Episode 164: The bustling market (1)
The next morning.
In front of the downtown shuttle bus stop.
The first person to arrive and wait, unexpectedly, was a calligrapher.
She stands still and stares into space, but because her beauty shines so brightly, that alone attracts the attention of those around her.
“… … .”
As soon as I approached, the calligrapher noticed me and turned his gaze in my direction. He then walked towards me, waving his hand gently.
I also opened my mouth and waved goodbye.
“How did you get here the fastest?”
“I woke up early.”
“You went to bed early yesterday. How long did you sleep?”
“I slept a lot.”
“What percentage of battery?”
“… … 80?”
The calligrapher answered, tilting his head slightly to the side.
I was wondering if sleeping like that and getting 80% fuel efficiency would be bad, but I decided to skip it since the important thing right now is that I’m not sleepy.
“Brother Kim, Miss Seo.”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Following that, Go Hyun-woo also came over and said hello, then he looked at us in turns and smiled.
“I was the latest today.”
“Among us. But it’s not too late.”
There are still five minutes left until our appointment time.
While we were having a pointless conversation, two shuttle buses stopped one after another.
We boarded the bus together with other students who had been waiting.
– Groan, groan… … .
A few weeks ago, there were only about ten students on the bus, and besides me and the calligrapher, they were all second or third year students.
On the other hand, it is so crowded these days that it is difficult to find a seat, and there are quite a lot of first-year students.
Most of them, like Ko Hyun-woo, are probably visiting the downtown area for the first time today.
I can hear the conversation next to me.
– Just like the bakery. All the bread is gone today.
– You pig. Are you going to eat bread?
– Then let’s go eat. What are we going to do?
– Aren’t you preparing for the midterm?
– Know what it is and prepare for it.
– Even if you don’t know, you should at least upgrade your specs.
In this way, half of the students’ goals are to play, eat, and rest, while the other half’s goal is to improve their specs.
Our goal was closer to the latter, but Go Hyun-woo seemed a little excited after eavesdropping on the conversation.
“Indeed, this is a rare opportunity to enjoy some food and drink.”
The calligrapher also slowly pulls on my sleeve.
“Game Center.”
“First, both of you calm down.”
Let’s go and think slowly about what to do.
After a while, we arrived at the downtown area, and the shuttle bus was so crowded that it felt like nothing.
Go Hyun-woo let out a bitter smile.
“I would have liked to take my time and take in the sights while walking, but it looks like I won’t have time for that.”
“There’s nothing we can do. There are so many people. Let’s go around the market first.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Go Hyun-woo took the lead and I was right behind him to give direction.
And the calligrapher followed me, holding onto the hem of my clothes near my forearm.
“Where are you going from here?”
“First, from somewhere close by.”
There are two places where the bachelor’s side allowed the market to be opened.
One is the upperclassmen sales area where the second and third graders and their clubs set up stalls.
Another is the alumni sales area where alumni gather.
And among them, the nearest one is,
“It’s the upperclassmen.”
We pushed through the crowds to the second and third grade sales area.
A large, wide building like a commercial building comes into view.
But when they almost reached the front of the building, Go Hyeon-woo, who was leading the way, discovered something and stopped.
“Hmm.”
“Is the line long?”
A long, winding line like an earthworm.
With only two places to buy things and hundreds of students, this was expected.
“I’m sticking to the earthworm’s tail,” said Koh Hyun-woo.
“I guess I should have come a little earlier.”
“It would have been the same even if you had come early.”
Even if you waited early in the morning, before opening time, there would have been a line.
Because there are more than a few people who think similarly.
“And coming early isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
“Why is that so?”
“If the seller doesn’t put the item up for sale, you can’t buy it anyway.”
“Hmm, that makes sense too.”
From a seller’s perspective, the market is open all day, so there is no need to set the time to morning.
There are countless properties that come up for sale leisurely in the afternoon.
So, whether you come early or late, finding good items is all down to luck.
“Anyway, I guess I’ll have to wait my turn.”
“I guess so.”
Unless you have some kind of connection to a big club.
But at that time,
“See you again.”
A soft voice came from behind.
When I turned my head, the vice president of the fencing club, Jegal Soso, was standing there.
When he greeted me by waving his hand while holding a fan, I bowed back in return.
“Hello, senior.”
“Have you come to see the market?”
“Yes.”
Zhuge Liang smiled broadly and turned his back.
“Follow me.”
I immediately figured out her intentions and winked at the bewildered Go Hyun-woo and Seo Ye-in.
Soon the three of us left the line and followed Zhuge Liang.
“Would you like to introduce me to the two friends who came with you?”
“This is Go Hyun-woo, and this is Seo Ye-in.”
Zhuge Xiaoxiao looked back and forth between the two with interest, then his gaze settled on Go Hyeonwoo.
He asked me to introduce him to him, but with the information of the vice president of the fencing club, there’s no way he wouldn’t know someone as skilled as Go Hyeon-woo.
“I’ve heard a lot of rumors. I’ve heard that you have amazing sword skills.”
“You are too kind.”
“I hope you will visit the fencing club whenever you have time.”
“I will definitely do that.”
Soon, Zhuge Liang led us to another entrance leading to the upperclassmen sales area.
Then he opens the door and gives a brief explanation.
“It’s a club privilege. To put it simply, it’s like an invitation.”
“Thank you. But is it okay for you to use it for us?”
Allowing people to bypass the line and enter the sales area is a club privilege, such as a production VIP ticket or dungeon priority bidding.
Even if you are the vice president of the fencing club, you cannot abuse it recklessly.
So, it would be right to usually go to the same club members or juniors you are close with, but why are you readily using it on the three of us?
This was a part that was worthy of some skepticism.
Zhuge Liang answered with a soft smile.
“I’ll be seeing you often in the future, so I want to get my score in advance.”
I agree that we will be seeing this often in the future.
There’s also a piece of Jangbodo B hanging around right now, and there’s a lot to trade with the fencing club.
“But what do you mean by keeping score… … ?”
“… … .”
Zhuge Liang answered with an incomprehensible smile.
Then he waves his hand gently and turns away.
“Then take a look around.”
“thank you.”
I repeatedly thanked Jegal Soso as he walked away, and Go Hyeon-woo looked at me with admiration.
“You have connections in a big club.”
“I know.”
As it turned out, a connection was made.
I’m still not sure what he’s hiding, but I’ll think about that later and for now, I’ll just browse the market.
The upperclassman sales area was very large, occupying an entire building the size of a commercial building.
The stalls set up by second and third graders stretch out as far as the eye can see.
I wonder when I’ll ever get to see all of this, but when I look up, I see signs floating around, each pointing to a different place.
… … .
The inside of the sales area is also divided into sections by category.
Since there are already so many items that it’s overwhelming, if you don’t do even the bare minimum of organizing, you’ll have a hard time wandering around as a buyer.
So, that’s why we’re trying to provide convenience like this.
Go Hyun-woo, a warrior, me, a magician, and Seo Ye-in, a ranged character, each have different things to look at.
So Go Hyun-woo asked.
“How about we spread out and look for it?”
“Let’s just go together. We have a lot of time.”
Thanks to Jegal Soso, I skipped the time waiting in line.
Since I have a lot of free time, it’s better to go together.
You might be able to help each other choose items.
So we entered the nearest archer’s quarters.
There were several seniors sitting around chatting, but when they sensed someone’s presence, they stopped talking for a moment and turned their gaze in this direction.
And then a boy and a girl came and greeted us.
“Welcome. Are you looking for something?”
“What is a class?”
I pointed to the calligrapher.
“He’s a musketeer.”
“… … Oh, I see.”
The boy licked his lips as if he was regretting it, then returned to the group.
The schoolgirl explained with a sly smile.
“He only sells archery items.”
It would be a total no-no for me to get along with the total signature calligrapher, so I’d better let go early.
Then the female student asked.
“Is there anything in particular you are looking for?”
“I just want to take a look around.”
“Okay, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
The female student also stepped back a little so that we wouldn’t feel burdened.
I asked the calligrapher.
“What do you want to see first?”
“… … .”
The calligrapher’s shopping style was when I came to the downtown area two weeks ago,
I got a general idea from
‘A style that doesn’t get complicated.’
If I don’t like an item that I’m given, I just pass it by, but if I like something, I pick it up without hesitation.
“… … .”
As expected, the calligrapher’s gaze, which had been looking around carefully, stopped at one spot and walked straight towards it.
There were various long-range skill books piled up like a mountain there, and the calligrapher rummaged through them without hesitation as if he knew where everything was, and pulled out one skill book that had been shoved in a corner for a long time.
[Random Skill Book – Long Range]
‘How did you see that?’
A female student who had been watching from a distance came over to see what the calligrapher was holding.
And when he realized that it was a random skill book, his expression became strange.
“Are you going to buy this?”
“yes.”
The schoolgirl looked a little reluctant.
“… … I would be happy to sell it, but since you’re my senior, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t recommend random skill books.”
Random skill book.
Allows you to acquire a random skill when used.
In this case, the scope is narrowed to ‘long-range series’, but it is still acquiring one of the countless long-range skills.
And among those countless skills, there are a vast number of useless ones that do not fit the calligrapher’s personality.
This means that there is a very high probability that you will learn the wrong skill.
“But we can’t sell it below the market price. We also have to make sure we break even.”
Even though it is random, it is still valuable as it is a skill book.
Also, since it is an item dropped from an underground dungeon, you need to get the full price to make up for the resources invested in the raid.
The calligrapher asked, tilting his head slightly.
“How much is it?”
“Eight thousand points.”
Go Hyun-woo was startled.
Even though I sell a lot of replays and have a lot of points, it’s not a ridiculous amount.
Most first-year students wouldn’t even think about it.
But what if you learn something random from a random skill book?
It’s like those 8,000 points are disappearing into thin air.
It was worth it for the schoolgirl to stop him.
“I think it would be better to buy something else. Are you sure?”
“I will live.”
“I really told you not to. You bought it.”
The calligrapher took out her student ID without hesitation and paid 8,000 points.
And then I immediately opened the random skill book.
The schoolgirl still had a sour look on her face, but then her eyes widened at the sight.
“You want to learn it right away?”
“yes.”
– Paat—
A skill book that slowly begins to glow without any time to dry.
The schoolgirl sighed deeply, half in regret and half in resignation, as if the milk had already been spilled.
Soon this light will be absorbed by the calligrapher and a notification message that only he can see will appear.
I learned a new skill.
– Paat—
However, the light emitted by the skill book continued to become more intense and brighter instead of being absorbed by the calligrapher.
The once soft light has now become so dazzling that I can’t even look at it.
“Hey, what is that?”
“What is he doing?”
The sudden abnormal phenomenon caught everyone’s attention.
Still, the light from the skill book continued to grow brighter and brighter, until it completely covered the room.
– Paaaaat—!
