Chapter 15

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 15

Chapter Title: Peaceful Hunter Market

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Hunter Market was exactly what it sounded like—a place where hunters bought and sold items needed for dungeon raids. It was usually held in a massive convention hall every weekend, sponsored by big corporations as a thank-you to the hunters who cleared out dungeon byproducts, or so they claimed.

From armor, accessories, and weapons crafted by Creation skill hunters to recovery pills that quickly restored stamina, they had everything except the kitchen sink, I'd heard.

'Anyway, that's not the point...'

I was standing in the middle of this huge convention hall, drawing every eye in the place. Hunters passing behind me whispered among themselves, and even the vendors at the booths kept stealing glances at me while pretending to focus on their work.

The two culprits responsible for this mess completely ignored it all, seriously flipping through catalogs at a booth with straight faces.

"Ji-ui, I think boss-drop armor would be better than crafted stuff."

"Our little angel doesn't have any accessories yet, right? I'll pick out something cool with elemental options."

"I want to be alone..."

It all started with that damn Sudden Order. To boost the progress on my Savior of the World mission, I had to buy an S-rank item within 72 hours somehow, so I dragged Se-bin-i along to Hunter Market.

That part was fine, but we ran into Ha Mi-jun Hunter in the parking lot of all places.

He was there to sell low-grade hunter weapons he'd made himself, so I said, "Oh, really?" and tried to stick with just Se-bin-i, but Ha Mi-jun Hunter tagged along anyway and started picking out gear for me.

Hey, having an S-rank Creation hunter help pick gear was top-tier support, no doubt, but the stares from everyone were getting overwhelming. I kept catching snippets like, "Birds of a feather flock together," or whatever shade that was supposed to be.

'Don't say things you wouldn't say to my face...'

A wave of fatigue hit me hard. Screw the items—I just wanted to go home and crash.

"Selling mass quantities of accessories from the Greece S-rank Myth Dungeon!"

"B-rank armor for hunters on sale~"

"Fatigue recovery pills, bombs, smoke grenades for sale!"

Hunter Market might be in a convention hall, but the vibe was straight out of a traditional street market.

Would've been perfect if there were a few food stalls. No place selling sikhye?

Lost in trivial thoughts, I trailed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after Se-bin and Ha Mi-jun Hunter wherever they went.

"Hey, cutie."

"Ha Mi-jun Hunter! What brings you here?"

"Looking for some armor that suits the little angel right here."

I shot Ha Mi-jun Hunter a glare and poked his side. He winked at me all sleazily, making his sharp, slanted eyes look even more predatory. The guy he'd called cutie extended a hand for a shake.

"Whoa, you're Shin Ji-ui the hunter, right? First time meeting you. I'm Han Si-eun!"

"Hi, Han Si-eun Hunter."

"Si-eun's a buddy of mine. She's a total merchant genius who supplies items at killer prices."

"Pahaha! Thanks for the recognition."

Han Si-eun Hunter let out a hearty laugh, plopped down in a chair, and pulled out a tablet from a back shelf, handing it to me. The screen listed various items with details: ranks, elements, features, even inscriptions on some weapons.

But no matter how I looked, I had no clue if any of these were good or not.

"Ji-ui, you have no idea what any of this means, do you?"

"Was it that obvious?"

Ha Mi-jun Hunter grinned and tapped one item on the screen. A photo of a thorny vine headband popped up with its description.

It looked scary as hell, and the notes were straight-up creepy.

Just wearing that thing looked like it'd make blood pour from your head.

Then Ha Mi-jun Hunter's long finger tapped "Revival" a couple times.

"As you can see, 'Revival' is the item name, and below that's the description. This drops from the Vatican Dungeon boss!"

"Only usable by fire-element hunters?"

"Nah. Anyone can equip it regardless of element, but you miss out on the buffs, so no one bothers. Items with elemental options cost double anyway. But with my finances, that's pocket change..."

"Whoa, this one's pretty."

I threw out a throwaway line to cut off Ha Mi-jun Hunter's rambling. Se-bin-i placed her hand on the tablet next, input some options, and a few items popped up.

A ring with a full moon, pristine white leather gloves, shimmering fabric... They all screamed high-end.

"Searched for light-element boss items."

"They all look so unique."

Clicking the top ring brought up a huge photo. A platinum band with a silver full moon on top, the lunar surface so detailed it looked like they'd plucked the real moon and glued it on.

"Reveals gate locations? That's a solid item."

"The Gobi Desert Dungeon got ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wiped out in an explosion, so only one of these left, huh?"

"Got trapped in a dungeon. Don't remember exactly, but the raid team wiped because they couldn't find the exit gate."

Self's words from when I'd seen Cha Do-yun Hunter echoed in my ears. With this, maybe I could save him before it happened.

"...Do you do installments?"

"Of course~ Hook it up with the Association, and it'll auto-deduct from your paycheck!"

Hadn't even gotten my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠first paycheck yet, and here I was piling on debt. Mom and Dad's new house debt, item debt, and Ji-yu's hospital bills I still hadn't paid off... Exhausting.

"Then that one..."

"I'll take it."

'Huh?'

Out of nowhere, Se-bin-i handed her card to Han Si-eun Hunter. As I alternated stares between the card and Se-bin-i, a whistle sounded from behind my head—Ha Mi-jun Hunter.

"Here you go~!"

"Here, Ji-ui."

"Uh? No, wait, uh, yeah?"

Se-bin-i opened the case herself, took out The Light That Illuminates the Path, and grabbed my left hand.

"Feels like S-rank-plus performance. Wear it all the time from now on."

"No, I could buy it myself—why'd you..."

"Haha, well..."

Se-bin-i's hand, holding the ring, hovered between my middle and ring fingers before carefully sliding it onto my middle finger. She glanced up at me just with her eyes.

"Why not?"

'Straight attack to the face.'

That handsome face I'd gotten used to sometimes hit me out of nowhere. I laughed it off awkwardly, pulled my hand free, and checked out the ring on my finger. Looked heavy in the photo, but once on, it felt weightless. I might even forget I was wearing it.

'Please let this ring prevent Cha Do-yun Hunter's death.'

Separate from completing the Sudden Order, this ring had to be the key to saving Cha Do-yun Hunter later. It absolutely had to be.

"Gonna take a quick call."

While I was lost in thought, Se-bin-i stepped away a bit. Seizing the moment, Ha Mi-jun Hunter sidled up next to me.

"Anyway, good pick, Ji-ui. I thought that item was killer too."

"Se-bin-i didn't have to buy it though..."

"Psh, what's a little thing like that to Kang Se-bin Hunter?"

"How much was it? S-rank items go for billions, right?"

Money I'd never see in a lifetime.

I looked up at Ha Mi-jun Hunter, and he nodded slowly like he got it.

"So how much was that again?"

"Well... around..."

He held up three fingers toward me.

"Hah, knew it. 3 billion? Gotta pay it back quick..."

"Nah? Multiply that by 100?"

'Kang Se-bin, you maniac...'

"Been a while since an auction."

"Most of today's items are fire-element."

'This ring was 300 billion...'

And Kang Se-bin bought it outright like it was nothing.

I knew S-rank hunters were loaded, but not this loaded. I rested my hand lightly on the ring—impossible to skip—and waited for the auctioneer.

"Thank you for waiting! Auction 231 of Hunter Market begins now!"

The auctioneer's booming voice silenced the rowdy hall. The space was huge but packed solid, with some standing in the back without seats.

"Bid using the remotes at your seats. Bid prices will show on this screen. First item coming up!"

A sharply dressed man wheeled in a cart draped in cloth, then carefully lifted it with gloved hands. Inside a glass case sat a pink gemstone. Gasps erupted as the item's info appeared on the remotes' screens.

"Perfect for defense hunters."

"Aggro bait."

"Starting at 200 million!"

As people chimed in, the pink stone's price kept climbing. The auctioneer rattled off bids nonstop, and after 700 million with no takers, he banged the gavel in front of him.

A drone nearby zipped off with a contract to the winner, who signed excitedly and handed it back.

The money wars raged on for more items. The bidding for the S-rank accessory "Phoenix Feather" was like a sports championship final. Even irrelevant me was sweating it, ending at 6.8 billion.

"Insane prices."

"Haha, you'll get used to this crazy inflation soon enough, Ji-ui."

Ha Mi-jun Hunter, who'd been watching arms crossed all smug, chuckled with his chin on his hand. When our eyes met, he winked.

While the auctioneer sipped water, staff wheeled in the next item under far fancier cloth, handling it with extreme care.

"Now for today's final item. Expect the fiercest bidding!"

The auctioneer yanked off the red cloth himself, unleashing an even bigger roar from the crowd.

A gemstone redder than any I'd seen floated in a glass box, flames spreading like wings around it. No idea on stats, but the looks alone stole the show.

"Wow."

'Even Ha Mi-jun Hunter?'

Ha Mi-jun Hunter, who'd lounged casually before, now gripped his remote with both hands, staring at the screen. Se-bin-i just had slightly wider eyes.

Flight on an item was rare enough, but boosted damage while flying? Tempting. Looking around, hunters eyed Prometheus's Heart with raw greed.

"Starting at 9.5 billion!"

Starting in the billions already.

Tons jumped in, blasting past 30 billion quick.

"Is that item that good?"

"Flight items sell out instantly. S-rank with element? Game over."

Come to think of it, Choi Min Hunter already flew around a lot— this would make her a true flight master.

Bids climbed every few seconds, hitting 33 billion. The brutal price drew sighs; no more bidders.

"360 billion? Going once..."

Ding.

The screen chimed cheerfully, updating the bid. Everyone held their breath, staring. The silence was deafening until the auctioneer finally spoke.

"440 billion... We have 440 billion."

Slammed the door shut. Whoever it was, no ordinary psycho.

Bang, bang, bang.

Gavel down, drone off with contract to the back corner. Everyone craned necks to see who dropped 70 billion extra. It hovered before red hair, handing over the paper.

"Ch-Choi Min Hunter...?!"

"Whoa, she's the one who snagged it."

Confirming the owner, murmurs flew—mostly "She's loaded."

Choi Min Hunter ignored the stares and chatter, signed calmly, and slipped out.

'...What the hell is she planning with that?'

The grand finale of capital warfare curtained closed.