Chapter 25 — Sudden Disaster (2)

It took me a full five days to finish creating my idea of a “shopping district.”

Two days to get used to the weird hologram system and draft the layout,
one day hiding from Wolfe Fang to watch their movements,
and another two days revising the building designs.

And now the 50th floor was opening tomorrow.

This morning too, I went out early to check whether Wolfe Fang was scouting the area.
Only after confirming they’d left did I finally step into the 50th floor with peace of mind.

Wolfe Fang had kept insisting in interviews that
“the 50th floor is just a vast empty field,”
and I fully intended to shatter everyone’s expectations.

“Please… let me go home after this.”

I muttered complaints into the air—complaints no one would ever hear.

It had already been five days since I last slept in my cozy room on the 25th floor.

“Okay. Let’s see.”

I opened the hologram notebook I always used for Market operations.

This time, instead of the Market menu, the 3D bird’s-eye view of the shopping district floated above it.

The hologram flickered with the crude design I’d made—despite knowing absolutely nothing about architecture.

After staring at it for a while, I lifted my head and said confidently:

“This is the spot, Sam.”

I stood in front of the blue Warp Gate—the portal that allowed movement between floors.

In Ba-man-jang (26F), this gate simply sat inside a cave.
But here on the 50th floor, it would become the landmark of my new shopping district.

***

[⁕ Would you like to build the shopping district here?]

“Oh, you actually confirmed it this time.”

My free AI had improved!

“Yeah. Build it here.”

As soon as I nodded, brilliant light burst out in all directions.

The light was so strong I had to shut my eyes.

Something huge was happening—no doubt about that.

When I opened my eyes again…

“…Oh?”

I was inside a building.

A building with soft blue walls—exactly like the friendly light-blue exterior of my 25th-floor branch.

Even the open ceiling showing the blue sky above was exactly as I planned.

“This is… really well made.”

I slowly walked forward, admiring everything.

Other awakened people entering the 50th floor tomorrow were going to lose their minds.

I felt a little sorry for Wolfe Fang for unintentionally contradicting their interview…
but honestly, I was extremely proud of the shopping district I’d created.

In the very center stood the Warp Gate.

I placed the portal inside the building, right in the middle.

Anyone arriving on the 50th floor would step directly into the Friendly Market building.

No need for advertising.
If the building hits them the moment they arrive, they literally cannot miss it.

I looked up at the sky and murmured happily:

“The sunlight comes in beautifully. Perfect.”

The ceiling had a giant square opening—like a courtyard surrounding the portal.
The three-story structure didn’t block the sky at all.

The peaceful sunlight pouring into the building, mixing with the soft blue glow of the gate…
It was exactly as I imagined.

Next, I headed toward the staircase I had designed right in front of the portal.

The 1st and 2nd floors would hold the shops.

Unlike the cramped 25th-floor branch, which was filled up by just Yeonhee’s workshop,
this building was large enough for over 50 stores.

I even added cross-shaped roads extending outward from the building.

I thought I’d have to pay Gold for roads, but the system made them for free.
Not that I minded.

It wasn’t because it was free.
(Not at all. Absolutely not… I lied to myself.)

I climbed up to the rooftop.

Since the outside landscape was so wide and beautiful, I stopped the building at three floors.
I felt a little guilty for destroying the natural scenery with a huge structure…

But what was done was done.

“It’s not like this is a protected green zone.”

A transparent wall blocked the stairs to the 3rd floor—an area only I could enter.

There was a very good reason for that.

As I walked through the clean hallway, I spotted the door ahead.

I broke into a huge smile.

“Home!”

This would become my new home.

The moment I stepped inside, my heart swelled.

A spacious, cozy three-room apartment—soo much bigger than my old one.

Sunlight streamed through the living room window, almost blindingly bright.

It was still empty, but the lighting and view were so good…
For someone who barely scraped by for most of her life, it was like a dream.

“How do I move my stuff from the 25th floor?”

***

[⁕ If you want, I can move everything right now. Shall I proceed? :)]

“Of course!”

Before I knew it, I was bouncing on my toes.

Blue light filled the room.

When it faded, all my belongings appeared neatly arranged around the house.

Sam had organized everything perfectly.

Since I didn’t own much, the place still looked spacious—but that made me even happier.

The 25th-floor home was nice, but this was on another level.

Like a kid with a brand-new toy, I excitedly opened every room.

The biggest room held the bed I’d been longing for the last five days.

The small room near the entrance had a proper desk—my new workspace.

And then…

“As expected, this room is empty.”*

[⁕ I followed your blueprint :)]

Next to the kitchen lay an untouched room.

This room belonged to someone.

To my missing brother.

I naturally thought of him when designing the home.
Now that I’d reached the 50th floor, I believed—really believed—that I’d find clues about him soon.

Hope shows the path to those who don’t give up.

I gently closed the door.

Until the day its owner returns, I probably won’t open it again.

“Okay. Time to finish the quest.”

No more emotional moments—very un-Lee Hae-like.

I asked briskly:

“Sam, how much of the quest did I complete?”

[⁕ You haven’t completed any of the five tasks :)]

“……Right.”

My emotional moment got instantly stomped on.

Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek and opened the quest window.

[Title Quest (6)]
Build the 50th-floor 2nd branch of the Market and complete the following tasks:

Put up a signboard for the offline market.
Install a repair shop.
Install an appraisal shop.
Assign a middle manager for the offline market.
Fill every store space inside the building.

Reward: Extra sales slot, unlock “Open Market” function

“Yeah… I really didn’t do any of that.”

Five whole days of work, yet not a single task was done.

“Well, the signboard here is already placed. I only need to add one to the 25th-floor branch.”

The 50th-floor signboard placement was pre-decided in the blueprint.

Through the window, I saw huge directional signs pointing in every direction—each reading:

“FRIENDLY MARKET →”

“…Maybe… a bit too much?”

I knew they’d be big, but each one was literally the size of the 25th-floor building.

My sense of design was nonexistent.

Still, I shook my head.

Better too big than not noticeable at all.

[⁕ Would you like to name the ‘50th Floor Transfer Station Branch’?]

I stared at the window for a while and shook my head.

“Hm… I’ll think about it later.”

It was easy to name the Ba-man-jang branch.
This… was too blank a canvas.

I wanted an easy job, not more thinking.

I already suffered enough the last five days.

“Okay, next.”

I checked the quest list again.

“For 2 and 3—repair shop and appraisal shop—I’m the only one who can do those anyway.”

No one else in Korea had the Repair or Appraisal skills.
I’d only ever used them twice: once on Manti’s feather, once on Cha Geundam’s sword.

Both times people were ridiculously grateful, so it felt kind of nice.

And… with great power comes a tiny bit of responsibility.

I pointed at two shops on the first floor.

“Put them right there—visible from the portal.”

Being the building owner had its perks.

Shops needed good visibility to grow fast.

As the two storefronts lit up in blue, I mumbled:

“Do I need to name these shops too?”

***

[⁕ I can recommend names if you’d like :)]

“Be quiet.”

No way I was letting an AI with worse naming sense than me do it.

Then I looked at the fourth task.

“And now… the middle manager.”

Just the wording sounded heavy.

On the 25th floor, the choice was obvious—
the only tenant: the alchemist Kang Yeonhee.

She spent far more time in the building than I did and handled everything well while I was gone.

I wasn’t 100% sure she was trustworthy,
but I was sure she wasn’t untrustworthy.

“What does a middle manager do exactly?”

[⁕ They manage the offline market: restocking, customer inquiries, running the building, etc. They can also use part of the Administrator’s authority with your permission :)]

…They can use my authority?

Yeah, this wasn’t something to hand out lightly.

Still, there was no one else.

Yeonhee would manage the 25th floor.

But the 50th floor?

“This place is huge.”

Over 50 potential shops.
Managing it required someone with experience.

Someone reliable.

But I didn’t have friends or coworkers—just a single guy with “national character.”

I sifted through all my memories.

“No one.”

I missed my brother terribly.