Chapter 10 - Flower Market

“When did you get here?” “I just arrived in Seoul.”

Lee Yeo-jin and Lee Jin-Seong talked in the elevator. Lee Yeo-jin was wearing an elegant dress with her hair done differently from when we first met.

“…Thank God. I was worried if you couldn’t come because you didn’t call me.” “I’m sorry to have worried you.”

Ding…….

Then, the elevator door opened. And a space full of arcade machines rides for children, and kids’ cafes appeared.

Lee Jin-Seong looked back at Lee Yeo-jin at the unexpected sight. She said with a smile.

“My father…… I mean, my boss has been quite hard on the welfare of his employees. This is a space for employees who are anxious to leave their children at home.”

Lee Jin-Seong nodded.

“Oh, and the results from the hospital showed that the children hadn’t eaten much so far, but they’ll be fine if they eat a normal meal.” “Is that so…….”

Only then could Jin-Seong take a breather. In fact, he was worried about what would happen if the children were very sick.

Then, the children of the nursery who recognized Lee Jin-Seong shouted.

“Jin-Seong is here!” “Wow! It’s you!” “Hey!”

The ages ranged from nine-year-olds to thirteen-year-olds, but they were still more than a span shorter than average children their age, and their arms were skinny. However, the children’s faces were as bright as other children of their age.

Lee Jin-Seong looked at the children who came in front of him and asked,

“…Did you eat?” “Yes! Thanks to you, I had a lot of first-time foods!” “Right! We had spaghetti, beef, jjajangmyeon!” “And Young-Ho had an upset stomach because he ate too much!”

The children laughed together at the words. Then another child spoke with excitement.

“And we don’t have to work! Noona said that all we have to do is eat well and grow well!”

Then the children laughed again. It was a lively image of children that he had never seen before.

Lee Jin-Seong was happy, but he couldn’t be as happy. The joyful images of the children overlapped with those of the children who were dying before their return.

“…….”

For a moment, Lee Jin-Seong’s face hardened. It was an indelible trauma.

It was then.

Lee Yeo-jin gently grabbed Jin-Seong’s shoulder.

“Jin-Seong, you did a great job. Don’t make that face.”

Looking at these children, Lee Yeo-jin was able to guess how hard this man’s life had been.

“Whoo…….”

Only then could Lee Jin-Seong laugh awkwardly, shaking off the scene in his head.

“Noona!”

Then the smallest girl stretched her arms to Lee Yeo-jin.

“A-young, hi!”

Lee Yeo-jin hugged the girl familiarly. The children flocked to Lee Yeo-jin this time. Then, Lee Yeo-jin patted the children’s heads and made eye contact with them.

“How was your sleep?” “Great! I’ve never slept so soundly!” “Young-Min had a stomachache and went to the bathroom!”

And the children laughed again. Lee Jin-Seong stared blankly at Lee Yeo-jin at sight.

It was unfamiliar. Even though he saved his children, Lee Jin-Seong was unable to adapt to this friendly scene. At that time, Lee Yeo-jin called Lee Jin-Seong, who was standing around.

“Jin-Seong, why are you standing so stiff?” “Oh…… Uh…….” “Jin-Seong, don’t do that and hang out with the kids!”

She pulled Lee Jin-Seong’s sleeve.

“Uh, uh…….” Lee Yeo-jin smiled brightly without wrinkles.

“Hey, look! The kids are bringing the ball!” “Hey, let’s play soccer!” “…Do you know how to play soccer?”

Then the child who brought the ball spoke proudly.

“I don’t know!”

And that’s what’s so funny about it. Lee Yeo-jin, who was by her side, also laughed helplessly at sight.

“Hahaha! So cute!”

The only person who couldn’t smile was Lee Jin-Seong.

[The unnamed God gives Lee Jin-Seong a peck, telling him not to be stiff and to be sensible!]

He smirked at the word of the God.

‘What’s past is past. I mean…’

Lee Jin-Seong put his foot on the soccer ball on the floor. It was so soft that he was worried that it would pop.

And the beginning is soft. He kicked it.

The two came out to the outdoor garden of the company building.

“My father wants to see you, Jin-Seong. Would tomorrow be okay for you?”

That meant that he would be entitled to direct compensation. However, Lee Jin-Seong shook his head.

‘It is not time to meet with the chairman yet.’

Her father, Chairman Lee Young-woo. He was an eye-opener like her grandfather.

And since retiring, he has now become a considerable financier with outstanding business skills. Moreover, the emperor of obsession makes his favorite opponent his own at all costs.

So if he meets him right now, he may not be able to do anything. Lee Jin-Seong politely changed the subject.

“I just did what I had to do. You don’t have to take care of me.”

Then he looked her in the eye and continued.

“Also, I have to go somewhere tomorrow.” “…where?” “I think I’ll go to Hwanin Military Academy for an aptitude test.” “What? Uh, how?…?”

Soon, the Hwanin Military Academy will conduct a test and awaken people. Lee Jin-Seong intended to pass the test and become a cadet.

Lee Yeo-jin had to feel different from the fact again.

“… You’re really 17 years old, aren’t you?” “Yes.” “Oh, oh, yes.….”

Lee Yeo-jin stared at him intently. It wasn’t a face that was lying. An expressionless face as if nothing happened. She stared blankly at Lee Jin-Seong, who had a peaceful expression as always.

Then suddenly, he suggested something.

“Oh, we’ll keep the kids safe! So, don’t worry and go!” “…Would you mind doing that?”

Lee Yeo-jin answered the question with a confident face.

“We have a lot of money, our family……I earn quite a bit, so don’t worry about that.” “Well….”

Whether she made a lot of money or not, it was true that Lee Yeo-jin suffered. But now, Lee Jin-Seong has nothing to do for Lee Yeo-jin.

“I’ll pay you back.”

Lee Yeo-jin was surprised at the answer.

“What, what do you mean? Thanks to Jin-Seong, I was able to survive! I haven’t even paid you back yet!”

She said so and smiled brightly.

“……Thank you.”

Lee Jin-Seong got up from his seat.

“Well, please take care of the children while I’m away.”

And Lee Jin-Seong greeted her once again.

“Huh…? Where are you going?” “I have something to check. I’ll go back to my accommodation before dinner.” “Oh…….”

Lee Yeo-jin was also harsh on Lee Jin-Seong, who tried to leave busily, but that couldn’t stop him. After changing her mind, Lee Yeo-jin saw him off.

“Be careful when you come back.”

What Jin-Seong was going to do from now on was nothing else. That is, to be strong enough not to lose to King Suri again.

“So, you should go to the military academy where your teacher is located and develop your career.’

Hwanin Military Academy was the cradle of all the world’s most powerful warriors, and furthermore, it was Hwanin Military Academy where the high rankers who survived until the end of the world were collapsing.

Therefore, Jin-Seong had to prepare for the entrance to the military academy where the eye-opening people would go from now on.

Ironically, however, Jin-Seong was unable to enter the military academy at the moment.

“Only those who have been awakened can enter the military academy.’

Therefore, Jin-Seong had to enlighten Lee Myung-bak in order to enter the school, but the problem was that he could not easily enlighten himself.

Usually, it sets the stage for awakening the function and waits for it to emerge, which was an area of very low probability. Therefore, Jin-Seong is too lazy to choose now.

‘There’s a better way. Learning right away.’

Most dysfunction is expressed at extremely low probability, even under special conditions. However, the opener Jin-Seong is visiting now literally can learn.’

‘Why didn’t you show up a little early?’

At that moment. The teacher’s voice was ringing in his head.

In the past life. As usual, his drunk teacher said while looking at Jin-Seong, who could no longer awaken his abilities.

Lee Jin-Seong asked why. ‘A few years ago, there was a man alive who could’ve to give you something good.….’

When he remembered his teacher’s voice to that extent, Jin-Seong closed his eyes quietly. It was painful to think of her last appearance.

The geek stayed in the flower market until she died. She was killed by a man pretending to be one of her students…Anyway, she was a moron when she died……huhu.’

The laughing face now looked like it was about to cry.

-Rattle…!

At that time, the taxi that Jin-Seong was riding stopped.

“We’ve arrived at Yangjae Flower Market.”

And he was able to get to the place where the teacher’s colleague stayed until she died.

Skkk…….

Jin-Seong got out of the car and looked at the scene of his arrival.

Before the cataclysm, it was literally a flower market full of flower gardeners, but now the ruined site has been transformed into a client who buys and sells knives, spears, and various foreign objects instead of flowers.

Impressive merchants spread keyboards and sell their own items. It was crowded with visitors who came to get rare items that could only be found on the black market.

Lee Jin-Seong walked boldly through the crowd. At that time, a hand suddenly appeared and blocked Lee Jin-Seong’s front.

“Young man, take a look at this and go! There are many knives to use!”

A big, bald man smiled and talked to him.

“Don’t you need a weapon? I’ll give you a discount. Now, now, you must be a scout or a wizard since your body is average and you look weak. Then you have to have a weapon of self-defense.

Then, he did not say anything, but he grabbed a dagger from the stand and put it in front of Lee Jin-Seong.

“This one is selling well these days, and it’s getting better and stronger. I’ll give you a discount. Take it for 1.2 million won.” “…….”

Lee Jin-Seong looked up at the man. Then, the man laughed and hit Lee Jin-Seong on the shoulder. He thought Lee Jin-Seong made an impression.

“Okay, I’ll give you a good deal! 1 million won! It’s not common to give a 200,000 won discount!”

Lee Jin-Seong first received the dagger that he was pointing at him and looked around.

It had a rusty hilt A blade that was too thin. Even the blade was bent sideways.

The knife was so poor in quality that it couldn’t even rip through a monster’s leather. It was wise to melt it in scrap metal rather than sell it for 1 million won.

It was then.

“Money.”

Tap, tap.

The man tapped Lee Jin-Seong with a nasty impression.

“Hey, if you got the stuff, you’d have to pay for it.”

Lee Jin-Seong nodded quietly at the response.

-Yangjae Flower Market Its name may be elegant, but the flower market is literally a jungle.

Apart from the quality of the product, you have to keep your eyes open and keep your nose clean here. The rugged man saw Lee Jin-Seong’s ordinary appearance and tried to scam him.

‘I need to make a scene.’

Lee Jin-Seong, who thought so, tapped the dagger with his finger. Then he frowned.

“This looks like scrap metal.”

In Jin-Seong’s reply, the man suddenly answered exaggeratedly.

“……what?! Trash?!!”

Although Jin-Seong never said it was trash, the man shouted as if he had waited. Then, people who were doing business or picking things around quickly turned to Jin-Seong and the merchant.

“Look here. This little boy says the weapon I sell is trash! How can I put up with this?”

And it was just as if it had prepared for such a genuine response from the beginning.

-What? Kim’s weapon is trash? -That’s crazy. Kids these days are so thick-faced.

And nearby merchants began to defend the merchant named Kim. At that moment, the atmosphere quickly fell to a merchant named Kim.

“Hey, young man…… I can’t do business like this because my pride hurts. 1.2, no, 1.5 million won.”

Then he raised the price up by 50 percent.

‘Look at this?’

Jin-Seong’s lips rose at the skill of instigating. Then he peeked around. Merchants were staring at each other as if they were going to kill Jin-Seong.

Jin-Seong nodded to the atmosphere that had naturally become rough like flowing water. He figured out their tactics roughly.

‘This is how you’ve been scamming when a pushover shows up.’

In other words, he used to sell troublesome equipment that was difficult to deal with by overcharging, by intimidating someone who looked a little younger or clumsy.

But Jin-Seong looked young only on the outside, but he was never a pushover.

Jin-Seong quietly looked around at the knife and smiled at the merchant.

“……This bastard?”

When Jin-Seong seemed relaxed at a time when most strong hearts were bound to be embarrassed, the merchant wondered.

‘He’s not scared at all.’

Even though he was tall, he seemed young, so they shook him once, but it didn’t work. Jin-Seong made a suggestion facing the merchant.

“I think I can break this with my hands.” “Break a knife with your hands……?” “Yes. If I do, you must reward me. What do you think?”

The merchant, who didn’t understand what the word was for a moment, laughed out loud.

“Hahaha! What? Are you gonna break a knife with your hands? That’s crazy!”

(Laughs) -Did you hear that? He’s breaking a dagger with his bare hands!

Hahaha! Merchants who were watching pretended not to laugh. And the man who forced the seller suggested to Lee Jin-Seong.

“Okay, if you really break it, I’ll give you a million won! Instead, if you fail, you give me one million!” “What?” “Give me all the money you have.”

Lee Jin-Seong smirked at his words. The shopkeeper here showed a talent for scamming.

However, Lee Jin-Seong raised the stakes there.

“Well, it’s just money. I’ll give you this, too.”

Lee Jin-Seong lifted the fangs of the red canary he had kept.

It was an item obtained from the dungeon of the unnamed God.

Then the appraiser who was nearby approached and looked at the fangs with a genuine voice and said with a surprised look on his face.

“This is…… Class A….….” “Class A……?”

The merchant grinned at the item appraiser’s words. Rather than questioning why Lee Jin-Seong has an item that is class A, the man is full of expectations that he may get it.

“Okay, then I’ll give you this for a million won!”

Then the merchant pointed to the sword on the edge of the sword, leaning against his stand. -Wow, that’s a bastard sword made of black iron, isn’t it? -No matter how hard it is to raise tens of millions of won…….

Jin-Seong was also interested in seeing the dark-colored blade.

‘That kind of sword would be useful for a while.’

“There’s no backing down.”

Then he held the blade with his left hand and his right index finger and thumb.

Then, he breathed out lightly and began to apply force to the index finger, which held the blade.

“Hahaha, no matter how good your power status is, it’s pretty thick for you, dude! You’re not the vanguard or anything. How can you……huh……?”

Giiiiiikkkk…!

At that moment, the blade of the dagger began to bend slowly down with a terrible screeching sound.