24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 82

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 82

Episode 82. A Fucking Unlucky Day (5)

Including me and Guk Min-seong, there were a total of 7 people caught up in this Gate.

Not as many people got caught up as I thought.

Considering it was a Gate accident that occurred during lunch hour in the middle of Gangnam surrounded by office buildings, it was fortunate amid the misfortune.

The problem is that the misfortunes we’ll face ahead are incomparably numerous.

First of all, the first one.

“Ugh, c-cold.”

An insane extreme cold that would make even a Siberian Husky go ‘Ah, this is a bit…’ and run away.

It was so ridiculously cold that calling it ‘cold’ felt laughable – it seemed well below minus 20 degrees Celsius, and even our breath seemed to freeze.

Moreover, since it was mid-November weather outside where winter had just arrived, the victims’ fashion was far from winter attire.

A few had thrown on padding or something, but it wasn’t enough to withstand a snowstorm.

Even my slightly lacking but kind friend Guk Min-seong was just wearing a light padding vest thrown over his clothes since he was in front of his company.

Guk Min-seong, who was hugging himself tightly and shivering, looked at me with a complaint.

“Hey, Lee Hae, my fingers are freezing.”

“Oh dear…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything and closed my mouth.

Guk Min-seong, an elite working in the strategic planning office of the major corporation Aegis.

The sight of such a guy with frozen snot hanging and his teeth chattering was quite unsightly.

Then a middle-aged man in a suit who was shivering just as much spoke up.

“Sh-should we look for somewhere to hide?”

There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to h-hide though?”

A ponytailed female student who was looking around while shivering muttered in a despairing tone.

That was right.

Second, the problem was that this was a snowy field with nothing in it.

Sudden Gates are simple, unlike scenarios.

If you defeat the field boss existing within the Gate, a gate opens that lets you go outside.

You can think of it as a situation where the means to get out are limited, separate from coming in.

The top survival rule when caught in a Sudden Gate is to hide well so you don’t catch the field boss’s attention.

At least this is a Sudden Gate that appeared in the middle of Gangnam, so there’s a high probability that a rescue team will arrive within today.

‘It’s even in front of Aegis’s headquarters.’

But I can’t be relieved.

Time inside a Gate flows differently from time in reality.

When I was wandering around nervously in my first Sudden Gate for a few hours, more than two days had already passed outside.

Even if they finish rescue preparations as quickly as possible outside and come in here, even if Seo Jae-hyuk is among them.

Since we’re in a different flow of time from the outside, we need to hide in the safest place possible to avoid catching the field boss’s attention.

But this was an empty field where there wasn’t a single thing visible to hide behind.

We were in a state no different from bait openly luring the boss.

If the field boss suddenly appeared, it would be perfect for a total wipeout without being able to try anything else.

“Excuse me, are there any awakened here by any chance?”

A young man with half-shaved hair whose mouth was frozen and couldn’t pronounce properly asked.

There was hope gleaming in his eyes, but this was the beginning of the third misfortune.

“I’m E-rank…”

“I’m also E-rank and don’t have any notable titles. This guy is B-rank, but as you can see…”

I clicked my tongue while pointing at Guk Min-seong, who was combining his two streams of snot into one.

There were three awakened, but me and another person were E-rank, and the only one with a decent rank was my lacking friend Guk Min-seong.

“Still, if you’re B-rank, do you have good skills?”

The half-shaved guy whose tongue was freezing asked, grasping at straws, but I shook my head.

“I can reduce noise, but I’m not a combat-type hunter.”

The snotty guy said untrustworthy words in a completely untrustworthy tone.

Guk Min-seong was an uncommon B-rank hunter.

But he was completely support-type, and from my memory, he had only climbed the Tower and cleared scenarios a few times.

He used to brag that he had security at Aegis firmly in his grasp since he could freely control sound.

But here… I just hoped he could at least make his own sniffling inaudible.

“Achoo-!”

Guk Min-seong sneezed loudly and then sniffled.

I stared seriously at his shabby appearance.

It seemed like there was no future other than freezing to death or being brutally killed here.

‘…Should I use the market?’

Honestly, the usefulness of Friendly Market had been consistently proven over several months.

High-ranking S-class hunters would somehow survive on their own, but there are civilians here right now.

You can get anything at the market, and I’m someone with the ability to save these people.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch in a situation where nothing was certain, unless a rescue team came in immediately.

‘It wouldn’t look cool to just sit still.’

I pondered for a while.

I had already revealed my identity to more people than I thought, and I had resolved never to do this again.

‘Is thinking “I’ll never do this again” itself a flag?’

I was making a serious expression, but surprisingly, my deliberation was short.

The reality we were facing now was more pressing than the weight of my concerns.

As soon as I made my decision, I opened my mouth without hesitation.

“Everyone, my title is ‘The Peddler Friend Who’s Always Around.'”

“…Pardon?”

I could read the question ‘That’s also a title?’ in their expressions.

Ignoring the contemptuous looks, I lowered my voice and explained in a serious tone.

“I can randomly pull out items from necessary categories from my inventory. I’ll use my skill to pull out items that can help us endure this cold.”

This way, whatever I pull out would be fine.

Even though it’s an absurd title, anything would feel welcome to people shivering in the cold.

“Hurry! It’s too cold.”

The ponytailed female student, who had frozen at some point, said while hugging her arms tightly.

My prediction was right.

Suspicion and whatnot – when survival was at stake, authenticity wasn’t important.

“Then why didn’t you say something like that earlier, Lee Hae?”

“Disgusting.”

Leaving behind Guk Min-seong, who was hurt by my cold rebuke, I immediately opened the market.

The current me can summon anything, but since I’ve already said something, I need to tactfully choose an appropriate range…

“What category will you use?”

“How about camping? It would be good if something like a tent came out. Ugh, cold.”

“How about just padding… winter clothes or cold weather gear… something like that?”

Since I casually mentioned ‘category,’ everyone was really talking about things needed for winter.

Of course, these are things we need to endure this cold.

‘Sam-i!’

[⁕ Yes, did you call me? I’m Sam :)]

Sam, who didn’t seem to worry at all whether the administrator she serves would freeze to death or not, brightened the view with her usual tone.

Making a point about her name in the process was a bonus.

That’s none of my business.

‘Now, is there any item that’s well-insulated enough to withstand the cold and sturdy enough to endure attacks from external monsters? Something like a tent or barracks.’

I entered the command so kindly that even a stupid AI could understand it in one go.

Then Sam-i remained silent for 10 seconds without saying a word.

If this really was an AI, it would have been a long wait where ‘Entering response…’ would have appeared on the screen.

[⁕ Market search results show a total of 2 products exist :)]

‘Well, display them.’

[Comfort of the Ice Palace (B)

A miniature version of the ice palace created by Skadi, the Ice Queen and eternal ruler of the frozen lands, for her Knight Order.

When spread on the ground, transparent ice crystals rise up to form a hemispherical dome.

The walls are made of magical ice compressed from thousand-year glaciers, perfectly blocking A-rank and below physical attacks and fire magic.

The moment it’s summoned, no one except permitted beings can perceive it.

However, beings with inherent ice attributes can freely enter and exit the tent without being noticed.]

[Tent of Kalashi (A)

A magical tent passed down through generations by the Kalashi nomadic tribe that wanders the thousand-year desert.

Woven from fabric blessed by spirits, it can withstand sandstorms, scorching sun, and the bitter cold of night.

The moment it’s unfolded, the interior fills with the warmth of a spring day, blocking any external gaze.

Anyone who enters the tent is treated as a guest.

Can accommodate up to 15 people.

Once installed, it cannot be dismantled for 12 hours, and automatically dismantles after 12 hours.

Reinstallation requires 1 hour.]

Both are plausible items.

But how much do they cost?

170,000 Gold and 650,000 Gold respectively.

‘Being a common citizen is really depressing.’

No matter how profitable the Friendly Market’s rental income is, those prices aren’t amounts I can spend cheerfully.

Still, becoming poor is a hundred times better than freezing to death.

I began to consider very carefully.

The first item is decent, but the problem is that it’s vulnerable against beings with inherent ice attributes.

The second item would inevitably expose us to danger for 1 hour after enduring 12 hours, and above all, the price is four times higher.

Whatever I chose would definitely be a fatal problem.

However.

“Uh, um, is, is it still, still not ready?”

“Hey, Lee Hae. Quickly, anything good will do. Please.”

The pitiful half-handsome guy and runny-nose urged me, making me lose the leisure to think.

It’s a bit expensive, but if I had to choose between the two, obviously.

‘Number 2.’

Because it would be strange if the field boss that appears in this kind of snowfield didn’t have ice attributes.

The huge sum of 650,000 Gold instantly disappeared from my balance, and one suspicious-looking tent appeared in my Inventory.

I comforted myself and took out the ‘Tent of Kalashi’ from my Inventory.

I thought it would be installed immediately, but surprisingly the item itself was small.

From the brown, crude bundle that filled my hands, I felt a heavy weight and strange warmth.

“Is that it?!”

The middle-aged man in a suit asked with noticeably brightened expression.

“Yes, this is something like a tent…”

I didn’t explain further and untied the bundle’s string.

At that moment.

Whoooosh-

The bundle unfolded with the wind, and something began to be erected over us who were shivering.

In the blink of an eye, the round tent that swelled up into a huge dome shape ridiculously had the appearance of a proper glamping tent.

‘It’s just like a glamping site…?’

Kalashi or whatever, that tribe seems to be a race that knows something about camping.

Through the translucent tent, I could see several crude but decent-looking beds and something like a furnace.

As people gaped at the sight, the tent’s entrance opened by itself.

And even from inside there.

“Warm… it’s warm…!”

The ponytailed female student shouted with wide eyes.

Her words shouted while shivering were full of sincerity.

Warm air leaked out from inside the slightly open tent.

It really was spring-like warmth.

“Really, thank you so much…!”

“Unnie, without you we would have frozen to death.”

“Wow, how is this kind of ability E-rank…? Thanks to you, I think we’ll survive.”

The people who had been shivering each said a word as they entered the tent.

Lastly, my completely unreliable runny-nose friend Guk Min-seong moved his steps.

‘Is he trying to maintain his dignity as a B-rank?’

Just as I was thinking that, Guk Min-seong called me quietly.

“Hey.”

“What, you incompetent fool.”

“Lee Hae, you’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————