NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 178. Black Market (2)
As soon as I came inside the house, I got to the point and got to the point.
“Do you know anything about the black market?”
Then Kang Chang-ho stopped wiping the water off with a towel and reacted.
“Black market?”
“I think Hunter might know about one or two places.”
I spoke to the silent S-class.
“Actually, I am personally interested in that market.”
Black market. Or black market.
A place where goods are secretly traded without government supervision and without the law.
As I said, I was currently gathering information on illegal transactions. And I have already confirmed that there is a black market that specializes in dealing in magical tools.
Merchants are causing trouble by selling dungeon items on the black market for tax evasion purposes.
An unqualified civilian secretly obtained dangerous equipment and committed a crime.
If you search a little, you will find examples.
‘Korea is not a safe zone either.’
If there was a black market where illegal items were freely available, there might be some ingenious tools that could help me in my situation.
First of all, there was a clear need for ‘a certain item’ that was only distributed there.
So originally I wanted to check out the black market myself, but unfortunately it wasn’t easy for ordinary people to access the underworld.
Nowadays, in an IT society, even risky transactions are mostly done online.
In particular, their method of creating anonymous chat rooms using highly encrypted messenger apps and repeatedly disbanding them to attract customers was extremely unfriendly to aliens.
‘It was so difficult that I gave up on doing it alone a long time ago.’
Kang Chang-ho was a VIP client of the Awakened kidnappers in the past.
Then, wouldn’t you already know how to enter the black market through natural flow?
“If it’s okay, I could get some help from Window Hunter… … .”
I came here with such expectations. I couldn’t think of anyone else who would know anything about the criminal world.
“It’s a black market.”
As expected, Kang Chang-ho seemed to know something about this topic.
“Kim Ki-ryeo, since you have a good relationship with the association, you shouldn’t have any problems using the market, right?”
“No problem.”
“But why are you interested in places like this?”
Hair that turns a bluish color, a common condition suffered by awakened people.
I continued the conversation while observing the moisture in the other person’s hair drying.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say because it’s such a trivial reason, but it’s actually half out of curiosity.”
The truth is that I’m looking for supplies to be used in a revised plan… … .
There’s no obligation to report every single thing like that. To be honest, I was genuinely curious about the black market.
“Curiosity? Not looking for a specific object?”
“yes.”
“Hmm.”
“Would it be difficult for this reason?”
I lied naturally and asked the landlord standing by the window.
“But if you can help me enter the market, I can repay you as best I can. For example… . I can appraise your items. Come to think of it, didn’t you say you needed a personal appraiser before?”
I don’t intend to eat it raw, and I’m just trying to give it the information it deserves, but this is over the top etiquette.
“…I never thought it would be such a request.”
Kang Chang-ho seemed to think for a moment after hearing what I said. But the silence did not last long.
“okay.”
He immediately gave a positive answer.
“I’ll connect you with a black market I know of. So you can get on their customer list.”
“oh.”
“Is this good enough?”
The S-class hunter finished the sentence while drying his hair with the dry towel he was holding.
Anyway, this isn’t a big deal, so I’ll just let you know as a courtesy between contractors.
But you shouldn’t expect too much either. It’s a small, low-level flea market…
“I’ve already gotten the emotional intelligence a long time ago. So, stop wasting your time and get out when you’re done.”
“Oh, yes yes.”
Kang Chang-ho was surprisingly generous.
He granted the request without receiving any compensation.
Anyway, except for the shortcoming that you never know what they’ll do depending on their mood, they’re really useful Earthlings.
‘Until I get my strength back, let’s just try to please this guy.’
I thanked the other person again and prepared to leave.
But at that time.
Kang Chang-ho suddenly came up to me, picked up a box of drinks that he had placed on one side, and said this.
“By the way, why did you bring all these gifts?”
Isn’t it a little late to express my feelings?
“It’s my first time receiving a gift from a fellow hunter.”
“Is that so?”
Sigh.
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The blue-haired S-class quickly raised the drink gift set to eye level.
“Let’s see, the weight of the sincerity that Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo brought… … .”
And then he looked at one side of the box and said quietly.
“13,000 won.”
I guess I should have taken off the price tag.
***
How does today’s black market operate?
There was a time when transactions through courier or postal mail were popular.
Items that come out of dungeons are usually large and have magical powers, so the old methods can no longer be used.
So the black marketers came up with another trick.
To be exact, in the direction of utilizing the new things that have appeared in this world.
“hello.”
I am now standing in front of a gate in Seoul.
And this gate is the identity of the black market that was introduced.
I heard that some big-time black marketeers take over these monster nests and use them as their own business premises.
‘After clearing out all the lower dungeons except for the boss, remodel the remaining space into a marketplace… … .’
Designating the gate as a point of contact for illicit trade had its own advantages.
You can also use the dungeon’s collapse feature when you complete the raid to quickly get rid of the evidence.
Above all, the fact that you can enjoy vast spaces in the nation’s capital without paying expensive land prices is very appealing from a capitalist perspective.
“Please show me your ID.”
At the entrance to the F-class dungeon located in a secluded place, a security guard wearing a suit was standing.
I handed her the invitation I had prepared.
Originally, to obtain this invitation, you had to go to a place called the ‘dark web’ and go through all sorts of trials…
“But are you really Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo?”
“… … .”
“Ah! Oh, of course I heard in advance that you were coming. But just in case… … . I’m sorry, but I’ll just check one last time whether the illusion skill is applied.”
It was relatively easy to become a member here thanks to a certain S-class Awakener.
The guard then puts a potion on my finger that impairs the maintenance of magic and rubs it on my cheek.
But nothing changed. She lowered her head hurriedly and said.
“Okay, it’s been confirmed! You can now enter.”
In the eyes of that guard, I would just be a S-class hunter who came to visit at Kang Chang-ho’s introduction. Of course, it would be natural for them to be scared.
‘If I had come with that guy, that guard would have passed out by now. It’s a good thing I asked him to let me shop quietly.’
I put the invitation the security guard had politely returned back into my pocket. But it seemed like the formalities weren’t finished yet.
Just before crossing the gate.
The guard thrust something in front of me.
“Oh, customer!”
“hmm?”
“We place the highest priority on our customers’ privacy. That’s why we require everyone to wear masks in the market so that their identities are not revealed.”
“aha.”
The identity of the object is a terrestrial product with a structure that covers the entire face.
‘If everything is blocked like this, can you even see ahead…?’
When I put on the mask I was given, surprisingly, there was no problem except that my vision only became slightly darker.
It looks like the egg embedded in the eye is something like a pair of sunglasses.
The long cloth attached to the back of the head completely covered the hair. At this point, it seemed like it would be hard to tell who it was if they didn’t open their mouths.
‘Of course, I was aiming for that too, and I even paid attention to my outfit.’
Sigh.
I looked down and checked my outfit for today. A black short-sleeved T-shirt and dark blue cotton pants.
Since I wore clothes that I don’t usually wear, like at the auction, I guess my identity won’t be revealed right away.
“Are you done?”
“yes yes!”
After completing the procedure, I stepped into the gate without hesitation.
“her.”
But the scenery you see is spectacular.
Bright day.
Signboards placed everywhere.
A young man actively soliciting customers.
And the various masked guests filling in between.
‘It’s beyond my imagination.’
This was truly the perfect environment for opening a market.
It was a dungeon structure with buildings made of mud walls, giving it an atmosphere similar to an old town, so if you just managed the monsters well, you could set up a shop with the buildings inside.
‘As I heard, it’s small in scale, but it’s still full of variety.’
I looked around the surrounding mud houses one by one.
Some places were selling weapons, while others were selling items from other categories, such as knightly oaths.
However, there is no particular excellence found in the black market.
Most of the items sold here are of the type that can be seen outside.
‘What the heck?’
Even their sales prices were unconscionably high.
Since this person’s main job is as a hunter, it seems like he doesn’t understand the current market price since he usually gets items easily from the market.
‘What are other people thinking when they pay this much?’
However, it was still a black market, and some stalls sold magic tools that the government had banned from distribution.
But the situation is that what is really needed is not visible.
‘Hmm.’
Do you not carry that here by any chance?
I moved away with a sense of disappointment. And I entered a small mud house on the outskirts… … .
“ah.”
Finally, a welcome sight.
Large letters written on thick cardboard as a sign.
[Blueshell – 0.5 per set]
The blue grain pictured here is the same fruit we’ve seen before.
‘You were here!’
Blue shell!
That’s right. The reason I took the risk and came to the black market is because of those fruits.
———————=
Preparation 3. A total of five techniques
The body’s magical power required for activation.
———————=
Lung exchange requires quite a bit of horsepower.
‘A fruit that explodes a person’s magical power… … .’
In fact, even now, a very small amount of Blue Shell is circulating in this body.
Alpha Urinians were so skilled at this technique that they were able to sustain a temporary state of awakening, similar to the effects of caffeine, for long periods of time.
But going forward… I had to increase my magical power to a level that was incomparable to the increase in my awakening value of around 10.
That’s why I was trying to buy an additional Blue Shell.
‘The problem is that, based on the results of the immediate calculations, it is only possible to meet the standard by overdosing to the point of death.’
Well, it’s better than having no choice, right?
I thought briefly and then approached the clerk at the counter.
“How many in a set?”
“Sold in units of 5.”
By the way, the 0.5 written on the sign is slang meaning five million won.
‘They charge such a high price for that… … .’
Grumbling.
I cursed inwardly and moved my arms diligently. I took out cash from the bag I had been holding.
“Give me 8 sets.”
“Thank you, sir!”
A bundle of 50,000 won bills that can be held tightly in one hand by an adult male.
When I hand over about four bundles of cash, the black market trader willingly gives me the goods he had been hiding.
Since blue shell is a material that goes into the item box, there was no need to wrap it in an envelope.
‘Okay. I bought what I needed, so now I’ll just look around the rest of the store and then I’ll leave… … .’
I moved the blue shell to the item box and turned around.
But at that time.
“Oh my, welcome, guest!”
Creak. With the sound of an old door slamming, a new guest entered this mud house.
A woman wearing a party mask with a drawn mustache.
The other person closed the door he had opened and took a quick look inside, and before I knew it, cold sweat began to run down my spine like crazy.
‘What’s wrong?’
Because I already knew the guest’s identity from the magic flowing from the other side.
‘Why is he here… …?’
Line by line.
I had a bad feeling. I tried to ignore the cold sweat running down my face from under my mask and quietly prepared to leave.
But it seems it’s already too late to run away.
“Teachers.”
Seconds later, the woman pulled out her weapon without warning.
“I will be performing official duties for a moment.”
What is going on?
Push!
What came out of the customer’s arms was none other than a gun. As she pulled the trigger, a silent shot was fired.
“Ugh… … !”
The bullet fired was not a metal bullet.
An orange substance that turns into gas when it touches a target. The merchant who was hit by it suddenly fell to the ground helplessly.
As soon as the customer confirms that the merchant is paralyzed, he turns his gun on the next target.
“wait for a sec!”
But I couldn’t break my index finger that was on the trigger.
“Don’t attack! I’ll take care of it.”
They probably won’t forget that voice in the meantime either.