Chapter 29

“Kind Appraisal (2)”
(Easy-to-Understand English Translation)**

Lee Hwayeon.

An S-rank hunter who has kept her spot at Rank 2 for years. She’s also the leader of “Baekdan,” the #2 ranked guild in Korea.

Baekdan is the same guild that Park Boba belonged to — the one who saved me on the day I awakened during that sudden gate incident.

She’s powerful enough to influence the entire country, yet she acts friendly and casual, which makes her extremely popular.

And unlike other top hunters who avoid media appearances, she’s the “people-person” type who always shows up on TV.

Basically… if you turn on the TV, her voice is everywhere.
How did I not recognize it sooner?

I barely managed to hold back a scream.

“I DID think she seemed really tall!”

Her official profile says she’s 178cm tall — very rare for a woman — and I even noticed that earlier.
And still didn’t make the connection.

What do we even do with an idiot like me?

Her main weapon, “Judgment of the Holy Light,” is just as famous.

It was the first S-rank weapon discovered in Korea, and its appearance alone is unforgettable:

A golden handle overflowing with holy light, attached to a pure white sphere that acts as the striking head.
It always glows with a faint holy aura — perfectly matching her title, “Agent of the Sacred Radiance.”

Long story short: she fights like a holy paladin.

Knock, knock.

The soft tapping on the table jolted me out of my thoughts.

“Appraiser-nim?”

Even with her hood still covering her eyes, I could feel her gaze scanning me from head to toe.

And even if this floor is the safest neutral zone in the tower, the simple fact that the person in front of me is Lee Hwayeon means I have at least a hundred things to be careful about.

I swallowed hard.

No — what I really needed to be careful about was this:

She might already know everything, and came here on purpose.

One of only two businesses that opened even before the 50th floor was officially unlocked.

And worst of all… that loudmouth Chae Geundam probably bragged about my ability to appraise hidden abilities.

“I mean… that IS something worth bragging about…”

Expecting that she came here clueless would be way too naive.

I was fighting a mental war all by myself when she spoke again.

“Appraiser-nim, is it going to take long?”

“N-no, just a moment.”

Even if she has noticed something, I can’t be the one to admit it.

I lowered my head and focused on the weapon.

[‘Judgment of the Holy Light’ (S)]
A holy mace that seems to contain fragments of the sun.
It is blessed by the gods and will never break. A gentle sacred energy constantly leaks from it.

Right. The moment she brought in her main weapon, she was basically saying, “I’m not hiding who I am.”

Trying to act calm, I murmured:

“It’s ‘Judgment of the Holy Light.’ It never breaks, and it constantly emits sacred energy.”

“Hmmm.”

Anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in that sigh.

I looked up without realizing, and that was when Lee Hwayeon slowly removed her hood.

Her hair was a dark brown bob cut — nothing special for a Korean.
But the sharp Western features made her tall height look even more striking.

But that wasn’t what scared me.

It was her eyes.

A strange amber color — too bright for brown, too dark for yellow — overflowing with sacred energy.

They looked so intense it felt like the holy power might burst out at any moment.

“Those eyes look so alive…
…Wait, no, of course they’re alive. She IS a living person…”

I forcibly shoved my brain back into working order.

The moment she removed her hood, the pressure she gave off skyrocketed — like she could crush me just by looking at me.

“I know all that already. Anything else?”

Her tone was playful, but her eyes were sharp like a hunting predator.

People say she acts easygoing and silly, but at her core, she’s still an S-rank hunter.

And right now she wasn’t hiding that fact at all.

I swallowed again.

Honestly, I wanted to yell “Get out!” and kick her out.
But an E-rank hunter like me has to choose battles wisely.

“Just think of her as a normal customer.
Appraise quickly, send her off.
That’s the plan.”

I reluctantly activated my skill.

[Using ‘Appraisal’ on ‘Judgment of the Holy Light.’]
[10,000G has been deducted.]

With Chae Geundam, I was too overwhelmed to think about the cost.
But with Lee Hwayeon?

This hit HARD.

One hundred million won’s worth of gold in a single use.
Just for appraising.

I felt tears building up but forced myself to read the result.

[/Hidden Ability/
Every 10 hits, 1 point of ‘Judgment of Purification’ is accumulated.
After enough points are built up, the user can activate ‘Judgment of Purification,’ which cures status ailments of others.
After activation, the gauge can be charged again.]

“Oh…”

It was long.

But after reading it closely, it was… perfect for her.

As expected of a scenario reward — it fit her skillset beautifully.

“Why? Is there something good?” she asked, leaning closer across the table.

I almost read it aloud out of habit — then stopped myself.

“Wait. I should get paid BEFORE telling her.”

Right.
No matter how natural the appraiser act feels now, I’m still new to this.

I put my hand gently on the table and said smoothly:

“I’ll tell you after receiving the appraisal fee. Payment can be made on the terminal.”

She frowned slightly.

“Really? Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Of course you didn’t — because I never said so.
But I smiled politely.

“How much is it?”

I’d already spent 10,000G.
I can’t charge too little, or I’ll ruin my own pricing forever.

After a quick inner debate, I announced:

“The standard price for an S-rank appraisal is 20,000G.
But since you’re my first customer, I’ll do it for 15,000G.”

“What? Isn’t that expensive?”

“But since you’re the very first, I’ll give you a special discount. Just 14,000G.”

The truth?

I planned for 15,000G from the start, but I pretended 20,000G was the real price so the discount would look real.

Still — I’ve got a rare ability.
In ten years of the awakened era, no one else has ever been able to appraise hidden abilities.

I’m the only one on Earth who can do it.

Honestly, even if I said 30,000G, she’d have to pay.

I was VERY reasonable.

I pulled out the hologram terminal confidently.

“I don’t really have that much gold though.”

Yeah, right.

I almost laughed out loud.

She’s the leader of a mega-guild.
Her face is on half the energy drinks in convenience stores.
There’s no universe where she doesn’t have money.

She tilted her head, smiling faintly.

Was this a mind game?

She kept trying to pressure me for some reason.

But in this building, I was perfectly safe.
And just because she’s an S-rank doesn’t mean I’ll let myself get dragged around.

Fine then.
If it’s a fight she wants, I’ll raise the stakes.

“A guild leader of your level wouldn’t be short on money.”

She rolled her eyes playfully.

“Oh? So you’re going to be stubborn?
What if I say I don’t want the appraisal anymore?”

“Then I wasted some time, and you will never know your weapon’s hidden ability.
I don’t lose anything.”

If I can cut ties with her here, that’s perfect for me.

Her lips curled upward.

Oh no.

Before I could feel the dread properly, her hand was already on the terminal.

“No need to tease. I’ll pay.
14,000G, right? Like this?”

“Yes, just place your hand on the terminal.”

She smiled brightly — completely different from the sharp gaze earlier — and placed her hand down.

A blue light wrapped around her palm.

As I entered the amount into the system, she quietly stared at me the entire time.

Very distracting.
But I pretended not to notice.

**[Payment Complete — ‘Kind Appraisal’

‘Judgment of the Holy Light’ appraisal fee 14,000G
Customer: White Sword (Region: Korea)]**

Payment confirmed.

Time to wrap this up.

“The hidden ability is—”

“What, there really IS something?!”

Her reaction caught me off guard.

“I honestly didn’t expect there to be anything.”

She leaned back, shrugging.

Then why did you come?!

…Wait.
Was I actually her goal?

I continued:

“‘Judgment of Purification.’
Your weapon has a unique skill that heals status ailments.”

“Purification…?”

Her eyes filled with interest.

“Every 10 hits, the gauge builds by 1 point. After enough points accumulate, you can use Purification. And you can recharge afterward.”

“So the condition isn’t too bad. I hit things all the time anyway.”

True.
She swings that mace like a toy bat.

“The problem is… how do I check the gauge? ‘Enough points’ is vague.”

Fair point — but this is all I can actually read.

I opened my mouth, flustered—

And then:

[⁕ Search Result from other Open Markets:
Some sellers say that ‘Judgment of the Holy Light’ gains 1% charge per 10 hits.
Not official, but based on user reports :)]

[⁕ ‘Purification’ affects all status ailments below S-rank within a 10km radius :)]

Oh. People can write additional details when selling.

Information only someone who used the weapon would know.

I acted like I knew all along.

“Every 10 hits gives 1%. So 1,000 hits for one activation.”

“Hmm. Kind of inefficient. Also, what exactly does Purification do?”

“It heals all status ailments of S-rank and below within a 10km radius.”

She made a strange face — then smiled with real satisfaction.

She liked it.

Honestly, it was a perfect match for her.

But whatever.
My part was done.

Time to leave this terrifying S-rank aura and go home.

“Appraiser-nim, one last question.”

She leaned over the table, voice smooth.

“You’re a hunter, right?”

“It depends on how you define it.”

“Then you must know something about the Friendly Market, right?”

“…You mean this building?”

As calmly as I answered, the sense of doom washed over me.

“Oh, so that’s how you want to play it.
So you’re just an ordinary hunter who lucked out and opened the first appraisal shop on the 50th floor?”

“Of course.”

Damn it.

She didn’t suspect.
She already knew.

She thought I was related to the Friendly Market.

Or maybe… that I am the owner.

She smirked and said something truly terrifying:

“You know, S-rank senses are VERY sharp.
We can hear things like faster heartbeat when someone lies, the sound of swallowing nervously, even tiny tremors in the eyes.”

Nope.
I’m NOT getting dragged further.

“This is the end of the service. Please leave now, customer.”

If my face wasn’t covered, I could never have said that.

I immediately stood up and opened the door.

Silence.

I could barely breathe from the tension.

Then she sighed, pulled her hood back on, and stood up.

“So coldhearted.
Couldn’t we talk a little longer? I’m not going to eat you.”

“I’m busy. Lots of work.”

She chuckled lightly.

“Ahh, sure.”

“……Thank you for using our service.”