24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 97

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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 97

Episode 97. Lost Puzzle Piece (3)

This place too must have once been a proper dimension, so I had thought there would be some related hidden story, even if the scenario content was simple.

However, if the subject was a mermaid, then a mermaid it would be – I just never thought it would be a kraken.

As I feel every time, the problems Babel presents are difficult for humans who have lived ordinary lives to easily guess.

Should we all reflect and apologize for being trapped in narrow-minded thinking and failing to understand Babel’s grand intentions?

Anyway, we learned the important information that the kraken was looking for something.

However, the party became serious at this unexpected information.

While Park Bo-bae escorted the village chief who had been kicked out of the meeting for speaking too slowly.

Kim Seol, who had been thinking about something in silence for quite a while, opened her mouth.

“Then the story sleeping in the depths of the sea could be the kraken’s story.”

“That possibility has emerged. Sigh…”

Whether sighing at the end of every sentence was a habit, Lee Ja-gyeom agreed with a troubled face.

“Isn’t there a way to communicate with the kraken?”

“It attacks everything it sees, so how do you plan to approach it?”

“If I freeze it whole and then tell it not to fight but to talk, wouldn’t it understand well?”

“…I think it would fight desperately, thinking ‘today is the last day of my life’?”

Lee Ja-gyeom shook his head while listening to Kim Seol and Hong Jae-in’s conversation.

At that time, I was thinking something different.

‘Wouldn’t it be possible for me?’

If there’s someone who could communicate with the kraken, it would definitely be only me.

Although the kraken is a monster that attacks everything visible, seeing that it’s looking for something, there’s a high possibility it has intelligence.

Perhaps the reason I fell into the sea was because the kraken was an intelligent being capable of trading.

So that means I can sell something to the kraken too.

Brother also communicated with a griffin, which was a monster, and received a feather as a token of goodwill.

I too had just recently communicated with Kus’arich, the field boss of a Sudden Gate.

Is communication with monsters possible?

The fundamental question about that has already been resolved.

‘No, wait a minute. I had Merchant’s Mark activated in the first place, so why did it strike me with its leg?’

Does it have bad eyesight?

Do I need to get very close and risk my life to smile brightly for it not to attack me?

“Orphe, are there any stories passed down among the mermaids?”

I was lost in thought when Kim Seol tapped my foot, and only then did I come to my senses.

“Orphe?”

Ah right, I was Orphe!

While I was blinking to compose my bewilderment, Hong Jae-in calmly asked once more.

“Are there any similar stories among the mermaid tribe?”

I’m grateful that they believe I’m a dispatched mermaid even after seeing my ridiculous state, but there’s no way a fake mermaid like me would have any useful clues.

I answered with a heavy heart.

“There were no mermaids anywhere in this sea who knew the forbidden story of the kraken… Hehe, only I, Orphe, wandered through the darkness trying to uncover that truth.”

“What are you saying.”

“I think he means he doesn’t know either.”

“I can’t guarantee I’ve seen through everything, but finding the path might be the duty of the chosen apostle. Keke, I’ll take the first step myself.”

“Crazy bastard.”

Kim Seol didn’t hesitate to deal critical damage while glaring at me.

Her gaze clearly conveyed that she didn’t want to hear more and to please shut my mouth, but I shamelessly smiled once more.

“Keke, kahahaha-!”

Kim Seol squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.

I looked at the back of Kim Seol’s head and let out a sinister laugh.

Shame is something that becomes dull very easily.

‘Ah, this is kind of fun.’

It’s a terrifying situation where we can’t do anything if we don’t figure out the kraken’s story, but separately from that, I was gradually able to enjoy this black flame dragon role.

Seeing the faces of people who are disgusted by whatever I do is quite thrilling.

Of course, it might be even more so because what I’m wearing now isn’t really my face.

‘Brother, sorry.’

While offering a sincere apology in my heart to Brother who became a sacrifice in my place, I possessed the black flame dragon again.

As they say, those who know how to enjoy any situation are first-class.

“So, what do we do now?”

“I thought the mermaid’s apostle would have useful information, but that doesn’t seem to be the case either. Whew…”

“Manager Park Ji-woon still shows no signs of waking up, and when Bo-bae returns, should we split into pairs and investigate this village’s history?”

“Well, that’s also a good method. We need to find out something about that pirate ship.”

“But what and how do we investigate?”

The troubled hunters let out deep sighs.

‘Let me get out of here for now.’

I quietly stepped backward.

Although I had subtly joined the strategy team, I’m not originally someone suited for group activities.

As someone with abilities I want to hide from them, it’s much more comfortable for me to move alone.

But Kim Seol blocked my path as I tried to sneak out.

Was she displeased that I was trying to act alone?

“Where are you going?”

Her face was so cold it seemed like she might unleash her ultimate skill, “Frozen Sea,” at any moment.

But through the past few hours of companionship, I had perfectly figured out how to deal with Kim Seol.

Instead of being frightened and withdrawing my decision, I crossed both hands above my face.

Then I answered like a noble aristocrat who wouldn’t drink even a drop of water with their own hands.

“Keke, it is my destiny to bestow revelations upon foolish humans. Like a lonely seeker, I shall depart alone to find fragments of truth.”

Kim Seol scrunched up her expression and gave a very warm reply.

“Go and die.”

* * *

Despite her harsh response, when Kim Seol told me to shoot magic into the sky if any problems arose, I could only smile wistfully.

‘I don’t have magic power, Kim Seol…’

But if I said that, she would probably insist I take a hunter with me, so I decided to keep quiet.

Kim Seol reluctantly let me go with a displeased face.

‘But why did she just let me go?’

While walking toward my destination, I racked my brain over this unsolved question.

From Kim Seol’s perspective, I must be a collection of suspicious elements, yet it’s strange that she sent me off without even assigning surveillance.

Knowing full well that I’m the rumored ‘Lee Hae’, she can’t completely trust what I might do.

I might even run away, right?

She even seemed confident that I would seek her out if any problems arose.

‘Does she just hate being with me?’

If that’s the case, I acknowledge it.

I did say only things that were unpleasant to hear.

Anyway, thanks to escaping from the strategy team, I could safely remove the black flame dragon ring.

If something like this was going to come up, I shouldn’t have ordered an ‘item that doesn’t look suspicious.’

I should have asked for an item that could erase my presence, or at least an item that would make me look ordinary.

This is all because I couldn’t overcome my laziness and relied on artificial intelligence.

I depended on it in the early stages of awakening when I knew nothing, but I’ve grown a lot now…

[⁕ Should I search for items that promote growth? :)]

Look at this, spouting nonsense without even understanding the context.

I ignored Sam-i and walked following the signpost visible ahead.

My destination was the library.

Recalling how I got answers from Gillyard the turtle beastkin, all clues remain intact in records.

And from my experience so far, Babel loves stories.

‘There are no events without reason.’

Everything is connected.

There must be a clear reason why the kraken attacked not only Laoko’s fishermen but even the mermaids in the sea.

Personally, I extremely hate dramas that give backstories to villains.

But I’ve climbed the Tower and need to find the scenario’s answer somehow, so I need to examine the circumstances one by one in detail.

‘As a Babel kid, I should accept Babel’s demands.’

Only the pirate ship was safe in the sea dominated by the kraken.

I need to find out why that is.

The raid team will surely come to the library looking for information about the pirate ship too, but I planned to get there first and leave.

I don’t want to sit in the library together reading books all friendly and cheerful.

After walking quite a bit following the direction the signpost indicated, I could see the library in the distance.

The treasury of time that would contain all of Laoko’s history is right there…!

“A library…! Well, it is one…!”

My exclamation of joy collapsed weakly.

‘Damn small…’

I didn’t expect the library to be big since Laoko itself is small, but this is about the size of my stall in the Irregular Dimensional Market.

“This is ridiculous.”

It was so ridiculous that I blurted out my thoughts.

Opening the door and entering was even more disappointing.

Bookshelves covered in white dust from poor maintenance and windows so cloudy they blocked even incoming light.

Plus, a modest scale with few books.

It’s embarrassing to call this a library.

Shouldn’t this be called a reading room instead?

Or maybe a personal study…

“Still, there should be clues somewhere.”

I began examining the bookshelves, trying to comfort my meager hope.

Among the old, crumbling books, there were no particularly interesting titles.

There was a book called ‘Laoko’s 35 Years’ so I picked it up thinking this was it.

[6th Village Chief Kuon’s Achievement]

It was a biography of a village chief who served consecutive terms for a 7-year position, leading the village for a whopping 35 years.

‘Isn’t this just an autobiography?’

Still, there was a pirate story.

[Kuon’s son’s grandson’s cousin, Tawan, joined a pirate crew but returned in ten days due to seasickness.]

Except it was unbelievably useless information.

Who on earth thought to make a library with books like these?

“Let me try to find some information about the kraken.”

And roughly 10 minutes later, after checking the titles of all books on the shelves, I let out a deep sigh.

I didn’t expect records about damage or subjugation, but why is there a guidebook for mountain climbing beginners in a seaside village?

And why are there diaries?

While disappointed by the useless books, I suddenly discovered a thin book wedged between the shelves.

“Oh, a gap…”

Thinking of ramen, I carefully pulled the book out with my fingers, and saw a tattered cover that looked ready to tear.

[Sea Monsters]

From the childishly colorful drawings, it looked like a fairy tale written for children.

In fantasy worlds, fairy tales being major clues is the standard rule.

I casually flipped through the pages.

“Sea serpent, dust sea urchin…”

The descriptions under the pictures were quite professional, unlike the cute art style.

‘Is this just a dictionary organizing sea creatures?’

While muttering and quickly turning pages, my hand stopped at one page.

A drawing of a mermaid with sparkling scales, exactly like what I saw underwater.

One line in the description below caught my attention.

[Mermaids are presumed to be descendants of sirens that disappeared long ago.]

Suddenly a scene flashed like lightning.

A young mermaid napping in the seaweed bed. An older mermaid humming a lullaby by her bedside.

I thought that melody sounded strangely familiar, like I’d heard it somewhere before.

‘That’s the scale Atari was humming!’

The memory I saw when appraising the brilliantly colorful magic harp.

It was the melody that the lone young mermaid hummed with a muffled voice on the reef.

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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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