24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 114

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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 114

Episode 114. A Blessing in Disguise (4)

At a completely unexpected moment, in a completely unexpected place, my brother’s name appeared and left me speechless.

‘It could be someone with the same name.’

I threw out that vain possibility and then immediately dismissed it.

If the appraisal result is true, the only person who could have this is my brother who went missing in the Gate.

I blinked silently for a long time.

“Excuse me?”

The woman leaned toward me and spoke cautiously.

Her eyes held both anticipation for the item and concern for me at the same time.

I wanted to interrogate her about where and how she got this, but I kept my mouth shut and endured it.

I’m not alone here – Yoon Seo-yoon, Lee Hwa-yeon’s right hand, is with me.

If I speak carelessly, the whole point of borrowing Clara’s identity will be lost.

It would be nice if this woman sitting across from me was the type to chatter excitedly about everything.

According to the information I received beforehand, this woman is an ordinary C-rank Hunter named Kim Ji-won.

Since she belongs to a resource investigation team, she’s probably a rookie with only a few scenario clearing experiences…

I lowered my wavering gaze.

“The explanation is long. Let me look at it once more.”

I answered nonchalantly and carefully read through the appraisal window again.

[Guardian’s Call (??)

A horn flute used when the guardian of Bifrost protected the boundaries of the nine worlds.

When this horn flute is blown, heaven and earth resonate and the boundaries of all dimensions shake.

That resonance reaches the souls of all living beings and awakens the darkness sleeping within them.

Each time it’s blown, cracks in reality open slightly, and ancient energies and forgotten beings peer into this world through those gaps.

/Hidden Ability/ Good and evil are divided according to the will and depth of soul of the one who blows the flute.

– Optimization: Lee Hae-on]

I roughly know about Bifrost.

You know, that rainbow bridge that the character from the comic based on Norse mythology guards day and night.

So this means it’s a horn flute used by a god.

‘And my brother is the human optimized for that flute…?’

Even setting aside the story about my brother, nothing about it is ordinary – the hidden grade, the item description.

It awakens sleeping darkness each time it’s blown?

And what, cracks in reality open up?

This isn’t something a C-rank Hunter should casually place on a table.

This is an item that should be monitored by the state 24 hours a day.

But I found one hope in this item.

This was a clue suggesting the possibility that my brother didn’t die in the Gate but disappeared somewhere else.

When the cracks in reality opened slightly, what if my brother fell into them?

Like Alessandro who survived by falling into a dimensional rift, if my brother also got caught up in another dimension…

‘He really might be alive somewhere like Alessandro.’

So I absolutely must find out where and how Kim Ji-won obtained this.

I asked in a very casual tone.

“Where did you acquire this?”

Kim Ji-won blinked for a moment, then glanced back as if checking for reactions.

Behind her, Yoon Seo-yoon sat quietly with a seemingly thoughtless expression.

At that moment, I was certain.

Unless you’re an extraordinary talent with an EX-rank title like me, this isn’t an item an ordinary C-rank Hunter could obtain.

‘It doesn’t seem like she got it while working for Baekdan.’

Either she got it through illegal routes or secretly kept something she found somewhere.

The most likely possibility is obviously…

‘My brother gave it to her.’

I wonder who would hand over such a dangerous item that makes your skin crawl just reading the description.

But my brother is that kind of person.

It’s not that my brother is simple, but there must have been a clear ‘reason for doing so.’

He’s that frustrating person who’s been putting himself second while worrying about others since birth.

Since I’m someone who grew up thanks to such a brother, I can make this assertion without hesitation.

After looking around nervously for a while, Kim Ji-won hesitantly added in a small voice.

“Do I have to tell you that?”

Her expression was openly troubled and her complexion had turned pale.

She even kept glancing back, seemingly hoping Yoon Seo-yoon wouldn’t know.

Of course, Yoon Seo-yoon didn’t seem particularly interested.

‘I’ll accommodate a valued customer who has precious information.’

“Yoon Seo-yoon.”

At my call, Yoon Seo-yoon, who had been staring blankly into space, slowly turned her head.

I pointed toward the entrance and said.

“I want to drink that matcha frappuccino over there.”

“Yes…?”

“Chocolate drizzle three times, syrup one less pump. Half whipped cream, and grind half the chocolate chips please. This appraisal seems like it’ll take some time, so please also get one of each of this winter’s limited edition snacks from the convenience store on your way.”

“Ah…”

I tried some unreasonable power-tripping, but Yoon Seo-yoon slowly got up from her seat without asking any more questions.

Since the contract originally stated ‘provide everything the appraiser wants,’ I thought Yoon Seo-yoon would comply without complaint.

‘But power-tripping doesn’t seem to be my calling…’

My heart is pounding too much.

As they say, those who’ve done power-tripping do it well – having lived the life of an ordinary citizen, I just feel guilty.

Yoon Seo-yoon opened the door and went out with her characteristically slow gait.

After confirming that Yoon Seo-yoon had gone outside and even closed the door, I looked at Kim Ji-won again.

“Now please tell me.”

Well, guilt aside, this is more urgent.

Surprisingly, now that I was ready to hear Kim Ji-won’s story, my mind became calm.

Kim Ji-won, who had been watching Yoon Seo-yoon leave for a while, muttered in a barely audible voice.

“I don’t want to talk about it…”

What am I supposed to do with that, really.

She was being so cautious that I even resorted to power-tripping, which isn’t in my nature, so what does that make me?

I spoke in a somewhat firm tone.

“This item has a separate owner. It’s blocked so that no one except the owner can appraise it, but I have a skill that allows me to deduce what kind of item this is if I know the circumstances.”

“…Really?”

Really what, it’s obviously a complete lie.

But when I’m the only person on Earth who can do appraisals, what would she suspect?

She’ll have no choice but to believe my words innocently.

As expected, Kim Ji-won showed signs of hesitation and contemplation.

She seems to know this is no ordinary object.

Then there’s also the possibility that she witnessed my brother using this flute…

‘No way.’

It’s unlikely, but one possibility suddenly burrowed into my mind.

“Did you kill the owner and steal it?”

“No! It’s absolutely nothing like that, I just….”

Kim Ji-won’s expression was filled with bewilderment as she waved her hands in shock.

I felt somewhat relieved and waited for Kim Ji-won to speak.

In times like this, it’s best to wait quietly.

With the most benevolent expression possible, as if to assure her that nothing would happen if she told me.

After a long while, Kim Ji-won hesitantly began to speak.

“I found this item inside a Gate. I got caught up in a Gate once, but I came in keeping it secret from Baekdan….”

Hearing the answer made me feel a bit absurd.

‘Is that really something worth hiding to this extent, teacher.’

I pretended to understand the situation and asked in an equally small voice.

“Why did you keep it secret?”

“Inside the Gate, I was a bit… not in my right mind. It was before I had my Awakening. And… it wasn’t particularly important anyway.”

No, that’s actually very important!

Especially if this is something found in a Gate, it could be the last clue related to Brother’s disappearance.

Kim Ji-won probably got caught up in the same Gate where Brother went missing.

I asked more gently and softly.

“What Gate was it?”

“It was about a year and a half ago… You probably don’t know it, the Gyeonghyeon-dong Gate.”

As expected.

I suppressed my racing heart and slowly nodded.

That’s the Gate where Brother disappeared.

The Gyeonghyeon-dong Gate occurred while all the S-rank Hunters were inside the Tower.

Moreover, it was measured as A-rank, quite a high rating, which led to disputes over interests between Guilds, but with the S-ranks absent, no one could strongly insist on entering.

It was Nam Pu-reum, who came out of the Tower first, who defeated the field boss Bloody Wyvern.

Even then, it took a full day for Nam Pu-reum to enter the Gate, so it was resolved a bit later than typical Gates.

However, out of 29 people caught up in the Gate, only one went missing: Lee Hae-on.

Even though it was said that countless wyverns inside the Gate kidnapped survivors the moment they saw them.

Kim Ji-won continued speaking.

“I was hiding the whole time. No rescue team came, and all I could see were wyverns and trees. Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t be able to survive. Until someone appeared in front of me.”

As if recalling the feelings from that time, Kim Ji-won’s lips, stiff with fear, trembled slightly.

“At first I thought it was another monster, so I stayed hidden quietly. But… suddenly that person started playing this flute. It made such a clear sound that I found it fascinating, but I was worried about what would happen if wyverns came, so I just crouched in the bushes. Then suddenly there was a tremendous sound of flapping wings, and something like the sound of snatching something, and then….”

Brother probably used this flute to call the wyverns together.

Plus, since Brother could communicate with monsters, the wyverns wouldn’t have killed him either.

While I was putting together small pieces of the puzzle, Kim Ji-won continued speaking hesitantly.

“The sound of flapping disappeared, so I looked, and that person had disappeared too. Only this flute was left lying there.”

“And you picked it up.”

“Yes… Actually, after coming out of the Gate, I tried to find him many times to return it, but the only casualty was that person. So I couldn’t return it, and since I didn’t know what it was, I couldn’t even try using it….”

I could sense a faint guilt from Kim Ji-won as she hesitated and hung her head low.

What could an ordinary person who hadn’t even Awakened do when caught up in a Gate, but knowing that the single casualty was Brother, she seemed to have lived carrying it as a burden on her heart.

‘So that’s why she was reluctant to talk about it.’

She had secretly picked up an item that was lying on the ground, and it happened to belong to the deceased.

“I see.”

That doesn’t mean I can offer any particular comfort.

Just nodding as if nothing was wrong was already showing proper courtesy on my part.

Kim Ji-won, who had been staring at me intently, asked carefully.

“Will this help with the Appraisal…?”

“Hmm, wasn’t there anything else strange?”

The Appraisal was already finished, but I asked back hoping to gain something more.

However, Kim Ji-won shook her head with an embarrassed expression.

“I don’t remember anything else… I was too shocked at the time, and I was hiding so I couldn’t see anything properly….”

“Of course. Thank you for the trouble of recalling difficult memories. I’ll try appraising it once more.”

Since there was nothing more to gain from Kim Ji-won’s testimony, now it was time for me to find out directly.

I gripped the Gatekeeper’s Cry and closed my eyes tightly.

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

An uncomfortable floating sensation began to envelop me.

And before I could even open my eyes, Brother’s gentle voice reached me.

‘The friend I saw isn’t here.’

Brother was still talking to thin air.

No, he was talking to the lemon-colored bird, Sylph, sitting obediently on his shoulder.

Over Brother’s shoulder, I could see several wyverns freely crossing the distant sky.

‘It’s inside the Gate.’

As I had seen in Babel’s records, perhaps because he was someone who entered and exited Gates strangely often, he didn’t seem tense at all.

Rather, he seemed to be calmly observing his surroundings as if Gates were too familiar to him.

‘It’s a bit dangerous, but I can’t just leave it alone. Right?’

Brother took a deep breath, puffing out his chest.

And the moment he blew the Gatekeeper’s Cry with all his might.

‘…What’s that.’

Something strange appeared.

In the clear blue sky, a highly alien and minute crack.

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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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