24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 195

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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 195

Episode 195. Blue Sky (4)

As soon as the magic power was neutralized, the remnants of the storm disappeared with a crackling sound.

In an instant, the surroundings became quiet.

I thought we would plummet downward, but fortunately, our falling speed was slow.

It seemed Nam Pu-reum had instinctively used magic power for self-defense.

As we slowly fell together with the debris of the rock mountain that Nam Pu-reum had destroyed, I wrapped my arms tightly around Nam Pu-reum.

Nam Pu-reum’s body, hidden under loose-fitting clothes, was smaller and more frail than I had expected.

She was so thin that I could wrap my palms around her elbows with room to spare, and she was still trembling like an aspen leaf, paralyzed with fear.

Despite the restriction on her magic rampage, her breathing was still ragged and her eyes were empty, unable to comprehend the situation.

She didn’t even seem to realize that I was holding her right now.

She just kept muttering fearfully with unfocused eyes.

“…I’m scared.”

An S-rank Hunter saying she’s scared.

Nam Pu-reum had definitely gone berserk due to some trauma.

I could roughly guess what kind of trauma caused her rampage, but I had no idea why the trigger was suddenly pulled.

Of course, even without knowing that, what I had to do was decided.

A warm word to calm this little lamb.

‘What should I say?’

But I would need to have experience with that kind of thing.

Throughout my life, speaking warmly and kindly has been entirely Brother’s responsibility, not mine.

I have no idea how to comfort this tender soul.

Then Nam Pu-reum, her face horribly contorted, muttered another word as if vomiting it out.

“I don’t want to be alone…”

“…”

A tragic lucky one who lost her entire family at what should have been a joyful family event and awakened as an S-rank.

It was well known that Nam Pu-reum had a pitiful family history, and everyone felt sorry for Nam Pu-reum’s story.

But the first image Nam Pu-reum showed to the public was full of indifference.

The press conference she held less than a week after her family members who were caught up in the Gate with her died.

Nam Pu-reum who appeared at the press conference seemed to be enduring it all with dignity.

Her dry expression that showed no emotional changes and her indifferent attitude as if she had no interest in the press conference.

Her eccentric behavior of not answering questions became Nam Pu-reum’s trademark from that time.

‘But there’s no way she could have been okay.’

She awakened as an S-rank when she was only 16 years old.

She was left alone in a harmonious family that gathered all relatives for family events – if she had been okay, Nam Pu-reum would be a psychopath.

Nam Pu-reum had clearly said she didn’t want to be alone, that she was scared, and not to leave her behind.

Had she never told anyone her true feelings?

Because I had read her hidden inner thoughts, only my heart became heavy.

Perhaps Nam Pu-reum wasn’t the indifferent and dignified child she was known to be.

Maybe she was just a child who had endured without showing any emotion because of the burden of being an S-rank Hunter given to her.

Though she had become an adult, she probably hadn’t grown beyond the immaturity of her 16-year-old self.

Everyone looked up to Nam Pu-reum, and all the people who would have treated Nam Pu-reum like a child had died.

‘So that’s why she followed me in confusion when I kicked her out of the house.’

Because she had met a crazy woman who really treated her like a little kid for the first time?

I wrapped my hand around the back of Nam Pu-reum’s head and held her tightly while whispering.

“Pu-reum.”

It was the most gentle, cringe-worthy, and soft voice I had ever made in my life.

“Let’s go home and eat together.”

I couldn’t deeply soothe her emotions, but I hoped it would at least be some rough comfort.

It would be even better if she answered quickly.

It’s not because we’re falling for quite a while into the bottomless chasm between the ravines.

Then I felt Nam Pu-reum’s arms, which had been still like a lifeless puppet, move slightly.

Nam Pu-reum slowly lifted her head, and focus had returned to her eyes.

‘You’ve come to your senses, little lamb!’

Suppressing the urge to praise myself with a sense of achievement, I quietly met her eyes.

Nam Pu-reum moved her lips for a moment, then asked in a trembling voice.

“…Together?”

Her voice sounded as if she couldn’t quite believe it, yet held a faint expectation.

I nodded and answered calmly.

“Yes, together.”

“I don’t want to eat alone.”

“Right, you’ll eat with me.”

Though she didn’t smile, Nam Pu-reum blinked and looked up at me.

Then, without any answer, she buried her head in my arms.

I gently stroked the back of the head of this child who had been robbed of time to process her grief and thought.

‘What did Alessandro say he was making for dinner tonight?’

Was it spicy beef stew?

* * *

Landing softly in the open field, I finally let out the breath I had been holding.

‘I really thought we were going to crash.’

I had calculated that we would land safely once Nam Pu-reum came to her senses, but the feeling of falling itself was unpleasant.

I couldn’t even scream because I was trying to act cool playing the role of a dignified older sister.

I’m the type of person who always screams when riding roller coasters at amusement parks.

Nam Pu-reum, who was completely oblivious to my struggle for image-making, was standing blankly next to me.

Perhaps because she had been tossed around by the wind pressure, her hair was disheveled, but her dazed expression remained the same.

And the hand gripping my clothes was still there too.

‘When is she going to let go?’

Of course, I had embraced Nam Pu-reum with warm enough hands to comfort her fragile heart.

But I didn’t expect her to keep holding on from the walking path until now.

She’s gripping it so tightly as if she’s holding onto a lifeline that I can’t even properly look around.

At that moment, Nam Pu-reum lightly shook my clothes.

Nam Pu-reum, with gentle cat-like eyes, pointed somewhere far away with her finger as soon as I looked down at her.

“The boss is over there.”

“You… have good eyesight.”

“Yeah.”

All I could see was the treacherous ravine.

Ah, I momentarily forgot that the person with me wasn’t an ordinary 21-year-old girl but an S-rank Hunter.

Anyway, to get out of this Gate, the two people here had to defeat it.

I’m Lee Hae-won, so it’s impossible for me.

Naturally, the person who has to defeat it is Nam Pu-reum.

‘Shouldn’t I at least play a supporter role?’

After getting caught up in the Snowy Gate last time, I memorized the Babel Management Bureau’s manual by heart, vowing never to spend money again.

First, identify the location of the field boss… which she already did.

Second, confirm what kind of attributes the field boss monster has.

“What kind of boss is it?”

“…A hopping zombie.”

Though her answer is short, she doesn’t ignore me like she did with the reporters at the press conference.

She even added the expression “hopping” when answering.

I thought this must be Nam Pu-reum’s way of showing friendliness and was nodding when Nam Pu-reum added dryly.

“I’m going to kill it this time.”

A murderous comment came back before I could even ask what attribute she had.

I stammered back in confusion.

“…We haven’t met before?”

“We have met. I couldn’t kill it then… All the weak people died.”

Only then did I realize when the ‘then’ that Nam Pu-reum mentioned was.

The field boss of the Gate that Nam Pu-reum got caught up in before her awakening was probably a jiangshi.

It was my oversight for not immediately recognizing it since she expressed it as ‘zombie’.

‘Wait a minute, then Seiporamonium raises jiangshi too?’

That’s really quite unpleasant.

I imagined the bizarre scene of Siena feeding a jiangshi and hurriedly cleared my head.

At that moment, Nam Pu-reum stepped forward.

“I’ll be back.”

“Wait just a minute!”

I fearlessly grabbed Nam Pu-reum’s hood.

Without even showing signs of being choked by the hood, Nam Pu-reum obediently stopped walking.

Of course, her gaze looking up at me strangely was transparent.

“Wait, let’s observe the situation first.”

“Why?”

…She asked back so innocently that I’m at a loss for words.

It’s not unnecessary worry – I grabbed her because there’s good reason to.

I know she’s incredibly strong without limits, but even S-rank Hunters aren’t omnipotent.

“You just had a mana rampage.”

“Yeah.”

“When you have a mana rampage, it feels like all the energy drains from your body – how do you feel right now?”

“A little like that.”

“Right? If you use mana wrong at times like this, you’ll get more exhausted. You might even faint.”

“…”

“We don’t even know this Gate’s rank. What if the field boss is the same S-rank as you?”

I wondered if she was properly listening to me as Nam Pu-reum slowly blinked.

My reflection in her black pupils somehow looked like a professor who got their degree through theory alone.

‘Is it strange for someone without mana to say such things?’

Still, she was trembling like an aspen leaf just moments ago, so my conscience really bothers me about sending her in without any preparation!

“So it would be better to observe what kind of place this is first before approaching. You should drink some potions and rest together for a bit.”

“…”

“Got it?”

“…”

“Nam Pu-reum, got it?”

“Mmhm.”

When I called her name threateningly like during the home invasion incident, only then did Nam Pu-reum pout and answer.

Somehow it feels like I’m explaining things step by step to a child to persuade them.

Wait?!

Kids these days are precocious, so I shouldn’t need to explain everything step by step like this.

Taking away the S-rank Hunter frame, I can properly see Nam Pu-reum’s personality.

‘This kid is incredibly stubborn.’

Still, she seems to be accepting my suggestion for now, so should I consider that fortunate?

The moment I thought that, Nam Pu-reum opened her mouth.

“But Sister.”

“Yeah?”

Nam Pu-reum, who had been staring up at me, rolled her eyes around.

‘…Huh.’

I know this look way too well.

This is the feeling I had when looking at Brother after causing trouble.

At the same time as anxiety crept in, Nam Pu-reum muttered in a calm tone without inflection.

“I’m really strong.”

Then she stepped back.

“So Sister doesn’t have to die here.”

The very next moment, Nam Pu-reum kicked off the ground.

Before I could grab her, Nam Pu-reum shot up into the air in an instant and landed very lightly.

But that wasn’t here – it was the next rock mountain…

‘Absurd…’

I stared blankly at Nam Pu-reum’s back.

Nam Pu-reum casually waved her right hand lightly and immediately leaped toward the next rock mountain.

Unlike before, solid mana with a clear purpose, without wavering or trembling, was chasing after Nam Pu-reum.

Yes, it’s admirable that she pulled herself together just from my hug.

But that cheerful wave goodbye was critical.

I was at a loss for words at Nam Pu-reum’s figure getting farther away with each leap.

I sighed briefly while watching Nam Pu-reum, who had become a dot between the ravines in the time it took to blink a few times.

“That precious little brat…”

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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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