I Have Become an NPC at the Tower’s Used Bookstore

Most people who come to the used bookstore are those who want to sell skill books.

It’s fair to say that almost no one comes to buy, except for the old man. Even that is so infrequent that it’s almost nonexistent.

It’s a strange place that always records losses, where opening the store means losing money.

Nevertheless, since the purchase price isn’t set too low, there are quite a few people who come to sell skill books.

“Hmm, I think this price should be sufficient, what do you think?”

“What? Isn’t that too cheap?”

“It’s a normal-grade skill book. And the condition isn’t very good.”

I said, flipping through the book.

The content inside is also full of things with little nutritional value. It seems to have been written quite some time ago, as it contains theories that don’t match the current era.

Well, that’s also an interesting element in its own way, as it helps understand the time period of that era.

Since our store is the only place that buys normal-grade skill books, we maintain a somewhat dominant position.

My competitors aren’t used bookstores or bookshops. Those stores don’t deal with used skill books in the first place.

Rather, my competitors are collectors overflowing with money. They are people who collect skill books not for the purpose of reading, but as a simple hobby.

Instead, they collect high-grade skill books with high rarity, not normal-grade ones.

The only overlap is with high-grade skill books.

For low-grade skill books like this, it wouldn’t matter if I set a low price, but I don’t do that.

There are Tower’s sanctions, and it’s also a matter of trust.

If I don’t offer a reasonable amount, it’s easy to lose trust, and the likelihood of them not visiting our store next time becomes high.

“The corners of the book are quite damaged. This makes it difficult to set a high price.”

I don’t talk about the content. Even if I explain, there’s a high chance they won’t understand.

In that case, it’s easier to convince the other person by mentioning the physical aspects.

“Please visit us again next time.”

I successfully completed another transaction today. I bought it at a reasonably good price.

It’s quite enjoyable to read skill books written in the past and compare them with modern skill books.

In terms of physical appearance, there’s not much difference.

Due to the Tower’s influence, objects are less affected by the passage of time. Just like everything else inside the Tower.

Reading skill books teaches you various things.

Not only do you gain an understanding of skills, but you also understand the world the authors lived in.

This is because the environments surrounding them are embedded in the books.

You can vaguely feel the existence of dimensions other than the Earth dimension.

Those in the Tower are only Earthlings. And most of them are Koreans.

This is because the game was developed in Korea, and it wasn’t a famous game.

Why did a game that wasn’t even well-known become reality?

And why was such a game first released in Korea?

Is it just a coincidence?

Despite having spent many years in the Tower, there was still much I didn’t know about it.

This was partly because information was tightly concealed, but also because I hadn’t shown interest in it.

I couldn’t leave the Tower, nor could I climb it. Investigating the Tower wasn’t that important to me.

It was like that before, and even more so now.

“Is this the famous store?”

A sudden voice woke me from my thoughts.

I see a man entering with a swaggering gait.

I closed the book I was reading and greeted the incoming customer.

“Yes, what brings you here?”

The man answered with a slight gesture of his hand.

My long-standing intuition was telling me. It was strongly saying that the man in front of me was trouble.

But I couldn’t drive out a customer based solely on intuition.

“Why would I come to a used bookstore? I came to sell books, of course.”

After saying that, he carelessly threw a book onto the table.

I get a strong feeling of being looked down upon.

There are people like this. Players who disregard and discriminate against NPCs.

Most NPCs who haven’t been granted status windows are weaker than players.

There are always those who look down on those weaker than themselves.

Still, under the Tower’s protection, they can’t directly harm NPCs, so that’s somewhat fortunate.

Players and NPCs.

The Tower used game language to make it easier for players to adapt. It shaped the game and reality similarly to reduce resistance.

However, there was a side effect. Some people came to believe that NPCs were truly NPCs from a game.

I felt bad, but I had to do my job.

I examine the book the man threw.

“Hmm.”

It seemed there was no need to examine it further.

The book itself was quite damaged. The corners were all crushed, and there were marks as if it had been used as a pot stand.

Looking at the book that had become so tattered, my heart ached for no reason.

“This has lost its value to be examined. Please take it back. It has lost its worth.”

“What?! You’re talking nonsense without even examining it properly?”

My intuition was working diligently today as well. My suspicion turned out to be correct.

“You’re the one talking nonsense.”

At my words, he gives a mocking laugh as if he finds it absurd.

“Ha, look at this.”

Why don’t people like this decrease? It’s like there’s a law of preservation of troublemakers, similar to the law of conservation of mass.

If they’ve lived for a long time, they should have become more decent, but they don’t show any signs of it.

The time one has lived doesn’t seem to directly translate to maturity.

If they’re going to age, they should do it properly, not by spilling and making a mess.

“Used skill books, I knew from the moment they said they buy such garbage. This is a completely crazy woman. Look at how she talks to a customer from heaven.”

Unacceptable words reached my ears.

I grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him up.

“Keck keck. What is this…!”

I see feet flailing in the air.

I wasn’t broad-minded enough to forgive someone who disparages what I’ve been collecting as garbage.

To me, these books held value beyond mere objects.

My hand holding the man’s neck naturally tightens.

“NPCs can’t harm players!! If you break the Tower’s rules, you won’t remain unharmed either!!!”

“Ah, so that’s what you were counting on.”

Just as players can’t harm NPCs, NPCs can’t harm players.

It was one of the basic rules of the Tower.

This rule can’t be broken. Because actions are forcibly restricted.

If one tries to forcibly break it, the Tower imposes strong sanctions.

In severe cases, one might even be expelled from the Tower.

No one knows what happened to those who were expelled. That’s why it was a more frightening punishment.s fear the unknown the most.

“But what can I do? This is my space. It’s my own space that even the Tower can’t touch.”

Just as I can’t touch the Tower arbitrarily, the Tower can’t touch me either.

I’ve been with the Tower since its birth. I’ve grown as much as the Tower has grown, and I haven’t lagged behind as much as the Tower has become a monster.

The relationship between the Tower and me wasn’t simple enough to be defined as subordination.

“Erasing someone like you wouldn’t even be noticeable, would it? The Tower would value its relationship with me more than the survival of someone like you. You’re not even a ranker, are you?”

I feel the man trembling.

His pants become wet, and a yellow liquid soaks the floor.

“Enough. Just go.”

I drove him out as if throwing him outside.

With a light flick of my finger, even the dirty traces the man left on the floor were completely erased.

“I don’t know what the Tower is doing. Not removing people like that.”

I grumbled as I closed the store door.

Business is done for today. I wasn’t in the mood to do business anymore.

If I were to deal with customers in this mood, it was clear that I would cause another incident.

It wasn’t that I wanted to rest.

“Do you ever sell books?”

Seeing me closing the door, Ber approached and asked. How long had she been watching?

“What?”

“You haven’t been open for long. And even during that time, you were the one buying books. Don’t you sell books?”

“I can’t sell my books, which are like my children, to just anyone.”

“Don’t you make money?”

“La la la, I can’t hear you.”

I covered my ears and made a fuss, then got hit by Ber.

Gently rubbing the top of my head, I said,

“It’s been a while.”

“Because you ran away every time I came.”

It was because I had no money. I didn’t have the capacity to repay the borrowed money.

This is why money is scary. It easily ruins relationships between people.

“Money is scary.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

Strange. By now, she should be tackling me, but I don’t hear anything.

When I slightly opened one eye, I saw a huge shadow cast over me.

“Abubuub.”

Ber said, stretching my cheeks.

“It’s your karma. And why is your skin so good? You don’t even apply lotion.”

Even with my cheeks being pinched, I proudly smiled.

“Hmph.”

“How annoying.”

Thanks to that, the time I suffered was extended.

After a while like that, I was released.

Rubbing my sore cheeks, I said,

“Most customers who come here don’t come to buy books, but to sell them.”

“I know that.”

“There are occasionally those who come to buy books, but they want to purchase them for decorative purposes, like interior decoration.”

I didn’t like that.

I found it unpleasant to see books being used for purposes other than their original intent.

“Why are you so obsessed with books?”

“Is it an obsession?”

“It’s an obsession.”

At Ber’s words, I couldn’t say anything.

There were too many thoughts coming to mind, so I couldn’t figure out what to say.

And after sorting through them all, what came out was…

“Do you want to have some coffee before you go?”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“Let’s sit down and talk slowly. I have quite a lot to say.”

I said, fiddling with the beret on my head.

I tried to smile, but it didn’t work well. Thus, what hung on my mouth was only a coffee-scented smile that emitted a bitter fragrance.

“How do you think skill books are made?”