24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 101

Episode 101. Lost Puzzle Piece (7)

I know how insane it sounds to ask someone to cut off their leg.

So when the Kraken recoiled in shock, I was prepared to accept that reaction.

But then.

“…You’ll really give it to me?”

The Kraken extended the tip of its massive tentacle in front of me.

Its trusting gaze seemed to say ‘what are you waiting for, hurry up and cut it’ as a bonus.

‘This innocent fool…!’

Without even knowing why I’m asking for it, it has this attitude like it would give me its liver and gallbladder too!

I feel sorry, but I’m the type of person who doesn’t refuse such offers and gladly accepts them.

I hurriedly searched through the market and bought a cheap 1 Gold dagger.

The only weapon I have is an iron dagger, but that can only cut iron.

The Kraken waited obediently without moving until I climbed onto the thick tentacle and got into position.

‘It’s not going to change its mind after I cut it, right?’

Gripping the worn dagger that looked like its teeth would fall out any moment, I swallowed nervously and said.

“I’ll just cut a little bit.”

The Kraken showed no reaction until I gently brought the blade close.

‘I’ve never prepared squid before…’

It would be nice if the Kraken could just detach it itself.

I’ve seen it in documentaries.

When squids feel threatened, they cut off their own legs and escape – some survival strategy like that.

But this one is strictly a Kraken, not a squid, so it doesn’t seem to follow the laws of nature.

I positioned the knife to cut about a span’s worth from the tip and pushed with force.

I gauged about a span from the tip and pushed the blade with force.

Since it was a leg that could easily crush decent-sized ships, the blade didn’t penetrate easily.

I put my full body weight behind it and pushed the knife in once more.

With a squelching sound, my body tilted forward sharply, and the Kraken quickly wrapped another tentacle around me.

“Ugh-!”

The leg was so thick it felt like getting hit by a 500-year-old ginkgo tree.

But if not for the Kraken, I would have plunged headfirst into the sea.

I endured the pain and let out a sigh of relief.

At least it seems I cut it properly!

A crimson chunk of flesh about a span in length and width was floating on the water’s surface.

I bent down and picked up that small piece.

The tip of a leg that this innocent and pitiful Kraken had sacrificed wholeheartedly.

If this can’t be appraised, Babel needs to awaken.

[Kraken’s Flesh (??)

A piece of flesh from the Kraken, ruler of Laoko.]

“It works!”

My hair didn’t work though!

Since the Kraken is a monster that exists within the scenario, its very settings must be different.

Now, it was time to read the memories of the past.

I took a small deep breath and cast the Appraisal skill once more.

[‘Would you like to read the memories of Kraken’s Flesh (??)’?]

Of course I would.

Preferably to exactly the time period I’m curious about!

As I nodded vigorously in affirmation, the surrounding scenery flipped in an instant.

In the middle of the dark but blue sea depths, the Kraken was swimming rapidly while looking somewhere.

At the end of the Kraken’s gaze, something glowing softly was fleeing.

I already knew what it was.

‘It’s the Siren.’

Like a miracle, I had arrived at exactly the time period I wanted to see.

The Kraken was chasing the Siren at tremendous speed.

Radiating such clear killing intent that even I, who didn’t exist at this time, could feel it.

Yet strangely, it didn’t feel like it would catch and kill her.

Rather, it felt like it was trying to drive her out of this sea.

Because whenever the Siren’s frightened tail came close, the Kraken would adjust its speed slightly.

Even knowing the Siren had caused his friend’s death, could he not bring himself to kill her?

Nevertheless, the Siren’s tail, cutting through the darkness and scattering brilliant light, was getting closer and closer.

Even though extending a long tentacle would easily catch her, the Kraken only drew closer. The Kraken didn’t attack, only gradually slowed down.

Then.

‘It stopped…?’

The Kraken suddenly stopped its pursuit and stood in place.

Though its prey was fleeing desperately, it seemed to have no intention of chasing further.

The Kraken only watched quietly as the Siren fled.

Without any movement, as if it had become a statue.

Only after the Siren’s soft glow completely disappeared from view did the Kraken slowly begin returning in the direction it came from.

‘So the purpose was to drive the Siren out of this sea.’

Even as I returned to reality, I kept thinking.

Had the Kraken not been aggressive by nature?

What if the Sirens had fled out of their own fear?

As I thought when it casually gave me its leg, this Kraken has several puzzling aspects for a floor boss.

The fact that I end up empathizing with it as I trace the Kraken’s pitiful past is one thing.

And having magic nullification skills despite clearly being a boss monster…’

‘Wait, maybe it’s not a boss monster to begin with.’

I frowned at the possibility that suddenly occurred to me.

All awakened individuals in modern society use magic to activate skills.

Except for me.

Yet they gave the boss monster magic nullification.

Magic nullification ability so powerful that even Kim Seol couldn’t use magic for quite a long time.

It’s still just speculation, but the Kraken’s ability isn’t a device prepared to increase scenario difficulty.

‘This isn’t meant to be defeated. It’s telling us to use the Kraken as a hint to unravel the story.’

The scenario objective itself isn’t ‘subjugation’ but ‘finding the sleeping story.’

Thinking this far, I’m somehow convinced that the sleeping story refers to an object…

“Should I try reading the next memory too?”

When I placed my hand on the flesh again and used Appraisal, this time it was a night with a bright full moon.

Bright enough that everything around was visible in the moonlight.

With a low perspective as if half-submerged in the water’s surface, just as I was about to look around.

‘Aaaaah-!’

A piercing scream that sounded like it was being torn apart came from right in front of me.

Startled, I shifted my gaze and caught sight of a small reef.

The owner of the scream was a siren sitting on the reef.

And it was a face that seemed familiar somehow.

‘Everyone attack! Cut off that monster’s breath!’

As soon as the resolute command was given, harpoons poured down from a large sailing ship right beside me.

So many harpoons that there was no way to dodge or deflect them all.

The harpoons flying toward the reef looked like they were moving in slow motion.

Only then did I notice that countless sirens were floating motionlessly around the reef.

They were corpses that had already lost their lives, remaining as evidence of one-sided slaughter.

Meanwhile, sharp harpoons were being driven mercilessly into the back of the siren who had lost the will to resist and was cowering.

The siren crouching on the reef with a terrified face was none other than Iona.

That siren who had died in Atari’s arms.

Iona collapsed miserably onto the reef, letting out an agonized scream.

‘Is that the last one?’

‘Yes! There are no more sirens in sight.’

The conversation coming from above the sailing ship had a monotonous tone that didn’t match this carnage.

‘What the hell is this?’

I had simply wanted to see what the kraken did after driving away the sirens.

I hadn’t wanted to see this kind of scene.

The dry, matter-of-fact conversation continued further.

‘Isn’t that squid monster going to show up?’

‘It hasn’t appeared yet.’

‘I heard it guards these waters.’

‘Colonel, strange movements have been detected nearby!’

Shortly after, the sailing ship headed toward the distant sea as if it had no regrets.

Only now did I take in the sight of the ship moving away from the brutal carnage.

Cannons protruding between the railings and massive harpoons with thick ropes attached.

Their target from the beginning hadn’t been the sirens, but the kraken.

Since the kraken, called the ruler of the seas, appeared frequently, they must have come to subjugate it and discovered the sirens, massacring them…

The dead sirens were being swept away by the waves to the distant sea or sinking into the ocean depths.

I could only stare helplessly at the ship that had become smaller than a dot, unable to say anything.

That’s when it happened.

‘…Sister!’

The young voice snapped me back to attention.

It was definitely a familiar voice.

The young siren, Atari, was crawling up onto the reef without even fixing her disheveled face.

The conversation sounds that had been clear when reading the harp’s memories became muffled.

Instead, only the sound of crying in sorrow, no longer able to play the magic harp, could be heard clearly.

Learning the full circumstances made my heart even more complicated.

So the sirens had such circumstances.

“…But wait, this is the kraken’s memory?”

I had completely forgotten that I was reading the kraken’s memory due to the shocking scene.

I hurriedly turned my head back.

The kraken’s head, which had been rising like a small hill, was slowly emerging above the water’s surface.

The kraken approached the reef at a slow pace.

Atari, who was crying, didn’t even notice the kraken approaching and just kept sobbing.

‘Surely it’s not planning to attack?’

Just as I was about to approach recklessly in my alarmed state, unable to do anything.

The kraken raised a tentacle and carefully touched the top of Atari’s head.

Atari, who had been crying endlessly, looked up in surprise.

The kraken’s tentacle, as thick as the reef, was stroking Atari’s head, which was smaller than its own sucker.

From my perspective watching, it was a terrifyingly frightening sight beyond words.

If it misjudged its strength, it looked like it would flatten Atari completely.

However, the kraken just quietly gazed at the terror-stricken Atari.

‘Why, why?’

Atari, who barely managed to speak, asked while hiccupping, but no answer came.

Instead, the kraken carefully moved its tentacle.

Then it pointed to the magic harp that Atari was clutching tightly in her arms.

‘The magic harp?’

Out of nowhere, suddenly?

Atari, who was scared out of her wits, hurriedly held out the harp.

But the kraken just quietly looked at Atari.

Rather, as if requesting something else, it just tapped the harp again with the tip of its tentacle.

Just as Atari’s eyes widened.

“Ahhh no way!”

I returned to reality once again.

To the reality where Kim Seol was sleeping peacefully and the kraken was waving its severed tentacle.

Recognizing the familiar scenery, I grabbed my head and wailed.

“Ah, I didn’t see it all!!”

Just a little more and it would have become clear!

I hurriedly placed my hand on the kraken’s flesh.

But that was the moment.

“…Ugh.”

Kim Seol, whom I had put to sleep because she kept interfering, let out a faint groan.

As soon as I heard that sound, I froze like stone.

It didn’t seem like she was ready to wake up yet… but it seemed like she would wake up if I stayed a little longer.

Since I had forced her to sleep, I didn’t even want to imagine what Kim Seol’s reaction would be when she woke up.

I gave up on seeing more memories and decided to be satisfied with confirming things with the kraken.

The kraken’s attitude toward Atari hadn’t been aggressive at all.

Rather, it was similar to how it had treated Sonia.

If that’s the case…

“Is Atari your friend?”

The kraken noticeably shook its tentacle up and down.

Anyone could see it was a sign of affirmation!

“Where is Atari? No, is she alive?”

This time left and right.

“Did humans kill her this time too?”

Affirmation.

‘Then what is this guy looking for?’

The moment I thought that, I realized I had just seen the answer.

The reason the kraken didn’t harm the pirate ship was because it was once friends with pirates.

But since the ships never returned, the people of Laoko had no way of knowing such circumstances existed.

Well, even if they had known, they probably wouldn’t have accepted it as natural.

The kraken must have been searching for something on all the ships it had attacked until now.

If Atari had been killed by humans, it would have thought the humans had taken it.

“You’re looking for Atari’s harp, aren’t you.”

The kraken swayed its tentacles up and down without hesitation.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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