24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 145

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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 145

 

Episode 145. The Fool of Floraban (3)

 

According to Eldarin, a human appeared in Floraban two days ago.

 

When Eldarin arrived after hearing reports from the elves who had gone into emergency mode upon discovering the intruder, the first thing he found was a human standing tall on the grass.

 

The human, who was staring blankly into space as if not knowing where this place was, soon succumbed to the power of the spirits.

 

“So he’s being held in custody.”

 

“That’s correct. Since we couldn’t determine how he infiltrated inside the barrier, we confined him for now.”

 

I nodded at Eldarin’s calm response.

 

When a stranger suddenly drops from the sky, it’s natural for the already reclusive elves to be on guard.

 

Unless they frantically promised not to step on grass like I did, or appeared like a savior after healing the sacred tree.

 

This was also helpful information for guessing who had been captured.

 

Among the four members of the raid team currently in Aeteria, three are top-tier rankers capable of easily subduing elves.

 

They’re not the type to just stand there and take it when attacked without reason.

 

‘Is it Lee Ja-gyeom?’

 

Lee Ja-gyeom, who is the only A-rank and a healer, would probably have immediately surrendered to the elves’ attack.

 

But after hearing Eldarin describe the ‘intruder’s’ appearance, I realized it wasn’t Lee Ja-gyeom.

 

And if it was who I thought it was, I was confident they could provide information about the 54th floor scenario.

 

I asked casually and naturally.

 

“Could I meet with him once?”

 

“It’s dangerous. We don’t know what kind of human he is.”

 

Eldarin’s face immediately hardened, filled with concern for me.

 

Well, come to think of it, you probably don’t know what kind of human I am either.

 

“Since we’re the same species, I might know him.”

 

“Do you mean… he could be a companion, Lee Hae?”

 

“No, not a companion, but someone I might have encountered in passing.”

 

I answered calmly, trying to hide my growing urgency.

 

I’ve worked hard to build up this savior frame and gain favor, so I’d rather not lose points now.

 

At my firm shake of the head, Eldarin blinked with a troubled expression.

 

“If it happens to be someone I know, I could warn Floraban about what kind of person he is.”

 

“Even so… it’s still dangerous. Putting our savior in danger is not the way of the elves.”

 

“It’s fine. I know how to protect myself. And the elves are watching over me, aren’t you?”

 

“Do you trust us, Lee Hae?”

 

“Of course. If the elves trust me, then naturally I trust the elves too.”

 

I completely trust your power, so trust me and let me go.

 

When I shamelessly delivered words with such obvious meaning, Eldarin’s eyes wavered.

 

In reality, I meant let’s not stop pretending we’re in a trusting relationship no matter what I do, but Eldarin seemed somewhat moved.

 

Eldarin pondered for a moment.

 

After I looked up at him with Puss in Boots eyes for several minutes.

 

Eldarin seemed to have finished his deliberation and nodded heavily.

 

“I understand. But for safety reasons, it would be best if I accompany you as well.”

 

“Of course.”

 

I let out a sigh of relief.

 

Afterward, while following the guide to the prison, Eldarin provided some light explanation.

 

“The intruder is confined in the sanctuary. He doesn’t resist, but just in case, warriors take turns standing guard.”

 

“That’s the prison, right?”

 

“We don’t use the word ‘prison’… but if we’re talking about meaning, it serves the same function.”

 

A sanctuary.

 

Anyway, it’s a prison, but the path leading there looks like a garden with a walking trail rather than a path to prison.

 

I felt somewhat awkward at the scenery that was quite different from the prisons I had seen.

 

…Come to think of it, don’t I have some kind of deep connection with prisons?

 

Why does it feel like I always end up touring a prison once wherever I go?

 

The place called the sanctuary was a single elongated tree existing in a remote location.

 

Around the tree, something like a green circular magic circle was drawn, which seemed to be a barrier created by the power of spirits.

 

Eldarin stopped right in front of the green line and pointed inside.

 

“Over there.”

 

What Eldarin pointed to was a man tied to the tree trunk.

 

The man bound by vines with a subtle ochre glow was motionless.

 

He looked calm as if he had given up everything and fallen asleep.

 

As soon as I saw that figure, I let out a light sigh.

 

“…Oh.”

 

“Do you happen to know each other?”

 

Eldarin’s polite question carried some inexplicable anxiety.

 

‘I don’t think he needs to worry about that at all.’

 

Because the intruder they had captured was none other than Chae Geun-dam.

 

That Chae Geun-dam, who was so upright and bamboo-like in temperament that he made me feel silent pressure to be the same way.

 

‘The prediction was too easy.’

 

I made a clicking sound with my tongue and shook my head.

 

Well, there’s no other gentleman besides Chae Geun-dam who would let himself be nicely captured by elves and stay quietly tied up.

 

If it were Seo Jae-hyuk, famous for his nasty temper, or Lee Hwa-yeon, who’s clearly an action-oriented person, they wouldn’t have been caught in the first place.

 

Far from waiting quietly, they might have destroyed Floraban and turned Aetheria into a dimension with only three cities.

 

Then Chae Geun-dam, sensing the presence, slowly raised his head.

 

And as soon as he saw me standing in front, he flinched.

 

His eyes showed bewilderment as if saying ‘Why are you coming out from there?’

 

But soon Chae Geun-dam composed his expression and returned to his usual calm face.

 

Then he answered Eldarin’s question instead.

 

“I don’t know this person.”

 

He even answered somewhat coldly.

 

That guy Chae Geun-dam, who knew he could speak so coldly.

 

My interest in this cold version of Chae Geun-dam that I was experiencing for the first time was brief.

 

I shook my head with a displeased expression.

 

“Do you know each other, Lee Hae?”

 

If I had my brother’s face and said I didn’t know him, they might accept it, but now that even my name has been revealed.

 

Yet his gaze still remained cold.

 

‘No, he’s probably just trying hard to act cold.’

 

Just as I was about to speak, Chae Geun-dam sharply spoke again in a cold voice.

 

“It looks like you brought some stranger to threaten me, but it’s useless.”

 

It seemed like he was trying to sound resolute and heartless.

 

Geez, this guy.

 

‘He’s really showing that he’s never tried threatening anyone before…’

 

Well, I could understand why Chae Geun-dam was acting like that without even asking.

 

Given that straightforward and upright guy’s nature, he was probably doing this to protect me.

 

It didn’t seem like I was immediately threatened by the elf, but he probably thought if it became known that we knew each other, I’d end up in the same situation.

 

But I’m the person who saved the sacred tree.

 

As long as I don’t destroy the sacred tree again, I’m a savior who gets pardoned for most things!

 

So I should be in a position to have some say about whether Chae Geun-dam gets detained or not.

 

I snorted and said.

 

“We do know each other.”

 

“Really?”

 

“We don’t know each other.”

 

Chae Geun-dam, who seemed to have become urgent as his words grew shorter, hastily denied it, but I snorted again.

 

“Yes, we know each other well. And he’s a safe person I can vouch for.”

 

I know I can’t just vouch for someone arbitrarily, but it’s necessary in this situation.

 

And it’s not a lie either.

 

Unless the scenario demands ‘destroy Floraban,’ Chae Geun-dam is the safest outsider the elves could meet.

 

No.

 

Even if such a scenario were given, Chae Geun-dam would hesitate and be unable to destroy the elves’ homeland.

 

‘He’s really such a good person.’

 

To the point of seeming foolishly naive.

 

I can say with certainty that Chae Geun-dam is absolutely incapable of ruining anyone.

 

Rather, he’s the type who would be good at protecting someone while sacrificing himself.

 

“Are you certain, Lee Hae?”

 

“I’m certain. You don’t need to worry. He’s not a comrade, but he’s someone you can trust.”

 

I said it again, but there was no way Eldarin would immediately change his behavior and go ‘I see!’

 

If he had, I would have wailed at the elves’ naivety and understood why Floraban had fallen.

 

Instead of gently coaxing, I carefully added.

 

“If I were lying to threaten Floraban, why would I have saved the sacred tree in the first place?”

 

Though I spoke gently, this was subtly pressuring Eldarin.

 

Eldarin shut his mouth tightly.

 

I could clearly see his pupils trembling slightly.

 

I had subtly thrown out a request to release Chae Geun-dam, but it seemed like it would take some time for his deliberation to end.

 

I calmly added.

 

“I won’t ask you to release him. Could I just talk with him briefly for now?”

 

I gestured lightly as if asking him to open the barrier.

 

Only after a long while did Eldarin let out a shallow sigh with a calm expression.

 

“If I sense any danger, I’ll intervene immediately.”

 

When Eldarin turned around and muttered something, one of the elves who had been standing guard rushed over like lightning.

 

And when that elf chanted an incomprehensible incantation, part of the magic circle finally dimmed.

 

Eldarin nodded as if telling me to go in.

 

I stepped inside without hesitation.

 

Seeing me approach him, Chae Geun-dam stared at me with eyes filled with bewilderment.

 

I deliberately offered a casual greeting.

 

“Nice to see you in such a strange place, Mr. Chae Geun-dam.”

 

At my nonchalant greeting, like asking ‘Did you enjoy your meal?’, Chae Geun-dam blinked for a moment as if he couldn’t understand.

 

Then he answered with a troubled voice as if bearing all the world’s suffering.

 

“You might be suspected too, so why are you doing this?”

 

“Never mind that, where is everyone?”

 

Of course, regardless of Chae Geun-dam’s troubles, what I’m most curious about right now is the situation the raid team is currently in.

 

Chae Geun-dam blinked, perhaps flustered by my attitude of demanding he get straight to the point.

 

But thinking there was no need to hide it, he began to calmly retrace the situation.

 

“I don’t know. When I opened my eyes, I was alone here, and I don’t know where the others are.”

 

“Huh? There’s the scenario sharing message, right? Haven’t you checked it?”

 

“An error window appears saying messages cannot be sent.”

 

Wait, I thought only external message reception was blocked?

 

Originally, not being able to exchange messages with people in progress of a scenario is a basic rule of Babel.

 

But the established theory is that you can exchange messages with each other internally.

 

I tried sending a message to Chae Geun-dam just in case.

 

However.

 

[■ Message transmission failed.]

 

Only a red error window floated in the air, while Chae Geun-dam still had a troubled expression.

 

I glared at the faint red light and muttered quietly.

 

“Hmm, is this a free-for-all?”

 

Looking at this situation, it’s a reasonable guess.

 

Aeteria is a larger dimension than expected, making it difficult to move around without an airship.

 

If you can’t send messages, meeting up or discussing what to do becomes nearly impossible.

 

Let me at least try to make some guesses.

 

Four cities with four raid members, so that means one person dropped into each city…

 

“Do you know where this is?”

 

“Thanks to the scenario, I know this world is called Aeteria. But I don’t know where exactly we are.”

 

Wait, then isn’t it the raid team’s duty to at least figure out where you are?

 

“…Why exactly were you captured?”

 

“The eyes of those attacking me were filled with fear and sadness, so I couldn’t bring myself to attack them.”

 

I was speechless at the answer that came out so naturally, as if it were obvious.

 

‘What is this guy even saying…’

 

I clicked my tongue while recalling the image of Chae Geun-dam’s back as he destroyed the Dark Mages’ undead with his great sword.

 

He’s basically saying he wouldn’t have been able to kill an undead wild boar if it came running at him crying.

 

“And I couldn’t move rashly when I couldn’t contact my team members.”

 

“That’s fortunate.”

 

Is it really fortunate?

 

I naturally agreed with him but got confused for a moment.

 

Anyway, if he had attacked the elves in Floravane, Chae Geun-dam might have been expelled before even meeting me, someone who could give him information about this dimension.

 

Thanks to his honest personality of staying put, he met someone understanding of his situation – how fortunate is that?

 

‘Well, I’m not part of the raid team though.’

 

I came here to squeeze into the agreement with just one Suksuk sticker, but anyway, I’m someone with great interest in the scenario.

 

So I can help Chae Geun-dam, a lost little… well, not little, but anyway, a lost sheep.

 

I asked in a clearer voice.

 

“So what’s the scenario content?”

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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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