The Richest System

After enjoying my tea, I made preparations to venture deeper into the forest. While the tent was safe, there was a chance I could find useful items or a special event in this area. I bought a beacon to mark the tent's location; if I were in danger, I could run back to it.

Once I had purchased everything I needed, I left the tent and began to explore the entire Stage 3 area, searching for a possible hidden stage. I walked straight ahead from my tent.

[Berry]

Edible

Beverage Ingredient

Non-toxic

[Pretorius Mushroom]

Not Edible

Raw Material for Potion Making

Toxic

[Lokiso Mushroom]

Edible

Cooking Ingredient

Toxic

[Mango]

Edible

Beverage and Snack Ingredient

Non-toxic

'At least this forest is full of fruits and mushrooms. Luckily, the VVIP system helps distinguish between toxic and non-toxic varieties. It seems I should buy an encyclopedia of plants, fungi, and animals; it would be useful for managing them all.'

I collected several, keeping them separate. Fruits went into a pouch specifically for fruit; mushrooms went into a separate pouch. I hoped the toxic mushrooms wouldn't contaminate the edible ones.

Continuing onward, I kept collecting potentially useful food items. Until I encountered an area flagged by both the VVIP system and the Tower system.

[Cursed Area]

Demonic curse contaminates the air.

No sunlight penetrates.

'Sounds like a treasure area to me.'

I bought another beacon to mark the Cursed Area and continued to follow its perimeter.

'Stage areas should have a distance limit, but I don't know how large this stage actually is. Let's try following the outer edge of the Cursed Area.'

...

Six hours later.

I'd been walking and resting for over five hours and more than ten times, but I hadn't found the edge of this area. The distance between me and the tent was considerable. If I went any further, I'd get lost and have to sleep in the middle of the woods.

Deciding to return to the tent, I encountered several edible animals, such as rabbits and deer, along the way, as well as some orcs, wolves, and goblins. Hunting them all helped me level up to level 7.

'There are still two days left. Maybe tomorrow I'll move my tent closer to the beacon marking the Cursed Area.'

[You gained the Skill: Gardener.]

[You gained the Skill: Butcher.]

'Gaining skills like this is great, but Gardener and Butcher? Wow, that's incredibly practical.'

Reaching the tent, I lit the fire, replaced the magic stones, and took out the previously hunted meat. I chopped some vegetables to add to the meal and cut the meat into manageable pieces. After the meat, I prepared the vegetables and some fruit for dessert.

...

One hour later.

After dinner, I studied some mushrooms and herbs from the knowledge book I'd bought from the shop for one Tower Coin.

"Damn, the Pretorius mushrooms I collected are S-rank toxic fungi; they can kill a Giant Rhino in five minutes. But they're also an ingredient in an antidote that neutralizes all poisons below S-rank. That means, as long as it's not a high-level monster's poison, this potion can still act as an antidote."

Looking at the potion recipe in the book, I somehow considered making it and selling it on Earth, but the main problem was that I lacked the skills to make it.

"Advanced Alchemy level 4, Intermediate Herbalist level 1, and Transmutation Magic."

"Damn, with 'Advanced' and 'Intermediate' in front of every skill and profession required, I knew this wouldn't be easy. But according to the VVIP system, one bottle of this potion is worth 100 high-grade Tower Coins. Using my current money, it's only like 10 coins, but that only applies from the 50th floor upwards. So, I can't spend my money inside the Tower except at the Tower shop, which has incredibly high prices."

I took out my stored Tower Coins and had the VVIP system appraise them.

[Pure Gold Tower Coin]

The value of this coin is difficult to assess due to its gold purity. However, using the coin currency circulating in the central area of the 50th floor as a benchmark, this coin is 10 times purer. Any item purchased with this coin will have its price reduced tenfold. However, compared to all currencies circulating on floors 50 and below, the difference is enormous. Therefore, be careful spending your money on the lower floors, as they don't know the true value of this coin.

Reading that explanation, I understood that the reason many items in the shops were discounted wasn't due to a VVIP discount, but because my coins were of superior value.

"At least they're honest about their currency values."

Putting away my Tower Coins, I went to sleep as darkness deepened.

...

In the morning, I woke up and washed my face with bottled water, as I hadn't found any streams. After eating the food I'd prepared the previous night, I packed up my tent, intending to move closer to the entrance of the Cursed Area.

Putting the beacon, sleeping bag, monster-repelling lamp, brazier, and folding tent into my dimensional storage, I left my previous campsite and set off.

...Three hours later...

I walked toward the beacon and saw something shocking. I had reached the entrance to the Cursed Area, but what surprised me wasn't the entrance itself, but that the Cursed Area had expanded significantly overnight; the beacon I'd placed yesterday was now well within the cursed zone.

"The Cursed Area is truly cursed; it's spreading, consuming the entire region."

I opened the shop and searched for anti-curse potions; three qualities were available: low, medium, and high.

"Which one should I buy? It would be easier to buy the high-grade one, but I want to know the extent of this curse so I can learn something new today."

Finally, I bought one potion of each quality and attempted to enter the Cursed Area.

[You are affected by Miasma.]

"Miasma? This is worse than a simple curse. What is actually in there? My body is developing black spots, and some areas are already turning black."

I drank the low-grade potion to test its effect.

[Low-Grade Anti-Curse Potion consumed.]

[Potion failed to remove the curse.]

Seeing that it failed, I drank the mid-grade potion.

[Mid-Grade Anti-Curse Potion consumed.]

[Miasma successfully removed.]

And five seconds later...

[You are affected by Miasma.]

"The mid-grade potion only lasted five seconds, and it didn't remove the blackened areas, only the spots."

Opening the high-grade potion, I drank it all.

[High-Grade Anti-Curse Potion consumed.]

[Miasma completely removed.]

"Ultimately, the high-grade potion was necessary. The mid-grade potion was effective, but seeing the black marks remaining on my body scared me. Now, all the spots and blackened areas are completely gone."

Seeing that I could now withstand the miasma for more than a minute, I opened the shop to buy more anti-curse potions, but a promotional advertisement appeared.

[Limited-Time Promotion]

Anti-Curse Lamp: The light emitted by this lamp purifies cursed areas. Get an Anti-Curse Lamp at 50% off!

And when I saw the price...

1 Anti-Curse Lamp + 5 Low-Grade Magic Stones + 3 Mid-Grade Magic Stones: 1256 (crossed out), now 628.

"Look at this! They're trying to scam me, you damn bastards! You call this a discount? Are you crazy? I know that crossed-out price is double the actual price, and you're presenting the original price as the discounted one!"

'Do all shops run their business like this? That's a lantern, not a floor lamp like my monster-repelling lamp. I'll need to buy a special pole to hang the lantern to maximize its effectiveness.'

"Fine, give me the price including a lantern pole for hanging this thing. I'll buy five sets."

In the end, I spent 3150 on five hanging lantern sets, along with 25 low-grade and 15 mid-grade magic stones. I took out one set; it included a 10cm lantern pole, but a note indicated that the pole's height could be adjusted by infusing it with mana.

'They added two coins for this. Maybe it's that useful.'

After examining the lantern set, I continued toward the beacon I'd placed.