24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 88

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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 88

Episode 88. Player Entry (1)

[> New Message

– We are currently staying in a village called Laoko. Ι Director Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)

– However, Kim Seol has gone missing, and I will soon be unable to move. The scenario content is simple yet complicated, leaving us in a deadlock where we cannot decide anything. Ι Director Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)

– Like Floor 51, it doesn’t seem to be a matter of combat power. Ι Director Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

“Ugh.”

I stared seriously at the message window and let out a groan.

I can’t even believe that Kim Seol, ranked 4th among hunters, has gone missing, and what does he mean by “will soon be unable to move”?

And what’s this about the scenario being simple and complicated?

‘Is it like warm ice?’

I understand he wants help, but I have no idea what kind of help he’s asking for.

It just feels like he’s saying to come and take a look first.

I agreed to cooperate, but I don’t think I ever said to use me in this way.

[> New Message

– Please help us. Ι Director Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

He doesn’t even roughly explain what the scenario content is about, just tells me to come unconditionally.

This can only bring out my contrarian nature that was sleeping peacefully.

Even if I don’t look it, I’m someone who just escaped from a Sudden Gate.

Even Guk Min-seong passing by would know that going home to rest well and calm my startled heart should be the priority.

“Hey, aren’t you going? You need to go for the investigation.”

Just then, Guk Min-seong tapped me and asked.

Because time in the Sudden Gate flowed significantly faster than reality, the time we were trapped was only 30 minutes.

Though it was a Gate resolved in 30 minutes, they still need to know how we endured inside and what kind of place the Sudden Gate was.

It’s the Management Bureau’s duty to investigate and record all abnormal phenomena.

Normally, I should obediently board that minibus with the Babel Management Bureau mark as Guk Min-seong said…

“Lee Hae-won?”

Guk Min-seong called me again.

His tone was puzzled, as if asking why I was suddenly acting like this when everything was over.

“Hey, you know…”

I trailed off blankly.

Guk Min-seong’s expression, who had been yawning continuously as the tension released, suddenly hardened.

Maybe it’s because I had just spilled everything from being the Friendly Market manager to talking about my brother.

It was a clearly different reaction from when he knew nothing.

I calmly accepted Guk Min-seong’s worried and disgusting gaze and muttered.

“Maybe I was born with the fate of a hero…?”

“Ugh, I got nervous for nothing.”

Guk Min-seong, who got annoyed, headed toward the minibus without hesitation.

I could feel his determination to completely lose interest in me from his retreating figure.

Guk Min-seong seems to think I’m just talking nonsense again, but I was quite serious about what I said.

The chance to become Lee Hae-won on a white horse doesn’t come just anytime.

And most importantly.

‘I can’t stand being curious.’

No, honestly, isn’t it natural for curiosity to come before a sense of responsibility or heroic psychology?

What kind of situation is Floor 53 in, where Kim Seol, ranked 4th among hunters, has gone missing and Park Ji-woon is desperately looking for me!

If Park Ji-woon had spilled all the details it would be different, but from the messages, it feels like he’ll only tell me if I come in person.

Seeing Park Ji-woon request support makes me think it won’t be easy, but as long as I can guarantee a situation where I can freely come and go with Merchant’s Mark activated, I’m invincible.

‘Of course, I can’t swim though.’

The fact that my curiosity is greater than my fear of water is probably because I’m an addict crazy for dopamine…

While watching Guk Min-seong get his identity verified by the Management Bureau staff with my own two eyes.

I slowly backed away toward the crowd.

“Mr. Guk Min-seong, you’re confirmed. Do you have any companions?”

“I got caught up with that friend over there. Someone named Lee Hae-won.”

“Ah, Ms. Lee Hae-won?”

Guk Min-seong, wrapped in a blanket, hurriedly turned around when the Babel official couldn’t find me.

The moment our eyes met, I froze.

‘Ah, I should have been more natural.’

I swallowed dry saliva and turned around very nonchalantly.

Then I walked with big steps and squeezed into the crowd.

Just as I passed a few people and started running with a whatever-happens-happens mindset.

“Hey, Lee Hae-won-!”

Guk Min-seong shouted my name very loudly with a voice full of anger.

It was a voice more enraged than even Agemor just before death.

* * *

Park Ji-woon will probably handle covering up the fact that I didn’t receive a separate investigation after coming out of the Sudden Gate.

Probably.

After all, South Korea is a society based on connections.

“Yeon-hee.”

“Yes, sister?”

Besides, I have connections who skillfully prepare potions for me too.

I briefly stopped by the 25th Floor to check on the Bamanjang Store and the Alchemist that I hadn’t been able to take care of.

Kang Yeon-hee still had a face worn with fatigue, but she seemed happy that I had come for once.

“Sister, I bought this from the new egg tart shop in front. Would you like some?”

“There’s an egg tart shop in Ba-man-jang?”

“No, in front of the Tower of Babel! It’s not incredibly delicious, but it’s pretty decent.”

When I took the egg tart she suddenly offered, Kang Yeon-hee smiled brightly.

It’s fortunate that I brought Kang Yeon-hee out of pure goodwill.

Looking at her smiling face, she looks like someone who would get scammed somewhere and cry while beating the ground.

…Is this woman really the same one who was doing the truck protest?

My first meeting with Kang Yeon-hee suddenly felt like a dream, so I rubbed my eyes a couple of times.

“You’ve always come only for work, but today seems different.”

Though I felt a pang, I played dumb and chewed and swallowed the egg tart.

There’s a reason I came to the Bamanjang Store first while Park Ji-woon is desperately looking for me.

It’s for securing potions to take to Floor 53 and also to scout for investing in Kang Yeon-hee’s development potential.

Kang Yeon-hee is a skilled alchemist who makes effective potions well from A-grade to D-grade.

The problem is that my standards have become incredibly high after seeing Han Ro-mi’s potions.

Even though their awakener grades are different, couldn’t Kang Yeon-hee, who started with no capital and built a potion restaurant famous by word of mouth, make better potions?

I’m not just praising our girl to flatter her.

Really.

‘I wonder what Kang Yeon-hee’s title grade is.’

I savored the sweetness remaining in my mouth and stared intently at Kang Yeon-hee.

Most awakeners have the same title grade and awakener grade.

However, including myself, there were rare hunters whose title grade and awakener grade differed.

Honestly, what made me suspicious of Kang Yeon-hee was a single comment Han Romi muttered at Casabl.

‘High level, this alchemist… I’d want to recruit them…’

That usually indifferent person didn’t just brush it off but gave quite lengthy praise.

No matter how oblivious someone might be, that level of comment would inevitably catch their attention.

Come to think of it, the potions were all too high-performance to have been made by a B-rank hunter.

Looking back, even the title Kang Yeon-hee had revealed to me from the start was unusual.

No less than ‘Guardian of Matter’.

Not something like Alchemist or Potion Maker, but actually ‘Guardian’.

It’s an unwritten rule in this field that the higher the title grade, the cooler the title you receive.

‘It would be nice if appraisal skills worked on people too.’

You know, something like examining what skills someone has and how much they can grow.

If the skill name had been just ‘Appraisal’ instead of ‘Item Appraisal’, I might have secretly tried it, but knowing it wouldn’t work, I didn’t even attempt it.

[⁕ Impossible :)]

‘I know.’

Well, I understand.

If I could see other people’s status windows too, that would be game-breaking in its own way.

“I’ve packed all the potions you requested, and just in case, I brought extra enhancement drugs and emergency potions. Oh, I also made a new sleeping drug this time! This one can put even S-ranks to sleep.”

I was genuinely impressed by Kang Yeon-hee’s boasting as she pulled out what looked like a fairly heavy bundle.

“It can put S-ranks to sleep? Really?”

“Of course, do you know how hard I worked to make this!”

Kang Yeon-hee smiled with a proud expression.

This level of invention makes me doubt whether she’s really a B-rank hunter.

‘This makes me even more suspicious.’

I casually asked while putting the potions into my inventory.

“By any chance, what’s your title grade?”

It was really just a light question I threw out on the off chance.

But Kang Yeon-hee’s expression, which had been lively the whole time, instantly hardened.

“…Uh, why do you ask that?”

Kang Yeon-hee asked back while subtly gauging my reaction.

‘Hmm?’

What’s this?

Does she really have something to hide?

The face of the middle manager who always smiled brightly at me had stiffened.

I had made the comment lightly, thinking something like ‘Our girl is a genius!’ but she reacted like this.

‘This is really suspicious.’

I could just brush it off saying I asked because it was impressive, but her reaction is too telling for that.

And it’s not my style to just let go when I’ve caught onto something.

Since Kang Yeon-hee was glaring and being wary like a cat with its fur standing on end, I carefully chose my words.

‘A direct approach would be better.’

“I met Han Romi on Floor 51, and Han Romi saw your potions.”

“Oh, r-really?”

“Yeah, she said they were high level. Good enough that she’d want to recruit you to Shinrok.”

“Ah… What?!”

Kang Yeon-hee’s eyes widened in shock.

“It’s not common for a B-rank hunter to receive recognition from an S-rank hunter, right? If Han Romi acknowledges them, then the potions you casually make aren’t ordinary.”

The joy of receiving recognition, and the hesitation of not wanting to say anything.

Kang Yeon-hee’s expression was subtle, mixing these two feelings.

“Unnie, there’s a new product that just came out, would you like to take this?”

“Aren’t you changing the subject a bit too obviously?”

“I made it with the blending herbs you gave me last time. It’s more effective than existing potions. There aren’t many blending herbs, so mass production probably won’t be possible, but there’s enough for you to use. I’m also thinking of looking into whether we can cultivate more.”

Watching Kang Yeon-hee chatter away like a chick made me feel somewhat sorry for her.

I understand she doesn’t want to talk about it, but does she dislike it so much that she’d constantly change the subject?

At that moment, a message from Park Ji-woon arrived with perfect timing.

[> New Message

– I probably won’t be able to contact you well from now on. Please help us. Ι Director Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

I let out a deep sigh at the message that didn’t doubt for a second that I would come.

Ah, how was this guy planning to survive and return without me, crying out like this?

I’m not a smart or exceptional person, but I do have an uncanny ability to grasp my position.

‘S-ranks aren’t much.’

Isn’t my current position such that I could survive at least once even if I looked down on South Korea’s pillars?

I finished putting Kang Yeon-hee’s potions into my inventory.

“I need to go first.”

“Go quickly!”

Kang Yeon-hee’s expression was very bright as she kindly pointed to the back door with both hands.

I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.

When was it that she was desperately looking for me, and now look at that spirit trying to kick me out the moment things got awkward.

Indeed, truck protests aren’t something just anyone can do.

“See you next time.”

“Unnie, I’ll be doing fine on my own, so you don’t need to come for a while!”

“I’m coming!”

As she saw off my fierce shouting, Kang Yeon-hee urgently called out.

“It’s okay!”

I stepped out the back door, carefully wearing my robe and mask.

‘Kang Yeon-hee, when I come back, I’ll lock you up and feed you only steamed dumplings until you confess.’

I’ll let her feel secure and then suddenly barge in.

I gritted my teeth as I headed toward the Warp Gate.

At this moment, I had completely forgotten.

The time I spent in the Sudden Gate I got caught up in during lunch was only 30 minutes.

To avoid Ahn Yeon-seo’s suspicion, I needed to return to Aegis’s office first.

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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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