Chapter 3. Supernatural Survival Method (2)
“Once you enter, each of you will be placed in an individual mini-dungeon.
If you take a certain amount of damage, you’ll automatically be warped to a safety zone, so don’t worry.
Each title generates a different dungeon, so don’t be scared even if you don’t have offense-type skills.”
I nodded while standing in the queue for the Tutorial Floor entry—something that happened every weekday morning at 9 A.M.
Maybe I’d get sent somewhere different too?
Maybe I won’t get RIP’d by monsters after all.
…Guess I yelled at Babel for nothing.
Anyway, I only had four skills:
Dimensional Gate, Item Appraisal, Repair, Merchant’s Mark.
I already knew what Appraisal and Repair would do, and I’d tried checking the other two earlier…
[Available after unlocking the Open Market Administrator Manual.]
I still couldn’t even check my own skills.
All these other Awakeners probably started using their abilities the moment they awakened.
But me?
I’m a normal human.
No—worse.
A “supernatural” with no stats.
Am I really going to be okay?
What if all I do is bounce around the safety zone?
As I worried and frowned—
“Now entering!”
The line began moving.
Soon, the bright blue vortex appeared in front of me.
It looked like a Gate, but this was one of the safest places—
the entrance to the Babel Tower’s Tutorial Floor.
The worker who checked my quickly-issued E-rank license card waved me forward.
“Next, Lee Ha-won. Please enter.”
I swallowed hard at the sight of his reassuring smile.
The moment I stepped into the portal, my vision flashed white and dizziness hit me.
When I opened my eyes again—
[You have entered the Tutorial Floor.]
A blue window floated before me.
Behind it stretched an enormous, wide-open space.
…but something felt off.
“What the…?”
I turned and looked around.
“…Why is there nothing here?”
It was empty.
Completely empty.
A neatly paved road and sidewalk stretched endlessly, but no buildings—not even one.
It looked like a planned city before anything had been built.
Then—
Ding!
[You have new notifications. Would you like to check them?]
[Awakener Lee Ha-won – Open Market Manager (EX)]
New Notifications
– Title Job Quest (1) completed.
– Open Market Manager exclusive Tutorial Quest received.
– Open Market Manager Manual (v1.8) now accessible.
– A new Market Guide has been assigned. Say “Help” to summon your guide.
Finally!
Just as expected of an EX-rank title—exclusive tutorial quests and special treatment.
Let’s check the manual first.
I couldn’t even view my skills without it.
“Open manual!”
I smiled confidently and shouted.
But—
“…What the.”
Nothing happened.
I just stood there in the huge empty space with the same notification window floating in front of me.
I stared at the window, then muttered uncertainly:
“…Help?”
Ding!
[Please set your guide’s nickname.]
A notification that triggered every bit of my Babel-induced PTSD refreshed itself in front of me.
“…”
I wasn’t falling for this again.
Babel had already screwed me over twice.
There would NOT be a third time.
I shut my mouth and stared silently at the notification.
Samwise Gamgee… too long, right?
He was the greatest guide I knew.
Even if I’m not Frodo, that name felt like it would lead me faithfully through all hardships.
But if I said it out loud and the system forced it into a two-letter nickname like before, I’d end up with something cursed like “Samw.”
No way.
I’ll just go with Sam.
Better “Sam” than “Samw.”
“Let’s go with ‘Sam.’”
I made no mistake.
…Except Babel made one for me.
[Guide nicknames can be two characters maximum.]
[Checking for duplicates…]
[Guide ‘Sam-i’ has been registered.]
If only Babel hadn’t scammed me again.
“…They’ve lost their mind.”
At this point, enlightenment was within reach.
I had no control over anything—not before, not now.
Meanwhile, the blue window flashed happily.
[⁕ Hello! I am ‘Sam-i’ 🙂 I have been assigned to help you smoothly operate your market!]
Oh great. Wonderful.
I stared at it blankly, then tried negotiating:
“Your full name is actually Samwise Gamgee.”
[⁕ Nope! I’m Sam-i. Please call me Sam-i :)]
“…Your self-assertion is insane.”
And what was with that annoying smiley face?!
I let out a dry laugh and shook my head.
Trying to argue with it wouldn’t make it admit anything like
‘Yes, that is my true name,’
or magically build something new in this empty space.
“Okay fine. So what do I even do now?”
Shock was shock, but if I didn’t clear the Tutorial Quest quickly, what was the point of getting a hunter license?
“Tutorial Quest first.”
As soon as I muttered that, the irritating Sam-i window vanished.
A new quest appeared.
[Open Market Manager Exclusive Tutorial Quest – “The First Step of Trade”]
– Open an offline market and trade with a being from another dimension.
– Import an item that can be sold in your dimension.
This was nothing like a combat quest—no killing monsters or healing injuries.
Which made sense, considering my title was completely useless in a fight.
“…How do you open a market?”
I was an Awakener of not even a week.
A newborn baby in combat terms.
Of course Babel reacted to my confused mumbling:
[> New Notification
– Open Market Manager Manual unlocked by completing Title Job Quest.]
[⁕ If you let me learn the manual first, I can explain more clearly! Listening to me will be easier than reading it yourself! May I proceed? :)]
“…Fine, but stop with the emojis.”
[⁕ They are part of my default friendliness settings! (っ °Д °;)っ
If you dislike these, should I use this instead? (❁´◡`❁)]
“…Wow. Amazing.”
I had never in my life seen such ridiculous flower-cheek emojis.
“Forget it. Go back to normal.”
I lost. Again.
[Manual v1.8 has been learned. Beginning basic guidance :)]
I nodded and sat cross-legged on the floor.
I was never a model student, but this was information I actually needed to survive.
[⁕ I will first explain the unique title ‘Open Market Manager’ 🙂
Unlike the merchants who reside within the Babel Tower, Open Market Managers are properly selected traders who can conduct interdimensional commerce. This began long, long ago in Dimension-■■■ when an Awakener—]
I immediately frowned.
“Stop. No history lessons. I don’t need trivia. Only useful information.”
…It really felt like I was training a poorly-made free AI assistant.
“Let’s skip ahead. Let’s start with how to clear the tutorial first.
Explain special cases only when necessary.”
Understood 🙂 Then let’s begin with how to open your market.
Please access your Market Manager account using the activation phrase.]
At least it didn’t go off-topic again.
“Login.”
A holographic laptop appeared—the same as when I created my account.
Multiple windows floated out of it, almost blocking my view, but I wasn’t annoyed.
Because I was too busy staring at the screen.
“…Items for sale?”
Friendly Market has been registered across dimensions.
If you list an item for sale, other dimension Managers will be able to purchase it :
Okay… this really felt like running a shop.
“So that means I can buy stuff from other dimensions too?”
Correct :
Items purchased from other dimensions can also be resold in your market.
However, your current authority level limits the number of items you can search at once to 3.]
Yes, I remembered—there were only three item slots too.
“How modest.”
I flicked my hand through the hologram.
The quest said I had to buy at least one interdimensional item.
“Since I have nothing to sell yet, let’s buy something first. Search everything.”
Please set a search filter :
“…Search the three most recently listed items, then.”
Let’s see what other dimensions were selling.
The window expanded and displayed three items.
Purchasable Items]
– Fragment of Bifrost – 210,000G
– Oar of the Solar Ark – 124,000G
– Ambrosia in a Teacup – 108,000G
“…Why are these so fancy?”
Even without knowing what they did, I could tell they were legendary-grade items.
No way I could afford anything like that.
“Hold on… what’s G?”
G is the currency used in Babel—Gold.
Within your own dimension, local currency is allowed,
but interdimensional transactions must be done in Gold.
You currently have 100G as your starter funds :)]
Oh. So this was what people meant when they complained about gold prices.
“How much is 100G in Korean won?”
1G equals 10,000 won :
“…Holy.”
So I had 1,000,000 KRW right now.
“And that Ambrosia thing costs… 1.08 billion won?”
I blinked my eyes wide open.
“That price range is insane.
So I really have… a million won worth of gold?”
Many quests require gold, so please think carefully before spending it :
“…I need to spend money to complete quests?”
My face twisted.
It matched the title, I guess.
My quests were completely different from other Awakeners’.
“Fine. Show me the three top-selling cheap items instead.”
Purchasable Items
– Water of the River Styx – 1G
– Ember of the Red Mountain – 1G
– Leaf of the World Tree – 1G
Much more approachable than the earlier mythical list.
I didn’t know what any of them were, but they were cheap and popular.
Perfect for a starter quest.
“Let’s buy this.”
[Transaction complete.]
[Gold remaining: 99G]
[Tutorial Quest Progress (1/2)]
You can check purchased items in your inventory :
After checking, try listing it for sale!]
I opened my inventory.
“Oh wow—instant shipping.”
Even though it came from another dimension, the water bottle was already sitting neatly in my inventory.
[Water of the River Styx (F)]
Spring water from the lower stream of the River Styx.
Slightly restores fatigue when consumed.
“Slightly,” huh.
I laughed.
With such a dramatic name, I thought it would be impressive.
So now I just list this and finish the quest—
“Wait.”
A thought hit me, making me frown.
“…They told me to open an offline market.”
The quest required trading with another dimensional being.
And it specifically said, “Open an offline market.”
Before starting a business, the first thing you learn to check is foot traffic.
But this place was a silent wasteland.
“How am I supposed to sell anything here?”
I stared blankly at the empty landscape.
[⁕ This is not an empty space 🙂
Every area except the roads is occupied by markets from other dimensions.
There is also a dedicated space for you. Please go there to open your market! :]
“…Here?”
There was literally no one here but me.
And you—you don’t even have a body.
[⁕ Stand on the golden-highlighted spot in front of you,
and your market will automatically open :)]
I turned.
A glowing gold arrow pointed toward a corner.
It shone like a beacon saying “THIS WAY.”
“…Guess that’s the place.”
I didn’t trust it one bit, but it was all I had.
I slowly walked toward it and stepped onto the indicated spot.
And immediately—
“Huh?!”
[Interdimensional Market active.
Would you like to open ‘Friendly Market’?]
A surprise window popped up.
I nodded without thinking.
And then—
“W-WHAT THE—?!”
Something burst out of the ground at my feet, rising and transforming into a stall.
A proper display table, a counter, and even a canopy with my ridiculous market name printed on it.
Not only that—
the empty spaces around me suddenly filled with countless stalls, merchants, and customers.
What had been a ghost town moments ago now bustled with noise, chatter, and interdimensional traffic.
“Whoa…”
Trolls, elves, and beastfolk—monsters listed on BabelWiki—strolled past the stalls.
Slime-like blobs and shadowy creatures floated through the streets.
“Is this… really another dimension?”
No wonder there was no information about this place.
No country on Earth has cleared Floor 75, where this supposedly unlocks.
I swallowed hard as I watched a shadow creature tear open its own body to store items inside.
“…Okay. Let’s… sell something.”
I understood that this was a dimensional market, but if I couldn’t sell anything, my tutorial would end here.
Clearing the tutorial was the most important thing today.
But then—
“…I’m screwed.”
I was a single-item seller with only one bottle of fatigue-recovering water.
Meanwhile, the stalls around me displayed bizarre, powerful, glittering artifacts.
Who would buy this from me?
With only 99G left, the only things I could afford were a spark and a leaf.
The stall across from me was selling a huge, rainbow-glowing harp!
I grabbed my hair in despair—
And then—
“Mya—”
An all-too-familiar meowing sound echoed from somewhere.
