Special Reward First.
I set aside the characteristics for now.
First, I checked the special reward.
Thump-thump, crunch-crunch!
A small chest burst out of thin air, radiating a dazzling glow.
Soon, with a crisp click, it opened.
Inside were three sheets of paper.
“Oh……!”
This game has never disappointed me when it comes to paper.
Ah, except for 3-star and 4-star hero contracts.
And Rumi’s contract.
……Well, maybe I’ve been disappointed quite a few times.
But whatever! With the pure excitement of a child receiving New Year’s money—Yap!
[Party Reserve Member Summon Ticket x3]
[Temporarily summons a reserve member to fight alongside you. The summoned reserve member remains until you exit the tower.]
“Hmm.”
Calling this a special reward felt a bit questionable.
But looking at it logically—if five people normally have to clear a tower, now six people can do it together.
That’s… actually pretty good.
If I use one of these from the start on a tough floor, we can keep a six-person party from Section 1 to Section 10.
Yeah, this is nice.
But even after I took out the papers, the chest didn’t disappear.
Peering inside, I saw there was still something left.
Of course.
No way a special reward would end with just three sheets of paper!
[Ring of Absolute Protection (RANK B)]
[A ring adorned with a thickly embedded diamond, a symbol of eternity. Faintly imbued with a goddess’s blessing, it grants the wearer the power to escape death once.]
[Death Evasion LV.1 / When taking fatal damage, you become invincible for 5 seconds. After the invincibility ends, 50% of your HP is restored. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
“Jackpot!”
A 200% pure, radiant grin spread across my face.
Even if an AI as advanced as AlphaGo analyzed my expression, it would detect nothing but 100% happiness.
Because with this—
I no longer have to be overly cautious or overly careful!
Ever since I got stuck in this game world… for 20 days…!
The suffering, no—the overprotection I had to endure…!
“Oh, a ring. Isn’t it?”
It’s pretty!”
“It’s pretty, huh!”
Ari and Tina, who love shiny things, sparkled with excitement as they admired it.
Taking the opportunity, I proudly shared my loot with the heroes.
“I’m relieved. I was always worried about how fragile Ark was, even compared to a hamster.”
Sahaya?
Come on, I’m at least above hamster level, right…?
“Exactly. Ark was always teetering on the edge—this will be a great lifeline.”
Johanna?
I wasn’t that close to death, okay?
I just got a little hurt now and then!
Either way, this was undoubtedly a truly valuable special reward.
With my heart brimming with joy—
I moved on to check my hidden trait.
[Demon Lover (LV.1)]
[An engraving given to those beloved by demons. Increases the likelihood of receiving favor and respect from demons. Grants special interactions with converted demon-type heroes. Also allows insight into a demon’s true form.]
…Let’s pretend I didn’t see that.
Special interactions…?
Nope.
I saw nothing.
This trait does not exist.
***
[15th Floor, Section 10 has been breached.]
[Prepare for the Invasion of the Oracle.]
[The Oracle possesses the ‘Demon Lover’ trait.]
[You can support the Oracle as a new Demon King candidate or side with the current Demon King to stop them.]
“Hmmm.”
Neb, lazily sprawled out, flicked the message away with a paw, looking annoyed.
“I really hate troublesome stuff…”
I thought I’d get to relax by the time I reached the 20th floor.
But no, work is already waiting for me.
More messages followed—something about rearranging objects, blah blah blah.
But Neb simply waved a paw, dismissing them all.
“They’ll figure it out…”
Anyway, the 16th to 20th floors of the tower are modeled exactly after the Great Forest, the boundary between her homeland, the Demon Realm, and the Fairy Realm.
Even if Nev didn’t do anything.
If the Revelator has the ability to climb, they will come up.
If they don’t, they’ll collapse on their own.
“Nyaaah—”
Might as well just stretch.
And take a nap.
That was Neb’s conclusion.
***
Now, Arachne, who has transformed from an enemy to an ally.
The first thing she did after gifting her a necklace was—
“I’ll call you Lene from now on.”
Deck compression—no, name compression.
Honestly, a five-syllable name is way too long.
Of course, I opposed the name Lene.
“Since it’s Aracrene, how about Arc?”
“……Do you even remember what your own name is, Arc?”
“Oops… then A-re? Or Ra-re?”
“How do you shorten it in such a ridiculous—no, such a way? Let’s just take the last two syllables and call her Rene.”
“Hing…”
My world-class naming sense was ruthlessly trampled by Johanna.
So, Aracrene, shortened to Rene.
Confirmed.
Originally, I would’ve done a full sweep from Zones 1 to 10 again, determined to search every nook and cranny.
“……15th floor…………. nothing hidden…… confirmed…………….”
But if the Dungeon Master says so.
Is there really any need to waste a precious stamina recharge ticket?
I think not.
So today, early leave!
“See you at the shop at eight in the evening!”
I gifted the warriors a refreshing and peaceful afternoon.
Johanna went to the sanctuary.
Ari went shopping.
Saha went to the knight order.
Tina and Rumi were playing “puppy game” in the park.
……….Asking what the “puppy game” was seemed like it would cause severe brain cell damage, so I just let them go.
That left two.
Ellis and Rene.
……………So that “devil fetish” insight from earlier was referring to this, huh.
With a little extra focus, I could see faint spider legs flickering beside Rene, who otherwise looked like an ordinary woman.
Her clothing, which had seemed plain before, now had flashes of bright red, like a skintight suit.
Turning my gaze to Ellis—oh wow…………….
“……Come to think of it, wasn’t Ellis excluded from shifts last time?”
“Fufu, I’ve been recognized for my abilities.”
Making aphrodisiacs, love potions, and other similar elixirs—is that an ability?
Well, technically, yes.
Credit where credit is due.
“Oh, right, Ellis. About those potions on that shelf.”
“Oh my, did you see them? How embarrassing. Perhaps today, you’d like to experiment with me?”
“……I’ll pass. Anyway, I’ll leave today in your hands, and while you’re at it, please take care of Lene.”
“Of course. I shall educate her with utmost sincerity.”
Not entirely reassuring.
But what choice did I have?
Normally, newcomer training would be left to Johanna.
But Johanna, despite her strong personality, was quite shy.
Plus, being a saint, she had a tendency to avoid demons.
And Lene was… not just a little, but extremely lacking in communication skills.
Ellis, who could get along with everyone, was the best option to help her adjust.
I had to believe in her.
If I couldn’t trust my warriors, who else could I trust?
***
“I trusted you! I trusted Ellis…!”
“Oh my, making such a fuss over a little nudity. Fufu.”
Trust my ass.
I had planned to take a nice warm shower and then roll around in bed for a nap.
But as I unconsciously stepped out of the shower, toweling off my body and entering my room—
Ellis and Rene were sitting on the bed together, eyes sparkling.
“Revelator… huge…”
“It’s amazing, right? I’m in awe every time.”
Right?
Shut up, you lunatics…
Wait, every time?
Were you not a first-time offender but a repeat offender?
I wanted to ask, but I just kept my mouth shut.
They say you shouldn’t take in black-haired beasts.
Turns out, white-haired ones are just as bad.
Why are they being so blatant?
No way… Is it because of that demon fetish or whatever?
Oh, my fate…
“…Forget it. If you have nothing to do, let’s just go to work.”
“Oh my, already?”
“I was planning to take a nap, but thanks to this, I’m fully awake now. Come on, let’s go to work. By the way, what are you good at, Rene?”
Rene tilted her head.
Well, what’s the point of asking?
With a sigh, I checked Rene’s skills on my smartphone.
Cooking – Level 1.
Tailoring – Level 3.
Nice.
Tailoring is a high-level skill that allows you to craft fabric-based equipment that a blacksmith can’t make, or even create rare and special material-based custom skins.
And since I unlocked the tailoring room after clearing the 15th floor…
I’ll expand the shop to the third floor, move the secret workshop up there, and build the tailoring room next to the alchemy workshop.
Might as well have her cook, too.
My fully liberated happy shop life is approaching!
“Hehehe.”
“Ark-nim? Your laughter sounds creepy. Are you perhaps having lewd thoughts about my chest?”
“I’m not.”
…Sorry.
Sometimes, I did.
After arriving at the shop, I invested my precious shop points into the special gacha machine, constructing facilities one by one.
With the shop level up, I could finally break free from the long era of Rank 4 and upgrade to Rank 5 equipment.
A strong foundation is crucial.
And my abilities were specialized in strengthening that foundation.
As I was busy preparing for the heroes…
“Rene, what is it?”
“Rice……”
Fish oil.
It’s worth the name.
“Wait a moment.”
Cooking meat was already too much of a hassle.
So, I just slapped some butter on bread, grilled it up, cracked some eggs, fried some ham, and made toast.
She ate it up so neatly.
Rene had a satisfied expression.
If I relaxed my eyes…
She was just a normal silver-haired girl.
But if I focused…
The legs of a spider tapped and clicked.
Happily tap-dancing inside my sacred shop.
Can I return my Insight skill?
“Yahoo! Master!”
A lively voice accompanied by fluttering dress hems—Tina had arrived.
Looking at the tattoo on her soft lower belly…
Hmm.
Maybe Insight isn’t so bad.
“Master! Your gaze is pervy!”
“It’s not.”
…Sorry.
That time, it was a bit pervy.
Thankfully…
“Whew~ Ark, nothing happened, right?”
Mix Master Ari.
“Woof!”
Serving Master Rumi.
Our diligent workers arrived on time, helping to quickly dissolve the awkward atmosphere.
Watching my employees and interns (freeloaders) bustling around to prepare for opening…
May I make a fortune today.
And may nothing bad happen in the Great Forest, where I’ll be climbing starting tomorrow.
I prayed for a smooth, peaceful, and safe day.
***
“Ellis…? Do you think our heroes are looking for me?”
“They’re probably flipping out trying to find you right about now?”
16th floor, first zone.
I got kidnapped right from the start.
…Right. That’s how the original story went.
I completely forgot.