24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 111

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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 111

Episode 111. A Stroke of Luck (1)

After Alessandro escaped from the mountain of paperwork and returned home.

I lay down on the bed I had been eagerly waiting for all this time.

The mattress that supported my back with just the right amount of softness, and the cozy, gentle touch of the blanket.

Despite such luxurious circumstances, I wasn’t happy at all.

“I wish this were just a dream…”

No.

Even if it were a dream, it probably wouldn’t have been very pleasant.

I would have felt disgusted and put up advertisements everywhere asking if anyone wanted to buy my dream.

But I have to say things like this to at least attempt some escapism from this gloomy situation.

I suppressed my urge to cry and fumbled around my bedside.

Then I unfolded the threatening proposal that I had placed on the nightstand once again.

[Formal Request for Bulk Appraisal of Weapons and Armor]

We formally request the on-site appraisal service that you proposed.

The details are as follows.

1. Proposal Details

1) Appraisal Target: All weapons and armor of Baekdan Guild members (Total of 72 items)

2) Date: 20××year ××month ××day – 20××year ××month ××day (Total of 3 days)

– Day 1: 9 AM ~ 3 PM

– Day 2: 9 AM ~ 3 PM

– Day 3: 9 AM ~ 1 PM

3) Location: Baekdan Guild Main Building 3rd Floor Special Isolation Room

2. Transaction Amount: 1,075,600G

– Down payment: 200,000G (paid immediately upon contract signing)

– Interim payment: 300,000G (paid after completion of Day 2)

– Final payment: 575,600G (paid after completion of all work)

– Special Additional Reward: Kienum’s Watch

(Omitted)

We completely accept all conditions you have presented, and we enclose a contract including those conditions.

On the day, one attendant will accompany you for your convenience.

Please reply regarding your acceptance of this request within the stated deadline.

A document with extremely businesslike content that Lee Hwa-yeon couldn’t have written.

The neat document that gave me a headache just looking at it only tormented me even when I read it again.

The stamp at the bottom was definitely Baekdan Guild’s official seal, and the neat signature was certainly Lee Hwa-yeon’s.

“Come on, who takes a joke seriously…”

I muttered in a sad voice.

At that time, I was a bit annoyed with Lee Hwa-yeon for trying to pressure me with the characteristic force of an S-rank Hunter.

Perhaps because of that, I was clearly thinking about getting Lee Hwa-yeon out of my sight as quickly as possible.

Of course, if safety was definitely guaranteed and she promised not to try any tricks to reveal my identity, it wouldn’t be impossible to go on a business trip.

‘I didn’t want to see Lee Hwa-yeon anymore in the first place.’

That’s why I deliberately listed only difficult conditions, but who knew she would take them at face value.

The enclosed contract was definitely the S-rank contract I had mentioned, gleaming no matter how I looked at it.

There was no need to appraise it.

If you couldn’t tell even after seeing the light flowing from the paper, you’d be unqualified as an appraiser.

But the important thing wasn’t the paper’s radiance or texture.

It was the content written on it.

“It’s still overwhelming no matter how many times I look at it, really.”

I let out a deep sigh while examining the request form.

The space where I, as the first party, needed to sign was blank.

But the space where the second party needed to sign was already filled.

The problem was that it wasn’t just one person.

Signatures continued densely from the small box all the way to the end of the contract.

All 72 owners of the weapons and armor to be appraised had signed.

This was so absurd with its clear intention of ‘We’re going this far, so you’ll do it, right?’

Moreover, there was one more concerning proposal: they wanted me to come directly to Baekdan to do the work.

From my perspective, it was no different from entering a tiger’s den while banging a gong.

Commuting for three whole days was absolutely ridiculous.

No matter how much it was guaranteed by contract.

I had always wandered around outside the Tower of Babel as ‘Lee Hae-won’, but I had never wandered around as the suspicious and mysterious ‘Lee Hae’.

If I thought about it seriously, rejecting this was the answer.

But…

“What should I really do.”

I was currently hesitating intensely.

My reason told me to tear up the request form and just sleep, but the problem was that my reason wasn’t unified.

Reason #1 told me to make a realistic judgment and refuse, while Reason #2 was wiping the drool from my lips and urging me to look at the request form once more.

The part I kept looking at in the request form was the ‘transaction amount’.

Honestly, since people do things to make a living, money is naturally important.

But this time I wasn’t hesitating because of money.

This was all because of the special reward written at the end of the request form.

Namely, ‘Kienum’s Watch’.

What was this?

It was the S-rank item that Baekdan received after clearing Floor 47.

That reward that Floor 47’s performer personally handed to Lee Hwa-yeon after she cleared the scenario.

An ordinary pocket watch that was neither a weapon nor armor.

It was just an old pocket watch that couldn’t even be used as a fashion item, but I really coveted it.

Because this was a truly overpowered item!

‘Baekdan really made up their mind to seduce me.’

Kienum’s Watch had a simple ability.

The person who possessed this watch could turn back 5 minutes of time.

It was too short a time to do things like remembering lottery numbers to win or getting a perfect score on college entrance exams.

But in scenarios, that 5-minute difference could mean life or death.

Well, there were rumors that it had a cooldown after one use or a limited number of uses to prevent abuse.

Still, this was Baekdan, so they wouldn’t proudly present a used item with only one use left!

The only part that appealed to me was the ability to turn back time.

As long as it wasn’t instant death, Kienum’s Watch was the easiest way to preserve my life.

With the Merchant’s Mark, I was practically invincible, but there was no guarantee that every moment would be safe.

Kienum’s Watch was the easiest and most reliable means to secure safety in life-threatening situations.

It would be different from the Guardian’s Mirror Brooch that really blocked three attacks and then vanished.

Being an S-rank item, its durability would be much better than most things.

Plus, there would be much more diverse ways to utilize it.

While the brooch was a passive item that activated when I was in danger, Kienum’s Watch was an active item that allowed me to voluntarily avoid danger.

Of course, I acknowledge that the brooch saved my life three times.

I wouldn’t die anyway since I had the Merchant’s Mark, but I was someone who bought the brooch because I hated pain.

If I had Kienum’s Watch, when Kim Seol tried to hit me in the first place, I would have rewound time to before Kim Seol woke up and escaped through warp.

In the end, it means it’s an item that can give me far more options besides attack reflection.

Each has its pros and cons, but in terms of versatility, there’s no comparison.

If I approach it more creatively, I could use the watch’s power to subtly create advantageous situations when dealing with other people.

‘I could have chosen the right answers when talking with Kim Seol, right?’

Then maybe she wouldn’t have found out I was a woman…

There’s nothing I can do about feeling regret over something that’s already passed, but my obsession with Kienum’s Watch only grows stronger.

Even if Floor 47 gets periodically reset, Kienum’s Watch is a first clear reward so it can’t be obtained anymore.

Anyway, considering all these various advantages, Kienum’s Watch was clearly the most tempting bait Baekdan could offer.

They’re putting up their one and only precious bait, so please believe they have no intention of harming you – something like that.

Of course, the flaw is that I can’t judge exactly how much that trust is worth in precise numbers.

“Sam-i, search how much this costs in the Dimensional Market.”

[⁕ ‘Kienum’s Watch’ is being traded at the market’s lowest price of 980,941G :)]

I have the ability to transparently quantify trust into numbers.

980,000 Gold is close to about 9.8 billion won in Korean currency.

An enormous amount that even I, who’ve made quite a bit of money through the market, have never touched!

With this much, I could definitely feel Baekdan’s resolve right down to my skin.

After deep contemplation, I declared:

“Let’s go get that watch.”

Once I decided, my heart actually felt lighter.

…Or not?

Is this just the relief you feel from reaching enlightenment?

Well, if I had to add other reasons, I have a Title Quest with incredibly many conditions attached to it.

One of those conditions, the Item Appraisal skill, is surprisingly a very useful skill that’s been handy in various places.

Solving the Quest while leveling up the Item Appraisal skill would kill two birds with one stone.

I can even read objects’ memories now, so I was curious what useful functions might appear at the next level.

Of course, there is the contract with Park Ji-woon about scenario reconnaissance…

‘He’ll probably let me rest a bit out of conscience.’

I was so exhausted on Floor 53.

If Kim Seol had any conscience, she should have confessed to attacking me.

Then Park Ji-woon would understand my sunfish-like mentality and give me some breathing room.

‘Though he probably doesn’t know I’m going to make money.’

If there’s anything bothering me, it’s that I’ll have to be wary of Aegis and Nam Pu-reum from the moment I leave the Tower of Babel.

This is like a survival instinct that comes naturally from living too long as an ordinary citizen.

Anyway, Kienum’s Watch is attractive enough compensation to make me move despite all those hardships and trials.

I bolted upright.

Taking out a stiff piece of paper and unfolding it reverently, I solemnly raised my left hand.

[I will visit Baekdan at the time you mentioned.

I would appreciate it if you could arrange for me not to encounter anyone from the entrance to the isolation room.

I designate exactly one person to handle me – a Hunter with C-rank or below and no offensive skills.

Additionally, I will receive Kienum’s Watch as advance payment.]

An appropriately businesslike and appropriately firm attitude of the superior party. Perfect.

I steeled my resolve while looking at the short reply.

“Tsk, it smeared too much.”

It’s serious content but the smeared ink marks are a bit of a flaw.

It looks a bit like a child’s handwriting too.

I have a plan.

* * *

Yoon Seo-yoon, an ordinary office worker who hated working, was consumed by the urge to clock out immediately.

Baekdan’s magnificent building, 3rd floor, special isolation room.

Yoon Seo-yoon’s face was full of fatigue as she leaned against the entrance of the empty isolation room, having waited 13 minutes.

Even though it was currently 8:42 AM.

Office workers are naturally most tired right after arriving at work…

Yoon Seo-yoon yawned long and blinked slowly.

These days were already busy since Park Bo-bae returned from Floor 53.

But the person who calls himself the guild leader gave busy Yoon Seo-yoon orders to escort some unknown appraiser for 3 days.

‘You’re the only one who’s C-rank or below with no offensive skills, right?’

Adding such annoying words too.

Having that Kienum’s Watch made it seem even more tiring.

‘If I sold this, could I live without working for the rest of my life?’

Yoon Seo-yoon, who was having useless thoughts, turned her head at the sound of the elevator moving.

Since all corridors from the building entrance to the isolation room were under control, the only person who could come up in the elevator was the one appraiser she had to escort for 3 days.

Even Yoon Seo-yoon, who rarely got nervous, stared at the elevator with strange eyes that were half curiosity, half wariness.

Soon the elevator doors opened and.

“…”

Yoon Seo-yoon stared blankly at the appraiser who came out of the elevator, then tilted her head.

What is this?

Our guild leader isn’t someone who lies that well…

Yoon Seo-yoon saw something different from what she’d heard.

No, is this a person… is this a person?

Yoon Seo-yoon tried hard to understand the scene she was witnessing with her sluggish mind.

Regardless.

“Hello, are you the person who will help me?”

The appraiser with a swan head extended a white wing, requesting a handshake.

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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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