24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 233

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. 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 233

Episode 233. Records of Ruin (2)

Beneath that section lay far fewer methods compared to the two approaches mentioned earlier.
Only two, in fact.
I flipped to the next page and exhaled a heavy sigh.
I hadn’t even read it yet, but already a sense of unease washed over me.
‘This must mean that dimensions which successfully achieved this are incredibly rare, doesn’t it?’
If you’re going to show someone such a bleak future, shouldn’t you at least offer them hope?
Or perhaps the mere existence of successful dimensions is the hope itself?
I gazed back down at the book, swallowing hard.

[Case 1 – Records of Riagul Dimension
Dimension Name: Riagul
Region Name: Galbanep
Classification: Successful Case of Halting Ruin Through Elimination of the Cause of Destruction]

“Aren’t these names terribly difficult to pronounce?”
The dimension and region names alone felt ominous, and I was already growing anxious….
I forced myself to compose my thoughts and began reading.

[1. Confirmation of the Dimension’s Strongest Existence
Subject: Yaern
A combat-type chimera jointly created by the Archmage Ertal and the Alchemist Bomiya of Riagul Dimension.
An artificial being with magical circuits implanted as a nervous system and a skeletal structure composed of rare metals refined through alchemy, possessing combat prowess that exceeds that of ordinary Awakened ones.
It possesses intelligence sufficient for conversation, and while its external form is humanoid, its internal structure differs completely from that of humans.
Though originally created for efficient handling of sudden trials, it was recognized as such an excellent invention that it became a core combat asset in ascending the Tower.
According to actual records, it officially accompanied ascents at least 12 times, and appears to have done so several more times unofficially.
Since it is not classified as an Awakened one, it cannot enter the Tower alone, but multiple instances of it ascending the Tower in accompaniment with a single Awakened one have been confirmed.]

‘…Is it a robot?’
Some kind of artificial intelligence robot?
The fact that the dimension’s strongest being was nothing more than a chimera created by humans left me with an inexplicably unsettling feeling.
The content continued below that as well.

[3. Corruption Progress and Notable Circumstances
Yaern’s abnormal symptoms surfaced approximately eight months after the Tower’s influence began accumulating.
Initially, the manifestations were minor—maintaining a stationary state for longer periods after combat than before—but subsequently, unnecessary excessive use of force, independent opening of magical circuits without the Creator’s instruction, and solo actions outside the Tower were observed in succession.
When Ertal asked Yaern for the reason, Yaern responded in the manner of “I had no choice.”
The noteworthy point is that as a Chimera, Yaern’s corruption progressed through purpose-execution circuits rather than emotions, and since everyone recognized Yaern as an emotionless Chimera and judged the anomalies as mere operational malfunctions, determining whether corruption had occurred proved difficult. Although Yaern did exhibit abnormal behavior, Bomiya attributed it to circuit issues and merely conducted routine inspections.
(Continued below)
During the Layer 79 challenge, Yaern murdered the Mage Crony who accompanied them and escaped outside the Tower without concluding the narrative, subsequently slaughtering every living creature in sight.]

“….”
The corruption progress was documented with meticulous detail.
Yet the atmosphere conveyed by the word “slaughter” was profoundly unsettling.
Wasn’t this the actual manifestation of that dystopian worldview where artificial intelligence devours humanity?

[Yaern perpetrated the slaughter over seven hours, which included all research personnel capable of Chimera creation, encompassing both Ertal and Bomiya.
Upon receiving reports of Yaern’s rampage, Ertal immediately implemented a spell to sever the magical circuits. However, as Yaern’s magical circuits underwent continuous self-advancement, several hours elapsed before the severance spell could actually take effect.
Bomiya was killed immediately following Yaern’s rampage.]

Every detail was horrifying.
Most shocking among them was the casualty count expressed in numbers.

[Total Deaths: 1,982
Surviving Dimensional Life Forms: 37 total]

The incomprehensible numbers burned into my vision and refused to fade.
From a place where over two thousand had lived, only thirty-seven survived.
…This was considered an example of preventing dimensional annihilation?
Disbelieving, I checked the next page, but it only contained records of other dimensions.

[Total Deaths: 430,000 (estimated)
Surviving Dimensional Life Forms: 1,200 total (estimated)]

There were cases even more catastrophic than Riagul.
I stared blankly through the staggering numbers before exhaling a heavy sigh.
So when a dimension’s strongest falls into corruption, they simply slaughter everyone indiscriminately.
Unbidden, I recalled the image of Seo Jae-hyuk corrupted.
His combat power was overwhelmingly dominant—something people spoke of everywhere, and I had witnessed it myself, so I knew it well.
Moreover….

[The dimension’s strongest becomes even more powerful under the Tower of Babel’s influence, so one cannot rely on existing combat assessments.]

A single sentence that Biwet Fobinum had written down in slightly larger characters, pressing firmly.
‘Seo Jae-hyuk is already strong, and now he’s becoming even stronger…?’
I grew dizzy imagining such a scenario and shook my head.
Everything was merely conjecture born from the assumption that our dimension would perish, just as the eyes that had tasted bitterness had said.
I closed the book I hadn’t finished reading and forced a smile.
‘Surely not.’
Ssup-nun, who seemed omnipotent, wouldn’t have joked about saying our dimension was in the process of destruction.
I scraped together the faint hope barely clinging to the corner of my mind and tried to activate the circuits of optimism.
“Come on, surely not.”
It couldn’t be that South Korea had failed to climb the Tower for nearly a year already.
I had conducted such thorough reconnaissance before leaving.
If we assume they cleared one layer, rested for a few months, and challenged again, my reconnaissance records would remain valid for at least two years.
The time I spent on the 100th Floor wasn’t that long, and even accounting for different time flows…
“Damn it.”
I hastily shoved the book into my Inventory and stood up quickly.
Sitting here clinging to uncertain speculation would only foul my mood.
If it really was the case that, as Ssup-nun said, nearly a year had passed since we last cleared a Scenario…
‘We’re screwed.’
Yeah, that’s right.
I’ve seen S-rank Hunters clear things just fine without me several times—so why am I so confident about that?
How many times have supposedly S-rank Hunters failed to cleanly resolve a single Scenario and ended up calling for Park Ji-woon?
The people responsible for the nation’s security have failed to handle things properly more than once without me!
Thinking that way only made my anxiety spike further.
“Surely not.”
Having cast my third “surely not,” I fumbled to open my Skill window.
Without hesitation, I activated the Call of Fatala.

* * *

Stepping into my cozy home, my body’s tension should have melted away entirely, yet the air felt distinctly different from usual.
Not the stuffy, stagnant atmosphere of poor ventilation, but rather something akin to the eerie calm before a storm.
I left the familiar house, unchanged in every way.
Descending the unusually quiet staircase at a quickened pace, the moment I stepped out into Babel Square—
“….”
My words caught in my throat.
I realized with absolute certainty that something had gone terribly, catastrophically wrong.
The massive clock I’d installed in Babel Square for everyone to see.
From the last day I’d checked it before leaving, a full year and three months had elapsed.
I stared blankly at the clock face.
“Surely not.”
And before I could stop myself, I cast Appraisal.
I was now facing a reality that had been thoroughly, unmistakably X’d out.
That annihilation—I’d harbored vague worries about it, but I’d never truly imagined it would actually come to pass.
As darkness crept into my vision, I forced myself to grasp the situation however I could.
‘People are still moving about, so the world hasn’t collapsed entirely.’
Yet no matter how hard I tried to maintain composure, it simply wouldn’t come.
I turned my steps back toward home, my mind churning desperately through the chaos.
I needed to send a message first to understand what was actually happening….
‘To whom?’
To Park Ji-woon… or should it be Seo Jae-hyuk?
No, perhaps I should go outside first and assess the situation directly?
…Should I just grab someone in the plaza and ask?
Unable to prioritize anything, it was precisely at that moment I reached the 3rd Floor—

Bang—

The door to the opposite house burst open with a thunderous crash.
The forcefully opened door, as if it might shatter, twisted halfway and was hurled to the ground.
And through the billowing dust emerged Alessandro, whom I had seen just days ago by my reckoning.
“Ah, Alessandro.”
But he looked starkly different from days before.
The beard I had asked him to trim neatly had grown in thick and unkempt, and his previously massive, heavyset frame had become noticeably leaner.
And that expression of his.
“…Where have you been, my friend.”
Veins bulged across the knuckles gripping the doorframe.
The solid frame crumpled like paper, and a grating metallic screech echoed through the air.
His face was taut and drawn, consumed by a tangle of complex emotions.
I had always thought of Alessandro as a good-natured neighbor, but in that moment, I wondered if I had lost my mind—his presence radiated such lethal intent.
What frightened me more was that his anger didn’t seem directed at me.
If Alessandro was reacting this intensely, something truly catastrophic must have occurred.
I opened and closed my mouth soundlessly.
“What’s… what’s the situation right now?”
I hadn’t wanted to stammer, but the overwhelming aura of the former Knight Captain made my voice tremble reflexively.
“….”
Alessandro didn’t answer.
Instead, he strode over and scooped me up.
“What?!”
“Meow!”
Manti, startled by the rough handling, woke with a cry as well.
Manti landed on the floor and demanded an explanation with bleary eyes, but I had no idea why I’d suddenly become luggage either.
Before I could say anything to Manti, Alessandro was already striding down the stairs.
“Where are you going?!”
“….”
Why does this man keep refusing to answer? It’s unsettling.
My heart thundered with anxiety, and Alessandro’s expression remained rigid and unyielding.
With no knowledge of what had transpired during my absence, I had no choice but to keep questioning him.
Yet Alessandro offered no response and charged straight toward the Warp Gate without hesitation.
And just as I blinked against the brilliant blue light engulfing us.
“…It’s Ba-man-jang.”
The familiar yet alien atmosphere of Ba-man-jang pressed down upon me.
Unlike Babel Square, Ba-man-jang was eerily silent, devoid of a single soul.
The usual bustling marketplace energy had vanished entirely, replaced only by oppressive silence.
As I felt an even stronger wave of dread wash over me at this strange sight.
“…Sister!”
Kang Yeon-hee’s voice rang out loudly as she rushed toward me.
My initial relief quickly faded again.
It was because Kang Yeon-hee, who always smiled and waved whenever she saw me, was now approaching with a coldly hardened expression.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
As soon as Kang Yeon-hee drew near, before I could even offer a greeting.
“Sister, something terrible has happened.”
She launched straight into the matter with a rigidly frozen face.
Kang Yeon-hee, feigning composure as she drew in a deliberate breath, then added as if pronouncing a death sentence.
“Outside the Tower right now is complete chaos.”
The very nightmare I had been dreading all this time had become reality.

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