Of course, as a man, it’s only natural to love secrets.
Hiding inside a huge closet as a child.
Lying on a soft blanket, imagining it as a secret base.
Activating incognito mode while browsing the web on the family computer.
Secretly hiding things in a forbidden path like ‘Download/New Folder/Sparrow/Eye’.
Hidden classes in RPG games.
Hidden pieces in novels!
It’s great, isn’t it?
Am I the only one like this?
Anyway.
The name ‘Secret Workshop’, an element I couldn’t confirm in-game, was enough to make my heart race.
Zkunk! Dokunk!
……
“But it’s a bit expensive.”
2,000 points would take almost a week of diligent daily quests at the store to earn.
Even upgrading the store to level 3 cost 2,000 points.
If it weren’t for Rumi helping me discover the hidden quest, I might have been sucking my thumb in frustration for a while.
A reward.
Today, I’ll grill some beef herb steak.
***
Finally overcoming the three-day suspension, and refurbishing the indoor space, we’re ready for a new leap.
Our store is back in business!
“Oh my, customer? Without an ID, you can’t purchase alcohol.”
“Huh? I’m 25, sis?”
“But you look as young as a baby deer. Please bring your ID next time, okay?”
“Hahak, okay….!”
New part-timer, Ellis.
While checking IDs, she subtly charms the female warriors.
Her alluring eyes and playful smiles.
Though not my taste, the shadow of her vast valley in modest attire.
Yep, yep……
“Hmm, this is 50 gold! And 88 gold!”
“Wow, so smart! Want a candy?”
“Hehe.”
Future manager, Tina.
At the new counter by the stairs to the second floor, she cheerfully greets customers for purchases and sales.
……..That person.
When I handle them, it’s very businesslike…………
“Kyahaha, look! I’ll show you something pretty!”
“Wow!”
“The colors are dazzling……!”
At the bar, Ari.
Thoroughly and meticulously trained in cocktail recipes and golden ratios.
Her unique social skills and synergy are making her a new attraction.
…………Though it’s a bit concerning how she sneaks sips while serving customers.
Each in their place.
Each doing their best in their role.
Now, we just need a head chef.
“Jooin! The potato salad is ready!”
“I’ll get it to you soon.”
Cooking is still my responsibility.
In our warrior party, there’s not a single person who can make decent food, let alone something just edible.
How are you guys going to get married?
What man would want to live with you, sheesh.
After that.
Busy times with the warriors, no time to blink.
Today’s business closed.
“Hehehe, hehehehe………….!”
Seeing the chest, which was almost empty, refilled with clinking gold coins, I felt very pleased.
A slight misunderstanding.
“Oh my, Ark? The gold coins aren’t made of pure gold, you know?”
Just before leaving, Ellis pointed out, and my world crumbled, my hands and feet trembling.
But gold is gold.
Even if it’s not pure.
Looking at the shiny gold coins, my heart feels enriched.
………Of course, the question of what to do with all this money lingers.
Originally, gold coins in the game are used to buy goods at the store.
But whose store is it?
Mine.
The price of goods?
Free.
…………Well, maybe someday I’ll find a use for the money.
***
“Ark? Time to wake up.”
Dawn.
A voice waking me from my sweet sleep.
…..
Must be a hallucination, I thought, pulling the slightly disheveled blanket back over my head.
Para-rak!
An irresistible force completely stripped the blanket off me.
“Uh, huh……?”
Opening my eyes.
Just before dawn, the night sky outside the window, more blue than dark.
Today’s turn.
Johanna sat leaning against the desk, pouting.
“You asked me to wake you at five, Ark. I even got up early on my day off.”
A scene both realistic and surreal.
I was slightly stunned.
Usually, Johanna always wakes up earlier than me, rushing to the sanctuary like the wind, a devout saint.
And even after returning, she always maintains her saintly, elegant attire.
“Uh… Hmm…..”
Pajamas, perhaps. Or casual wear.
Still half-asleep, her skin slightly visible along the clingy line of her belly, her soft navel showing.
…..
“Ouch.”
Did she sense my gaze?
Johanna quickly covered her belly with her cute fist, hitting my head.
“Your gaze is disrespectful…………!”
It’s the saint’s attire that’s disrespectful………………
Finally, a bright light enveloped Johanna, and she returned to her familiar, modest attire.
Tsk.
“What a pity.”
“What is?”
“You looked pretty.”
Thud!
“Why do I get hit even when I compliment……………”
“Just get ready quickly……!”
With that, Johanna fled the room.
The saint’s weakness.
Susceptible to compliments.
Memo complete.
So today, I ran with Johanna at dawn.
Despite her delicate frame, seemingly unfit for physical exertion.
But a warrior is a warrior.
With stamina far beyond an ordinary person like me, she ran with a serene expression, matching my pace.
On the way back.
Watching the dawn break and the sun decorate the morning.
We walked leisurely, like a stroll.
Taking advantage of the rare moment of leisure.
Recalling the memory of seeing Johanna (in pajamas), I asked a question.
“By the way, what should I call it? Uniform? Transformation? Is Johanna still strong without her saintly attire?”
“Strong………… Hmm, I can’t use skills like healing or blessings. But my physical abilities are almost the same.”
I see.
The human herself is strong.
That’s how it is.
No wonder her punches are still sharp.
“I noticed you didn’t have any equipment items earlier.”
“I left them in the room. They’re uncomfortable.”
“Isn’t it uncomfortable to stay transformed all day?”
“Transformed? Hmm. You could interpret it that way. I’m used to it, so it’s fine….I was still half-asleep earlier…………….”
Johanna blushed, adding an excuse.
I wanted to tease her more.
But I held back, fearing a bigger bump on my head.
It was a refreshing morning.
***
Today, to make conquering the tower easier, I bothered Harong early in the morning to create something new.
Though it’s just enlarging something that already existed.
Namely.
Super-Special Power Spiderweb Cutting Scissors!
……………The name was given by Tina.
As the name suggests, if we can easily cut through spiderwebs, we can increase our breakthrough speed.
So, I made a big, beautiful pair of scissors for the warriors to snip-snip.
That was the plan.
“They’re gone…”
“What, that’s cheap, the tower’s cheating!”
Upon entering the tower.
The large scissors carried by the warriors on their backs disappeared.
Fortunately, the detox rings on my hands remained, classified as ‘equipment items’.
But this alone is reassuring enough.
[Tower of Wishes 11th Floor – Great Labyrinth Entrance 6th Area Hidden Clear!]
[★★★★: Destroy Arachne’s Storeroom.]
-Hidden Quest▶ Arachne’s Storeroom
※ Destroy all of Arachne’s storerooms. (2/3)
There’s a storeroom in the 6th area too, so as usual, we smashed and crushed diligently, solving one more.
Just in case, when we exited the tower.
The large scissors were lying at the entrance.
“Should we take them back to the forge and start over?”
Saha suggested, worried about losing them.
“No, I’ll just keep them with me.”
Otherwise, it breaks the flow.
Grinding should be done with the brain turned off, pushing through to the end without getting tired.
So, I neatly stored them in my inventory.
And entered the 7th area again.
“Arf! I don’t feel anything!”
Not in the 7th area.
“Then let’s break through the shortest route. Tina?”
Looking at our prophet.
Tina was deep in thought, with an expression like a puppy needing to poop.
“What’s wrong? Got smarter?”
“Profit……!”
Tina, understanding my Taekwondo intentions, stomped her feet.
Soon.
“Master. You usually store everything in that stone slab, right?”
“Right?”
“You even stuff things from the tower in there.”
“Right?”
“Then can’t we take things out from there too?”
……!
I quickly took out my smartphone and tapped the scissors icon I had stored earlier.
Clang.
With a familiar metallic sound, the stored scissors popped out.
“……Tina? Did you get smarter…?”
“Hmph, Tina was always smart!”
Tinya proudly puffed out her chest.
After that.
Our labyrinth breakthrough speed increased about fivefold.
Even non-combatant Johanna (basic) transformed into Johanna (scissors) and went snip-snip, chop-chop, snip-snip!
Especially impressive was Saha’s scissors.
As they say, a craftsman doesn’t blame his tools.
With flames blazing around the scissors, she dug through like an excavator.
[Tower of Wishes 11th Floor – Great Labyrinth Entrance 7th Area Clear!]
[Tower of Wishes 11th Floor – Great Labyrinth Entrance 8th Area Clear!]
[Tower of Wishes 11th Floor – Great Labyrinth Entrance 9th Area Hidden Clear!]
Complex paths, potent poison, annoying monsters, sticky spiderwebs.
Nothing could stand in our way.
-Hidden Quest▶Arachne’s Storeroom (Complete)
※Rewards will be given!
Intangible rewards.
Points were deposited into my smartphone.
Sweet, so sweet!
And tangible rewards.
“It looks magical!”
“I don’t sense any evil aura. It should be safe to open.”
“Right! Tina also thinks it doesn’t seem like an item from the demon world!”
Rumi’s intuition.
Johanna’s divine power.
And Tina’s keen eye combined to deem it safe.
We received a magical random box.
Everyone’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
I had to meet their expectations.
I opened the first box.
[Random Gold Coin Box x10]
[Randomly receive rewards between 500 gold and 50,000 gold.]
……?
A Matryoshka doll?
Why is there a random box inside a random box!
Next, the second box.
[5★ Warrior Limited Skin Exchange Ticket]
[Exchange for one of the 5★ Warrior’s alternate skins.]
“Ahahahahahaha……!”
I couldn’t help but laugh frivolously.
“Alternate skin? What does it mean?”
“Yay! Jooin is happy!”
“……Ark? Your gaze is a bit rude.”
Armor.
Must be heavy, right?
From today, let’s live comfortably, Saha?
Hehe.
Hehe……!
Washing away the frustration of the Matryoshka gold box.
I bowed deeply to the hidden quest and opened the last box.
“Hmm…?”
[Mammonite Revolver Blueprint (RANK B)]
[[BETA / REVELATOR ONLY / CLASS MERCHANT] No tooltip exists. Please enter a tooltip.]
What is this, a bugged item?
A dud?
Still, good.
Susa-ha, Susa-ha is coming!”