Chapter 289: Global Artifact Expo (2)
Drr drr drr drr drr.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous just hearing the sound of a suitcase rolling in my life.
Moritake Ito stood stiffly, waiting for his opponent with his trapezius muscles tense.
At that moment, someone at the airport spoke up brightly.
“Welcome, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo!”
It was Iori.
In a way, he was the only ranker among the S-class in Japan who could be said to be unrelated to a specific incident.
He had never sought a legendary item.
Moreover, he didn’t stand by and watch his colleague’s wrongdoings due to fear, so he could confidently approach a Korean person.
“Thank you for coming back to Japan! How many seasons has it been?”
“……”
“Last time, it was in Kyushu, and this time, we meet in the capital city of Tokyo. I truly apologize and thank you for the raid last time!”
“……”
“I have heard from the raid members about the kindness you showed us, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo.”
Iori smiled slickly on the outside, but internally, he felt a bit worried.
Certainly, the auction prepared as a highlight on the second day of the event was of a scale that wouldn’t be surprising as S-Class Hunters poured in from all over the world.
‘Why is an S-rank Awakened visiting on the first day of the event?’
Could this strong individual really be sightseeing in Japan of all places?
Wasting a precious 24 hours of S-Class time for that?
Iori glanced briefly at the direction of a former coworker, then back to the front.
“And by the way, if you didn’t have time to book accommodation because you rushed over, I have reserved a hotel for VIP guests.”
To be honest, the only mistake on this side during the recent Kagoshima Dragon Raid was fainting twice in the dungeon.
But Iori took a very low stance in front of the arriving hunter.
Even without assessing right or wrong, the man in front of him had helped during a crisis in his hometown.
“If you need anything, just let me know anytime! Haha, hahaha…”
Above all, this was mainly because he looked really intimidating.
Iori maintained his respectful posture for rather simple reasons.
Then the guest from Korea set his suitcase aside and began rummaging through his belongings, pulling out the necessary equipment for his late response.
The Korean at the airport soon hung a PIXY wired translator on his ear.
“Thank you for the warm welcome.”
Immediately after, mechanical Japanese poured out from the waist speaker connected to the other person’s earbuds.
“Is it being translated properly?”
“Ah, yes! Of course, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo.”
At first glance, the sentences sounded friendly overall.
“By the way, this is just out of curiosity, but did you come to see the [Triaina] auction we prepared?”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
At Iori’s question about whether he was there to see the [Triaina], Kim Gi-ryeo promptly widened his eyes, seemingly taken aback.
“No, I didn’t even know something like that was here.”
The Japanese Awakened felt a chill run down their spines.
In fact, before arriving at the airport, four S-Class Hunters in Japan had speculated via messenger about this man’s reason for entering the country.
[He’s not just here to complain about the reward shortage, is he? www]
[Iori, don’t say it so easily if you’re not the person involved. We’re really serious here.]
[草]
[We transferred over a whopping 10 billion yen, so why!]
[If it were just one person, that might make sense. But if three S-Class ranked hunters gathered and spent, frankly, it’s not even that much. (With a greasy LIИE character stamp)]
[Shut up!]
After racking their brains, they began to suspect that Kim Gi-ryeo had come to wreak havoc on Imabari due to inadequate compensation.
However, with such thoughts lurking at the back of their minds, the counterparty’s indifference to Tokyo’s highlight auction caught them by surprise.
‘Damn it! So that was indeed the reason for his entry!’
The Japanese hunters were soon engulfed by paranoia.
’10 billion yen was desperately scraped together…’
Especially shocked was the guild master of Imabari.
In today’s society, just offering a verbal apology holds little meaning.
At least, he had done well to sell major equipment to express sincerity in the form of campaign distribution funds.
But how could he clamor about being unfair if the other party wasn’t satisfied with his sincerity?
‘Ugh.’
The person over there was a top-tier killer who brushed off legendary items for the epic grade.
It made sense that he would burn down the airport in a fit of rage.
“Haha, huh. So you weren’t here to see the auction…?”
As a result, Iori and Ito ended up sweating bullets.
At that moment.
A man dressed in black who had silenced the airport thought to himself.
‘Suckers.’
The Alphauri persona within him expressed joy in bright colors.
It was like smiling from the inside.
The enormous sum sent by the opposing country had proven effective.
‘Suckers are good beings…’
As can be seen from this, Kim Gi-ryeo bore no grudges anymore.
Getting to Tokyo a day early was indeed for tourism.
Of course, no matter how much money he had received, he couldn’t let his guard down against those powerful enough to kill him.
‘Kang Chang-ho is out of the picture~ Esther is busy~’
Going into a dangerous space alone felt a bit burdensome.
So, after some inquiries, he had brought along a new bodyguard.
‘And what about Jeong Ha-seong? Does he have some sin in a previous life that he can’t leave the country freely? Ugh, visiting a neighboring country now stirs up political controversy…’
“Oh?”
Drr drr drr.
Someone with a rolling suitcase approached the spot where they were conversing.
Long black hair like ebony, elegantly tucked back, showing the same PIXY earphones.
And a suit.
From a distance, the woman in black could be mistaken for a set with the Korean ranker.
She soon greeted Iori with a pale complexion.
“Hello. I am the dispatched public official from the Korean Hunter Association I was supposed to contact.”
“Oh! You’re Ms. Woo-yeon?”
“Hah…”
Indeed, in this trip, it turned out to be Seonwoo-yeon as the unfortunate victim.
*
A few minutes later.
Tokyo event hall.
“Oof, wow. I guess it’s due to the different regions, but there are tons of items I’ve never heard of before.”
The Korean male admired the goods spread out in the hall as he walked around.
However, the expression on the woman walking beside him was far from pleasant.
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo.”
“Yes!”
“Excuse me, but why exactly did you summon me…?”
This wasn’t the foreign companion the other party had desired.
“And by the way, I noticed that when you were talking with those Japanese hunters earlier, they seemed nervous every time they made eye contact with you. What was that about?”
“Ah.”
“Were you up to something when you went to Kagoshima last time?”
Seonwoo-yeon continued to question her unwanted travel companion.
Currently, both of them were conversing in Korean through the translator.
“Kagoshima? Ah, quite a bit happened. However, I can’t really talk about that incident in Japan’s heart.”
“My goodness.”
“That aside, to answer your initial question, it’s for safety.”
“Safety?”
“It was more of a request for a companion as a sort of insurance.”
Swipe.
Gi-ryeo said this as he leaned his body to whisper, so that others wouldn’t hear.
“Think about it. Korea is still a distant region for me, but wouldn’t a foreign country where communication is impossible feel even more dangerous?”
At that, the gentle earthling’s gaze turned even grimmer.
Knowing that this man is an alien was truly information she didn’t want to know. Especially since he just reminded her of it.
‘What does he think bringing up a topic like that outside? Am I supposed to casually respond and risk blowing my head off?’
Seonwoo-yeon felt wronged.
When you consider that this was how Kang Chang-ho’s case ended, and no matter how you look at it, this person seemed like not a mere brute but rather an extraordinarily strong S-Class Hunter.
If that’s the case, could they have been unnecessarily sympathizing with this monster, only to suffer an unwarranted calamity?
‘Just a useless thought, I guess.’
While she mused over her complex feelings, the other party continued speaking.
“But why do you look so displeased? Is it work-related, after all?”
“Hah…”
“Though even if the security expenses get approved, having to submit a detailed report can be a bit much.”
“Well…”
“You mentioned that you came to investigate this event. Well, since you’re the dispatched one, I happen to be able to get a friend to accompany me like this.”
Since the public official didn’t respond, the blue-eyed man leaned closer and spoke once more.
“Right? Friend? We’re friends, right? You’ll help me out a lot, won’t you?”
“Yeeah…”
Seonwoo-yeon felt like bursting into tears.
What sin had she committed to subject herself to this kind of harassment all the way here in a foreign land?
“Oh.”
At that moment.
Kim Gi-ryeo, who was sightseeing the event hall, suddenly halted his steps.
“Seonwoo-yeon Hunter, do you happen to want ice cream right now?”
It was such an unexpected question.
Why did snack time suddenly come up amid a hall filled with magic tools?
“Maybe because I’m the kind of Awakened who might use [Seocher] for you in the future. So let me treat you first. I’ll pay.”
Ah.
Now I see that at the end of Kim Gi-ryeo’s gaze was a familiar shop.
After all, for such a large festival, it’s impossible for there not to be food vendors.
‘So they do have a restaurant area here. From the characters, it looks like it’s probably an eastern exit.’
Pointing to the pastel-colored decorated sign, Gi-ryeo spoke.
“By the way, that ice cream stand looks exactly like the ones I used to see back in Korea, doesn’t it?”
Hearing him speak in an amazed tone brought back memories.
Although it hadn’t quite sunk in completely yet, it was indeed evident that the other party was an alien.
“Ah, that’s… it’s a franchise company. They use the same name wherever you go in the world…”
The way Seonwoo-yeon explained felt a bit condescending.
Feeling somewhat strange as if he was being taught like a five-year-old, Gi-ryeo didn’t hold onto any significant discomfort.
“Um, anyway. Since I also happened to want something refreshing, should we pop in for a moment?”
“Ms. Seonwoo-yeon, please place the order for me. I’ll cover the bill.”
“Ah, yes…”
With ice cream right in front of them, what could be nitpicked?
“Huh? I clearly have a lot of balance in my account, but why isn’t the payment going through?”
“Is it possibly a card that doesn’t work at overseas franchise stores?”
“I’m sorry, but what does that even mean?”
“I guess I’ll just swipe my new card…”
Beep.
While the alien creature hesitantly held its wallet from the back, Seonwoo-yeon inserted her card into the kiosk.
But this time, even though the card was fine, the payment wouldn’t go through.
“…! Sorry! Broken, Broken!”
Seeing the Japanese clerk gesticulating frantically to explain, it seemed that frequent usage had led to the machine’s recognition system breaking down.
‘The PIXY translator costs quite a bit. I guess they didn’t give that to student workers.’
Then, it seemed like she had to pay in cash.
Seonwoo-yeon turned on her translator again and approached the clerk. After all, she had already seen what her companion wanted to have from the kiosk.
“One raspberry sorbet here…”
The association employee casually said without a second thought.
“My dad’s an alien.”
However, it wasn’t until the words were out that she realized the peculiarity of what she had just said.
Seonwoo-yeon flinched and reflexively turned around.
What greeted her was a figure in formal attire who seemed to stare at her in shock, mouth agape.
Kim Gi-ryeo was now almost conveying the expression, ‘You too…?’ through his face alone.
Daring to announce that her dad was an alien to the clerk.
“Oh, uh? Ah. That’s…”
Seeing this, Seonwoo-yeon wore a clear look of panic.
At that moment, the public official was about to explain, sweating profusely.
Kim Gi-ryeo managed to calm his face and stated dignifiedly.
“Actually, I understand. That’s the name of the ice cream sold at this shop.”
“……”
“Oh! Clerk! For my order, please give me a single regular size in a cone, not a cup.”
Had she ever wished to beat up an alien in her life?
As she watched the S-Class Hunter order smoothly, Seonwoo-yeon momentarily reflected on her past.
However, in terms of grades, she was a clear underdog, so she had no countermeasures to take in this situation.
“…I’ll have a single regular in a cup, please.”
Finally, the chaotic snack procurement came to an end.
The association employee and the S-Class Hunter waited nearby until the products were prepared for them in the shop.
A little later, Seonwoo-yeon finally asked in an exasperated voice.
“By the way, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo. Did you by any chance book your return flight for the last day because of the auction?”
“Last day?”
“I’ve heard that the Tokyo auction starts from the second day of the event. I expected there would be a lot to process even after the trading ends.”
To which Kim Gi-ryeo replied smoothly.
“Ah, yes. I’ll probably stay until then.”
“That means you did come to buy artifacts, after all.”
“I’m not specifically after [Triaina], though.”
“Ne.”
“By the way, Ms. Seonwoo-yeon. How did [Triaina] come up for auction in the first place?”
“Um?”
“If there’s a water attribute skill, it would be great for handling it, I thought that Chinese hunter would just use it well his entire life.”
“Excuse me?”
“The winner of the international winner tournament, right? He’s Chinese, isn’t he? Ah, don’t tell me this equipment isn’t a second-hand item but came right out of a new dungeon?”
But as they continued conversing, an odd contradiction emerged.
“What do you mean…? If it was the tournament held in China, Enzo was the winner.”
