Chapter 38

Translator: True Detective

Chapter 38. Du-Zzon-Koo (Dubai Chewy Cookie)

As soon as I came out of the Tower, my breath choked.

"Cough! Khek!"

The pungent smell of exhaust fumes piercing my nose and fine dust tickling my throat.

The turbid air informed me that I had returned to reality.

I frowned and covered my nose with my collar.

"Seoul's air is really... hard to get used to."

Perhaps because I stayed in the Empire for a long time, the reverse-acclimatization was severe.

I hurriedly moved my steps and headed home.

Arriving home and coming out after washing up, fatigue rushed in, but habits are scary things.

As soon as I lay on the bed, I naturally picked up my phone and logged into [Tower Gallery].

As expected, the gallery was in an uproar.

Because I had filled their dopamine with glamorous videos up to the 10th, 11th, and 12th floors, but then turned the 13th and 14th floor videos, which seemed the most important, to private.

Amidst the rampage of posts mixed with complaints, one particularly noticeable title caught my eye.

It was a post whose view count was exploding in real-time.

"......."

I flinched while reading the post.

"The gallery people are scary... why is their intuition so good?"

Of course, it was true that we went to the bedroom, but what they suspect didn't happen.

So naturally, thoughts of Cassia came to mind.

When I carried her drunk and walked the Imperial Palace hallway.

The gazes exchanged when we sat across from each other drinking tea late at night.

And when we finally parted.

Her voice asking anxiously if she could see me again, and that sad smile she showed towards me as I was leaving.

"Phew...."

I covered my phone and looked up at the ceiling.

I resolved the famine and distributed farming tools, but the threats surrounding the Empire didn't all disappear.

Because the Emperor still hasn't returned, and the Red Rift must still be opening its mouth.

"I should go to the 15th Floor right tomorrow."

There was no time to rest long.

I got up from my seat and raised my arm.

On my wrist, the silver bracelet she handed me at the end was fastened.

A bracelet set with a brilliant light-purple gem.

It was delicate and beautiful, unfitting for my rough wrist.

She said it was her mother's keepsake.

I carefully stroked the gem.

It was then.

—Ding!

"Huh?"

My eyes widened at the system window popping up before my eyes.

Potential Opening?

It's possible even though it's not an item I made?

Well, considering the characteristics of the [Primeval Maker] class, I wondered if I could see through the essence of all items.

I used the skill without hesitation.

[Skill: Eye of the Primeval Maker]

My vision brightened, and the hidden information of the bracelet was revealed.

And checking its contents, I couldn't help but drop my jaw.

"Wow... Crazy."

An exclamation popped out without me realizing.

The durability and defense figures were low for a Unique grade, but.

But that special option.

'Shield'

The 'Nullification' ability attached to my Legendary armor was a gamble relying on a mere 1% chance.

The long cooldown was a problem, but in a battle where life and death hang in the balance, there's nothing better than this.

As someone who experienced numerous crises while climbing the Tower, I could keenly understand how tremendous the value of this option was.

"She gave me... something like this?"

Did Cassia know the exact ability of this bracelet when she gave it?

No, probably not.

She must have just given it believing it would protect me since it's a family treasure.

Of course, I could confirm its value because of my ability, but gratitude is gratitude.

Then my phone rang.

Checking the phone, it was a message from Hong Chae-yeon.

[Hong Chae-yeon: Goods are all sold out, so I deposited the sales proceeds, check it hehe]

[Me: Oh thank you.]

I immediately checked the account balance.

[Account Balance: 10,032,692,100 won]

"......."

I rubbed my eyes and counted the numbers again.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand... hundred thousand, million, ten million... hundred million?

Billion... Ten billion?

"T... Ten billion...?!!"

My mouth wouldn't close.

Is this really the number stamped in my bankbook?

"Wow... Was this an amount that could be stuck in an account?"

My heart was beating so hard it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠almost hurt.

Would it feel like this if 2,000 C2Coins suddenly came in?

It felt so unreal that laughter actually came out.

I barely calmed down taking deep breaths and opened the chat window with Hong Chae-yeon again.

[Me: No news about Ice Crystal Flower yet, right?]

[Hong Chae-yeon: Yeah... But it's okay! I'm more energetic than ever these days! (Hamster doing a V-sign emoji)]

Seeing the cute emoticon, I could imagine her smiling.

Although she hadn't found the Ice Crystal Flower yet, her positive attitude put my mind at ease.

[Me: lolololol That's a relief. Let me know when you find it, I'll make the burn medicine for you right away.]

[Hong Chae-yeon: Yeah! Thank you!]

[Me: I'll contact you when I make all the next batch of goods to sell.]

[Hong Chae-yeon: Understood~]

Finishing the conversation, I roughly tossed the phone to the corner of the bed.

It was then.

"Ah! Oppa! I said that's not it!"

"No, just listen to me!"

Through the thin wall, the sound of the couple next door's lovers' quarrel could be heard nakedly.

This tiresome wall with zero soundproofing.

"Ughhh...."

I twisted my body, blocking my ears with a pillow.

"Phew... I really need to move quickly or something."

Looking for a house is a chore too....

Suddenly Hong Chae-yeon came to mind.

Wouldn't she know a reliable real estate agent or a house with good security?

"Should I ask Hong Chae-yeon for a favor finding a house later...."

With such happy worries, I drifted off to sleep.

Seeing the system message floating in the air, the party members shouted with joy.

"Wow...! We cleared it!!!"

"How many tries did it take to clear this really...!"

"Good job everyone! As expected of Celine-nim!"

Among the party members hugging each other and rejoicing, only the woman with blonde bobbed hair, Celine, stood coldly stiff.

Her red eyes were glaring at her score.

It was a high score.

Usually, surpassing just 1,000 points treats you as a top-tier ranker, so this score could be called overwhelming.

But her standards were different.

'No...! How can the contribution points exceed the ten thousands?'

'Barcode', who appeared like a comet recently and is rewriting the records of the 10th-floor section.

His scores always deviated from common sense.

14,000 points, 15,000 points....

That nonsensical gap made her anxious.

'I can't go on like this....'

She gnawed her nails as if anxious.

Skill? Talent? She didn't think she was lagging behind in any of those.

Then is the difference equipment?

'That SW who is noisy these days? They say the equipment he makes is good, I should ask around.'

Having organized her thoughts, Celine raised her head.

The party members still chattering noisily entered her vision.

Instantly, annoyance surged up.

"Hey."

At her single word, the boisterous atmosphere became quiet as if doused with cold water.

Celine crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and glared at them.

"What are you guys so happy about to chatter like that?"

"Yes? Ah, that is... because we finally cleared...."

"Cleared? Does this look like a clear to you? If you guys had moved just a little faster, we would have shortened it by 10 minutes. Are you slugs or did you attach sandbags to your feet? Do you know how much mana I wasted cleaning up after you guys?"

Every single word hit the bone, so the party members had to shut their mouths and lower their heads.

Since it was the words of the World Rank No. 1, they couldn't refute, and indeed, without her power, the clear would have been impossible.

"Tch. Your level drops so much I can't work with you."

Celine nervously swept her hair back and exited the Tower first.

As soon as she disappeared, the party members exhaled the breath they were holding and began to whisper.

"Haa... Seriously, look at her personality...."

"Look at the way she talks. Even though she's short, her manners are...."

Then a colleague next to him was startled and covered his mouth.

"Hey! Are you crazy? She told us absolutely never to say that in front of her, right?"

"Mmph mmm! Why! The whole world knows she has no manners!"

"No, not that! Calling her short! She hates being treated like a child!"

The colleague looked around and lowered his voice.

"Last time someone got caught gossiping like you saying 'The kid is scary', right? I heard his neck was almost pulled out right there with telekinesis or whatever. They say ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she barely spared him because the Association begged and pleaded."

"Eh... No way, to that extent?"

The man snorted and turned his head.

And that moment, his expression hardened stiffly.

Where his gaze landed, the boss monster of this floor lay fallen.

It was a bastard that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠boasted a size as big as a building.

But the bastard's corpse was torn in half as if mercilessly cut by a saw.

It was a gruesome sight, forcibly ripped apart by an invisible massive force.

It was what happened when Celine clicked her finger at the empty air as if annoyed at the end of the battle earlier.

"...Hiiik."

The man swallowed dry saliva.

Thinking of that power heading for his neck made his knees buckle.

He hurriedly changed his stance.

"Mmm... Actually, I've always liked short women. They're c... cute, right?"

"Hey, that's a dangerous remark in its own way?"

Meanwhile, Celine who returned to her house.

The fierce appearance outside was nowhere to be found; she was curled up on the sofa looking at her phone.

On the screen, a dessert video trending these days was playing.

[Dubai Chewy Cookie! Sold Out Crisis!]

Celine's red eyes sparkled.

Actually, she is crazily fond of sweet foods.

She couldn't get enough of chocolates, macarons, and cakes.

But because she was short and had a skinny build, she had always been treated like a child even if she stood still.

So from a certain point, it became a complex for her to hear words like 'kid' or 'cute'.

To ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be treated like a child when she is the world's strongest Hunter was unacceptable.

So from a certain point, she didn't even touch sweets in front of others.

Instead, she pretended to be mature and chic while drinking espresso, but behind their backs, she led a double life secretly hiding and eating snacks.

"......Looks delicious."

She smacked her lips and muttered.

Seeing the chewy stuff flowing out when the cookie on the screen was split in half made her gulp down her saliva.

"Since I cleared the Tower this time too, should I go to Dubai for a vacation?"

She stood up from her seat and snapped her fingers lightly.

Space distorted, and her figure disappeared without a trace.

But she didn't know.

That Dubai Chewy Cookies are only sold in Korea.