Shopping
Guild City was a place utterly obsessed with hierarchy and division.
At the top were the five great families, followed by the haughty nobles and rulers who governed the city from their exclusive domain—Uptown, a name that perfectly suited its status.
Then came Downtown, the heart of the city and the domain of the rising guild bourgeoisie who had surged to power through magitech engineering.
Finally, there was the Lower District slums, where Solomon lived—the literal bottom of the city. It had no other name.
And even the worthless scum living in those slums were obsessed with dividing their own world into upper, middle, and lower tiers, constantly measuring who stood above whom.
A city of relentless ascent, where everyone clawed desperately upward.
Solomon was no exception.
He too was making his way upward, cutting across the city. He crossed twisting, maze-like alleys and streets, climbing toward the boundary where the upper reaches of the Lower District met the edge of Downtown.
Before long, the salty scent of sea breeze faded, replaced by the sticky stench of machine oil.
As you follow the smell of oil up the narrow slope, the faint sound of hushed market chatter secretly taps at your ears. It seems you've arrived at the right place.
The black market at the border between the Lower District and Downtown.
A place where those with shady business—people who couldn't openly participate in Downtown's legitimate market economy—gathered like mayflies to enjoy the benefits of civilization.
Solomon stopped in front of an abandoned workshop. Its chimney was silent, and every pipe was covered in rust.
“Hoo… Polite words. Polite words…”
To prevent any potential disaster, he didn't enter right away. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, then opened the rusted iron door without hesitation.
The door, which creaked and refused to open smoothly, let out a grating metallic screech like a scream.
“Oh my goodness. Look who it is!”
The moment Solomon revealed himself, a voice rang out as if it had been waiting for him.
It was a blonde woman wearing a black leather jacket and worn military pants.
Whenever the pig brought you work and you carried it out, smuggler Maya and her secret black market always proved to be reliable allies.
Solomon called her name without any formality, as if he had known her from the beginning.
“Maya.”
“Welcome, Solomon.”
She acted the same way.
“I figured it was about time you showed up.”
“I picked up a pretty tough request from the sewer mage tower. Well… not exactly John, but close enough.”
“Well, it is about time you upgraded your gear. Mind if I take a look at that request?”
Solomon showed her the request form Roche had given him. It was a document containing information about the test subject. There was no harm in sharing information with an ally.
“Hmm. Yeah, this definitely won’t be easy.”
Maya nodded and asked carefully.
“How much do you have on hand right now?”
“Five million krona.”
“……That’s it?”
The fact that she asked if that was all made him wonder if she thought he had other hidden assets.
“Well, I know your situation. There aren’t many filial sons like you in this day and age.”
Filial Son
You have earned the title Filial Son.
‘……Filial son?’
Maya spoke as if it were nothing surprising. Solomon remained silent at the unexpected remark.
“Still, to be honest, that amount won’t be enough to properly equip yourself.”
Maya hesitated.
“Even between us, business is business, right?”
“……”
Even so, Solomon didn’t seem bothered.
“……That’s only if you succeed. What if you fail?”
Negotiation failed!
‘What a shitty thing to say.’
Solomon cursed inwardly as he continued the social interaction. Though reluctant, he kept the option of Intimidation on the table.
“Hmm, that’s true……”
A brief hesitation. Solomon didn’t miss the flicker of temptation that crossed Maya’s face in that instant.
“Well, it’s not completely unreasonable.”
Deception successful!
“Right, the Solomon I know. Go ahead and tell me what you need.”
Maya chuckled. Solomon kept his composure even as his heart sank.
‘Phew. Made it.’
That’s a relief. Even if the pig Roche is one thing, discussing butcher hooks in front of a lady is hardly pleasant…….
“……”
Solomon ignored the nonsense in his head and continued calmly.
“A durable automatic crossbow and its accessories. Corrosive bolts too.”
“You really do make outrageous demands every time you come.”
Maya laughed in disbelief at Solomon’s words, then shrugged.
“Wait here. I’ll bring the gear.”
After shrugging, she immediately headed toward a hidden underground passage.
Solomon watched her retreating figure in silence. Some time passed.
“Did you wait long?”
True to her name as a smuggler, Maya soon returned from the underground passage carrying a bundle like a peddler.
She then unfurled the bundle.
“A masterpiece from the Blade Forge workshop! The magitech automated crossbow—Nightfall XR-10.”
The first thing Maya showed from the bundle was the crossbow.
“It can fire single shots or up to ten rounds in rapid succession. And I’m not talking burst fire—this baby does full simultaneous volleys!”
Maya spoke proudly, as if it were her own creation.
“It’s easy to use too. Just slide the multi-fire selector next to the trigger.”
Nightfall XR-10. Just like its name, it emitted an eerie, dark purple sheen.
“Each cartridge holds ten bolts, and you can load up to three at once.”
“Hmm.”
“And the bolts you load into the cartridges can be customized with paralysis, poison, or whatever you want!”
“Not bad.”
He nodded as if he roughly understood.
“There’s just one flaw. Because of a structural defect, you have to manually eject and replace spent cartridges. It’s a bit of a hassle and takes longer than you’d expect……”
The continued drawbacks certainly seemed worth paying attention to. Maya continued without concern.
“But don’t be alarmed! This is exactly where the magic of the Quick Loader Belt shines!”
Maya set down the Nightfall XR-10 and pulled out something new. It was a belt covered in decorations.
“This Quick Loader Belt has a precisely tuned telekinetic spell engraved into it using magitech.”
Solomon kept nodding as if he knew what she was talking about.
“With a simple flick of the wrist—ta-da! All existing cartridges are ejected and new ones are swapped in the blink of an eye! Practically takes less than a second.”
“And if you replace them manually?”
“At best, five seconds.”
A four-second difference. In this line of work where lives were on the line, that was the difference between heaven and earth.
“Also, the Quick Loader Belt can hold an additional nine cartridges.”
With the Nightfall XR-10’s own capacity of three, plus nine from the belt, that meant a maximum of twelve cartridges. In other words, it could hold one hundred and twenty bolts.
A quantity truly worthy of the name “beehive maker.”
“Hehe, you know what? I actually could have made it so the cartridges eject automatically once they’re empty.”
“But you deliberately didn’t.”
“That’s right. So I could sell the Quick Loader Belt.”
‘Polite thoughts. Polite thoughts…….’
Solomon fell silent, dumbfounded. He desperately held back the curses rising in his throat.
“So, the Nightfall crossbow, the Quick Loader Belt, and twelve cartridges. How much is it all together?”
“Thirty million krona. Oh, and the twelve cartridges are on the house. Status-effect bolts are extra, though.”
“You goddamn thieves.”
Thirty million.
The moment he heard it, he couldn’t hold back the profanity.
Even with the five million he currently had, and even if he completed the sewer mage tower request for another twenty million, it still wasn’t nearly enough to cover the full amount on credit.
“Hehe, that’s just like you.”
Maya gave Solomon a bitter smile.
“What is?”
“That pointlessly sincere look of yours.”
“……”
“Well, I guess that’s why you stay a filial son even in this business.”
“……Yeah.”
Deception successful!
Not really understanding what she was saying, he just played along. Maya smiled and continued.
“Just so you know, I’ll be charging you properly later.”
She laughed as she said it. Solomon lowered his head awkwardly.
“……Thanks.”
He had only just bought one crossbow. With it, his current funds and even his future were now mortgaged. Consumables like status-effect arrows or poison vials were completely out of reach.
“This is everything I have on hand right now.”
Solomon handed over the briefcase containing his entire fortune.
“This covers the five hundred. I’ll pay the remaining fifteen hundred as soon as the job is done, and I’ll settle the rest without delay.”
“No need.”
Maya shook her head. Then she smiled and said,
“I only accept full payment upfront.”
“What?”
“So come back when you can pay it all off.”
Before Solomon could say anything in his confusion, Maya answered.
“We’re friends, aren’t we? You don’t think I’d refuse you that much, do you?”
Maya chuckled and shrugged. We’re friends. At those words, Solomon fell silent for a moment.
In this unfamiliar world where he knew nothing, the kindness someone showed him felt warmer than anything he had ever experienced in his life.
* * *
Before he could even savor the first warmth he had felt in this strange new world, the hunt began.
The entrance to the underground sewer in the Lower District of Guild City.
He realized it was the sewer entrance not because of the half-destroyed sign, but because of the smell. The stench of a sewer. The odor of rotting water and dirt flowing beneath the city, the mold growing everywhere, and the nauseating stench.
Beyond this sewer lay the target he had to eliminate.
An unfamiliar darkness swallowed the area like a solid mass. Everywhere was damp with moisture, mold bloomed, and it disrupted his senses.
The sound of flowing water, the squeaking of rats, and unidentified scraping noises.
Without even trying to hide, he gripped the Nightfall XR-10 automatic crossbow and placed his finger on the trigger.
With his other hand, he pre-gripped the concealed blade hidden in his sleeve.
‘The illegal biological experiment failed, and the test subject fled into the sewers.’
Solomon thought as he moved forward cautiously.
‘It must be consciously avoiding bright areas and hiding in damp, gloomy places. At least I won’t run into it near the entrance.’
Which meant, whether he liked it or not, he had to go find it.
‘I have no choice but to go deeper.’
After thinking that, he glanced behind him.
‘……Will I even be able to come back properly later?’
Although the documents Roche gave him included a map of the sewer layout, it wasn’t reliable enough to trust completely. There was a high chance he would lose his sense of direction while fighting the test subject.
Above all, it wasn’t uncommon for people to get lost in the sewers, wander around, and die from toxic gas asphyxiation.
‘Can’t be helped.’
He pulled out the concealed knife he had kept hidden in his sleeve and carved marks into the sewer wall.
He continued walking like that, carving new marks whenever he reached an intersection or fork in the path.
Around the marks he carved were countless similar scratches.
They looked less like knife marks and more like the desperate fingernail scratches of someone fighting for their life.
How long had he been walking like that?
The entire sewer area was covered in murky, dark water.
The water had pooled so deeply it reached past his waist. The floor was tangled with unidentified moss and aquatic or submerged plants that had somehow grown there. The stench grew even worse.
To make matters worse, just when he thought the water was getting shallower, he would suddenly step into a hole deep enough to submerge him up to his throat. It happened constantly.
Even while advancing and somehow managing to keep carving marks into the wall—
─ KIIIEEEEEEEEK!!
“!”
From far away, an ear-splitting shriek echoed.
A grotesque scream that was hard to believe came from any creature of this world.
‘Found it.’
The monster’s horrifying scream sounded to Solomon like the exit of an endless tunnel.