24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 47
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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 47
Episode 47. The Arrow That Left the Bowstring (6)
This is bad.
My plan to avoid the raid team is on the verge of complete collapse.
If I run into Han Romi with my bare face without a mask, that would truly be a major disaster.
I felt resentful once again toward that unnamed beastkin who had forcibly torn off my mask when I entered Kona, claiming I looked suspicious.
The only things that could hide my identity were my fancy mask collection and the Anonymity skill, but the currently effective Anonymity skill only made my features slightly blurry.
‘Sam-i, find me an item that can change faces from the market right now.’
I urgently called Sam-i, feeling like my lifespan was being shortened with each step that brought me closer to the cage.
[⁕ A total of 2,813 search results exist.]
‘Of course you need to filter through those and find the most useful one yourself!’
Are you doing this on purpose to annoy me even in this situation?
I got one step closer to Han Romi.
[> Available for Purchase
– Selkie’s Hide 31,394G
– Mask of All Forms 490,120G
– ■■■’s Medallion 9 1,000,700G]
‘Ha, damn, look at those brutal prices!’
What kind of price range is 300 million, 4 billion, and 10 billion?
I wondered if I could solve this with the cheapest option and checked the first item.
[Selkie’s Hide (A)
The hide of a seal fairy selkie. When worn, allows transformation into a seal.
Death occurs if encountered by the hide’s original owner.]
It was asking me to suddenly become a seal beastkin, so I passed.
Even though the money was precious, I had to choose a different option.
[Mask of All Forms (S)
A silver mask created by the Archmage of Achaemenes to hide his identity.
When worn, allows perfect transformation into the appearance of any being seen at least once.
This transformation reproduces not only appearance but also voice and body type, maintained for a certain period.
/Hidden Ability/ Risk of partial memory loss if maintaining the same person’s appearance for extended periods.]
[■■■’s Medallion 9 (S+)
An ancient magical device used by mythical races to blend into human society.
When worn, hides original racial characteristics and allows transformation into desired appearance.
This is the 9th ■■■’s Medallion among the 10 remaining medallions after the creation method was lost.]
With prices in the billions, these items certainly lived up to their cost.
‘Damn, I didn’t plan to spend money like this on the 51st floor.’
I didn’t struggle like a merchant in all sorts of places to earn money for this.
Though the money was precious, it was possible if I emptied all the gold I had left.
I bought the ‘Mask of All Forms’ with tears in my eyes.
Lee Hae-won’s life – spending 4.9 billion after just stepping out for a moment.
Utterly unfortunate.
The face to change into was…
“Hmm, human, didn’t you originally have long hair?”
“…No, I didn’t?”
“Am I mistaken then? Strange. Anyway, come here.”
The wolf beastkin only knew how to get angry and seemed to lack observation skills.
My height had increased by 15 centimeters and my voice had gotten lower.
My face had become more angular and my hair that reached my back had become a short cut.
‘This actually works.’
I stood before Han Romi with Lee Hae-on’s face.
Who is Lee Hae-on?
My brother.
My one and only biological brother who went missing and whose life or death is unknown, but whom I hope is still alive.
Since he’s already registered as deceased in Babel, using my brother’s face should be… okay.
‘Brother would understand even if he came back alive.’
Probably.
“Who are you…?”
At Han Romi’s dazed question, I turned my head to look at her.
Han Romi seemed interested in me, a human she was seeing here for the first time, as she widened her eyes briefly before making them drowsy again.
“I’m… a human under house arrest.”
“Hmm, so you live in the trees…”
I was stunned by her relaxed tone that showed no tension at all.
‘Isn’t she a bit too free of prejudice?’
Right, as famous as the Verdant Resort building was Han Romi, who always went around like a smartphone on the verge of battery depletion.
Unlike Park Ji-woon, the weary civil servant crushed by work, Han Romi was the type who seemed to lack energy as a person.
Moreover, with her snow-white hair and exotic light ochre eyes, she appeared somewhat detached from the world.
But would that extend to being in a cage too?
Then the eagle beastkin standing beside tapped my shoulder and said.
“You, interrogate this human.”
This was bewildering in a different way.
“…Strictly speaking, aren’t I also under surveillance?”
I was planning to obediently do whatever they asked.
But their behavior of bringing a captured human, even summoning Echo claiming she was suspicious, then telling me to interrogate her was so absurd I had to ask back.
“I don’t want to even talk to this human! I’m sick of it!”
Wow.
When an eagle spreads both wings, it’s really huge.
Having learned new knowledge, I reflexively nodded.
Then I took a step back, turning away from the wolf and eagle beastkin who were looking at me with eyes still full of irritation, and slowly approached the cage.
Han Romi was leaning against the cage bars, looking up at me.
Even if she’s a support-specialized awakener, if Han Romi wanted to leave this place, she could do so right now.
Her gentle eyes with a slightly drooping shape.
Below them, empty eyes without any will were gazing at me.
Ah, to put it differently, she just seemed listless.
I crouched down to meet Han Romi’s eyes.
“Why did you come here?”
“Just… because there were medicinal herbs.”
Han Romi answered more readily than I expected.
“What kind of medicinal herbs?”
“Blending Herb…?”
“What’s a Blending Herb?”
“Hmm, you don’t know about that…?”
I suddenly realized why the eagle beastkin had gotten so pissed off.
Even now, they were radiating angry energy from behind me, so I barely managed to hold back my irritation.
“I don’t know. Please explain.”
“Well, it’s bothersome… but basically, Blending Herb increases the compatibility rate between medicinal herbs. And the most effective Blending Herb ever discovered happens to be here…”
“But how did you know the Blending Herb was here? From the pub… I mean, humans can’t come here from human territory, right?”
I almost said “strategy team.”
“That’s because of my skill…”
“What kind of skill?”
“I shouldn’t tell you about that…”
As a South Korean citizen, I could easily guess it was Han Romi’s well-known skill, but right now I was a marionette of the beastkin radiating fierce energy behind me.
I whispered with the most desperate face I could manage.
“I know it’s rude of me too, but I need to make a good impression on the people behind me.”
“Ah…”
Han Romi nodded weakly.
No matter how indifferent someone is to worldly matters, they wouldn’t ignore such an earnest request.
“I have a skill that lets me hear the voices of leaves. They told me about it…”
“That’s what she says?”
Thinking I had the right answer, I turned around and gave a thumbs up.
However, the wolf beastkin muttered bluntly with a face full of distrust.
“A skill? What nonsense. You expect us to believe that?”
“They’re asking if you expect them to believe that?”
“I heard them too…”
Han Romi blinked quietly, then extended her hand outside the cage.
Then she began slowly releasing green energy with her empty hand.
The energy that bloomed small like a sprout above Han Romi’s palm soon began stretching toward the sky like vines.
‘This is Leaves’ Story…’
‘Leaves’ Story’, the most well-known skill among Han Romi’s abilities.
Literally a skill that reads memories left in leaves – it can’t read old memories, but memories from about two days ago are no problem.
A warm and cozy life force that felt no hostility whatsoever.
Not just me, but even the beastkin forgot everything for that moment and just stared blankly at the green energy.
Finally, when the green energy stretching upward gently touched a leaf.
Han Romi looked straight at the two beastkin with eyes rippling with green energy and opened her mouth.
“You there, wolf and eagle, last night you two were here alone kis-“
“Got it! I believe you!”
The eagle beastkin jumped up and cut off Han Romi’s slow words in one stroke.
The wolf beastkin even covered their mouth and turned their head away sharply.
…What is it?
“What is it?”
“Watch your mouth, human!”
“What is it! I’m really curious!”
No, I’m human and suspicious things aside!
What happened between you two last night!
I quickly looked at Han Romi, but she who had dropped such a huge hint didn’t seem inclined to tell me more about last night.
“Shut up!”
“Ah, I’m curious, what was it!”
“Don’t forget you’re currently detained, human!”
“I didn’t forget that! So what exactly happened yesterday!”
“So, what do we do with this human?”
They seemed to have decided to ignore me completely.
I finally came to my senses too.
Ah, my brain that got soaked in romance after meeting Clara chased after another hit of dopamine.
I’m in an incredibly serious situation right now, but I got distracted again.
At the eagle beastkin’s words, the wolf beastkin answered with a serious face.
“For now, it doesn’t seem like you’re lying. But even so, we can’t let you go-“
Just as the wolf beastkin was informing Han Romi of this.
“Wanda! Tom!”
Someone’s shout came from far away near the ladder.
I couldn’t see what kind of beastkin it was, but they had tremendous vocal power.
“Big trouble! The warriors who went to the front lines have returned, and they’re all badly injured!”
“What?!”
“A fallen shell happened to hit explosives! The warrior captain is in critical condition!”
The atmosphere between the eagle and wolf couple froze instantly.
I also stiffened, thinking of someone at the mention of “front lines.”
Rabbit warrior Onak, who had been kind to me.
Without realizing it, I grabbed the wolf beastkin’s arm and asked.
“Is that warrior captain by any chance Onak?”
The wolf beastkin, who was about to brush off my touch in displeasure, hesitated after seeing my face.
“…You know the warrior captain?”
That was confirmation.
‘Of all people, Onak!’
If coincidence goes this far, it’s destiny.
At the news that Onak of all people was injured, my mind went blank for a moment.
Previously, I wouldn’t have gotten attached to the Tower’s NPCs called ‘Performers’, but Floor 51 is a space where the dimension remains even after clearing.
That means I could continue meeting Echo and Onak even after clearing.
‘Surely he won’t die.’
I don’t know how critical his condition is.
Whether a beastkin’s body, with recovery ability only slightly better than humans, could endure serious injuries.
I suddenly found myself imagining Onak’s funeral and Echo left alone.
The ominous imagination didn’t stop there, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I imagined placing a bouquet on his grave.
Normally I would have at least tried looking for something in the market.
But I had just spent all my gold buying the Mask of All Things, so I had no options left.
“I could heal him…”
If not for Han Romi.
Hearing that slow voice felt like a ray of light breaking through.
‘Right, there’s Han Romi!’
In this place with only critically injured, front lines, and beastkin hostile to humans, a healer had miraculously come.
Powerlessly imprisoned, but still.
Still South Korea’s pride… Guild Master of Verdant Guild, ‘Saint of Healing’ Han Romi.
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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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