24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 160

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 160

Episode 160. Turning Point (6)

‘Ah, I want to ignore this…’

I want to just stay put, but what fell in the middle of the street had to be none other than the Holy Light’s Arbiter.

But seeing Lee Hwa-yeon’s treasured weapon fallen like that, separated from its owner, surely means something happened.

I hate to admit it, but I can’t just ignore this…

‘What choice do I have. I still have to do it, Lee Hae-won.’

I shook my head lightly and straightened out my weak-willed mindset.

Even if I hate it, there’s no choice.

I finally admitted it.

That I’m a meddlesome person who likes saving people, and can’t stand not checking on something like this.

I shook the aide who couldn’t understand the current situation and was spacing out.

“Green, are you okay? Green.”

“Uh. Yes. I’m fine.”

He doesn’t look fine at all, but since he’s breathing and speaking well for now, I guess I can leave him be.

“Green, I need to go check outside. Please wait here.”

Before Green could even respond, I urgently ran out into the corridor.

Of course, I didn’t forget the safety measures.

“Silvester, please hide my presence again!”

As the spirit’s warm power enveloped me, the murmuring sounds from outside the corridor grew even louder.

Everyone must have heard the loud noise, as mages were crowding around the entrance.

Borrowing Silvester’s power to leap over their heads, I ran to the city hall entrance at a pace that made me feel like I might collapse from breathlessness.

And the moment I arrived.

‘…Is this for real?’

Is this actually real?

Centered around a massive crater in the middle of the street, spider web-like radial cracks spread in all directions.

A pit that looked to be at least 5 meters in diameter.

The Holy Light’s Arbiter was embedded right in the center of it.

The massive hammer part was completely buried in the ground, with only the handle sticking out.

This looked less like it was dropped and more like it was thrown with full force.

And.

“…”

Just one step away from the crater, Seo Jae-hyuk was standing there.

He stood calmly with a composed face, but the front of his clothes was severely wrinkled as if someone had roughly grabbed him by the collar.

Unlike the people murmuring about the shocking incident that occurred in front of city hall, Seo Jae-hyuk’s expression seemed devoid of any emotion.

Except for the golden mana faintly rising from his body, he looked like just another person who came out to watch without a care.

At that moment, Seo Jae-hyuk, who had been blinking slowly, gradually raised his head.

Where Seo Jae-hyuk’s gaze reached was the Emerald Tower soaring high into the sky.

The top floor of the tower that stood majestically in Berylsha, scattering brilliant green light, was designed as a terrace.

Thick dust was rising from the wide-open wall, and broken glass fragments were falling down.

“Huh…”

Did Seo Jae-hyuk just fall from up there?

But he seems to be standing too intact for that to be the case?

Perhaps because I couldn’t gauge the situation before and after the crater was formed, the sight of Seo Jae-hyuk standing there looked as surreal as a scene from some novel.

That was the moment.

“Huh, huh?!”

“What, there’s a person standing up there!”

The gathered crowd gasped and murmured in shock.

It was definitely a person standing while gripping the broken wall at the top of the tower.

A silhouette I’d seen many times somewhere, no, one I knew all too well.

And…

That person jumped down from the tower without hesitation.

Thud-

The person who landed with a terrifying sound slowly got up.

A woman with black bobbed hair fluttering, emanating cold silver mana throughout her body.

It was Lee Hwa-yeon.

Her usual bright smile was nowhere to be found.

Her usual bright smile was completely gone, and emotions I’d never seen before were dwelling there.

Deeply sunken cold eyes, tightly pressed lips, and deep wrinkles carved between her brows.

Amidst the swirling black bob and silver mana, that sharp gaze was aimed unwavering at Seo Jae-hyuk.

“Not going to answer?”

…Had these two originally been on speaking terms?

A cold voice without a trace of warmth to be found.

But Seo Jae-hyuk’s attitude remained unchanged.

He just quietly received Lee Hwa-yeon’s gaze with eyes indifferent to all worldly matters.

I stood with my mouth agape, watching the situation unfold before my eyes, then took a step back.

It was because I felt the back of my neck grow cold, sensing instinctive fear enveloping my body.

In a situation like this, the spirit’s power and everything else would likely be useless.

I quickly ran and hid in an alley.

Meanwhile, Lee Hwa-yeon opened her mouth once again.

“Seo Jae-hyuk, I asked you a question. Are you in your right mind?”

Seo Jae-hyuk again gave no answer, only blinking slowly.

Instead of an answer, golden mana slowly rose like a heat haze.

Just seeing that was enough to tell.

Seo Jae-hyuk had no intention of answering at all.

At that sight, Lee Hwa-yeon let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded, then slowly approached the crater and reached out her hand.

Veins stood out tautly on Lee Hwa-yeon’s forearm as she gripped the Holy Light’s Arbiter embedded in the ground.

“If you won’t answer.”

Lee Hwa-yeon muttered with a cold expression.

“I’ll make you come to your senses directly.”

The next moment, Lee Hwa-yeon’s figure disappeared as if she had teleported.

No, to be precise, she hadn’t disappeared.

It was just movement too fast for my garbage-tier dynamic vision to follow at all.

Silver mana stretched out in a straight line, leaving afterimages, and Lee Hwa-yeon at the end brought down her mace.

What I saw was golden threads spreading out in front as Seo Jae-hyuk extended his hand.

The moment dozens of thin threads forming a legato wove together densely, taking the shape of a thick shield.

Bang-

An explosive sound that seemed like it would deafen me erupted.

The aftermath of an S-rank Hunter’s full-power attack spread in all directions, and the windows of surrounding buildings that couldn’t withstand it shattered to pieces.

Glass fragments poured down like rain.

“Ah-!”

Of course, I also couldn’t maintain my balance from that shockwave and crashed into the wall behind me.

I frowned involuntarily at the sharp impact transmitted through my back.

The onlookers also began fleeing in panic.

‘No way, are they seriously fighting?’

Lee Hwa-yeon’s attack didn’t stop there.

As the mace bounced away, Lee Hwa-yeon spun her body around and swung the mace once more.

The fierce wind created by that strike gave me the illusion that my entire body was being torn apart.

Seo Jae-hyuk stepped back and wove Legato into a new pattern.

The golden threads drew complex geometric shapes in the air, soon forming into a giant net-like structure that engulfed Lee Hwa-yeon.

However, Lee Hwa-yeon’s movement was faster than that.

I always thought the leader of ‘Baekdan’ who always took on the tank role would be strong at blocking attacks, but who would have thought Lee Hwa-yeon could be that fast.

In movements too quick for the eye to follow, silver magical power erupting from Lee Hwa-yeon’s mace cut through the net like blades.

The sight of golden and silver magical power mixing together was certainly brilliant.

But the scene of the two people clashing was indescribable terror itself.

At that moment, Seo Jae-hyuk, who had been operating Legato, spoke for the first time.

“Stop.”

A voice that seemed completely unconcerned even as Lee Hwa-yeon charged at him with full force in anger.

It was only natural that Lee Hwa-yeon’s emotions would boil over at that.

“Take back those words, then I’ll stop.”

What did he say to make Lee Hwa-yeon so angry?

My curiosity that arose tactlessly even in this situation was soon resolved.

“Take back what you said about carrying Berylsha and killing everyone.”

At those words, I squeezed my eyes shut.

I had expected it, but it seemed that really was Seo Jae-hyuk’s position.

Seo Jae-hyuk quietly stared at Lee Hwa-yeon, then slowly shook his head.

‘No, why is he acting like that?’

I don’t understand.

Unless Seo Jae-hyuk was being controlled by Quentin, I couldn’t understand how he could so casually accept such a decision.

Perhaps thinking the same thing as me, Lee Hwa-yeon’s face contorted even more severely upon hearing the answer.

“Are you really serious?”

“Lee Hwa-yeon.”

Seo Jae-hyuk called Lee Hwa-yeon’s name in a calm voice.

His dry tone without a trace of warmth made even my heart tremble, though I wasn’t the one being addressed.

As expected, Seo Jae-hyuk poured oil on the fire.

“It’s an efficient method.”

“Efficient?”

Lee Hwa-yeon gripped the Holy Light’s Arbiter even tighter.

Her anger had boiled over so much that it was hard to hide her emotions, and the rage rippling in her eyes was clearly visible.

Lee Hwa-yeon asked, chewing each word as if confirming one last time.

“You’re saying killing all the people is efficient?”

“Since the goal is to end the scenario.”

Seo Jae-hyuk’s answer was far too calm.

As if he were talking about trivial matters like the weather being nice today or what to have for dinner, in a nonchalant tone.

At that moment, Lee Hwa-yeon kicked off the ground and leaped up.

Gripping the mace with both hands in mid-air, she struck down with all her might, causing silver magical power to pour down like a waterfall.

But Seo Jae-hyuk didn’t just stand still either.

As he extended his hand, hundreds of golden threads transformed into the shape of a massive lightning spear and confronted the silver magical power.

CRASH-

The second collision was even more serious than before.

The ground shook and new cracks formed, while surrounding shop buildings collapsed, creating additional thunderous sounds in a chain reaction.

Just from the weapons of two people clashing, Berylsha’s central plaza was becoming ruins.

This was the scene that occurred when the 1st and 2nd ranked hunters collided.

‘The very future I saw through Kienum’s watch…’

Then, Lee Hwa-yeon, who had breathed deeply, slowly opened her mouth.

“I’ll ask one more time, for the last time.”

Lee Hwa-yeon’s gaze had sunk even colder, and the density of her silver magical power had grown thicker than at first.

“Will you take back those words, or won’t you?”

Instead of answering, Seo Jae-hyuk flicked his finger.

At that moment, hundreds of golden needles appeared in the air.

Each finger-length needle was sharpened to a point, seeming to burn as they absorbed the sunlight.

That was a display that revealed Seo Jae-hyuk’s will much more clearly than any verbal answer.

“…I see.”

Lee Hwa-yeon smiled coldly.

Her chilling certainty was so eerie that even I stiffened up completely.

The two began preparing strikes infused with all their power.

Silver magical power began explosively erupting from Lee Hwa-yeon’s entire body.

Her short hair floated wildly due to the magical power, and even her eyes, stained with cold anger, were dyed silver.

Seo Jae-hyuk was the same.

Golden magical power that looked anything but warm rippled from Seo Jae-hyuk’s fingertips.

Hundreds of golden needles spun around him as if ready to attack at their master’s command at any moment.

And watching this from the alley, I, Lee Hae-won, gaped.

‘Are they both really sane?’

Since I had no involvement in that fight, I could view this situation more calmly and coolly.

I don’t know what happened between them, but this is clearly the middle of a scenario.

And a city that would become South Korea’s new strength once the scenario was cleared.

If these two people clashed here with full force, Berylsha might disappear without leaving a trace.

Realizing this, I frantically searched through my inventory.

What could an E-rank hunter who posed no threat whatsoever to these two sharpened individuals possibly do?

‘Lee Hae-won, you’re crazy.’

I gripped tightly the potion bottle that had been sleeping in my inventory.

“Crazy, crazy, really crazy.”

From the future Kienum’s watch showed me, why was I walking into that spine-chilling scene with my own feet?

“Silvester, please protect me.”

I was the one who wasn’t in my right mind.

“I can protect you, but I don’t think I can guard you for very long amidst that magical power.”

“It’s okay. Just 5 seconds is enough. Just until I throw this.”

I squeezed my eyes shut once and opened them.

I had made up my mind, but my legs still seemed to be trembling.

‘But I have to try something.’

No matter how weak I was, if there was something I could do…

I took a very short deep breath and ran toward the two of them without hesitation.

Into the pressure that seemed to tear apart Silvester’s gentle power.

‘Please!’

I prayed desperately as I threw Kang Yeon-hee’s special sleeping potion toward the two people.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————