24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 57

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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 57

Episode 57. The Arrow That Left the Bowstring (16)

When I arrived in Kona, the sun was already hanging at the edge of the eastern sky.

‘Come to think of it, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east here.’

It was quite an unusual sight, and I only noticed it now.

I chuckled at the thought of how foolish I was.

The scenery of Kona had changed a bit.

The vigilance was much stricter than before, and injured beastkin could be seen everywhere.

Well, this place is in the middle of a war, so it can’t be helped.

Suddenly, Remy’s smiling face came to mind, and I bit my lip.

Anyway, the reason I came here was to create a world where there would be no more children living lives full of wounds like Remy.

I put the Green River into my inventory and trudged into the village.

I was worried about getting caught at the entrance checkpoint, but fortunately, it seemed widely known that I was the human who saved Echo and Clara and polished Gilliard’s shell.

After walking deep into the village for a while, I saw the familiar path where Echo had guided me, saying her house was there.

‘I had promised to visit Echo’s house sometime.’

As I walked while reminiscing about trivial memories, I stopped and stood right there.

“Ah.”

I let out a single word filled with stupidity.

Surprisingly, I didn’t know where Echo’s house was.

This is the problem when a person moves with only determination.

I was wondering if I should grab anyone and ask when it happened.

“Sister!”

At the voice coming from afar, I was so moved that I squeezed my eyes shut.

A bright and cheerful voice.

A small cat beastkin was running toward me with both arms spread wide from that alley entrance.

Echo was planning to save this world, and she even knew how to save lost lambs.

Of course, as soon as I saw Echo, a small child who was no longer in this world came to mind, but I pushed the memory away and responded with a smile.

“Echo!”

Echo threw herself into my arms with all her might.

“Have you been well?”

“Sister, I was sad because I couldn’t see you for long last time. When will you come visit our house?”

Echo rubbed her cheek against my clothes with an innocent face.

At her display of emotions without hiding anything, I couldn’t help but smile lightly.

How much must this village have cherished Echo for her to grow up to be such an honest and affectionate child.

“Sorry, I was a bit busy. Nothing happened, right?”

“Of course! Oh, I grew a little taller.”

Echo straightened her body and boasted.

It looked about the same to me, but her proud expression was cute, so I gently patted Echo’s head.

Then Onak, who had been behind her, slowly approached.

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

He still waved with a good-natured smile, but he was limping as his body was still uncomfortable.

Even though I had used Hanromi’s effective potion, it seemed he needed more time to move like before.

Onak bowed politely and expressed his gratitude.

“I heard you came. The warriors received a lot of help, I heard.”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

While the adults were making calculations, Echo excitedly circled around me.

Her chattering voice constantly tickled my eardrums.

“What did you come to do today? Did you bring sandwiches?”

…Sandwiches.

Come to think of it, I gave Echo a sandwich when I first met her too.

The Ganashia continent, where you can win children’s favor with just a sandwich. What a pure place it is.

Echo’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at me with eyes full of expectation.

But I didn’t come today to play with Echo.

I knelt down to match Echo’s eye level and slowly placed my hand on her small shoulder.

At my serious gaze without a trace of laughter, Echo opened her eyes wide as if puzzled.

“Echo, I have a favor to ask.”

“I’ll do anything if it’s sister’s request!”

“No, no. You should listen first and then answer. How do you know what I’m going to ask?”

“Sister wouldn’t ask for anything strange!”

Having seen me only a few times, her deepened trust brought both guilt and regret simultaneously.

Unlike Onak, who frowned as if judging that something was strange, Echo still had a giggling face.

To ask such a child to come with me for the fate of the continent.

‘Is this right?’

Words kept building up in my throat.

Even so.

“Could you go on a short trip with me? To save this continent, I need you, Echo.”

I had no other choice besides Echo.

Even if it meant pushing Echo into danger.

To put it coldly, the world I lived in was South Korea, not Floor 51 here.

Even if I looked like a villain, it was an unavoidable choice.

“Me?”

“What are you talking about?”

Onak pulled Echo away from me and asked sharply.

The favorable look he had toward me disappeared completely, and his bright red eyes, filled with wariness, glowed fiercely.

“A trip? Where are you planning to go?”

“…We’re going to Prorobell.”

“Are you insane?”

No, I’m perfectly sane.

But Onak quickly hid Echo behind him.

Not only that, but I could feel faint hostility in his eyes.

He was probably thinking something like ‘humans really can’t be trusted after all.’

‘That’s a bit disappointing.’

Though it’s all a situation I created.

Onak had a firm expression as if he would never be convinced without hearing the reason.

I let out a deep sigh and raised my head.

I wanted to be understood by these two people.

About the work I had to do.

“This story will be quite long.”

I told Onak and Echo the explanation I had given to Anton in more detail.

Throughout the story, Onak remained motionless, only staring at the ground, while Echo nodded occasionally.

When my story ended, the sun had already set at the eastern edge.

“Still, I can’t allow it. I heard the path to Prorobell is already covered in fog. I can’t send Echo to such a dangerous place.”

Ah, as expected.

Since Onak had raised Echo, who had no parents, like his own child, I knew he would naturally oppose it.

However, Echo’s reaction was different.

Echo, who had been looking down at the ground and fidgeting with her hands for a while, asked in a clear voice.

“Can only I do that?”

“……Huh? That’s right.”

“Echo, what are you talking about? It’s dangerous!”

Onak hurriedly tried to stop her, but Echo looked up at me with very clear eyes and asked.

“Then will everyone really stop fighting?”

“…….”

Echo’s eyes were sparkling brightly.

I was momentarily speechless and just looked down at Echo quietly.

If I had made the same request to Remi, wouldn’t Remi have looked at me with these same eyes?

As I just stared without even blinking at the sudden rush of emotion, Echo asked something else with an utterly pure face.

“Then will both beastkin and humans become happy?”

Happy?

The idea that not fighting leads to happiness is something that would only appear in fairy tales.

I couldn’t give a definitive answer, nor did I want to lie.

Still, I could at least give a hopeful response, couldn’t I?

I carefully stroked Echo’s head and murmured.

“I don’t know about that. But the feelings of hatred toward each other will disappear.”

“Then I’ll go!”

“Echo!”

Onak was actually startled by her cheerful answer.

No, honestly, I was incredibly surprised too.

Actually, if Echo had refused, I was planning to somehow persuade her… and if that didn’t work, I was thinking of taking her by force.

While rationalizing to myself that it was an unavoidable choice for clearing the scenario.

Echo, who had been looking back and forth at the faces of two adults who were just moving their mouths in surprise at her unexpected answer, spoke in a very cheerful tone.

“I hope everyone stops fighting. I hope no one gets hurt! I don’t really understand why we have to hate each other and cause pain. The outside is scary, but… if you help me, it might be a little less scary!”

Echo wasn’t being boastful at all as she said this.

She was just glowing as if she was happy to be able to do something natural.

Onak couldn’t bring himself to say anything more and hung his head.

When I also looked away, feeling embarrassed for a moment, a small warmth touched my hand.

A soft little hand grasped mine tightly.

“Mom said so. Hating someone is a very difficult thing to do. So everyone must be having a hard time.”

“…….”

“Sister, even if humans dislike us… they probably don’t really want to, right?”

Looking at me, who was speechless in front of realistic concerns.

The ‘Unfading Sprout’ smiled brightly.

* * *

“Ah… the sun is rising.”

At my murmur, Echo, who had been dozing while leaning against my back, mumbled in a voice full of sleepiness.

“Mmm… sandwich……”

Next time we meet, I absolutely have to bring a bundle of sandwiches.

I yawned widely and rolled my tired eyes.

Prorovel was located at the southernmost part of the border region between beastkin and human territories.

To put it simply, the east was human territory, the west was beastkin territory, and the south was Prorovel.

But direction wasn’t the problem.

I had thought the Ganashia continent would be about the size of Jeju Island at most, but now I was regretting having such thoughts.

I had been riding the Nokgacheon from Kona for 8 hours, but couldn’t even see anything resembling a sanctuary.

Moreover, since I had to avoid the raid team stationed at Reikam near Prorovel, my eyes had to move busily the entire time.

By now, Agemor was probably smiling sinisterly in the opposite direction, up north.

Very cheerfully, unlike me who was suffering like this.

‘It makes me angry just thinking about it.’

I just pressed the pedal harder for no reason.

Perhaps because I had driven almost all night, I was as sensitive as I could possibly be.

The fact that most of the road to Prorovel was blocked by fog, constantly draining my Gold, also played a part.

I wanted to rest a bit, but since I was running through the heart of Agemor’s erosion, that wasn’t possible.

“Phew……”

I was dying of envy watching Echo sleep so well without seeming uncomfortable at all.

If I had known this would happen, I should have checked properly when buying the Nokgacheon whether it had a proper backrest and if I could purchase additional cushions.

I let out a deep sigh while looking ahead at what had been only dark for hours.

That was the moment.

“Oh-.”

I let out a single exclamation.

Something alien suddenly appeared ahead, where I had only been seeing slightly black, very black, and extremely black colors.

A magnificent golden semicircle rising in a round shape above the black earth.

A solid wall of light that wouldn’t allow any invasion of darkness.

Anyone who wasn’t an idiot would recognize that golden round dome immediately upon seeing it.

Prorovel!

After a full 8 hours, I had finally arrived at Prorovel.

I drove a bit faster for another 10 minutes.

I finally stopped the Nokgacheon.

“Echo, wake up.”

While Echo blinked awake, I stretched my back, which was stiff from sitting for so long, and observed the dome.

The wall of golden sacred power was glowing softly, so opaque that I couldn’t see inside properly.

It looked like there might be giant stone pillars or something stretching up to the top of the dome, but I wasn’t certain.

And if there was one ridiculous thing about this mysterious dome.

“Sister, is that a door?”

Just one door hanging on the semicircle.

It had complex patterns and what seemed to be a carving of the upper body of the goddess Oerisa, but it looked insignificant compared to the massive dome, which was somewhat amusing.

I suppressed my laughter and glanced around the area.

‘Fortunately, there’s no raid team nearby.’

I headed toward the door with Echo.

Meanwhile, a problem I had postponed suddenly came to mind.

‘Ha, but they said a gatekeeper was needed to revive the ancient oath.’

I still hadn’t solved the second hint.

Prorovel, where even South Korea’s elite raid team couldn’t find an answer and had to turn back.

I had only found the answer about the ‘Unfading Sprout’, but since I hadn’t figured out how to get inside, I was in the same situation as them.

If it were just Echo alone, she might somehow be able to break through the wall and get inside.

I looked back at Echo and said casually.

“Echo, I don’t think I can get inside there. Since only you can enter for now, can you check what’s inside first and let me know?”

“I go in alone?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll have to ask you to do it. This place is blocked so ordinary people like me can’t enter.”

“But sister, you’re completely special!”

Echo clenched her small fist and protested as if it was absurd.

Right, Babel won’t give me permission.

But isn’t it something that I’m special to you at least?

I grabbed the door handle with a smiling face.

“Should we try opening it first?”

Even if I couldn’t enter, I could leave it to Echo, who had a reassuring expression.

Feeling the warmth of Echo carefully taking my left hand, I steeled myself and pulled the door handle.

“If you get scared, come out right away. I’ll be guarding in front… huh?”

Click.

I hadn’t expected the door handle to turn at all.

Absurdly, the door handle turned and my body slipped inside.

I looked back at Echo with an embarrassed face and laughed awkwardly.

“It’s… open?”

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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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