Chương 42: THE UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER (1)

Jimin visited a talisman stall in the market. The stall was larger than most and packed. Glass cases displayed neatly arranged charms, tags, slips of paper, and metal tokens etched with symbols he didn't recognize. Those who created talismans were known as 'Talisman Makers'. They were specialists; who etched spells into physical mediums. Talismans were usually one-time or limited-use items designed for specific purposes. A quick trigger, a single effect and then gone forever.

There was also a variant of this craft - 'Runes'. Unlike talismans, runes were permanent inscriptions etched directly onto equipment, structures, or surfaces. They were created by 'Runecasters', a rarer and far more expensive profession. Runes were stable, reusable, and significantly harder to inscribe. Talismans were cheap and flexible. Runes were considered investments.

There were talismans for imbuing weapons with temporary elemental effects, for applying buffs or cleansing debuffs, for increasing resistance to fire, poison, or cold, etc. At the counter, a bored-looking shop-owner sat on a stool, chewing gum and flipping through his phone. He barely glanced up. Jimin approached and tapped the glass lightly.

"Excuse me." The owner sighed as he straightened up.

"What do you need?"

"Quality checker talismans." The clerk reached under the counter and pulled out a small wooden tray. On it lay several thin, small rectangular-shaped talismans, each etched with a simple circular rune.

"Four thousand won each." Jimin nodded. It's cheap… but I need to buy in volume. If he wanted to keep the shop running smoothly, he couldn't afford to run out again mid-service. Need to invest this much. There's not much choice.

"I'll take twenty," he said. The owner raised an eyebrow.

"Bulk buyer, huh?"

"Something like that." He paid eighty thousand won in cash and received the talismans in a small pouch. Jimin left the shop and headed back toward his stall. The market was still lively. Rifter parties were coming and going, some freshly entering the Rift, others returning with bloodied armor and tired expressions. Vendors shouted prices. Association personnel patrolled casually; their eyes scanned the crowd. He reached his shop and sat down.

He then took out his marker and carefully transformed the 30, 000 won into 36, 000 won, on the signboard. The handwriting was still terrible.

"Tch…" He placed a few quality checker talismans into the jar on the table, arranging them so they were clearly visible. A small but important detail. Now, all he had to do was wait. —----- It didn't take long. Another customer arrived, this one alone. He looked to be in his late teens. He had a lean build, along with light gear. A bow slung over his back and a short blade at his waist. Judging by his appearance and equipment, he was an archer; likely a hybrid who used a blade in close quarters. Love this novel?

Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. He stopped in front of the stall and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Are you a recent awakener?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"Yes, Sir," Jimin replied automatically. The archer nodded.

"I see. Can you repair this short blade?" He drew the weapon and handed it over.

"Yes, Sir." Jimin took the blade and immediately pulled out one of the talismans. He slapped it onto the flat part of the blade and circulated mana through it. The talisman glowed faintly blue at first. Then, slowly, the color shifted. It glowed yellowish green. The archer leaned closer, eyes widening slightly.

"Oh…The durability's almost halved. Please, repair it."

"Right at it." He stepped behind the curtain and appraised the weapon. An E-rank short blade… huh. Then, he activated 'Repair'. A few seconds later, it was done. ['Repair' has reached lv. 2]"Nice," he muttered. He pressed the same talisman onto the blade again and channeled mana. This time, the glow was visibly greener. So, it proved that the repair was legit. Jimin nodded.

"All done, Sir."

"Thanks." The archer paid without complaint, took his blade and left. Jimin watched him go, then sat back down. Okay… that went smoothly. —----- The next few hours passed in a steady rhythm. Another customer came. Then another. Most of them were Rifters who had just exited the Rift; tired, dirtied, and more willing to spend money on immediate convenience. But this time he was more prepared than before. He confidently answered the customer's queries and displaying the talismans helped as well.

He ran out of talismans once, left briefly to restock, and returned without issue. By then, word had already started spreading. People pointed at his stall. Some came back with teammates. —---- After a while, another customer arrived. He looked to be around the same age as Jimin. Cheap, worn-out gear. An old dull staff and faded robe. Definitely E-rank. The customer squinted at the signboard.

"Hey! Are you really repairing gear for just thirty-six thousand won?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Sir?" The customer laughed awkwardly.

"You really are a recent awakener, huh. I'm E-rank too. You can just call me 'Hyung'." Jimin nodded.

"Alright, Hyung." Jimin had guessed that from his gear but now he was sure. He hesitated a bit, but asked out of curiosity, "If you don't mind… Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah. Go on."

"I mean… You're an E-rank. So, what are you doing at a D-rank gate?" The customer looked more surprised than offended.

"I get why you'd ask," he said.

"Yeah, I'm an E-rank. But I'm a support type." Jimin blinked. The man laughed awkwardly again.

"Supports have it easier in some ways. We have high demand and lower risk. Since we stay in the backline, we don't need to confront the monsters or deal significant damage. But we can still support the frontliners. So, when we are around level-10, we can join D-rank parties. Though, we are given less share." He shrugged.

"Not the best treatment… But we can still get more experience faster."

"I see…" Jimin thought of Hyun-woo. Hyun-woo got into a D-rank party even as a DPS. He really is something.

"I've been saving for a month to get my gear repaired," the man continued.

"Good thing I found your shop. Can you do it now?"

"Of course. Hand it over." The man removed his gear one by one; staff, robe, bracelet, rings. Jimin repaired everything carefully. When it was time to pay, the total came to 162, 000 won. The man checked his pouch. His expression tightened.

"A-Actually…" he said, "I'm short about forty thousand won." He rummaged inside and pulled out a small, bloated object sealed in cloth.

"It's a Poison Toad's gallbladder. It should be worth around fifty thousand won. Can you accept this instead?" Jimin took out a tissue and wrapped it around his hand before receiving it. Jimin recognized it at sight. As he had appraised this item quite a few times at the Federation. He remembered it containing a type of paralytic poison. But he still appraised it, just in case.

—----------------------------------------- [Item: Poison Toad's Gallbladder] Category: Material Type: Organ Rank: E Description: A bloated, bile-filled organ harvested from a Poison Toad. While the exterior of the gallbladder is safe to handle, it contains a concentrated neurotoxin inside. It remains inert unless it enters the bloodstream or stomach. Ineffective via skin contact. Effect: Inflicts [Paralysis] for 30 seconds, if affected.

Shelf-life: All effects are lost within 48 hours if not preserved in cold mana solution. (44 hours remaining) —----------------------------------------- It's fresh.

"Alright," Jimin said.

"This will do."

"Thank you," the customer said, relief clear on his face. He finished paying, put his gear back on, and left. —----- By the time afternoon rolled around, Jimin finally stopped. He had repaired around sixty pieces of equipment today. Though, he still had a few talismans left. His 'Repair' skill had reached level-4 as well. His total profit for the day was 1. 8 million won. Jimin stared at the cash.

"Holy crap." Jimin couldn't believe that he earned 1. 8 million won in a day. It was more than his two month's salary, before he awakened. Today was a jackpot. I finally have enough money to buy my own gear now. He bought a medium-sized sachet bag from the market and packed the money inside. Then he dismantled his shop carefully, returning everything to his inventory at the same blind spot. With everything done, he started heading home. He chose the same path back. The same alleys he took to reach there.

The sun had already set. As he walked, he thought- Maybe I should invest this money to make some profit... Maybe I can buy items with low-durability. And then increase their durability and sell at a higher price. Just a little more capital… As he entered a darker and quieter alley. Suddenly, a man's voice came from his back, "Stop," along with a slight mechanical cocking noise. Jimin was stunned by the sudden warning. He quickly turned around. There was a shadowy figure standing at a distance.

But it couldn't be seen clearly, as it was dark. But it was pointing a silver revolver at him. A gun? What the hell? How did he approach me? I didn't even hear any footsteps… Is it a skill? The figure slowly walked toward him as he said, "Well… Well… How was business today?" The figure's appearance was finally visible. Jimin said as if he recognized the figure,"You…"