Convenience Store 24: The Tower of the End 1st - Chapter 69



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If you want to enjoy episode 69, conquer it (3)

Instead of answering, Lee Ji-soo glanced at the store owner.

However, he seemed to be busy dealing with other attackers.

“You shouldn’t ask me that, you should ask that person. After all, the store owner said he would only give out cards to those who meet the conditions.”

“That’s true, but I have no idea what that standard is.”

“that…….”

Just as Lee Ji-soo was about to open her mouth to answer.

The owner of the store next to him nods his head.

“All members of the Pioneer Group can receive a Wood Card.”

“Is that true?!”

“Yes. The pioneer is the most trustworthy organization right now. There is no reason not to issue it to you.”

“Wait a minute. Does that mean I can’t get the card unless I join the Pioneers?”

The shop owner lets out a small sigh at the strategist’s question.

“As I said before, you just need to surpass the criteria I set. The criteria are that you need to have the will to conquer the tower, and the corresponding skills. I plan to make a judgment on that and award it to the appropriate person.”

“But what if you just take the card and do something else?”

“Even if you meet the criteria and receive a card, if your contribution is minimal, the card will automatically be canceled, so don’t worry too much.”

I finally understood the shop owner’s explanation.

The raiders nodded their heads and murmured quietly.

“You said I just need to get the shop owner’s approval, but is that even possible? Even if I have the will to conquer the top, how do I prove it?”

“That’s true, but the biggest problem is skill. Are you confident that you can survive on the front lines?”

“… … .”

No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed practically impossible to obtain a wood card.

Except for one case!

“How about we join the new advance party? If we join, we’ll definitely be given a wood card, right?”

“Do you have the skills to get in?”

“I’ll give it a try! Or should I just give up on these incredible benefits? I’ll give it a try.”

After a while.

‘hmm…….’

Lee Ji-soo sweat profusely as she looked at the attackers swarming in front of her.

‘Is this too much?’

I never would have thought that so many raiders would show interest in the pioneer.

I realized once again how powerful the ripple effect of the fantasy store is.

‘And what’s more encouraging than anything else is… ‘

It was said that named raiders were occasionally seen among the crowd.

‘Maybe we can fill the gap soon.’

* * *

“Come on in, come on in!”

“Ahh… … Yes, this is it. This moisture… … . I can’t eat hard bread.”

“These are toiletries! These are soaps! This scent is incomparable to herbal water! Ugh… … .”

“Tsk, haa! Ahh… … Is this heaven… … .”

The faces of the conspirators who bought the products were brighter than ever.

I thought as I looked at them like that.

‘This time I went food doping and raised the price, but everyone is satisfied.’

Use your endless hunger to consume buff foods.

Even though I increased my intelligence and raised the amount I could receive.

“67 silver?”

“Haha! The price went up a bit, sir.”

“If I could eat this canned ham, what would the price be?”

I’m happy to make money.

It’s good for customers because they can buy the products they want.

A paradise where everyone is happy has now spread out in this Elasium.

‘That’s interesting. I think one or two people might ask questions.’

Some raiders might be wondering why I lifted the No-Raider Zone.

I wonder if there was a prior arrangement.

No attacker ever mentioned him.

‘There’s no troll mentioning anything outside the tower.’

“Ah, now I really have no regrets. I can’t even think about going outside the tower… .”

“What? Outside? Hey! You little shit! You want to die for me?! Shut up!”

“Don’t even mention the word ‘bar’ outside in front of the owner!”

It seems that ‘outside the tower’ has become a taboo word these days.

It certainly seems like the raiders have come to their senses.

“Okay, next guest!”

So I smiled and accepted the raiders until the convenience store shelves were empty.

Two hours later.

‘Wow, sold out!’

The laughter of the raiders seems to be heard beyond the neatly empty shelves.

‘Hehehe, now let’s settle the account.’

I took out the gold and silver coins that I had put in the safe and placed them on the floor.

‘100, 200… … 500 gold… … . Ugh, good, good.’

Settlement time is always fun.

At that time, I was building a small tower with gold coins.

dripping-

Someone knocked on the convenience store door.

I opened the door after seeing Lee Ji-soo standing outside.

“Did you have any income?”

“earnings?”

Lee Ji-soo showed a bitter smile.

“Do you know how many people I have gathered so far?”

“I remember you said there were 30 people.”

“That’s right. But today alone, 30 more people came in.”

‘Oh, so now we have 60 people?’

The minimum number of people the (new) advance team is currently aiming for is 100.

Aren’t we already recruiting more than half of the people?!

“That’s encouraging.”

“Honestly, I didn’t know it would be this bad.”

“What is it?”

“Wood-card, that is. I didn’t expect the attackers to be interested in it to this extent.”

I smiled as I watched her stick out her tongue.

“You didn’t just get it from someone, did you? I don’t distrust your judgment, but I’d rather have it confirmed.”

“No way. Useless team members are no better than the enemy. I only selected people who can be deployed to the top floor right away.”

“After today, more people will show interest in the (new) vanguard. We’ll be able to start conquering the top floor soon, right?”

She nodded to my question.

“At this rate, I think we can finish recruiting in under two weeks at the most. And considering the preparation time, such as the maintenance of supplies… … we’ll probably be able to start in about a month.”

“A month… … .”

Not bad.

“Then, once you’ve gathered all the people, bring them all. Then, I’ll give you a wood card and sell you some buff food.”

“okay.”

Just as I was about to end my conversation with her.

Lee Ji-soo suddenly asks a question.

“But what if? Have you thought about what you’ll do if the attack fails?”

“… … What does that mean?”

“Well, it’s possible that we’ll all be wiped out, right? That’s a common occurrence.”

right.

How many clans were there in the party that was annihilated while trying to conquer the top floor?

And so, the deaths piled up and piled up, creating the current situation.

‘Sure, in the worst case scenario, we could all be wiped out. But why are you suddenly saying something like that… … Ah.’

No matter how strong a woman she is.

You must have a fear of annihilation and death.

I slowly raised my hand and placed it on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much. We will prepare thoroughly to prevent such a situation from arising.”

This is serious.

‘I don’t want the sword I worked so hard to make to break.’

Of course, you can make it black again.

But it was a huge blow to me to have the handle I was used to breaking.

‘Yeah. I need to prepare as much as possible.’

“By the way, let’s talk about when the advance party is complete.”

So I spent a long time discussing with her the operation and management system of the (new) advance team.

* * *

That evening.

Hwaaaaaaaah-

When I got home, I went straight into my room and threw my empty bag away.

‘Let’s see. I’m sure it was uploaded.’

I was scrolling through YouTube and snapped my fingers.

[The original advance party was disbanded? Is it just a rumor or is it true?]

[A new vanguard appears. The new vanguard leader, Lee Ji-soo, who is she?]

[About the relationship between the new vanguard and the fantasy shop.]

.

.

.

There were already dozens of videos related to this incident on YouTube.

‘Yeah. I knew it would be there.’

Among the videos, I pressed and held down the ones that had a relatively high number of views.

‘Well, the content is obvious.’

Disbandment of the existing advance party and emergence of a (new) advance party.

And the content about the wood card I presented was included in the video.

‘I opened it to read the comments anyway.’

I looked at the comments section at the bottom of the video.

‘Oh, there are quite a variety of opinions.’

[Possik’s Dad: Wow, has the advance team really disbanded? Can someone please post a related link?]

[└YouTube Official: Oh my, Pingp. Search for it yourself.]

[└Possik’s Dad: I’m asking because I can’t find it even if I look for it. If you ask me anything, I’ll get a ping-pong answer.]

[Rational inference: But isn’t the store owner and Lee Ji-soo dating? Seeing them pushing it so blatantly, it seems like there’s something going on between them?]

[└Spine Breaker: Didn’t you see the video? I made a pioneer. Watch the video and leave a comment.]

[└Rational Reasoning: No, you X-sama. The one who created the pioneer was Lee Ji-soo, so why is the store owner pushing it? Isn’t it because the two of them have something going for them that they’re helping each other? Think before you talk, lol]

[└└Spine Breaker: Don’t be slow.]

[Pure Healer: But Wood Card is crazy lol. Isn’t that just a VIP system?]

[3 months left in service: Training with food is even harder lol. I guess the shop owner’s son is a former soldier. Training with frozen food is really hard, really.]

[└Rational inference: He might be a real Korean.]

[└└Comment DORI: Korea! You again?! I’m proud of K-Republic of Korea!]

[└└Rational Inference: Then do foreigners know about Colador and Sunel Chicken? Because they are Korean?]

[└└└Comment DORI: Are there any foreigners these days who don’t know about Sunel Chicken?]

Most questioned whether the original advance party had really disbanded.

He also expressed curiosity about the existence of the (new) vanguard and the relationship between me and Lee Ji-soo.

‘I’m sure I pushed it a bit more openly.’

That’s why many people have expressed the question, ‘Why on earth are shop owners helping the (new) vanguard?’

‘Hoo, do you guys understand?’

How could they know what would happen if they didn’t attack the tower?

I looked at the comments a little more and then threw my phone aside.

‘Still, I’m glad this ended well.’

Thanks to the successful aggro of the raiders through frozen foods, ice cream, and VIP system.

The completion of the pioneer has also been accelerated.

‘I guess I should start preparing the ingredients.’

For the ‘pioneers’ who will be completed soon.

You’ll need to prepare some buff foods.

‘It’s going to get busier from now on.’

* * *

It’s been two weeks since the ‘pioneers’ first appeared in front of the attackers.

“Phew.”

Lee Ji-soo raised her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Ugh… … .”

“monster…….”

She spoke softly, looking at the scattered attackers.

“With that level of skill, you’ll die quickly at the top level. Come and improve your skills.”

“Fuck… … .”

“It was a chance to get my hands on a wood card… … .”

As the raiders struggled to get up and leave the training grounds.

Lee Ji-soo thought as she looked at their backs.

‘There are few useful ones, but it’s still encouraging.’

There are bound to be jewels among countless grains of sand.

If you dig through the sand like this, you will definitely be able to get your hands on a jewel.

The moment Lee Ji-soo was about to put the sword into its scabbard.

“How was it this time?”

A woman who was healing the wounded raiders approaches her.

“They’re all similar. There’s no one I like.”

“Isn’t it weirder that there’s someone you like? Anyway, just beat him up. It’s annoying to have to treat him every time.”

When the saintess grumbled.

Lee Ji-soo stared at her blankly and then opened his mouth.

“But what are you thinking?”

“what?”

“Aren’t you one of those people who aren’t that interested in conquering the top?”

“I?”

The saintess smiles brightly.

“I’m always interested. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to the advance party and joined the ‘pioneers’.”

“Then when I left the advance party, you should have come with me?”

“Oh my, did you know that I act so emotionally like you?”

The saint continued speaking, rubbing the bloodstains on her robe.

“You may be okay with going out like that, but if I had gone out then, do you think the other guys would have stayed still? They would have definitely done everything they could to stop me from leaving?”

“… … .”

She is definitely right.

Her departure would have been a great loss to the advance party, especially since she was not someone else’s and had overwhelming healing abilities.

“Then how could you get out?”

“I told you that the circumstances were just right. I just got involved in the atmosphere where everyone was leaving, you know. I didn’t like it when Mulden and Biden started whining about wanting to leave the top. Man, that was the robe I liked. I guess I’ll have to throw it away.”

The saint took off her robe and tore it apart with her sword.

Lee Ji-soo shook her head as she watched the scene.

“Wasting money hasn’t changed, either then or now.”

Since my days in the vanguard.

It seems that her habit of being obsessed with new things has not changed even now.

“So what? You can have whatever you want, so this level of waste is okay?”

“… … Anyway, are you really going to work for the ‘Pioneers’? I’ll tell you in advance, I’m not like Muldoon. I’ll continue to devote myself to conquering until I see the end of the tower or until I die.”

“Yeah, I’ll cooperate as much as I can. Don’t worry, I’ll spare your life as long as you keep your neck.”

Lee Ji-soo let out a small laugh at her confident remark.

“But why doesn’t that shop owner join the main force? He’s strong enough to blow up Biden.”

“I said I would focus on supporting from the rear.”

The saintess raises the corners of her mouth as if she is laughing.

“That’s bullshit. What can you gain by just supporting from the rear? A title? An item? Nothing. Are you thinking of something else?”

“Maybe so. But it doesn’t matter.”

Lee Ji-soo continued speaking as if it was no big deal.

“As long as he supports the pioneer, I will trust him completely. That is enough.”

“… … You trust him quite a bit, huh?”

“Isn’t he trustworthy compared to that sinister old man like Mulden?”

“That’s… … That’s right. The Wood Card was quite ingenious. Still, I didn’t expect the raiders to show this much interest.”

The saintess patted Lee Ji-soo’s side and looked up at her face.

“Do you know when the store will open next?”

“I told him that I would gather all the remaining members within a month, so I guess I’ll see you at Elasium in about three weeks?”

“But was it real ice cream?”

“Yeah, it melted in my mouth. It felt like chewing on a cold cloud.”

A brighter smile than ever appeared on Lee Ji-soo’s lips.

The saint swallowed without realizing it.

“Oh, really? How about frozen foods?”

“It was more delicious than any meat I’ve ever had. It was juicy and salty, and I couldn’t stop reaching for it. And there were various frozen foods, like pasta and fried rice, in addition to chicken? I’ll definitely try them next time!”

“Ugh… … I should definitely try it next time.”

At that moment, the two women showed conflicting expressions.

“freezing!”

“ice cream!”

A group of people rush into the training ground where they were, screaming.

“Those guys with rolled eyes are back again.”

“Let’s clean up and eat. I have some ham that I got from my always-collapsing heart. It’s really great.”

“Ohhh!”

The impressed saint picked up a thick mace and waved it at the attackers.

“Come quickly, let’s go eat.”

* * *

The next day, in the morning.

‘Hoo… … .’

I was browsing YouTube during my free time and my fingers stopped moving.

[Autumn Festival! The Tower of Doom – Autumn Festival is open!]

[Of course there are various events! This place is full of various goods and things to see!]

[Enjoy a fantastic time that will never come again!]

‘Another event? That’s great, that’s great.’

The raiders inside the tower probably don’t know.

How popular are things related to ‘top’ outside?

It is common for events to be held each season.

Events were held under all sorts of pretexts, such as floor clearing celebrations, memorial services for famous strategy players who have passed away, etc.

‘I’m a little interested.’

To be honest, I wasn’t really interested in those events before.

In the first place, I was busy with my livelihood.

But the various foods in the commercial strongly stimulated my curiosity.

[A variety of dishes await you, including fresh seaweed salad, a favorite of Lamia, and grilled Bloodhoof legs!]

‘It’s a pretty good imitation. Judging from the appearance, it’s similar to the food inside the real tower. Of course, the taste is different.’

I know full well that the food in that video can’t possibly be the same as the one in the tower.

But I wonder.

Wouldn’t it be nice to try some of those foods that have been recreated using only information and imagination?

‘It’s a festival season, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go there once.’

It will definitely be a good experience.

* * *

‘Oh!’

Seoul Grand Park, with a clear view of the tower in the distance.

There are a lot of people wandering around.

“Here, it’s ice cream made from the leaves of a man-eating tree! Try it!”

“Takoyaki made from a kraken that lives in the deep sea, 20 for 10,000 won!”

In addition, the noisy voices of merchants trying to make a killing rang loudly in my ears.

‘Takoyaki made with Kraken?’

I laughed in disbelief.

‘Takoyaki made into a monster that can even destroy a boat with one leg… … .’

I feel like I’m being playful for no reason.

“Excuse me, boss! Is this really made of a Kraken?”

In response to my question, the owner, who was busy turning over dough, raised one arm and showed off his muscles.

“Of course! I used this arm to spear the bastard’s leg, but when I think about how strong the bastard was, he just flew into the sky with the harpoon in his hand… … Ugh!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the boss’s teasing.

“You’ve done a lot of research.”

“Hahaha, we have to do this so we can sell at least one more person. And if you say it’s not a kraken but just an octopus, the customers will be disappointed… … Oh my, come on!”

Before I knew it, the little boy standing next to me asked the boss with sparkling eyes.

“Boss! Boss! Is this the real Kraken?!”

“Graham! Do you know how many people were involved in capturing this deep-sea monster? Over thirty ships were mobilized… … Oh my, sir! The food you ordered has arrived! Enjoy your meal!”

I used to receive takoyaki from the boss.

I glanced at the little boy next to me.

The little boy is chewing on takoyaki and starts to cry.

“Dad, the Kraken isn’t that bad. You lied.”

Yeah, in the video the regular blade didn’t work.

If you’ve seen the Kraken footage, you might be wondering:

‘He looks like he’s only 5 or 6 years old, but he figured that out. He’s really smart.’

But the man was a pro.

He mobilized his biceps once again.

Cast a white light spell in front of the child.

“Hahaha! Can you see it? Can you see it? Can you see my fist? Can’t you see it?”

The old man smiled brightly in front of the child who was blankly watching.

“If you hit the Kraken hard with this fist, it will become soft! That old man’s fist is no ordinary fist! Pfft~!”

In return for his performance, the old man not only won the favor of the little customer, but also sold 20 boxes of takoyaki to other customers who flocked to his place after seeing the commotion.

‘If it’s to that extent, isn’t it like he conspired with that kid?’

Well, whether it was planned or not, it’s none of my business.

I took a steaming takoyaki and put it in my mouth.

‘The taste is… …ordinarily delicious.’

The taste of the sauce was more stimulating than the taste of the octopus itself, which was quite impressive.

‘Actually, the taste is obvious. Since I’m already here, I might as well try some other things.’

At that time, I was walking around the festival site.

“Okay, there’s not much left! If it sells out now, you’ll have to wait another month!”

I turned my head at the sound of a voice coming from a street stall.

The street stall was full of boxes.

The box was full of packs wrapped in shiny plastic.

‘Oh, that’s a card?’

Even when the first card pack, [Tower of Doom – Those Aiming for the Top], was released.

I just thought it would fade out of favor quickly like other cards.

‘But it became a craze among children, and now it has reached a level where even adults enjoy it.’

Its popularity was so strong that it even became a hit all over the world.

‘[Tower of the End – Those Aiming for the Top] was the Season 1 pack, and [Tower of the End – Breaking Faith] was the Season 2 pack.’

As Season 1 packs are no longer being released.

The ones being sold at street stalls right now are most likely season 2 packs.

‘Huh? What is that?’

However, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment when I saw the words written on the pack inside the box.

[Tower of the End – Throne of Chaos]

‘The season is different? Is there a new season pack?’

Even though I’m not interested in cards.

I don’t remember hearing anything about a new season card coming out yet.

‘How did that happen… … .’

At that moment, I heard the voice of a vendor from a street stall, as if trying to solve my question.

“To celebrate the Fall Festival, we are selling the Season 3 Pack in advance! If you can’t buy it now, you’ll have to wait a month to get it!”

‘Oh, it was for an event.’

It was clear that this was a sample pack that would only be released at festivals or events before the Season 3 pack was released.

‘Why are there so many people…?’

But I wasn’t really interested in cards.

It definitely was like that.

‘But it’s a limited edition, right? And you never know.’

How do you know that ‘The Heart That Always Breaks’ will be on the cards starting from season 3?

‘Okay, I’ll buy it!’

“Okay, next guest!”

“Yes, I’m going!”

There were so many people that we had to wait a bit.

I was able to approach the merchant as I wanted.

That way, I was able to safely obtain the Season 3 pack, [Tower of the End – Throne of Chaos].

‘It’s 30,000 won per pack. It’s not cheap.’

Still, this is also a good experience.

‘Plus, if you happen to find a unique card, you can resell it.’

For example, the [No. 67 Lee Ji-soo – Hong Yeon’s Afterimage] card is being traded among collectors for tens of millions of won.

If you are lucky, you may be able to make a profit of 30,000 won or more.

Rustle-

I carefully opened the packaging and slowly took out the contents.

‘Let’s see. What card is it…?’

[No.329 Troll Guard]

[No.372 Goblin Rider]

[No.612 The Hut of the Wanderers]

.

.

.

‘Hmm… … You can tell just by looking at it that it’s trash.’

Just by looking at the card’s color, I could tell it was a dud.

‘Still, this wyvern rider looks pretty good… … .’

As I was going through the cards.

‘hmm?’

Isn’t it a card that is clearly different from the other cards and is radiating a brilliant light? Is it not something that is caught in my index finger?!

‘Oh?! This is!’

[No. 999 The Ever-Breaking Heart – The Owner of the Fantasy Shop]