Chapter 26. You Were Surprised? So Was I.
I could be excused for not knowing, since I’d possessed someone in a novel, but you had no such excuse.
Leaving aside where he’d gotten the information that the Cursed Earring of Resonance only dropped from a hidden boss…
‘You were certain of the stats of an item that hadn’t even been properly appraised and made a whole mess demanding I hand it over, is that it?’
The Earring of the Plague God was a rare item with a Difficulty of Acquisition of 1. On top of that, its performance was AA-rank.
In other words, the chance of an item of the same grade dropping in a dungeon was exceedingly slim.
If expressed numerically, it would barely exceed 0.5%.
Han Chasu stared at Geum Myeonggyeol with cold eyes. Under that frost-like gaze, Geum Myeonggyeol flinched.
“No, I was just in too much of a hurry…”
I’ve got nothing to say. Geum Myeonggyeol muttered as he slumped limply onto the sofa.
Where had that grand, imposing figure from a few days ago, when he’d attempted a kidnapping with such confidence, gone? It was truly a pathetic display of dignity.
Han Chasu quietly pushed a red ginseng drink in front of him.
“You wound me and then offer medicine, Mr. Han Chasu.”
Geum Myeonggyeol laughed weakly. Instead of answering, Han Chasu shrugged.
Well, who told you to be blinded by an item and rush in without thinking?
But he didn’t bother saying it out loud. After all, they might soon become people who would never see each other again. There was no point in earning needless resentment; only he would lose out.
And even if that weren’t the case, he had been the one who’d provided the cause in the first place.
‘It does feel a little unfair, but there’s nothing I can do about it.’
What could he do about having possessed a villain? What was done was done. No matter how exhausting and irritating it was, he had no choice but to adapt and live with it. That would be better for his body and mind in many ways.
In the meantime, Geum Myeonggyeol emptied the entire bottle of red ginseng drink.
“Then let’s go get it appraised before the exchange closes.”
According to the notice he’d seen on the first floor, the item appraisal office was on the fourth floor.
When Han Chasu rose from his seat first, the two men followed as if they’d been waiting.
Ding!
When they got off the elevator, the place was bustling with people.
“Number 53, please come this way! Go up the stairs, and they’ll guide you inside for the final appraisal certificate.”
“Yes.”
The atmosphere was quite different from the seventh floor. It felt more like a bank, perhaps.
Han Chasu glanced at the electronic boards displaying waiting numbers, then looked away.
People were waiting for their turns here and there, chatting and laughing.
“Huh, isn’t that guy from that side? Isn’t it dangerous for him to be here?”
“Oh, no, no. He joined Priolo as a freelancer this time. He got his license issued recently.”
“Ah, did he? No wonder everyone’s so calm. I was the only one who didn’t know again. Only me.”
Most of them seemed to be Hunters who had come to request appraisals, or employees sent by small guilds.
Han Chasu stepped forward while listening to their conversations with interest.
Unfortunately, because of the S-ranks trailing behind him, further eavesdropping became impossible.
“But, Han… no, you over there. Do you have to keep wearing that?”
“I’m comfortable this way.”
“Oh, right. I see.”
The mask he was wearing today was a black mask with a bird’s beak. He liked that black cloth had been layered on the inside around the eyes.
“Oh.”
“Wow.”
“Uwaaah, hot!”
It seemed they were shocked at seeing the S-ranks.
Han Chasu looked pityingly at the person who had spilled coffee on his thigh, then went to take a waiting ticket.
Even after that, stunned gazes continued to pass over them for quite a while. They seemed surprised to see two rare S-ranks at once.
That in itself wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. The problem was these guys.
“Is Guildmaster Jeong Iheun not busy? The Harvesters seemed very eager to meet you.”
“Thank you for your concern. But surely Exilis, whose building burned down not long ago, has more pressing matters? If you’re all right with it, we can dispatch a fire-type Hunter to you for the time being.”
“Hey, you really don’t lose a single word, do you?”
“Were we fighting just now?”
Shut your mouths.
What did it matter if they were rare S-ranks? They were bickering like this without any sense of how embarrassing it was for others.
Han Chasu turned his head slightly and glared at Geum Myeonggyeol. That guy was the problem, as always. Why was he picking a fight with Jeong Iheun, who’d been staying still?
When their eyes met, Geum Myeonggyeol winked.
“Haa…”
With a sigh, Han Chasu mercilessly turned his head back to its original position.
I’ll just pretend he isn’t there. If not that, then I’ll consider it like dragging around one disobedient team member.
Fortunately, perhaps because they had some tact, the two S-ranks did not continue their argument while they waited.
“Number 72, please come this way!”
And so his turn came. Han Chasu entered the small office where the appraiser was waiting.
Though he wasn’t very pleased about it, he had the two dark-clad men behind him.
“Number 72, wai— ugh, cough. H-hello!”
“Hello.”
“Mm, mmm… First, please write your name and your Hunter license identification number here.”
The appraiser’s eyes shook this way and that as she slid the documents over with a swish.
Han Chasu, with a generous heart, understood the appraiser.
She must be wondering why two S-ranks were here, and what kind of person he was to have come with them.
But before taking off his mask, there was something he had to confirm.
“All personal information is protected, correct?”
“Yes, ah, yes! The confidentiality clause is down below, so you can read it.”
Han Chasu quickly checked the clauses. There was a provision stating that the appraiser could not arbitrarily leak a customer’s personal information.
It also listed the penalties incurred if the appraiser intentionally leaked customer information.
They called it Korea’s foremost exchange association, and true to its name, the protective clauses were quite powerful.
‘Good.’
With his mind much more at ease, Han Chasu removed his mask. When he heard a gasp from in front of him and checked, the appraiser was waving her hands frantically.
“I-I’m sorry. It went down the wrong pipe…!”
“It’s all right.”
She was an office-type Awakened, not a combat-type. It was only natural that she wouldn’t have many chances to meet S-ranks this close. Being startled by their pressure was to be expected.
Han Chasu quickly finished filling everything out for the appraiser’s sake.
“Please place the item here.”
“It’s bound to me.”
“Ah, that’s right. Then you consent to physical contact, correct?”
“Yes.”
The appraiser’s hand covered the earring. A hot energy could be felt between their overlapping hands.
“You must not move until I tell you it’s finished.”
Woooong—
A white halo of light gathered around the appraiser’s eyes. Han Chasu watched the appraisal process with an intrigued expression.
“…?”
But it seemed to be taking a bit long. Other people came out in less than five minutes. For some reason, even after ten minutes had passed, the appraiser’s hand showed no sign of moving.
“Appraiser.”
“Shh! Please be quiet.”
The appraiser’s forehead was covered in sweat. And that wasn’t all. White light was spinning dizzily around her eyes.
To think she would be this passionate about her work. She truly was different from him, whose life goal was to quit his job. Han Chasu was quietly impressed.
“This is…!”
“Hmm?”
The appraiser snapped her head up. At the same time, the hand holding the earring was gripped tightly.
“Customer Han Chasu.”
Why are you calling me in that voice? A sense that something was wrong struck straight through his spine.
“Congratulations. It’s a Difficulty of Acquisition 1 item, and on top of that, an S-rank stat item with two sockets!”
At the same time, an item window appeared before his eyes.
[ Cursed Earring of Resonance ]
-An earring worn by a priest who served an ominous god. The owner’s dried blood is caked onto it.
-Difficulty of Acquisition: 1
-Increases attack power of curse/faith-type skills (S)
-Increases mana recovery speed for curse/faith-type skills (S)
-Increases stat values for curse/faith-type traits (S)
-Available sockets (2/2): Currently sealed
-Couple item (Partner has not been registered.)
-Bound item (Owner: Han Chasu)
Ah…
‘I’m screwed.’
Cold sweat ran down his back.
***
After the appraisal ended, the appraiser pointed to the door on the left with a refreshed expression.
“If you go wait over there, the final appraisal certificate will be out shortly.”
Naturally, the one who grabbed him as he shot up from his seat was Geum Myeonggyeol.
“Let’s go together.”
His golden eyes were heated with fervor. With that wild gleam, he was openly acting like a madman.
“No.”
When Han Chasu put the beaked mask back on, Geum Myeonggyeol began clinging to him. He wasn’t a child, but his skill at throwing a tantrum was first-rate.
“Ah, let’s go together. We know everything there is to know about each other now anyway, so why play hard to get?”
He was saying that just because he’d learned the item appraisal result.
Was it because he’d lived abroad? His choice of words was truly fresh. As Han Chasu reflexively frowned, a shriek came from behind him.
‘Damn.’
He had forgotten the appraiser. When he turned his head, he saw that she had her forehead pressed against the desk.
It seemed that once Geum Myeonggyeol scattered his energy, she could no longer endure it. Thinking this wouldn’t do, Han Chasu asked Jeong Iheun for help.
“Please, Guildmaster. I’d like you to wait somewhere else while I’m gone.”
In any case, the idea of shaking off Geum Myeonggyeol had already flown out the window. An S-rank curse-type item had appeared outright, so what could he do?
Still, they had to save the person first.
Han Chasu pushed a cup of water in front of the appraiser and headed for the side door.
Jeong Iheun smiled brightly as he grabbed Geum Myeonggyeol by the back of the neck.
“Don’t worry. If he doesn’t listen, I’ll keep him with me even if I have to tie him up.”
“What? Guildmaster Jeong Iheun has strange tastes. You liked burning things, and now you even tie people— ah! Do you know how much this outfit costs?”
“Have a good trip.”
He seemed almost like a trainer handling a wild beast. With one last look asking him to take good care of things, Han Chasu left the two of them behind.
Click.
And the moment the door closed, he groaned.
“This is driving me crazy.”
He had broken through a 0.5% chance and hit the jackpot.
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