"I just wanted to see how it works."
"Shut up and take me to where the weapon items are."
"These are also technically weapons. Alright, alright. Calm down, hyung. The weapon shops are further in that direction."
Seeing Yoon Seo glaring, Kwon Jihan chuckled and declared his surrender. Yoon Seo strode in the direction Kwon Jihan had indicated, thinking to himself.
It doesn't seem that big? No way… It must be the typical bravado of an S-rank item. Although Kwon Jihan isn't exactly the type to boast… No way. He's a human, after all…
[The God of Life agrees with 'Kwon Jihan's' statement.]
[The God of Death expresses respect towards 'Kwon Jihan.']
The divine blessings fueled strange thoughts. While trying to shake off the images filling his mind, they arrived at the weapon shops.
Unlike those bizarre street vendors from earlier, the atmosphere was different. There were fewer people with hoods pulled low, and the hands inspecting weapon items that would become their strength in life-or-death battles were serious, their eyes sharp.
(Exclusive Weapon Items for the Great Dungeon!
20% Discount for Great Dungeon Support Registrants Only!
~ Wishing you success ~)
The mood would've been more serious if not for the banner's font.
Yoon Seo first checked on Riceball. The item, known for its excessive curiosity, was peeking out from Kwon Jihan's arms to observe, when suddenly its eyes narrowed, and its expression turned fierce.
Piyu!
"Ouch."
Kwon Jihan squinted with one eye, shaking his hand.
"What happened?"
"Riceball suddenly raised its spikes."
"We've entered the weapon district. It won't really hurt, so bear with it."
"Riceball, we're here to buy my weapon, not Yoon Seo hyung's. Be good. Our Riceball."
Kwon Jihan tried to soothe it, but Riceball was still sulking and kept its spikes up. Since it didn't sting Jihan at all, he continued petting it to calm it down.
'Kwon Jihan's weapon should be a longsword.'
Among various weapons like bows, swords, blades, spears, axes, Yoon Seo instantly chose a sword.
If possible, it should be a subtle ink-colored sword. Imagining Jihan wielding an ink-colored sword as he unfurled
"Welcome, Hunter. Hah…!"
"Please take your time and if you have any questions, feel fre—ugh!"
"If there's anything you're looking for, just let us kno—ah!"
Every time Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan approached a stall, the vendors couldn't even finish their greetings and were startled. It was because of Kwon Jihan. Customers would then be surprised as well, wondering, 'Huh? Why are they shocked?' and as they searched for the cause, they saw Jihan and were startled again. Thus, Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan stirred waves of shock as they went around multiple vendors.
Limiting the conditions to an S-rank longsword, ink-colored blade, and capable of withstanding Kwon Jihan's magic power, only four swords emerged.
'Curse of Darkness,' 'Wandering Shadow,' 'Sword of the Cold Wind,' 'Domain of Stars.'
Yoon Seo didn't bother with some dumb dilemma about which of the four to choose.
"Let's buy them all."
"Hyung, you're quite bold."
"It's your money anyway."
In the black market, all transactions were made in cash. Yoon Seo took out a wallet from inside his clothes—Jihan's wallet, which he'd taken as soon as they entered the dungeon.
'Curse of Darkness'—5.9 billion won, 'Wandering Shadow'—4.3 billion won, 'Domain of Stars'—4 billion won.
With a 20% discount, the price turned out quite favorable. The vendors and hunters alike gave Yoon Seo and Jihan a look of awe as they handed over checks without any haggling.
However, the smooth shopping experience came to a halt when they tried to buy the 'Sword of the Cold Wind.'
"Well, that… someone has already made a reservation for the Cold Wind… I'm truly sorry."
The vendor looked troubled, bowing repeatedly while sweat dripped from his forehead.
"A reservation? Why did you put a reserved item on display?"
"I'm really so—hic…"
"Hyung, these three are enough. Let's go grab some food. You know the black market restaurants serve amazing dishes, right?"
"Ah, wait, let me handle this."
['Sword of the Cold Wind'
Rank: S
A brand new model specially crafted by master artisan Sein Stacy for the Great Dungeon. If you're an S-rank hunter engaged in frequent combat, you must have this sword. Maximum magic allowance, S-rank innate attack power, S-rank additional attack power. The durability of this sword will easily withstand your magic.
Durability: 100/100
Item Maker: Sein Stacy]
Yoon Seo had no intention of letting go of this sword crafted by S-rank item artisan Sein Stacy.
"Who made the reservation?"
"That, um…"
The vendor hesitated, unsure what to do. Yoon Seo had no intention of backing down, and Kwon Jihan merely smiled without intervening. The vendor was about to screw up his courage and reveal the name of the person who reserved it when—
"I-It's m-me…"
Someone raised their hand timidly from among the onlookers.
Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan turned around. They were not surprised, having already sensed a familiar presence behind them.
It was someone Yoon Seo knew well—Park Kang, the thief with a Hahoe mask.
***
Yoon Seo, Kwon Jihan, and Park Kang moved to a quiet area far from the road. The onlookers did not follow them.
Once they were far enough from any voices, Yoon Seo stopped walking, and the other two men followed suit.
Yoon Seo turned to Park Kang, who had a timid expression, as if he were about to cry. When their eyes met, Park Kang quickly crossed his arms over his body, trying to hide his attire—almost as if to conceal his neat hanbok.
Yoon Seo spoke first, sounding irritated.
"I recently bought ten sets of daily hanbok sleepwear. Linen and hemp hanbok pajamas are comfortable and cool enough that air conditioning isn't even needed. They're easy to wash, so I plan to wear them exclusively from now on."
"..."
Park Kang stared blankly at Yoon Seo, and even Kwon Jihan looked at him in bewilderment.
Oh, this wasn't what he meant to talk about.
Yoon Seo took a deep breath.
"Cold Wind is an S-grade weapon. You wouldn't be able to use it anyway."
"Th-that's…."
"Did you lie about your rank?"
"N-no, it's not that… I mean…."
Park Kang's face flushed, his lips parting and eyes shifting, but no more words came out.
"So you were planning to buy it at the 20% discount price and sell it at a higher price outside, huh? Hoping to make a nice profit since it's Great Dungeon season?"
"No, I-I, I wasn't—no, that wasn't…."
"Then why are you trying to buy that sword?"
"That's… uh… h-hick…."
Park Kang began to sob.
Piyu?
A small hedgehog tilted its head in confusion. Even the item found the situation odd. Yoon Seo figured the first thing he should do was wipe Park Kang's tears. Approaching him, Yoon Seo wiped his tears with his sleeve, and Park Kang looked down at him with eyes full of tears.
"Hick. Hick, hic."
"Stop crying and try to tell me slowly."
"Hick."
Tears of sorrow poured down. Just as Yoon Seo was about to wipe them away with his fingers—
"Ha."
A cold sigh echoed from behind, and soon his wrist was firmly grasped. Kwon Jihan pulled Yoon Seo's wrist towards him.
Yoon Seo blinked, caught off guard as he collided with Jihan's solid chest. At that moment, Jihan cursed under his breath.
"What the hell is this guy trying to do? Why does he suddenly start crying while talking? Anyone would think my hyung was bullying him. He hogs our weapon and then has the nerve to get annoying."
Park Kang was the one who had preemptively claimed the weapon, and they were the ones trying to forcefully take ownership of it, but Jihan sided with Yoon Seo without hesitation.
Yoon Seo blinked, confused as to why Jihan was suddenly getting angry.
"He keeps showing up in front of us since last time, pissing me off. It was annoying enough when he appeared wearing some weird mask, saying he wanted to steal Seo Chaeyoon's weapon. I'm done with this. I can't hold back anymore. Draw your sword now."
"Hunter Kwon Jihan, what's with you all of a sudden?"
When the masked bandit had drawn his sword before, he had coolly said, "I don't fight kind-hearted weaklings." But now, here he was suddenly sounding like a villain, leaving Yoon Seo flustered.
"That bastard is crying pathetically."
"It's not being pathetic—it's just his natural personality."
"Why are you wiping his tears yourself then, hyung? You always say you have no obligation to take care of others, yet here you are, soaking your sleeve to wipe away his tears. And if I hadn't stopped you, you were going to do it with your bare hands, right?"
"Why are you acting like a child? This isn't like you, Hunter Kwon Jihan."
"What do you mean 'like me'!"
Jihan's shout echoed.
What do you mean 'like me'… What do you mean 'like me'…
[The God of Life feels embarrassed.]
[The God of Death laughs loudly.]
Yoon Seo stared at Jihan, his mouth slightly open. Jihan's face was filled with sorrow, injustice, and anger.
Piyu!
Riceball, sensing a fight between Jihan and Yoon Seo, flashed his blue eyes as if ready to transform into a dagger.
"I'm telling you, hyung. Damn it, do you think I can just stand there quietly while you wipe someone else's tears in front of me? I'm not that kind of fool. It pisses me off, makes me furious, and makes me jealous."
Why was it a problem to wipe someone else's tears in front of Jihan?
"You think I'm mature enough to accept something like that, but I'm a kid. I'm way more selfish than you think, hyung. I wouldn't care even if someone else cried, but why are you like this? It frustrates me!"
Jihan always expressed his emotions honestly, and now he even admitted to these childish feelings. His face grew redder, as if embarrassed by his unreasonable and childish confession.
Yoon Seo finally remembered Jihan's age—twenty-three. A kid, really just a kid.
It seemed like his close hyung showing kindness to someone else sparked this childish jealousy.