Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Before traveling back in time.

Eunseong had obtained a Wish-Fulfilling Pearl by chance and learned how to use it.

So he'd collected three Wish-Fulfilling Pearls and made a wish to the Dragon Lord.

After driving every last one of his comrades to their deaths.......

He never got to make the wish.

- In accordance with the covenant passed down since the Genesis, I shall grant your wish.

- My wish is...... haaah!

- What you truly desire shall be fulfilled through death.

The Dragon Lord killed Eunseong without even hearing his wish.

As a result, Eunseong regressed.

To a few days before he lost his father.

That was how it had been, yet here was a Wish-Fulfilling Pearl embedded in a bronze censer.

Eunseong had obtained every one of his Wish-Fulfilling Pearls from inside Gates.......

'Why would something like a Wish-Fulfilling Pearl be in a department store luxury boutique......?'

Eunseong approached the display window and studied the pearl embedded in the bronze censer.

"N-no way."

He involuntarily stumbled a step back.

There was something wrong with the pearl's condition.

The Wish-Fulfilling Pearl lodged inside the bronze censer was different from the ones he knew.

The Rune pattern inscribed on it was different.

[Second Star Pearl]

10-Star

The Dragon Lord's second Wish-Fulfilling Pearl.

(Appraisal required!)

"There was...... a second one?"

It was impossible to believe.

As far as Eunseong knew, there were only three Wish-Fulfilling Pearls in total.......

'Then this censer is......'

Eunseong studied the bronze censer in which the pearl was embedded.

[Dragon-Summoning Censer]

10-Star

A censer that summons a dragon.

(Appraisal required!)

"Th-this is."

Eunseong froze.

The existence of a fifth Wish-Fulfilling Pearl was shocking enough, but to learn that an item capable of summoning a dragon existed as well.

On top of that, given that the Dragon-Summoning Censer had a total of seven slots.......

"......There were seven from the start?"

Eunseong muttered in disbelief.

What he'd always believed to be three Wish-Fulfilling Pearls turned out to be five. The revelation felt like common sense flipping on its head.

"Hey! Cha Eunseong!"

"Oppa!"

Eunha and Ra Sihyeon spotted Eunseong and called out, but there was no way he could hear them.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but could you please step back?"

A security guard with a compact rifle concealed under his suit jacket approached and stopped Eunseong.

Given the times, even in South Korea--famous for its public safety--armed robberies occasionally occurred.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"That's the boutique entrance over there. You need to go this way......"

"I'm buying it."

Eunseong turned his head and spoke.

"Pardon?"

"I like it."

Eunseong pointed at the [Dragon-Summoning Censer] and smiled.

***

[Kirsie], a premier French luxury fashion house, was a brand known as the creme de la creme of luxury.

Kirsie wasn't simply a brand that made clothing and bags.

It also dealt in tableware such as forks, plates, and cutlery, as well as various objet d'art for interior design, including lighting fixtures and ceramics.

"Welcome, sir. What are you looking for today?"

A sales associate approached Eunseong with a smile.

"That piece over there--I'd like to buy it."

"I see, sir. Unfortunately, I'm terribly sorry, but that item is only available for sale to select customers."

True to its reputation as a brand notorious for its ruthless sales policies, it wasn't going to be easy.

"It was specially supplied to Korea from our headquarters in France......"

"Pfft."

Eunseong couldn't help but laugh.

"Sir? What's so funny?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. A funny thought just popped into my head."

"Ah, I see......"

The reason Eunseong had laughed was because he'd recalled the situation in France.

After the government had been toppled by a Hunter faction composed of immigrants, the country had been embroiled in civil war for several years now. "French headquarters"--as if.

"But what do you mean by only selling to select customers?"

"Sales are permitted only to those who meet the criteria recognized by headquarters."

It seemed like money wasn't the issue--the buyer needed to be of the right "caliber."

Presumably, a strategy to maintain brand value by thoroughly filtering out the nouveau riche.......

"What are you doing here, Oppa?"

"Are you buying something?"

Eunha and Ra Sihyeon appeared, laden with shopping bags.

"Oh, you're here. I need a moment with the sales associate here, so pick out whatever you want in the store. Don't worry about the price."

"Cha Eunseong, what are you talking about? Did you take out a loan or something?"

"This is a seriously expensive brand......"

Instead of answering, Eunseong turned back to the sales associate.

"Just a moment, please. Let me make one quick call."

Eunseong dialed somewhere.

"Yes, it's me. Sorry to bother you when you're busy. Oh, it's nothing major. I'm at a department store with my family and there's something I'd like to buy. Yes, yes."

After hanging up.

"Give me just a moment, please."

"Of course, sir."

About five minutes passed.

"Would you be Hunter Cha Eunseong?"

A store manager appeared, gently nudged the sales associate aside, and greeted Eunseong with a warm smile.

"We received a call from the Defense Strategy Department. It's an honor to serve you. We are always grateful for your service, Hunter."

"That's very kind."

"Would you be amenable to being escorted to our private salon?"

The sales associate who'd been helping Eunseong before went wide-eyed.

At Kirsie, access to the private salon was something that even most conglomerate wives could only dream of.

"Would it be all right if I pay in cash? Gold bars or Etherium work too."

"We will of course accommodate whichever payment method is most convenient for you, Hunter Cha. Right this way, please."

"Thank you."

Thirty minutes later.

The Dragon-Summoning Censer and the Second Star Pearl embedded in it became Eunseong's property.

The lengthy process was because the staff had to bring in a cash counting machine and tally the bills.

"Sir, if you give us your address, we'll deliver it safely to your home within three days."

"That won't be necessary."

"Pardon?"

"I'll take it with me now."

"S-sir!"

Eunseong stepped out of the private salon and approached the displayed Dragon-Summoning Censer.

WHOOSH--the Dragon-Summoning Censer and the Second Star Pearl were absorbed into a card.

[Acquired Dragon-Summoning Censer.]

[Acquired Second Star Pearl.]

The store manager, the sales associates, and the other customers alike stood slack-jawed.

"Please don't hesitate to visit us again. All of us at Kirsie look forward to welcoming you back, Hunter Cha. Have a wonderful day."

"Have a wonderful day."

Every last sales associate, led by the store manager, bowed a full ninety degrees to Eunseong.

As Eunseong's group departed, department store concierge staff trailed behind, loaded with shopping bags.

"I'm terribly sorry about earlier."

The armed security guard who'd stopped Eunseong earlier offered a discreet apology.

"No worries. Keep up the good work."

Eunseong's stride was light.

The Dragon-Summoning Censer and the Second Star Pearl, the fifth Wish-Fulfilling Pearl.

Items that weren't mere trinkets but could potentially change the course of the world--and he'd bought them for cash at a department store luxury boutique, of all places.

'The grade was so high that no one recognized their value.'

Hunters viewed everything through the lens of their own perspective.

Items and Runes were no exception.

Given that the highest-level Hunters at this point were roughly 7-Star, it was hardly unreasonable that ordinary Hunters couldn't recognize the worth of the 10-Star Dragon-Summoning Censer and Second Star Pearl.

In Eunseong's case, his standing was such that Hunter Link permitted a 10-Star secondary account.

Even though he'd returned to the past, his discernment hadn't dulled--which was what made this possible.

The Hunter who'd handed the Dragon-Summoning Censer and the Second Star Pearl over to Kirsie had clearly failed to see their true value and assumed they were mere antiques.

'I'll need to find an appraisal certificate.'

Eunseong wanted to know the true value of the Dragon-Summoning Censer and the Second Star Pearl.

But that was a distant concern for now.

Appraising high-grade items and Runes would require an appraisal certificate of matching caliber.

'What are you thinking, Dragon Lord?'

His thoughts grew tangled.

'Pure coincidence, or something planned?'

But since there was nothing he could determine at this point, Eunseong filed the thought away for the time being.

"Hey, Cha Eunseong."

"What."

"Are you rich?"

Eunha, arms full of shopping bags, asked.

The question came from pure shock, given that Eunseong had bought her billions of won's worth of clothes, bags, jewelry, and more.

Some of the bags among them were pieces that ordinary people would need to wait years for and accumulate hundreds of millions in purchase history just to get their hands on.

"Yeah. We're rich."

Eunseong answered with a broad grin.

***

The pickup truck's cargo bed was packed with shopping bags from every luxury brand imaginable.

Park Yeongyeong and Cha Geunwoo looked surprised, but said nothing in particular.

"How about sushi for dinner? I know a good place."

Having completed the shopping spree of a lifetime, Eunseong asked his parents.

"A sushi place...... the omakase kind? Where the chef makes everything right in front of you?"

"Yes."

"Oh my, that sounds wonderful."

Park Yeongyeong smiled as if the mere thought delighted her.

"I'd love that too."

"Same here."

Eunha and Ra Sihyeon agreed.

"Sushi, my foot. When it comes to raw fish, you're supposed to catch it yourself and slice it right there on the boat."

As befitting a Naval Special Forces officer, Brigadier General Cha Geunwoo showed a hint of resistance.

"And isn't a place like that expensive? If you keep eating that kind of food, you'll get used to...... fine, let's go."

His eyes met his wife's, and Cha Geunwoo hastily changed his tune.

And so, Eunseong headed to Cheongdam-dong with his family, where the sushi restaurant was located.

It was a members-only establishment known only to those in the know.

Naturally, it operated strictly on a reservation basis, making same-day bookings all but impossible.

Even Eunseong had only heard of it through rumors and had never been there himself.

But Eunseong had his own method.

He quietly drew the [Luck] card and held it in his hand.

Clatter--!

The sound of dice rolling reached his ear.

[The dice rolled 11!]

[Luck increased by 110%!]

- Have a wonderful time with your family, Master.

The voice of the Goddess of Luck whispered in his ear.

'That should do it.'

Eunseong discreetly texted Major Im to request a reservation at the establishment.

Reservation confirmed.

You got lucky.

I hear a private booking was suddenly canceled.

Well then, enjoy your evening.......

A smile spread across Eunseong's lips.

Sushi Kenshin

This establishment, hidden away in who-knows-where, was a sushi restaurant run by a master who ranked among the top in the world, let alone South Korea.

After passing through narrow, labyrinthine corridors, the scene that finally emerged was nothing short of beautiful.

"Oh my!"

"It's, it's so pretty!"

"I didn't know a place like this existed......"

Park Yeongyeong, Eunha, and Ra Sihyeon gasped in admiration.

Sushi Kenshin was more than a mere sushi restaurant--it could be called a multifaceted cultural space that recreated, on a modest scale, a traditional Japanese luxury villa.

A garden whose landscaping embodied the beauty of restraint, with ceramics and flowers placed throughout.

And a building constructed from the finest wood.

The cost of the interior alone was beyond estimation.

SLIDE--the door opened, and the restaurant's interior finally revealed itself.

It was a space of warm, bright lighting and the subtle, captivating scent of hinoki cypress.

Behind a top-grade hinoki counter worth billions of won, a neatly dressed young chef was preparing his neta.

Silent knife work sliced the fatty tuna belly into perfectly uniform cuts without so much as a thousandth of a millimeter's deviation.

'Hm?'

Eunseong's eyes narrowed.

WHOOSH--!

On the blade slicing through the fish, there rode a trace of Ether so faint that only the most perceptive of Hunters would ever notice it.

'......What's this?'

Eunseong studied the chef.

He'd never considered that Ether could be wielded with such precision.......

The knife tip stopped.

"Welcome."

Eunseong's eyes met the chef's for just a single fleeting moment before sliding past.

"My name is Moon Seongmo. I look forward to serving you."