Suho entered the subspace warehouse, the Dream Village, rolled around in the bedroom, and kicked off the blanket.
“Aaaaagh! I’m done for! I’m completely done for. Of all places, why did I have to tell her to meet me there...! You blockhead! Ugh! Even if I got caught, I should’ve somehow come up with a perfect excuse... How could I just walk out right there... Ahh... I’m screwed. Everything’s been exposed... Ugh.”
Rabi watched him for a long while as he threw pillows, kicked blankets, tore at his hair, and bounced around the room.
Having already grasped the whole story from Suho’s complaints, Rabi scratched his chin with a small forepaw.
“Hmm, can’t you just look for another company?”
“Ugh... You want me to prepare for exams and job applications all over again? Do you know how nerve-racking that is? I can’t. I can’t do it... Ugh.”
Rabi tilted his head.
“Then why don’t you create a company yourself, Suho?”
“Create a company? Me? Ugh, not just anyone can start a company. Do you know how many complicated things are involved?”
“Well, couldn’t you hire people to help with those parts, and hire someone trustworthy to handle management?”
“Uh...?”
“What you need in the first place is ‘work,’ isn’t it? And ‘small, ordinary work’ at that. But I don’t think it necessarily has to take the form of joining a company.”
“Uh... Hmm...”
Suho, who had been jumping around in a frenzy, calmed down for a moment at Rabi’s words and sat up straight.
“Creating a company with help... huh. Is that possible? It still makes me anxious... I’m terrible at dealing with people...”
“Well, if you’re that worried, you could have androids do the work.”
“What? I can’t communicate with them, communicate. It’s not like I’m so friendless that I have to rely on androids, okay? And how am I supposed to feel a sense of belonging in a company that only has androids?”
“A sense of belonging... Is that important?”
“It is.”
“Then you should hire people.”
“But... I’m bad at handling people...”
“Then you should join a company again.”
“How am I supposed to go through that process again...”
“...Ugh.”
For the first time, Rabi, who had always stayed by Suho’s side, flew off somewhere to avoid him.
* * *
In the end, Suho decided to leave the agency.
Of course, Inyeon would not be able to fire Suho.
Towerpia, the company far above them in the hierarchy, called him a premium VVIP, so how could a low-level subcontractor company dare do anything to him?
That said, they could not keep him around as a new employee and work him like before either.
If he went back, everyone at Inyeon Agency, starting with the CEO, would surely be bowing their heads to him.
They might even offer him an immediate promotion to a higher position.
But he did not want to see that.
If that was what he had wanted, he would never have joined some shabby agency in the first place.
In any case, it was all over.
He could not go back to the way things had been.
He could not return to those relationships where people had treated Suho as an ordinary new employee, especially the relationship he had with his fellow new hires.
It was a shame about the coworkers he had been starting to get close to,
and it was also a shame that he had not been able to torment Team Leader Han Sincheol a little more, but it was all in the past now.
He had no intention of continuing to work from a position that would make everyone uncomfortable.
So he decided to quit the agency.
The problem started now.
What was he supposed to do now?
A new chain of worries followed one after another.
* * *
In the end, Suho met Lee Danbi, who had persistently chased after him.
Since he did not want to tell her where he lived, he met her at a café near his home.
Of course, Minsu and Minji came along as well.
Unlike when he had happened to see her at the café in front of the company last time, Lee Danbi, who had properly dressed up, radiated a beauty that made his eyes widen.
Suho, who had come out dressed comfortably, ended up feeling unnecessarily shabby as he listened closely to Lee Danbi’s long explanation.
“......and so, we would like to recruit Admittee Suho into our clan.”
Lee Danbi’s story was more or less what he had expected.
The difficulty of conquering the Tower, the increasingly precarious indicators,
the difficulty of procuring supplies, various other risks,
her high appraisal of Suho’s abilities, and her ambition to have him join them no matter what.
Lee Danbi, looking as anxious as if she were waiting for a report card, waited for Suho’s answer,
but what came back in the end was a refusal.
“...I’m sorry.”
In truth, from Suho’s perspective, he had no choice but to refuse.
Suho, who was not actually an Admittee, could not enter the Tower.
Though Suho possessed many astonishing abilities that even SSS-rank Admittees did not have, the fact remained that he was not an Admittee.
Even if he covered it up by saying he was in the production and support line, or that it was item collecting, if he engaged in clan activities for any reason, a situation might arise where he had to enter the Tower.
How was he supposed to resolve that troublesome problem every single time...?
No matter how desperate the Sanarae Clan was, and no matter how favorable the conditions they offered, there was nothing to be done.
Suho could not accept.
Biting her lip, Lee Danbi asked to confirm one more thing.
“Then, regarding the matter I mentioned earlier...”
“Security?”
“Yes.”
“That’s all right too. The Administration Bureau has already assigned security personnel to us, and we have our own security androids as well. I don’t want to be a burden for no reason.”
“You don’t need to feel burdened at all. We’re simply doing it because we want to. We believe an S-rank Admittee in the production and support line is an extremely important national resource.”
“That’s why the country is protecting me.”
“Even so.”
“Huh... You really don’t have to go that far... If you insist...”
“Please say anything.”
“I’ll compensate you. A certain amount every month.”
“Ah, no. Our finances are sufficient as well. And that would go against our original purpose...”
“Not with money, with ethereum. Or potions would be fine too.”
With ethereum.
Potions would be fine too.
For a moment, Lee Danbi was so tempted by those words that she almost lost sight of her original objective.
How precious was ethereum? And potions were no different.
Both had an immense effect on increasing one’s survivability in the Tower.
Lee Danbi squeezed her eyes shut and barely managed to shake off her stray thoughts.
It would be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
She had come here to win Suho’s favor and recruit him somehow, not to establish trade with him and obtain a few items.
If she was blinded by small gains and wavered, she would lose something greater.
Lee Danbi spoke firmly.
“Compensation is truly unnecessary. We’re doing this with the purpose of supporting a national talent, and for the sense of worth that comes from it. Well, please just think of it as having a little bit of selfish desire mixed in, in that we want to build a good relationship with you going forward, Admittee Suho.”
When Danbi showed no sign of backing down, Suho let out a shallow sigh.
“Then... leave me out, and just protect my family.”
“Why not you, Suho?”
“I have plenty of countermeasures of my own. There’s also someone assigned specifically to protect me.”
“Ah..., perhaps...”
“Yes, it’s probably the person you’re thinking of. You saw him that day, didn’t you? Joshua Evans.”
“I see... As expected... Um, forgive me for saying this, but... isn’t that too much of a waste...? Joshua is one of the world’s top Admittees. For him not to be conquering the Tower...”
“Right. You’re right. I think so too. But I didn’t ask him to. He says he’s doing it of his own will... so, well. I can’t stop him.”
“In that case, may our clan make an offer to recruit Admittee Joshua Evans...?”
“Well, go ahead. Joshua. Come out for a moment.”
“Huh!”
When Joshua appeared from a space where there had been nothing, Lee Danbi sprang to her feet in shock.
Having already heard the entire conversation, Joshua spoke to Lee Danbi with a calm expression.
“Excuse me. It was stealth magic. I refuse the request.”
That day, Lee Danbi met with two refusals and returned home drooping.
* * *
Since he no longer had to go to work, Suho stayed in the subspace warehouse even longer than usual.
Inside the subspace warehouse, he did not particularly feel hunger or fatigue, but he still deliberately ate, slept, washed, and played.
His main form of play was making things while absorbed in thought.
“Complete!”
“Hmm...”
Suho raised both hands in front of a sparkling building.
He had just finished the masonry work on the outer walls of the buildings in the “Treasure Chest Zone,” which was made up of simple cuboid modular buildings slightly larger than containers.
The unusual part was that instead of bricks, he had used other materials cut to brick size.
Whatever the material, Rabi could instantly cut it into the shape and size he wanted, so that part was not difficult at all.
For the house filled with gold, platinum, silver, and diamonds, he stacked gold ingots and platinum ingots alternately,
and for the building containing elixirs, he built the walls with silver ingots and brick-sized diamonds.
As for the outer wall of the building where ethereum sorted by rank had been stored, he shaved SS-rank, SSS-rank, and EX-rank ethereum into brick sizes and stacked them alternately.
Thus, absurdly expensive buildings that could not exist in reality were completed.
It was rather fun work. He liked the sparkling results.
Of course, Rabi wondered why he was doing such useless things.
The rectangular buildings of the Treasure Chest Zone had shelves filling every wall once one opened the door and stepped inside.
Not only that, rails had been installed so that the shelves were arranged in three layers, and all kinds of treasures were displayed densely and neatly on them.
What he had filled them with was only an extremely tiny portion of the gold, silver, jewels, elixirs, and ethereum Suho owned, but seeing them gathered in one place like this gave him a different kind of satisfaction.
But that was all.
In truth, aside from looking at them, there was no particularly great amusement to be had.
Was it in a children’s Talmud...? There was a story that said, “No matter how much wealth the rich have, what benefit is there besides seeing it with their eyes?” and this was exactly that.
Afterward, Suho spent some time in the woodworking studio.
It was to make several wooden chests that could fit exactly twenty 1 kg gold bars, and wooden boxes that could fit 10 kg gold ingots exactly. He thought it would be good to put them in when he needed to gift gold to someone or use it as compensation.
As he made them, he thought it would also be good to make boxes for giving ethereum and boxes for holding bundles of cash, so he started on those as well.
For Suho, who was quite skilled with his hands, it was extremely enjoyable work, and he lost track of time.
“Rabi, what do you think?”
“Hmm, they’re quite impressive.”
“Right?”
Even in Suho’s own eyes, the finished boxes, completed down to the final touches, were so well made that he felt proud.
“What is their purpose?”
“They don’t have a precise purpose yet. For now, I made them thinking it might be nice to put some kind of currency or goods in them when I have to give a gift. Imagine receiving a high-class wooden box like this, opening it up, and inside, ethereum is sparkling away! What do you think?”
“Why bother putting it in anything before giving it?”
“It’s packaging. Packaging.”
“Hmm... So it’s a trick of the eye.”
“Ugh. I shouldn’t even bother talking.”
“Despite appearances, I am learning various information about Earth, and I am also diligently learning about the human heart. Though it is closer to understanding than empathy.”
“Yeah, very admirable. Thanks.”
“In any case, those boxes appear to be quite well made. How about finding a job in that field?”
“Oh... ho?”
Come to think of it, he had not considered that.
Confident in his hand skills, Suho began seriously looking into it.
And after much thought,
he went to a blacksmith’s workshop where a production and support craftsman made and maintained equipment for Admittees who entered the Tower and fought.
* * *
A blacksmith known to be quite skilled in this field.
The strongest production and support-type Admittee, Choe Gangcheol.
According to what he had heard, he handled various metals well, and was also highly skilled with leather and wood.
Since it was information provided by Towerpia Manage, it was certain.
Compared to the rumors, the blacksmith’s workshop was modest, and there were only two people working with him, whether they were disciples or colleagues.
‘All right, I’ll get a job here too. I’ll hammer all kinds of metals and make things!’
As if his employment had already been confirmed, Suho counted his chickens before they hatched, his heart pounding.
Since he could not quite muster the courage to enter the workshop, he was wandering around nearby when one of the blacksmiths working inside came out and called to him. He was a fairly young man.
“Excuse me, what brings you here? Did you come to leave equipment with us?”
“Ah... are you perhaps Choe Gangcheol?”
“Oh, did you come to see the master? The master mainly handles equipment of A-rank and above.”
“I... see.”
Wow, he only handled equipment of A-rank and above. That was on another level.
For some reason, Suho grew filled with anticipation, feeling that he had come to the right place.
“Please come in. The master is inside.”
The forge Suho entered after following the man looked very different from the ordinary forge he had imagined.
He had pictured iron constantly boiling in a furnace and the sound of hammering never ceasing at the anvil,
but unexpectedly, much of the system was automated.
In the center of the forge stood a special furnace that looked like some kind of magic tool, and most of the hammering was being done by machines.
As Suho peered around here and there, the man kindly explained.
“That’s the mana furnace. The heart of the forge. It’s a special furnace that emits flames at different temperatures depending on the materials placed inside. The metals that come from the Tower can’t be melted by ordinary means.”
“Ah... so the Admitis don’t use ordinary iron for their weapons.”
At that, the man looked at him as if he found the idea absurd.
“How would Admitis use weapons made of ordinary iron in the Tower...? The moment they infused them with aether, they’d shatter.”
“Aha... Then what do you mainly use?”
“The most basic material is adamant. We receive it after the first round of refining. But adamant is only a basic material; the weapons used in the Tower are made from such a wide variety of materials... It’s difficult. Really...”
So that was how it was. Fascinating.
It was a whole new world.
Choe Gangcheol, whom he met shortly after, looked to be in his early sixties. For his age, he had a solid, sturdy build, and his thick eyebrows and piercing eyes left an extremely strong impression.
“What kind of equipment have you come to leave with us...?”
He held out his hand, asking Suho to show him the item.
“Ah, I’m not here to leave equipment. I came because I want to work here.”
At that, Choe Gangcheol’s eyebrow twitched, and Suho’s heart flinched along with it.
“You said you want to work here? Hm... Do you have any experience as a smith?”
“I don’t have any separate experience, but when it comes to working with my hands...”
“Go home. In truth, I asked something pointless. Even if you had experience as a smith—no, even if you were a renowned blacksmith—that alone wouldn’t let you work here.”
“Uh... wh-why not?”
“Because we don’t handle ordinary metal here. This is a place that makes and repairs equipment that goes into the Tower. Naturally, the people making and fixing it have to be Admitis as well.”
“Ah......”
Suho felt as though he had been struck on the head.
If there were crafting and support-type Admitis, that meant there were also Awakened who specialized in crafting.
Perhaps he had been trying to skip over something far too obvious.
“Only crafting Awakened can work here, so you should go.”
“Ah, I-I’m exactly that kind of person.”
“Oh? You mean you’re a crafting and support Awakened?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your class?”
“Ah, it’s called Item Collector...”
“That’s a trait I’ve never heard of before.”
“You can think of it as a collection-type trait. It involves collecting various items that come from the Tower...”
“A collection-type trait? I didn’t know such a thing existed. In any case, the Tower is a strange place. Then go collect things. Why are you snooping around here? If it isn’t a trait specialized in crafting, you can’t work here, so be on your way.”
Without saying anything more, Choe Gangcheol turned his back and went into the place where he had been working.
After being guided back to the entrance and stepping outside, Suho stared blankly at the forge.
‘I didn’t even think of that... Then... should I look for an ordinary forge? Or an ordinary woodworking shop...’
It wasn’t impossible, but now that the phrase “equipment that goes into the Tower” had already taken root in his mind, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
How long had he been standing there?
All of a sudden, Choe Gangcheol’s furious voice rang out thunderously from inside the forge.
“How can you burn through materials like that while refining! Do you have any idea what kind of material this is?! Don’t you know the client went out of their way to obtain it and entrusted it to us!? Stop the furnace now and check how much is left!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Ah... I didn’t think it would evaporate that quickly...”
“You stupid fool!”
It seemed a young Admiti working there had made some mistake and was being scolded.
Then, bang—the door was kicked open, and Choe Gangcheol came outside, putting a cigarette between his lips.
Then his eyes met Suho’s.
“You still haven’t left?”
“Ah, yes, well... I was just thinking about this and that... Haha.”
“Tch. If you’re good with your hands, stop clinging to this kind of work and just do ordinary smithing instead.”
“Ordinary smithing... Even so, the work you do as a craftsman Admiti looks impressive to me.”
“Impressive, my ass... You need materials for every little thing before you can even do any smithing.”
His face twisted into a deep frown as he muttered as though spitting the words out.
“...Aside from recently repairing a sword that had Star Light in it, it’s always a shortage of materials, always. Every day, trembling over a few grams here and a few grams there... Ugh, I ought to just quit this damn work.”
Choe Gangcheol flicked away his cigarette butt and went back inside.
“Ah...?”
Suho felt as though something in his words had inspired him.