Chapter 33: Capitalism Is Cold

Where is this?

A general store.

Who am I?

The store owner.

All the materials needed to craft the Mammonite Revolver were ready.

As I poured in all the materials and closed the lid, the 3D printer began to work, emitting a whirring, buzzing sound that felt out of place in this fantasy world.

“Wow! This is amazing!”

A child from this fantasy world, seeing advanced technology for the first time, sparkled with excitement.

“Ooh…”

……To be honest, I was amazed too.

Inside the transparent glass, the machines moved around, pulling threads and slowly shaping the form.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

‘Hmm…’

The painfully slow pace, which didn’t suit the Korean preference for speed, made me glance at the 3D printer’s panel.

[Remaining Time: 47:57:34]

[Fast Production: 96 Spirit Stones]

“This is taking way too long.”

Two whole days just to make a single pistol?

And fast production?

Fast my foot!

This is one of the business models I hate the most.

Like in games where you buy power with time, such as Cl■sh of Clans or Bo■m Beach.

Or those avant-garde games with instant completion permits.

Why do I hate it?

[Would you like to proceed with fast production?]

[Y■/N⃞]

……………I just can’t wait.

The moment I pressed the button, the 3D printer flashed with a cheap, sparkling white light.

Ding!

A refreshing sound, like that of a microwave, rang out, and the lid popped open.

I blew through five Spirit Stones in an instant.

But in return, I evolved into an overwhelmingly powerful dealer.

It’s worth it!

……Actually, it’s kind of a waste!

Is this really okay for a Korean brain?

“Huh……”

I regretted my impulsive purchase like a monkey and picked up the Mammonite Revolver.

Its appearance wasn’t particularly special.

It was a pistol with a sleek design similar to a Glock.

But on the side, there was a modern LED panel with two buttons.

One was the power button, and the other was the mode switch.

Clicking the mode switch revealed:

[Safe Mode]

[Standard Weapon Mode]

[Final Weapon Mode]

[Full Power Deployment Mode]

“……?”

It’s not like switching between safety, semi-auto, and full-auto on a control stick.

I rummaged through the 3D printer for a manual, but of course, there wasn’t one.

I could roughly guess from the names alone.

“Let’s head back.”

“Meow!”

I couldn’t just fire the pistol wildly inside the store.

Now that I was done, I tidied up the shop and returned to the guild house.

Behind the guild house.

There was a spacious clearing that our Yagada crew had worked hard to create.

“Tina? Can you bring me a big rock or something from around here?”

“Meow!”

A moment later, Tina appeared carrying a boulder five times her size in one hand.

“……”

Can you feel the difference in strength?

Ah, I can feel it……………

I was momentarily awestruck by her overwhelming physical prowess.

But even a raccoon dies if it falls into water.

And even Ma Dongseok dies if shot.

The flesh is fleeting, but lead poisoning is eternal.

Convection…… Guns are the best.

Or not.

“Just put it down over there.”

Thud!

As Tina placed the boulder down, my resolve almost wavered, but I steeled myself again.

I struck a cool pose, one hand in my pocket, and aimed at the boulder.

“Oh……”

Fortunately, a laser pointer popped out to assist with aiming.

First, Standard Weapon Mode.

Click.

Bang!

As soon as I pulled the trigger, a brilliant golden light shot out from the barrel, punching a small hole in the boulder.

“Oh……!”

Upon closer inspection, it didn’t completely penetrate, but it had cleanly dug into the rock.

“Master! That’s so cool! So cool!”

“Hehehe, I know.”

At this level, it could easily take down goblins or orcs.

If Standard Weapon Mode is this powerful, what about the other modes…………?

“Alright, Tina. Step back again.”

This time, let’s go all out with Full Power Deployment.

Let’s test the Starlight Breaker.

I struck the same cool pose, switched modes, and pulled the trigger—

A massive light, incomparable to before, surged from the barrel.

Kwaaaaah!

A huge beam of light shot out like an energy wave.

“Whoaaa—!”

The recoil was much stronger than I expected.

My body spun in the air and tumbled to the ground.

Crack!

My wrist twisted.

My shoulder dislocated.

“Ugh……”

…………It hurts, really, it freaking hurts…………!

“Master?! Did you mess up again?!”

……Well, she’s not wrong…………!

I was in too much pain to even argue.

Through my blurry vision,

I saw the boulder completely melted, and felt a hint of satisfaction.

As Tina ran back to the guild house, I felt a pang of sadness.

Nagging.

Confirmed.

***

After another late-night meeting filled with complaints, information sharing, and other marathon discussions, the conclusion was:

“It’s good that Ark has a means to protect himself, but it’s better if he only uses Standard Weapon Mode.”

“Yeah…………….”

Well, even that mode is powerful enough for a pistol.

“This is amazing! How does it work? Ark, can I take it apart?”

“Hehe, can we apply alchemy to it?”

” .……Neither is allowed.”

Both Harong and Ellis sparkled with curiosity,

But the primitive, ancient fantasy world’s technology couldn’t possibly comprehend modern high-tech creations.

I dismissed the idea.

But curiosity killed the cat.

Harong, fiddling with the revolver, placed a glass on the table and, without warning, fired.

With the firepower I’d seen earlier, the glass should have shattered into pieces.

“It’s dangerous…..!”

“Squeak!”

To avoid the impending tragedy,

I instinctively tackled Johanna next to me and rolled on the ground.

Ting—

“……?”

Instead of the expected shattering sound,

a light, almost BB gun-like ping echoed.

Pushing aside the blushing Johanna, I looked at the table.

“What, what’s this?”

The glass stood firmly, not even cracked.

After confirming with Harong that it was in Standard Weapon Mode, I pulled the trigger myself before anyone could stop me.

Ting—

The power that had pierced through a boulder was nowhere to be found.

It couldn’t even kill an insect.

“Could it be?”

At that moment,

my brain went into overdrive.

The power changes depending on the amount of money available.

Full Power Deployment Mode.

The firepower was on a completely different level from Standard Weapon Mode.

“I’ll be right back to the store…………….!”

“Huh? Huh? Ark! I’ll come with you!”

“Woof!”

I sprinted through the night streets in a frenzy.

Finally arriving at the store, I opened the chest under the counter.

My love, my soul, everything I had was stored there.

“No, this can’t be…………! Waaaaah…………!”

The pile of gold coins I had saved up had all been “deployed” at full power.

I genuinely broke down in tears.

No!!!!!!

My gold coins!!!!!!

***

[Request accepted. Adjusting the rules of the Tower.]

[Within the balance allowed by the Tower, ‘benefits’ can be granted to climbers, but ‘disadvantages’ can also be placed.]

“Hehe…… It’s done…….”

Arachne smiled.

The wicked group of heroes, while climbing the Tower, not only subjected her to torturous tickling but also destroyed the ‘nutrients’ she had stored in the Tower for her ‘consumption.’

In such an absurd situation, she gained more control over the Tower.

For reasons unknown, they reached the 10th area of the 11th floor and then turned back.

“Fools………..”

Arachne mocked the heroes.

From now on, starting from the 12th floor, it won’t be so easy.

She would set up traps to compensate for weaknesses like poison pits and non-flammable webs.

She would prepare more monsters, stronger monsters—mutant spiders, giant wasps, armored armadillos—to block their path.

Of course, in exchange for placing more and stronger obstacles, she hid treasure chests everywhere.

But since they had been charging straight toward their goal all along,

they would never find the hidden treasures.

……Was it a bit excessive?

But they would never get their hands on the treasures.

The increased difficulty would drive the heroes to despair,

and they would become her prey.

“Hehehe…… Hahaha……!”

Arachne smiled with satisfaction.

***

[Temporarily Closed Today]

[I’ll go make some money]

“Today? Do you mean Friday, Master?”

“…….”

Ignoring Tina’s silly remark, I cried tears of blood internally.

Can I really keep up?

With the speed of a world without money………….

“From today, we’re changing our strategy. The climb might take a bit longer, but we’ll clear it once in the shortest time possible, and once by exploring the entire map. It might take a while, so keep your evening free.”

It’s not because we’re short on money.

There might be hidden quests that even Rumi’s intuition couldn’t find.

Fortunately, from the 1st to the 10th floor, the areas where Tina and Ellis were the bosses, there were no hidden elements.

“Honestly, Tina’s area was a bit suspicious.

But it’s not like I can just bluntly say, ‘You’re an idiot.’

So for now.

Starting from the 12th floor, we’ll thoroughly explore every area.

We’ll recover everything that could be valuable.

If we find a hidden quest, that’s a jackpot.

Let’s chant the magic spell.

Capitalism ho!