24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 116

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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 116

 

Episode 116. Work Clothes (6)

 

As soon as it hit 3 o’clock sharp, I escaped from Baekdan without looking back.

 

Of course, Lee Hwa-yeon suggested with a meaningful gaze that I should have a cup of coffee before leaving, but I cleanly ignored it.

 

If Lee Hwa-yeon grabbed me with that massive frame of hers, there would be no way to escape.

 

But Lee Hwa-yeon signed the contract.

 

The contract has a clause stating ‘cannot engage in coercive behavior without Party A’s consent.’

 

Thank goodness I wrote down all sorts of things as a safety measure since my first impression of her wasn’t great.

 

Even if she tries to exploit some loophole in that contract to harm me somehow, I’m not scared.

 

‘I have the Return Skill too.’

 

Back when I used to play games, I never understood why they would give you a skill to return to your home base when there were so many places to go.

 

I never knew that just being able to safely return home would make me this bold and give me such peace of mind.

 

Lee Hwa-yeon might visit again tomorrow and spout more nonsense…

 

‘Well, whatever.’

 

I’ll just ignore her tomorrow too.

 

The stance I’ve decided to take with Lee Hwa-yeon is moderate indifference and perfect indifference only.

 

Until I left the isolation room without giving any response, Lee Hwa-yeon only said a few words meant to gently provoke me and didn’t take any particular action.

 

She probably wanted me to get completely riled up and react with thorns, saying ‘What did you say?!’…

 

‘But I was so absorbed in thoughts of selling the Midnight Spring that I wasn’t provoked at all.’

 

Completely changing my mindset was a huge help.

 

Honestly, I’ve lived my whole life as an ordinary person, and it hasn’t been long since I started facing S-rank Hunters who control society.

 

So even though I knew I was someone who could shake up South Korea, I think I still groveled in front of S-ranks.

 

No, even people who have experience abusing their power do it well.

 

It’s not like I was some powerful figure living it up, so how could I change my attitude overnight like flipping my palm?

 

I think I cowered even more outside the Tower of Babel because there was no way to perfectly avoid danger…

 

‘But not anymore.’

 

Just try to do something to me – I’ll just go into hiding and flee to Babel.

 

As soon as I opened the front door, the sharp smell of kimchi stew stimulated my nose.

 

Since I bought him a cookbook recently, it seems he’s been practicing various things, and today’s dinner menu appears to be kimchi stew.

 

Meanwhile, Alessandro, who heard the door opening, came running out in his socks like he was greeting a child coming home.

 

‘This guy is now naturally at my house.’

 

Before I could point that out, Alessandro asked.

 

“How was today?”

 

“Just the same as usual.”

 

“You mean nothing happened?”

 

The way he’s subtly asking back seems less like worry and more like he’s questioning whether I’m lying.

 

…He’s somehow like a fussy mother.

 

“There was nothing. Look, I came back safely.”

 

I shrugged my shoulders and pushed past Alessandro as I entered the house.

 

Alessandro had been worried ever since I accepted Baekdan’s proposal.

 

No matter how much I tried to convince him about how precious Kienem’s watch was, he threw a fit saying where in the world would you find someone who walks into a tiger’s den with their own two feet.

 

‘Says the guy who lived in a place where there weren’t even any tigers.’

 

Something about how as a knight commander, he couldn’t just stand by and watch his employer go to a dangerous place.

 

But now that I stubbornly didn’t listen to him and safely finished my second day of work, Alessandro crossed his arms and shook his head disapprovingly.

 

“You’re really the type who goes looking for trouble. If you were part of our Knight Order, I would have expelled you immediately.”

 

He even hurled this ridiculous insult at me.

 

“But I’m curious about it.”

 

“Do you follow your curiosity in everything?”

 

“How can a person live while suppressing their curiosity?”

 

“Isn’t that how people normally live, by enduring things?”

 

“Maybe it’s because I lived without having anything until now, but I’ve been enduring and holding back for too long. Now that I don’t have to worry about money, shouldn’t I be allowed to live doing what I want for once?”

 

Of course, I didn’t mention that living like that had nearly gotten me killed more than once or twice.

 

Alessandro, who had been looking at me with a pitying expression, added like he was pronouncing a death sentence.

 

“Curiosity will kill you someday.”

 

“Why are you talking like some novel foreshadowing?”

 

When I asked back in bewilderment, Alessandro clicked his tongue again.

 

This bandit seems to have completely forgotten that I’m his employer.

 

“Let’s just eat dinner.”

 

“I’ll eat later.”

 

Alessandro shouted something desperately from behind, but I quickly entered my room.

 

It’s not because I was in a bad mood.

 

I have things to do!

 

After roughly throwing down my bag, what I called out was none other than the AI’s name.

 

“Sam-i!”

 

[⁕ Yes, did you call me? :)]

 

There was a reason I summoned Sam-i first, even leaving behind the fantastic smell of kimchi stew.

 

‘I need to sell Midnight Springs!’

 

Although I couldn’t bring it with me since it was Lee Hwa-yeon’s item, Midnight Springs was a very attractive item.

 

I was planning to scour the dimensions and gather up every Midnight Springs I could find.

 

It’s just a D-rank item, but in my opinion, it’s an item that would sell quite well.

 

And this wouldn’t just sell well to hunters either.

 

Even people who do housework at home would go crazy if you told them it was a ‘dishcloth that doesn’t need washing even after wiping grease.’

 

With this, you wouldn’t have to get headaches from bleach fumes when cleaning mold.

 

Plus it’s a permanent item that becomes usable again after just 6 hours!

 

Not all South Korean citizens have awakened, and most hunters probably live with non-awakened ordinary family members anyway.

 

‘I think I could sell this as a kind of national item.’

 

I tried to calm my somehow racing heart and commanded Sam-i.

 

“Search for Midnight Cloth in the market and see how many places sell it, and check the price range too.”

 

When giving commands to ChatGPT, keep it concise with only what you want to hear.

 

[⁕ Market search results show a total of 213 markets are currently selling this item :)]

 

[⁕ ‘Midnight Cloth’ is priced from a minimum of 7G to a maximum of 15G :)]

 

‘I like it.’

 

It’s not normal for a cloth that only removes dirt to cost up to 150,000 won at most, but considering it as a proper item, it’s quite a decent price.

 

Plus, it’s being sold in far more places than I expected, so supply procurement should be easy too.

 

Even D-rank items become expensive if they can’t be easily obtained in the Tower.

 

“So how many total?”

 

[⁕ A total of 1,329 pieces :)]

 

I was flustered because there were more than I had thought.

 

It’s an item that only Lee Hwa-yeon has in our dimension, but it seems to be common in other dimensions.

 

‘I’d like to stock up on all of them before they disappear if I could.’

 

But if they become bad inventory, I’ll be the only one at a loss.

 

First, I need to check if my plan will work properly.

 

“Then let’s order just 10 at the lowest price for now.”

 

Listening to the brilliant sound of Gold being deducted, I typed a new message.

 

[Yeon-hui, clear out one side of the shop stall.]

 

* * *

 

Although the crowds had decreased since Babel Square opened, the 25th Floor Intermediate Station was still packed with people.

 

Bang Mi-seon, a D-rank Hunter in her late thirties who emerged from the Warp Gate, roughly wiped off the Dark Wolf blood on her shoulder.

 

Floor 11, rumored to have good income and hard to make reservations for.

 

She had barely managed to make a reservation and just finished re-clearing it, but Bang Mi-seon’s expression was bitter.

 

“Today’s about this much too…”

 

In her inventory were 2 C-rank magic stones, 1 E-rank magic stone, and several Dark Wolf hides.

 

‘This should be fine for about 2 weeks.’

 

The loot would amount to quite a lot when sold, but it was far from enough for Bang Mi-seon.

 

She had more than one or two mouths to feed.

 

Bang Mi-seon, who had been an ordinary housewife, awakened 10 years ago after receiving the ‘Crying Fists’ title.

 

Meanwhile, her husband who worked at a power plant lost his job and became unemployed due to the energy conversion of magic stones.

 

Bang Mi-seon became the breadwinner overnight, and her husband naturally became the homemaker.

 

Every night, watching her husband hold his head while managing the household budget with Bang Mi-seon’s income and receipts broke her heart.

 

‘Since you’re risking your life fighting, I’ll protect the children too,’ her husband would say with a smile, but with today’s earnings being like this…

 

Bang Mi-seon bit her lips tightly, feeling sorry as she thought of her husband.

 

If she shared these feelings, her husband would just pat her shoulder saying, ‘I can’t even fight properly, so I’m the one who should worry about you.’

 

Of course, her husband had also awakened when Babel was established.

 

But he was an E-rank Hunter, and his title was ‘Aura of Fertility.’

 

It wasn’t particularly a title that helped with Hunter work.

 

The couple just ended up having five children.

 

Born in consecutive years, no less.

 

The eldest was 8 years old, and the youngest was 4.

 

They were precious children who wouldn’t hurt even if put in one’s eyes, but reality was reality.

 

Taking any job he could find, he couldn’t even come home or help with household chores.

 

Her husband, who had been like a single flower, was now withering away like a dried flower.

 

It was when Bang Mi-seon let out a deep sigh and habitually stood in front of the Bamanjang Store at Friendly Market.

 

On the shop stall that was usually packed full of potions, something unfamiliar was placed.

 

A white cloth that looked like a stiff handkerchief.

 

Next to it hung a roughly scribbled information sign.

 

[“Midnight Cloth” now on sale! Today only special price! Just 5G!

 

-Wipes away dirt in one go! All-purpose cleaning cloth that needs no washing!]

 

While people were competing to buy potions, Bang Mi-seon stared at that mysterious cloth and muttered.

 

“What… are they selling?”

 

At that moment, the employee inside suddenly spoke up.

 

“Hunter! You’ve got a lot of blood on your clothes, you’ll need to do laundry, right?”

 

The bright smile and kind tone felt unfamiliar.

 

‘This employee was famous for not talking… but he actually speaks…?’

 

Flustered, Bang Mi-seon nodded without thinking.

 

“Ah, but when would you have time to do laundry? This is a magical cloth that wipes away anything with just one swipe. Here, look?”

 

The employee reached through the window and lightly brushed Bang Mi-seon’s sleeve.

 

In that instant, the sleeve that had been stained with Dark Wolf blood and dust became clean like new clothes.

 

Bang Mi-seon, with her long experience as a housewife, immediately realized.

 

The Dark Wolf bloodstains that were so hard to remove had been completely wiped away!

 

Hadn’t her husband always struggled washing clothes multiple times to remove monster bloodstains?

 

Seeing Bang Mi-seon’s eyes widen, the employee whispered secretively again.

 

“But you know, this doesn’t just wipe away blood.”

 

The employee brought some slime mucus from somewhere and dropped it on her sleeve again.

 

As the clean sleeve was stained again with sticky slime mucus, Bang Mi-seon reflexively tried to get annoyed.

 

But then.

 

“Ta-da, look! You know how hard slime mucus is to clean off, right? But if you just wipe it once with this cloth?”

 

The sleeve became clean like new again.

 

Bang Mi-seon touched the fluffy sleeves and asked in a daze.

 

“How is this possible….”

 

“Nothing from what I wiped comes off on the cloth either. This is an all-purpose cloth that can clean ‘anything you think is dirty’! With just this, you can solve everything from mold on wallpaper, pink water stains, to grease on gas ranges!”

 

“Then wouldn’t it be too difficult when doing laundry….”

 

Bang Mi-seon, who had somehow gotten caught up in the sales pitch, asked casually.

 

However, the employee opened her eyes wide and shook her head.

 

“You don’t even need to wash it. Just leave it for 6 hours and this cloth becomes clean as new! No need to fill a basin with water and scrub by hand. That’s the point. How convenient is that? This is a special price for today only. We really only have a few pieces left.”

 

On the shop stall, there were exactly five pieces of something called Midnight Cloth remaining.

 

It looked suspiciously convenient at first glance, but the employee who had been waiting quietly added secretly.

 

“With just one of these, housework becomes instant.”

 

Those words swayed Bang Mi-seon’s heart.

 

Come to think of it, her husband always complained about knee pain whenever he cleaned the bathroom.

 

Thinking of her husband, who wore down his body daily raising five children at such a young age, made her heart ache.

 

5 Gold inside the Tower wasn’t that expensive either….

 

‘Should I buy one.’

 

Bang Mi-seon nodded and extended her hand.

 

“I’ll take one.”

 

“Understood, I’ll include the instruction manual!”

 

Lee Hae-won, wearing Kang Yeon-hee’s mask, smiled brightly and held out the terminal.

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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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