Are You the Runner?
Early in the morning.
[Exiting the 4th floor of the Myth's Tower.]
Jinhyeok emerged from the tower with a utterly dumbfounded expression.
Unlike the previous floors, this one had ended at an unprecedented speed.
"What the hell is this?"
Kancho tilted his head in disbelief, looking just as baffled.
And it was understandable.
Jinhyeok and his group had woken up early, made all the necessary preparations, and entered the Myth's Tower.
What greeted them was a tiny space, barely three pyeong in size.
It was so cramped that they had to huddle together just to stand.
In the center of the space sat a peculiar-looking disc.
The moment they picked it up, the tower was cleared.
'There really are all kinds of clear conditions out there.'
Jinhyeok peered down at the disc.
It was covered in unreadable characters.
No matter how he turned it over, nothing stood out.
[To enter the 5th floor of the Myth's Tower, you must complete the incomplete disc!]
That was the only clue that had popped up on their way out.
True to its unhelpful nature, the system hadn't explained why the disc was incomplete.
"Hmm."
Momo approached, rubbing his plump chin, and began examining the disc.
Jinhyeok watched Momo with eyes full of expectation.
Momo had shown extraordinary abilities from his very first appearance.
Surely, Momo could uncover some kind of hint...
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Momo suddenly started slamming the disc down like a hammer.
Jinhyeok quickly snatched it away before it could shatter.
"That won't work! But on TV yesterday, they did it like this and it worked!"
Jinhyeok glanced toward the TV in the living room.
The poor thing was already on its last legs, and now it had been pummeled out of sight.
"Shoo, shoo. Go play games over there."
"Games are fun!"
"Shall we play a round?"
"Kanch'o can't."
"What are you talking about? I won every round yesterday!"
After shooing his two friends into the living room, Jinhyeok retreated to his room.
Sitting at his desk, he began meticulously inspecting the disc.
It was a black stone plate embedded with several sparkling white gemstones.
'Is this some kind of toy?'
As Jinhyeok fiddled with the gemstones, he let out a groan.
They were finely polished, high-quality stones that could fetch a good price if sold.
Beyond that, nothing came to mind.
'Haste makes waste, as they say.'
He crossed his arms and took a step back.
For a moment, he stared at the disc from a distance.
'A constellation?'
The night sky he'd stared at endlessly while sprawled out the previous evening flashed through his mind.
A black backdrop dotted with sparkling white stones.
Out of all his general knowledge, that was the only thing that fit.
He quickly sat down at his computer and searched for famous constellations.
"Huh?"
Jinhyeok alternated between the disc and his monitor with a stunned expression.
Constellations like Orion and Canis Minor matched the disc's pattern perfectly.
The joy of discovery was short-lived, replaced by a question.
Why is this exactly the same?
The disc had come from the Myth's Tower.
Naturally, its constellations would be modeled after the night sky of the world that floor belonged to.
For it to match the constellations of Earth, where Jinhyeok lived, was nothing short of astonishing.
'Whatever. Doesn't matter right now.'
He pushed the doubt aside.
Analyzing the disc and the constellations took priority.
And soon enough, he spotted it.
One thing that should have been there was missing.
The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius.
'Find Sirius and complete the disc, huh.'
Having reached his own conclusion, Jinhyeok dashed out to the living room.
"Puhahaha! I'm this close to winning! Get ready to lose?"
Kancho shot up from his seat, completely absorbed in the game.
"Kanch'o!"
"Boss? Why are you calling... Ah?"
In the instant he turned, Momo's car swerved past and overtook Kancho's.
Momo let out a deep sigh and set down the controller.
"Kanch'o sucks."
Kancho froze solid, gazing up at Jinhyeok with sad eyes.
He didn't resent it.
After all, he was the one and only boss!
"Why'd you call me?"
Jinhyeok handed the Yordle Compass to Kancho.
"I want to upgrade this. Think it can be done right away?"
Kancho had mentioned it once before.
The Yordle Compass's functions were probably more than what it currently showed.
If they found the craftsman in the Yordle Forest, he might unlock its hidden features.
Back then, there hadn't been a need for extra functions, and there was a risk of breaking the compass, so they'd passed on it.
But now, with no leads on Sirius, it seemed they'd have to embark on that adventure.
"We just need to go to the Yordle Forest!"
"What's the payment?"
"Buy some fried chicken!"
"Fried chicken out of nowhere?"
"Yordles love tasty things. Fried chicken would turn them into your slaves right away! Puhahaha!"
He was just asking for help, but slaves? Truly a terrifying little guy.
Still, it was a bit worrying.
The Yordle Compass was such a useful item that it could be used outside as well.
If it broke and became unusable, his heart would shatter.
"I hope it doesn't break."
As he muttered to himself, Kancho wagged his finger as if to say not to worry.
"Sometimes things break during upgrades because Grandpa dozes off. I'll make sure he doesn't sleep!"
"How?"
Kancho pulled a square box from his pocket.
"It's a remote-controlled bomb I learned to make recently. I'll strap it around Grandpa's neck! The moment he nods off, boom!! He won't dare sleep then."
Seira and Daruk, sitting nearby, stared at Kancho.
Everyone wore the same expression as Jinhyeok.
What a scary Yordle!
"Alright, then. Once we get the entry ticket, let's head to the Yordle Forest."
"Got it!"
Jinhyeok stretched and grabbed his clothes.
The lava zone starting from the 31st floor.
He needed certain items to climb through there.
The heart of the Dongdaemun market.
Jinhyeok arrived and rubbed his chin.
'Impressive.'
Yeon Merchant, which had pushed out the Sejin Guildmaster Kim Geonman and claimed the prime spot.
Even if the move had been completed as early as this morning, they'd already finished setting up shop and drawn a decent crowd of customers.
In the corner of the shop, Kim Geonman was still scrambling to sort his unsorted goods.
Having lost all goodwill, no one was helping him.
'Serves you right.'
Still, what incredible efficiency.
To finish cleaning and start business in just one day.
Even without much luggage, it wasn't something easily done.
"A shop that sells good items at good prices will always thrive, no matter where or when. It's an unchanging truth."
O Jaegap, standing beside him, smiled.
"Grandpa, aren't you opening your own shop? You should start a general store."
"I did."
"What? You just left it open and came here?"
"It's fine. That's why there are no customers here."
O Jaegap squeezed his eyes shut.
The general store had thrived because the Dongdaemun market had colluded on prices, keeping them high.
Now that Yeon Merchant had normalized things in a prime location, even the general store in the corner saw no foot traffic.
Jinhyeok swallowed dryly.
'Is this friendly fire?'
Of course, O Jaegap's expression as he gazed at his granddaughter was beaming.
"Jinhyeok! Grandpa!"
Yoo Suyeon, who had been selling goods, spotted the two and waved them over.
"I'm sorry! This is all the items we've prepared! We'll restock as much as we can today and reopen tomorrow!"
It seemed she'd just sold out.
They headed into the Yeon Merchant building.
"What do we do? It's all gone?"
"We need to buy today. Let's go there, then. You know that famous place from before. The general store?"
"That's kinda far."
"But it's cheap, right? Come on, let's go."
O Jaegap, walking alongside, suddenly veered off.
"I'll pass. Good luck."
With a curt farewell, he vanished quickly.
'Sell a ton, Grandpa.'
Wishing the general store prosperity, Jinhyeok entered Yeon Merchant.
Yoo Suyeon, who had rolled down the shutter, wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Come in right away! Why'd you wait outside?"
"You looked too busy. Glad business is booming."
"Whoever hears you might think it's someone else's story. It's all thanks to you, Jinhyeok. Thank you so much."
Rumors were already rampant in the market.
A young man had thoroughly thrashed the Sejin Guild and even seized their weaknesses.
"Nah, no big deal. These are the items for sale today."
Thud.
An enormous pile of parts was set down on the floor.
Far more than what he'd brought yesterday.
It was possible because there had been so many ogres when he'd conquered the stronghold on the 30th floor.
"Oh? Ogre Raider hides?!"
Suyeon gasped, her mouth falling open.
Hides with far superior elasticity and durability compared to regular ogres.
Even a small piece fetched a high price.
"Wow... So you were that famous runner."
Jinhyeok nodded with an awkward smile.
If he'd wanted to hide it, he could've sold the raider hides later, but since he'd be relying on her for ongoing purchases, he decided to let Suyeon in on it.
Grab!
Suyeon seized both of Jinhyeok's hands.
"It's an honor! Looking forward to working with you!"
"Same here."
"I'll keep it strictly confidential from everyone else! Oh, right, and the items you brought yesterday sold out today. Could you give me your account number?"
"Sure."
Moments after he told her, his phone buzzed.
Checking the deposit, Jinhyeok's jaw dropped.
"150 million? This much?"
It wasn't an insignificant amount, but he'd only brought a day or two's worth, and now it was over 100 million.
He couldn't help but be a bit stunned.
"Yes. Lately, the jades have been selling well. We got more than the standard market price. And the hides you brought were in such great condition. I sold them at a premium to some tanners I know through connections."
Jinhyeok clicked his tongue in admiration.
To pull all this off in a single day—definitely.
Yoo Suyeon was a born merchant.
"Thanks for selling them at such a good price. You could've bought at market rate and pocketed the difference."
"Even a merchant never forgets a favor. I'll work even harder from now on!"
"Looking forward to it!"
Suyeon and Jinhyeok bowed deeply in unison, as if competing.
"Oh, Suyeon. This might be a bit out of left field... but do you have any spare iron chains lying around?"
"Iron chains?"
"Yeah, haha... I need them for something."
"Just a sec!"
After rummaging in the back, Suyeon dragged out two bundles of chains with a grunt.
"They're not cut, so they're pretty long, but if these work, take them! Of course, on the house!"
"Perfect! Thanks, I'll put them to good use!"
After a quick chat over coffee, Jinhyeok stood up.
"See you later."
He had things to buy today, so he needed to hustle.
"Yes! I'll deposit as soon as the items sell!"
Suyeon said energetically, raising the shutter.
After bidding farewell and leaving Yeon Merchant, Jinhyeok headed toward the subway station.
He planned to visit the attribute-resistant gear shop he'd seen on the tower site, but soon he had no choice but to stop.
Someone he'd dodged to avoid bumping into had circled back and blocked his path.
"Excuse me, are you Yoo Jinhyeok?"
The man asking his name was decked out head to toe in luxury brands.
He alternated between his phone screen and Jinhyeok's face.
"Yeah. Yoo Jinhyeok."
"Who are you?"
The man didn't answer.
Instead, he curled his lips into a wide grin.
"You're the one? The runner of the Honor Scroll?"
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T/N:
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