24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 175

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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 175

 

Episode 175. Somehow a New Phase (2)

 

Unable to grasp the meaning of my words all at once, the meeting room instantly became chaotic.

 

Someone froze, someone blinked blankly, someone frowned as if they had misheard.

 

Except for Park Ji-woon, who had discussed this topic with me before, everyone had expressions lacking any sense of reality.

 

I emphasized once more with force.

 

“The Tower of Babel destroys dimensions.”

 

You didn’t mishear, so properly grasp reality.

 

When I spoke with such a meaningful tone, Jeong Min-gu was the first to wave his hand dismissively and retort as if it was nonsense.

 

“Wait, wait. Aren’t you just spouting nonsense? I don’t understand. Isn’t it a well-known fact that our country developed because of the Tower of Babel?”

 

“On the surface, the Tower of Babel appears to give us many benefits. Just look at the mana crystal mines and floating cities we obtained this time. Various new technologies, new resources, and new opportunities. But haven’t you ever thought it strange that it gives us only benefits without wanting anything in return?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then think about it now. Aren’t you sitting in a position where you should be thinking about such things?”

 

“You son of a-”

 

“Mr. Jeong Min-gu, please refrain from profanity. We have already signed the contract agreeing to cooperate with Ms. Lee Hae-won’s proposal. Now then, Ms. Lee Hae-won, please continue your explanation.”

 

Since he signed the contract to protect me, there’s nothing Jeong Min-gu can do to me.

 

Still, Park Ji-woon’s tactful interruption of the atmosphere was a decent assist.

 

I turned my gaze away from Jeong Min-gu’s flushed face and continued speaking calmly.

 

“Babel is testing us. Whether we can keep climbing, whether this dimension deserves to survive.”

 

Now no one objected to my words.

 

“The grace period the Tower of Babel gives is one year. If we fail to conquer a new floor within one year, the Tower of Babel affects the dimension. And eventually leads it to destruction. The dimensions that are destroyed like that…”

 

I swallowed briefly and chose my words carefully.

 

“Are reconstructed as a floor of the Tower of Babel. As stages for scenarios that awakeners from dimensions that haven’t been destroyed yet will be assigned.”

 

“…What did you say?”

 

It was Kim Seol who asked back.

 

“Exactly as I said. All the regions where you’ve progressed through scenarios until now actually existed, but were dimensions that were destroyed for failing to climb the Tower of Babel.”

 

Silence flowed.

 

A heavy silence where even swallowing saliva would feel disruptively loud.

 

These were people who had mastered not showing emotions outwardly, yet everyone was revealing confused looks as if greatly shaken.

 

The emotion I felt when I met Echo and Onak and realized they were already dead beings.

 

They were probably feeling similar emotions and suppressing them.

 

“So that’s why the scenarios were so elaborate. Now I understand.”

 

Kim Seol, who muttered with eyes still clouded by confusion, stared directly at me.

 

I nodded briefly and brought up a more important fact.

 

“Our country is the same.”

 

“What do you mean is the same?”

 

“If we fail to climb the Tower of Babel, our country will also be destroyed. And it will become a scenario with the ‘Republic of Korea’ zone within the ‘Earth’ dimension, appearing as a stage in other dimensions’ Towers of Babel. You’ll all become NPCs while dead.”

 

“How scary…”

 

Han Ro-mi muttered in a tone that didn’t sound scared at all.

 

“That’s why I started selling packages to other countries. Even if we climb the entire tower, if other countries fail to climb their towers, we’ll be affected too.”

 

This was just speculation, but I spoke with conviction.

 

There are a total of 38 Towers of Babel built on Earth.

 

The Towers of Babel built in different regions clearly share the same dimension, but their ‘zones’ are all different.

 

It’s unknown which zones are selected as scenarios when destroyed.

 

The choice would probably be Babel’s to make.

 

Perhaps there were Towers of Babel built in other areas of Aetheria as well.

 

‘Only Berylsha’s story was interesting.’

 

The Möbius strip-like structure where up and down repeated eternally was probably also a measure to prevent escape from the ‘zone.’

 

But when one zone’s Tower of Babel is destroyed, it’s unknown how much that destruction affects the dimension.

 

So I needed to exaggerate appropriately to make them understand my overseas business.

 

Thanks to Park Ji-woon sitting across from me and nodding, the tension gripping my body eased somewhat.

 

Then Nam Pu-reum, who had been observing the situation with sharp eyes while hugging her legs, raised her head.

 

Her black pupils looked directly at me and asked.

 

“But why the tower…”

 

No, she’s not asking.

 

I momentarily forgot that Nam Pu-reum was someone who never finished her sentences properly.

 

I roughly guessed and asked back.

 

“You’re asking why other dimensions didn’t climb those towers when the benefits the towers give aren’t insignificant, right?”

 

I had a story to tell about that too.

 

“Not knowing was often the case. Ganasia’s Tower of Babel was neglected while two races fought, and Laocoön’s Tower of Babel wasn’t discovered. And Aetheria’s Tower of Babel…”

 

“A crazy mage hid it and researched it alone, tsk.”

 

Lee Hwa-yeon, who knew the full story, clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

 

When Park Ji-woon glanced at Lee Hwa-yeon as if warning her, Lee Hwa-yeon immediately shrugged her shoulders.

 

“You don’t know how crazy that bastard Quentin was, Director.”

 

“He was.”

 

Chae Geun-dam, who had witnessed Quentin’s madness together with Lee Hwa-yeon, agreed.

 

‘Chae Geun-dam agreeing to such words.’

 

It seemed a bit like character breakdown, but Chae Geun-dam’s expression was serious.

 

“As you two said, the villain of the 54th floor, Quentin, was a madman who thought the Tower of Babel was a revelation sent to him and researched it. Since the Tower of Babel remained on that floor while the scenario was in progress, all three who accompanied me saw the Tower of Babel directly.”

 

“Isn’t Babel a fucking crazy bastard?”

 

Jeong Min-gu clutched his head.

 

Though crude, it was something I had to agree with.

 

Still, since I didn’t particularly want to respond, I ignored it and opened my mouth.

 

“Scenarios are set in the time period just before that dimension’s destruction. In Aetheria’s case, the dimension was destroyed because Quentin refused to climb the Tower of Babel and hid its very existence. The scenarios seem to demand a way for that dimension to avoid destruction, a way to bring about different results.”

 

“So it’s asking us to prove the possibility that the dimension could have survived if it had made different choices.”

 

“They’re really doing it just for fun…”

 

Following Seo Jae-hyuk’s dry summary, Han Ro-mi muttered in a somewhat dazed voice.

 

Then Kim Seol raised a question in a tone suggesting something was strange.

 

“If scenarios are demanding to show different possibilities, wouldn’t climbing that dimension’s Tower of Babel be the solution? Then the grace period would be renewed again.”

 

It was a reasonably valid point.

 

But that was because there was still a story I hadn’t told.

 

“…The Tower of Babel doesn’t just destroy dimensions. It finds a host and corrupts that being, making them destroy their dimension with their own hands.”

 

“Come to think of it, all scenarios presented vague clear conditions but always had beings that appeared to be bosses.”

 

Chae Geun-dam’s words were exactly what I wanted to say.

 

I nodded and gave examples.

 

“Right. Like Quentin of Aetheria, the Kraken of Laocoön, and Agemor of Ganasia. The scenarios only said things like ‘end the war’ or ‘make them reconcile,’ they never said to kill the boss.”

 

“Stop beating around the bush and making it complicated, speak simply!”

 

Unable to bear it any longer, Jeong Min-gu slammed the table and shouted.

 

Expressing condolences for the fact that Jeong Min-gu was someone who had lived his years in vain, acting selfishly without manners or flexibility, I caught my breath briefly.

 

Because the story I was about to tell would probably be the most shocking of all the stories I’d told today.

 

“The Tower of Babel has a tremendous impact on dimensions facing destruction. But the one most strongly affected by that influence is…”

 

I stopped speaking and raised my head to stare at one place.

 

“The strongest person in the dimension.”

 

Instantly, everyone’s gaze turned to one person.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk, who had been listening to the entire briefing with an expressionless face.

 

South Korea’s Rank 1.

 

The strongest person in our country, no, in this dimension.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk showed no sign of being shaken even while receiving all those stares.

 

He was just staring straight at me with a consistently indifferent expression.

 

“You’re saying that bastard will destroy our dimension?”

 

“Mr. Jeong Min-gu, that’s too harsh.”

 

“No, but listening to this woman, that’s what it sounds like. Then wouldn’t killing Seo Jae-hyuk solve the problem?”

 

“This isn’t a joke. If he dies, Lee Hwa-yeon would become the strongest in the dimension. It must be nice living so thoughtlessly.”

 

“You crazy ice-head—”

 

“You two, could you please stop fighting every time you meet? We’re having an important discussion right now.”

 

I inadvertently witnessed Kim Seol and Jeong Min-gu growling at each other.

 

Despite Park Ji-woon’s mediation, the two were glaring at each other as if they wanted to kill.

 

‘These grown adults, really.’

 

Making fighting noises during a serious discussion.

 

I wanted to shake my head, but if I did, both Jeong Min-gu and Kim Seol would probably glare at me with murderous eyes, so I held back.

 

Instead, I decided to calmly continue the conversation.

 

“I’m not telling you to be wary of Mr. Seo Jae-hyuk. Without Mr. Seo Jae-hyuk, how would we climb the Tower of Babel? Right now is when every individual’s strength matters.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

Nam Pu-reum quietly cast his vote of agreement.

 

“From now on, I’ll scout ahead first and let you know what kind of stage scenario we’re dealing with.”

 

“You’re telling us to follow orders, is that it?”

 

I now know that ignoring Jeong Min-gu’s provocative words and snorts is the right answer.

 

I looked at each person one by one with calm eyes.

 

“That’s right. I’m weaker than all of you, so there’s not much I can do inside scenarios. But.”

 

It’s not like there’s absolutely nothing I can do.

 

“Unlike ordinary hunters, I can do everything except fight. I’ve already proven that through various incidents. So everyone.”

 

Now that I’m actually doing it, it’s a bit embarrassing and makes my stomach churn.

 

But I steeled my resolve and declared with a confident face.

 

“Please cooperate with me to protect our dimension.”

 

* * *

 

The expressions of the guild leaders leaving the meeting room were varied.

 

It would take some time for what I just said to be neatly organized in their minds.

 

I should also work harder now… well, I’ll have to go scouting.

 

But first, I should talk with Park Ji-woon.

 

Just as I was thinking that and about to leave the meeting room.

 

“Lee Hae-won.”

 

“…Yes, Mr. Seo Jae-hyuk.”

 

When I was in Brother’s body, I looked down at Seo Jae-hyuk, but now that I’m back to my original form, Seo Jae-hyuk was someone whose gaze was quite high above.

 

There were shadows around Seo Jae-hyuk’s eyes as he looked down at me.

 

Dark enough that I could immediately guess why he had stopped me.

 

It wasn’t anger about being branded as a potential threat, but an expression that suggested he was about to bring up an issue that had been buried until now.

 

I calmly nodded and said.

 

“The deal is complete. Let’s go, Mr. Seo Jae-hyuk.”

 

To save Seo Jae-hyuk’s lover who was cursed with something that could never be undone.

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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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