Chapter 20
“What are you saying?! We’ll never meet again!”
“And how can you be so sure of that, Awakener!”
“How would I know? His expression was rotten when he saw me again. Ah, damn it, shouldn’t have come… This was his face.”
“Isn’t that just how you thought of it?”
“No. No, it’s not!”
If Lee Gijun forgot the mood Sori had when she first entered the restaurant, that would be a huge mistake. -100 points.
That feeling still lingered in her mind. How much must she have hated him to rate it -100 points, not just -90? Sori shook her head.
“Surely he must still be regretting it. Spending so much money here.”
“To an S-rank Hunter, that price would be nothing.”
“Yeah… nothing at all.”
She felt even gloomier.
‘When will I ever spend ten million won like it’s nothing?’
To do that, she’d need to know how to defeat a boss first. Sori jumped up.
“John, I’m going to the dungeon. I need to take down the boss.”
“And?”
“The armor sold at the Hunter Market is really poor. At my level, there were only three pieces I could even use. I bought one… but can I really take on a boss with this? What do you think, John?”
“Hmm.”
John pretended to think deeply.
“Of course, it’ll be tough the first time. There’s also a high chance of injury.”
“Really? Then how do I defeat the boss?”
“Why do you feel you must defeat the boss?”
“Well… that’s…”
Indeed, why was she so set on defeating the boss? There was no penalty for failing the quest. She could just casually kill regular monsters in the tutorial dungeon and live. Even without claiming the 5,000 gold reward. If only Lee Gijun hadn’t shown up… But.
“I hate seeing my ex-boyfriend doing better than me.”
Unexpected words slipped from Sori’s mouth. She widened her eyes. It wasn’t intentional, but somehow that childish thought came out without her realizing it. She thought she wasn’t conscious of Gijun.
“What a childish girl.”
John evaluated Sori’s true feelings.
“…What’s he saying? People are all childish, really.”
“Is that so? Then you are beneath me!”
“Well, there’s that too.”
Sori continued, as if remembering something.
“It’s not just because of him. I just want to do well too. When I was working at a company, I thought it was fine to just live casually.”
She gulped some refreshing water and organized her thoughts.
“Seeing customers enjoy their food makes me feel good. But serving a boss makes me feel even better. And…!”
The newspaper interrupted her words and calmly delivered the final news.
Special Sale! Agora Market offers various items not found in the online Hunter Market. First-time visitors will receive a 20% discount coupon from our ‘Dungeon Newspaper.’
“Agora Market? Discount coupon?”
“Ah, there’s a lot there, indeed,” John said, stroking his chin.
“Are there many things you can’t find at the Hunter Market?”
“I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve heard so.”
Agora Market First-Time Visitor 20% Discount Coupon — Usable Once
The system displayed a map showing the location of Agora Market.
“Oh. It’s not far from here? I could even walk.”
It really was nearby.
“Because there’s a big dungeon right next door,” John explained, clicking his tongue as if disapproving.
“Oh… then why didn’t I know?”
“Agora Market isn’t exposed to the public.”
“Really?”
John’s words were true. No matter how she searched for ‘Agora Market’ on a map app, it didn’t appear.
“No wonder.”
The newspaper had been read completely. —Delivered irregularly.
Various hunters would come and go in the dungeon. To enjoy this life comfortably, Sori thought she should first see if they sold stealth hoods.
Lunch time passed. Not a single customer came today either.
“That’s strange. No hungry hunters?”
Sori, growing anxious, recalled the newspaper’s marketing suggestion.
‘Marketing… should I do it?’
It seemed likely that no one would come even by evening. Could she really just sit idly like this? A strange sense of guilt crept in.
‘Agora Market is really close… maybe I could just go there for a bit?’
Even exploring wouldn’t take more than an hour. No customers, anyway.
“I need to at least do something.”
Sori decided.
“John! I’m going out for a bit. I’ll hang a sign.”
“Going out during business hours?”
“Ah, it’s not like anything’s happening today. Just the flies buzzing, as the newspaper said. I’ll be back soon.”
Sori hung a “Temporarily Out” sign on the door.
“Ah, wait a second.”
About to dash out, she suddenly stopped.
‘I can’t go like this.’
Selling items not in the Hunter Market would attract many people. If she ran into someone she knew, it would be awkward. She rummaged through the storage.
‘There must be something useful…’
After a long search, Sori ran over to John, wearing something like a victory trophy.
“How’s this?”
She wore a large hood covering more than half her face, with a mask as well.
“Think no one will recognize me like this?”
“…Doesn’t that look even more suspicious?”
“Nope. They can’t see my face. I’m going!”
In an instant, Sori disappeared outside the restaurant. Bang!
“Hmm. Finally, I can enjoy my tea properly.”
John pulled a teabag from the drawer.
Following the map, Sori wandered through a maze of alleys. She was lost for a while.
“Is this the right place?”
She finally reached a completely rundown alley, one that made her wonder if such a place even existed in a major city. She started hearing voices. Broken signs, crumbling gray walls, handcarts, people smoking something unknown… If she hadn’t known, it would’ve been scary.
Selling items even the Hunter Market didn’t sell here? Could the system be tricking her? She forced her pounding heart down and entered.
“What I need first is a stealth hood… and some armor.”
Her balance was 2,000 gold. Maybe she should’ve gone into the dungeon once more first.
“Well, I don’t have to buy right away. If it doesn’t work out, at least I can look around.”
She spotted a shop selling clothes similar to the hood she wore and hurried over.
“Hello?”
“Greetings.”
An elderly woman chewing gum-like candy approached.
“What are you looking for? A-grade robes? Or cheaper ones without color?”
Sori quickly listed what she wanted.
“Do you have something with stealth function?”
“Excuse me?”
“Something you wear so others can’t recognize you…”
“Oh, you’re new at this, huh?”
“Yes…”
Sori quietly replied, cautiously scanning around.
“Then how about this hood? D-grade, but decent performance if you don’t get too close.”
“Ah, really?”
A bit disappointed at the D-grade, she still asked the price. The woman went inside to find the right size. Then, someone appeared next to Sori.
‘Ah, inconvenient.’
She glanced sideways but the hood covered her face too well.
“Are you here, ma’am?”
The man’s voice was painfully familiar. Her fear came true. It wasn’t just a casual acquaintance; it was Lee Gijun. His coat brushed her hood as he stood stiffly with his hands in his pockets. Sori pressed her nose bridge, fearing her mask might slip. Fortunately, he seemed focused on the shop’s items.
‘Just a little longer…’
But Gijun removed his hand first, without hesitation.
‘Whoa.’
The first to notice looked foolish.
“Oh, the S-rank young man is here again.”
The grandmother noticed him rummaging inside.
“Yes, hello, ma’am. How have you been?”
Gijun greeted her warmly.
“Oh, young man. Wait, there’s a lady here first. Can you wait? Sorry.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Sori, distracted by Gijun’s presence, accidentally answered loudly when the grandmother called her twice.
‘Oops…’
She shouldn’t have raised her voice. She bit her lip in regret. She had caught Gijun’s attention. Finally, he turned his head slightly toward her.
