What Happens If You Send S-Rank and A-Rank Summons to the Black Market? (1)
Her offer was kind, but I was an EX-rank ability user.
I had no intention of joining any organization. I was going to build a force of my own.
So I told her I'd think it over more carefully, which was, for all practical purposes, a refusal.
After talking a little more about the past with the disappointed woman, lunchtime rolled around before I knew it.
Once I confirmed she had completely left, I summoned my two summons. It was mealtime, and I wanted to treat them as a reward for their work. Going outside would only invite suspicion, so I planned to settle for delivery again today.
"Master! You've already seduced another female!"
"Ahh… ahhh…"
The instant she appeared, Luna bristled, wolf ears and tail standing straight up in indignation. Iris, though, looked off. She trembled all over and gazed up at me with a pitiful expression.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"When more women join… the neglect play just keeps going… and that actually makes me happy…♡"
"……"
Iris wasn't just a little strange—she looked genuinely unhinged. I was going to have to run a thorough checkup later, or force some holy water down her throat. Just in case, I pulled up her status window, but aside from a slight shift from normal into excited, nothing was wrong with her.
Anyway, they'd come back from work, so I bought them lunch and ordered them to rest. While the two of them ate and took it easy, I checked the rewards I'd brought back this time.
A considerable haul of gold and jewels packed the space, mixed in with silver ingots for good measure. On top of that came several miscellaneous items. I'd hoped for something special out of an unconquered dungeon, but this time the results leaned more toward quantity than quality.
No, wait. The bottom line is that I get to monopolize all of this, right? When you look at it that way, this is an enormous amount.
That was true. Dungeon raids were almost always run by parties—minimum six people—and of course the spoils were split six ways.
With this much, I could live comfortably without working for about three years.
It was the fruit of conquering two difficult dungeons back to back. With this money I'd create a summon to serve as my proxy. And I'd also need a beast-human summon who could boost Luna's abilities.
Once I had five summons, I could apply for a guild. Naturally I wouldn't fill it with people—I'd stock it with summons who would never betray me and would follow my every word.
"Master. I'm resting, so I'm bored. What are we doing next!"
Having stuffed herself at lunch, Luna wandered around after her shower with her tail swaying. Unable to endure the boredom any longer, she asked me.
"You just conquered a dungeon. Aren't you tired?"
"Awooo! After eating the food Master gave me, I'm overflowing with energy. I slept plenty last night!"
"Then how about scouting the area for any suspicious people?"
"Got it, Master. If there are any, should I take them out?"
The moment I gave her something to do, Luna lit up with motivation. Having an S-rank who listened this well… what a stroke of luck, and what a reliable ally.
"No. Just check whether anyone's there and come back. Absolutely do not lay a hand on anyone."
"Understood. Leave the stealth recon to me."
With that, Luna vanished in an instant. And this time Iris, who had been rolling around on the bed, locked eyes with me.
"Heeh~ So you've finally looked this way, Guide. I've been waiting."
The smile she wore in her calmer state was quite something. Looking at her like that, she was the very image of a goddess—blonde hair, blue eyes and all.
"You ate well earlier. Was anything not to your taste, or uncomfortable?"
"Fufu… The meal the Guide personally chose for me. I ate well."
The menu had been Chinese food with jjajangmyeon as the main dish. Both summons had said anything was fine for lunch, so I'd ordered something good for when you were worn out. I'd enjoyed it myself, and so had they.
Being the youngest son of a conglomerate chairman didn't mean I only ever ate lavish meals—and having eaten every kind of food with my old guildmates, I had no hang-ups about this sort of thing.
Anyway, she just kept looking at me with that utterly beautiful smile, as if waiting for me to say the next thing.
"So… what kind of pain did you experience in the dungeon? I heard it digs into a different pain and trauma for each person."
I spoke gently, the way I used to counsel guild members. She scratched her head, looking embarrassed.
"The Guide looking at me like I was a bug… long stretches of neglect play… I liked it so much I couldn't stop…"
"……"
They said it made you vividly experience the thing you hated most of all. But seeing her act shy and admit she'd liked it…
She's definitely a tank. And one with an incredible masochistic streak who even enjoys mental attacks!
So was that a bad thing? No. I had no idea what kind of dungeons would show up going forward, and if she could enjoy pain like that, it would be a huge help for clearing them.
"Neglect is pain for you? And that makes you happy? Well… I tend to be understanding of people's tastes and tendencies. But still, don't enjoy it too much."
Iris made a face as if to ask why she shouldn't.
"Even if it looks like you're enjoying it on the surface, you never know. Something could go wrong with your body at any time. That worries me."
"Guide… are you worrying about my body?"
"Of course. We're going to be together for a long time!"
At those words Iris flinched in surprise, then shuddered all over. Her breathing suddenly grew rough, and she looked at me with a meaningful smile.
"What's wrong?"
"Guide. Just now, I thought of names for a son and a daughter."
"What?"
"One son, one daughter—and I even thought about grandchildren!"
"……"
Iris was suddenly flooring the accelerator. Wasn't this the kind of fantasy men usually had first? Flustered, I unconsciously gave her a light smack on the head.
"Ow! Ah… the Guide hit me for the first time… You really do prefer the hitting side, Guide… I like it more… Hit me more…!"
"That's not it! Get a grip!"
After spending time like that and finishing dinner as well—
"Master. There are no humans watching outside!"
Only after Luna's final confirmation did I step outside. The Hunter Association people who had been monitoring us had withdrawn. It was proof that the woman I had a connection with didn't suspect me. Of course I wouldn't let my guard down entirely, but for now we'd cleared one hurdle.
"Ahh… Guide. Could it be that you're taking us for a night walk… Haah… I'm ready…"
"W-woooong! I want to do it too!"
To everyone else's eyes, the two women would look like ordinary people. But the moment we left the house at night, Iris started panting as her mind went somewhere weird. Luna joined in, her tail wagging furiously with expectant eyes.
Luna. Don't tell me you think Iris's weird tastes are the right ones?
"No. We're not doing anything like that. Right now I'm taking you to the underground market—that is, the Black Market—and you just need to escort me."
"I see. It's a shame, but if it's protecting Master, I'm always happy to!"
"Hmm… If I achieve great merit later, you absolutely have to give me a reward… Guide."
Summons were going to keep increasing. If all of them started wanting night walks on a leash, crawling on all fours… Thinking about this new problem made my head hurt. Hoping it wouldn't come to that, I was about to leave the house with the somehow genuinely disappointed summons behind me.
"Guide. I've been thinking, and wouldn't it be better if you just stayed home?"
But Iris, serious once more, blocked my path.
"Even though the Guide can receive protection from me and the wolf, we don't know what could happen in a dangerous place. Wouldn't it be better for me and the wolf to go this time as well?"
"This woman's right. My suspicions about that woman still haven't been cleared."
The road to the Black Market was treacherous. Honestly, even as an EX-rank, given the nature of my ability I needed to stay somewhere safe.
"If you tell us how to get to the Black Market, we'll go. The wolf can handle transporting the goods, right?"
"Kyahaang! I'm stronger than you. And I'm your senior. Show some respect!"
"Oh my~ Do we really need to fuss over things like that? Aren't we all the Guide's slaves? Fufu…"
"Awoong… awooong… Well, that's true."
Slaves? And she just accepted that? Though there was a rank difference between them, Iris had surpassed Luna in verbal sparring and situational judgment.
Anyway, Iris had a point. In my impatience—wanting to grow faster—I'd planned to go to the Black Market myself to pick out items. But I still needed to act more carefully. This was the right call.
"Alright. Then I'll write down the way there, the things to buy, and what you need to do. Can you handle it?"
"Of course, Master! I conquered a dungeon all by myself!"
"I'm smarter than the wolf, after all~ Ufufu~"
"Kgh…!"
Luna looked like she had something to say but held it in. Something must have happened while they were clearing the dungeon together. Anyway, I decided to entrust this job to the two of them.
After the two left for the Black Market, the studio apartment fell quiet again. Honestly, I wasn't worried. An S-rank and an A-rank—and summons with a decent degree of intelligence at that. To other people, their outward appearance was no different from ordinary humans. Between the two of them, they'd handle things just fine and come back.
Ah! I wonder if the figures I made are doing okay?
When I moved into the studio apartment, I'd temporarily entrusted my figures to a storage company. Once I made money again and got a bigger place, I'd rebuild the display cases then.
If those two sold the gold, silver, and jewels, I'd have more than enough to move. I needed to increase my summons anyway, so a larger home was necessary. And once I had a summon to serve as my proxy, an office would be nice too.
Once you have ability, money follows. Once you have money, you start thinking about the future. In this world, ability really is everything!
I wasn't going to care about being Cheonwoo's youngest son or whatever anymore. Disowned? Fine. I was going to live my own way now. I'd grow in secret for the time being, but someday I'd stand at the top and look down on everyone. Just imagining that made me more excited for no reason.
Curious about people's reactions, I opened the Hunter Gallery and the translucent community only visible through the status window at the same time. Speculation about the EX-rank ability user still hadn't stopped.
Posts analyzing my personality and behavior based on interpreting the words I'd posted were sitting at the top. My sister? No—that bitch's failed dungeon conquest had tanked Cheonwoo Guild's prestige. I also confirmed there was plenty of talk about guild reorganization.
I was thinking about posting on the Hunter Gallery with a temporary nickname, hiding my rank and identity. Nothing beat gallery browsing when you were resting. But then—
Ding!
Of all times, something had to happen right when I'd sent my two summons?
"Oh? I don't know what kind of dungeon it is, but they'll make a splash and come back again, right?"
Expectation rose in me before worry did.