#23 A Day in Beltsmets (3)
Before heading to the Black Market, I called Geum Doctor. I needed a lot of artifacts.
"I've got a favor to ask."
"Yeah."
The voice coming through the receiver sounded off—way more suspicious than usual. Was he getting cold feet about doing me favors?
I was just about to ask when—
"By any chance..."
He blurted it out and hung up in a rush.
—What a terrible liar this guy is.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Did he decide it'd be better to keep his distance from us? Cutting me off like that without any manners?
This is why capitalist pigs are the worst. They pretend to be good guys, then flip the switch in an instant.
The red blood in my veins started boiling again.
—Isn't blood supposed to be red anyway?
'Not that—ugh, whatever.'
—Hey! Don't brush me off—explain!
I ignored Ray.
It didn't really matter if Geum Doctor bailed. I was a little bummed about not being able to upgrade the mask, but as long as I had the prototype, I could rip out the artifact circuits and improvise something.
"Guess I can't save on cash after all."
No Geum Doctor meant dipping into my own funds.
I headed to the Black Market with Han Seohyun. I left Kim Jaeho at home—he had trauma from the place.
Han Seohyun arrived at the Black Market and scanned everywhere with wide-eyed excitement.
"This is the Black Market..."
He looked like a total newbie, obvious to anyone watching.
I pressed down firmly on the baseball cap covering his head.
"Act that green, and someone'll snatch you up."
"Eek!"
Finally realizing his mistake, Han Seohyun blushed and clamped his mouth shut. I'd already exchanged all our cash for tokens, so we started walking together.
"What are we buying today?"
"First, new IDs for you two, and some artifacts good for sharing. But the priority is a monster corpse you can handle."
Until now, Han Seohyun could only command tiny monsters and a single skeleton.
He'd said his mana had grown lately, enough to contract one more, but we didn't have a suitable undead-ready corpse.
Today, I planned to buy a monster body here. His eyes went wide in surprise.
"M-monster corpse? Aren't those crazy expensive?"
Of course intact ones were pricey. But...
"The cash from that last job was 1 billion won."
"Whoa!"
"I can afford your monster. Don't worry."
The commission from Baek Dosan had been generous.
Making a gang on the brink of annihilation whole again? 1 billion was probably on the cheap side. For the battered Silver Moon Society, scraping that together must've been tough. I took the money gratefully.
"We've got plenty. And technically, you have a share in it too."
Saying that, I headed to the spot Geum Doctor had recommended.
This area was as gloomy as ever. People hurried by without a word of chit-chat.
Han Seohyun's shoulders trembled as he picked up on the tense vibe.
The booth belonging to Geum Doctor's recommended artisan caught my eye. The guy had what looked like five piercings in his eyebrow—unique look.
"I want to upgrade this mask."
He took my mask and asked,
"How do you want it upgraded?"
"Reduce the bulk and weight if possible. And make this part blend more naturally."
The current mask was bulky. With all its functions, it was heavy and thick for a mask.
Plus, the seam between face and neck felt awkward—I always had to cover it.
Eliminating those flaws was my goal.
"Hm, slimming the volume is doable, but to fix that seam, it'd be better to make a new one."
"Can you do it?"
"Hm, I don't have the confidence to match this quality."
Hm, maybe I'd have to DIY it. As I pondered, the guy pulled out a material and handed it over.
It looked soft, flexible, skin-like—probably the new material he mentioned.
"It's Form Shifter hide. Cover the mask's jaw with this, and it'll mimic skin perfectly. Or make the whole mask from it."
Yeah, a mask from this would cling to my face seamlessly.
"I'll take all you have."
I bought the needed materials, paid, and left.
Next stop: simple weapons. I'd been using a plain dagger. Fine for normals, but an artifact-grade one would be better.
And it was time for Kim Jaeho to get a real weapon too.
This weapon shop stood out from the usual junk dealers.
The owner was a big guy with a facial scar—didn't look like a pushover. Stubborn vibe. Black Market artisans all had that edge.
He noticed me eyeing the booth but said nothing.
I drew my dagger from my waist and showed him.
"Looking for something like this."
About 50cm, double-edged. He eyed the size and asked,
"Functions?"
"Just needs to be durable."
"No weight reduction?"
"Nah."
I preferred heavy ones. Easier to handle as meteor weights with wires.
"Oh, and a ring at the hilt for attaching wire."
"Can add a ring, sure."
He bent down, pulled a sword from a lower box.
"A bit longer, but width's similar."
I took it and swung lightly in the air. Length difference was about 5cm. Slightly longer, but fine.
"This'll do."
"Ring goes on right away."
"Also, five 30cm daggers and a meter-long longsword."
He squinted.
"Why not say so at once?"
"If this didn't work, I'd go elsewhere."
He chuckled dryly and nodded.
"Wait a sec. I'll check stock inside. Same—no functions?"
"Yeah."
The daggers and longsword were for Kim Jaeho. Throwables for emergencies, sword as main.
Time he learned swordsmanship. I'd taught basic combat; now onto blades.
He returned with the swords.
"Prices?"
"Three thousand for the one you're holding. Five hundred each small dagger. Two thousand longsword. Total seven thousand five hundred. Ring included—wait."
No fancy functions, but still pricey. The metal wasn't ordinary.
Regular steel couldn't pierce monster hide. This was special alloy from unique forging.
Essential for hunting. Cheaper from fences, but new for a gift? Better.
How long did we wait? He handed back the dagger.
"No service? Not even a discount."
He looked exasperated, tossed in a dagger sheath as a gift. I grinned and handed over the tokens.
Han Seohyun asked,
"Swords are pricier than I thought."
"That's cheap."
I continued,
"Add even minor magic, and prices skyrocket. Even from that fence ahead, it'd be over five thousand."
My current dagger? Around 30 million won. Not skimping on Jaeho.
"Gear's expensive."
"Gate hauls make it worth it."
No wonder hunters struck rich. Gate stuff sold for fortunes.
Some even welcomed gates in their turf.
—Even if those gates are invaders come to wreck your world.
'These folks don't know that.'
Before the apocalypse kicked off, Korea managed gates decently.
Blissfully unaware it was all a trap, people enjoyed unprecedented peace and growth.
Monster corpse sales were in another section. Too bulky for standard booths.
Heading there, the musky monster stench hit. First up: a butcher shop slicing corpses.
Koreans shoving anything virility-boosting in their mouths? Plenty bought for food.
—Does it actually work?
'Nah. Seen it cause impotence from poison instead.'
We needed whole bodies, not chops. Passed the butcher.
Soon, a clean Bloodhound corpse caught my eye, displayed whole on the booth.
Bloodhounds resembled German Shepherds—police dog staples—except twice the size. Tough hide, sharp teeth, relentless stamina.
Even revived with black magic, they kept original traits. Solid pick.
"How's that one?"
No need for an answer.
Han Seohyun's eyes sparkled at the Bloodhound. Silent approval given, I stepped in for a closer look.
Appearances deceived—could be gutted inside. But up close, perfect condition.
"One clean slice."
Heart stab, instant death. Rare for zero damage on a monster corpse.
Owner approached as I inspected.
"Impressive, right?"
"Definitely solid."
I nodded honestly. No point nitpicking a gem like this.
"How much?"
"400 million."
"Gasp."
Han Seohyun choked beside me.