24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 104

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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 104

Episode 104. Cold Faith (3)

She’s still pointing the deadly Winterfrost at me, but she definitely looks flustered.

Whatever she was thinking about, her clouded eyes that had lost focus were now showing a clear ocean blue again.

That focus was directed at me, and aside from the fact that her gaze was extremely cold, there was nothing strange about it.

The eyes looking at her prey who had suddenly become a woman were filled with bewilderment.

Regardless, I irritably swept back my long flowing hair.

‘Ah, this is really driving me crazy.’

The Mask of All Things that I’d been using so well all this time had broken in half.

This is an S-rank item!

I even paid 490,000 gold for it!

If it was going to break so cleanly from one ultimate attack, they should have at least written that it had poor durability!

Since it’s an S-rank item, it’ll cost an enormous amount of gold to repair.

Fortunately, I’d been properly managing my finances lately and saving up gold bit by bit, but it still hurt to see such a large sum disappear.

It wasn’t just my heart that hurt – my whole body ached and I felt like I was getting sick.

‘At this price point, shouldn’t the seller provide at least one free repair service?’

I don’t offer such services myself, but everyone’s a hypocrite when it comes to money.

Then Kim Seol, who had been standing still, approached me in a single step.

“What the hell is this?”

“Wait. Don’t ask me anything.”

“Lee Hae, why were you pretending to be a man… No wait. Babel said you could be a woman… Then what was that male face-“

“Ah, come on! Just stay quiet for 5 minutes.”

I used the skill ‘Scolding’ on the chattering Kim Seol.

I briefly saw Kim Seol’s bewildered face as her mouth moved, but that wasn’t what mattered.

Even being generous, let’s say the Mask of All Things can be repaired again.

The biggest problem right now is that another person has seen my real face.

Since I’d never thought about the situation of my mask breaking, I hadn’t thought to prepare a contract either.

‘Kim Seol would have frozen me the moment I suggested writing a contract.’

Ah, I should have just escaped through the Warp Gate earlier.

I swallowed my belated regret.

The only person who could cover for me in this situation is Park Ji-woon… but wait, thinking about it, Park Ji-woon probably can’t cover for this situation either.

Since the opponent is Kim Seol.

There’s a possibility that Kim Seol, having figured out my identity, might go around blabbing to Haebbing or other guilds.

Even if I beg and plead for her to turn a blind eye for now, it won’t end there.

The most important problem is that one of the hunters supporting South Korea would suspect my identity and investigate me.

Right now she’s quietly waiting for me to speak…

…Wait, but she’s really being quiet, isn’t she?

I suddenly came to my senses and looked up.

Kim Seol, with her mouth firmly shut, was staring at me with complex eyes.

“…What?”

“You told me to stay still.”

At her blunt response, I lost my words and fumbled.

【Shocking】【Exclusive】 There’s an S-rank hunter who actually keeps her mouth shut when told to be quiet?!

And it’s Kim Seol of all people – this would be news that could turn South Korea upside down.

Kim Seol, who had been acting hostile ever since waking up from the air bubble, seemed deflated and was avoiding my gaze.

“What’s with you? Why is your attitude suddenly like this?”

“I don’t know.”

A small, unfriendly answer.

Kim Seol, who had used “I don’t know” – one of Lee Hae-won’s most hated responses in the world – just stood there quietly.

Looking at how she was silently staring only at the sandy bottom with sunken eyes, it seemed she had no intention of continuing her attack.

‘Should I consider this fortunate?’

This is a situation I can’t understand.

The person who had rushed at me like she wanted to kill me, even using her ultimate skill, was now hesitating just because one mask broke and she saw my bare face.

Anyone watching would ask if this was a comedy skit.

‘Just who was she projecting behind Brother’s face?’

Come to think of it, when did she put away the magical power that had been scattering that chilling killing intent, and when did she put away Winterfrost?

Right, setting aside my identity and everything else for now.

“What made you lose your mind?”

“…I don’t know.”

Does she even intend to answer?

Kim Seol hasn’t properly answered my questions very often to begin with.

Since I had no intention of getting close to her anyway, I didn’t think to dig deeper either.

‘But somehow it feels unsettling.’

The words Kim Seol had thrown into the air were too recent to forget.

You shouldn’t have slept, you shouldn’t have trusted, why did you die in front of me.

They were all words that seemed to hint at some desperate story, too much to just ignore and move on.

Meanwhile, the debris of Sminyak that had been floating around was slowly sinking to the bottom.

Like Kim Seol’s lost emotions were calmly settling down.

Kim Seol suddenly asked.

“Are you a woman?”

What to do.

I could probably get by if I insisted that this wasn’t my real appearance either, but.

‘She seems really relieved that I’m a woman though.’

Instead of giving a definitive answer, I subtly changed course.

“Is it that important whether I’m a woman?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hey, you almost killed an innocent person just now and you’re going to keep saying you don’t know?”

“There’s no need to talk about it.”

I got slightly heated because she kept answering that she didn’t know, but Kim Seol turned her head toward the distant sea.

With the cold face of the ‘Ruler of the Icy Sea’ that she usually showed to the media.

But.

‘Ah, I can feel it.’

That wistful look in her eyes saying ‘I have a very sad and painful story…’

If there’s one ability I’ve gained from barely scraping by all this time, it’s this one thing.

The crisis detection ability to sense situations that would be troublesome to get involved in.

“It seems like something did happen.”

I looked at Kim Seol’s profile, which seemed tired for some reason, and dismissed it.

“I don’t know what it is, but I’m not someone who can understand everything, so don’t tell me.”

“…Don’t people usually say they can understand everything at times like this?”

“That’s just the mainstream way of thinking, but not me.”

I’m serious.

With so many people existing in the world, how could anyone understand every single situation?

Someone who perfectly understands everything would be either a con artist or a saint.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Not particularly? Why?”

“Because it’s true that I attacked you, like you said.”

“So, you think I have the right to hear it?”

“…If necessary.”

Kim Seol’s expression was subtle.

Was this guilt she felt as a Hunter who maintains social order?

Or was it doubt about herself for lowering her guard after realizing I was a woman?

But that wasn’t my concern.

“Whatever your circumstances, you tried to kill me. I can tell you think you made a mistake now, right? But that has nothing to do with me. I’m just a suspicious ‘Lee Hae’ after all.”

“…”

“It’s fine if you talk. You seem like the type who actually wants to talk anyway.”

Please don’t talk, I beg you.

With that desperate wish, I added with a dry expression.

“If you need someone who won’t react at all and will let it go in one ear and out the other.”

It was my own roundabout refusal.

The wistful and melancholy atmosphere seeping out from beneath Kim Seol’s cold face was somehow unsettling.

I felt like if I heard her story, I’d become Kim Seol’s close friend regardless of my own intentions!

“Everyone keeps asking.”

I heard a small muttering voice, but I pretended not to notice.

My small brain was already screaming from being unable to handle just what had happened so far.

Ah, speaking of which.

“Hey, Kim Seol.”

“What.”

“Let’s make one promise. We won’t talk about what we learned here when we’re outside.”

“What makes you think I’d trust…”

“Both you and me.”

Kim Seol, who had reflexively started to argue back, shut her mouth tight.

What I said didn’t just apply to the fact that ‘Lee Hae is a woman.’

It also included the mention of trauma that had burst out in a situation even the person involved never expected.

Without pulling out a contract, just a verbal promise.

For Kim Seol, who had been greatly shaken by trauma, this would be more effective.

Sure enough, Kim Seol answered quietly.

“…Fine.”

“Good, then this conversation ends here.”

I answered cheerfully and nodded.

I had wrapped up the conversation casually, but could I really trust Kim Seol, who had tried so earnestly to kill me?

It really wasn’t an easy matter to consider.

I had more than one or two contracts in my inventory right now.

But Kim Seol had been suffering from unknown emotions, so maybe this much consideration was acceptable.

‘…Am I being too nice?’

I felt uncomfortable having glimpsed the true nature of Kim Seol, who had only seemed strong.

Even though she was the only Hunter that Kim Seol followed on Upstar.

The image I had once admired might have been Kim Seol’s thick armor.

Well, there’s no guarantee that S-rank Hunters handle past wounds or trauma well.

‘It’s fortunate that I’m someone who doesn’t think seeing that means I’ve found a weakness.’

It was at that moment when I was admiring my own warmth and pulling up the corners of my mouth.

[> New Message

– Where are you? Ι Section Chief Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

I barely held back from shouting at the world.

‘Hey, old man! Now you wake up after everything’s done!’

Park Ji-woon was supposed to be the strategy team leader, but I did all the work!

Kim Seol was also staring into space with wide eyes.

It seemed like the scenario participant shared message had arrived at a similar timing.

“Park Ji-woon woke up.”

I know that too.

I was already quickly sending a reply.

[I’m underwater with Kim Seol right now]

[- What are you doing there? Did you rescue Kim Seol? Ι Section Chief Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

[This wasn’t just reconnaissance, it was almost scenario strategy level for real I did everything so you need to compensate me;;]

I tried to delete the ‘;;’ but ended up deleting all the other content too.

I had written it in anger, but that didn’t mean I’d lost my reason.

‘Park Ji-woon isn’t my friend or anything.’

[I found the scenario strategy item. If we give this to the Kraken, the scenario should be completed. I’ll hand it over to Kim Seol.]

Right, this was completely businesslike and clean.

“But why are you here?”

Come to think of it, Kim Seol had attacked me as soon as she opened her eyes, so I hadn’t talked about why I came here.

“I think ‘the story sleeping in the depths of the sea’ refers to that magic harp.”

“…Magic harp?”

Since I had put her to sleep with a very effective sleeping potion, Kim Seol knew nothing about the magic harp.

I roughly pointed behind me.

“That’s what the Kraken was looking for. You know, the village chief said before that the Kraken seemed to be searching for something. When I talked with the Kraken, it was looking for that.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Why did this woman suddenly become so clueless?

I swallowed the sigh that was escaping and briefly explained the history of Laoko.

From the story of the Kraken and pirates to the tale of Atari, the last Siren, Kim Seol just listened quietly.

“Is that enough now?”

“No, I understand that part.”

Kim Seol frowned and asked.

“So where is this magic harp?”

I shrugged as if to say ‘what are you talking about’ and pointed behind me.

Huh, but.

“Don’t you dare lie to me…”

The magic harp with its brilliant form shining in five colors wasn’t there.

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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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