Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Carpenter's Gloves
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I could only return to the shop about an hour after the originally promised time.
"What? Why is it so clean?"
The shop looked like it had undergone a full renovation—the floor was literally sparkling.
Had I ever kept the shop this clean?
I guess I'm a pretty tidy tale after all.
Don't make that pissy face—it's obvious.
Seeing that creepy expression on top of you being late is just making my mood worse.
"Sorry about that. It took way longer than I thought."
Truth be told, I never expected you to keep your promise anyway.
"..."
This time, it was mostly my fault, so I had nothing to say.
No, why wouldn't I have anything to say?
"Couldn't you have just waited a bit? You just need to keep the door connected, right?"
Yeah.
Your point is valid.
But if you knew about the massive shop cleanup your tardiness caused, you'd think differently.
"What?"
Then let me explain everything from the beginning.
The shop's story held more surprises than I'd imagined.
It was funny enough that those two had cleaned up frantically to leave, but what felt truly dangerous was that they'd entered the shop while I was away.
So, what do you have to say?
"Sorry... But given your personality, I figured you'd kill at least one of them. You didn't."
I can't directly harm them.
I could refuse to make doors forever if I wanted, but I had to send them out before you returned.
"Ah."
If the shop hadn't handled it properly, I would've been in a real bind.
Even I only heard about that one guy for the first time, along with Se-jin.
"But you can change the interior layout like that?"
Yes, I can, but it consumed a lot of the power I'd been saving.
After you made the Paradoxical Time, I used up every last bit of resources left, plus poured in more of my own power.
In short, I'm broke now.
"That's bad. Can you hold out until the next trade next week?"
I'll be a little hungry, but I can manage.
"Next time, I'll really empty my pockets to feed you."
Haha.
Now that's something to look forward to.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next five days passed in a blur.
Of course, those five days were spent purely resting, so the shop door never opened to the world.
Spending five days in a windowless sealed room might look tough, but after nearly a month of this life, it actually felt comfortable.
"I feel kinda like a hikikomori."
Come to think of it, even before coming here, I'd never been one to go out much.
I gazed at the Carpenter's Gloves, the only item left proudly displaying itself on the otherwise empty display shelf.
That singularity might make the gloves seem shabby, but the sparse arrangement instead brimmed with minimalist beauty, drawing all eyes to the Carpenter's Gloves.
I'd steadily collected Dream Solvent but hadn't used any specially to make Condensed Dreams.
Ready to do some business?
"Yeah, let's get started."
I said I was opening for business, but realistically, no actual sales would happen today—the sand would turn to nothing.
The Bureau would probably bring a few fingers again this time, but it was about time to end the opening discount event.
So today was all about notifying them of the new prices.
An hour after the door connected to the world, it creaked open.
This time, there were three of them.
Two were Se-jin and Do-hyun, and the other seemed to be the man the shop had mentioned.
Since that Woo-seok guy had come last time too, it looked like he'd be tagging along from now on.
Man, he really looks like an idiot.
His face makes you wonder how he even got into the Bureau.
At least Yoon Seo-yeon looked smart.
"..."
Watching them, the three were entering the shop super cautiously.
They probably didn't want to get trapped in another [Room You Can't Leave Without Doing XX] room.
"Long time no see. Is something wrong?"
At my voice, relief bloomed genuinely across Se-jin's face.
"Ah, n-no, nothing at all."
These guys were pretending they hadn't snuck in while I was gone.
Should I act like I knew about their intrusion here?
Letting them think I was clueless could be a weapon too, so better to play dumb.
Do-hyun whispered something in Se-jin's ear, and Se-jin scanned the shop with a puzzled look.
He must've checked the display shelf.
"The selection seems much smaller today."
"I've been busy handling other things, so only this one item this time. But its value is immense, so I think you'll be plenty satisfied."
I gauged their reactions roughly and continued.
"It's called the Carpenter's Gloves. Simply put, it lets you use telekinesis. Allow me to demonstrate."
Pushing aside my uneasy feeling, I slipped on the gloves and lifted the gun from Se-jin's back pocket.
"Something like this."
"This is ridiculous... We'll take it right now. With what we brought—"
"Ah, sorry, but that won't be enough to buy it."
"Pardon?"
"The damage from the Paradoxical Time incident last time was no small matter, and it's time to end the opening discount event. In other words, prices are going up across the board."
I mimicked the snide tone of a luxury store clerk sizing up a customer by their clothes.
"...So how much for those gloves?"
"It can replace over twenty workers. How about twenty hands?"
They all looked shocked, unable to snap out of it.
Probably stunned by the otherworldly amount compared to before—twenty hands.
"If you buy it, it'll be the best decision you made all year."
I kept going without waiting for their response.
"That said, even the Bureau can't easily part with twenty hands. I'll open the shop next Wednesday at 3 PM. If you have the means by then, feel free to purchase."
I took off the gloves and placed them back on the shelf.
"But if you can't buy my item by then, I'll consider the deal broken and welcome new customers."
How's that? The paradoxical sales tactic where the seller holds all the power.
This time, the three huddled together whispering.
I could've asked the shop to eavesdrop like last time, but it didn't seem necessary.
"Um... Merchant?"
It was Woo-seok.
"Yes. Your name is 'Seok,' right?"
"Pardon? It's Woo-seok. Mun Woo-seok."
Whoops.
His looks matched the 'Seok' in his name so well, I'd assumed it was a single-syllable name.
"Anyway, could you sell some Momentary Dreams?"
"If you want, I'll have them ready by Wednesday."
"Thank you."
Mun Woo-seok looked at me with the glee of someone realizing he could keep up his scam.
What the hell?
"That said, as I mentioned, with the overall price hike, it'll be two fingers each."
With that, Se-jin spoke up.
"Understood... We'll come back on Wednesday."
As I smiled, the firmly shut door opened, and the trio left the shop.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "We're screwed."
"We're screwed."
"Squad Leader, Woo-seok's words—"
"Didn't you hear? Twenty hands! That merchant definitely knows we entered the shop. Why else would he jack up the price so maliciously?"
"That's true, but."
"The real problem is that even if he sets the price at twenty hands, Headquarters Chief will push it through anyway."
Twenty hands is way harder than a hundred fingers.
With current tech, fingers regenerate easily, but hands take forever and cost a fortune.
That's why insurance only covers fingers and toes—the extremities.
And with infrastructure totally wrecked, it's even tougher.
"I don't know about the other items, but that glove's ability was something else."
"At least it's not a scenario where we have to buy a crappy item. Silver lining."
"Otherwise, the shop would've vanished that day."
"Let's head back to the Bureau."
The cleared roads in a few days were enough for a car or two, but the rest was still beyond ruins.
The twilight sky against that ruined world flaunted the allure of the sunset.
We arrived at the Bureau building, now just an elevator without the structure around it.
"Let's go down."
Ding—Basement Level 5.
The man sitting there looked twenty years older in just a few days.
After hearing about the gloves, Headquarters Chief pondered briefly before speaking.
"That glove's power was legit?"
"Yes."
"Twenty hands isn't a small number, of course. But it's not impossible either. The Bureau has talent to make it easier."
His gaze turned to the chief researcher.
"Me? Really?"