24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 89

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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 89

Episode 89. Player Entry (2)

First, one giant fish.

And a school of small fish.

Swaying seaweed and the ocean scent felt among the reefs.

Having used the portable gills item I had bought previously and entered the Warp Gate, I was now standing in the middle of the ocean.

The cold water temperature seeping into my loose-fitting robe made me shiver.

Moreover, since this was deep in the ocean far from the surface, not a single ray of light penetrated properly, making it impossible to see ahead.

I could barely see a few steps in front of me, and beyond that it was pitch black with nothing visible.

‘People need to live seeing light.’

Suppressing the fear that welled up inside me, I rummaged through my inventory.

Fortunately, I had an underwater exploration lamp that I had newly acquired after my last expedition.

When I turned on the lamp, the pitch-black area ahead became visible.

Now I could finally see where I had fallen.

“Is this a similar location to last time?”

In the distance, I could see a shipwreck that had been horribly destroyed.

Of course, I had never observed it from the outside, but when I first fell there, corridors and cabins still existed.

“…Now it’s just a collection of planks.”

It was probably because the kraken had destroyed the shipwreck when it kidnapped me last time.

Come to think of it, I could see several round air bubbles around the destroyed shipwreck.

I hadn’t noticed because I was too frantic then, but looking closely, the air bubbles in the darkness emitted a subtle light.

They looked like small lanterns illuminating the dark ocean depths.

‘How on earth are those things made?’

Does it spit them out with that huge mouth?

The thought that this might be the kraken’s habitat crossed my mind, so I quickly surveyed the surroundings, but fortunately there was nothing unusual.

Let me observe what’s visible first.

My immediate top priority is to find Park Ji-woon, who must be anxiously waiting for me.

‘I need to get out of here first before I can do anything.’

Park Ji-woon probably didn’t know.

The fact that I, whom he considers his golden lifeline, can’t swim and therefore can’t swim up to the surface…

I sent Park Ji-woon a message saying I had arrived, but there was no reply.

He said he wouldn’t be able to communicate, so he must be in a state where he can’t come to his senses right now.

“Ugh, let’s hurry up and go.”

Anyway, I need to escape from here and go to a place called Laoko before I can help him or not.

I took off my robe that was only hindering my movement, put it in my inventory, and slowly started walking.

There was also the option of buying items that would help with movement, but it hadn’t even been half a day since I decided to develop frugal spending habits.

Due to overspending on Kalashi’s tent, the gold I have left now is just pocket change.

And most importantly, since I had fallen into the ocean twice, I had reasonable suspicions that there might be something here.

However.

“Isn’t the treatment of Babel Kids too harsh?”

There were no hints, let alone anything else.

I grumbled and looked back once.

It’s not like something would appear from behind where there was nothing before.

I could only see big fish, small fish, and occasional seaweed.

If you’re going to drop me in a place like this twice, at least scatter some hints to make it easier to get there.

All I’ve figured out so far is that the transparent air bubbles don’t burst even when poked, and that there are a total of 8 bubbles.

This doesn’t befit the dignity of a black knight on a white horse.

‘Maybe there’s something different about one of the air bubbles…’

Come to think of it, those air bubbles seem like something the kraken created to confine something.

I carefully examined the air bubbles one by one.

However…

“There’s surprisingly nothing at all.”

Am I going to just walk aimlessly like this and end up drowning in the ocean?

I’ve never even thought about such a lonely and desolate death.

For something I set out on so resolutely, my will keeps trying to disappear.

No, they said I would randomly fall near where the performer is, but that was a complete lie.

There’s only nature and me here!

I let out a deep sigh and approached the last air bubble.

If there’s no hint here either, I’ll have no choice but to look for useful items.

[⁕ Market search results show a total of 26 products exist :)]

“Not now, you bastard!”

[⁕ Should I search for products that help with burns? :)]

…Ignoring this is the answer.

I adjusted the lamp’s brightness and moved a little further forward.

And the moment I reached the last air bubble, I froze in place.

There was a clue I had been hoping and hoping for.

“…Kim Seol?”

It was Kim Seol, the leader of the guild ‘Thaw’ and 4th-ranked hunter.

At this completely unexpected encounter, I froze right there on the spot.

Kim Seol was leaning against the gentle part inside the air bubble with her eyes closed.

I thought the kraken might have dragged her away since she went missing, but I never expected to encounter her like this.

‘Is she unconscious?’

Her skin looked much paler than what I’d seen in the media, along with her wan lips and drooping body.

Even though the lamplight must have swept across her face, there was no movement.

‘…No, wait a minute!’

As I was carefully observing Kim Seol’s condition, I was startled by a sudden thought and turned around.

I had forgotten that when using portable gills, there was a restriction preventing me from wearing items on my face.

In other words, I’m currently bare-faced.

I immediately took out my heavy robe from my inventory and put it on.

Only after pulling the hood all the way over my head did I carefully observe Kim Seol again.

The appearance of Kim Seol, known as the most beautiful among famous domestic hunters, was shocking in many ways.

“How can even fainting look like a photo shoot?”

Her jet-black hair had a subtle blue tint as if imbued with the energy of ice.

Her pale skin contrasting with it was like a peeled egg.

‘How can a person have no pores on their face?’

“She really is pretty.”

I’m not someone who easily admires others’ appearances, but exclamations came out naturally.

‘Ah, except for Asmodeus.’

That one’s an exception since he was born to seduce.

If a law were proposed that the term ‘cold beauty’ should only apply to Kim Seol, I think I could nod and agree.

‘Is it okay for me to see a face like this from so close?’

Isn’t this a reward?

I was having rather perverted thoughts when I suddenly realized something important.

If there was one thing that stood out on such a perfect face.

It was that her lips were purple.

Anyone could see it was the appearance of someone suffering from hypothermia.

‘An S-rank Hunter dying from hypothermia would be pretty ridiculous.’

Being cool-toned, it did suit her though.

But if she really couldn’t wake up from this state, it would be a real disaster.

The main forces of the Floor 53 raid team were only Kim Seol and Park Ji-woon.

Between the two, the core of the raid wouldn’t be Park Ji-woon who contracted with Asmodeus, but Kim Seol who used ice abilities.

I urgently pounded on the air bubble with all my might while calling her name.

“Kim Seol! Kim Seol-!”

But there was no sign of Kim Seol’s eyelids lifting.

I tried kicking the bubble and shouting, making all sorts of noise, but it was useless.

I even brought out the iron dagger I used to cut Casabl’s prison bars, but the air bubble didn’t get a single scratch.

After struggling with the air bubble for a while, I sighed and slumped down.

“Seriously, what did that bastard Kraken make this bubble so sturdy for?”

The time limit for the temporary gills was almost up too, so I had to find a way somehow.

For now, I had no means to pierce through this bubble.

Should I go up to the surface for now?

But then I’d have to leave Kim Seol here, and leaving behind someone who looked like they’d die any moment didn’t sit well with me.

Should I at least look for an item that could transmit warm heat through the bubble?

“…Wait, warmth?”

I stopped my hand that was scratching my chin.

Mentioning warmth suddenly reminded me of something.

It seemed a bit reckless, but the image that came to mind somehow seemed plausible.

I made a frame shape with my fingers to gauge the size of the air bubble.

“It might be possible…?”

I opened my inventory where all sorts of miscellaneous items would be rolling around.

Well, even if it doesn’t work.

“Should I at least give it a try?”

* * *

The sea was the stage and a Kraken would appear.

When I heard this information, I thought this scenario might be a bit easier, but it was clearly a misjudgment.

The moment we entered Floor 53 and the scenario began, Kim Seol bit her lip.

The scenario content was unreasonably unhelpful.

[Main Scenario ‘Karma’ (Zone-Laoko Ι Dimension-Nanus)

+

Laoko appears peaceful but is a village that has risen from great pain.

The people here try to survive somehow, but unknown monsters periodically appear to threaten their daily lives.

+

Scenario Objective: Find the story sleeping deep in the sea.]

It was a completely different situation from Floor 51, which had detailed settings and even provided hints.

I thought we’d just need to deal with the Kraken, but ‘the story sleeping deep in the sea’?

It was the type of scenario Kim Seol, who absolutely hated vague things, disliked most.

But there was no choice.

Once we entered the scenario, there was no way out except clearing it.

‘Unless we fought each other with killing intent and prepared for death.’

The raid team that made the decision split into two groups.

Park Ji-woon and Kim Seol would investigate the sea where the dangerous Kraken was, while the other raid members would check about the story.

Borrowing a boat from the village to go out to sea, Kim Seol thought deeply.

Babel doesn’t give unsolvable problems.

This was the conviction Kim Seol had gained while climbing the Tower of Babel.

With that in mind, she had expectations that going out to sea would yield at least some small clue.

That was until one of the Kraken’s tentacles smashed the boat.

The Kraken seemed to have magic nullification abilities.

Both Park Ji-woon’s and her own bodies floated up simultaneously, and a pure white light appeared above Park Ji-woon’s head.

Losing consciousness from the intense pain striking her temple and being thrown into the cold sea was Kim Seol’s last memory.

But then.

“…Ugh.”

What was this warmth?

There was a subtle scent mixing the saltiness of seawater with the smell of herbs, and the warm energy enveloping her whole body seemed to thaw her frozen body.

Had someone come to rescue her?

‘I showed such an unsightly appearance.’

It was an embarrassing, utterly ridiculous accident unworthy of the name S-rank Hunter.

Kim Seol felt inward shame as she forced her eyes open.

Soft-toned lighting, a warm atmosphere interior with several cozy-looking beds visible.

Among them, a fairly tall man was moving around busily.

An unfamiliar build.

At least someone she’d never seen in Laoko.

Kim Seol quickly gathered her mana and sat up.

But her mana didn’t flow as smoothly as expected.

The Kraken’s attack seemed to have been more fatal than she thought.

Then the man, sensing her presence, turned his head.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

It was a gentle voice.

The moment his face was revealed, Kim Seol held her breath.

Oriental features different from the people she’d seen in Laoko.

It wasn’t the face of any raid team member who had entered the scenario with her either.

But somehow a familiar face.

As Kim Seol became alert and tried to stand up abruptly, the man hurriedly waved his hands.

“Hey hey, you just regained consciousness, you shouldn’t get up so suddenly like that.”

The man said something, but Kim Seol forced herself up, pressing against the floor.

This was a situation where unknown dangers might be lurking.

Being cautious and responsive in everything was one of the most basic attitudes for a Hunter.

However, just as Kim Seol was forcing herself up to move.

“…What?”

Kim Seol noticed that a thin membrane was blocking the space between herself and the man.

A thin membrane surrounding her like an air bubble. Its size was considerable, reaching up to the ceiling above her head.

‘Damn it.’

Losing consciousness was already a big mistake, and now to be trapped in something like this.

Self-reproach was brief, as Kim Seol immediately drew up her mana and used a skill.

A supreme skill that could split the sea in half.

But the thin membrane before her eyes didn’t get even a small scratch.

Kim Seol glared fiercely at the man beyond the membrane and asked.

“You, what exactly are you?”

At that question, the man shrugged and held up a steaming mug.

“Hello, I’m Lee Hae. Nice to meet you for the first time.”

At his calm greeting, Kim Seol’s face hardened stiffly.

Lee Hae?

That Lee Hae who ranked first in contribution on Floor 51?

The mysterious figure whose identity no one had been able to determine was peacefully drinking tea with only a thin membrane between them.

“Are you the one who trapped me here?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. On the contrary, I rescued you when you were trapped, Kim Seol. You looked like you were going to freeze to death if I left you alone.”

At least he didn’t seem hostile.

A situation where she couldn’t even grasp the other party’s true intentions, let alone their identity.

Moreover, since she couldn’t find a way out of this membrane, the best strategy for now was to quietly assess her opponent.

Kim Seol suppressed her anger and asked calmly.

“Where is this place?”

Lee Hae nodded as if he had expected her to ask that, then slowly walked toward the tent entrance.

And without hesitation, he pulled back the tent flap.

“What the…”

Kim Seol couldn’t hide her bewilderment and muttered.

Beyond the open tent, fish were swimming leisurely.

Lee Hae smiled with an innocent expression and said.

“An aquarium.”

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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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