The Deal Begins
The deliveryman held up the Concentration Talisman, proudly displaying it to the Heukrangjo members. Though he appeared ordinary with a nimble build, his physical abilities were clearly superior to those of an average person, given his role as a deliveryman.
"As you all know, this isn't an ordinary item," the deliveryman said.
The Heukrangjo members stared at it with curiosity, carefully examining the talisman's appearance. The small talisman could be worn like a bracelet wrapped around the wrist, or hung on a string like a necklace.
But the merchant observing it gave the talisman a skeptical look and directed a question at the deliveryman.
"Are you sure it actually works?"
In the black market's system, the "merchant" was a high-ranking member of the criminal organization who personally oversaw the transaction. They were called merchants only to make the deal seem legitimate, but once a crime syndicate executive got involved, there was no chance of a fair trade.
"Ah, Cheol-woo hyung-nim, of course it does. Why would we scam our own people…?"
"These days, there are plenty of bastards whose guts have swollen so much they're bursting out of their bellies."
Cheol-woo wiped his mouth and slowly walked toward the deliveryman. Though his lean frame didn't show it clearly, the muscles in his forearms were substantial. Building muscle on the first floor, where everything ran on rations, was never easy. But those involved with criminal organizations got plenty of activity and supplemented their food through illegal means, which gave them massive builds and powerful physiques.
"The thing about equipment abilities is that you can't see them with the naked eye. Not unless it's something obvious like an artifact."
Equipment with abilities was extremely rare. Higher grades increased the chance of an ability forming, but even high-grade items didn't guarantee one. And even when abilities did appear, they were almost never obvious on the surface. They might increase the wearer's strength or concentration, or toughen the skin so blades wouldn't cut as easily. Defensive abilities were somewhat visible, but internal specs—like the thought acceleration of the Concentration Talisman—couldn't be detected just by looking.
That was why Cheol-woo couldn't trust the deliveryman's words.
"Can't argue with that," Cheol-woo said.
The deliveryman shrugged and immediately put on the Concentration Talisman. Then, to demonstrate, he pointed at one of the Heukrangjo members.
"Hey, throw it."
The Heukrangjo member held a large blade—a jungle knife about thirty centimeters long with a wide blade. The deliveryman was provoking him to throw it.
"What? Who the hell are you? I only listen to my hyung-nim."
"Tch, these crime syndicate bastards really have no flexibility."
The deliveryman sighed and turned to Cheol-woo, who had approached.
"You tell him to throw it. He won't listen to me anyway. Since you're the one questioning my credibility, I'll risk my life to prove it."
At his words, Cheol-woo raised his hand in a gesture. The Heukrangjo member hurled the jungle knife with all his strength.
Whoosh!
The deliveryman swiftly dodged, and the blade embedded itself in the wall.
"See? Dodged it just fine."
"Throw more."
At Cheol-woo's command, the members drew their weapons one by one. The deliveryman looked at him in alarm.
"Hey! Are you trying to kill me?"
"If it really has an ability, you'll live."
The moment Cheol-woo finished speaking, the members began hurling their weapons in a frenzy. Blades of all kinds slammed into the walls and clattered to the floor. The deliveryman barely escaped to safety, panting heavily.
"You crazy bastards…"
Dozens of throwing weapons and blades lay scattered across the floor. The deliveryman caught his breath and spat out curses. Cheol-woo looked satisfied.
"Looks like it does have an ability."
"Are you out of your damn mind?"
The Heukrangjo members flinched at the deliveryman's words, anger flashing across their faces, but Cheol-woo gestured for them to calm down.
"Pick up your weapons. We don't know when others might show up."
"Yes, hyung-nim!"
Having verified the talisman in a noisy but controlled manner, Cheol-woo crossed his arms and moved on to the main issue—the price of the talisman, the most important part of any deal.
"I like the talisman. So, how much?"
"Whew… Guess you finally like it."
The deliveryman frowned and placed the Concentration Talisman he'd been wearing on the table. Then he boldly named an exorbitant price.
"I'll need four months' worth of food. Water included, of course."
"Four months? Is this bastard completely insane, hyung-nim?"
The members erupted in outrage. Cheol-woo silenced them with a single glance and asked the deliveryman why he was demanding such a price.
"At best, this equipment is Rare grade. Why are you asking for Epic-grade prices?"
"Because it's worth that much. Think about it. It has an ability attached. Grade doesn't matter here."
The members looked incredulous. It was true that the Concentration Talisman had an ability, but it was only a Rare-grade ability. Equipment had inherent grades that affected the likelihood of abilities forming. The chance of a Rare-grade item having an ability was around five percent or lower. Having an ability was certainly difficult and made it a good item, but a Rare-grade ability wasn't necessarily that impressive. Even with the same ability, the difference in power between grades was enormous. An ability on a higher-grade item would naturally be far more powerful.
"If this Preservation Talisman were Epic grade, instead of three to four seconds of thought acceleration per second, it might give six to eight seconds."
"…So what?"
"It means you're demanding an absurdly high price, you brainless idiot."
Cheol-woo scowled and hurled insults at the deliveryman for trying to sell a Rare item at Epic prices. The deliveryman's face flushed red with rage.
"What did you call me?"
"Do you even know what kind of place the black market is? This is our territory from the start."
The deliveryman glanced around. The Heukrangjo members had picked up the weapons scattered on the floor and were glaring at him with menacing expressions.
"You should be more careful when haggling here."
"Damn it! I was being careful!"
"No, you're openly pissing me off."
Cheol-woo gestured again. The members charged forward, throwing their weapons. The deliveryman quickly moved, drawing the knife from his waist.
"You brain-dead bastards! You're messing with a deliveryman…"
"Survive first. Do you even know who we are?"
Heukrangjo specialized in contract killings. Though not on the level of the Janitors, their cleanup was extremely thorough.
"You're going to disappear today without a trace."
At his words, the deliveryman swung his knife wildly and shouted.
"Damn it! Isn't anyone here?"
Of course there wasn't. This was the black market run by a criminal organization, and this sector belonged to Heukrangjo.
"In your next life, don't be so greedy."
With Cheol-woo's words, the members rushed in all at once.
*
[Tower of Trials, 1st Floor, 071 District, Building Across from the Heukrangjo Transaction Site]
"Damn it!"
At the curse, Yeon Cheong leaned out and observed their actions. The situation was escalating rapidly—the deal was clearly falling apart. Having listened to the entire conversation with his back against the wall, Yeon Cheong watched the chaotic transaction site with interest.
The deliveryman was locked in fierce combat with the Heukrangjo members, occasional sprays of blood revealing the intensity of the fight.
'Heukrangjo wouldn't accept such ridiculous haggling quietly, and that deliveryman basically asked for death himself.'
Trying to sell Tower items to a criminal organization was already walking a tightrope. Get caught and the higher-ups would kill you. Mess up and the syndicate would kill you. Yet the temporary peace one deal could buy was sweet enough that corrupt deliverymen kept chasing the taste.
Still, the deliveryman title wasn't for nothing—he was holding out impressively against the overwhelming numbers.
'I was planning to strike when the guards arrived, but…'
The guards were taking longer than expected, so Yeon Cheong had no choice but to move quickly. It was night—the perfect time to maximize Yeongdeung. If the deliveryman kept holding out, Yeon Cheong could snatch the talisman amid the chaos.
'Let's go.'
Yeon Cheong moved swiftly. He dashed across to the opposite building and confirmed the sounds of battle—grunts and pained groans. Blood pooled across the floor inside, proof that the fierce fight was still raging. Yeon Cheong opened the door without a sound and observed the situation for a moment.
The Heukrangjo members and their leader were completely off guard, believing they were alone. The Concentration Talisman had been left carelessly on the table. The deliveryman, gasping for breath and unable to handle the blood flowing from his chest and arms, finally collapsed.
"Finish him."
At Cheol-woo's command, the members swarmed the deliveryman and began beating him. The sound of bones breaking under their stomps was vivid.
'This is my chance.'
Yeon Cheong concealed his presence and slipped behind Cheol-woo, aiming for the talisman. His hand closed around the Concentration Talisman, and he quickly wrapped the long string around his wrist.
'Now I just need to get out…'
Having secured his target, all he had to do was escape. But at that moment, a line of text appeared in Yeon Cheong's vision.
'…?'
Yeon Cheong froze in place. 'No way… Was it blocked until now?'
He turned around and pulled the Time Artifact from his robes. A faint light he hadn't seen before now gently enveloped it.
"Whoever's there, come out."
Cheol-woo spun around and shouted at Yeon Cheong. He had instantly detected the slight hesitation caused by the artifact activation message.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Yeon Cheong sighed, still gripping the artifact.
"Since I've been spotted, guess we'll go with Plan B."