24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 29

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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 29

Episode 29. Friendly Appraisal (2)

Lee Hwa-yeon.

An S-rank Hunter maintaining 2nd place in the rankings. On top of that, the leader of Baekdan, the 2nd ranked Guild.

Baekdan was also the Guild that Park Bo-bae belonged to, who had saved me from the Sudden Gate on the day I awakened.

Lee Hwa-yeon had the ability to control South Korea’s fate, yet she had a carefree personality without any wariness, making her extremely popular.

Not only that, she was a ‘people person’ who appeared in public far more often than other rankers who refrained from broadcast appearances.

In other words, she had a very familiar voice that appeared whenever you turned on the TV.

How could I not notice this?

I barely managed to hold back a scream.

‘I thought she was unusually tall for some reason!’

Lee Hwa-yeon’s height was 178 centimeters according to her profile.

It was an exceptionally rare tall height for a woman, and even after seeing that, I didn’t think to suspect anything.

What should I do with my naive self?

Just as famous as Lee Hwa-yeon was her main weapon, the ‘Judge of Holy Light.’

It was the first S-rank weapon discovered domestically, and its appearance was quite extraordinary.

A golden handle that clearly emanated a sacred aura, and a pure white orb that served as the blunt weapon part.

The golden aura that always flowed out subtly matched perfectly with her title ‘Agent of Divine Radiance.’

Simply put, she was someone who fought like a paladin.

Knock knock-

At the sound of careful knocking on the table, I startled and looked up.

“Appraiser?”

Lee Hwa-yeon’s eyes were still hidden under her deeply pulled robe.

But it was obvious without looking that this person was scrutinizing me thoroughly.

No matter how safe this demilitarized zone inside the Tower was, if I assumed the person sitting in front of me was Lee Hwa-yeon, there were more than a few things to be careful about.

I gulped.

No, what I should be more wary of was that Lee Hwa-yeon might have come here knowing everything.

One of the two businesses that had opened before the 50th Floor even opened.

And the Hidden Ability appraisal skill that Chae Geun-dam couldn’t help but mention.

‘Honestly, that is something to brag about though.’

Thinking that Lee Hwa-yeon came here knowing nothing would be too stupid and naive.

While I was fiercely fighting a battle alone in my head, Lee Hwa-yeon spoke again.

“Appraiser, is this taking long?”

“It’ll be done soon, just a moment.”

Even if she noticed, let’s not openly say I know.

I nodded calmly and lowered my gaze.

[‘Judge of Holy Light’ (S)

A sacred mace that seems to contain fragments of the sun.

Blessed by the gods, it will never break, and subtle holy power leaks out.]

Well, bringing her main weapon so openly from the start meant she had no intention of hiding her identity.

I spoke in a deliberately calm tone, muttering as if to myself.

“It’s the ‘Judge of Holy Light.’ It never breaks, and holy power leaks out, making it glow subtly at all times.”

“Hmm.”

This was clearly a dissatisfied sigh.

When I unconsciously looked up, Lee Hwa-yeon slowly removed her hood.

Her dark brown hair, no different from any ordinary Korean’s, was cut in a calm bob.

In contrast, her Western-style face with bold lines matched her tall height very well.

However, I was tense for a different reason.

It was the eyes looking at me.

Her mysterious eyes, too bright to be called brown and too deep to be called yellow, were brimming with holy power that seemed ready to overflow at any moment.

How could eyes look so alive like that…

‘No, eyes originally belong to living people.’

At the stupid thought that suddenly intruded, I firmly grasped my mental composure.

The moment she removed her robe, she revealed an overwhelming presence that seemed like it might crush me if I wasn’t careful.

“I already know that. Isn’t there anything else?”

Though she spoke in a playful tone, Lee Hwa-yeon’s eyes flashed like an untamable beast.

No matter how much Lee Hwa-yeon laughed and acted carefree, her essence was S-rank.

And now she had completely moved away from the farce of hiding that she was Lee Hwa-yeon.

I gulped.

I wanted to tell her to get lost and kick her out, but as an E-rank, there were some compromises I had to make.

‘Let’s just think of her as an ordinary customer.’

Quietly appraising and sending her away quickly was the best I could do right now.

I reluctantly used my skill.

[Using ‘Appraisal’ skill on ‘Judge of Holy Light.’]

[10,000G has been deducted.]

With Chae Geun-dam, I was too flustered and he was a gentle person, so the mental impact wasn’t that great, but maybe because my opponent was the unpredictable Lee Hwa-yeon.

This time it was quite a heavy blow.

Even if it was an S-rank weapon, an appraisal fee of 100 million was ridiculous.

I almost wanted to cry at this unheard-of amount.

I swallowed my tears and shifted my gaze.

[/Hidden Ability/ Every 10 hits accumulates 1 ‘Purifying Judgment,’ and upon reaching a certain accumulation threshold, you can use ‘Purifying Judgment’ to heal others’ status ailments. ‘Purifying Judgment’ can be re-accumulated after one use.]

“Oh…”

It’s long.

But reading it carefully, it was a Hidden Ability that perfectly suited Lee Hwa-yeon who fought based on holy power.

She definitely said she received it as a scenario clear reward, but getting such an appropriate weapon was quite a skill.

“Why? Is there something good?”

Lee Hwa-yeon asked, leaning forward across the table.

I was about to smoothly recite the Hidden Ability when I hesitated.

‘Come to think of it, I should receive payment upfront for this kind of thing, right?’

I still had a long way to go to become a natural-born merchant.

But without showing any sign of that, I casually placed my hand on the table and spoke brazenly.

“I’ll tell you the Hidden Ability after receiving the appraisal fee first. Can you pay with the terminal?”

Lee Hwa-yeon slightly frowned and answered.

“Really? Ah, I didn’t know about that kind of thing.”

Of course you wouldn’t know, since I didn’t mention it.

“How much is it?”

I had already spent 100 million, but how much should I charge to avoid being rumored as a pushover?

Since this was my first appraisal transaction, the amount I set here would become the standard for future deals.

I made up my mind firmly and declared.

“S-grade weapon appraisal fees are basically 20,000 Gold, but for the opening special, I’ll do it for exactly 15,000 Gold.”

“No, that’s so expensive?”

“But since you’re also the first customer, just give me exactly 14,000 Gold.”

I originally thought 15,000 Gold was reasonable, but would Lee Hwa-yeon understand my heart for proposing 20,000 Gold just to make the wholehearted lie that I was giving a discount.

However, I’m precisely aware of my rarity.

It’s been 10 years since awakener society began. Among them, not once has anyone who could appraise Hidden Abilities appeared.

I’m the only one on Earth with such an ability.

So even if I demanded 30,000 Gold here, Lee Hwa-yeon would have had no choice but to pay that amount.

‘This much is already a big concession, well.’

I held my head up stiffly and took out the hologram terminal.

“Um, I don’t have that much money?”

‘Hah, ridiculous.’

I almost let out a hollow laugh from the absurdity.

She’s the guild leader of Baekdan and the face on every energy drink scattered around convenience stores, so there’s no way such a person would be broke.

Lee Hwa-yeon looked at me with a grinning face and tilted her head lightly.

‘Is she trying to have a battle of wills now.’

Lee Hwa-yeon seemed to want to continue some meaningless battle of wills against me.

But within this space, I’m someone guaranteed unconditional safety.

More than anything, being dragged around just because the other party is an S-grade Hunter doesn’t suit my temperament.

Instead of trembling and bowing my head to Lee Hwa-yeon, I decided to try a sharp gamble.

“I don’t think the leader of a mega guild would lack that much money.”

At my words, Lee Hwa-yeon rolled her eyes as if amused.

“Hmm, so you’re coming at me like this? What will you do if I just say I won’t get the appraisal?”

“Then I’ll have wasted time, and you’ll never know what your Hidden Ability is. Well, I won’t lose anything.”

Rather, if I don’t get more entangled with Lee Hwa-yeon here, that would be great for me.

When I spoke stiffly, Lee Hwa-yeon raised the corners of her eyes and laughed lightly.

‘Huh?’

By the time I thought something felt ominous, Lee Hwa-yeon had already placed her hand on the terminal.

“Aw, I’m just kidding~ 14,000 Gold, I’ll pay right away. Do I pay with this?”

“Ah, just place your hand on the terminal.”

Lee Hwa-yeon placed her hand on the terminal with a smiling face that contrasted with her cold gaze from just before.

Blue light flowing from the terminal wrapped around Lee Hwa-yeon’s hand.

The usage of hologram terminals used for payment at Repair and appraisal businesses is simple.

The awakener receiving the service places their hand, and I input the amount into Friendly Market’s system to complete it.

While I input the amount in the air and processed the payment, Lee Hwa-yeon just quietly watched me without saying anything.

It was extremely nerve-wracking, but I couldn’t exactly ask her to look elsewhere.

I stubbornly ignored that gaze.

[> ‘Kind Appraisal’ payment completed

– ‘Judge of Holy Light'(S) appraisal fee 14,000G Ι Client: White Sword (Zone-South Korea)]

Only after the notification appeared safely did I raise my gaze to look at Lee Hwa-yeon.

“Payment confirmed. The Hidden Ability is-“

“Is there really something there?”

What kind of random reaction is this now.

“I didn’t really think there would actually be anything.”

Lee Hwa-yeon leaned back against the backrest and shrugged her shoulders.

‘Then why did you come?’

Don’t tell me, was I really the objective?

“Judge of Holy Light has a weapon-unique Skill called ‘Purification Judgment’.”

“…Purification Judgment?”

Curiosity appeared in Lee Hwa-yeon’s eyes.

“‘Purification Judgment’ can heal others’ status ailments with holy power. Every time you strike 10 times with the weapon, a certain gauge needed for the Skill accumulates, and re-accumulation is possible after using the Skill.”

“Accumulation builds up with 10 strikes, so the activation conditions aren’t that difficult?”

Well, Lee Hwa-yeon, who always stands at the frontlines, swings her mace around like a wooden stick.

The gauge would fill up quickly.

“But how do you check how much has accumulated? The expression ‘certain accumulation’ isn’t precise, right?”

She’s right, but what can I do when this is all I can read.

I, who had been disguising myself as a brazen and unyielding composed appraiser, was momentarily flustered.

That’s when it happened.

[⁕ Search results from other Open Markets show that ‘Judge of Holy Light’ accumulates 1% gauge per 10 strikes. While not the exact usage method, that’s what one seller wrote :)]

[⁕ ‘Purification Judgment’ has effects over a wide range of 10km radius and works on all status ailments below S-grade :)]

‘So sellers could write down things other than basic descriptions.’

This is truly a description that couldn’t be written without actually using it.

After this small realization, I naturally added on as if I had known all along.

“1 percent gauge accumulates per 10 strikes.”

“So that’s one Purification Judgment per 1,000 total strikes? Hmm, the cost-effectiveness is too poor. And I don’t even know exactly what Purification Judgment is.”

“Purification Judgment can heal all status ailments below S-grade. The application range is said to be within a 10-kilometer radius.”

At those words, Lee Hwa-yeon made a strange expression then smiled broadly.

She seems to like it.

Even I, reading it, thought it was a Hidden Ability with good compatibility with Lee Hwa-yeon, but from the perspective of actually carrying it into battle, she could tell more clearly.

Anyway, regardless of whether Lee Hwa-yeon had good compatibility or not, my job was done.

I wanted to leave from before this S-grade Hunter with her terrifying presence even when suppressed and return to my cozy home.

“Appraiser, I have something I’m curious about.”

However, Lee Hwa-yeon leaned against the table and asked brazenly.

“You’re a Hunter, aren’t you, Appraiser?”

“That would depend on how you look at it.”

“Hmm, then do you know something about Friendly Market?”

“…Isn’t it this building?”

I answered calmly, but I clearly sensed that I was screwed.

“Hmm, so that’s what you want to say. Then you’re an ordinary Hunter who luckily became the owner of an appraisal business that was first to set up shop in Friendly Market, right?”

“Of course.”

Damn, Lee Hwa-yeon came here with conviction, not assumptions.

That I’m connected to Friendly Market. No, maybe that I might be the owner of Friendly Market.

Lee Hwa-yeon smiled lightly and added words that were by no means light.

“You know what? S-grade senses are very keen. So we can immediately notice things like heartbeats that speed up when people lie, the sound of nervously swallowing saliva, or eyes that shake anxiously.”

I can’t get more entangled here.

“My service ends here. Please leave now, customer.”

After the firm eviction order that I never could have issued if my face was exposed, I quickly got up from my seat and opened the door.

Silence flowed.

‘Suffocating.’

The tense atmosphere that only I could feel seemed to choke my throat.

Eventually, Lee Hwa-yeon, who had been sitting quietly, put on her Robe and let out a deep sigh.

“You’re quite cold. Can’t we talk a bit more? It’s not like I’m going to eat you or anything.”

“I’m busy. I have a lot to do.”

Lee Hwa-yeon responded smugly, in a calm tone as if she understood everything.

“Ah.”

“…Thank you for your patronage.”

“I understand, I understand. But to think there really was a Hidden Ability, how fascinating.”

Lee Hwa-yeon obediently stood up and approached the entrance.

‘Finally, time to close up.’

But then.

“By the way, Mr. Appraiser.”

Lee Hwa-yeon, who had stepped on the threshold, stopped walking and turned back to look at me.

Then, with a strangely narrowed gaze, she stared down at me intently and asked.

“Since we don’t know if this Hidden Ability is real or fake, shouldn’t you come with me to verify it?”

…What is she saying?

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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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