CH 26

You’re surprised, I’m surprised.

If I didn’t know about this, it’s because I’m in a novel world. But you shouldn’t be surprised.

Regardless of where you got the information that the Earring of Cursed Resonance only drops from hidden bosses….

‘You’re so sure of the stats of an item that you haven’t even felt it, you’ve made a mess of it.’

The Earring of the Reversal was a rare item with a difficulty level of 1. It also had a performance rating of AA.

This meant that the chances of an item of its kind dropping in a dungeon were extremely slim.

In terms of numbers, it was barely more than 0.5%.

Han Cha-soo stared at Geum Myeong-yeol with cold eyes. The frosty gaze made him flinch.

“No, I’m in a hurry….”

He doesn’t know what to say. Geum Myeong-yeol mumbled as he sagged on the sofa.

A few days ago, he had made a grandiose kidnapping attempt. What an insignificant display.

Han Cha-soo gently pushed the red ginseng drink in front of him.

“You’re giving me medicine for a bottle, Han Chasoo-ssi.”

Geum Myeong-yeol laughed softly. Han Cha-soo shrugged instead of answering.

Who says you have to be blinded by an item to jump on it?

But I didn’t say it out loud. I didn’t dare to say it out loud because we might not see each other again soon. You’re only hurting yourself.

Even if he didn’t, he was the one who caused it in the first place.

‘It’s a bit unfair, but I can’t help it.’

There’s nothing you can do about it. The damage is done. I had no choice but to adapt and live with it, no matter how painful and annoying it was. It was good for my body and mind in many ways.

In the meantime, Geum Myeong-yeol emptied the bottle of red ginseng drink.

“Then let’s go do our appraisal before the exchange closes.”

According to the sign on the ground floor, the item appraisal room was on the fourth floor.

Han Cha-soo stood up first, and the two men followed as if waiting for him.

Ding!

I stepped out of the elevator and was bombarded with people.

“Waiter 53, please come this way, up the stairs, and the final appraisal will be shown to you inside.”

“Okay.”

The atmosphere was very different from the seventh floor. It was more like a bank.

Han Cha-soo glanced at the electronic boards displaying the waiting numbers and looked away.

People were flirting here and there, waiting their turn.

“Hey, isn’t that one of yours? Isn’t it dangerous to be here?”

“Uh, no, no, he’s the one who went into the prelims this time, and he got his certificate this time.”

“Oh, did you? I can’t believe how carefree everyone is. I’m the only one who didn’t know.”

Most of them seemed to be hunters or employees from small guilds who had come to appraise.

Han Cha-soo walked on, listening to their conversation with interest.

Unfortunately, the S-classes behind him prevented any further eavesdropping.

“But Han… I mean, do you have to keep using that?”

“I’m comfortable with it.”

“Oh, I see.”

The mask I wore today was a black mask with a bird’s beak, and I liked the black cloth inside my eyes.

“Oh.”

“Wow.”

“Whoa, they’re hot!”

They were surprised to see the S-class.

Han Cha-soo looked pityingly at the man who had spilled coffee on his thigh and went to take the queue.

After that, there were still some awkward gazes. They were surprised to see two rarely seen S-class people at once.

That didn’t bother me. The problem was these guys.

“Is Guild Leader Jung Yiheon not busy? He wants to meet the harvesters.”

“Thank you for your concern. But if it’s just Exilis, whose building was burnt down not too long ago, I can dispatch a Flame Realm Hunter for the time being if you don’t mind.”

“Dude, you really don’t say much.”

“Is that what we’re fighting about?”

Shut up.

What do you do with S-class people who are so rare to see. They fight like this without even realizing they’re embarrassing people.

Han Cha-soo glanced over and glared at Geum Myeong-yeol. Anyway, he was the problem. Why is he arguing with Jung Yiheon who is standing still.

Their gazes met, and Geum Myeong-yeol frowned.

“Haa….”

With a sigh, Han Cha-soo relentlessly moved his head back.

I’ll just have to pretend he doesn’t exist. If not, I’ll just have to carry around a member who won’t listen to me.

Luckily, the two S-classes didn’t argue anymore while waiting.

“Waitlist 72, come this way!”

And with that, my turn came. I walked into the small office where the appraiser was waiting.

I don’t like it, but I took the two guys behind me.

“Number 72…. Uh-oh, huh, hello!”

“Hello.”

“Well, umm…. Just write your name and the unique number of your hunter’s licence here.”

The appraiser’s gaze darted to and fro as he shrugged and handed over the papers.

Han Cha-soo understood the appraiser with a generous heart.

You’re probably wondering why two S-class people are here, and what kind of human being I am with them.

But before he took off his mask, he had to make sure.

“Are you sure that all of my personal information is protected?”

“Yes, ah, yes, the confidentiality clause is below, you can read it.”

Han Cha-soo quickly read the terms. It stated that appraisers could not unintentionally disclose client information.

There were also penalties for intentionally disclosing client information.

It was the most prestigious trade association in the country, and it had some pretty strong protections.

‘Good.’

Han Cha-soo removed his mask, feeling more comfortable. He heard a thumping sound in front of him and turned to see the appraiser waving his hand.

“I, I’m sorry, I heard Sare…!”

“It’s okay.”

A white-collar awakener, not even a combatant. He’d never had the chance to meet an S-class this close. It was only natural to be overwhelmed.

Han Cha-soo quickly finished filling out the form for the appraiser.

“You can put your items here.”

“It’s an attributable item.”

“Oh, I see. So you’re consenting to physical contact?”

“Yes.”

The appraiser’s hand covered the earring, and I could feel the heat between their overlapping fingers.

“Don’t move until I tell you I’m done.”

Whoosh-

White rings of light formed around the appraiser’s eyes. Han Cha-soo watched the appraisal process with interest.

“……?”

But it seems to take a long time. The others were out in less than five minutes, but for some reason the appraiser’s hand hadn’t moved for ten minutes.

“Appraiser.”

“Shh! Be quiet.”

There was a bead of sweat on the appraiser’s forehead, that’s all. The whites of his eyes swirled dizzily in the corners.

He was so different from himself, whose goal in life was to leave the company. Han Cha-soo gave a small gasp of admiration.

“This is…!”

“What?”

The appraiser’s head snapped up. At the same time, the hand holding the earring tightened.

“Mr Han Cha-soo.”

Why is he calling me in that voice? A feeling that something is wrong shot up my spine.

“Congratulations. It’s a Grade 1 difficulty item, and it’s even a Grade S stat item with two slots!”

At the same time, an item window popped up in front of me.

[Earring of Cursed Resonance]

-Earrings once worn by a priest of a sinister deity. The owner’s blood has dried on them.

-Difficulty to obtain: Rank 1

-Increased Curses/Faith Skill Attack (S)

-Increased Mana Recovery Speed with Curses/Faith (S)

-Increased Curses/Faith Attribute stats (S)

-Slots available for registration (2/2): currently sealed

-Couple Item (Partner is not registered.)

-Attributable item (Owner: Han Cha-soo)

Ah….

‘It’s X.’

A cold sweat ran down his back.

When the appraisal was over, the appraiser pointed to the door to the left with a fresh face.

“Go over there and wait, and the final appraisal will be out shortly.”

Geum Myeong-yeol jumped to his feet and grabbed my arm.

“Come with me.”

His golden eyes burned with heat. He was an openly insane man.

“No.”

He put on the beaked mask and the golden seal began to hang. They weren’t children, but they were skilled in the art of swarming.

“Oh, let’s go together. I know everything now, so what’s the point?”

I can’t believe he’s talking about knowing the results of an item’s appraisal.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived in a foreign country, but the choice of words was a novelty. I frowned reflexively, and then there was a snap behind me.

‘Oops.’

I’d forgotten about the appraiser. I turned my head and found his forehead on the desk.

Geum Myeong-yeol’s energy had scattered, and he couldn’t hold on any longer. Not wanting to do this, Han Cha-soo turned to Jung Yiheon.

“A favour, Guildmaster. I’d like you to wait somewhere else while I go.”

The thought of letting go of Geum Myeong-yeol had already flown out the window. What could I do now that I had an outright S-class Curse?

Still, he had to save the man.

Han Cha-soo shoved a cup of water in front of the appraiser and headed for the side door.

Jung Yiheon grabbed Geum Myeong-yeol by the back of the head and laughed heartily.

“Don’t worry. If he doesn’t listen to you, I’ll tie him up.”

“What? Guild Leader Jung Yiheon has strange tastes. First, he likes to burn, and now he ties people up…. Ah! Do you know how much these clothes cost?”

“Come on.”

He felt like a trainer taming a beast. With one last goodbye glance, he left the two of them behind.

Dalkak.

As soon as the door closed behind him, he sighed.

“I’m going crazy.”

Against the odds of 0.5%, the jackpot had been won.