The Richest System

Following the Administrator through the gate, the moment I set foot inside, I received an achievement. This achievement, however, was unlike any I'd received before; it granted a status boost, not just Achievement Points to spend in the shop.

[Achievement Unlocked: Entry into Administrator Territory]

Achievement Effects:

Low-Level Administrator Territory: Qualified to become a Baron in the Tower.

Mid-Level Administrator Territory: Qualified to become a Count.

High-Level Administrator Territory: Qualified to become a Duke.

"Excuse me, Madam Administrator, what does this 'qualification as a nobleman' mean?"

Hearing my question, the Administrator clapped her hands, and a luxurious dining set materialized from thin air, with her seating herself opposite me.

"So, you're truly a newcomer to the Tower. I checked your battle record against the lizardmen, but that wasn't enough. I investigated further, back to Stage 1. You seem to have powerful backers, giving you the confidence to buy items from the shop that only accepts Tower Coins instead of spending Achievement Points."

"You see, the Achievement Point shop is full of nonsense. They sell worthless items at 15,000 points each? That's absurd! Even my current equipment would cost over 900,000 Achievement Points if calculated using their prices, and it's not even that good. Buying from the real shop is far more advantageous for me."

"Hmm, you're avoiding my question. Let's see who your backers are. I don't mean any harm, but for a newcomer to buy five spell scrolls, two skill books, and a spatial magic item is unusual."

As she finished speaking, snowflakes began to fall across the area. They weren't cold and lacked texture, vanishing on contact. Seeing the Administrator's frustrated expression, I knew she couldn't find any information.

"Honestly, I didn't know about a VVIP system. But judging by your expression, a VVIP shouldn't have backers; if they did, their membership would be downgraded to VIP. As for why I prefer the coin shop, it's simply because 'I have another card up my sleeve.'"

I took a sip of the tea on the table, feeling my energy instantly restored.

"May I ask the name of this tea? It's remarkable; it replenishes my lost energy."

"That's Zhou Ling Tai Tea, a product of the nobility on the 50th floor."

*The VVIP system confirms she's not lying.*

"I see. May I purchase some? I enjoy tea, and this one suits my taste far better than anything in the Tower shop."

"You can buy it after the tutorial at the general store, though it will be more expensive due to the long-distance shipping from the 50th floor to the 1st."

*Withdraw 100 Tower Coins.*

I pulled out a wooden box from my Tower Coin storage, containing 100 coins.

"Please sell me five boxes. I'll pay with these coins."

The Administrator, surprised by the box, remained silent.

I pushed the box toward her so she could see the coins. Seeing the box, she noticed something unusual and opened it.

The Administrator's shocked expression at the Tower Coins told me that even coins issued by the Bank of Babel weren't insignificant.

"Who are you? These gold coins are of such high purity; they're only used for transactions worth an entire floor of the Babel Tower."

Hearing that, I was equally surprised. No wonder I always got my money back! Was it because of the coins' superior purity?

"You seem to know nothing about these coins. With 1,000 of these, a low-level administrator like me could qualify for a mid-level position. For a nobleman, 100 of these would qualify you as an Archduke, controlling an entire dukedom. But on the first floor, no matter how pure your money, one coin is still just one coin. It's different on the 50th floor; if your Tower Coins are of lesser value or quality, their worth decreases. Conversely, one coin like this could make many vendors kneel to sell you everything they own. Or, let me put it this way: I'll become your backer on the upper floors."

Hah....

"You want to be my backer? Even without you, I'm confident I can reach the top with the cards I have."

*I know she's not saying that for herself, but for my benefit too. But if I agree so easily, it'll be bad if she finds out about my wealth.*

The Administrator, realizing the misunderstanding, agreed.

"I see. Sector 301 is ready. Your mission will be harder than others, mostly survival-based. Sector 301 was created specifically for you; it's like climbing to the 30th floor of the Tower. You survive according to the time limit in each stage. Unlike other tutorials, yours will be longer. I hope you understand. As for the tea, I only have three small boxes. If you want, I'll buy them for you."

"No, no, I'll buy those three; that's enough."

I accepted the three boxes of tea and stepped into the portal created by the Administrator.

[Stage 3 will begin shortly.]

[Survive for 7 days or kill the Ruler of Stage 3.]

[Stage 3 begins in 30 minutes.]

*They're kind enough to give me time to prepare.*

I opened the shop, looking for a bow and arrows for hunting, a meat cleaver, an axe, a shovel, and a sickle. I also took out my tent, brazier, and monster-repelling lamp.

Setting up the tent, brazier, and monster-repelling lamp in strategic positions provided good protection from many monsters within a decent radius. Oh, and...

I opened the shop again and bought a box of low- and mid-grade magic stones to keep the monster-repelling lamp powered.

Since cooking wasn't feasible at the moment, I took out the food I'd prepared earlier—it still looked freshly cooked—and made some of the tea I'd received from the Administrator.

...

Thirty minutes passed.

[Stage 3 begins.]

[Survive for 3 days.]

[72:59:59]

*It seems it's started.*

As the countdown began, a cacophony filled the forest. Hundreds of orcs and goblins charged toward the tent, but upon seeing the light, they stopped at the lamp's perimeter, growling from outside the area.

Drawing my bow and arrow, I shot one of them. Seeing me attack from within the area, the orcs and goblins surrounded the tent, but they still didn't dare enter.

*I wonder what would happen if they entered the area.*

Nocking another arrow, I aimed for one orc's eye. As it shrieked and tried to pull the arrow from its socket, I stepped out of the lamp's light, grabbed the orc's head, and pulled it into the illuminated area. The orc's head burst into flames, leaving a charred mark, and the orc died instantly.

[You gained 75 EXP.]

[You leveled up to level 2.]

*Ouch, that must have hurt.*

The orcs and goblins, witnessing the event, fled in terror.

Seeing the fleeing monsters, I drew my bow and shot them from within the lamp's light, killing several orcs and eliminating the fleeing goblins.

[You gained 950 EXP.]

[You leveled up to level 4.]

Pulling out my monster encyclopedia, I checked what items were taken from monster corpses as proof of a hunt.

"Orcs have rings in their noses, and goblins have rings in their ears."

"If you're lucky, each monster has a mana crystal in its heart."

Taking out my knife, I cut open an orc's body and removed its heart, splitting it open to check for a crystal, but I had no luck. I continued checking all the monster corpses, searching for crystals.

...One hour later...

After collecting the hunting trophies and searching for mana crystals, I found three small red mana crystals, one medium red mana crystal—three from goblins and one from an orc.

"Red mana crystals are the lowest grade. Small ones are a waste of time unless you have 100; then you can get a hardtack."

"100 of these for a hardtack? Life in the Tower is tough."

I burned all the monster corpses to prevent any unforeseen problems from leaving them in the vast forest.

Tossing the dimensional pouch containing the mana crystals and hunting trophies into the tent, I sat on the ground and enjoyed the freshly brewed tea.

"Damn, this tea really does restore all my energy."