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

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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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Dimensional Item Specialty 24-Hour Friendly Market Episode 24

Episode 24. A Bolt from the Blue (1)

“…….”

“Lee Hae?”

“…….”

“This doesn’t seem like a situation you can avoid just by looking away, does it?”

I slyly turned my gaze away and timidly resisted.

“If, if you’re okay with it, Yeon-hee, couldn’t we just come to an agreement and avoid this situation?”

“I don’t want to avoid it though?”

“…….”

She was more resolute than I thought.

I thought she’d give up easily if I slipped away to the second floor.

But Kang Yeon-hee’s sturdy arms had already blocked my escape route, and I was cornered, only able to roll my eyes around frantically.

‘She was exhausted just moments ago!’

Where did that face go, the one that looked so tired she didn’t even have the strength to lift a spoon?

“Please explain, Lee Hae.”

Kang Yeon-hee’s spirit, which had been exceptional since she held her one-person protest in front of the Babel Management Bureau, was now directed at me.

I swallowed once and answered.

“It’s nothing special. I think you’re misunderstanding? It could just be the same name, you know.”

“Isn’t it too late to call it a misunderstanding? I’m also someone who does business in this building.”

“You don’t pay key money or monthly rent though.”

“……That, that’s true, but! If a sign goes up, I’ll get tons of questions too! The meaning behind the name ‘Friendly Market’ won’t just end with having the same name! Do you know how many people are already snooping around? Avoiding answers by saying I don’t know will only work for a day or two!”

Kang Yeon-hee raised her voice.

‘That’s also true.’

The mysterious ‘Friendly Market’ that South Korea’s 7th-ranked guild, the first in the world to clear the 49th Floor, publicly announced they received help from.

Many people would be looking for me right after that broadcast aired.

At this rate, finding me would only be a matter of time.

[⁕ The Open Market Manager’s security level is Babel’s highest grade :)]

……Oh, what completely unhelpful words, thanks so much.

“So I need to know something too. That way I can either answer or tell appropriate lies. At the very least, I should be able to pretend I don’t know.”

“…….”

I stared intently at Kang Yeon-hee’s face, which looked somewhat anxious.

In that brief moment, countless methods flashed through my mind.

It wasn’t like there was absolutely no way to get through this situation.

Like I did with the Dark Mages on the 49th Floor, I could just brazenly put on a shameless face and insist.

‘But Yeon-hee is a business partner.’

We didn’t plan a business together, and she wasn’t someone who invested a fortune, but Kang Yeon-hee was the first tenant I brought into the market.

Someone might say that wasn’t a special enough relationship to share secrets.

But still…….

‘She’s someone I greet every day.’

When I come down from the second floor yawning lazily, Kang Yeon-hee is the only person who greets me with “Good morning.”

Drawing a firm line with someone who asks about my well-being every day was also something I hesitated to do as a human being.

Sigh, even when I try to live selfishly, my soft and gentle heart won’t allow it.

Unable to think of any other solution, I sighed without realizing it.

“Damn it.”

“What, what did you say?”

The round, gentle feelings I had so carefully guarded against, which were completely unhelpful in modern society, had caught me by the ankle.

“I wasn’t cursing at you, Yeon-hee.”

“But you cursed right to my face……?”

“That’s because you’re stuck right up to my nose, Yeon-hee.”

As if she finally came to her senses, Kang Yeon-hee awkwardly stepped back two paces.

“No…… They said the 49th Floor that couldn’t be cleared was broken through thanks to ‘Friendly Market,’ and then they say that’s the name of this building, so I was surprised.”

It is surprising.

Even so, I couldn’t tell her everything.

I stared at Kang Yeon-hee’s face, which clearly showed her embarrassment, then opened my mouth.

“I can’t tell you the details yet. But I’ll tell you when things get sorted out.”

“Really?”

“Of course. As much as I can tell you.”

It wasn’t something I necessarily had to hide until the end, but now didn’t seem like the right timing.

‘I haven’t even gotten used to it myself yet.’

I need to get used to doing my current job as ‘Open Market Manager’ before I can handle things skillfully.

“For now, if anyone asks, please say you don’t know.”

“That would be the truth though…….”

“Exactly. Please answer with the truth. Say you found out today that this place is called Friendly Market. Oh, and that you were contacted by message when you moved in, and you have no idea who the owner is.”

“That’s not wrong. I don’t know anything about you, Lee Hae. You’re a woman, you’re tall. It seems like you sleep here for several days at a time. That’s about all I know.”

Kang Yeon-hee muttered resentfully.

I was about to answer that knowing that much meant knowing everything, but I closed my mouth.

Kang Yeon-hee doesn’t even know my real name.

‘I don’t think the day will come when I tell her.’

For me, who wants to live a wealthy life in a world where no one knows me, this situation couldn’t help but be extremely burdensome.

Even if I did tell her, I’d probably only mention a little about this Friendly Market.

So for now, I just smiled quietly while hiding my true feelings.

Since I’m using the ‘Anonymity’ skill, my face would appear blurry, so it would be useless to Yeon-hee anyway.

“Well, then I’ll go out for a bit. I have something urgent to do.”

“Didn’t you just say you were going to rest?”

“Ah, something urgent suddenly came up.”

Actually, I wanted to rest, but I felt uncomfortable being in the same building as Yeon-hee when she was so curious.

I slipped out of the stairs more smoothly than an eel and quickly grabbed the back door handle.

“I’ll, I’ll be back?”

I opened the back door without hesitation and jumped into the bustling streets of Ba-man-jang.

“Wait, Lee Hae!”

I heard Kang Yeon-hee urgently calling me from far away, but.

“……Phew, I almost spilled everything.”

I was already heading toward the portal leading to the 50th Floor.

* * *

Kang Yeon-hee, who watched Lee Hae disappear into the crowd with ninja-like movements, let out a deep sigh.

The suspicious building owner who gave her a proper store after she lost her stall and was kicked out.

She perfectly hid her identity but seemed somehow sloppy, appeared to act rationally and coldly but also seemed soft somewhere.

She was someone you couldn’t get a proper read on.

Besides the name ‘Lee Hae’ and her hidden appearance, she knew nothing.

Kang Yeon-hee watched Lee Hae head toward the blue portal pillar, then shook her head.

Did she even know how much the awakened community was talking about her right now?

Does she understand the seriousness of the situation?

Kang Yeon-hee swallowed a sigh and threw open the window on the first floor.

She set up a shop stall on the windowsill that opened outward, and placed a crisp price tag where it could be easily seen.

Since outsiders couldn’t enter the building and sales were automated, Kang Yeon-hee planned to focus on developing new potions from now on.

Only after putting on her apron and mask did Kang Yeon-hee remember what she had forgotten.

“Ah!”

Kang Yeon-hee hurriedly rushed out of the workshop with quick steps.

“I should have told him about this…”

What Kang Yeon-hee picked up from the side table at the building entrance was a white envelope.

An envelope with ominous-looking text written in silver foil.

It seemed urgent, so she had intended to tell him as soon as he arrived, but she had completely forgotten due to her shock at the unbelievable news.

Besides, Lee Hae was someone who used the back door rather than the front door, so she hadn’t had the chance to pay attention to it.

“He’ll come back today, right?”

She couldn’t be certain, but wouldn’t he?

It seemed like he slept here many nights anyway.

Kang Yeon-hee fidgeted with the envelope before placing it back on the side table.

“I’ll just give it to him when he comes, that’s all.”

Just then, bubbling sounds began to emerge from Kang Yeon-hee’s workshop again.

The letters written on the envelope were still glittering.

[Babel Management Bureau Attendance Summons]

* * *

“Hmm.”

I snorted while looking at the notification that was brightly illuminating my vision.

[■ Babel System : 6D 02:49:36 until 50th Floor opens]

This was a notification provided to all awakened individuals inside and outside the Tower of Babel, not just me.

Well, I’m an Open Market Manager who doesn’t fall under that countdown anyway.

I looked out at the panoramic view of the empty 50th floor and took off my robe.

A cool breeze from somewhere tickled my cheeks with my hair.

On top of that, turning off my Anonymity skill made my face feel refreshingly cool.

‘How long has it been since this?’

I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been bare-faced like this, except when sleeping.

Right now, I’m the only human on the 50th floor.

Wolpae would have headed to their guild building after recovering loot, so even if they had a chance to claim the 50th floor, they wouldn’t come today.

There was a reason I entered the 50th floor alone.

‘I need to build a structure in advance at times like this to avoid ending up like Bamanjang Store.’

With Kang Yeon-hee and others, everyone will really start making a fuss about what Friendly Market actually does.

It’s right to reduce risks even a little.

I stretched my arms and shouted refreshingly.

“So spacious~!”

An open sky that was hard to believe was inside the Tower.

A small stream flowing through the middle and gentle hills untouched by human hands.

Except for the portal pillar behind me, it looked completely untouched by human footsteps, as if I had been dropped right into the middle of peaceful nature.

“It’s on a completely different level from the 25th floor.”

This scenery was a hundred times better than the dark and gloomy 25th floor, which was like an underground city built to avoid sunlight.

And reaching the 50th floor meant…

‘It also means I can find clues about Brother’s whereabouts.’

The floor where griffins appeared that Manti mentioned might be different from our dimension, but as Sam-i said, griffins were likely to appear in the 50th floor range.

Brother, who was meticulous about everything, would have surely left clues behind.

I gazed endlessly at the horizon stretching far in the distance before opening my mouth.

“So, I just need to build the second branch here?”

First things first, what I’ve been given.

[⁕ Some Open Market Manager privileges have been unlocked with the opening of the 50th floor :)]

“Explain it, Sammy.”

[⁕ I’m Sam-i 🙂 First, you can use market functions with limited capacity outside the Tower of Babel. Also, you can send messages inside the Tower of Babel within the same dimension.]

Right now I’m living in a rent-free house inside the Tower, so I can always use market functions, but even someone like me can’t do anything when I go outside the Tower of Babel.

Checking status windows is about all I can do.

Since I’ll be going in and out periodically anyway, this had to be an appealing update.

I asked with a brightened expression.

“Wait, limited? To what extent?”

[⁕ You can view notifications, restock inventory, and send messages to intermediate managers :)]

That much would be sufficient.

Since I spend most of my time inside the Tower anyway, there wouldn’t be urgent need to check anything while outside.

“And? Keep going.”

[⁕ You can distribute promotional pamphlets to the Tower of Babel in your assigned area, and create market logos. You can exchange messages with unspecified Open Market Managers from other dimensions. Finally, you can design a shopping district for the 50th floor :)]

“…Huh?”

I, who had been quietly listening to the flood of explanations, slightly furrowed my brow.

Why are you suddenly talking like some legendary city planner?

[⁕ Since you’ve already built stores twice, this time should be a bit easier :)]

I immediately replied in bewilderment.

“No, that’s a different story.”

On the 25th floor, it was no different from dropping a building without knowing anything, and the 75th floor irregular market had its location predetermined from the start.

I understand being told to build a structure, but a ‘shopping district’ means I have to create a proper layout.

[⁕ You understand correctly 🙂 The shopping district you plan will be used as the basic foundation that comprises the 50th floor.]

No, I’m not someone who graduated from urban planning or anything like that, so how am I supposed to design a shopping district?

All I know are things like Times Square or department stores.

I scratched my chin and looked around at the vast land untouched by human hands.

“What am I supposed to do here and how?”

This is too natural.

[⁕ Imagine freely. If you freely set the direction as you wish, I’ll help with reinforcement work :)]

Sam-i, the aspiring guide dreaming of being reliable, spoke as if to reassure me.

Of course, it wasn’t helpful at all.

For me, having to pour creativity into something I have absolutely no interest in is nothing but torture.

Even if they tell me to imagine freely, I’d need to have imagined this kind of thing before.

“Still, I need to do this to solve the Quest…”

I lay down on the grass and let out a sigh.

“Wait a minute, then.”

I quietly scratched my chin and muttered.

“Could I possibly put a Portal inside a building?”

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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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