“…Alright. I’ll look forward to it.”
Xian’s eyes softened for just a brief moment, a rare expression she rarely showed.
Several minutes passed in comfortable silence.
“Hmm, I think this should be enough. I’ll register them as they are.”
Xian showed the system window to Ariel Tricia, received her approval, and then pressed the registration button.
With the trials for the 87th, 88th, and 89th floors simultaneously registered—
The trial settings for all floors of [My Home Tower] were finally complete.
At that very instant, a system window appeared before Ariel Tricia’s eyes.
[Congratulations! Trial and reward settings for all floors have been completed!]
The system suddenly sent a congratulatory message.
“Oh, come on, no need for congratulations…”
[You have completed the first tutorial required for Tower operation!]
[As a tutorial completion reward, 10,000 Tower Coins have been paid to the Administrator!]
“?”
What? What did you say?
10,000 Tower Coins?
[The second tutorial will now begin. Please complete all of the quests below!]
[[Climbers] Total 100+ entrants: Achieved]
[30+ [Climbers] clear the 5th-floor trial: Not yet met (Currently 17 climbers)]
[Reward: 20,000 Tower Coins + Tower Administrator Authority Rank Up]
“???”
No,
Wait a minute.
Could it be…?
All the hardships I’ve endured until now…
Were merely a ‘tutorial’?
I spent all day designing trials, guiding climbers, making potions, and even running a business to prevent the [Tower Collapse]…
“All of that was something that could have been finished with just one click of [Automatic Trial Setup]…?”
Of course, even if she had known, she wouldn’t have intended to press the automatic setup button…
But if she had known this—couldn’t she have just set up the trials first in the beginning, and then slowly focused on acquiring Tower Coins?
Ariel Tricia was plunged into a deep sense of emptiness, a mixture of futility and self-reproach.
Then, another window appeared before her eyes.
[P.S.: Raising your authority rank will grant you access to various additional benefits provided by the system.]
“…Then, once the tutorial is over… can I go outside?”
Ariel Tricia asked the system, her voice brimming with hope and expectation.
Thump! Thump!
[Answer Unavailable – Insufficient Authority.]
“You damned piece of work!!!!!!!!”
Enraged by the system’s trickery, Ariel Tricia unleashed a 『Super Ultra Hyper Eternity Maximum White Shine Boost Evolution Angelic God Requiem』 from both hands, firing it directly at the system window!
…But, of course, the system window had no physical form, and the 『Super Ultra Hyper Eternity Maximum White Shine Boost Evolution Angelic God Requiem』 flew straight through it, impacting the wall.
“Ah.”
-KUUAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The blue star Earth was thus annihilated—!
…It wasn’t, the tower merely shook slightly.
However, the interior of the 99th floor was utterly reduced to ruins.
This resulted in a completely unscathed Ariel Tricia (?) and a bomb-haired Xian Nightmare.
“…Was that a bit too much?”
“What exactly did I do to deserve this…?”
“I’m sorry…”
Ariel Tricia reportedly spent Tower Coins to restore the 99th floor,
And, filled with apology, gave Xian three ‘Handmade Angel Puddings’ she had personally made.
