24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 150

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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 150

 

Episode 150. Trigger (2)

 

I pulled my hood down deeper and headed back into the alley.

 

The expensive S-rank watch was telling me I was in danger, so I was avoiding it for now, but I couldn’t understand why.

 

‘It’s so peaceful here, what exactly is the crisis?’

 

No, if I’m in danger, shouldn’t it tell me why I’m in danger?

 

The children’s laughter and the bright smiles of passersby remained the same, so I couldn’t understand what was so dangerous that it was making me tremble like this.

 

But Kienum’s watch wouldn’t vibrate for no reason.

 

Since no vibration had sounded until I arrived in Berilsha, the crisis the watch detected probably just occurred.

 

So right when the presence that Sylvester had hidden with Spirit’s Breath was revealed.

 

I carefully looked around.

 

Aside from the ordinary-looking citizens of Berilsha, there was no one who looked particularly suspicious.

 

‘…Could someone be following me?’

 

That would be about the only thing worth warning me about a crisis in a place like this.

 

It’s not like the Tower of Babel is going to explode.

 

I don’t know what the reason could be, but someone is following me.

 

Somehow I feel wronged.

 

‘What did I even do already?’

 

It would be one thing if I had smashed a building or something when I entered.

 

Befitting a city of mages, do they have some way to immediately detect when a strange outsider enters?

 

No, perhaps they noticed the fact that ‘an intruder was approaching’ from the moment I entered Berilsha’s airspace.

 

There are various possibilities, but that’s not what’s important right now.

 

I hid my body in a gap between buildings with no room to retreat, and breathed into the other necklace I was wearing, ‘Spirit’s Breath’.

 

“Sylvester.”

 

When I whispered softly, a refreshing breeze flowed gently from the necklace.

 

“Already thinking of going back?”

 

A strange voice that seemed to have gone through a filter rang in my eardrums.

 

He must have really disliked Berilsha, as his tone seemed oddly expectant.

 

“No, that’s not it. Could you hide my presence again? I think someone is following me.”

 

The fact that those who use magic have difficulty detecting the power of spirits was something I learned through my encounter with Lee Hwa-yeon.

 

Sylvester, who had been silent for a moment at my whisper, soon answered calmly.

 

“That’s easy enough.”

 

At the same time as his answer, my whole body was enveloped in a gentle wind.

 

There was no visible change, but the strange sensation touching my skin was unfamiliar, as if I had become one with the air.

 

I had already experienced this in Floraban, but perhaps because the land was different, it felt quite new.

 

It was then, as I was touching my body in wonder.

 

“…What’s this?”

 

I raised my head at the voice that sounded like quiet muttering.

 

The voice coming from quite close by had a confused tone, as if not knowing what to do.

 

I reflexively pressed myself against the wall.

 

When I carefully poked my head out to check, a man in a purple robe was approaching the entrance of the alley where I was hiding.

 

‘A mage.’

 

To think that of all people, it would be a mage who found me.

 

I held my breath and carefully observed my opponent.

 

The mage, who appeared to be in his early twenties, was dressed completely differently from the citizens of Berilsha.

 

He wore robes embroidered with complex patterns in gold leaf, and in his hand he held something like a long, simple-shaped rod.

 

Purple light flashed from the rod, which was clearly a staff at first glance.

 

The mage stared intently into the alley where I was hiding, then soon muttered as if troubled.

 

“The presence definitely disappeared here…”

 

As expected of Sylvester, his work is precise.

 

It seems the spirit’s power is properly hiding me.

 

The mage waved his staff through the air and scattered purple mana several times.

 

He kept repeating the same motion, but due to Sylvester’s influence, the situation yielded no results.

 

The mana brushed past my body, but the other party didn’t seem to feel anything else.

 

The mage, who had been continuing his fruitless actions for quite a while, finally shook his head.

 

“This is bad, I’m going to get an earful.”

 

It was a pained voice, as if he wanted to avoid this situation.

 

So even Berilsha has proper workplace harassment from superiors?

 

While inwardly praising Sylvester and grinning to myself, I quietly focused on the mage’s actions.

 

The mage, who was clearly flustered, kept fiddling with his staff and sighing repeatedly, then soon took something out of his pocket.

 

It was a sheet of pure white paper.

 

I frowned at the absurd sight of him suddenly taking out paper, but only for a moment.

 

The mage soon began wiggling his fingers and folding the paper.

 

‘…He’s folding a paper airplane here?’

 

His dexterity was amazing too.

 

I became even more bewildered by the neat, well-angled paper airplane that wasn’t sloppy at all.

 

And I could immediately guess why he had folded that paper airplane.

 

“I detected a stranger, but they disappeared immediately as if they noticed the tracking.”

 

The mage imbued the paper airplane with mana and whispered respectfully.

 

That mysterious paper airplane seemed to be a means for carrying voice and transmitting information.

 

My prediction was accurate.

 

The mages had means to detect my arrival here.

 

‘I should have kept asking Sylvester to hide my presence.’

 

I didn’t know that letting my guard down for a moment upon arriving in Berilsha would lead to being tracked.

 

As I swallowed a sigh and regretted it belatedly, the mage quietly added.

 

“Seeing as they don’t get caught by detection magic, they must be someone with supreme-level abilities.”

 

Wait, supreme-level abilities?

 

Right now, he’s concluding that I’m strong just because I avoided his tracking.

 

Having suddenly been misunderstood as a top-tier expert, I blinked and stared at the mage.

 

But the mage looked convinced that I was some mysterious master who had easily slipped through his tracking network.

 

‘This is too generous a misunderstanding for an E-rank Hunter to receive.’

 

I can’t even correct it.

 

If being misunderstood as a strong person makes them more wary, I might have to spend all my time hiding around.

 

Then, the mage added one more thing.

 

“You seem to possess power similar to ‘his.'”

 

…His?

 

In this context, when he says ‘his,’ there’s a 99 percent chance that refers to another raid team.

 

If he’s mistaking me for a top-tier expert and saying I have power similar to ‘his’…

 

While the mage sent a paper airplane flying high into the sky.

 

I fitted the puzzle pieces in my head together and reached one conclusion.

 

‘It’s Seo Jae-hyuk who’s in Berilsha.’

 

They wouldn’t call Lee Ja-gyeom, who’s a healer, a top-tier expert, so it must be Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

Then Seo Jae-hyuk must have done something quite noticeable among the mages of Berilsha.

 

Whether he built friendly relationships or showed his overwhelming power to Berilsha and dominated them, I can guess that he’s reigning as someone who can’t be ignored.

 

There was also a high possibility that Seo Jae-hyuk had leaked information that other outsiders besides himself would appear.

 

They were able to discover me quickly because they had the possibility of other outsiders appearing in mind from the beginning.

 

Soon another paper airplane came flying.

 

The paper airplane that stopped right in front of the mage’s nose echoed throughout the entire alley as it delivered its answer.

 

-Return.

 

The paper airplane that delivered the short command turned to powder and scattered into the air.

 

In the now quiet alley, the mage who had been standing dazed finally muttered weakly.

 

“…He’s very angry.”

 

Then he hurriedly began to exit the alley.

 

I didn’t hesitate and started following behind him.

 

It might be a dangerous decision, but to understand the situation, I need to know who that mage is getting scolded by and where he’s going to report.

 

Most importantly, I need to figure out what position Seo Jae-hyuk holds here so I’ll have something to tell Chae Geun-dam.

 

‘I thought he’d fly away, but he’s walking.’

 

If he had suddenly pulled out a broomstick and flown away, it would have been very flustering.

 

As expected, reality is different from what you see in movies or dramas.

 

I quickly followed behind him.

 

The mage hurried his steps as he crossed the Plaza.

 

Thanks to the noise made by passersby, I could speak more comfortably.

 

“Sylvester, please hide me perfectly so I won’t be caught by magic.”

 

“That’s something I can sufficiently do for you, so don’t worry. I am a top-tier wind spirit who received Eldarin’s request. I won’t put you in danger.”

 

It seems like the word “top-tier” is being used too easily, or is that just my imagination.

 

Anyway, I followed the mage while maintaining an appropriate distance.

 

The place the mage headed to after passing the colorful main street was a massive castle.

 

A magnificent building with emerald-colored spires soaring high into the sky and purple banners embroidered with Berilsha’s emblem fluttering proudly.

 

At first glance, the building that looked like a royal palace had a sign with elegant cursive writing.

 

[Berilsha City Hall]

 

The mage entered the main entrance with quick steps and nodded slightly to another mage guarding the entrance.

 

“I heard you were going out on field work, but you came back early?”

 

“Yes, it finished earlier than I thought.”

 

“For a moment I thought you used teleportation.”

 

“Come on, that’s been blocked within the city for ages. How about we have dinner together later?”

 

He said he was busy, but he has time to chat like that?

 

I was tense, but the small talk between the two mages was so ordinary that I felt strangely flustered.

 

‘This is a world where mages are civil servants.’

 

After finishing their light conversation, the mage soon went inside.

 

Through the door with large glass windows, I could glimpse a lobby filled with fancy decorations.

 

‘Should I go in or not?’

 

I wanted to go inside and take a look, but I hesitated a bit from here.

 

Even if Sylvester’s power was perfect, that place was the headquarters of the mages who supported this city, so I couldn’t know what dangers I might face if I went in recklessly.

 

In Glimmerstone’s case, it was the alchemists’ city hall, so I had made that reckless choice.

 

From the beginning, there was a strange tension that the word “mage” gave off.

 

The only mages I knew were monsters like Seo Jae-hyuk and Kim Seol, so the image of mages itself had to be extraordinary.

 

But my deliberation was short.

 

“Sylvester, you can perfectly hide me from being caught by magic, right?”

 

“Unless they’re ridiculously strong, I can perfectly hide you from all the humans you see now.”

 

Okay, so it’s possible as long as I don’t get caught by Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

I took a deep breath and stepped into the city hall.

 

Many people were coming and going in the spacious lobby.

 

However, while I hesitated briefly, the mage I was following had disappeared from sight.

 

‘Damn, why is he walking so fast?’

 

This way, I couldn’t find out anything unless I searched every corner of the city hall.

 

I didn’t see any signs with drool-inducing names like “Top Secret Information Handling Room” here either.

 

So would I really have to find out everything through manual labor-style legwork?

 

…That’s what I was thinking when it happened.

 

‘Huh?’

 

A group of mages began walking out from one side of the corridor.

 

They were slowly walking toward the lobby, surrounding someone as if escorting them, and that “someone” had a very familiar face.

 

A height that was a head taller than others, a handsome face, and overwhelming presence.

 

‘That’s Seo Jae-hyuk…?’

 

The situation where Seo Jae-hyuk, whom I had tried to avoid, appeared right before my eyes.

 

I hurriedly hid behind the other mages.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk was nodding at the other mages’ words and receiving reports, his attitude as natural as if he were a person from Berilsha.

 

‘I wish he would just naturally continue talking like that and then disappear from before my eyes…’

 

However, contrary to my expectations, Seo Jae-hyuk, who had come out to the lobby, stopped abruptly.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

Ignoring the mage who politely questioned him as if finding it strange, Seo Jae-hyuk slowly turned his head.

 

And he stared directly in the direction where I was hiding.

 

Though he couldn’t see me, his attitude clearly showed he had noticed something out of place.

 

Seeing the golden thread that had appeared in Seo Jae-hyuk’s previously empty hand, I gulped.

 

After staring in this direction for quite a while, Seo Jae-hyuk muttered dryly.

 

“…It seems like there’s a rat bastard around.”

 

As soon as I heard those words, I made my decision.

 

I smiled brightly and gripped Kienem’s watch.

 

‘Let’s run away!’

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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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