The turtle walked cautiously.
The surroundings were filled with dense trees.
The cries of insects, the intense magic of monsters watching over this place, and the darkness that came with the night all blended together, creating a very peculiar atmosphere.
The turtle, without expanding its body much, moved at a size no larger than a small carriage.
This was to navigate through this path.
Because of this, I couldn’t enter inside and instead climbed onto its back to observe the surroundings.
I leaned back against the chair.
A soft cushion gently embraced my body.
Stroking the pocket of space held in my arms, I thought, ‘The purpose of visiting the city has been accomplished. This should hold enough information.’
I ended up leaving the city earlier than expected.
I had planned to stay at least a day, but the moment I purchased this item, I had no choice but to leave immediately.
My eagerness to experiment with it drove me away.
‘It had better be worth the high cost.’
This item had drained all my points.
Not just my current points but even future ones.
‘I hadn’t planned on investing this much.’
I let out a wry smile, recalling how Hwaryoung’s peculiar salesmanship had captivated me.
‘Was her chatter before getting to the point meant to distract me?’
Thinking back now, she had used a textbook strategy to make me buy this item.
I didn’t realize it at the time.
The first item she showed was a massive painting of a snake.
“This is the corpse of the tail-biting serpent, Ouroboros,” she said.
I marveled at it.
Despite being just a painting, the magic brimming within it was palpable.
It held power far beyond any monster I had encountered before.
‘If this is merely its corpse, how powerful must the living form have been?’
“This is a monster cultivated over a hundred years by the Beast Corporation. Although it had garnered much anticipation, it died due to issues during the breeding process. We acquired it afterward.”
She handed me a booklet with detailed information.
I read through it slowly, my eyes widening as I encountered its enticing features.
“As you can see, Mr. Evron, all the functionalities you desire are contained within. It can hold unlimited information and retains a sliver of consciousness, allowing it to think independently. Additionally, necromancers of Mukgeumgo cast preservation magic on it, granting it durability to last over ten thousand years.”
She added with a smile, “Maintenance and repairs will also be handled by us.”
“Shall we move on to the next item?”
She retrieved the snake’s painting and displayed another one.
This time, it was a nine-headed cat.
“This is another creation by the Beast Corporation. They attempted to combine nine feline-type monsters into a single entity. They called it the Nine-Way Cat. Unfortunately, it was deemed a failure as it couldn’t reproduce, leading to its disposal.”
The booklet for this item also featured impressive functionalities, although not as potent as the Ouroboros.
Its ability to process information through its nine heads was particularly captivating.
She explained further, showcasing several more items.
Most were harvested from the corpses of monsters.
***
As I listened to her descriptions, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
While they were excellent products, they all shared one major flaw—they were exorbitantly expensive.
The Ouroboros was over five million points, and the Nine-Way Cat cost three million.
None of the items were below a million points.
I only had less than twenty thousand points to my name.
A sigh escaped my lips.
Noticing my reaction, Hwaryoung laughed lightly, her eyes glinting with amusement.
“These are just examples of what’s available. We have more affordable items as well, so don’t worry too much.”
She displayed other paintings, their prices gradually decreasing as their features became simpler.
My priority was clear—an item capable of storing vast amounts of information to replace the Shadow Tree.
Then, I saw it.
‘This is it.’
The brain and spinal cord of the Specter Tree.
It glimmered translucently, exuding a peculiar aura that felt oddly familiar.
“This item is harvested directly from a thousand-year-old Specter Tree. As you can see, the brain and spinal cord remain intact.”
“How much is it?” I asked, swallowing nervously.
This was exactly what I needed—a massive storage capacity spanning a millennium.
“It’s much cheaper than the previous items since it has only one function. The price is two hundred thousand points,” Hwaryoung said with a smile.
While cheaper than the others, it was still far beyond my reach.
I sighed and placed the booklet back on the table.
Hwaryoung observed me leisurely before speaking.
“If the price is a concern, you don’t need to pay it all at once. You can divide it into twenty installments, paying ten thousand points monthly.”
Her offer was tempting.
I contemplated. Ten thousand points a month—this could be covered by renting out my Mirror Beetle.
“…I’ll take it.”
Thus, I purchased it as if bewitched.
Handing over all my points, I obtained the item.
Reflecting on it now, it was such a straightforward sales tactic.
Hwaryoung had likely intended to sell me this item from the start.
***
With no points left, there was little else I could do in the city, forcing me to leave early.
I sighed, watching my points vanish like the wind.
Gathering my thoughts, I recalled Professor Heisen’s advice: ‘You can’t move forward if you give up what you’ve learned.’
‘Yes, points are just a tool. They exist to acquire what I need.’
Oddly, I felt lighter with my points gone.
Starting anew didn’t seem so bad.
Besides, I still earned some points beyond those from renting out the Mirror Beetle, enough to sustain my research.
I observed the surroundings.
The peculiar road had started to look familiar.
The tower was close.
***
Six hours had passed since leaving the city.
It was hard to believe we’d arrived so quickly.
“How was the journey? Satisfactory?”
A voice descended slowly from above.
I turned to meet the gaze of a man, his face marked by a faint scar under one eye.
He climbed onto the turtle’s back, nodding slightly.
“Everything was very comfortable, Ms. Nadia.”
I bowed my head as I spoke.
Around the turtle, a couple of people hovered in the air, moving along with us.
They had joined us as we left the city.
They were from a group called the Safe Hiking Club.
I had seen their name on bulletin boards a few times, and as soon as I left the city, they caught up with me, and we ended up traveling together.
They had promised to escort me to the tower with utmost care.
From what I gathered, some people from the tower had pooled their points to hire them, asking them to deliver me as swiftly as possible.
“I never imagined this was possible. Not encountering a single monster on the way is astounding.”
“Haha! As you must have noticed, we’re passing through the boundaries of various monsters’ territories. While they are preoccupied with each other, we move swiftly through the gaps.”
That was indeed the case.
I had felt the intense stares of monsters throughout the journey, but none had attacked us.
It was truly fascinating.
“Is it all right to reveal such things?”
At my question, he responded with a confident smile, puffing out his chest as he glanced around.
“Even this seemingly simple path is built on countless trials and secrets we’ve accumulated. Just knowing the principle doesn’t mean others can easily replicate it.”
“That’s impressive.”
I nodded slightly, genuinely impressed.
The idea that even understanding the principle wouldn’t allow someone to imitate it resonated deeply with me.
“Now that we’ve arrived safely, would you mind leaving a comment on our post? A recommendation from Mr. Evron would greatly enhance our credibility.”
He pulled out a Mirror Beetle as he spoke.
“Of course. It’s the least I can do. What should I write?”
“Just keep it brief,” he replied.
He activated his magic, and the Mirror Beetle floated out of its pouch.
It quickly accessed the public bulletin board, where I found a post by Nadia.
***
[Nadia’s Post]
[We safely escorted Mr. Evron to the tower as per your request.]
[It only took six hours from Stalactite City to here.]
[The optimal route has been posted on the information board, so feel free to check it out.]
[With the new path developed by the Safe Hiking Club, you can travel comfortably without encountering a single monster!]
[Evron: Thanks to you, I traveled comfortably. Much appreciated.]
***
Others also wrote a few posts using their Mirror Beetles.
I added replies to a few of them, and soon the tower came into view.
At the same time, my mind began to connect with other entities nearby—numerous dolls and Mirror Beetles around the tower.
The stars embedded in the Shadow Tree twinkled as if to welcome me.
The Mirror Beetle hovering midair started to vibrate intensely, its movements almost out of control.
It seemed an overwhelming number of messages were coming in.
Curious, I checked briefly.
***
[Messages from the Bulletin Board]
[Yuna’s Post]
The long days of sadness are finally over… Talking on this board at night was my joy, but I felt so lonely these past two days, unable to do anything.
Now that the board is back up, I can spend warm nights again.
[Nadia: Oh dear, if you had followed us to the city, you could’ve kept accessing the board!]
[Yuna: Oh? I didn’t know that was an option.]
[Nadia: Next time, why not prepare for such situations by learning the optimal route? It’s posted on the information board for just 100 points.]
[Yuna: Hmm, I’ll check it out.]
[Luca: And she takes the bait.]
***
[Cassian’s Post]
Here’s a treat for those who missed seeing our adorable bear doll! Days 63–65:
[Drawing of a bear doll with open arms]
[Drawing of a bear doll sitting with hands clasped]
[Drawing of a bear doll raising one hand to wave]
[Drawing of a bear doll tilting its head slightly]
[Drawing of a bear doll patting its belly]
[Drawing of a bear doll with hands on hips]
‘Isn’t it adorable?’
[Hao: Geez, how many drawings are you spamming here?]
[Cassian: Are you saying our bear doll isn’t cute?]
[Hao: No, that’s not what I meant—]
[Cassian: Meet me at the tower tomorrow. First-floor central hall.]
[Hao: Fine, the bear is cute, okay? The bear is adorable!]
***
The board was overflowing with posts and replies now that it was active again.
I chuckled softly.
Though the board’s revival had been for my benefit, it didn’t seem like a bad thing after all.
While browsing, the tower came fully into view.
“Then, we’ll take our leave now.”
Nadia bowed her head before the closed door.
It was late at night, and the tower’s open hours had already passed.
“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”
“It’s us who should thank you. See you then,” she replied, departing with her group.
I stepped into the tower.
The Mirror Beetle, still vibrating, settled onto my shoulder.
Stroking it briefly, I headed for the stairs.
My heart began to race.
Excitement surged through my veins with every heartbeat.
‘Twenty thousand points.’
This was the most expensive material I had ever obtained.
No, I had never even touched materials worth over a thousand points before.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of power this item might hold.
Though I had read about it in the manual, handling it directly would surely feel different.
‘What kind of sensation will it bring to wield something worth twenty thousand points?’
The anticipation brought an involuntary smile to my face.
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