04. Inconvenient Cohabitation (18)

A private warehouse that was guided by Yuna and passed through strict security.

It was so full of all sorts of valuable items that I would be hesitant to even call it a warehouse.

“How are you? Awesome, right?”

I forgot to even reply and was frantically looking around the shelves.

Isn’t this the holy ore stone used for the three-person sword? Not even the level of the scraps I used, but the whole large gemstone was on display. How much is this?

“Huh? Lee Jin-ah! Look at this!”

“This is….”

I thought it was a familiar color. Not only thunder crystals, but also all 4 elemental stones that were difficult to obtain were equipped.

It wasn’t just that. Most of the rare materials that can be obtained in towers around the world were gathered here.

“Huh, when I came to Korea, I only brought what I could bring from my home country. Aren’t the family’s collections even more amazing?”

“What?”

What is it? Is Klaproth’s home a treasure trove of all sorts of materials?

I couldn’t quite figure out where to put my eyes in this room. Everywhere I looked, there was only a rare material that caught my eye.

“It’s not just the ingredients, is it? Please look at this too.”

At a glance, all sorts of weapons that seemed out of the ordinary were displayed at the location Yuna pointed to. All of these were rare drop items that could only be obtained from the Tower.

I saw many weapons that were unfamiliar to me, not Eldoras or Titan weapons familiar to Koreans, perhaps because they were brought from her home country.

Did that double-edged ax come from the Barbaric Lands of Northern Europe? The black helmet hanging over there looks like a Dyurahan helmet. Whoa, that big scythe is Grim Reaper’s death side, right? There is even a weapon for a boss monster that reaches a semi-S rank?

All equipment displayed here is at least grade A, and some are semi-S grade. My hands were itching for the craftsmanship in me to touch, inspect, tear down, and disassemble all of that equipment myself.

“You deserve to be proud. It’s really great.”

“Whoops, right? You can look around as much as you like.”

Yoon Seo-hee, who was next to me, was also looking around the items on display, exclaiming wow, wow! As much as she took part in the test, she was just as entitled to pick and go as I was.

To be honest, until she came here, she had a light heart, but all of Yuna’s collections exceeded expectations. I didn’t expect to see such a sight in person.

But….

I didn’t see what I was looking for.

Usually, I would have been happy just being in this warehouse. You must have been thinking a lot about the fact that you had to pick just one here.

But what I need is an item that can suppress Kertatus. I want both rare materials and excellent weapons, but at least I didn’t need them right now.

“Binary? Is there anything you don’t like?”

“No. It’s not….”

“That’s not a facial expression. Hmm, then what about the things over here?”

Yuna showed me a new showcase that was neither material nor equipment.

From accessories such as necklaces, rings, and bracelets, to items whose purpose is unknown from the outside, they were evenly displayed.

Among the monster equipment that can be obtained from the tower, weapons and armor are not the only ones. Many items with unique effects are also found, but unlike weapons, they have a higher value because they can be used by ordinary people.

While I was slowly examining the items displayed in the display case, one object caught my attention.

A dark-colored chain with no distinctive features on the outside.

It reacted with the heart inside me and made me feel uncomfortable just looking at it.

I had a hunch that this chain was what I was looking for.

“Yuna. What’s this?”

“Yes? Uh, that’s….”

She was slightly startled at the object I pointed at, then hesitated before opening her mouth.

“… It’s a chain made of magic stone. It was something I got as a 14th birthday present from my father’s collection.”

“Bong Magic Stone? The magic stone I know?”

“Right. It is a rare material that could only be obtained from the Tower of Tartarus, which is now impossible to obtain.”

Australia became a monster land after being unable to handle the overflowing gates due to the government’s wrong response.

The Tower of Tartarus, which rises in the middle of the vast desert in the central part of the Australian continent, has the concept of a prison that confines sinister beings who have become demons by offering their souls to the devil.

And the monsters appearing there… The material of the handcuffs and chains that bind the devil is the magic stone, and the magic stone has the effect of suppressing the power of the devil, as the name implies.

However, the magic stone can no longer be obtained.

Nine years ago, the head of the devil worshipers succeeded in capturing the Tower of Tartarus and locked the tower’s door.

It was also around that time that the devil worshipers began to stealth in earnest.

It was belatedly discovered that the magic stone effectively suppresses the demon worshiper’s power, but it was like losing a cow and fixing a barn.

There were too few people who could risk their lives to attack the tower in Australia, which is famous for its Monster Land. At that time, I focused on mining magic stones. It was not a well-known fact that handcuffs and chains had such an effect.

So the number of Sealing Stones released in the world is extremely small. It’s not something you can get with money.

But the magic stone is in a place like this? It was really great luck.

“I’ve decided. With this I-“

Yuna urgently pointed to the ring next to her and said.

“Binary! If you don’t like anything, how about this one? It’s a ring with strength enhancement!”

“The ring is gone, this chain-“

“Or how about this one? A bag with space expansion magic! This small size can hold anything up to 1,000kg! Doesn’t that look really convenient?”

“… ….”

“Everything else… Anything you like?”

It looks very wasteful.

It would be a pity if it was a collectible item that could not be obtained anymore.

However, a waste is a waste, and I absolutely needed that. I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t seen it, but since I already saw it, I couldn’t just pass by.

“Didn’t I tell you to choose one? I’ll do it with this chain. Is it okay if I take it?”

“Ooh, ooh ooh… That, that’s it… Claprot’s eldest daughter… Are you sure you keep your promise?”

You don’t have to laugh deliberately with your eyelids quivering like that.

–

“Oops. Is it raining?”

“Sure. There are quite a few.”

At some point outside, raindrops were soaking the floor.

Since it was raining at the same time, Yoon Seo-hee and I decided to take Yuna’s limousine back just like when she came here.

“Binary. Hee Seo. Thank you both for coming today.”

Before leaving her mansion, Yuna grabbed the hem of her skirt and bowed her head respectfully in the lobby of the mansion where the gorgeous chandeliers stood out. She greeted her with the elegance of a rich girl.

“No, it was interesting in its own way. I got something.”

“Right. Gunblade? It looked like fun. If something like this happens in the future, call me as many times as you like!”

More than anything, the biggest income for me is the chain of the seal. I’ll have to think a bit about what to make of it.

For reference, Yoon Seo-hee received the space expansion backpack Yuna recommended to me earlier. I was secretly envious of Baek Ji-soo opening and closing the sub-space.

“The most important thing to me is time. When I grow up, I will officially inherit my father’s estate promised to me, but my uncle intends to put everything in order. After the uncle and the executives are finished with the stakes, the father’s health condition will be published in the media soon… Then everything I have will be taken away.”

“No way, it’s a nephew, but that much?”

“Even then, it remains. My uncle is a man who never leaves behind. I’ve been watching from the sidelines for decades.”

Yuna said with her wry smile.

“Binary. Please take my suggestions seriously. I will be waiting for you.”

“Um… Okay. Then see you at school.”

“Bye~ See you tomorrow!”

After saying goodbye to Yuna, we boarded the limousine. After a smooth start, the limousine passes through a mountain road and enters a gradually familiar city.

Yoon Seo-hee lived in a one-room apartment near the station, so Seo-hee’s house was closer in her mansion. Just before she got out of her car, she took a small box from her arms and handed it to me.

“Lee Jin-ah. Take this.”

“What is this?”

“A gift.”

As she tried to open her box with a puzzled look on her face, she reached out and stopped her.

“Not here. Go home and open it.”

“… ? Okay.”

“That… Hey. Lee Jin-ah, I’m really looking for that… Did you have a hard time?”

Yoon Seo-hee, how can she say, ‘Ah… I usually say things like this casually… ‘ She muttered to herself, then she sighed deeply, twisted the ends of her hair, hesitated for a long time before finally opening her mouth.

“So… um, that’s… Later, if Lee Jin-yi is fine with you… Can you make time on the weekend?”

“At the weekend?”

“Yes. Oh, of course not right now! Later, when things like demons are okay… That’s when.”

It’s the weekend. It wasn’t like I had a schedule on the weekend anyway, so it didn’t matter that much. I don’t mean to go right now.

“Yes. Great.”

“Really?”

“Uh. But what about weekends?”

“No, nothing! I’ll get back to you later!”

Yoon Seo-hee got out of the car with a smile on her face. She waved her hand behind her for a while, holding her umbrella, until I was no longer in sight of her limousine.

‘Jack, it’s raining, so just go in quickly….’

Still, I didn’t hate seeing him see me off until the end. Unbeknownst to me, a small smile formed on my lips.

What is it anyway? Asking me to free up time on the weekend seems like setting up a date.

‘… Ah, please That’s not it.’

It’s a date. Anyone who hears it will surely know that Seo-hee has a rational crush on me. What’s wrong with a pretty and talented kid like her?

If I misunderstood goodwill between friends, there was a concern that even the current relationship would become awkward.

Suddenly, the words Kertatus spoke of a female in heat passed through my mind.

“… ….”

That’s just bullshit. Demons and humans have very different perspectives.

Soon the limousine driven by the driver arrived near the house through familiar roads.

“I will walk from here. Thank you for driving.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I briefly thanked the driver, got out of the car, and walked home using the umbrella that Yuna had provided for me before leaving.

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Grandpa would be very surprised if the limousine suddenly stopped in front of the house and the grandson got out there.

“Huh?”

But in front of my house was a much more surprising person than a limousine.

“… Cha Soo-hyeok Hunter?”

Cha Soo-hyeok was standing in front of the front door of our house.

“Ah… Are you here now?”

I don’t know since when did this happen, but my whole body was already soaked with rain.