24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 164

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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 164

 

Episode 164. Turning Point (10)

 

I lost my poker face and blinked for a moment.

 

The grade that just came out of Seo Jae-hyuk’s mouth seemed familiar somehow, an extraordinary grade.

 

“EX grade, you said?”

 

When I hesitantly asked back, Seo Jae-hyuk slightly nodded as if he thought it was a natural reaction.

 

A grade that had never been discovered even once in South Korea.

 

To think that ‘EX grade’, which was only given to my title, would come out of none other than Seo Jae-hyuk’s mouth.

 

But since I had revealed myself as the manager of Friendly Market here, I had no intention of revealing my title grade as well.

 

That’s something I’d only reveal when there’s something in it for me.

 

So I put on a face like ‘EX grade? That’s the first time I’ve heard of such a thing’ and looked slightly surprised, then soon wore a serious expression.

 

Right now, I’m someone who’s shocked to hear the absurd grade of EX.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk couldn’t quite speak and kept moving his lips.

 

There must be a reason he’s looking for that item, but his face showed he was torn about whether to speak or not.

 

What a frustratingly slow person, even after writing an expensive contract.

 

If he were a friend, I would have given him a knock on the head and demanded he speak up immediately.

 

‘I’m being patient.’

 

Because I need to be a trustworthy merchant to Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

…Or so I thought, but after 5 minutes of silence passed, I couldn’t stand it anymore.

 

How long was he planning to choose his words? Seo Jae-hyuk was just staring blankly into space with empty eyes.

 

At this rate, time would pass endlessly, and Quentin would probably finish his Aetheria registration and walk into the study room with a smile.

 

‘Can’t help it.’

 

The thirsty person has to dig the well.

 

I leaned forward and asked firmly.

 

“Mr. Seo Jae-hyuk, are you cursed?”

 

When Seo Jae-hyuk heard the question and blinked, his focus returned.

 

“It’s not me. The one who’s cursed is… my lover.”

 

…Oh, Seo Jae-hyuk is dating someone.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk’s private life was as thoroughly hidden as his own sensitivity.

 

Of course, I’d never been particularly curious about such private matters, and even now I’m quite flustered, but questions do arise.

 

‘This kind of person dates too?’

 

Does the bland and boring Seo Jae-hyuk also have lovey-dovey relationships?

 

But Seo Jae-hyuk’s expression looked too serious for such imagination, so I silently nodded to show I was listening attentively.

 

“When progressing through the scenario on the 45th Floor, the boss cast a curse.”

 

“What kind of curse was it?”

 

After hesitating briefly, Seo Jae-hyuk lowered his gaze and answered quietly.

 

“…A curse that makes the person I love most die slowly.”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk was speaking as calmly as possible, and actually appeared composed enough that nothing showed.

 

But his eyes alone carried a painful light, as if bearing all the world’s hardships.

 

That was the first human emotion I’d ever discovered in Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

‘And I’m very weak to such human emotions.’

 

Just as I was about to get immersed and my eyebrows were unconsciously furrowing, Seo Jae-hyuk added.

 

“When examined, they said it’s a curse where the mana in the body gradually disappears and eats away at life force. At first it progressed slowly so we didn’t even know what curse had been cast, but now it’s in a dangerous state.”

 

Then his lover is currently dying, and Seo Jae-hyuk surely wants to be by that lover’s side.

 

‘Yet he deliberately entered a scenario, and choosing Berylsha because he wants to get out as quickly as possible is also one reason…’

 

“…Is your lover perhaps being protected by the Management Bureau?”

 

“…”

 

An answer didn’t come immediately, but judging by Seo Jae-hyuk’s expression, it’s definitely correct.

 

Actually, since Park Ji-woon is my connection, there’s some familiarity there, but I can’t say anything particularly good about the Babel Management Bureau.

 

In the first place, their failure to find me was also due to the Babel Management Bureau’s sloppy work handling, and they were slow to establish Hunter laws too.

 

When the early Sudden Gates broke out and casualties were occurring everywhere, it wasn’t the Management Bureau that saved people, but the countless scattered Hunters.

 

If a frontrunner like Seo Jae-hyuk hadn’t appeared, our country would probably have remained a wasteland for the Tower of Babel forever.

 

Anyway, if the Babel Management Bureau took Seo Jae-hyuk’s lover hostage, this dry man’s choice isn’t incomprehensible.

 

“The Management Bureau has someone with the ability to stop time. Since the mana depletion is a matter of time, I asked a Management Bureau ability user for help with that…”

 

“The Management Bureau found out about that and took them hostage.”

 

Once Seo Jae-hyuk opened his mouth, the puzzle pieces began fitting together properly.

 

It makes sense that he needs to return quickly since his lover could die at any time, and conveniently there’s a powerful mage in Berylsha who wants him.

 

Moreover, if that mage promised to provide him with something…

 

“What did you arrange to receive from Quentin?”

 

“He said he’d give me knowledge to break the curse.”

 

“Eh.”

 

I was trying to match the serious atmosphere, but an interjection slipped out unconsciously.

 

Not even a curse-breaking item, but ‘knowledge’.

 

‘Isn’t that just a ‘I’ll tell you, so figure it out yourself’ mindset?’

 

‘Quentin, this guy’s a scammer, totally.’

 

As I was downgrading my assessment of Quentin, Seo Jae-hyuk continued his explanation.

 

“He said he has research materials on curse-breaking magic by modifying highest-level spells, and he’d provide those.”

 

“Are you weaker than Quentin, Mr. Seo Jae-hyuk?”

 

“…That’s not it. But I’m not someone who researches magic. I use mana by modifying the skills given to me, but I can’t research or cast new magic other than skills.”

 

Now that I hear it, that’s true.

 

Though he’s a mage, since he’s skill-based, he probably never researched curse-breaking magic, and it would be difficult to implement magic not in his skills.

 

Besides, he can’t experiment with his lover’s life on the line.

 

“Did Quentin prove he could definitely break the curse?”

 

“…He only said it was possible.”

 

As if he couldn’t fully believe those words either, Seo Jae-hyuk answered calmly.

 

‘What a useless bastard.’

 

He was determined to make high-level personnel work for passion pay.

 

Of course, since he needs to save his lover who doesn’t have much time left, Seo Jae-hyuk jumped into this unfair deal with the mindset of grasping at straws.

 

Originally, when something as important as a lover is at stake, people can’t make proper decisions.

 

I don’t want to give such a person false hope again.

 

To be honest, as soon as I heard ‘EX grade’, I abandoned the thought that it would be easy to find.

 

But I can be confident that I’m a much more reliable trading partner than Quentin.

 

Because I’ll get him an item with real, proper effects, not uncertain knowledge.

 

“I’ll look for it.”

 

“Really?”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk asked back immediately without hesitation.

 

Still expressionless, but his eyes mysteriously brightened as if he’d found hope.

 

I quietly observed that hope, then immediately gave an order.

 

‘Sam-i, you heard, right? Find it.’

 

[⁕ Yes, market search results show there are 17 total ‘items that can break EX-grade curses’ :)]

 

I reflexively let out a sigh of relief.

 

I had confidently said I’d look for it, and just in case, I wrote ‘will do my best’ in the contract, not ‘will definitely find it’.

 

‘Thank goodness, really.’

 

I almost became a merchant who lost trust from the very beginning.

 

‘Among those, show me the most effective-looking ones… No, show me only items that clearly include the phrase ‘removes EX-grade curses.”

 

If I don’t speak properly, it’ll pick out something weird again.

 

Soon, one item appeared.

 

But the description was anything but ordinary.

 

[Clear Tears (EX)

 

Tears shed by ■■ ■■■ of Dimension ■■■ after completing all ■■■■’s ■■.

 

These are tears shed while losing ■■■ when ■■■ the ■■■ ■ of ■■■.

 

Can remove curses up to the same grade, and this applies identically across all dimensions without exception.]

 

Most of the text was covered with squares, making me reflexively want to get angry.

 

But anyway, at least the last uncovered sentence was perfect.

 

If it said curses of the same grade, that meant it could remove up to EX-grade curses, and if there were no dimensional exceptions, it meant it could be used on Earth too.

 

This was truly the best choice to give to Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

Of course it would be incredibly expensive, but thinking that after Park Ji-woon, Seo Jae-hyuk would also become my backing, it wasn’t a bad choice.

 

However, Sam-i’s notification didn’t end there.

 

[⁕ This item is being traded as an ‘Exchange-Only Item’ according to the Market Administrator’s special conditions :)]

 

“Ah, seriously…”

 

“Is there some kind of problem?”

 

“No, just PTSD.”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk, who had been seriously tense, blinked in confusion at my answer.

 

Right, it’s an item that removes EX-grade curses, so there’s no way it could be bought with money.

 

What if something like a potion or item that revives the dead comes up as the exchange requirement? This deal would fall through completely.

 

‘But there are still 16 other items.’

 

If this had an unreasonable exchange condition, surrendering to reality and looking at other options was also one way to go.

 

I finished rationalizing to myself as naturally as breathing and immediately looked at the next window.

 

But then.

 

[⁕ Requested Exchange Item: ‘Spirit King Summoning Magic Circle’ :)]

 

…Spirit King?

 

Wait, spirit?

 

If this had been a window I saw before coming to Aetheria, I would have flipped the table and given up.

 

But now I’m someone who wears an Eldarin-certified supreme spirit around my neck.

 

What kind of coincidence is this!

 

I immediately grabbed my necklace and asked.

 

“Silvester, do you happen to know about Spirit King summoning magic circles?”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk, who had been looking at me strangely, soon blinked as he saw the transparent bird form floating in the air.

 

Silvester, who appeared majestically, didn’t even glance at Seo Jae-hyuk and leaned his elegant beak against my shoulder, whispering.

 

“That is… something you’d have to ask Eldarin to know. Eldarin is the leader who has guided the elves for hundreds of years. Though Eldarin did not receive the Spirit King’s blessing, the elves have summoned the Spirit King before.”

 

“What did it say?”

 

It seemed Seo Jae-hyuk couldn’t hear Silvester’s elegant and warm voice.

 

I stood up abruptly and answered.

 

“We need to go to Florabon.”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk’s eyebrows twitched at the sudden mention of Florabon.

 

He seemed to suspect me for a moment, but soon that doubt disappeared and only clear hope remained in Seo Jae-hyuk’s eyes.

 

Looking at it again, though it’s awkward, the eyes of someone filled with hope do sparkle quite a bit.

 

…Though using the expression “sparkle” for Seo Jae-hyuk feels a bit unbalanced.

 

“But, Seo Jae-hyuk.”

 

However, before that, there was one thing I needed to address.

 

I looked straight into Seo Jae-hyuk’s eyes and asked.

 

“How did you know it was an ‘EX-grade’ curse?”

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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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