The representative guild sponsored by the imperial family, Verdandi.
Their guild castle was located somewhere on the 6th floor of the Inner Tower.
Meilin, the treasurer sitting in the office, was scanning the Inner Tower's Auction House as usual.
It was part of managing the guild's funds.
Securing promising equipment.
Not for guild members already climbing the Tower, but for members about to climb, rental equipment had to be prepared.
So-called lowbie gear.
Honestly, obtaining that was the hardest part.
They were called lowbie gear, but high quality had to be maintained for competition between guilds and families.
"Nothing good."
It was then, as she scrolled down.
"...?"
-----------------------------
[Chore Gloves] [☆☆☆☆☆]
[Enchant Stage: 20]
[Current Bid: 60,500 Gold]
-----------------------------
She blinked and blinked; it was an unbelievable sight.
No matter how one explained it, it was equipment that made no sense in many ways.
"Does this make sense...?"
She quickly searched the Community.
She learned that the equipment's level was similar to a +10.5 Mana-Infused Bracer, a 3-star item.
Moreover, it was a researcher affiliated with the Magic Tower who operated with their nickname revealed, so it was reliable data.
"...Icy Wind."
Icy Wind, guild master of Verdandi.
He was an Enhance addict.
All his equipment was at +20, no less.
Except gloves, that is.
Recently, he had suffered five consecutive destroys attempting +20 on a Mana-Infused Bracer.
And right after that.
-I won't Enhance anymore. Hahaha!!
His mental fortitude was impressive. If it were her, she would have already wrung the Dwarf's neck.
He laughed, saying there was nothing to do if the odds were like that.
But these gloves were on the level of a +10.5 Mana-Infused Bracer...
Even if she recommended it, he probably wouldn't buy it.
He said he was quitting Enhance, but still, there was Icy Wind's class.
He was someone who would rather die than hear 'Icy Wind's class is ruined.'
Nevertheless, this equipment was attractive.
Just renting it to guild members who would soon climb the Tower could raise the guild's competitiveness by a level.
If a novice climber wore a +10.5 Mana-Infused Bracer, frankly, there was a chance they could climb several floors with just their fists.
Furthermore, Chore Gloves could be used by most... except mages.
Even mages, if they were the battle mage type, could be employed well enough.
It already far exceeded the level of rental equipment, so its usefulness went without saying.
Meilin glanced at Icy Wind.
He was focused on something, staring into empty space.
"Um... Guild Master..."
Just as she carefully tried to speak for budget planning.
Slam!
The office door opened.
"Guild Master! Why not buy this?"
A dull guild member famous for not caring about his surroundings approached Icy Wind with the Community interface raised.
Climbers could share each other's interfaces like this.
"You said you're not doing Enhance anymore, so how about these gloves?"
Ha, that insensitive guy.
How much Gold had the Guild Master blown just now...
Meilin pressed her forehead.
Icy Wind stroked his beard, stared at the gloves for a moment, then...
"Hahaha! Even so, there's no way I'd use equipment like that!"
"Oh? Is that so? Then are you slowly looking toward Graduation with Unique Equipment?!"
"...Hahaha. Of course, kid."
That was when.
Ding!
[A merchant guild bid has occurred for your watched item "Chore Gloves." Current price: 71,000 Gold]
An item called an Auction House notifier.
A voice announcing a merchant guild bid rang from Icy Wind's pocket.
"...Hahahaha!"
Meilin closed her eyes.
'He must be having a hard time these days.'
It was a moment she worried about the Guild Master's pocketbook.
***
[Yuna's Safe Guard!]
[0:30:00]
"...Sigh."
Yuna locked the Community.
Now she locks it without a word. I called her, but there's no answer.
Honestly, it didn't matter. I had already enjoyed everything there was to enjoy.
The last bid I saw was 105,000 Gold.
The price kept rising, and it was quite fun how a new reason was added each time.
Usually, ordinary equipment, according to my past online game experience, converges to a price slightly below the expected value of equipment enhancement.
However, there are exceptions.
If the equipment's risk was too high, if it was impossible to obtain, or if demand and effectiveness were strong enough to break that logic, then the logic became meaningless.
Surprisingly, the Chore Gloves seemed to satisfy all those conditions.
'The efficacy of Chore Gloves.'
Posts like that were flooding in.
Simply put, as lowbie gear passed around by groups, it was something beyond endgame.
It was also a sufficiently attractive option for climbers looking beyond that.
Moreover, the best value point was... despite being listed on the Auction House, it had no resale restriction for 30 days.
Since it could be traded back and forth, even merchants seemed to latch on.
Tap tap.
I tapped the table and fell into thought for a moment.
"..."
Wait a moment.
Did I just get a money printer?
What is this easy life?
By my standards, +20 Chore Gloves weren't very difficult.
Tap tap tap.
My fingers tapping the table sped up.
It wasn't because I was happy. I'm just naturally suspicious.
There's no way the world would give me such an easy life.
But no matter how much I racked my brain...
"What the hell."
There was no particular... problem.
That was when.
"You cursed."
A languid voice came from behind me.
When I turned my head, she was still drowsy and barely able to lift her head.
Ruby, buried in a book, looked at me and beckoned.
"I'm going to tell on you."
"What are you talking about? I must have misheard because I'm sleepy."
No.
Instinctively, I felt that if Dolores heard it, I'd be dragged away.
I'd be stuck on her lap and receive proper language education for hours.
"..."
But maybe she really was drowsy, because she fell asleep again.
Safe.
Anyway, once I thought that, my head actually cooled down.
People should be humble.
If I just kept copying +20 Chore Gloves Enchant, I couldn't cure Dolores's illness.
And my Blacksmith skills would never improve.
I must always have a desire to improve.
Usually, at the end of that desire to improve, good results come as long as there's no AI.
"Yeah. I'm a Blacksmith."
Ha, suddenly I feel pumped.
I poked my head into the hallway and checked the situation.
Didn't they clearly say something bad would happen if I went to the Workshop at night?
If I went during the day, there would be no problem.
I immediately rushed downstairs.
I crossed the garden and headed to the Workshop.
***
88th Floor.
Dwarf Company's reception room.
Elliot, the representative of the Company, was personally handling the reception.
Usually, inquiries and customer support were handled by Dwarves.
This case was a little different. The other party was a big spender.
"Thank you for coming such a long way..."
"Our representative is very angry."
The employee in front of him threw out the main point as soon as they met.
This person belonged to the Golden Scale Merchant Guild.
It was called a merchant guild, but they were the most merchant-like of merchants.
Merchants who had no intention of climbing the Tower... only schemed to leech off the Tower and gnaw away at climbers' money.
They bought low-grade 0-star equipment, enhanced it up to 5-star, and released it into the market at high prices under the name 'premium lowbie gear.'
Through the Company's Enchant rooms, of course.
"...In what way are you saying the representative is angry?"
Elliot asked gently, maintaining his smile.
"It's a matter of trust."
The employee tapped a finger on the table and continued.
"What has Dwarf Company said until now? That 0-star equipment is limited to +5... that anything beyond is systemically impossible. That there is no way. That is what you said."
That was true.
That also meant the market price of +5 was stably guaranteed.
Because it became the final lowbie equipment with no higher ceiling.
"But what is this?"
On the Auction House interface the employee opened, a +20 piece of equipment dropped before their eyes.
The auction price had already reached 120,000 Gold.
"Our merchant guild currently holds countless +5 pieces of equipment. We believed in your company's Enchant policy."
"..."
"But now the impression that the ceiling has been lifted is stamped into the market. The drop in equipment value is obvious, and the losses we will bear cannot even be measured..."
The employee's voice grew sharper.
Elliot kept smiling and listened quietly.
In truth.
It wasn't that he didn't understand why the employee in front of him was angry.
But the most dumbfounded and angry person was Elliot himself.
'It wasn't us.'
As soon as those gloves appeared on the market...
He had searched through all of the Company's Enchant room logs.
There was nothing.
To begin with, it couldn't be possible.
In tests attempting to take 0-star equipment from +5 to +6 with the Company's Enchant machines, there was only one success out of about 162,000 attempts.
It was impossible to the point that attempts were meaningless.
But +20? It was already enough to drive one insane.
The only thing Elliot could answer here was...
"...It is under investigation."
Those were the only words.
If their own employee had made a mistake, they could just cut ties. That would be the most comfortable and actually the most ideal in this situation.
They would even pay a bonus to reproduce +20.
But it wasn't that.
That would mean someone really 'personally' did that Enchant.
And outside the Company, at that.
If he said it wasn't done by them...
"Actually, there is a good Enchant business where the ceiling is lifted. Go there and do it."
It would be like confessing that himself.
The Company's authority would completely collapse.
In a situation of being surrounded on all sides, Elliot felt a headache coming on.
"Our Company is also currently conducting an 'internal' investigation."
He emphasized the word internal.
"The investigation will take time... We would appreciate it if you trusted our company's reliability and waited."
And anyway.
"...Instead, as a token of consolation."
'You can't give up Enchant either, right?'
"For the next two days, we will offer a 5% discount on Enchant costs for room 7."
"...!"
The employee's eyes widened.
According to Dwarf Company's policy of 'sticking to list price,' it was a considerably exceptional discount.
Of course... there was no need to get your hopes up too quickly.
Naturally, they would also lower the probability by 5%.
"...Well, please investigate quickly."
The employee nodded with some understanding and rose from their seat.
Power without alternatives.
A monopoly with no substitute.
That was the Company's true weapon.
***
Dolores hummed a tune and sat at the table in her room.
Sunlight coming through the window settled softly on her hair.
"..."
She felt good.
Good things were happening one after another.
A double blessing. There was no other way to describe it.
It felt as if the happiness she had gathered over the past decades was pouring out all at once.
'Lionel.'
It was all happiness coming from that child.
She lifted the teacup and took a sip.
A smile spread across her lips.
That was when.
Ding.
The Inner Tower interface appeared before her eyes.
"...?"
Dolores set down the teacup and opened the chat room where the notification came from.
The Inner Tower interface allowed exchanging messages with those whose contact information had been exchanged.
[Apostles of Dawn]
A room where messages usually didn't ring often.
Everyone was too busy, so the chat room was opened only a few times a year.
It was the chat room with her sworn sisters who had climbed the Tower with her.
But after a long time, a message arrived in that room.
When she opened the screen...
-----------------------------
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: (photo)
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: Anyone who knows its whereabouts, has seen it, or has it, contact me first.
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: His Highness the Prince's collector's urge has gone crazy, so hurry, somehow, quickly. Just somehow, please, quickly.
-----------------------------
She clicked the photo.
"Puhahahaha!!"
Dolores set down the teacup and covered her mouth with her hand.
After all, in the photo...
It was a photo of the Auction House listing for the gloves currently before Dolores's eyes.
Dolores laughed for a long while, and laughed for a long while again.
Click.
She slowly moved her fingers and attached a photo.
It was the +20 Chore Gloves placed on red velvet.
-----------------------------
[Dolores]: (photo)
-----------------------------
She pressed send and picked up the teacup again.
And then.
Ding, ding, ding!
-----------------------------
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: ?
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: ?
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: Dolores, what is this?
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: Lady Dolores?
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: Elysia von Dolores?
[1456thDayOfRetirementWish]: Lady Elysia von Dolores, Ruler of the Great 5th Floor and Duke of the Dolores Family??
-----------------------------
Dolores smiled and closed the chat window.
She wasn't worried.
She was tight-lipped, the kind of woman who would choose to keep her mouth shut rather than report to the imperial family.
In fact, all her sworn sisters were the same.
Since she was a woman whose reactions were hard to see normally, she wanted to enjoy watching a little.
It was about time to pick out good reactions to show Lionel.
Which would be good?
She opened the Auction House.
She slowly opened the DMs that had arrived directly from hopeful buyers.
And a message caught her eye as soon as she opened a DM.
"..."
-----------------------------
Dwarf Company
-----------------------------
To the seller.
We sincerely thank you for the deep trust you have always shown our Company.
Regarding the [Chore Gloves / Enchant Stage 20] you listed, the results of our Company's detailed investigation confirmed that the enhanced item was produced by a system error and malfunction in our Company's Enchant process.
Accordingly, our Company respectfully requests the following of you.
Please visit our Company's headquarters on the 88th floor in person, or if travel is inconvenient, register a retrieval request for the item using our Company's delivery system.
As compensation for this, our Company will immediately pay you a reward equal to twice the current auction price.
In addition, we promise confidentiality regarding this matter and will permanently register you as a premium customer of our Company.
We respectfully await your careful reply.
-----------------------------
Dolores slowly read the message.
"Delete."
This was not an example of a good reaction to show Lionel.
He was at an age where he should only see and hear good things.
"Nonsense."
She hoped they would stamp their feet and keep trembling in anxiety.
She picked up the teacup again, took a sip, and rose from her seat.
She slightly parted the curtain and looked down toward the garden.
"..."
The corners of Dolores's mouth were pulled upward.
There was Lionel, who should have been lounging with Ruby.
Pitter-patter!
In the middle of the garden, he looked around and crept toward the Workshop.
Dolores smiled brightly.
Lionel.
Starting today, we'll be sleeping together from now on.
Normally, she would have just smiled and watched...
"With your hands in that state, what..."
Dolores threw the window wide open.
"Lionel, you mustn't overdo it, okay?"
Whoosh.
She jumped right out through the window.
In the distance, the servant tending the garden's eyes went wide.
It was not a landing technique one would expect from Dolores, who always acted gracefully with noble dignity in mind.
Shhk.
To that extent, Lionel was more important to Dolores.
She slowly followed behind Lionel.