24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 31

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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 31

Episode 31. Floor 51 (1)

Inside a dark room with not a single light turned on.

In Aegis’s CEO Office, Seo Jae-hyuk sat in silence today as well, still in a foul mood, staring out the window without making a sound.

Seoul’s night was bright and brilliant as always, but the dazzling lights only cast deeper shadows in Seo Jae-hyuk’s heart.

There was only one thing that made Seo Jae-hyuk worry so much.

It was Floor 51, which he had recently set foot on.

He didn’t know how his life had come to be proven by climbing the Tower of Babel, but it was still something he had to do.

However, Floor 51 made him question that sense of responsibility and duty.

‘Damn it.’

Seo Jae-hyuk frowned as he held back the curse that was about to escape his lips.

He had expected to make up for the sluggish progress he’d had so far, but Floor 51, which he had entered with such expectations, was very different from what he had anticipated.

[■ Babel System > Floor 51 Notification

– Main scenario ‘Such Desperate Peace’ has been opened.]

Yes, it was fine when he first entered Floor 51.

When he was placed alone in the grayish-brown wasteland landscape where no living creatures could be seen, nothing seemed strange.

Unlike the scenarios that had simple names until now, it was somewhat interesting that this one clearly had a title that suggested some kind of story, but that was all he thought about it.

However, the notification that appeared soon after completely overturned Seo Jae-hyuk’s expectations.

[■ Babel System > Scenario Notification

– The number of scenario participants assigned to scenario ‘Such Desperate Peace’ is ’10 people’.

– From Floor 51 onwards, scenarios will not reset even after clearing, and the number of floors opened afterwards will randomly vary depending on the scenario’s progression.

– From Floor 51 onwards, dropping out mid-scenario is impossible.

– It is recommended to deploy Awakened individuals with appropriate abilities for each floor to clear them.]

The feeling when that unfamiliar ‘Scenario Notification’ appeared in that barren field.

Not only the guild members who were nervously facing Floor 51, but even Seo Jae-hyuk, who usually never panicked, froze.

The fact that scenarios wouldn’t reset could be interpreted to mean that floors would be fixed in the state they were in when a new field or scenario was completed.

The fact that the number of floors opened after clearing varied could also be interpreted to mean that multiple floors could be skipped at once.

It was guidance completely different from previous scenarios.

Most of all, the main scenario that appeared as soon as he finished reading the scenario notification surprised Seo Jae-hyuk.

[Main Scenario ‘Such Desperate Peace’ (Region-Prorovel Ι Dimension-Ganasia)

+

The Beastkin and Human races of Ganasia waged a bloody war for a thousand years.

Through the ‘Kantana Peace Agreement’ made after countless sacrifices, the two races came to coexist for the next hundred years.

However, ten years ago, the suddenly spreading ‘Erosion of Agemor’ began slowly devouring the continent.

Green fields turned into gray wastelands, and clear river water rotted black.

The land where life dwelled continues to shrink moment by moment even now.

Over the last land where survival is permitted, the sanctuary Prorovel, the two races drew their swords again.

Peace became a luxury, and survival became the only truth.

+

Scenario Objective: Seek reconciliation between the two races and stop the ‘Erosion of Agemor’.

+

Scenario Hints:

1) The ‘Erosion of Agemor’ is also effective against Awakened individuals.

2) A gatekeeper is needed to revive the ancient oath.

3) There exists a sprout that does not wither.]

A main scenario with more content than he had ever seen before.

The moment he saw the specific yet ambiguous scenario content, Seo Jae-hyuk realized he was facing something more complex and difficult than any scenario he had experienced so far.

If it had simply been about hunting down all the monsters, he wouldn’t have been so flustered.

Seo Jae-hyuk had an intuition.

Floor 51’s scenario couldn’t be cleared with strength alone.

In the end, Seo Jae-hyuk gave up on reconnaissance.

He even had to make the painful choice of having guild members attack each other to follow Babel’s rule that all Hunters who entered a floor could only leave when they were in a near-death state.

Recalling the situation where comrades who fought back-to-back had to shed each other’s blood just to escape that space, Seo Jae-hyuk’s temples throbbed.

Knock knock knock-

At the small knocking sound, Seo Jae-hyuk broke from his thoughts and looked up.

“Please come in.”

The one who opened the door was his secretary who had been by his side for a long time, Ahn Yeon-seo.

Ahn Yeon-seo’s expression was rigidly hardened.

Seeing her serious demeanor that wasn’t usually visible, Seo Jae-hyuk intuited that the results weren’t good.

“CEO, the analysis is complete.”

“How did the results turn out?”

Ahn Yeon-seo quietly closed the door and stepped inside.

As Ahn Yeon-seo, holding a tablet, quietly muttered something, her eyes began to turn white.

The reason he chose Ahn Yeon-seo, a B-rank Hunter, as his secretary was precisely because of that skill, ‘Idea Analysis’.

When a target result is set, Ahn Yeon-seo’s skill compiles all available information to find the optimal path.

The analysis data projected from Ahn Yeon-seo’s whitened eyes filled the center of the CEO Office.

The complex charts and figures represented Floor 51’s information, the scenario’s content, Aegis’s personnel data, and past scenarios’ clearing patterns.

‘Idea Analysis’ converges those thousands of pieces of information through complex calculations into a single conclusion.

[Scenario Clear Probability: 0.021%]

An extremely terrible probability that would become 0 when rounded.

He had expected it, but seeing it confirmed with actual numbers was even more devastating.

As Seo Jae-hyuk let out a groan while looking at the hologram, Ahn Yeon-seo spoke with a firm voice.

“It seems difficult to form a raid team with only the guild’s internal personnel. No, it’s impossible.”

“Is it absolutely impossible even with high-grade rankers?”

“Yes, it can only be interpreted as requiring the best combination that South Korea can offer. In other words, we must work together with Hunters from other guilds. No matter how I calculate it, it cannot be solved with only Aegis guild members.”

Seo Jae-hyuk stared at Ahn Yeon-seo silently without answering.

Normally, it would be cooperation that could never be achieved due to inter-guild pride and complexly intertwined interests.

The seven major guilds were competitors and targets for mutual restraint at the same time.

However, no matter how long he thought about it, Seo Jae-hyuk had no other options.

‘This isn’t the time to worry about pride.’

Seo Jae-hyuk smiled bitterly to himself.

“Then what are the results when including other guilds?”

As if she had already completed the analysis including other guilds’ forces, Ahn Yeon-seo immediately displayed the next hologram without answering.

In the new hologram Ahn Yeon-seo displayed, a narrow path that had been hidden was revealed.

[Scenario Clear Probability: 12.903%]

“It’s not that high, but there’s a clear difference. If it could be solved with combat power, Aegis would have no problem conquering it solo, but what the 51st Floor seems to require is ‘completing the story.'”

Ahn Yeon-seo was being particularly harsh with her accurate words today.

Seo Jae-hyuk knew it too.

If the condition were to stop ‘Agemore’s Erosion,’ that would be one thing, but he had no idea where to even begin with the harmony between Beastkin and humans.

It was certainly not the simple structure they had experienced so far.

The Tower of Babel, where he had thought only the strong could reach the highest places.

But Babel no longer demanded only strength.

It presented complex and cunning conditions, mocking Seo Jae-hyuk who had stood at the forefront of an order built on power.

Ahn Yeon-seo looked straight into Seo Jae-hyuk’s eyes and spoke resolutely.

“Babel is demanding from us.”

“…”

“South Korea’s ‘cooperation.'”

Ahn Yeon-seo had never said ‘100 percent’ even with that capable skill of hers.

Given that, there must be a clear reason for Ahn Yeon-seo’s resolute reaction.

Seo Jae-hyuk realized that further internal discussion was unnecessary.

“Let’s deliver the analysis to the Babel Management Bureau right away and send cooperation documents to each guild.”

“What date should we set?”

“Three days from now.”

Three days from now was neither too late nor too early.

It would be enough time for other guilds who didn’t know the situation to approach with questions about what exactly the 51st Floor was.

“Understood.”

Seo Jae-hyuk swallowed a sigh as he watched Ahn Yeon-seo quietly fidgeting with her tablet.

If necessary, he should be able to use other guilds as weapons too.

That was Seo Jae-hyuk’s sense of duty as someone rated number one.

But at the same time, he knew this was the first moment he had faced his own limitations.

Outside the window, Seoul’s night view still sparkled, but Seo Jae-hyuk didn’t have the leisure to look at it.

* * *

Finally!

“50th Floor store openings complete!”

Behind me as I roared while throwing the documents on the table, Alessandro, who had been sitting there blankly, muttered.

“Could I perhaps take a vacation?”

“What did you say?”

“A vacation…”

Alessandro couldn’t even finish his words and just stared at me blankly.

“Rest well until tomorrow, I’ll post the store opening confirmation notice myself.”

As soon as I said that, Alessandro collapsed.

Thousands of store opening applications that had made even a royal knight commander collapse.

As soon as the store permits were issued, translucent signs appeared at the entrances of the 47 previously empty stores.

And!

[Awakener Lee Hae-won – Open Market Manager (EX)

> New Notification

– Title Job Quest (6) has been completed.

– Some functions of the Open Market have been unlocked.

> ‘Friendly Appraisal’ inquiries: 5

> ‘Friendly Repair’ inquiries: 2]

“…Ah, more inquiries came in.”

I was trying to check the job quest completion notification when I unluckily ended up seeing the work as well.

Whether word of mouth had spread, requests came in occasionally even though I hadn’t done any separate promotion.

Though there weren’t any requests with as tremendous an impact as Lee Hwa-yeon’s.

Anyway, after handling various unremarkable repair and appraisal requests in my spare time, I even succeeded in leveling up my Appraisal skill.

I wondered where this would be needed, but since the level had gone up, it didn’t feel bad.

“I have to go… to work…”

I sluggishly got up from my seat.

Having work was a good thing, but maybe because I was completely drained from the store screening process.

‘I want to postpone it.’

But that was the fastest way for a novice self-employed person to hear ‘Do you want to close your business?’

Being tied up with these damn documents and stuck here without being able to do anything was already eating away at my image.

I should set specific inquiry hours and post a notice or something.

I let out a deep sigh and stood up.

“Alessandro, I’m going downstairs for a bit.”

“Where… are you going…?”

Alessandro answered in a voice that sounded like he was about to breathe his last.

Did I make someone who came from another dimension work too hard?

I felt sorry, but if that man hadn’t been there, I would probably still be crying while flipping through documents.

The documents wouldn’t even flip properly, soaked with tears.

I looked pitifully at Alessandro’s haggard appearance after a week and opened my mouth.

“Just handle the inquiries that came to the ‘Information Desk.’ I’ll process a few appraisal and repair jobs and visit the Bamanjang Store.”

“Alright, don’t worry and go…”

It wasn’t a very reassuring voice, but I obediently waved my hand and got up from the table.

The meeting room set up on the 3rd floor, which was a restricted access area.

When I left the meeting room set up on the 3rd floor, a restricted access area, and looked at the blue grassland outside, I finally felt the reality that everything was finished.

Now then.

‘Should I visit the 25th Floor first?’

I should briefly visit Bamanjang to replenish supplies for Kang Yeon-hee’s potion shop Babel Square branch.

Of course, my light expectation of returning home quickly was completely wrong.

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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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