24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 177

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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 177

 

Episode 177. Problem Solving (2)

 

What the hell is this supposed to mean.

 

I hurriedly approached Seo Jae-hyuk’s side.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk muttered once more with a dazed expression like someone who had lost all hope.

 

“It says ‘No usage permission,’ so that means…”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk’s face was turning pale again as he spoke those words.

 

I could tell without hearing it that the words he left unsaid carried the nuance of something like ‘Does this mean I can’t save my lover?’

 

Seo Jae-hyuk was gripping the orb tightly while staring blankly into space somewhere with unfocused eyes.

 

His whole body was trembling, as if he thought he was facing the worst-case scenario he had imagined.

 

‘…Corruption is right around the corner.’

 

Assuming a different worst-case scenario than Seo Jae-hyuk, I carefully extended my hand.

 

“Let me see it for now. There might be something I haven’t checked yet.”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk extended his trembling hand and passed the orb to me.

 

There was nothing more Seo Jae-hyuk could do here.

 

‘Rather, if the deal falls through, he might just kill me.’

 

As soon as the clear, transparent orb came into my hand, I immediately used my Item Appraisal skill.

 

Then the hidden restriction conditions appeared.

 

[Clear Tears (EX)

 

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

 

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

 

Can dispel curses of the same grade, and this applies identically across all dimensions without exception.]

 

/Restriction/ Only usable by holders of EX-grade titles.]

 

“Ah.”

 

At my short sigh, Seo Jae-hyuk looked at me with worried eyes as if asking whether there was some problem.

 

When I had searched for Clear Tears before, I had only checked this item through the Dimensional Market’s description window.

 

‘Where else in this world would there be an EX-grade title besides mine.’

 

It was understandable that Seo Jae-hyuk was looking at me with a deathly pale face.

 

Especially since they probably didn’t even tell him the clear reason and just said he couldn’t use it, so that reaction was natural too.

 

If he, the strongest S-grade Hunter in our dimension, couldn’t use it, he would have thought there was no way to use it.

 

I gripped the orb tightly in my hand and said nonchalantly.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

“…”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk stared at me intently before shaking his head.

 

He didn’t seem to intend to ignore me, but his face showed a lack of faith.

 

Well, that look would soon change to one of admiration, so it didn’t matter.

 

I carefully approached the bed.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk’s lover lying on the bed really looked like she was on the verge of death.

 

I had thought this before, but seeing her up close, her pale and bluish skin showed not a single blood vessel, and I could instinctively feel death to that degree.

 

Her chest wasn’t rising and falling, and no breathing sounds could be heard, so if you looked carefully, you couldn’t help but mistake her for a truly dead person.

 

…So if this orb had no effect here, then Seo Jae-hyuk might kill me.

 

‘You shouldn’t create tension like this.’

 

What if I dropped it and it broke.

 

But since I couldn’t show my slightly twisted feelings, I composed my expression and slowly bent at the waist.

 

Then I brought the orb to the woman’s body just like Seo Jae-hyuk had done earlier.

 

Then.

 

“Hup.”

 

Ahn Yeon-seo gasped.

 

I received no notification about usage permissions.

 

Just as if I could naturally use it as a matter of course, the orb activated very naturally.

 

I felt a faint warmth at my fingertips.

 

The Clear Tears, which had remained transparent without any change when Seo Jae-hyuk touched it, began to turn white in an instant.

 

A gentle white light flowing from the orb enveloped her entire body and rippled softly.

 

Slowly, very slowly.

 

A pink tinge began to appear in her bluish skin color.

 

“My goodness…”

 

At the vitality returning as it pushed away the aura of death, Ahn Yeon-seo, who had been watching from behind, sighed softly.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk was watching the miracle unfolding before his eyes with wide-open eyes, unable to make a single sound.

 

The Clear Tears turned completely white and then began to melt away fluidly.

 

The melted orb soon seeped into the woman’s chest and disappeared without a trace.

 

And at the same time, the woman’s eyelids trembled.

 

“Mmm…”

 

A small moaning sound could be heard.

 

Her eyelashes seemed to lift, and then the woman opened her eyes very slowly, so slow it felt like slow motion.

 

Perhaps her mind was foggy from sleeping for a long period, as there was no action other than slowly blinking her eyes.

 

But the fact that she had returned to life was certain.

 

The woman carefully moved her fingers.

 

Seeing her fingers move minutely, Seo Jae-hyuk took a deep breath.

 

Though he remained standing as if nailed to that spot.

 

It was Ahn Yeon-seo who spoke up on behalf of Seo Jae-hyuk, who was staring at his lover’s awakened form in a daze.

 

“Jang So-min, are you conscious?”

 

…Come to think of it, I didn’t even know her name while lifting the curse.

 

Jang So-min moved her chapped lips, trying to say something, but it seemed no voice would come out.

 

Ahn Yeon-seo calmly made eye contact and explained.

 

“You’ve been asleep for a long time, so speaking and moving will be difficult. You can recover slowly. Now, how many of these do you see? Please answer by blinking.”

 

While Ahn Yeon-seo naturally conducted several tests as if dealing with a patient who had awakened from a vegetative state.

 

I stared intently at Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

Though he had shown emotions and human aspects while coming this far, seeing Seo Jae-hyuk so broken down was unfamiliar.

 

His reddened eyes and trembling body – nothing about him seemed like Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

Moreover, the way he kept moving his lips didn’t suit the well-known image of Seo Jae-hyuk at all.

 

Just when was he planning to speak.

 

‘How confused must Jang So-min be, having just awakened without understanding the situation.’

 

Isn’t this when her lover should appear for her?

 

Then, Seo Jae-hyuk finally took a step forward and muttered.

 

“So-min.”

 

No, with his trembling voice and mercilessly slurred pronunciation combo, it might be difficult to call it muttering.

 

At the same time that a pleased expression appeared in Jang So-min’s eyes upon hearing Seo Jae-hyuk’s voice.

 

“…So-min.”

 

Seo Jae-hyuk collapsed onto the bed and his body shook.

 

‘Whoa.’

 

Wow, Seo Jae-hyuk is crying.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk, the epitome of dryness, was shedding tears profusely and wailing like a child.

 

Endlessly stroking Jang So-min’s face that was showing a pink vitality, he poured out all the emotions he must have been holding back.

 

The joy and relief of getting his lover back.

 

Seo Jae-hyuk embraced Jang So-min and wailed.

 

Not just sobbing, but outright wailing.

 

Witnessing a grown adult man sobbing and crying is not an easy thing to see.

 

Especially when it’s Seo Jae-hyuk.

 

I knew this was supposed to be a touching scene, but my mouth fell open at the unbelievable sight.

 

At that moment, I heard an exasperated whisper.

 

“Come out, please….”

 

Ahn Yeon-seo, who had tactfully stepped back, grabbed my collar and pulled me away.

 

* * *

 

After coming down to the first floor to avoid disturbing the lovers’ touching reunion, Ahn Yeon-seo couldn’t hold back any longer and asked about Guk Min-seong.

 

Why was Lee Hae-won here when she only knew her as Guk Min-seong’s friend?

 

As soon as I heard that, I responded by pulling out an S+ grade contract.

 

Since she was someone Seo Jae-hyuk trusted deeply, there was no harm in telling her, but safety measures are always essential, right?

 

You should have seen how shocked Ahn Yeon-seo was while listening to my story after signing the contract.

 

I didn’t have time to explain in detail so I only gave her a rough overview of the situation, but just the fact that Seo Jae-hyuk had become a candidate for a fallen hunter was enough to nearly make Ahn Yeon-seo faint.

 

“Then really… the guild master….”

 

“That’s right. Now that you know the situation too, Ahn Yeon-seo, things will be more comfortable. You’re the person closest to Seo Jae-hyuk. If you notice anything suspicious, please let me know immediately.”

 

Come to think of it, what Seo Jae-hyuk said about Ahn Yeon-seo needing to know wasn’t wrong.

 

Ahn Yeon-seo was the one who had watched Seo Jae-hyuk the longest and would continue to watch him the longest.

 

Ahn Yeon-seo muttered with confused eyes.

 

“To think the Tower of Babel was a trial of destruction.”

 

Well, I felt the same way when I first found out.

 

Then Ahn Yeon-seo suddenly asked.

 

“Are you going to tell Guk Min-seong about this too?”

 

“No?”

 

“Huh, isn’t he your closest friend?”

 

“He is, but he can’t save dimensions. It’s better if as few people as possible know that dimensions might be destroyed.”

 

When I shrugged and answered, Ahn Yeon-seo nodded with a look that said ‘So that’s how much Guk Min-seong means to Lee Hae-won.’

 

It’s not discrimination against people, but a conclusion I reached through my own calculations.

 

I decided that the dimensional destruction story I shared with the 7 Major Guilds and Babel Management Bureau must be kept secret until the end.

 

First of all, Guk Min-seong is a civilian.

 

‘…Though his title grade is higher than mine.’

 

Anyway, if I consider Guk Min-seong as one of the citizens, it’s much better for him not to know.

 

Knowing there’s a possibility of destruction would only create unnecessary public anxiety.

 

Just as I was thinking that, I heard sounds from the second floor.

 

“She fell asleep again. I think she needs a medical examination, so please make a hospital appointment.”

 

It was Seo Jae-hyuk with reddened and swollen eyes.

 

I was a bit flustered by this very human side of Seo Jae-hyuk, who had been known as a hunter with sharp features who took great care of his appearance.

 

But seeing Ahn Yeon-seo quickly pull out her phone, I pretended to be calm too.

 

The deep worry that had filled Seo Jae-hyuk’s face as he came down the stairs had completely disappeared.

 

Since Jang So-min was alive and had blinked her eyes looking at him, all his mental anguish up until now must have melted away like snow.

 

What I hadn’t expected was that Seo Jae-hyuk loved Jang So-min enough not to care about the gazes around him.

 

“Thank you so much, Lee Hae-won.”

 

In the midst of this, Seo Jae-hyuk suddenly bowed 90 degrees, nearly making me jump on the spot.

 

I could feel his sincerity, and I understood that I had done something significant for him.

 

‘Ugh, this is burdensome.’

 

Even though I hadn’t done it purely out of goodwill, receiving such heartfelt gratitude made me feel awkward.

 

I tried to remain composed and bowed halfway in response.

 

“Not at all. As a merchant, it’s my virtue to take responsibility until the end once I’ve made a deal.”

 

“No, this is more than a deal… it’s a favor. I never thought I’d see So-min smile again.”

 

‘Oh, right… So-min smiled for him.’

 

I don’t know what scene played out on the second floor or what conversation the two had.

 

But seeing tears well up in Seo Jae-hyuk’s eyes again, it must have been quite an amazing reunion.

 

‘Well, good things are good things.’

 

The possibility of Seo Jae-hyuk’s fall had also returned to square one.

 

And even though we could say we made a deal with each other, this meant Seo Jae-hyuk owed me a ‘debt.’

 

Sure enough, after catching his breath for a moment, Seo Jae-hyuk opened his mouth without hesitation.

 

“From now on, I, Seo Jae-hyuk, and Aegis.”

 

His attitude was very resolute and clear, as if he would never reverse this decision for the rest of his life.

 

“Will trust Lee Hae-won and cooperate with you completely.”

 

Though his eyes were moist from crying, it was clearly a promise made with sincerity.

 

I received that gaze directly and nodded seriously.

 

Of course, I did make a small calculation in my mind.

 

‘I’ve gained another backer.’

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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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