24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 30

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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 30

Episode 30. Friendly Appraisal (3)

Suddenly asking me to come along?

I couldn’t answer immediately and just blinked my eyes.

Sunlight was streaming in behind Lee Hwa-yeon, who was blocking the door.

And on Lee Hwa-yeon’s face, silhouetted against the sunlight, various emotions were complexly mixed together.

Curiosity, playfulness, and suspicion that still hadn’t disappeared.

Among them, what stood out conspicuously was the firm will in her gaze, as if she wasn’t just making empty words.

As I remained silent and just stared, Lee Hwa-yeon shrugged her shoulders and added.

“I need to know whether the appraiser is a fraud or not. Hmm, I think this level of demand is justified as a customer.”

“I told you that the service I provide goes only this far.”

“But I don’t know if what you said is really true or not. So you’ll have to come with me.”

At what point exactly was that demand justified?

But right now, this person was serious.

She really wanted me to come along and confirm whether the Holy Light’s Arbiter had a hidden ability.

‘On top of that, she probably wants to investigate my identity too.’

Then Lee Hwa-yeon suddenly grabbed my wrist firmly.

I tried to step back, but my wrist caught by Lee Hwa-yeon wouldn’t budge as if it were bound.

According to Sam-i’s guidance, I was sure that no one could use stats within this store.

‘So her original strength is this strong.’

Only then did I belatedly recall one fact written on the Babel Wiki page.

That Lee Hwa-yeon had been active as a very promising professional martial arts fighter before awakening.

This strength was absolutely impossible to shake off.

Still thinking that Lee Hwa-yeon wasn’t someone you couldn’t have a conversation with, I spoke calmly.

“Where are you referring to?”

“Where else, another floor.”

“That’s difficult. I have the next reservation.”

“A reservation? There hasn’t been a single customer other than me since the 50th Floor opened, has there?”

Go ahead and advertise how much you’ve been watching.

Soon you’ll be counting the number of spoons in my house.

Lee Hwa-yeon probably had never experienced being rejected.

That’s what being an S-rank Hunter meant.

She was in a position where she could toy with someone’s life just with her presence alone.

When an S-rank Hunter grabs your wrist and coercively offers hollow kindness, if there’s someone who rejects it to the end, they should erect a monument for that person.

As the brave someone who stood against an S-rank Hunter.

‘Well, I’ll give it a try.’

I stared at Lee Hwa-yeon quietly and then spoke firmly.

“If the appraisal results are wrong, I’ll give you a 100% refund. That should be sufficient.”

“Hmm, but it’s better to check right away, isn’t it? It seems like you can’t use stats or magic power here strangely. I think we need to go outside to do it.”

“Then go ahead. I’ll be here until you come back.”

“That’s not what I mean. I’d like you to do it in front of this store.”

Lee Hwa-yeon gestured toward the Warp Gate with her head.

‘Friendly Appraisal’ was located in a prime spot directly visible from the Warp Gate, inside the Babel Square branch.

I had no idea who she planned to attack to gain gauge, but Lee Hwa-yeon’s current demand was unreasonable and obstinate.

I knew this person was thirty-two years old, but this was childish and stupid-looking blackmail that didn’t match her age.

Even I, who was trying to maintain the role of a kind merchant, had limits to my patience.

I asked with a serious expression.

“Ms. Lee Hwa-yeon, you know that your current behavior is clearly blackmail, right?”

“I’m talking nicely, so where’s the blackmail?”

Ha, really.

S-ranks are hard to deal with.

The tension I felt earlier when seeing the Holy Light’s Arbiter had now turned into irritation.

‘Sam-i, get this person out of here!’

Please don’t make me sound like I’m doing house calls!

That was the moment.

[⁕ Service time has ended, so the customer will be forcibly ejected.]

Just as a notification appeared before my eyes.

“Huh?!”

Lee Hwa-yeon’s body, which had been standing on the threshold, was lightly pushed outside by a blue force.

Lee Hwa-yeon, pushed back about a meter, just blinked her eyes as if she couldn’t grasp what was happening.

Her face, which had been relaxed all along, clearly showed signs of confusion.

“……What is this?”

Her sly voice instantly became subdued.

Then in the blink of an eye, she stood in front of the door, but.

“What on earth is this……”

Lee Hwa-yeon couldn’t enter the store, blocked by a blue barrier.

Golden holy power rippled in Lee Hwa-yeon’s eyes as she touched the barrier.

It was good that Sam-i had kicked Lee Hwa-yeon out at the right timing.

‘However, I’ll become even more suspicious to Lee Hwa-yeon.’

Sure enough, Lee Hwa-yeon asked with a much more serious face.

“What is this? Is this your ability, appraiser?”

At that piercing gaze, I swallowed a sigh.

Had she made a negative judgment about me?

If so, I couldn’t give out any more information about myself.

“Business hours are over. I told you earlier. The service I provide goes only this far.”

“Appraiser. There’s more than one or two suspicious things. Kicking me out like this won’t resolve all the questions. Baekdan might come after you, you know?”

At those words, I rather brazenly crossed my arms.

My dream of being a quiet rich person that I wanted was already gone when I became Chae Geun-dam’s kingmaker.

Now I’m taking the route of a lofty merchant.

“I’m just a mere appraiser.”

At my response delivered with a shrug of my shoulders, Lee Hwa-yeon stared at me blankly as if she had lost her words.

Right, this would be the first time someone didn’t bend even after hearing the names of Lee Hwa-yeon and Baekdan.

Lee Hwa-yeon seemed to change tactics and began to complain calmly.

“No, but this is too much. Kicking out a customer like this in the middle of a conversation?”

“The customer threatened me first, didn’t you?”

“When did I do that?”

“You forcibly demanded house calls, completely ignored my opinion, talked about testing in front of my store, and grabbed my wrist without consent. It’s not just one or two things.”

A brief silence flowed.

If a person has any conscience, they couldn’t argue back here.

‘But I shouldn’t make an enemy of Baekdan here.’

Although she was blackmailing me now, Lee Hwa-yeon was one of the important talents who would climb the Tower of Babel.

And since Park Bo-bae, who saved me from the Sudden Gate, also belonged to Baekdan, it might be good to leave some room open.

I spoke in a slightly softer tone.

“If you want house calls, make a formal request. You’ll need to send an S-rank or higher contract that includes the test location, time, safety and confidentiality guarantees, and a no-questions clause.”

If my safety is guaranteed and I don’t have to reveal anything, there’s no reason I can’t go on a business trip.

At my demand, Lee Hwa-yeon frowned and asked.

“An S-grade or higher contract? Do you know how much that costs…?”

“The customer is S-grade, after all. And the business trip fee is separate. Basic 10,000 Gold. Hazard pay varies by floor.”

“You’ve really gotten greedy for money.”

“It’s business.”

Another silence.

However, there was nothing Lee Hwa-yeon could do to me right now.

“Ha, I never thought I’d get dragged into this.”

I didn’t answer and just stared at Lee Hwa-yeon quietly.

Lee Hwa-yeon scratched her chin thoughtfully for a while, then chuckled.

“Then I’ll formally submit a request. I’ll prepare the contract too.”

Then Lee Hwa-yeon, who was about to leave, hesitated.

“Let me ask one last thing. Do you know much about the owner of Friendly Market?”

Unlike her previous question that seemed to confirm I was the market owner, this question asking if I ‘knew’ was helpful to me.

I thought for a moment before answering.

“Well. I also signed a confidentiality contract.”

Lee Hwa-yeon nodded quietly as if she understood.

I stared quietly at Lee Hwa-yeon’s back as she walked straight toward the Warp Gate, then quietly called my assistant.

‘Sam-i.’

[⁕ Yes, did you call me? :)]

‘Besides the Anonymity skill, is there another way to change into someone else’s face?’

[⁕ Do you need an Open Market search? Search results show a total of 1,348 items exist :)]

I looked at the notification window and nodded.

It seems I need to create an alt character.

As someone no one knows.

* * *

After leaving the Tower of Babel, Lee Hwa-yeon headed straight to Baekdan’s headquarters building.

“Guild Master, you’re here?”

“Have you eaten? It’s already evening.”

“Guild Master, the equipment team uploaded the materials!”

Lee Hwa-yeon responded with a bright smile to the greetings pouring in from guild members everywhere.

Baekdan was the guild with the best corporate rating in the country.

An atmosphere where everyone could comfortably exchange greetings.

Since Lee Hwa-yeon, an S-grade Hunter and Guild Master, was also someone they could greet, it wasn’t wrong to call it a harmonious guild.

Lee Hwa-yeon, who exchanged small talk with guild members she met in the elevator, had a smiling face throughout.

However.

Thud-

The moment she entered the Guild Master’s office on the 20th floor, Lee Hwa-yeon’s expression subtly cracked.

As soon as Lee Hwa-yeon entered the Guild Master’s office, she threw herself onto the sofa and let out a deep sigh.

The atmosphere was quite different from the lobby where warm sunlight had been pouring in.

The Guild Master’s office with white walls, minimal furniture, and marble finishes was cold and quiet, unlike Lee Hwa-yeon’s public image.

“Seo-yoon, are you here?”

When she asked into the air, rustling sounds could be heard from somewhere.

Soon someone slowly stood up from behind the desk, muttering.

“You’re here. Why did you come so early…?”

Yoon Seo-yoon, who had been organizing documents in the corner of the office, slowly raised her head.

Dark circles extending from her sanpaku eyes down to her chin, rimless glasses, and a thin body.

An utterly ordinary C-grade Hunter.

But in reality, she was Baekdan’s actual brain, possessing skills comparable to S+ grade.

Of course, her drawling speech that seemed to find everything bothersome, insincere tone, and listless expression were flaws.

Lee Hwa-yeon, who had gotten used to it and didn’t mind much, casually spoke first.

“Aren’t you going to ask how it went?”

“Well…”

Yoon Seo-yoon, who dismissed the phrase ‘Since you’re not talking first, I guess there wasn’t much to gain’ with just one word “well,” tilted her head slightly.

Lee Hwa-yeon began muttering and telling her story.

“The appraiser was a really interesting person. I got kicked out, me! Me, the Guild Master of Baekdan, got kicked out!”

“Wow, how…?”

“It wasn’t by force. A blue light flashed in the store, and when I came to my senses, I was pushed outside.”

“A special barrier…? Guild Master, you’re not that weak though…”

“Right, suspicious isn’t it? And that appraiser said my weapon really has a Hidden Ability.”

Lee Hwa-yeon took out the Holy Light’s Arbiter and fiddled with it.

This mace was now closer to a precious companion she’d been with for a long time rather than just a weapon.

But to think there was a Hidden Ability she didn’t know about.

Actually, when I got kicked out, I was bewildered and angry, but thinking about it, I became more interested.

“Is it true…?”

“Well, it didn’t seem like they were lying. Most importantly…”

When Lee Hwa-yeon suddenly stopped talking, Yoon Seo-yoon, who had been sorting documents, looked up.

Lee Hwa-yeon was looking into space and grinning.

“They weren’t intimidated by me at all. At first they seemed a bit scared, but they got more confident as time went on? They said they’d only meet if I prepared business trip fees, hazard pay, and even an S-grade contract.”

“Wow…”

Yoon Seo-yoon, who expressed admiration in a completely unenthusiastic tone, nodded readily.

This Guild Master, who was definitely not smart, must have gotten entangled after pushing ahead on her own.

“Oh, right. Prepare an S-grade contract, Seo-yoon. Include safety guarantee, confidentiality, and no-questions clauses.”

“Exactly what kind…”

“Don’t you know?”

She could somehow prepare the contract, but Yoon Seo-yoon openly let out a deep sigh at the reckless Guild Master’s instructions.

“Oh, the Management Bureau just contacted us… They’re calling for Guild Master assembly…”

“Huh? Why?”

It hadn’t even been a week since the Guild Masters were assembled over the Friendly Market issue.

A Guild Master reassembly after just one week – this unprecedented situation made Lee Hwa-yeon scrunch up her face as she looked at Yoon Seo-yoon.

Yoon Seo-yoon blinked slowly before bringing up the main point.

“About the 51st Floor issue…”

“51st Floor? Isn’t it Aegis’s turn?”

“There’s a problem…”

“What?”

They had broken through the particularly difficult 49th Floor, so they just needed to climb diligently again – what problem could there be?

Lee Hwa-yeon shrugged as if she didn’t understand.

However, Yoon Seo-yoon muttered and added once more.

“Something seemed really off…”

If Yoon Seo-yoon, who found it bothersome to say even one more word, said that much, it really was a serious situation.

Lee Hwa-yeon buried herself in the sofa and let out a groan.

I don’t know the details, but if the steadfast Aegis requested a summons to this extent.

‘Floor 51 won’t be easy.’

That much I could be certain of.

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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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