Chapter 30

“Kind Appraisal (3)”
(Easy-to-Understand English Translation)**

She suddenly asked me to go with her?

I blinked, unable to answer right away.

Sunlight streamed in from behind Lee Hwayeon where she stood blocking the doorway.

Her face held a complicated mix of emotions — curiosity, mischief, and lingering suspicion.

But the strongest thing in her eyes wasn’t any of that.

It was determination.
A very stubborn kind.

While I stayed silent, she casually shrugged and added:

“You know, I need to confirm whether you’re a scammer or not.
And honestly? As a customer, I think this is a reasonable request.”

“I told you already — the service I provide ends here.”

“But I can’t tell whether what you said is true.
So you need to come with me.”

In what universe was that a reasonable request?

But she was serious.
She genuinely wanted me to go with her and test the hidden ability of Judgment of the Holy Light.

And on top of that, she probably wants to dig into my real identity.

Suddenly, she grabbed my wrist.

I tried to pull away, but once her hand locked around my wrist, it felt like I was chained in place.

Sam told me no one could use stats inside the shop.

Which meant—

This is her natural strength.

Then I remembered something I read on her BabelWiki page:

Lee Hwayeon had been a promising pro martial artist before awakening.

So of course I couldn’t break free.

Still, I hoped she wasn’t unreasonable, so I forced myself to speak calmly.

“Where exactly do you want me to go?”

“Obviously, another floor.”

“That’s difficult. I have another customer reservation.”

“Reservation? I’ve been watching. You haven’t had a single customer since the 50th floor opened.”

Oh great.
Why don’t you announce you were stalking the shop?

At this rate, she’ll count the number of spoons in my kitchen.

She probably has almost no experience being rejected.

That’s how it is with S-rank hunters.
Their presence alone can make people give them whatever they want.

If someone manages to refuse an S-rank hunter who’s looming over them like this, that person should get a statue:

“Here stood the Hero Who Defied an S-Rank.”

Fine. Let me try being that hero.

I looked her straight in the eye and spoke firmly.

“If the appraisal result is wrong, I’ll give you a full refund.
That should be more than enough.”

“Hmm~ but isn’t it better to check right away?
Besides, I can’t use stats or mana here. So we should try it outside.”

“Then go ahead, please. I’ll stay here until you return.”

“That’s not what I meant.
Should I test it right here in front of the shop?”

She jerked her chin toward the warp gate.

Kind Appraisal is located in the prime spot of Babel Square, visible right from the gate.

I have no idea who she intends to hit first to charge her gauge, but her demand had long left the territory of “reasonable.”

She’s thirty-two years old.
But this childish, petty intimidation tactic wasn’t befitting her age.

Even for someone trying to maintain a “kind shop owner” persona, my patience had limits.

I dropped the polite tone and spoke plainly.

“Ms. Lee Hwayeon, you’re aware this is blatant intimidation, right?”

“What? I’m being perfectly polite. How is this intimidation?”

Wow.
Truly… dealing with S-ranks is exhausting.

I felt the earlier tension I had toward her weapon fade away and turn into irritation.

Sam, kick her out. NOW.
Before she starts asking for a home visit again!

Right then—

[⁕ Service time has ended. Customer will now be forcibly removed.]

A system message popped up.

“—Huh?!”

Before she could react, a blue force shoved her outside the threshold.

She staggered about a meter back, eyes wide with confusion.

For the first time, her eternally relaxed expression was gone — replaced by genuine shock.

“……What was that?”

Her playful tone vanished instantly.

She tried to step back inside—

And hit an invisible blue barrier.

“What… is this?”

Golden sacred energy rippled in her eyes as she touched the barrier.

Sam had kicked her out at the perfect moment.

Though… this was definitely going to make her more suspicious of me.

As expected, her expression turned serious.

“Explain this. Is this… your ability?”

I exhaled quietly.

Judging by her eyes, she was starting to form conclusions — not good ones.

I couldn’t let her keep digging.

“Shop hours are over.
Like I said — my service ends here.”

“Appraiser-nim, you’re suspicious in at least five different ways.
Shoving me out won’t clear anything up.
Baekdan might even chase you down.”

Instead of panicking, I casually crossed my arms.

Quiet-rich life?
Gone the moment I became Chae Geundam’s kingmaker.

From now on, I walk the path of a proud merchant.

“I’m just an ordinary appraiser.”

I even lifted my shoulders slightly, acting unfazed.

She stared at me, dumbfounded.

Yeah.
This was probably the first time someone stood up to her name and the Baekdan guild.

After a moment, she changed tactics — her voice took on a dramatic, wounded tone.

“I mean… isn’t this too much?
Kicking a customer out mid-conversation?”

“You threatened me first.”

“When did I—?”

“You forced me to go on-site, ignored my opinion entirely, said you’d test your weapon in front of my shop, grabbed my wrist without permission… should I go on?”

She fell silent.

Even someone without a conscience would struggle to argue back.

But I can’t afford to make Baekdan an enemy.

She’s acting like a thug right now, but she’s one of the few people who can climb the tower.

And Park Boba — who saved my life — is also in Baekdan.

So leaving some room for cooperation wouldn’t hurt.

I softened my tone.

“If you want an on-site appraisal, submit a formal request.
You’ll need an S-rank contract with guaranteed safety, confidentiality, and a no-question clause.”

If my safety is guaranteed and I’m not obligated to answer anything, there’s no reason I couldn’t go.

She frowned.

“An S-rank contract? Do you know how expensive that is…?”

“Well, you’re an S-rank.
And travel fees are separate.
Base is 10,000 gold.
Hazard pay varies by floor.”

“You’re really money-hungry, huh.”

“This is a business.”

Another silence.

But she had no more cards to play.

“Wow… I can’t believe I got played like this.”

I didn’t answer and just looked at her calmly.

After scratching her jaw for a while, she finally laughed.

“Fine. I’ll submit a formal request. I’ll prepare the contract too.”

She turned to leave, but paused again.

“Oh, one more thing.
Do you know anything about the owner of the Friendly Market?”

Unlike before — when she basically accused me of being the owner —
this phrasing helped me.

After a moment of thought, I replied:

“Not really. I signed a confidentiality contract.”

She nodded slowly, accepting that.

As she walked off toward the warp gate, I called Sam.

Sam.

[⁕ Yes, did you call? :)]

“Is there any way to change my appearance into another person’s face, besides the Anonymous skill?”

[⁕ Would you like an Open Market search?
There are 1,348 items available that match that function :)]

I nodded.

Yeah.

I think I need to build a secondary identity.

Someone nobody knows.

Meanwhile — Baekdan Guild HQ

After leaving the tower, Lee Hwayeon headed straight to Baekdan’s headquarters.

“Guild leader, welcome back!”

“Have you eaten, Guild leader? It’s already evening.”

“Guild leader! Equipment team already uploaded the reports!”

Guild members greeted her warmly from every direction.

Baekdan had the best workplace satisfaction among all Korean guilds —
a friendly atmosphere, easygoing interactions, and a guild leader who always greeted people back.

She even chatted casually with members in the elevator.

But—

Clack.

The moment she stepped into her office on the 20th floor… her smile cracked slightly.

She threw herself onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.

The lobby had been warm and bright.
But her office?

Pure white walls, minimal furniture, and cold marble everywhere.
A stark contrast to her public image.

“Seyoon-ah, you here?”

A rustling sound answered her.

From behind the desk, someone slowly stood up.

“You’re early… why…?”

Yoon Seyoon looked half-dead as usual.

Dark circles reaching his jawline, rimless glasses, skinny build — he looked like a tired office worker at best.

Technically a C-rank hunter…

But in reality?
He had skills rivaling S+ rank.

He was the brain of Baekdan.

Though he always spoke lazily, as if everything was a chore.

Hwayeon, used to it by now, spoke first.

“Aren’t you going to ask how it went?”

“What.”

That single word carried the meaning:
‘Since you didn’t talk about it first, I assume nothing important happened.’

She launched into her story.

“That appraiser was hilarious.
I got kicked out.
Me!
The guild leader of Baekdan got kicked out!”

“…How…?”

“It wasn’t even brute force.
A blue light flashed, and when I blinked, I was outside the shop.”

“A special barrier…? Guild leader, you’re not that weak…”

“Right? Suspicious, isn’t it?
And he said my weapon really had a hidden ability.”

She looked down at her mace, gently touching it.

It wasn’t just a weapon to her —
it was a longtime companion.

To think it had something she never knew…

Honestly, she had been furious at first about being kicked out.
But the more she thought about it, the more excited she became.

“So it was real…?”

“Seems like it. He didn’t look like he was lying. And more importantly…”

She stopped.

Seyoon glanced up.

She was smiling faintly into empty air.

“He didn’t flinch in front of me.
He looked scared at first, but the more we talked, the more confident he got.
He said he’d only come on-site if I prepare an S-rank contract with hazard pay.”

“…Wow.”

It wasn’t wow.
Not in tone, not in expression.

More like:
‘You got yourself into this mess again.’

“Anyway. Prepare an S-rank contract, Seyoon.
With safety guarantee, confidentiality, and a no-question clause.”

“What exactly—”

“Don’t know?”

He would make the contract somehow, but at her vague order, Seyoon sighed loudly.

“Oh, and— Management Bureau called.
Guild leader assembly.”

“Again? Why?”

It hadn’t even been a week since the last urgent gathering about the Friendly Market.

A second meeting this soon was unheard of.

Seyoon blinked slowly before giving the answer.