24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 6

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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 6

Episode 6. Potion Seller (1)

A building so dizzyingly tall that it offered a clear view of Seoul’s entire skyline.

B-rank Hunter Ahn Yeon-seo stepped out of the elevator and hurried her pace.

Soon reaching the CEO office located on the top floor, Ahn Yeon-seo opened the door and immediately bowed respectfully.

“CEO, I have an urgent report.”

The person who looked up at Ahn Yeon-seo’s call was a young man.

Despite his neat appearance, he carelessly scattered an enormous presence around him—his name was Seo Jae-hyuk.

The leader of ‘Aegis,’ which firmly held the number one position among South Korea’s major guilds, and someone who had never once relinquished his position as the country’s top-ranked hunter.

He was also the person that Ahn Yeon-seo, who held the supporter title, had been following for over five years.

Seo Jae-hyuk, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, asked dryly.

“What is it?”

Though it was a perfunctory tone, Ahn Yeon-seo immediately understood.

‘He’s in an extremely foul mood.’

Very, extremely, seriously so.

That meant Ahn Yeon-seo had no choice but to prostrate herself completely.

S-rank hunters usually keep their presence contained.

This was an unspoken courtesy to consider hunters with lower awakening grades, who often suffered internal injuries from being crushed by that presence.

However, Seo Jae-hyuk currently seemed to have no intention of maintaining such courtesy.

‘It must be because of the 49th Floor.’

Ahn Yeon-seo swallowed dryly and barely managed to step inside.

It had already been six months since South Korea reached the 49th Floor.

But neither South Korea nor any other country in the world had managed to break through the 49th Floor.

Even South Korea, which was supposed to conquer the world with a single game, had been experiencing failures for six months, and among them, Aegis had suffered three painful defeats.

The number of deaths was beyond counting.

The media fearlessly pressed S-rank hunters with questions like ‘When will you clear the 49th Floor?’, and guild members pushed into the Tower by such pressure kept dying.

It was only natural that Seo Jae-hyuk was in a foul mood.

‘Since nothing will change just because I’m considerate, let me just do my job.’

Ahn Yeon-seo placed the documents she had brought on the desk and began speaking.

“You remember the reward for breaking the 36th Floor record, right?”

“Of course. The Sapphire Ring.”

Ahn Yeon-seo’s words were so out of the blue that Seo Jae-hyuk tilted his head slightly as he answered.

Unlike other floors that presented scenarios, the 36th Floor required enduring endless monster waves.

Mainly B-rank and A-rank monsters appeared, and the maximum entry limit was five people at a time.

Additionally, two absolute restrictions applied.

First, healing abilities of any kind or effect were sealed.

Second, potions could not be brought in from outside.

It was a floor that had to be overcome using only the hunter’s individual abilities and physical capabilities.

“Why are you bringing up the Sapphire Ring?”

The Sapphire Ring, an A-rank reward given for breaking the 36th Floor record, was an item Seo Jae-hyuk had used for quite a long time.

It had an effect that increased stats by 10 percent, so he consistently wore it until he cleared the 45th Floor.

He only disposed of it after obtaining an S-rank ring with better effects, so it was an item he had used for quite a while.

It had been more than three years since he put it up for auction, so why was he suddenly bringing up the ring?

Seo Jae-hyuk’s curiosity was immediately resolved.

“The market price of the Sapphire Ring has dropped by half.”

“…What?”

That couldn’t be.

There were only three Sapphire Rings currently available in the South Korean market.

The hunter who first cleared the 36th Floor had one, the hunter who broke the record next had one, and Seo Jae-hyuk, who maintained the unbreakable number one record to this day, had put out one.

It wasn’t common enough for the market price to drop by half overnight.

“Don’t tell me rings came in from overseas?”

Items secured by each country leaving the country was nearly impossible under normal circumstances.

Since high-quality items directly enhanced hunters’ abilities, governments strictly controlled their export.

It would make sense if overseas items had been smuggled in illegally…

But Ahn Yeon-seo firmly shook her head as if she had expected this question.

“The 36th Floor record was broken.”

“Where? Baekdan?”

The Baekdan Guild was frighteningly chasing after Aegis.

Though it was unpleasant, since it was a guild maintaining the number two ranking, breaking the 36th Floor record wouldn’t be impossible.

“Not Baekdan, nor any of the upper guilds.”

“…”

“The record was broken eight times by different new guilds. All of them were project guilds.”

“…What did you say?”

Seo Jae-hyuk frowned and asked again.

Not because he didn’t understand, but because the situation made no sense.

This was a record set by Seo Jae-hyuk, who had never once been pushed from the number one position since his awakening.

There was no way someone stronger than him had appeared without his notice, and it was new guilds, not guilds within the top seven?

Eight of them, no less?

“What happened? Were there high-grade awakened individuals?”

“No. They were all B to C-rank, with the occasional A-rank mixed in.”

“…Then how?”

How could they break the record of S-rank Seo Jae-hyuk?

Unable to solve this mystery, Seo Jae-hyuk stared intently at Ahn Yeon-seo.

But Ahn Yeon-seo didn’t add any further explanation.

Then he had no choice but to find out directly.

“The person who most recently broke the record—can I meet them?”

“I thought you’d say that.”

Ahn Yeon-seo opened the CEO office door as if she had been waiting.

“I brought him.”

A man had been trembling outside the door, though it was unclear how long he’d been there.

Ahn Yeon-seo kindly gestured for him to come in and continued speaking.

“Kim Min-soo, age 38, awakening grade B. Title ‘Frost Blade’. Ice-attribute close-combat dealer position. He belongs to a new guild that cleared the 36th Floor two days ago.”

“Mr. Kim Min-soo.”

“Y-yes?!”

Kim Min-soo answered stammering.

He had definitely been happy until yesterday.

He had put the Sapphire Ring up for auction and made an enormous amount of money, bought new smartphones for his beloved daughters Yeon-ji and Gon-ji, and heard them say ‘Dad’s the best!’

Now Seo Jae-hyuk was looking down at Kim Min-soo with the eyes of a predator that had found its prey.

Though he felt like he couldn’t breathe, Kim Min-soo barely managed to hold onto his sanity.

“How did you break the record?”

“Th-th-that is, I, well…”

Even though Kim Min-soo knew he had to answer properly to survive, he fumbled around.

Having lived an ordinary life, he had never had occasion to face an S-rank hunter, so this was his first time experiencing the feeling of being crushed by such presence.

Kim Min-soo had only hesitated for ten seconds, but.

“Never mind.”

Seo Jae-hyuk stood up from his seat and spoke coldly, as if even that wait was irritating.

Then he slowly approached the trembling Kim Min-soo.

“I’ll find out.”

The last thing Kim Min-soo saw was Seo Jae-hyuk’s eyes glowing golden.

* * *

“Hello, I’m called Chun-ja. I’m an E-grade supporter who will be working with you today. Please take care of me!”

I’m Chun-ja today.

“If you’re a supporter, what exactly do you specialize in? You did apply knowing that healing doesn’t work on the 36th Floor, right?”

“Of course. I can cast buffs for you! Mana Optimization!”

“What’s Mana Optimization?”

“It’s a buff that helps you use mana more efficiently.”

“Oh? That actually sounds really good?”

Even lies improve after telling them ten times.

Looking at the Wild Boar-like tank’s face brightening up, I made gestures asking him to trust me.

The Wild Boar smacked his lips after seeing my double thumbs up.

“I can also tank with my body if the situation gets bad.”

“How could we make an E-grade tank? We’re not that desperate.”

“Ahaha…”

I laughed shamelessly while scratching the back of my neck.

Actually, I’m the most specialized talent for tanking among all of us.

That Wild Boar could even use me as a shield in battle.

Though he probably wouldn’t want a shield that screams in pain and expresses its ego.

“But Chun-ja, why are you covering your face?”

I had been feeling someone’s gaze, and it turned out the Ponytail Girl who was the ranged dealer was looking at me.

Just like the person I met in my previous party, I don’t understand why everyone’s so interested in this mask.

‘Was it Kim Min-soo?’

It was such an ordinary name that it was actually memorable.

Anyway, I touched my 2-gold mask that fit perfectly on my face and answered pitifully.

“Ah, I have a big scar on my face.”

Feeling sorry for touching on a non-existent wound, Ponytail Girl awkwardly pressed her lips together.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it.”

I’m a very generous person after all.

This mask is just a cheap item I hastily bought from the market to avoid being recognized.

I was grinning under the mask when I turned my head at the fuss someone was making beside me.

“But is it really true? That new records on the 36th Floor keep getting broken lately?”

The one who brought that up was the close-combat dealer who called himself a dual sword warrior.

…It’s not that I want to call him that, but he personally asked to be called a dual sword warrior.

But do people usually dual wield… a dagger and a sword?

Just as I was seriously pondering this sudden question, another close-combat dealer reacted with excitement.

“That’s right! Originally Seo Jae-hyuk was first place for years, but it’s already changed five times!”

It’s actually eight times to be exact.

‘And today will be the ninth time.’

That close-combat dealer was a high schooler who had awakened a week ago.

Looking at his flashy green-dyed hair, he must see the world in a very green light.

Meanwhile, Wild Boar stepped forward to organize the chaotic atmosphere.

“Records keep getting broken but no information is being released, so it seems something has changed on the 36th Floor. Our goal today is to set another new record.”

Everyone nodded along with Wild Boar’s serious expression.

The party I joined today is a new guild called ‘Force Suppression’, and our target is, as expected, the 36th Floor infinite monster wave.

The name Force Suppression is bizarre, but I had a reason for choosing this place.

As Wild Boar said, it’s a guild temporarily created to conquer the 36th Floor.

We’re not particularly curious about each other, and once we clear this floor today, we’ll never see each other again!

“Should we go in?”

Wild Boar muttered while placing his hand on the Tower of Babel.

Then, standing in front of the blue portal that appeared, Wild Boar shouted to the temporary guild members behind him.

“Let’s do this. Don’t get hurt, and let’s just achieve our goal and get out.”

A determined face as if carrying all the world’s burdens alone.

His serious words made even me tense up…

‘As if that would happen.’

I nodded halfheartedly and stepped into the blue portal.

These people won’t get hurt or tired today.

[Open Market ‘Friendly Market’ Ι Administrator ‘Lee Hae’]

[> Items for Sale

C-Grade Health Potion 10G

C-Grade Mana Potion 10G

C-Grade Antidote 10G]

That is, if they become generous customers to me.

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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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