Chapter 150
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Reality. Hunter Market
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I first listed the hemostatic potion and the temporary tent for sale.
Money wasn't an issue at all, but for some reason, I wanted to sell them at this Hunter Market that felt like a flea market nearby. I figured it'd pad my sales record and bump up my rank.
I roughly checked the market rates before listing them, and the hemostatic potion sold right away.
Probably because it wasn't all that expensive.
'Well, real-world hemostatic agents exist too...'
Hemostatic potions were going for between 5,000 and 10,000 won per bottle.
Honestly, since regular hemostatics work fine, it didn't seem all that necessary... but plenty of folks who hadn't tried the Tower trials were buying out of curiosity.
There were also rumors that some pharmaceutical company or domestic research team was snapping them up for experiments.
The temporary tent wasn't top-quality either, so honestly, it was selling at a premium just for being a "Tower trial item."
They were trading around 200,000 won, but if it weren't an item, it'd probably fetch about 100,000 won?
The hemostatic went smoothly, but haggling offers came in for the tent.
They wanted a discount, of course.
A whopping 20% off, down to 160,000 won.
I was a little annoyed, but since it wasn't about the money, I coolly agreed to the cut and closed the deal.
They said they'd come by our place soon.
And damn, they showed up quick—deal done and gone in seconds.
'Trading's easier than I thought. Time to list the soccer cleats... This soccer ball belt is total trash, so bundle it in as a freebie.'
In the old days, these cleats might've fetched a high price in the real world.
But think about the explosion of quasi-superhumans and superhumans after the Tower incident and the societal fallout—just imagine the state of pro sports leagues now.
Yeah.
All major leagues were temporarily suspended.
To put it bluntly, they were fucked. Royally screwed.
So don't expect soccer cleats to sell for big bucks.
The cleats from the Hard Mode 5th floor were even more useless than I'd imagined these days.
With Tower trial survivors and superhumans popping up like weeds worldwide, every pro league had gone on indefinite hiatus.
Back in the early days after the Towers appeared, a League One player from England's third division cleared Normal difficulty, became a superhuman, and in his Premier League debut—no less than a hyped Man United vs. Chelsea match—netted 35 goals. All in the first half...
Pro leagues were already utterly doomed.
For the record, that game couldn't even finish the first half.
The crowd watching turned into full-on hooligans and rioted.
And among them were quasi-superhumans and superhumans who'd survived Tower trials—total chaos, from what I heard.
Soccer, basketball, baseball, American football, tennis, badminton—you name it, all sports were fucked.
Even ones without big pro leagues, like swimming or track and field. Sports as a whole were just fucking dead.
They'd turned into no-fun matches where whoever had a superhuman won.
Or if there were multiple, the team with the stronger one(s) won.
So just watch superhuman leagues, right?
No fun. Superhumans move faster than normal humans can perceive.
A level 30 superhuman shrugs off regular bullets, remember?
These are people who dodge or block bullets—think the matches would look normal?
Would anyone even see their movements properly?
You'd need ultra-high-speed cameras and slo-mo frames just to catch it.
'Hmm, I could probably enjoy it. My perception's quasi-superhuman level now.'
I might be fine. But regular folks? No way.
'Even so, soccer balls or tennis rackets wouldn't hold up under normal use...'
Anyway, that's why sports tanked.
Every pro league worldwide announced suspensions while scrambling for solutions.
Should they allow superhumans? Up to level 10 quasi-superhumans?
What if superhumans or quasi-superhumans hide their Tower survival and compete?
Items... artifacts—how to handle them? How to detect hidden use?
The debates were endless.
No quick fix in sight.
Humanity needed time to adapt.
In this mess, something like cleats with murderous kick power? Useless.
If pro soccer leagues were still running, maybe they'd sell big... but they're all shut down.
And honestly, using items like that would violate the spirit of sports anyway—complaints for sure.
'Auction the cleats, maybe.'
Potions and tents had established market prices, making them easy to sell.
Famous potions could even be bulk-sold directly to the Hunter Market—no person-to-person needed.
Just verify with photos or video, ship to the listed address via courier like at the post office, and the money hits your account.
But the "Murder Soccer Cleats" were different.
Maybe because they were super rare in their own way.
Swords or shields were way more common.
Hell, I might be the first guy selling "soccer cleats" as an item...?
Listed it on the auction system, and it shot up to 7 million won quick.
I'd have been happy with 1 million, so this was better than expected.
'Oh...? Hitting off better than I thought?'
But after that, it ghosted at that price for 2-3 hours.
So I ended the auction early and let the 7-million bidder win it.
Got an app notification about the sale, and the buyer said they'd come to me.
I said sure and gave them a nearby cafe address by my place. We agreed to meet there.
Didn't take long for them to show.
"Whoa, these are really items? They just look like regular soccer cleats."
The guy who found me was a young dude.
Drove up in a domestically tuned import-wannabe ride... gave off a bit of a thuggish, carefree vibe.
"Go outside, put 'em on, and try. You'll feel the effect right away."
I skipped the chit-chat and told him to test them himself.
I'd experimented briefly before he arrived—the item effect was legit.
I gave him a bored rundown, and the young guy said okay, he'd give it a shot.
"Ah, yeah, of course. I even brought a soccer ball."
We headed out of the cafe to a nearby empty lot for the test.
The buyer boasted about his soccer days in high school, bounced the ball on his knee... then started kicking it around, experimenting.
Watching him, I could tell he felt the boosted kick power too.
Even a basic soccer kick sent the ball flying like it could kill someone.
After testing, the young guy was convinced and trusted me.
"Whoa! This is the real deal. What's the item name?"
"Name? Murder Soccer Cleats."
"Damn... this is awesome. Honestly, I was half-doubting when I came. Place is close, so I bid on the auction thinking it was some elementary school scam... Most items are medieval weapons, y'know? First time seeing cleats. But like you said, it's legit. Felt it myself."
"Of course. Why would I scam you?"
"I'll take 'em. Please sell."
"You came here to buy, didn't you?"
"Ah... yeah, scams are rampant. Haha."
He was a guy in his mid-20s, laughing awkwardly.
I glanced at him indifferently, then remembered the soccer ball belt in my hand and handed it over.
"Oh, here—soccer ball belt appears twice. Freebie. Take it."
"Nah, don't need that. But thanks anyway."
How useless does an item have to be for someone to turn down a free one...? This soccer ball belt...
'Trash it? Or there's a free giveaway feature. Maybe that.'
The guy took off the cleats, handed them back, and said he didn't bring cash—wait a sec.
Guess he really came light-hearted, half-expecting a scam.
He said he'd hit the ATM.
"ATM nearby?"
"See that convenience store right ahead? Bank next door with their own ATM."
"Oh yeah? Be right back. Or I can withdraw and hand it over—wanna do the deal inside the bank? CCTV everywhere, safer."
"Sure, whatever."
We strolled into the bank. He withdrew from the ATM and handed me the cash right there.
7 million won. Counted it—spot on. Smooth deal.
We pulled out the Hunter Market app, hit auction complete, and parted coolly.
Or so I thought.
Back home...
Lounging on the bed, browsing communities a bit, checking the app again...
Then, something pissed me off big time.
About 30 minutes after I closed the deal...
The cleats I'd just sold popped back up—for 8 million won.
"Ah, you fucking reseller bastard."