Life in the tower is surprisingly uneventful—one might even call it peaceful.
Every morning, when I wake up.
“Master~!”
“…Ugh.”
Geomgwi, upon seeing that I’m awake, rushes over to serve me breakfast.
But today, for some reason, instead of bringing food, she brought bathwater first.
Normally, after I finish eating, Geomgwi would struggle to carry a basin of warm water—one as big as her own body—so I could wash up.
Since I was still half-asleep, she even took care of the entire bathing process for me.
At first, it was embarrassing.
But I couldn’t keep feeling embarrassed forever, so I had no choice but to adapt.
Being completely bare in my new body was still something I found difficult to look at, making every morning a struggle.
Anyway, after finishing my bath, I expected breakfast.
“…?”
“Heh, hehehe…”
“Geomgwi?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Instead of food, what I got was Geomgwi awkwardly smiling while holding a broom.
And then.
“Yaaawn…”
Hunter Han Sung walked out of the guest room, hair a tangled mess, stretching and yawning.
Geomgwi subtly avoided my gaze.
Since I dislike beating around the bush, I asked directly.
“Where’s breakfast?”
“Hiccup!”
“Are you laying down the law first thing in the morning?”
“N-No, that’s not it…”
Geomgwi hiccupped in fear while Han Sung flopped down beside me, looking amused.
He chuckled, teasing that he didn’t realize I was the type to intimidate subordinates.
When I shot him a glare, he looked away, pretending to be innocent.
Ignoring Han Sung, I turned back to Geomgwi.
“…P-Please don’t kill me!”
“Huh?”
“W-We ran out of ingredients…”
As soon as our eyes met, Geomgwi trembled and bowed her head.
Monsters are really hard to understand.
It’s not like I abuse my power or act tyrannically, yet she was terrified.
I thought we had gotten closer recently, but maybe that was just my imagination.
It stung a little, but not too much.
Because yesterday, I had seen something even worse.
I had gathered my subordinates to take a group photo, and—”…My Lord! I’ll do my best! Please, just don’t kill me! I’ll prove my worth like the knights or Geomgwi!”
“……?”
I had watched as Hwarang, trembling, begged me for his life.
I could still vividly remember Han Sung laughing at him from the side.
Though this Hwarang wasn’t the same entity as the Tower of Hwarang’s boss, it made sense.
Hwarangs were one of the most hated monster types among Koreans.
It was inevitable—just their fate.
That day, it had taken me an hour to convince Han Sung that I wasn’t that kind of person.
He had given me a suspicious look but eventually believed me.
Recalling yesterday, I looked at Geomgwi again.
She was small, like a child, and always tried her best to help me.
If she was only doing so out of fear, that would be quite a shock.
“Geomgwi.”
“…Y-Yes, Master?”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She was probably scared.
Anyone watching would think I was about to eat her or something.
I sighed and picked her up, placing her on my lap.
“Are you struggling a lot?”
“…!!”
“I won’t eat you.”
As I patted her head, Geomgwi started sobbing.
“…Really? You won’t eat me?”
“Of course not.”
“…Hoo…”
She took a deep breath before suddenly spinning around and hugging me tightly.
“Thank you…!!”
“Whoa.”
“B-Back in the Demon Realm, everyone looked down on me for being weak… I really thought I was going to die this time…”
She sniffled and sobbed.
I didn’t really understand everything she was saying, but I patted her comfortingly.
Even Han Sung seemed confused, muttering, “Demon… Realm…?” under his breath.
But that wasn’t important right now.
Soothing Geomgwi was the priority.
“Is that so?”
“You won’t be like them, right, Master?”
“Of course not.”
“…Thank you…”
Geomgwi stayed in my arms for a while before finally calming down and stepping back.
“I wasn’t expecting a guest, so I miscalculated the food supply…”
“S-So for today’s breakfast, we have no choice…”
Now that I thought about it, where had all those ingredients come from in the first place?
“Wait, where did you get the food before?”
“They were in my subspace. I was a cook in the Demon Realm since I was too weak for combat.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes!”
Geomgwi gave an embarrassed smile.
“Anyway, maybe the wandering merchant will visit today?”
“Wandering merchant?”
“A monster that mysteriously appears whenever resources run low in a tower!”
I turned to Han Sung, but he looked just as clueless.
“Really?”
“Yes! Master, are you not from that place?”
Was she referring to the Demon Realm again?
If so, then she was right.
“I am from the Demon Realm.”
“Oh… Then it makes sense you wouldn’t know.”
Now that I thought about it, Hwarang had mentioned something similar before.
“When does the wandering merchant show up?”
“Hmm… Probably soon…”
“Really?”
I had no choice but to wait.
I glanced at Han Sung, who was furiously taking notes beside me.
“Hunter Han Sung, what are you writing?”
“…Ah, just noting what I heard earlier…”
“Are you planning to share it outside?”
“Uh… Yeah…”
Why did he look so guilty?
I didn’t really mind.
Even if that information spread, it wouldn’t lead to my tower being conquered.
“You can share it. If anything, making that public might help people trust me more.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. As long as you portray this place positively.”
I didn’t care about the other towers.
I had no idea what most of their monsters were like, but they were probably hostile toward humans.
That’s why people saw me as an enemy too.
It was a little bittersweet.
I was still human, after all.
“I’m different. As long as my people are safe, that’s all that matters.”
“Ah, then I’ll keep writing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Master…!”
As soon as I finished speaking, Geomgwi called out in a happy voice.
“Hmm?”
“D-Do you really consider us your people?!”
“Of course. We’re like a family-run company.”
“…Gasp!”
Geomgwi’s eyes widened in shock.
She looked so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s wrong?”
“I-I’m just happy!”
Giggling, she continued sweeping the yard.
She was adorable—like raising a child.
I smiled contentedly and sprawled out on the wooden porch.
“Ugh~ I’m hungry.”
The cool wood supported my body as a gentle breeze blew.
If only I weren’t starving, it would be the perfect weather to take a nap.
“…Feels like spring or autumn.”
“It’s spring outside,” Han Sung confirmed.
“Oh, really?”
He had stretched out on the porch as well, telling me about the world outside—how it was spring and how people had recently celebrated the clearing of the Tower of Hwarang.
That meant some time had passed since my “death.”
Back then, the news had been abuzz with reports about humanity preparing to conquer the 23rd floor.
As we chatted idly.
[A wandering merchant has arrived at your resource-deprived tower!]
[Use Tower Coins to purchase necessary goods!]
“They’re here.”
“Already?”
The tower had officially announced the wandering merchant’s arrival.
A merchant demanding payment in Tower Coins—clearly someone obsessed with money.
But how would they appear?
Would a portal open in the yard?
Just as I was wondering.
“Excuse me~~”
A woman draped in a deep purple cloak pushed open the gate and stepped inside.
“The wandering merchant has arrived~!”
The woman’s identity was that of the wandering merchant.
‘…She’s entering surprisingly normally?’
Aside from the fact that this was the highest floor of the tower, her entrance was quite ordinary.
“Oh, oh! Are you the boss here?”
“Yes… And you are…?”
“Wow~ Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!”
The wandering merchant laughed heartily as she vigorously shook my hand up and down.
Her face was mostly covered, revealing only the lower half, but from the way she smiled widely, she seemed to have a cheerful personality.
For the record, I’m not good with people like this.
She’s scary—talking all on her own and laughing so loudly out of nowhere.
I stood there with a blank expression, unsure how to react.
“Wow~ An SSS-rank tower really is different.”
“Is it?”
It seemed that merchants had a way of identifying a tower’s rank.
“Yeah, even the air feels different.”
“Haha…”
“It’s an honor to be the first one here.”
“…C-congratulations?”
“You’re pretty shy, aren’t you?”
She laughed boisterously, giving my shoulder a few friendly pats.
I felt drained already.
“Uh… I’d like to buy some food.”
“Oh? Nothing else?”
“No…”
“Hmmm? A brand-new tower, and you really don’t need anything else?”
“…No. Just show me the food.”
Why is she so chatty?
I wish she’d just take out whatever she has and leave already.
“Nah, you’re definitely going to need something else.”
“…No, I’m fine.”
“You just don’t know it yet.”
Why does she keep talking like some old lady?
She’s young!
“…You’re young, so why do you talk like an old lady?”
“The bosses like it this way.”
“…Well, I don’t like it.”
“It’s a habit when I work, I can’t help it.”
“…Ah, okay.”
This is uncomfortable.
Please, just show me the food already.
“…Just show me everything you have.”
“You said you were only buying food, huh? Good thinking! Take a look at everything first.”
Like I had any other choice—she wouldn’t show me anything otherwise.
Forcing a strained smile, I watched as the merchant reached into her cloak and pulled out a bundle.
Inside that bundle were.
“W-wait, a Dragon Slayer Sword!?”
“T-this is… The Elder Elf’s Bow!?”
“Gasp! A Skeleton Summoning Whistle!?”
A collection of truly amazing items.
Should I flex a little?