24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 74

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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 74

Episode 74. Necessary Transaction (4)

Isn’t the expression ‘ebony-like hair’ from romance novels meant for exactly this kind of moment?

Her pitch-black hair gleamed with a lustrous shine, cascading like silk over the woman’s shoulders.

Her pale skin was so white it felt cold, completely devoid of any color.

Her elongated lips curved into a dangerous smile that made it impossible to read her intentions.

And beneath those jet-black eyelashes, red eyes that seemed to pierce right through the Veil.

Standing before such a deep abyss that I couldn’t sense its depth, I muttered as if entranced.

“…Beautiful.”

I was startled by my own words and quickly covered my mouth.

I thought I had spoken quietly enough that she wouldn’t hear, so I looked up.

“…”

Park Ji-woon, having lost his composure, was staring at me with a look of bewilderment.

The shame that instantly flared up took control of my entire body.

No, dangerous or not, I just couldn’t help myself!

‘Did I say something wrong?’

That woman is incredibly beautiful!

The only one not surprised by my bombshell statement was the mysterious woman floating in mid-air.

The beauty’s eyes crinkled charmingly as she giggled softly.

“Fufu, I don’t dislike honesty.”

Me neither, miss.

I barely managed to swallow those words.

‘Geez, even her laugh looks like something from a photo shoot.’

I had no idea I was this weak to good looks.

“…Damn!”

She even smelled amazing from somewhere.

The strange scent that seemed to mix deep roses with somewhere cool incense was unfamiliar, but I didn’t dislike it.

Rather, it was so pleasant that my body felt drowsy and relaxed.

When I wrinkled my nose, the woman smiled gently with her eyes curved like crescents.

‘Too… too… too much.’

Was my vocabulary always this terrible?

I wanted to describe it perfectly in one word, but I couldn’t find the right one.

She just seemed like someone born to seduce others.

“…Won!

It felt like I’d be fine mortgaging my life, like I should give her my liver and gallbladder…

“Lee Hae-won!”

“Ugh, what!”

When I snapped back irritably without thinking, Park Ji-woon looked bewildered once again.

“Get a grip.”

“…Ah.”

His firm words, suppressing his bewilderment, finally brought me back to my senses.

I quickly stepped backward.

‘What did I just do?’

I had definitely resolved not to let my guard down, but that determined mindset vanished in an instant.

As if I had been properly bewitched by something.

When I looked back at the pretty woman with an inexplicable sense of betrayal, she grinned mischievously.

She’s still pretty… no wait, that doesn’t erase what she just pulled on me.

I asked Park Ji-woon with resentful eyes.

“Who exactly is that person?”

“She’s not a person.”

“…Then what?”

Park Ji-woon didn’t answer and guided me to a monitor room set up in one corner of the training ground.

As I followed behind him, I heard Park Ji-woon’s voice.

“Do you know what my ability is?”

“No. You’ve never revealed it.”

When we reached the monitor room, Park Ji-woon kindly opened the door for me.

The woman didn’t follow us and remained in the training ground.

Lying in a languid pose on a large velvet sofa that appeared from who knows where, the woman took a sip of wine that also came from who knows where.

Even then, her piercing gaze made me lose focus once again.

“Stop looking and sit over here.”

Oops.

‘Stop getting distracted, Lee Hae-won!’

I nodded shamelessly as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps too tired to say anything more, Park Ji-woon opened his mouth with a shallow sigh.

“My ability is ‘Contract.'”

…This doesn’t seem like something to reveal so casually.

But I decided to match Park Ji-woon’s stance.

“Contract? What kind of contract?”

“The method is simple. Equivalent exchange. I make contracts with others and either borrow or share power according to the contract’s terms.”

“For something you call simple, that woman’s presence is too overwhelming. What exactly is her identity?”

The woman I was pointing at was now playing by rolling the wine bottle around.

Her pose sitting cross-legged on the sofa caught my attention again, so I hurriedly turned my head away.

‘Why does that slit have to be cut so long!’

Wait, Park Ji-woon, did you deliberately bring that woman to bewitch me?

When I stared at him with such suspicion, Park Ji-woon confessed.

“Asmodeus. The demon of lust, and the first demon I contracted with.”

Ah, he was talking about that woman’s identity, not his own scheme?

I unconsciously started to nod but stopped.

Asmodeus?

A demon?

‘Seriously a constellation story?’

Is this worldview really expanding?

Of course, other questions arose too.

Given how the world has changed, it wouldn’t be strange, but I couldn’t help asking.

“Lust… you say?”

“…Yes.”

An awkward atmosphere flowed between Park Ji-woon and me.

The word ‘lust’ didn’t suit Park Ji-woon at all – he was bland and looked like the personification of dark circles.

I moved my lips and asked with difficulty.

“Um, by any chance, are you influenced-“

“Absolutely not.”

Park Ji-woon answered with unprecedented reaction speed.

“Just because the contractor is a demon of lust doesn’t mean we share the same thoughts.”

I had asked an extremely rude question outright.

Feeling unnecessarily sorry, I gave him an innocent smile to show I had no misunderstandings.

Of course, it seemed ineffective as Park Ji-woon’s brow furrowed slightly.

I subtly changed the subject.

“That’s fascinating. So you’re using a demon’s abilities?”

“Something like that. Of course, I can’t use all the abilities completely, but since we share vision, they help when needed.”

“That’s amazing. But Asmodeus appears everywhere, right? Famous and powerful.”

“Where have you seen them?”

“Well, in web novels or webtoons, things like that.”

“….”

Park Ji-woon looked bewildered once again.

Has this man never read a single web novel in his life?

Asmodeus is a regular character that appears quite often in constellation stories.

Before I could look even more pathetic, I threw out a question.

“So you mentioned equivalent exchange – what did you give, Manager?”

“…I’m bearing the penalty he proposed as the price of the contract. He demanded ‘the fun of watching the penalty.'”

“What’s the penalty?”

I thought it was a natural question to ask, but Park Ji-woon hesitated uncharacteristically.

“…I end up seducing anyone I look at or touch.”

“Wow.”

“….”

There’s been a lot of silence today.

It feels like Park Ji-woon, the epitome of nerve-wracking tension that makes palms sweaty, has been reduced to a comic relief character.

But still, I am being affected either way.

‘Was the influence I was thinking of different from what Park Ji-woon was thinking of?’

Just as my thoughts were about to venture into not-so-all-ages territory, Park Ji-woon cleared his throat.

“Anyway, I revealed my ability because of the dimensional destruction you mentioned.”

Ah, right.

Come to think of it, we ended up here while talking about dimensional destruction!

“Did Asmodeus tell you about it?”

“Not directly. However….”

Park Ji-woon caught his breath for a moment before continuing.

“Asmodeus is someone who has climbed the entire Tower.”

“…They climbed the entire Tower?”

I reflexively asked seriously.

This was absolutely not something I could just listen to and brush off.

Perhaps noticing this, Park Ji-woon also straightened his posture.

Park Ji-woon fiddled with his gloves for quite a while before opening his mouth.

“Asmodeus has a habit of saying things. That they killed stupid fools who ignored Babel’s proposal. But killing them wasn’t satisfying, it wasn’t demon-like.”

“You figured it out from hearing that?”

“There were enough hints.”

‘What is this man even saying right now.’

I don’t usually get called stupid anywhere, but I felt a bit stupid just then.

I gestured while trying not to feel discouraged.

At my attitude asking for more explanation, Park Ji-woon nodded as if he expected this.

“I thought about what ‘ignored Babel’s proposal’ meant. We’re also living in Babel’s era. Babel’s proposal would most likely be climbing the Tower, and the ‘stupid fools’ Asmodeus mentioned are probably those who don’t climb the Tower.”

Park Ji-woon’s gaze briefly touched on Asmodeus before falling away.

“I thought for a long time about what ‘killing isn’t satisfying’ means. Not being satisfying to kill, and not being demon-like, probably means it felt like it wasn’t a ‘sin.'”

“Did they know that the beings in the Tower were already dead?”

“Apparently Asmodeus found out while climbing the Tower. They would have wanted to kill the real ones, not fakes. So they wanted to climb quickly, and eventually reached the top of the Tower.”

“That’s insane.”

“They’re a demon. A being that’s not good and says unilateral massacre is the most enjoyable.”

Park Ji-woon nodded lightly after finishing his words.

Perhaps because he’s someone who extracted truth from seemingly trivial words, even his small nod seemed incredibly intelligent.

The sound of breaking glass came from outside the monitor room, but I deliberately ignored it and asked another question.

“Are there others who know besides you, Manager?”

“Probably only I know. It’s a special case. I made a contract with Asmodeus who climbed the entire Tower, and fortunately Asmodeus is….”

Park Ji-woon hesitated for a moment before adding quietly.

“Interested in me.”

I’m jealous… No!

So that’s why Park Ji-woon answered ‘I had a vague idea’ when he heard my story.

Anyway, maybe because I heard all sorts of information, my temples seemed to throb a little.

Park Ji-woon, who had been staring at me intently, suddenly spoke.

“You’re the first person I’ve revealed my ability to.”

…Well, should I say it’s an honor?

I became contrarian for no reason and answered curtly.

“Is it okay for you to reveal it so easily?”

“It’s a… trade of trust for your proposal to do reconnaissance.”

“Ah.”

If that’s the case, it’s worth doing.

Right at that moment.

“I’m bored.”

At the voice suddenly coming from behind, I was startled and flailed about.

Asmodeus, who had approached without any presence, was leaning against the half-open door, blinking slowly.

As if the word ‘bored’ was some kind of fuse, Park Ji-woon shot up.

Then he spoke in a clean, no-nonsense tone.

“I’ll contact you if there’s more to discuss.”

“That’s it?”

You brought me all the way here, showed me Asmodeus, and told me you had suspicions about dimensional destruction – that’s all?

I was about to object in frustration when Park Ji-woon immediately noticed and looked troubled.

“Asmodeus really hates being bored.”

“Then let’s play together….”

“Get a grip, Lee Hae-won.”

Ah, oops.

There I go being ridiculous again.

“Hmm, I’m fine with it though?”

Asmodeus, who let out a suggestive interjection, smiled with eyes that seemed to have clear intentions.

For a moment, my breath caught.

If Park Ji-woon hadn’t intervened at the right timing, I might have ended up in those arms….

“Asmodeus, I’d appreciate it if you’d be careful.”

“I’m doing this because they’re cute. I like them.”

“That’s exactly what can’t happen.”

At Park Ji-woon’s firm attitude, Asmodeus shrugged.

‘Let me get out of here quickly before my life gets mortgaged.’

That woman is too attractive to just ignore and brush off.

I hurriedly prepared to leave under Park Ji-woon’s protection.

Asmodeus, who had been persistently staring at me putting on my robe, grinned wickedly.

Not even ashamed of the dark intentions to seduce innocent me, Asmodeus muttered slyly.

“Get along well with Ji-woon.”

I snapped coldly.

“I’m very angry at you, Asmodeus. Don’t speak with that nightingale-like voice.”

“Haha, see, I told you they’re cute.”

* * *

“By the way, Asmodeus, what did you mean by what you said to Lee Hae-won earlier? There were some words I couldn’t hear clearly in the middle.”

“Hmm.”

Asmodeus looked down at Park Ji-woon while crossing her legs in mid-air.

Since he wasn’t affected as her contractor, Park Ji-woon could read the shallow emotions hidden within Asmodeus’s seductive gaze.

The fact that she was looking at him with interest rather than dismissing him meant she was contemplating what answer to give.

After waiting for a long while, Asmodeus answered as if it were nothing significant.

“It’s probably because those words are regulated.”

“What do you mean?”

Asmodeus had no intention of answering Park Ji-woon’s curiosity.

Watching innocent and pathetically weak humans agonize, get hurt, and wander in confusion was one of Asmodeus’s favorite pastimes.

With languid leisure gathered at the corners of her mouth, Asmodeus smiled deeply.

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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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