Suji approached them with a laugh and sat down, crouching.

“Earlier, I said I wanted to catch it on the first try. Actually, I made a little bet.”

“A bet?”

“You made a bet?”

“You made a bet with the ‘Great Beings’?”

Suji nodded emphatically.

As if to let the ‘Great Beings’ listening see it too.

“As I just said, the condition was for us to catch it on the first try.”

Peace widened his eyes and blinked.

“Team Leader, you’ve got guts. Against an EX-rank…”

Saint also shook his head.

“That’s right. At first, with its form not clearly visible and Elaine’s shield breaking, I thought there was zero chance of success. Honestly, if they told us to come one more time, I wouldn’t be confident about this floor.”

Elaine nodded as well.

“The visual aspect seems to be really important. With it not being visible, it’s hard to predict. Just this floor alone, no matter how many times you come, you can’t get used to it.”

“You don’t think you can get used to it?”

“No.”

Elaine must have been quite exhausted, as the context of her words was strange. It sounded like someone who had been here numerous times.

When Suji pointed it out, Elaine softly smiled and nodded again.

At that moment, Saint, with expectant eyes, abruptly sat up from his lying position, fixed his bunny ears, and asked,

“So?”

“Yes?”

“So what’s the reward for the bet? Coming from none other than the ‘Great Beings’, there must be something, right?”

“Ah, that’s exactly why I worked so hard to clear the 81st floor. Those good-for-nothing fellows are deliberating whether or not to give the promised reward.”

“…What is it? No, they’re unreliable bein-… existences.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

As if unable to endure their conversation any longer, two new messages popped up on the status window that had been paused momentarily.

[νόμος clears his throat at your actions.] [Νύμφη opens the shop door at your actions.]

– It’s not that I was trying to clear my throat, but if the balance is off, there will be issues with the bet against Theroad.

“At the point of losing 101 times, wasn’t that bet already unbalanced?”

– That’s not it…

“Seems like you got suckered.”

– …I opened the shop door, so feel free to enter whenever you want. But this time, it really doesn’t include anyone else.

Not being able to enter with her teammates was a disappointing aspect.

It was for safety reasons, and when purchasing items, having someone else’s perspective was helpful.

But since that seemed to be the ‘Great Beings’ maximum concession, Suji nodded without further comment.

The offer to enter ‘whenever she wanted’ also sounded quite nice.

Just in case, she completely re-equipped her gear before opening her mouth.

“Okay, I’m ready. Guide me.”

– Right now? Alright.

Although the reply was prompt, there was no energy in the being’s voice, as if it had been ridiculed and mocked to no end at the meeting.

[Νύμφη visits the shop.]

As soon as the system message appeared before her eyes, her vision blurred. It felt like the space beneath her feet had vanished entirely, and it also seemed like she was gradually falling somewhere.

‘It’s similar to the feeling I got at the top of the laurel.’

Reminded of that time, Suji felt a bit nauseous.

The special hint she had received then was the worst.

The moment she unconsciously took a defensive stance, her vision cleared.

The place before her eyes was different from the pandemonium she had seen then, and also completely different from the inside of the tower where she had originally been standing.

The floor was tiled with something resembling black acrylic, but it was a place expanded to the point where the end was not visible, making it impossible to tell whether it was the interior or exterior of a building.

Above was also too dark to distinguish whether it was a ceiling or the sky.

Glass box-like objects were placed here and there on pedestals about 1 meter high from the ground, and inside each box was a single item.

Rather than a store, it was reminiscent of a museum.

There was no sign of people around, and in that vast space, Suji was the only person.

‘Beautiful…’

She unconsciously thought so.

Both the space and the items displayed in it were all beautiful one by one.

She placed her hand on the glass box closest to her and peered at the pristine white boots inside.

[(Annihilation) Boots of Justice] Tier 10

Speed +129

Frenzy (Strength and speed increased by 10%, including item correction values) Maximum duration 9 minutes

Set Effect: Offsets the penalty that occurs when Frenzy ends.

Price 3,000F

From the very first item she saw, it was something she absolutely had to buy.

Although it would be true for any hunter, when they saw set items, they wanted to obtain them even if it meant pushing themselves. It wasn’t simply a desire to collect.

Because there was a limit to the number of slots that equipment could be equipped, the difference between receiving the set effect and not receiving it was immense.

“How do I buy this…? F? What’s this price unit?”

The answer came swiftly.

– It’s a currency that’s only valid here.

“But I don’t have such a currency? Are all the other items like this too?”

– Then you won’t be able to buy anything. That’s too bad.

Suji narrowed her eyes.

This wasn’t the time to be toying with people.

“Is this how you’re going to do it?”

– It’s not like that. The contents of the bet were to bring you to the store, that’s all.

The being seemed to have finally found composure.

It must have grasped her weak point.

‘After even holding a meeting, this is the conclusion you reached? Bring me to the store and not let me buy anything?’

Suji smiled emptily, dumbfounded.

To have her look at items she can’t even buy.

It was the same as placing a feast in front of someone and not letting them eat.

Suji clicked her tongue in disbelief and looked around.

The items in the glass boxes were all tier 10.

(Incandescent) Unreasonable Kite Shield Tier 10, (Blazing) Prayer of the Forsaken Tier 10, (Jet-Black) Fire Barrel Tier 10, (Frigid) Auto Bow Tier 10, (Turbulent) Armor of Faith Tier 10, (Jet-Black) Silence that Swallows Screams Tier 10, (Incandescent) Shackles of the Perished Tier 10.

There were even ones identical to Suji and Elaine’s main weapons.

In fact, there were several of the Shackles of the Perished that Suji had, each with a different modifier engraved on them. The armor and shield that she and Elaine frequently wore also had tier 10 versions.

She looked around to see if there were main weapons that Peace or Saint often used, but there weren’t any.

‘Is there a separate criterion for the items sold in the store?’

Although she couldn’t know the details, one thing was certain: the items here were desirable.

The reward for first clearing the very top floor of the tower was at best tier 8 or 9 items.

Three of these items had to be synthesized to become tier 10. To think that such precious things were being sold in the store. If she could only buy them, they would undoubtedly be of great help.

Moreover, who knows, perhaps tier 11 items could be synthesized with three tier 10 items.

Suji lightly whistled amidst the dazzling items.

Still, if she had just enough money, she wanted to say ‘I’ll take everything from here to there’ like the protagonists in dramas.

She glanced at the log on the status window.

[απόγευμα watches your actions with interest.] [Νύμφη watches your actions with interest.] [Μουσα watches your actions with interest.] [σκιά feels sorry for your actions.] [νόμος feels triumphant at your actions.]

Suji took a deep breath.

She couldn’t return empty-handed after coming this far.

If she was going to do that, she wouldn’t have insisted on catching the monster on the first try, and she wouldn’t have used precious items.

She calmly persuaded her counterpart.

“Let’s talk for a bit.”

– Okay.

The being readily answered.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something. Try to remember properly. I said if I win, give me items to face an EX-rank. Remember?”

– That… I did say that.

Perhaps having adapted to this conversation now, there was a hint of fluster mixed in νόμος’s voice that could be easily noticed.

Suji pushed a little harder, as if cornering him.

“And for that, you said you’d let me access the ‘store’, right?”

– …But still.

“Then you should give me something decent to use against an EX-rank. What’s the point of just opening the store door? Setting up a currency I can’t use, while making grandiose statements about being able to enter anytime?”

These guys were really rotten.

Every single one of their thoughts was despicable.

When Suji confronted them, grinding her teeth, the being was silent for a moment and then let out a long sigh-like sound of wind.

– I can’t win in an argument.

“An argument? I’m just demanding fair compensation. Don’t say strange things.”

– …Fine. Pick just 2 and take them.

“Really?”

– Yeah. Anyways… Like mother, like daughter.

Suji was about to turn around to choose the items but froze in place as if glued to the spot.

“What did you say just now?”

– Huh?

Suji asked with a completely different, sinister force than before.

“…I asked what you said just now. Say it again.”