"It's been a while. This is our first time meeting since the exchange event, right?"
"Hello. You've been well?"
"Of course. I owe it all to you, Jin-hyeok. I almost got put in a really awkward spot because of the UK."
"Oh, come on. I didn't do anything. Still, I'm glad it worked out in a good direction."
After we shook hands, I followed Jin Seo-jun down into the basement.
"It's just a little farther. The front entrance would draw too much attention."
He wasn't wrong.
Jin Seo-jun—the next chairman of Genex.
The moment we walked in side by side, people would definitely stare.
We boarded a private elevator that was already waiting.
That's unexpected.
I'd assumed an owner-family-only elevator would be flashy and luxurious.
But compared to the Genex headquarters elevator, this one felt even more rugged and utilitarian.
"A bit bare, right?" Seo-jun said. "My father really hates decorating. Even the elevators in the main building only look decent because Seo-hee and Seo-jeong kept pestering him until he gave in."
I gave a stiff smile.
Sometimes Jin Seo-jun felt like he could see right through people.
He didn't awaken some kind of mind-reading skill, did he?
"I've only ever seen these private elevators in dramas," I said with a laugh. "First time actually riding one."
"Most companies probably do make them fancy," he replied. "My father's just… a bit unusual."
Ding.
The elevator stopped. The doors slid open to an empty corridor.
"I told everyone to take a break for about an hour."
"Sorry for causing trouble."
"Don't be. Everyone was happy, actually. Please wait here for a moment."
I sat on the sofa I was directed to.
A moment later, Seo-jun returned carrying a large suitcase.
"You said any unused iron weapon would do, but… I really couldn't treat my benefactor like that."
With a heavy thunk, he opened the suitcase.
Inside was a bracelet shimmering in a range of colors.
That caught me off guard.
Genex. I'd expected something blunt and brutal—solid steel, thick plating.
"Apparently, players who climb daily find it pretty annoying to constantly put on and take off equipment," Seo-jun said.
"That's true," I replied immediately. "Every day I'm tightening straps, loosening buckles, putting things on, taking them off… It's a mess. Honestly, it's harder than actually running the Tower."
Of course, no matter how annoying it was, I'd never once forgotten to equip my armor.
Just like Master Seira always said—never let your guard down.
I might be free from aging, but I wasn't like Darke, who was free from death itself.
"Would you like to try it on?" Seo-jun asked. "It won't help in combat, but it should reduce your… tendency to avoid hassle."
Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.
Something jabbed my leg at absurd speed.
I looked down.
Momo…?!
When did he even manifest?
He'd materialized in a way that kept him hidden from Seo-jun's line of sight, and now he was relentlessly poking my thigh.
His face was flushed. His pupils were wide. He was practically snorting like a rhino.
Momo's expression screamed one thing:
That thing on top is ridiculously good.
I swallowed hard.
For Momo—greedy collector extraordinaire—to react like that…
My heart started pounding.
"Then, shamelessly…!"
Despite my words, my hands moved fast, like I was afraid someone might snatch it away.
The moment I touched the bracelet, a system window popped up.
[Bracelet of Ertra, the Boundary Mage / Grade: Legendary / Level Requirement: None]
A bracelet once owned by the genius mage Ertra.As a child, after awakening to the truth of the Boundary, Ertra gained the ability to cross it freely.Her signature magic allowed her to make weapons in her hand—or armor she wore—disappear.A masterpiece created by combining Ertra's magic with the craftsmanship of a legendary artisan.
Function: ON / OFF item
OFF: Sends all equipment worn by the user beyond the Boundary.ON: Recalls the equipment stored beyond the Boundary.If something else is already occupying the original slot, or if there is an obstruction, the item returns to the inventory instead.
Cooldown / Resource Cost: None.
What the—?!
I clapped my left hand over the bracelet and slapped my right hand over my mouth.
I couldn't just scream in front of Seo-jun like some amateur.
With trembling eyes, I reread the description.
No attack power. No defense.
But if "convenience" were a stat, this was easily +100,000%.
What kind of insane item was this?
Momo gave me a smug thumbs-up—See? Told you.—then vanished.
As expected of Master Collector Momo.
He never missed.
"I hope you like—"
Seo-jun stopped mid-sentence.
The moment our eyes met, he realized it.
Anything he said would be meaningless.
He likes it? He loves it. He's practically vibrating.
Seeing my reaction, he looked like he wanted to give me even more.
I secured the bracelet and stood up.
Then I bent forward—past ninety degrees, almost an acute angle.
"Thank you. I'll use it well. Climbing the Tower is going to be so much easier now."
I loved the Tower, but the prep work was tedious and annoying.
Now I could skip the whole thing in one go.
Sure, it'd be nice if my friends had one too…
Sorry, guys. I'm using this first!
I decided I'd make up for it by helping them with equipment changes more actively from now on.
"Shall we move on to the main purpose of today's visit?" Seo-jun said. "Please take this elevator."
"Yes."
Ertra's bracelet was an incredible stroke of luck.
But the real reason I came today was something else.
Inside the elevator, Seo-jun pressed the button for B10.
Basement ten.
I'd never seen that floor before.
Ding.
The doors opened.
A massive space spread out in front of us.
I'd bet money it was several times larger than my house.
And it was filled wall to wall with metal weapons—swords, spears, daggers, and every kind of steel armament imaginable.
"Are you sure this is okay?" Seo-jun asked. "They don't have any major defects, but they're awkward to sell, so they end up here. There are also a lot of early prototype models mixed in. Like I mentioned on the phone, we'd prefer you take items that are currently on sale."
I picked up a sword nearby and examined it.
Then I smiled and shook my head.
"No, this is perfect. You're not using any of these, right?"
"That's right. We call it a warehouse, but it's basically been abandoned. You can take as many as you want."
I shot him a double thumbs-up.
"As many as you want."
That part mattered.
A ringtone sounded from the elevator.
"Yes, this is Jin Seo-jun. Yes. I'm in the basement right now. Oh, is that so? Please hold on for a moment."
He approached me with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry. A foreign buyer just arrived, so I need to go up for a moment."
"Oh, don't apologize. I'll handle the rest myself. Go."
"Yes. I'll be back as quickly as possible. If you need anything, press the bell next to the elevator."
"Yes!"
Seo-jun gave a polite nod and returned to the elevator.
I waved until the doors closed.
Then I turned around and rubbed my hands together.
A moment later, I felt a presence at my feet.
"Loyalty! Deputy Commander Kancho of the Yodel Ranger unit! Returning after completing reconnaissance!"
"How is it?"
"All clear! Nothing here!"
That was what I expected.
This was a deep, deep warehouse on Basement 10. No signal. No communications. No reason for anyone to come down here.
Installing security would cost a fortune, and there was no point anyway.
"Good. Great."
I smiled and summoned all my companions.
"Momo and I are going to put everything into the bag. We don't know when we'll get another chance, so we're taking as much as we can—fast."
"Isn't this stealing?!"
"Hey. Don't call it stealing. You heard him. He said we can take as much as we want."
Seo-jun definitely said "as much as you want."
But I was interpreting that as "everything."
Kancho swallowed hard.
As expected of the Supreme Commander. The scale of his ambition is enormous!!
We split into Team Momo and Team Jin-hyeok, then started moving.
How dare all these weapons occupy precious Genex warehouse space.
I was going to clean it out—completely.
One hour later.
Chairman Jin Tae-gon arrived late after a visit to the Blue House, accompanied by Seo-jun.
"You should've called Seo-hee or Seo-jeong," Tae-gon scolded as they rode the elevator down. "How could you leave a guest alone? And in a basement with no CCTV, of all places."
"I'm sorry," Seo-jun said. "He looked like he wanted to be alone, so I didn't think too hard about it."
"Hm… I suppose that makes sense."
Tae-gon pictured Jin-hyeok.
Bright, polite, and cheerful—but someone who clearly enjoyed being alone.
# You have arrived at Basement 10.
The elevator finally stopped.
The doors opened.
The moment they stepped out—
???????
A massive cloud of question marks practically floated over their heads.
They managed to take a few steps out of the elevator.
But that was all.
They couldn't move any further.
They couldn't even close their mouths.
"Seo-jun," Tae-gon said slowly. "What… what is this?"
Since childhood, Jin Seo-jun had been called a prodigy.
There had never been a question he couldn't answer.
But now—even with Tae-gon asking—he couldn't respond.
No matter how fast his brain spun, there was no explanation.
How could someone empty an entire warehouse?
In a single hour?
"…Good grief."
Tae-gon recovered first and walked forward.
He looked around the now-vacant warehouse.
"I don't know whether to call this shocking… or simply say, 'of course.'"
As expected of the Runner.
His actions always went beyond the boundaries of normal logic.
Seo-jun followed, still dazed.
The warehouse had been cleaned out completely.
Not a single item left behind.
After a moment of silent nodding, Tae-gon spoke again.
"I thought we were finally paying off our debt… but it seems we've increased it instead."
Basement 10 had been a constant headache for Genex.
The weapons weren't good enough to sell to players.
And because they were designed as weapons, they were inefficient for everyday use.
They couldn't just leave them forever, either—eventually they'd planned to pour a huge budget into clearing the place out.
But Jin-hyeok had done it for free.
"How did he even carry all of it?" Seo-jun murmured.
"How would I know?" Tae-gon replied. "Even Genex's own estimates said it would take at least two full months."
Each piece of equipment was heavy—solid steel.
And all of it had to be hauled from Basement 10 to the surface before it could even be processed.
A miserable, exhausting job.
"When we see him next time," Tae-gon said, "we should casually ask him how he did it. Not that I think we could replicate it even if he told us."
Seo-jun dragged a hand down his face and stepped forward.
The floor was spotless.
"What is he planning to use all of that for?" Seo-jun asked.
"Who knows," Tae-gon said. "Maybe he's trying to raise an army. Though that's not what his awakened ability is suited for."
Runner Yoo Jin-hyeok used chains and swords.
A class specialized in weapon combat.
The mystery only deepened.
"In any case…"
Tae-gon smiled broadly.
"This is a good thing. For Genex… and for the weapons that never got the chance to see the light."
Every time he came down here, he'd felt uncomfortable.
So much carefully forged steel, wasted and abandoned.
But now, that was no longer the case.
With a heart that felt lighter than it had in a long time, he hoped—
That the children made by Genex would finally be of use.
And that they would help Jin-hyeok, too.
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T/N:
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