"Huh…? What?"
I'd been expecting the classic fantasy-world general store.
But the sight that greeted me was…
"No way, why is there literally a PX out here…"
Cup ramen, snacks, frozen goods, drinks… and all manner of daily necessities.
It was basically a Korean convenience mart, no different from the real thing.
It felt off. Like the inventory had been stocked specifically to match my background.
"…"
I started to wonder how the Demon Army had gotten their hands on all this, then shook my head and let it go.
I stepped past the shelves and into the Golden Carriage to browse the goods properly.
"How much does this stuff cost…"
I reached toward a cup of ramen.
Ding.
A tiny holographic price tag materialized in the air.
[Spicy Bowl Cup Ramen – 1G]
One gold for a cup of ramen.
Not a bad price point.
The people living in the 300s—which seemed to be the most populated range—would be pulling in at least 300 gold a month, so they could get through the month without any trouble.
*So they really were just bored out of their minds, huh.*
[Soju – 23G]
Alcohol was on the menu too, but this was steep.
Apparently classified as a luxury item.
Funny how even a demon army bothers to account for combat readiness losses from drinking.
I kept browsing, and at the far end of the shelves I spotted a familiar-looking machine.
A kiosk.
*So this is where you check out…*
As I approached, the screen lit up with my current information.
[Gold Held: 30,025 G]
Below the main display was an additional tab.
[Soldier-Tailored PX]
[Switch to Military Supplies Mode]
It was currently set to Soldier-Tailored PX.
I tapped [Switch to Military Supplies Mode].
Whooom—
"Oh."
The PX items vanished, and new display racks rose up in their place.
"Yeah. Now we're talking…"
The atmosphere shifted entirely.
The Golden Carriage had transformed into exactly the kind of fantasy shop I'd originally imagined.
The first thing that caught my eye was a row of medieval cold weapons hanging in the center. Beside them sat various suits of armor and footwear, and the shelves were stacked with rolled parchments.
So it worked like this—two different shop modes you could toggle between.
"Alright."
What should I actually buy here?
I pulled up the Gallery on my hologram.
Maybe because it was Golden Carriage day, the board was buzzing with related posts on top of all the threads about me.
____
Title: BREAKING) Figure of a certain someone spotted in the PX.
Author: Anon (411F)
{A purple something that can't be identified as any recognizable shape}
This is absolutely unhinged lmaooooo
Who's the PX soldier in the Demon Army, how the hell did they know to stock this
Now I have no choice but to buy it…
I need to save up for gear and now this ㅅㅂㅅㅂㅅㅂ
[Comments]
Anon (341F): How much do you still need?
└ Anon (411F) (OP): Still need like 20,000 gold more…
Anon (618F): At your salary that's like 5 solid years of saving lol good luck.
Anon (374F): Just do the ranking matches and win it
└ Anon (411F) (OP): Yeah no I'm never doing ranking matches, you do them
______
The photo hit me like a truck.
"That thing is… a figure of me…? What kind of universe spawned that creature…"
And why would someone want to save up for gear when they had no intention of doing ranking matches?
The post made no sense to me on multiple levels.
Either way, my theory was confirmed—the shop seemed to stock items from whatever world each person had come from before their possession.
I kept browsing other posts.
The one with the highest view count was a comprehensive info thread.
[Title: This Month's Golden Carriage Military Supplies Ratings & Recommended Items Roundup]
*Oh. Is that the person?*
The item specialist with the fixed username who only showed up on payday.
______
Title: This Month's Golden Carriage Military Supplies Ratings & Recommended Items Roundup
Author: SSS-Rank Gear Chaser
Rating: 8.3
Summary:
Solid overall. Armor selection is decent, accessories are party-tier. Best item this month is in the accessory slot—looks great for mages who lack mobility skills.
Probably because it dropped early in the year, this batch feels generous for once?
But monster-type gear and consumables are basically nonexistent, so can't go above 9.
Detailed Reviews:
1. [Ishtar's Key Sword (Epic)] This thing last appeared back in June, 53 years ago I think, stats are low but the active effect is absolutely broken …………
……
…
…
.
[Comments]
One Who Savors a Cup of Black Tea: Always grateful for these.^^
Anon (631F): How do you even remember what month it dropped 53 years ago, the gap in knowledge is terrifying, absolute gear obsessive ㄷㄷ
Anon (648F): Six Epic armors in one batch has to be an all-time record?
└ Anon (712F): Nooooo why is the best item an accessory I already have a full accessory set ㅅㅂ…
Anon (354F): Really want to grab the Key Sword, looking for anyone who's bought it before @@@@
______
I was genuinely impressed.
Information this good, laid out this clearly.
This user was breaking down the stat efficiency and cost-effectiveness of each individual item.
It hit harder because I'd been starved of reliable information up until now.
Nobody knew anything about the Hero, and intel on monsters below floor 100 was completely nonexistent.
I typed a comment.
Anon (25F): Wow. But how do you know every single item? The detailed info isn't displayed anywhere.
I refreshed, and a reply came back immediately.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Oh hey, it's the newbie. Read all your posts, genuinely insane stuff, getting your circle in 1 hour is actual legend status bb
└ Anon (25F): Thank you…
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Ah! To answer your question—before I got possessed I managed an armory for a long time, so I have knowledge of items from multiple dimensions.
"Multiple dimensions… what kind of armory was this person running…"
A username that hinted at an origin story I couldn't even begin to fathom.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Anything specific you want to know? Actually, forget it—let me just tell you everything from the top.
"Oh."
And they were being genuinely friendly toward me. Unlike a certain someone, their tone was actually nice.
└ Anon (731F): Why is this person being so nice? They ignored me when I asked stuff ㅛㅛ
Someone tried to start something, and a lengthy reply came back.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Why would I owe you people answers.
The temperature dropped instantly.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): And of course I'm nice to the newbie. You lot don't do ranking matches. Testing item performance takes years of actual use—why would I think highly of you? Honestly every time I see someone buy gear and just shrine it like a houseplant I want to lose my mind.
└ Anon (351F): Ugh… the discrimination…
└ Anon (432F): We only have ONE life here! What do you want from us!
So that was the context.
The person earlier going on about the figure also said they'd buy gear even though they had no intention of doing ranking matches.
Now I finally understood why.
The combination of cowardice and collector's instinct, I suppose.
That username had clearly grown fed up with the Gallery's general attitude.
But then again, the only people who'd survived long enough to be here were exactly the cautious types—so there wasn't much to be done about it.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Meanwhile the newbie, from what I read, climbed 25 floors in basically a single day.
└ Anon (731F): Did you even read the posts properly? The conclusion was that below floor 100 is trash-tier content.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Doesn't matter, they're still fighting constantly, moron.
Then they addressed me directly.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Newbie, I'll write up a custom analysis post just for you—would you take a look?
└ Anon (25F): Oh, of course. Thank you so much…
I waited for the post.
In the meantime, I decided to do my shopping in the Soldier-Tailored PX.
Either way, I needed to stock up on immediate essentials.
I bought a generous month's worth of food and water.
Various daily necessities too.
*This suddenly feels like a completely different genre…*
I was grabbing items like I was looting in a post-apocalyptic survival game, when—
My feet stopped dead in front of a particular section.
The moment I saw it, I fell into deliberation.
*Should I… buy this…?*
Feminine hygiene products.
I hesitated for a moment, but there was no way to know whether this Death God's body actually needed them.
"Ugh…"
In the end I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed the most inoffensive-looking option.
[Total: 68G]
[Confirm Purchase?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
After paying, I poured water into a pot, lit the portable gas stove I'd bought, and set it to boil.
Five minutes later.
"Slurp!"
Hot, salty noodles slid down my throat.
"…!"
Transcendent.
"Huh…? Why does this taste so good?"
The ramen was better than anything I could have imagined.
I hadn't even been in the tower that long, and yet it tasted this incredible.
Like someone eating ramen for the very first time, the flavor just completely—
"Ah. Right. It is the first time."
This Death God's tongue had just been awakened to the glory of MSG.
I drained the broth clean and hit refresh on the hologram panel.
The post I'd been waiting for was up.
______
Title: [Newbie Exclusive] 30,000 Gold Custom Item Build. (Long post)
Author: SSS-Rank Gear Chaser
Newbie's budget: 30,025 G
Looking at your current situation—you need to stack INT and MP for Black Magic, but your weapon is a scythe, so before you get Instant-Kill skills you also need to cover close-range combat. That's a genuinely chaotic hybrid mess, isn't it?
So here's a build tailored to handle all of that at once…
The philosophy is: aim for the late game, but items that also help in the early stretch and won't be painful to swap out later.
1. Magitech Cerulean Earring (Epic) – 21,850 G
Every kill permanently increases your MP by a small amount depending on the target.
A stacking item!
Since you're at the lowest floors right now, the efficiency will be at its absolute peak.
2. Ring of Arcane Might (Rare) – 6,120 G
A buff ring that converts 10% of your MP stat into bonus STR.
Normally a niche item, but in your current situation it's a godsend!
With this, you can go all-in on INT and MP and still have the physical strength you need for the lower floors covered.
3. Obsidian Ring of Insight (Common) – 810 G
4. Adventurer's Ring (Common) – 720 G
Basic stat boost rings. Handpicked for best value. The Adventurer's Ring is a staple—practically everyone uses it. Lucky you already put points into base stats, so you can equip it right away!
And 3x Fatigue Recovery Potion – 360G
Only three in stock. Buy all of them.
Grand total: 29,860 G
Spend the remaining gold on food and daily supplies!
Shame there are no other potions this month besides the Fatigue Recovery ones. Nothing worth using in the scroll selection either.
One more thing—this month's Golden Carriage top item was a Unique called the Jet-Black Knotted Band.
It gives 20% dark-attribute magic affinity, a flat +90 MP, and comes with a short-range teleport on a 30-second cooldown…
But being a Unique, it's priced accordingly. 120,000 gold.
[Comments]
Anon (352F): Starting out with an Epic and two Rares wrapped around you because you have 30k gold… I'm so jealous I could die…
Anon (631F): Implying they're going to earn even more going forward…
Anon (271F): Senpai can you do my build too ㅠㅠ
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Said I don't do builds for people who don't do ranking matches. Stop rubbing up against me, it's disgusting.
I was genuinely in awe.
Growth-type items combined with exactly what I needed right now.
A build that read my situation with pinpoint accuracy.
And the way it fit the budget so precisely was staggering.
"I didn't think it would cut this close."
The build left me with exactly 165 gold from my budget.
Clearly the result of working through multiple combinations.
Subtract what I'd already spent in the PX and I had 97 gold left.
"Good thing I didn't go overboard. Almost ran short."
But.
"Hmm…"
Even with a perfect build that spent every coin, something nagged at me.
That last item they'd mentioned. The Jet-Black Knotted Band.
It looked far too appealing.
"This month's top item? Let me at least take a look…"
I went to check it out in the Golden Carriage directly.
"Living in the penthouse, huh."
Folded neatly inside a glass case at the very top—a black knotted band.
It sat on display as if to say, *I'm the most expensive thing here.*
I pulled up the Gear Chaser's review.
7. [Jet-Black Knotted Band (Unique)] – 120,000 G.
Top item this month.
Base stat: +90 MP, dark-attribute affinity +20%.
Haven't seen raw MP this high on an accessory in a long time.
And the active skill is basically mandatory if you don't have a mobility move.
I think the skill was called Black Shift or something… 30-second cooldown, short-range teleport, if I'm remembering right.
*…No matter how I look at it, this thing is broken.*
My gamer DNA was speaking.
A short-range teleport has value that can't be measured in gold for a melee mage with no mobility.
I'd planned to take one look and walk away cleanly, but…
There was absolutely no way I could turn my back on this item.
I rested my hands on the holographic keyboard.
└ Anon (25F): Thank you so much for the consultation!!!
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Glad you like it. Go pay and equip it right away. You'll feel the difference immediately.
I asked, a little carefully.
└ Anon (25F): By the way, the Jet-Black Knotted Band you mentioned… I really want to buy it. If I go up a few floors and come back, will the Golden Carriage be gone?
Post.
The Gallery went quiet for a moment.
└ Anon (351F): ???? What kind of move is this.
└ Anon (418F): She doesn't have enough gold so… she's going to go hunt and earn it lmaooooo
└ Anon (361F): …She's going to *earn* it?
└ Anon (741F): That's genuinely the first time I've heard that idea, salary just comes in automatically lol
Then a comment from floor 574 appeared.
└ Anon (574F): The Demon King's Tower is one-way, so going back down isn't possible.
└ Anon (574F): But you can still use the Golden Carriage. There was a guy a while back who won a ranking match on Golden Carriage day and the carriage followed him up.
*So it works.*
My fist clenched.
And the username who'd done my consultation reacted with explosive energy.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): ?????????????
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Mindset: APPROVED lmaooooooooooooo
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): Absolutely unhinged lmaooooo I've only ever seen people buy gear and put it on a shrine, but someone who wants to do a ranking match on the spot because they want to buy an item—that's a genuine first for me lmaooooooooo
└ Anon (218F): This is basically just being in heat at this point…
└ Anon (351F): People who know this username's usual personality: 🙄
I could practically feel the excited breath steaming through the hologram.
└ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser (OP): DO IT! Absolutely DO IT!! That band is genuinely broken for you, newbie!!
Fenrir: This is wild, you're really going? To earn more money?
└ Anon (710F): Hey, encouraging someone to do ranking matches is too far. This person hasn't even learned any shielding magic yet.
└ Anon (351F): Right? I half expected a defensive gear recommendation and now I'm a little suspicious…
SSS-Rank Gear Chaser seemed to be the type who didn't weigh the risks of ranking matches very heavily.
Probably because they were completely consumed by item theory.
With that username's fervent cheering ringing in my ears, I stood up.
The timer floating above the Golden Carriage read 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Plenty of time.
It had taken me less than an hour to climb 16 floors.
And now I had Fatigue Recovery Potions, so collapsing on the floor wasn't going to be an issue.
"120,000 gold… how many floors do I need to go up…"
I ran the numbers quickly in my head.
But.
"No, no… let's be more efficient about this."
A better idea had come to me.