"Confirmation of 37 Climbers entering [My Home Tower]."
"You have entered the 1st floor -《Lobby》."
When 37 climbers entered almost simultaneously, the first floor lobby instantly became as bustling as a marketplace.
The climbers, crowded together, bumped and pushed against each other before gradually finding their places and beginning to look around.
"Hahaha! I have come to conquer this tower!!!"
"...What's with that attention-seeker?"
"So this is the lobby? Where are the monsters?"
The climbers' footsteps and voices mixed chaotically.
Just then, a system window appeared before the climbers' eyes.
"Clear Condition - Breathing"
"You have cleared the 1st floor!"
"You have been granted the [Angel's Protection (Small)] buff as a clear reward."
"A portal to the 2nd floor is being created!"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"What...?"
A tower that gives buffs right from the start.
The climbers checked the effects of the buff and immediately burst into cheers.
"Wow, amazing!! It really gives a resurrection buff!!!"
"Why is this for real???"
"A real resurrection buff? It gives a resurrection buff from the first floor?!"
The climbers were excited about the overpowered buff.
Among them, someone pointed to the front of the lobby and said:
"Oh? There's someone over there."
All the climbers' gazes fixed forward.
At the center was just one person.
A woman in a maid outfit standing straight on a red carpet.
"Welcome to My Home Tower. Currently, you climbers are located in the 'Lobby,' where you can receive various explanations and guidance."
A clear, crisp voice.
Her movements were mechanically refined, and her expression showed not the slightest hint of wavering.
"Whoa- she's pretty?"
A young man in a leather jacket with the [Berserker] class muttered while staring at the maid.
His gaze had already marked her as a hunting target.
"...I can't read her presence?"
In one corner, a man in a long robe with the [Shaman] class was quietly observing the maid.
His gaze was sharp, like analyzing an enemy before battle.
"Everyone be quiet. Let's hear what she has to explain."
And a middle-aged woman with the [Cleaner] class, who appeared to be the eldest, began controlling the surroundings while holding a broom(?).
She seemed to have an occupational habit, occasionally checking the cleanliness of the lobby.
"Further guidance will be divided according to your individual choices."
The maid continued speaking calmly.
"If you wish, you can first listen to an explanation about the overall structure and functions of the tower here in the lobby, or if you don't wish to, you can proceed directly to the trial on the 2nd floor. However—"
The air momentarily grew chilly.
"—that choice cannot be reversed."
A brief silence followed.
The first to move was the young man in the leather jacket.
"I don't care about explanations or whatever!"
He walked forward with frivolous steps, hefting his massive greatsword.
"These things are meant to be learned through experience! We've got resurrection buffs, so what's there to be afraid of!"
As he headed straight for the portal, several others quietly followed him.
"Yeah, we can resurrect even if we die, right?"
"Let's climb quickly and get some holy water."
Meanwhile, those remaining in the lobby still hesitated.
"Shouldn't we listen to something before going?"
"They're going to explain something over there..."
"Hey, what if we fall behind while listening to explanations?"
"Then you can go up with them too."
The maid still stood silently in the center of the lobby.
But she was clearly watching everyone, though her eyes revealed no emotion.
Finally, one of the climbers approached the maid and asked:
"May I ask a question?"
"Yes, you may."
"If we listen to the explanation, what difference will it make?"
"Various information will be provided."
"What kind of information?"
"If you wait just a moment, I will explain everything, including that."
"...?"
What exactly were they supposed to wait for?
The surrounding air sank once more at those words.
"That tone of voice itself smells like a trap?"
"Did we wait for nothing...?"
As order gradually broke down and confusion set in, the maid took out a crystal ball from her bosom and activated it—
-Ding!
With a sound that broke the silence, a video began playing in the air above the lobby.
"Pa↑pa↓pampapa↗♪pampara↘pampa♩↗pampapam→♬!"
"★Welcome climbers to [My Home Tower], filled with dreams and hope!★"
"...Huh?"
"What is that...?"
The video that appeared in the crystal ball was obviously a cheap advertisement!
However, the content that followed was anything but cheap.
The perspective in the video smoothly left the 1st floor and swept through the deep interior of the tower, showcasing fantastic spaces one by one.
With the title 《12th Floor - Gwangmyeong Market》, a massive market was shown.
Inside that market were shops selling dragon leather and top-grade magic stones, various crops from other worlds, items never seen before, and even legendary items that all climbers desire, like [Holy Water of the Majestic Angel] filling the display shelves!
There were so many other products endlessly displayed that it was dizzying!
And beneath the electronic display board appeared one small phrase:
"All items can be purchased with Tower Coins."
"...So we need Tower Coins to buy those?"
"Damn! I didn't bring any Tower Coins!"
While some climbers cried out in despair, the video's perspective moved to another location.
With the title 《37th Floor - Sparkling Water Hot Spring》, an outdoor hot spring made of bubbling carbonated water was revealed.
Beautiful elves enjoying the hot spring—
"Wooooooooo-!!!"
Male climbers cheered in unison.
Then when scenes of handsome demon men and wild orcs showering appeared—
"Oh my, oh my!!"
This time, some female climbers shyly covered their mouths with their hands.
"For 5 Tower Coins, enjoy the sparkling water hot spring and magic stone sauna to your heart's content! Excellent effects for skin beauty! Improves constitution and reduces weight too!"
"Oh, so if I pay 5 Tower Coins, I can bathe with elves?"
"Idiot! That must be the women's bath!"
"Actually, we do have mixed bathing facilities prepared."
"...What????"
At the maid's sudden mention of mixed bathing, the male climbers' eyes began to sparkle.
Next, with the phrase 《19th Floor - Tasty Restaurant》, the doors of a high-class restaurant opened wide.
Scenes of preparing giant dragon meat in a kitchen filled with hot energy,
Applying various seasonings to large chunks of meat before putting them in the oven,
And serving the well-cooked dragon meat on plates.
And sitting at the table was a girl who, for some reason, was dressed as a Japanese high school student. (Asahina Yurining)
When the girl stuck a knife into the well-cooked dragon meat and cut it in half, golden meat juice flowed abundantly from the thick meat.
As she put the dripping meat in her mouth and chewed, the camera zoomed in—
"Wow... that juice is insane..."
"*gulp*..."
The temptation of the intense meat juice was enough to make the climbers' stomachs growl.
"I'm... getting hungry..."
"So how much is that...?"
"Hell Flame Dragon Tenderloin Steak - 25 Tower Coins"
"25 Tower Coins...? Seems worth it?"
For reference, 1 Tower Coin is worth about 5,000-5,500 won. At the same time, 1 Tower Coin is also the price of one 'lowest-grade health potion.'
In other words, that steak is worth roughly 130,000 won!
130,000 won might sound like a burdensome price at first glance, but...
"A dragon meat steak for 130,000 won? That's cheaper than a tomahawk steak at a family restaurant?"
"Wow, I definitely need to try that."
"I'm drooling..."
While the climbers were entranced by the meat juice, the screen changed again.
With the title 《32nd Floor - Milky Way Hotel》, a hotel in the center of the Milky Way appeared.
Starlight drifted outside the windows.
Various races were shown relaxing comfortably inside the hotel.
Next, a pink-haired girl in pajamas was shown close-up, lying on a fluffy zero-gravity bed. (Cyan Nightmare)
The scene concluded with the cute girl sleeping peacefully.
Without any words, text appeared at the bottom of the screen:
"Our Milky Way Hotel will repay you with supreme comfort and the best service."
"Enjoy 1-day accommodation and 2 meals for just 9 Tower Coins."
"...9 Tower Coins for hotel costs and 2 meals? Not bad?"
"Wow... the scenery is really nice?"
"More than that, that girl is sleeping so well... I'm getting sleepy too..."
The screen changed once more, and with the phrase 《39th Floor - Succubus Garden》...
In a dimly lit room, a succubus whose silhouette was barely visible slightly raised the corner of her mouth.
"Today... what kind of conversation shall we have...♥"
"Your tired heart, stories you can't share with others... consult with a succubus."
"Consultation fee: 50 Tower Coins (※additional charges may apply)"
"Hey, friend... lend me 50 Tower Coins."
"Who are you?"
"Don't treat me like a stranger right away!!"
The screen seemed to conclude with starlight, but then...
Suddenly, Tricia appeared and her voice echoed throughout the lobby.
"[My Home Tower] is a tower of rest where you can relax as if in your own home. It's a shelter for climbers."
"But someone might say: a tower is a place that imposes trials on climbers."
"...Do you desire trials?"
At that moment, the screen briefly went dark.
A scene of 【The Silence of Deep Night】 awakening,
Crow soaring with [Gravity Reversal],
A scene of [Supernova Explosion] erupting.
And after briefly showing 【The Silence of Deep Night】 revealing its true form before Crow-
The screen zoomed in on Tricia's mouth.
"A trial more difficult than anything else awaits you."
"Please, enjoy your time."
As soon as the video ended—
"Waaaaaaah-!!!!!"
The lobby was filled with cheers.
------
Meanwhile, Tricia was watching all those scenes through her crystal ball.
"Wow, the response is good?"
Tricia had completely restructured the tower in just three days, with the direction of doing business by receiving Tower Coins from climbers!
To achieve this goal, Tricia blatantly created a promotional video to show the climbers!
For reference, the video was actually a slightly edited version of a promotional video made during the Eriel era.
The introductory explanation, Tower Coin introduction, and the part where Tricia speaks while battle scenes appear—all of it was edited!
Especially in the scene fighting an unknown powerful enemy, using footage of Crow fighting really increased the immersion.
"Such a cool video was possible thanks to Crow!"
By the way, Crow himself doesn't know that he appeared in the tower's advertisement.(?)
But since Crow has taken so much from the tower anyway, he might easily overlook this!
A new system message appeared before Tricia.
"3 climbers have died on the 2nd floor."
"Calculating..."
"[Berserker] Kang Geun-yuk - 128 Tower Coins"
"[Lightning Mage] Geon Jeon-ji - 71 Tower Coins"
"[Archer] Na Han-jo - 30 Tower Coins"
"A total of 229 Tower Coins have been additionally calculated."
Three climbers who recklessly disturbed the bomb rabbits on the 2nd floor met a miserable end.
Their "strength" and "value" were absorbed by the tower and converted into Tower Coins.
"...Why are their names like that? Are those aliases?"
"Notice: Confirmed as real names."
"Gasp..."
Tricia was dumbfounded by the fact that those were all real names.
After the advertisement ended, climbers approached the warp after receiving additional explanations from the maid.
Soon, the climbers began moving in earnest.
"6 climbers have entered the 2nd floor -Rabbit's Garden-."
"13 climbers have entered the 12th floor -Gwangmyeong Market-."
"4 climbers have entered the 19th floor -Tasty Restaurant-."
"3 climbers have entered the 32nd floor -Milky Way Hotel-."
"6 climbers have entered the 37th floor -Sparkling Water Hot Spring-."
"2 climbers have entered the 39th floor -Succubus Garden-."
"Including the 3 who died, 9 people went for trials, while the remaining 28 all went to recreational facilities?"
It was according to plan.
More than half of the climbers were guided to find the tower's culture and rest more attractive than its trials.
And those who chose trials...
At first, it's easy enough that even novice climbers can clear it if they just understand the strategy.
At least up to the 8th floor, it's designed to be relatively simple to clear.
But from the 9th floor, things change.
And the 10th floor is where monsters that Tricia personally sealed in the past appear as boss monsters.
It's possible to keep climbing after that too.
Most floors are where Eriel's residents live, so climbers just need to complete simple quests.
But—
20th floor, 30th floor, 40th floor...
Floors that are multiples of 10 have extremely powerful boss monsters.
No matter how strong a climber is, there will inevitably come a moment when they stop.
That's the point when they face the true 'essence' of this tower.
A deep smile spread across Tricia's lips.
"From the moment you chose trials—you're not 'climbers' but 'intruders.'"
"If you want a fight so badly... I'll make sure the 'terror' possessed by those I personally sealed is etched clearly into your minds."
She maliciously smiled while stroking her crystal ball.
...Of course, even for intruders.
Tower Coins are definitely calculated when they clear trials or die.
It would be troublesome if the influx of trial-takers stopped!
"...I'll definitely give proper rewards."
...Probably.
