“I... I have received a great grace.”
Suho went pale at Taeung, who had suddenly dropped to his knees and was expressing his gratitude with overwhelming intensity.
“Whoa! Wh-what are you doing! Please get up! Good grief, what is this all of a sudden...”
“No. Truly, thank you so much...”
“Ha... For what? It’s just something like this...”
“I will repay this kindness. I swear I will.”
“Ugh, you don’t have to repay anything. I’m doing it because I want to, okay?”
“No. That would be unthinkable... I’ll earn a great deal from now on and pay you back several times over.”
“Phew... Han Taeung, Admittee.”
“Yes, yes?”
“I have more Etherium and money than I could ever need. And I’ll keep obtaining more than enough in the future too. So you don’t have to pay me back. Understood?”
Suho looked into Taeung’s eyes and emphasized every word, but Taeung didn’t look as if he had understood at all.
“No. I don’t understand. I can’t do that.”
Han Taeung pushed his huge face closer. A truly overwhelming, enormous face, with a thick beard. And on top of that, bright, sparkling eyes that didn’t suit him at all.
It was a sight that made one instinctively take a step back.
For some reason, seeing him like that made Suho feel as though the moment he had met Joshua Evans several months ago was overlapping with the present.
Why are they all so desperate to repay a favor?
He thought they were truly stubborn and frustrating people, but on the other hand, he also felt that meeting people like this was a blessing in itself.
“If you truly have no need for money, Suho-nim, then I will become your eternal shield!”
At Taeung’s resolute declaration, Danbi, who had been quietly watching the situation unfold, cut in.
“Don’t make me laugh, you bear.”
“No, I’m not just saying that. Noona! I really mean it. I, Han Taeung, always keep my promises!”
“Suho-nim’s shields are already me and Joshua-nim, so you just stay with the Wildfire Keeper Clan, diligently raid the Tower, and pay off your debt. Who are you in any position to become someone’s shield right now? How are you going to be a shield?”
“Th-that’s... Ngh......”
As if Danbi had struck him right where it hurt, Taeung’s massive shoulders drooped.
Suho let out a sigh and asked,
“I heard the story. You’re bound by an unfair contract full of toxic clauses, right? If you throw all that away and leave, how much is the penalty fee?”
“That’s... a lot... truly more than you could imagine...”
Taeung’s face twisted as if merely thinking about it made him irritated and pained.
“So how much is it?”
“Five thousand......”
“Five hundred billion won?”
“Yes... that’s right... Hoo...”
What kind of brain would you need to have to sign a contract with a five-hundred-billion-won penalty for breach of contract written on it?
Though Suho was dumbfounded, he continued speaking as calmly and gently as he could.
“I’ll pay it for you.”
“Yee......es?”
“Suho-nim!?”
Looking at Danbi, who cried out in shock, and Taeung, who had gone blank, Suho spoke firmly and solemnly.
“So leave that place.”
* * *
Suho kept his promise.
First, for Han Taeung’s sake, he chose an area where a large plot of land could be secured and got him a house there. Beside it, they decided to build a large gymnasium.
A sturdy gymnasium made with steel beams.
Officially, it was a sports center, but in reality, it was an enormous birdcage for Winky, who would gradually grow larger.
He also handed over two sacks of A-grade Etherium to be used as Winky’s feed, each about the size of a twenty-kilogram rice sack.
It was an amount that would turn the world upside down if listed on the OnTower auction house, but Taeung was completely obsessed with Winky, so there was no need to worry about that.
And most importantly, he brought Taeung out of the Wildfire Keepers.
As expected, the bastards rushed at Han Taeung as if they would devour him when he declared his withdrawal and shoved the contract in his face, but when the penalty fee was paid without argument, they finally backed down.
Since they were malicious and cunning bastards, all key documents—the confirmation of penalty payment, confirmation of contract termination, penalty receipt, and so on—were prepared thoroughly and notarized. Thanks to Narae’s efforts, Towerpia’s legal team handled this process cleanly.
Finally free, Taeung once again performed a deep bow to Suho.
For a man who looked the way he did, his knees were surprisingly light.
“Thank you! Thank you! I will never forget this grace, and I, Han Taeung, will assist Suho Admittee-nim forever. Since you have resolved all my debts, from now on, I am as good as personally under exclusive contract to Suho Admittee-nim.”
“Haa... I have no intention of signing a contract with you, Taeung-nim. You didn’t make any contract like that with me, so from now on, just live comfortably and do whatever you want.”
“No. This is exactly what I want.”
“Hoo... Then how about this? If an S-rank Admittee like you doesn’t raid the Tower, that would be a national loss, even a global one, so that won’t do. For now, join the Sanarae Clan. Then, under Clan Leader Lee Danbi’s command, climb the Tower and undergo other training as well. Also, the Sanarae Clan is protecting me and my family, so if you join them, you’ll also be playing a role in protecting me.”
“Ooh... If I can stay by your side even in that way, Suho-nim, I’ll gladly do it.”
At Suho’s unexpected proposal, Danbi’s mouth stretched into a grin. An S-rank combat force had suddenly entered her clan.
And not just anyone—Han Taeung was the Steel Grizzly, the strongest and greatest tanker in the country.
From the side, it might have seemed like all she ever did was scold Taeung, but in truth, it was only nagging from an older neighborhood sister who cared for him.
Danbi had always cherished Taeung like family.
“Welcome, bear! This is seriously reassuring. Really reassuring.”
“Ah, ow... That really hurts.”
Though Taeung made a fuss under Danbi’s fierce hand as she slapped his back and laughed brightly, he smiled with simple honesty.
Then, when Suho stepped away for a moment, Taeung asked Danbi,
“Um, when there aren’t any Tower climbs, is it okay if I follow Suho-nim around?”
“Do whatever you want. Instead, I’ll assign you a raiding team, so you lead one team. And put some effort into getting the teamwork right.”
“I will.”
“And we’ll be holding a celebration for your joining soon, so make sure you attend.”
“Yes, understood. But Noona, I’m curious. How did Sanarae form this kind of relationship with Suho-nim?”
At Taeung’s question, a proud smile spread across Danbi’s lips.
“Well... as you know, our clan desperately needed to grow. The Tower was getting more dangerous by the day, but we were stagnating. So when we first came to know Suho-nim, we thought he was a lifeline and clung to him.”
“Wow, that must have been really early on. That was some incredible foresight. In the end, you grabbed hold of a sturdy lifeline.”
Danbi rubbed beneath her nose and grinned.
“Right. But I thought it was a lifeline, and it turned out to be an elevator.”
* * *
“It’s fascinating...”
“What is fascinating?”
“All the messages. The system messages.”
“Hmm...”
Suho murmured as he recalled the system message that appeared when he materialized items from the subspace warehouse.
“I’ve only ever seen warehouse messages like this, but they say Admittees who climb the Tower see all kinds of system messages from the moment they awaken. It’s fascinating. It’s not a hologram, and it’s not VR... What is it? Some vast supernatural power?”
“There is nothing fascinating about it.”
“Why?”
Ravi’s response was indifferent.
“Because it is merely displaying phenomena that already exist.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. Just as humans creating a device called a clock to display time does not mean they can control the flow of time, and creating a device that displays weight does not mean they have created gravity.”
“Mm...”
“The system display is nothing more than a visible expression of certain phenomena that already exist in this universe. It is not some vast power or authority at all.”
“Hmm, now that I hear it, that makes sense too.”
Perhaps because he had been busy with many things lately, Suho felt mentally fatigued and, for the first time in a while, stayed in the subspace warehouse for an extended period.
He made various things he had wanted to handcraft, watched his fill of movies and dramas, read books, and arranged Dream Village more efficiently.
But as with anything, nothing remains enjoyable forever.
In particular, humans feel emptiness more quickly when they are outside their web of relationships.
After all, many things gain meaning within relationships between people.
Having grown quite tired of the various games and arrangements meant for his own satisfaction, Suho was once again considering when to return to reality.
Ravi was kind, immediate, and obedient, but he had a rigid side that made him dull to chat with about trivial matters.
It felt rather like being with an android. A large part of why Suho felt that way was because Ravi did not fully understand human emotions.
“Ravi.”
“Yes, Suho-nim.”
“There’s something I’m curious about. Why are you a warehouse keeper?”
“What do you mean, why am I a warehouse keeper?”
“You know, with that person called the Administrator of the universe. Ravi, do you maybe have something they can hold over you?”
“Something they can hold over me? There is no such thing.”
“Ah, I was just wondering if you’d ended up in some kind of slave contract or something.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then why did you end up becoming my subspace warehouse keeper for such a long time with no set end? What’s the reason?”
“No set end? I have told you repeatedly, but a human lifespan of approximately one hundred years is not a particularly long period for us. And my relationship with the Administrator is one of employment. The Administrator is my employer. I am, in effect, an employee. Suho-nim, you are akin to the Administrator’s customer.”
“Aha...?”
“What exactly were you imagining...?”
Ravi looked dumbfounded.
“Well... I guess you guys are a long-lived race that lives for a hundred thousand years, so if you compare it to a human lifespan of a hundred years, it’s like being dispatched for about a month? Even if that’s multiplied tenfold with elixirs, it’d feel like about a year.”
“That is similar.”
“Wow... A hundred thousand years really is an incredible amount of time. I can’t even imagine it. Ugh... Honestly, I can’t even imagine a thousand years.”
“It would depend on where one’s standard lies.”
“Then, if you and the Administrator have an employment relationship, shouldn’t you be receiving a salary too?”
“Of course. It is not a monthly salary, but I receive compensation once every ten years.”
“What do you get? It’s probably not money or anything like that. Don’t tell me it’s Etherium?”
“No.”
“Then what do you receive?”
“Runes.”
“Runes? As in rune stones? The ones that contain skills and magic and stuff?”
“...I have no idea what you are talking about, but runes are not such things. They are multidimensional links. Runes are ores formed only in the cores of neutron stars, the densest objects in the universe, and they serve as keys connecting the multidimensional universe. Not only for us Blue Dragons, but for beings who use dimensional manipulation or hyperspatial manipulation, they are an essential energy source.”
“...Whoa...... I got chills. Then do you live by eating those things called runes?”
“No. We obtain sufficient energy to live simply by absorbing the ether commonly scattered throughout the universe. Runes are not necessary for survival; as I said earlier, they are an energy source needed to manifest dimensional manipulation abilities.”
“That is insanely fascinating...”
“According to the stories passed down among the Blue Dragons, even tens of millions of years ago, our race wandered the universe, crossed dimensions, and collected runes. But now, after entering a contract with the Administrator of the universe, we receive runes as compensation and carry out the tasks assigned by the Administrator.”
“Wow... Then could humans do that too?”
“Not even close. Humans are far too lowly a species, so there would be many difficulties in contracting directly with the Administrator of the universe. Even if work were given to them, they would not be able to carry it out.”
“Tch... Aren’t you impressive. Anyway, then those runes exist somewhere out in the universe, right?”
“That is correct. That is why our race lived for generations as a nomadic people, swimming through the universe and collecting runes.”
“I see... Then how much do you receive as your salary—no, that compensation you get once every ten years?”
“One hundred runes. In other words, ten per year.”
After briefly falling into thought, Suho opened his mouth.
“Then those runes... I could request them too, right? Couldn’t I request one yang’s worth?”
Ravi’s expression turned subtly complicated for a moment.
“That... is correct. It is possible, but I do not recommend it.”
“Why?”
“For starters, the price is extremely high. Runes are Hyperium crystals, masses of higher-dimensional energy, so they are on an entirely different level from things like Aetherium. That remains true no matter how high-grade the Aetherium may be. In Earth terms, the difference between Aetherium and runes is about the same as glass and diamond.”
“Oho...”
“Another reason is that humans cannot make use of runes. And it is not only humans; the same applies to all lower beings. To put it in Earth terms, it is similar to insects being completely unable to make use of a smartphone.”
“Hmm... I feel like I understand, but somehow it’s irritating.”
“It is the truth.”
“Tch. Anyway, I’ll take that. Runes. Give me runes for the next item in my Cheonyangwon.”
Lavi, who had always immediately answered that she understood and created the requested item, simply stared at Suho as if she had frozen in place.
“They are tremendously expensive. Are you certain you will not regret it?”
“How expensive are they?”
“Runes cannot be split or altered in form. They maintain the form of a hyperspatial crystal condensed from dimensional energy. As such, they are not handled in units of weight or volume, only in number. The maximum amount of runes... when set at one yangwon’s worth, is one hundred thousand.”
“One hundred thousand? Whoa... They really are insanely expensive. Then how much is that... It means each one is one thousand hae won! That’s nuts.”
“Indeed. They are that special. Therefore, I do not recomm—”
“I don’t care. Hurry up and give them to me.”
“...Allow me to ask one more thing. Runes are something humans cannot utilize in any way. Even so, is there a particular reason you insist on receiving them?”
“Yeah, there is.”
“What is it?”
“You can use them. You’re always working hard managing the storehouse, so I can do at least that much for my storekeeper.”
At Suho’s words, Lavi’s eyes widened.
It was the first time he had ever seen such a complicated expression on Lavi’s face.
Only after a long while did Lavi accept the request, speaking as if murmuring.
“I will create Runes as the thirty-fifth item of Jeong Suho’s Cheonyangwon. Please confirm.”
“Yeah.”
After receiving six hae tons of granite last time, this was already the thirty-fifth item. It felt strangely amazing that he had already chosen this many.
The volume of the one hundred thousand runes Lavi created at Suho’s request was unimpressive.
Each one was shaped like a glowing bead about the size of an egg, and even with a hundred thousand of them gathered together, they did not amount to an enormous volume.
The runes were packed densely into a space less than ten meters by ten meters.
When he picked up one of the stones shining with a radiant violet light, it felt extremely heavy, and he could see energy waves within it as though an electric current were flowing inside.
As he held it still, he felt a warm energy rise from it, then at some point turn cold, shifting back and forth.
“Fascinating. It really is completely different from Aetherium...”
Lavi, who had always looked indifferent whether she saw gold and jewels, elixirs, or Aetherium, now had eyes that sparkled uncontrollably before the one hundred thousand runes.
“Lavi, how does it feel? Have you ever seen this many runes before?”
“No... I have not. It has been less than three hundred years since I was assigned the task of earning runes. And the runes I have earned in that time amount to only about this much.”
“Then even a fully grown Azure Dragon can’t easily earn this many runes?”
“That is correct. Even for an elite adult Azure Dragon entrusted with a very high-income task, it would take a thousand years to earn this amount. For me, it would take ten thousand years...”
“Haha! Then it really is a lot! Great. Lavi.”
“Yes?”
“This is a gift from me to you. You always manage the storehouse and go through so much trouble fulfilling my requests. Thank you.”
At Suho’s sudden declaration, Lavi began stammering as though a system error had suddenly occurred.
Had the Administrator placed some kind of restriction on her?
So that the storekeeper could not be the first to make such a proposal.
If so, then this was even more of a go.
“Uh... this, uh, this, uh... this, is, is, is this allowed...? Uh, what...? I do not really un, un, understand.”
“Lavi, I can request whatever item I want for the Cheonyangwon. Right?”
“Th-that is correct.”
“And the goods I receive that way can be used however I want. Isn’t that right?”
“Of course.”
“So I received this, and now I’m going to use it like this. Now, I transfer these one hundred thousand runes to Lavi. Done. I’ve used up the runes now. Lavi, what are you doing? Hurry up and take the runes.”
“Uh, uh, uh, uh......”
Lavi froze.
Perhaps she would be the being who stayed with him for the longest time.
Suho was certain that his relationship with Lavi had entered a new phase.