Chapter 44
The Arrow that Left the Quiver (3)
[⁕ While participating in a scenario, you cannot activate the Merchant’s Mark skill.]
“So… I want you to find a way for me…”
I pressed my forehead against the bars and muttered in despair.
[⁕ Impossible. While participating in a scenario, you cannot activate the Merchant’s Mark skill.]
I had tried exactly twenty-seven times, but Sam’s answer was always the same.
The cold AI, lacking both flexibility and mercy, could not empathize with my situation at all.
Could this be a dream?
No, my forehead that I had just banged against the bars hurt too much to be imaginary.
“Wow… is it for real that I’m caught in the alliance of the seven great guilds…?”
Speaking the situation aloud, I let out a bitter laugh.
If I had even a shred of strength, I could have tried to cope, but without the Merchant’s Mark, I was nothing but a weak, E-rank hunter.
And yet, here I was, entering the 51st-floor scenario with South Korea’s elite raid team.
The thrilling encounter with rankers I had tried so desperately to avoid was now inevitable.
It was absurd—so absurd that no one would believe it.
While I banged my forehead on the bars like an idiot, I realized yet another fact and sank further into despair.
“Wait… the quest failed too?”
The title “Avoid Interference” quest, which I thought would be fine as long as I stayed out of it, was a complete failure.
Even if I tried to say, “I won’t do anything!” the Tower wouldn’t let that slide.
By participating in the scenario, I had already interfered.
“Wow… I’m really screwed.”
I had been trying to curb my swearing lately, but the situation left my dark side seeping out relentlessly.
‘Sam, what happens if I fail the title Avoid Interference quest?’
[⁕ Failing the title Avoid Interference quest will result in penalties.]
‘What kind of penalties?’
[⁕ Penalties include skill deactivation, skill downgrade, stat deactivation, and for market managers, gold deactivation.]
The brutally pragmatic AI message drove me to despair again.
The thought of being unable to use gold made it hard to breathe.
It wasn’t just that I had a capitalist streak—living in constant financial stress for so long had made money my lifeline.
Only recently, as I had a somewhat livable life, I could tirelessly complete quests without worrying about money.
‘But that’s all thanks to the gold I earned from the market.’
And now… preventing me from using that gold meant…
“This is really bad. Really.”
Gripping the bars, I slowly slid down to my knees.
The rough, uneven stone floor barely mattered compared to my mental anguish.
‘I feel like I might throw up.’
For some reason, an unfamiliar nausea crept in.
Then I heard Clara’s worried voice from the other side of the bars.
“Um… Ihae-nim, are you okay?”
“No…”
I barely restrained the urge to scream in frustration and lifted my head.
Leaning against the bars, a swan beastman watched me silently.
Her delicate face, which had just been anguished with sorrow, now looked like a comrade walking into the flames of hell alongside me.
“Is something wrong? I heard you muttering to yourself…”
“It’s nothing. I just encountered a disaster.”
“A disaster?!”
Clara, speaking with the emotions I couldn’t, pressed her body close to the bars in astonishment.
Then, with a face full of incomprehension, she cautiously asked,
“Is it worse than being trapped in here?”
“Yes… my whole world collapsed. It turned into a literal hell in an instant.”
“Hell? But under Oerisa-nim’s blessing, hell is supposed to have disappeared… how could that happen?”
Clara’s naive interpretation of my metaphorical words made me wave my hand in enlightenment.
After all, I was doomed.
I was confident that gentle Clara would at least listen to my rant.
Even if she didn’t understand the scenario, she would nod and empathize.
I sulked and began to speak.
“Well, this kind of thing happens a lot in this field—”
[Awakened Ihae-won – Open Market Manager (EX)
New Notification
The title Avoid Interference quest has been updated.]
If the notification hadn’t appeared while I was speaking, I would have continued venting to Clara.
But that was unnecessary.
[Title Avoid Interference Quest (7)
Clear the scenario without revealing your identity to the participants.
Reward: ???]
I blinked slowly.
Time seemed to slow down for a moment.
“A common occurrence, you say?”
Clara asked gently, but I stared quietly at the quest window.
The content of the title Avoid Interference quest had changed.
There was no precedent of this in Babel Wiki or media.
It felt like… a rope that was intact but might snap at any moment.
Still, the mere glimpse of another path gave me hope.
Of course, aside from that, nothing else was hopeful.
‘Yeah, despair won’t solve anything.’
It gave me the motivation to brush myself off and try something rather than waste time lamenting.
Not that it changed the front-row hell I was in.
I dusted off my knees and stood up.
Not much, but my life philosophy of surviving, thin and steady, had always carried me through.
‘Take it step by step, and you can handle anything.’
If it failed, I could despair again later.
I inspected the bars blocking my way carefully.
“Ihae-nim, what are you suddenly doing?”
“Getting out, for now.”
“…Getting out?”
Clara looked at me with a strange expression, as if I had lost my mind.
“This is a prison, and you want to leave?”
“Yes, I need to get out immediately to do something.”
I measured the distance between the bars with my hands.
It was ridiculously narrow.
“Um… you’re slender, but the gap isn’t that wide, is it?”
The gentle Clara had just pierced me with a sharp observation, and I shrugged.
“Seems impossible.”
“Of course…”
“Hm.”
I crossed my arms, thinking.
“Okay, then, another way.”
Clara shook her head at my stubbornness, thinking I had lost my mind.
I didn’t care.
Even without the Merchant’s Mark, trapped, lonely, and miserable…
[> Purchaseable Item
Iron Severing Sword (鐵斷劍) 38,200G]
I had the insanely powerful ability to buy any dimensional item immediately.
I took out a sword I had just bought from my inventory, and Clara’s eyes went wide as she pressed against the bars.
“Wh-where did that sword come from? Didn’t they take all weapons when you came in…?”
“I carry it in my pocket.”
Clara’s expression, previously somber, contorted in disbelief.
I smiled faintly and lifted the hefty sword.
“Clara, want to see something amazing?”
“No… it’s scary…”
I ignored her, braced my legs, engaged my core, and lifted the sword above my head with my shoulders.
Then, gritting my teeth, I swung with all my strength.
Shing—
The clash of metal on metal made no harsh sound.
Instead, the prison echoed with a soft slicing sound, like a tofu block being cleanly cut.
The bars in front of me split with just two swings, falling forward with a heavy thud.
The thick bars that had blocked my way were now useless iron on the floor.
I slammed the sword into the ground with a thunk and looked up at Clara.
She blinked in disbelief, unable to react.
I smiled brightly and spread my arms to proudly present my work.
“Ta-da! Escape magic!”
[Iron Severing Sword (B)
A peculiar sword with selective cutting properties, made by Seok Gong-myeong, the 3rd disciple of the Cheongun Sword School. Crafted with high-grade steel, but an unexpected flaw emerged during creation, classifying it as defective.
It boasts invincible cutting power against metal, but cannot cut organic or soft materials—a fatal flaw.
Despite fine cracks on the blade making it appear fragile, it is actually very sturdy.
/Hidden Ability/ Produces a cutting sound when slicing high-grade iron weapons or armor.]
Three seconds later, Clara shouted in shock.
“Are you sane?!”
Meanwhile, at the midpoint between Kasabl and Kona…
A tense atmosphere hung over the temporary raid base.
“Chaegundam withdrew from the raid team?”
Seo Jae-hyuk frowned at Ahn Yeon-seo.
The usually emotionless voice held a rare hint of agitation.
Jae-hyuk had put a lot of effort into selecting the 51st-floor raid team.
Ahn Yeon-seo, his secretary and strategist, handled all the calculations.
Close-range dealer Lee Tae-sung, mage Go Min-han, supporter Kim Bari.
He also handpicked members from other guilds:
Jeong Min-gu from Take-in, who had a terrible personality but strong close-range combat ability.
Guild leader Han Romi and alchemist Oh Young-gun from Shinrok.
And Chaegundam and vice-guild leader Lee Min-jung from Wolpae.
A total of ten elite members—the best in South Korea.
Yet, a gap appeared before the scenario even began.
“How is this possible?”
Jae-hyuk muttered, grinding his teeth.
As Ahn Yeon-seo fiddled with her tablet to speak, Jeong Min-gu interjected mockingly.
“Do you think your secretary would know, Jae-hyuk?”
Jeong Min-gu leaned on a pillar, smirking, clearly annoyed.
“Should’ve asked Chaegundam’s foot-rubber, not here. Who else is there to ask?”
He pointed at Lee Min-jung, Wolpae’s vice-guild leader.
Suddenly the focus was on her, and she adjusted her glasses nervously.
But Jeong Min-gu wasn’t the type to care about her embarrassment.
“Did he run off instead of following? Was the raid team too much of a burden?”
“No… that’s not it.”
“Figured, that coward.”
Trying to belittle Wolpae, his S-rank aura made Lee Min-jung unable to defend herself.
Seemingly enjoying her fear, Jeong Min-gu held back a smile.
“I’ll hold you accountable for this. Wolpae’s a penniless guild.”
“What do you mean accountable?”
Breaking the tense moment, Jae-hyuk asked lightly.
“You wasted my precious time.”
Jae-hyuk turned away, deeming it unworthy of attention.
Ahn Yeon-seo ignored Jeong Min-gu and spoke.
“There’s no time. The scenario has already started.”
“What does that mean?!”
Jeong Min-gu snapped, but Ahn Yeon-seo remained calm.
Having S-rank hunters under her wing, her bravery was extraordinary.
“From the 51st floor, no one can leave midway. The scenario starting means all ten spots are filled.”
“…What?! So we have to start without one? You should’ve said so earlier!”
“All but Guild Master Jeong Min-gu already knew,” Ahn Yeon-seo said, ignoring him.
As the actual leader of the cross-guild raid, Jae-hyuk spoke.
“Proceed as planned.”
“Damn it… how are nine people supposed to clear a scenario even Isis couldn’t handle?”
Just a minute ago, he had dismissed the missing person; now, he complained.
Jae-hyuk ignored him and added,
“And find the one who joined this scenario without permission.”
His tone was dry, but his furrowed brow betrayed concern.
Meanwhile, Haewon, slicing the prison bars with the Iron Severing Sword, had no idea what was happening here.
