24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 8

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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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Dimensional Item Specialty 24-Hour Friendly Market Episode 8

 

 

Episode 8. Store Opening Event (1)

 

 

The day after clearing ‘Force Suppression’ and the 36th Floor.

I headed to the tower as soon as I woke up early in the morning.

Compared to the previous Quest that required completing 100 transactions, this newly given Quest looked fairly easy.

‘I should solve it quickly if I can.’

The goal of this Quest was to establish an offline branch.

The Intermediate Station refers to the neutral zone on the 25th Floor of the Tower of Babel where awakeners can freely come and go.

It was like a terminal where you could easily travel between the 1st and 24th floors.

“Wait, if it’s an Open Market, why are they telling me to establish an offline branch?”

 

[⁕ Gaining various trading experiences as an Open Market Manager is very important work. You could say it’s Babel’s arrangement for you, Manager :)]

 

“What nonsense about arrangements.”

Right now this guy is talking as if I’m receiving some great preferential treatment, but I don’t even have the energy to argue back.

Delusions are free, I guess.

Just as I was sighing and shaking my head, hunters armed with various equipment began appearing one by one.

This meant we were almost at the Tower of Babel.

‘I hope I can clear this Quest quickly.’

It took exactly two weeks to clear the second Quest.

I could flood the Tower of Babel with all the sweat I poured out.

…Of course, compared to how hard I worked, I actually look like a filthy beggar.

During that time, I couldn’t even do daily part-time jobs while clearing the Quest, and it was because Sam-i strongly advised me not to exchange gold.

 

[⁕ You’ll need a lot of gold when progressing through job Quests, so it would be better to postpone exchanging it :)]

 

As a result, I earned 100 million won during the Quest, but I don’t have a single penny in my pocket…

I tried to get involved in splitting the payment for the Sapphire Ring, but Sam-i stopped that too.

He said the transaction I made on the 36th Floor was likely to be classified as an ‘abnormal phenomenon,’ so I shouldn’t leave any unnecessary loose ends.

Well, if that’s the case, at least tell me in advance how much I’ll need.

It’s not like I wanted a large amount – just about 500,000 won would be enough.

‘Once this Quest is over, I’m definitely exchanging all the remaining money.’

I calmed my boiling insides and thought realistically.

If I exchange it, I could move to a jeonse instead of monthly rent, right?

The landlord has been constantly nagging me about when I’m moving out, which has been stressing me out.

First, since I need to come to the Tower of Babel often, it has to be in Seoul.

Still, since I’m living alone now, I don’t need a two-room place anymore.

If I get too greedy, things might collapse quickly, so I’m planning to be satisfied with something modest.

“…Is jeonse really modest though?”

Just as I was making a tsk sound and reflecting on the contradiction, Sam-i spoke to me.

 

[⁕ By the way, how did you obtain the Gryphon Feather? :)]

 

“Brother’s keepsake.”

I answered briefly and stopped at the traffic light.

This Sam-i bastard, I thought he only explained market manuals.

‘Quite an advanced artificial intelligence.’

Making me recall memories of Brother that I had deliberately pushed to one corner of my mind.

Come to think of it, if I move, Brother’s space will completely disappear too.

‘The feather wasn’t the last thing after all.’

Brother’s final trace wasn’t the feather, but the house we lived in together itself.

My eyes became moist uncharacteristically, so I blinked with a deep gaze.

Brother who practically carried me on his back and raised me after I lost half my memories following our parents’ car accident…

That was brief though, as my wistful sentiments were cut short by Sam-i’s words.

 

[⁕ Gryphons are quite dangerous monsters, and in Babel, they’re one of the monsters that mainly appear on high floors. They’re monsters that only appear around the 50th Floor Range :(]

 

“That can’t be… what?”

They only appear around the 50th Floor Range?

“That can’t be right.”

I muttered in a stupid tone.

The stupidity of someone who realized a fact they had never perceived.

South Korea’s hunters had been stuck on the 49th Floor for six months after clearing the 48th Floor.

Meaning they couldn’t even reach the 50th Floor.

It was a suddenly recalled fact, but even I, an avid reader of Babel Wiki, had no memory of seeing an item called Gryphon Feather.

‘I had never seen any records of a monster called Gryphon either, so why was I forgetting that?’

I just thought it was a pretty feather, but never once thought to find out what kind of feather it was.

“Really?”

 

[⁕ I cannot lie :)]

 

…Right, what would you gain by lying.

‘Then where on earth did Brother get that feather?’

I considered the possibility that Brother bought it from an awakener market, but that couldn’t be right.

No country in the world had cleared the 49th Floor in the first place, and no country had reported the appearance of monsters called Gryphons.

Most importantly, when Brother came in with it, he said this.

 

‘It’s loot I got today.’

 

Brother definitely said ‘loot.’

Sam-i might not know, but Brother doesn’t lie.

Lee Hae-on, who lost his parents at 16 and was dropped into the world with his little sister, had no time for despair.

He constantly worked hard to properly raise his 8-year-old sister who knew nothing about the world and acted childishly.

Such a brother wouldn’t lie.

‘What’s going on here?’

Then does this mean Brother went to the unopened 50th Floor?

He had such ability but still died in a C-rank Gate?

“I need to look into this.”

I turned my steps toward the convenience store.

Finding what I was looking for easily in the fairly spacious convenience store, I emptied my pockets.

What if no country on Earth has reached the 50th Floor Range?

I know one polite cat whose favorability maxed out with just one Churu.

 

* * *

 

[Manti, instead of the salmon flavor Churu I sold last time, I got chicken flavor Churu in stock. Want to try it?]

 

As soon as I entered the 25th Floor, I sent a message and surveyed the surrounding scenery.

This system that lets you send messages to people you’ve traded with is really useful.

Of course, the recipient isn’t a person but a cat.

Now, I’ll put aside the complicated feather problem that’s tangling up my thoughts until I get a reply.

Today, I came here to set up shop.

“Oh.”

But the scenery of the 25th Floor that I’m seeing for the first time is somehow unusual.

It was completely different from what I had imagined.

First of all, it was way too crowded.

“They called it Ba-man-jang, and it really is.”

I thought people were just casually calling it the Babel Tower Meeting Plaza.

Since it’s a transportation hub where you can freely travel between floors 1 to 24, there were so many people coming and going that there was no room to step.

I knew that Awakeners with lower grades would re-clear floors where they reset to gather stats.

‘But would there really be this many people?’

There are so many people that it’s getting on my nerves.

I walked around looking at my surroundings with an unfamiliar feeling.

Various facilities were situated within the huge hall-like space.

‘It’s just like a highway rest stop.’

The giant pillar emitting blue light in the center of the space must be a warp Gate for inter-floor travel, as people were lining up and waiting their turn.

Perhaps they had escaped while being chased by monsters, as occasionally someone would come out of it retching.

And at the edges, strongholds of the Upper Guilds were positioned.

‘Are they forward bases for clearing floors?’

The signboards bearing each Guild’s emblem and the Guild members responding in front of them looked like something you’d see outside.

“…But where exactly am I supposed to set up?”

I blinked with a bewildered expression.

There really is no space here.

Since my title is ‘Open Market Manager’, I thought I’d be the only one who could do business on the 25th Floor.

But.

“Fresh potions made this morning! Only 3 Gold each!”

“Jerky for long-term clearing available here!”

“Selling strategy tips for floors up to 24!”

“Urgently needed Armor available here!”

“…”

There are as many stalls as there are people passing by.

“Are you kidding me!”

Except for the paths where people walk, everywhere is packed with stalls where people are selling goods piled high.

I can understand Alchemists selling potions and food, but why the hell are they selling Armor and strategy information!

 

[⁕ Being able to open a proper shop on the 25th Floor is the privilege of the Open Market Manager 🙂 First, try to find a good spot.]

 

…Well, I can really build something different from others, right?

Even if I look this shabby, I still have an EX-grade title, don’t I?

I looked around for a long time and let out a deep sigh.

It’s not that there’s no space. But…

“…I really like that spot.”

That spot where an Alchemist with black hair has set up three tables and is selling potions.

It’s a spot you can see immediately when coming out of the warp Gate, and people going in also peek at it at least once.

“It’s a prime location, a prime location.”

Selling potions there, you could sell thousands a day.

But a person should have principles – I can’t destroy the livelihood of a small business owner who’s been out since early morning working hard selling potions.

 

[⁕ Do you like that spot? :)]

 

I answered Sam-i’s notification window casually.

“I like it. It would be good to build there. When that person finishes business and goes home, then I’ll build…”

That’s when it happened, before I could even finish speaking.

 

[12,000G will be deducted.]

 

“What? You crazy…!”

 

Rumble-

 

An ominous sound coming from somewhere.

Before I could even finish my words, the spot where the Alchemist was standing began rising up on its own.

“Ahhh, what is this-!”

…The Alchemist’s sharp cry gradually grew smaller.

The neat sky-blue wall that rose from the floor stretched up endlessly.

In the blink of an eye, clean windows and doors were properly attached, and the height where it finally stopped was about that of a 2-story building.

A light sky-blue, square building had suddenly appeared.

The three tables that had been neatly arranged with potions in their own order were carried up to the Rooftop of the 2-story building that Sam-i had created.

Since a building had suddenly appeared on the 25th Floor where stalls and people had been mixed together, all the people nearby focused their attention on it.

“What’s that, all of a sudden?”

“A building suddenly appeared?!”

People who had been busily passing by stopped walking and murmured.

The Alchemist who was looking down from the Rooftop of the suddenly risen building shouted as if it was absurd.

“What is this, what the hell is happening-!”

I just stared at that scene and muttered blankly.

“This crazy bastard…”

I had forgotten for a few days that the guy called Sam-i doesn’t possess the kindness to confirm others’ intentions.

 

[⁕ From Babel’s perspective, all the merchants on This Floor are criminals illegally occupying space :)]

 

Hey, if you’re going to say something like that, at least don’t smile.

You said you’d help me, but continuously making me angry is also a talent.

“I said after that person finishes business. Are you stupid?”

 

[⁕ Since you said you liked it, I took it as consent to proceed :)]

 

“…”

I had completely forgotten that working with a free version AI requires training it with numerous commands.

I said while suppressing my boiling anger.

“Sam-i, from now on don’t act without my approval. Ask me and only proceed when I say OK.”

 

[⁕ Yes, I will follow the manager’s instructions. Memory update completed :)]

 

It gives good answers.

Still, if I keep training it like this, it won’t cause accidents like this anymore, right?

Meanwhile, the wails of the Alchemist who had lost their livelihood in an instant could be heard from the Rooftop.

“Oh, I made it this morning… *sob*…!”

Her voice was loud and her situation was pitiful.

It was heartbreaking beyond words.

Ow, my conscience.

 

[⁕ Opening your shop will complete the job Quest :)]

 

Meanwhile, Sam-i tactlessly urged me to complete the Quest again.

“*Sob*, my potion…!”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“This is driving me crazy.”

How am I supposed to open a shop right now, you clueless guide…

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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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