Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Masked Bazaar
I am a Dubai merchant. I have a lot of money. I want to trade.
A forest where snow falls in early summer.
A forest where the sun shines even at night.
A place where voices leak out from polluted trees.
"......"
I've decided to give up trying to understand this forest with my everyday common sense.
It just feels like it'll be better for my mental health to accept it as it is.
"...Let's just purify the pollution."
That way, I can fulfill one of the weapon's growth conditions.
Right now, my goal is to make it so that Korea's Awakeners can crush variant gates with overwhelming firepower.
To do that, I resolved to first sweep up a massive amount of cash.
That way, I can buy up all the ultra-rare items or equipment scattered around the world and flood the Korean market, or fund support projects.
Something, anything.
Fortunately, I had more than enough ways to rake in the money.
The easiest among them was selling the 'gathering items' I found using the weapon's 'Nature Resonance' ability at the auction house.
Of course, I couldn't rely on the Korean auction house forever.
I'd have to look into other revenue sources soon...
"Anyway."
To sweep up cash.
To find even rarer gathering items.
My immediate goal was to upgrade the growth-type weapon to its 'final stage' as quickly as possible.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ● Nature Resonance II
> Resonates with the flow of nature, detecting the presence of 'rare gathering items,' 'ancient plants,' and 'relic-grade resources.' "Even just one upgrade does this much."
If I upgrade it to the final stage...
I honestly can't even imagine what it might detect beyond relic-grade resources.
So before purifying the tree's pollution, I first lifted the weapon to check its growth conditions.
⚔ GROWTH CONDITIONS ⚔ - Purify contaminated zones (0/3) - Meditate continuously for 6 hours in nature (0/3) - Cultivate seeds discovered with 'Nature Resonance' (1/3) - Overcome 'Trial of Nature' (0/1) "Will this tree count as a contaminated zone?"
Well, I'd know right away if I checked.
I immediately reached toward the center of the ancient tree, where the blue pollution pulsed.
Then I activated Purify.
🧼 PURIFY ACTIVATED 🧼 Crackle—
Rotten bark peeled away, and the pollution covering the tree began to slowly recede from the edges.
"...Huh?"
But this... it didn't seem like simple pollution. It felt like some kind of living creature.
The blue pollution, hit directly by Purify, writhed like a snail doused in salt before starting to expand its territory again.
"Well, look at you...?"
I drew up mana from within and unleashed another wave of Purify at the pollution.
Then.
- Meee...
The blue pollution let out a pathetic wail before suddenly compressing its body and—pong!—bouncing the Purify skill away.
It then resumed slithering outward, covering the tree once more.
"...????"
What the hell? Nothing like this had ever happened before.
Despite having purified plenty of pollution up to now, this was a first.
Staring at it in disbelief, I focused on unleashing Purify again.
- Meee...
The blue pollution let out weird cries as if my Purify was agonizing, but it stubbornly endured, contracting and expanding repeatedly.
That was when Pristine, who had been watching, started circling the tree, scattering frost crystals from her wings.
With my Purify combined with the frost crystals falling from Pristine's wings—
Fwaaah—
A dazzling light flashed in the center of the tree.
- Meeee...!
With a pathetic wail echoing like a reverberation, the blue pollution covering the surface scattered like smoke and vanished.
⚙ GROWTH CONDITIONS ⚙ - Purify contaminated zones (1/3) As the growth condition updated—
Fwaat—
A massive passage appeared in the center of the ancient tree.
Shouts in an unfamiliar language and the scent of exotic spices flowed out from the rift.
Thud—
At that exact moment, the weapon in my hand vibrated heavily.
It must have sensed something inside the passage.
Thruuuum—
The weapon vibrated even more intensely, pulling me toward the passage.
Of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.
But having set the goal of raking in cash, I couldn't ignore the weapon's vibrations and turn back.
"Hoo..."
I nodded once, steeled myself, and leaned toward the passage.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The moment I entered the passage, what I saw was...
"A market?"
It was a bustling market filled with people of all skin colors, clothing styles, and languages.
They all wore gas masks or coverings tightly over their faces as they hurried between the long rows of stalls.
On one stall: blazing feathers, scales the size of a person's torso, blue hearts, and other byproducts I'd never seen in Korean markets lined up.
On another: ancient tomes that looked thousands of years old, crystals emanating dark red energy, and all sorts of dangerous-looking items.
"Whoa... a place like this exists?"
It felt like I'd been dropped alone into the middle of a foreign country.
I memorized the exit's location in my mind and began wandering the stalls, taking in the exotic items.
But something felt off.
The more I walked among the stalls, the more the chatter between customers and merchants faded—one by one.
Until finally.
"......"
"......"
Silence blanketed the market.
Looking down at a stall, I instinctively raised my head and scanned my surroundings.
"......"
When had it started? Every single person in the place was facing me.
Those haggling, those carrying goods, those just setting up their stalls.
All of them had stopped what they were doing and were silently staring at me.
The sight was eerie, sending chills down my spine.
"Wh-what's wrong...?"
Gathering my courage, I finally spoke.
One of them approached and held up a square artifact toward me.
[Are you... okay?] "What do you mean?"
In response, he pointed at his artifact with a finger.
He probably wanted me to speak into it.
I leaned toward the square artifact and repeated myself. He muttered in an unfamiliar language toward it.
[No breathing gear. How are you breathing?] "......??"
No breathing gear?
How am I breathing?
What did that even mean?
"Is he asking why I'm not wearing a gas mask?"
But that was exactly what I wanted to ask them.
The air wasn't so bad that I needed a mask—why were they all wearing them?
As I frowned and peered into the artifact—
He muttered another unfamiliar phrase.
[Your pocket, the shiny thing, artifact?] Seeing the translated text, I immediately looked down at the pocket on my padding jacket.
"...Huh?"
Something inside the pocket was glowing blue.
"What's this?"
Rummaging in the pocket, I felt a cold sensation on my fingertips.
Following it, I pulled out the flower Pristine had given me, now resting in my palm.
[Glacie Bloom] - A miraculous flower that blooms in eternal winter - Contains powerful chill and purification power. Powerful chill and purification power.
"Then, don't tell me..."
As the question formed in my mind—
The flower, freed from my pocket, began spewing frost like mad.
Pop!
Pop-pop!
Pooop!
Fresh air filled my lungs.
At the same time, my surroundings lit up—a meter, two meters, three meters around me, bright as day.
Beyond that, murky darkness contrasted sharply with the light.
"...So I was right?"
The market hadn't been dimly lit overall...
It was just this flower illuminating only around me...
I quickly spoke into the artifact.
"What's that stuff covering everything behind you?"
He brought the artifact to his mouth and rapid-fired words.
[Contaminated mana particles.] [Our faces - Purification filter artifacts.] [Without this - Feel pain] [Want to trade.] As he showed the final translation—
The people who had been silently staring all rushed toward me at once.
They shoved translation artifacts in my face, bellowing in loud, unfamiliar foreign tongues.
"#@!###$#$!!"
"@#@##@#@!!!"
"#$##@#$...!"
"#$#$#@#!!!!"
[I am a Dubai merchant. I have a lot of money. I want to trade.] [All my goods - for your flower] [I'm a Japanese ranker. Japanese weapons are the strongest. Trade weapons and flower.] [Your goods, trade right now.] [Want your flower. Give you my gems.] Unfamiliar foreign languages assaulted me from all sides.
Pushed this way and that by the crowd...
My mind began to fill with panic.
My breath grew short.
"No... everyone, calm down..."
As I slowly backed away to create distance—
Shweee—!
Pristine blocked my front.
The loud clamor cut off instantly, like water doused on flames.
"Spirit...?"
Someone in the crowd muttered in disbelief.
Then, as if on cue—
They all flung themselves away, fleeing to distant spots.
Looking at the market turned into pandemonium in an instant, I realized foreigners feared spirits just as much as Koreans did.
Though it seemed their fear was far more intense than in Korea...
"Just my imagination, right...?"
- Beep...
Maybe Pristine felt the same awkwardness.
She glanced back at me with an embarrassed look before climbing onto my shoulder and hiding in my hair.
And apparently, Pristine's actions were too shocking for the foreigners.
"......"
"......"
They lay flat on the ground, maintaining silence for a long time.
Anyway.
I now knew everyone here was desperate for the Glacie Bloom.
"...Still, I can't sell this flower."
It held symbolic meaning for me, and using a flower Pristine had bloomed so happily for profit didn't sit right.
But.
With all eyes on me now, I could dangle some bait.