24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 237

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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 237

Episode 237. Ruin (2)

After Ahn Yeon-seo’s final warning ended, Nam Pu-reum, who had been blinking silently, suddenly began manipulating his phone.
The very next moment, the image on the large screen in front changed.
“It’s live.”
Nam Pu-reum muttered briefly and gestured toward the screen with a tilt of his chin.
The image quality wasn’t particularly good, as if broadcasting from some CCTV feed, but a man wielding an enormous golden weapon was walking through the air above Seoul’s streets.
There was no doubt it was Seo Jae-hyuk.
Before I could even marvel at Nam Pu-reum’s ability to display Seoul’s CCTV feeds with a single finger gesture, the screen changed once more.
Seo Jae-hyuk was passing through a major thoroughfare, heading toward the Han River.
Whether from the screen alone I could discern his expression or what he was thinking remained a mystery, but one thing was certain—Seo Jae-hyuk was not taking a casual stroll.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be wielding Legato in such a vicious, menacing form.
“A battle is about to unfold. He’s moving to attack someone.”
As expected, Ahn Yeon-seo, who had been staring blankly at the screen, murmured with a heavy heart.
“Is it possible he’s just trying to intimidate them?”
Even though she was Seo Jae-hyuk’s right arm, I wanted to refute such an unambiguous statement.
But Ahn Yeon-seo shook her head firmly.
“No. When the guild master wields Legato in spear form like that… it’s only something he does when entering combat.”
In that moment, something surfaced in my mind.
I had seen Seo Jae-hyuk use Legato, the golden thread, in spear form before.
Precisely when he killed Agemor and Quentin.
Legato had dyed the sky golden, scattering lightning in all directions, and that colossal spear flew straight toward evil without the slightest tremor.
‘But to do that now, in the heart of South Korea….’
Park Ji-woon, who had been silently watching the screen change with Seo Jae-hyuk’s movements, added his own words.
“It seems information has leaked.”
“No, I don’t think this is something to discuss so calmly?”
“It appears he’s discovered that hunters who rejected Seo Jae-hyuk’s proposal and entered the country are staying at Baekdan.”
Despite his expression being colder than usual, his tone remained measured, making the situation sound less grave than it truly was.
But I soon grasped the exact meaning behind Park Ji-woon’s words.
“…So he’s going to kill the foreign hunters currently at Baekdan?”
“Optimistically speaking, he’s going to subdue and persuade them.”
“…And pessimistically?”
I asked carefully, though I already knew the answer.
Ahn Yeon-seo replied calmly, her eyes devoid of even a glimmer of hope.
“To eliminate those who oppose his will.”
“I see….”
Han Ro-mi blinked slowly and let out a murmur.
In that instant, every phone in the space began blaring with urgent alarm notifications simultaneously.
I hurriedly pulled out my phone to check.

[Babel Management Bureau] 6.13 17:38, Combat between Hunters detected in the Gwanmo-dong area of Seoul.
Additional damage is possible, so immediate evacuation of the entire Gwanmo-dong area is requested. Access and entry to nearby areas are prohibited.

The space erupted into chaos.
Guild members began pulling monitors closer, putting on headphones, and scrambling about frantically in all directions.
Even Nam Pu-reum, who usually seemed indifferent to everything, called over a nearby guild member and whispered something urgently.
Gwanmo-dong—the location of Baekdan’s guild building.
I stared down at the disaster alert before slowly lifting my gaze.
Not a single person seated at the table dared to speak carelessly.
Everyone understood.
That Seo Jae-hyuk hadn’t killed anyone all this time wasn’t because of some profound reason or grand intention.
‘He was simply fortunate.’
Seo Jae-hyuk had merely never harbored enough malice toward anyone to harm them.
But now….
‘Someone could die at any moment.’
I felt a chill creep down the back of my neck as I swallowed hard.
Park Ji-woon was the first to act.
Park Ji-woon rose with composure, adjusted his glasses, and spoke.
“It’s awkward to make this request under the name of the Babel Management Bureau in a setting like this, but I’m asking for your cooperation—the three of you here.”
All the S-rank Hunters in our country who haven’t entered the Tower are gathered here, so requesting cooperation from this group was only natural.
But.
‘…These three?’
Nam Pu-reum, Han Ro-mi, and Ahn Yeon-seo?
Fine, being extremely generous, I could accept taking Ahn Yeon-seo along to analyze Seo Jae-hyuk’s behavioral patterns.
But can an assassin like Nam Pu-reum and a healer like Han Ro-mi actually stop Seo Jae-hyuk?
Moreover, Park Ji-woon, who has the highest Hunter ranking here, isn’t someone specialized in combat either.
But before I could elaborate on the grim situation, Ahn Yeon-seo stood up with a resolute expression.
“We have to go. We can’t rely on and wait for the other foreign Hunters at Baekdan.”
“…Sigh.”
Nam Pu-reum also rose with a displeased expression, and Han Ro-mi, still wearing that leisurely face, slowly got to her feet.
Just as the four of them moved toward the door without further hesitation, I urgently grabbed Park Ji-woon’s wrist.
“You’re going?”
Park Ji-woon flinched in surprise and looked down at my gloved hand.
Realizing my mistake, I hurriedly withdrew my hand, but I positioned myself in front of Park Ji-woon.
“Can you actually stop him—Seo Jae-hyuk—with this current force? Without any proper preparation? Let me search for any items we might have while we go.”
“…Lee Hae-won, are you asking to come along?”
“If there’s anything I can help with.”
Wait, somehow I’d answered with an unexpectedly solemn tone.
Of course, I’m not the dimension’s strongest idiot who recklessly charges into dangerous situations.
But right now, our country is on the verge of a massive diplomatic crisis.
‘I can’t just sit idle.’
It’s not my fault that time slipped away like that on the 100th Floor, but it does bother me that it seems to have fueled this situation.
Ah, so that’s why those fighting movies show ordinary people cheering for superheroes and then shouting that they can do something too….
Before I could even shudder at the realization that I’d adopted such a “I can do this!” mindset, Park Ji-woon spoke with a noticeably colder voice.
“Lee Hae-won, you stay here.”
“Why?”
Park Ji-woon’s brows furrowed slightly as if he didn’t understand my question.
‘No, really, why?’
Even if I’m not quite a deus ex machina, I’d be a surprisingly useful supporter.
Park Ji-woon knows that better than anyone, so I couldn’t understand his decision not to take me with him.
Park Ji-woon glanced at Han Ro-mi, Nam Pu-reum, and Ahn Yeon-seo ahead of us, then quietly leaned toward me.
I flinched at the crimson glow flowing in his pupils and tried to step back.
“Lee Hae-won, you’ll likely be targeted by Seo Jae-hyuk as well. Naturally.”
Park Ji-woon added in a whisper.
“Even if Seo Jae-hyuk has fallen, the transaction records between you and him will remain in his status window. And Seo Jae-hyuk is someone who loves his fiancé dearly. There will be a record that you saved Jang So-min, but the current Seo Jae-hyuk believes Jang So-min is dead. So there’s a high probability he’ll think you’re a villain who played games with Jang So-min’s life.”
“Damn….”
I suppose I can curse here.
After saving him, he’ll see me as a con artist—this assessment is so plausible it’s absurd.
Seeing my expression harden, Park Ji-woon leaned back.
“The Karma Guild’s location is unknown, so it should be safe. Once Seo Jae-hyuk subdues all the Hunters, your existence will definitely irritate him too.”
It wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t even argue back.
In other words, I can’t directly confront him, and taking me along when I die at a single touch would only be a burden. Even if he did take me, he’d have no capacity to protect me.
‘Besides, we’re outside the Tower.’
Outside the Tower, I’m not invincible.
If Seo Jae-hyuk decided to kill me, I could end my life in an instant and find myself looking down at this chaos from the heavens.
I silently nodded and stepped back.
“Be careful.”
Park Ji-woon gave a neat bow and strode toward the door.
The four of them boarded the elevator with solemn expressions ready for battle.
The Karma Guild members glanced at them but didn’t offer encouragement or approach.
Instead, they tried to avoid eye contact with frightened expressions.
…Probably because the overwhelming magical power of these S-rank Hunters—which I alone cannot sense—was radiating oppressively.
Only I could gaze at them unmoved by any influence.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, I heard Han Ro-mi’s quiet voice from within.
“I’ll come back alive….”
The elevator doors shut with a dull sound.
At the same time, the Hall grew more chaotic, and the entire Karma Guild began bustling about to find the best course of action in the current situation.
And me.
“…Sister.”
And Kang Yeon-hee as well.
I gazed at Kang Yeon-hee’s ashen face.
Though I was the one who brought her here, her fear and pallor were inevitable.
If I were a good sister, I would comfort Kang Yeon-hee here, patting her shoulder and offering reassuring words.
“What are you doing, sister? You’re not actually leaving now, are you?”
I walked toward the elevator without hesitation, the same one they had just departed from.
Startled, Kang Yeon-hee frantically grabbed my arm and clung to it.
I stopped obediently.
Her eyes trembled greatly as she looked up at me, her face barely containing her anxiety.
To think I had a subordinate who worried about me this much—I’d lived a blessed life indeed.
But then.
“Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear what?!”
“Han Ro-mi just planted a death flag on her way out.”
There’s no phrase quite like “I’ll come back alive” to mean “I’m going to die and return.”
As if asking whether that was the only reason I was doing this, Kang Yeon-hee’s pupils trembled with disbelief.
‘Well, of course it’s not just because of that.’
I understand it’s dangerous, I understand they could die.
I don’t even know what I can do here when I’m someone who can’t do anything without the Market, yet I can’t just abandon them.
“Honestly, what are those people counting on to just wait?”
How could I simply leave behind people who’ve become so weak they can’t climb the Tower without my help after the 49th Floor?
I smiled without thinking.
“I have a plan.”
In truth, I didn’t, but I figured I’d think of something on the way.
I held back from telling her the truth because I thought Kang Yeon-hee might faint.
Kang Yeon-hee murmured in a trembling voice.
“Sister, you can’t die.”
“Take that back. That’s way too much of a flag.”
“….”
I expected her to widen her eyes and say “I’ll take it back!”, but the girl who usually took jokes well seemed to have no mental space for levity now.
Realizing she couldn’t stop me, Kang Yeon-hee’s eyes suddenly grew moist.
‘Seriously, I look like I’m going to my death.’
I deliberately tapped Kang Yeon-hee’s shoulder lightly.
“I’m going!”
Then I boarded the elevator without looking back.
Behind me, I heard what sounded like Kang Yeon-hee stifling tears for a moment, but the sound faded as the elevator doors closed.
As I left the building to pursue the S-rank Hunters who had already vanished without a trace, a clear sky greeted me—a stark contrast to the chaos inside.
Gazing up at the still-bright sky of early summer, I finally let out the words I’d been holding back.
I exhaled a long, frustrated breath.
“…Damn it all.”

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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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