Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Black Market Supplier
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I stepped out through the door of the public restroom near the temporary housing facility.
Thanks to a blunder by the Shop, I'd popped out of the women's restroom, which caused a bit of a stir, but at least no one realized I wasn't human.
"Hmm! Refreshing fine dust, vast sky that's a bit yellowish!"
It was the epitome of a post-apocalyptic wasteland vibe.
If someone like me suddenly dropped into this world, they'd probably stare at the landscape and ask, "This is Seoul?" I felt a twinge of regret.
"Still, it's nice to be outside!"
"Mister, keep it down. No, how can you be so bold after sneaking into the women's restroom?"
Of course, it'd be even better without the silver bracelet dangling from my arm—which some might see as a symbol of wealth—or the cop surveilling me.
"No, it was really just a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding or not, I get it. Just show me your ID first? If you're refusing, that means there's something shady going on."
"Ugh! I told you, I lost it during all the chaos!"
"How long ago was that temporary ID issued? And you're giving me that excuse!"
"You're really not buying it, huh?"
"Just wait a bit. The patrol car will be here soon, and we can sort it out at the station."
This is why I hate inflexible types.
Like I said back when I smashed that printer, why the hell should I follow the law anyway?
Ever seen a tale that follows the rules?
"Sigh."
Still, I should bolt before the patrol car shows up.
Time to use a time-honored method.
"Hey! UFO in the sky!"
"What?"
In that instant, a tentacle shot out at supersonic speed and snapped the handcuffs in half.
Then my legs moved at just subsonic speed.
Don't think the cop was an idiot.
In this world, UFOs really could show up.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
After neatly shaking off the cop, I blended into a crowded street teeming with people.
I touched my unusually bare face while eyeing the weary civilians around me.
"Feels weird without the mask."
I hadn't ventured out of the Shop much to begin with, and coming to the city without one was a first.
It felt like strolling through a crowd in just my underwear.
Most surveillance cameras were gone anyway, so rather than drawing suspicion with a mask, blending in naturally seemed smarter.
And yeah, it was the right call.
If I'd worn the mask, the cops would've been twice as suspicious.
"Now what?"
Personally, I had zero interest in meddling with the story.
Every time I'd poked my nose in before, it'd spawned events that never should've happened or turned minor incidents into massive disasters, deepening my aversion.
Things had mostly stabilized now, so I'd planned to just occasionally stock new items and rake in the cash.
"But even so, you've gotta uphold business ethics."
Monopolies and oligopolies have been "legal" plays for big corps since forever. Even if the pie looks tempting, the decent thing is to find another hustle out of respect for the original owner.
Especially after seeing them distribute goods to countless shady dealers—the scale was insane.
This was the plight of the little guy getting crushed by corporate tyranny!
"Those non-human bastards!"
Normally, small merchants like me would just twiddle their thumbs waiting for the courts, but as I said, I'm far from law-abiding.
In other words, the scales and law books in the goddess of justice's hands became weapons to smash their skulls.
The Tale Management Bureau hadn't cut ties with me yet, but seeing my face turn blue with anxiety and weird things wriggling in my shadow made their sacrifice seem essential to easing this dread.
"Guess I should duck into an alley first."
The alleys, crumbled and labyrinthine from collapse, weren't ideal for searching.
Even I had been wandering for an hour now.
"There's really a black market here?"
Just as reasonable doubt started creeping in, a lively voice that didn't fit the vibe leaked through a gap in the wall.
"Hehe. No way we'd get caught here! Huh? That place? That's the one where you set up shop right out in the open. Right?"
"Yeah... true."
I had no idea what that merchant was basing his confidence on, but since even I—with no detection skills—had found this spot, they were done for.
Looked like I'd found the black market.
Probably had to use one of those to get in.
I slipped on one of the white masks lined up by the door and couldn't help but be surprised.
"This mask..."
It's incredibly light.
Way better quality than the Shop's—good enough to make ours look trashy—and zero discomfort.
"Gotta snag one as a souvenir."
This so-called black market had clearly invested in security, with burly bruisers stationed here and there watching the customers.
For a normie, tangling with those goons would be like begging to get buried today.
But for me? Not even a threat.
To borrow a crude term, they're just fodder.
No worries then.
"Hey, buddy! Wanna buy somethin'?"
One merchant spotted me and beckoned.
Laid out in front of him were junk items even a Momentary Dream seller like me wouldn't touch.
Stuff where side effects outweighed benefits and performance tanked? Not my problem.
But Momentary Dream?
Only I can make it, and only I can sell it.
Which means these guys are just lowly resellers, not real merchants.
"Those pride-less lowlifes!"
A voice seemed to echo from my shadow.
If I spiced it up with my bias...
'Kill 'em, Master?'
Hold off.
I need to nab their boss.
Advertising my presence here wouldn't be smart.
I ignored the merchant who'd called me and scanned for the one who seemed deepest in the game.
The guy dancing to draw customers? Nah.
The one hawking 30% discounts? No.
The one half-reclined like everything's a hassle, yet customers keep coming.
Yeah, that's the one.
I approached with the tense look of an average customer.
"What are you looking for?"
Not the shrill bark of other merchants, but a smooth voice that inspired trust.
"Um..."
"Yes."
"This..."
I pulled out a chunk of Infinite Pig's Flesh I'd grabbed from the Shop.
"Hieeek! Kwon..."
The suave voice vanished, replaced by a yokel whimper like the others.
His hand trembled, pupils dilated, eyes darting between me and the flesh.
This guy knows the value.
Sure, my Shop sells it for two fingers, but how would he know? And what could he do?
This is why you protect the monopoly.
"Mind if I ask one question? Answer right, and it's yours."
"Uh? Y-yeah... sure. Of course."
"Who's supplying these items?"
"Aw, that's kinda hard to say..."
The Infinite Pig's Flesh slowly retreated into my pocket.
"No! I'll tell ya. Don't know the guy personally, but I know where to meet him."
It peeked out again, nice and slow.
"Head that way! There's a burger joint with just the first floor left—go to the warehouse!"
The flesh plopped onto his palm.
"Kkyat-hou!"
Alright, time to head out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Dust caked the sign so thick you could barely tell it was a burger joint. A middle-aged man pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Ah! Mr. Kwon Jeong-seok, long time no see. Sorry your spot got found out."
A suit-clad man in a fedora stood ramrod straight in the warehouse.
"Yeah. Must be a real tragedy for you. Tsk, my mistake for trusting you."
"You came back anyway. What can I get you this time?"
Jeong-seok sighed and flung open one of the crates stacked behind the suit guy.
"Gimme this one, whole crate."
"Got it. Normally ten grand, but loyal customer discount—nine thousand."
The man pocketed the cash without counting, like money was an afterthought from the start.
"Can't wrap my head around it. Why the hell are you dumping all this stuff?"
"Haha. Everything's got its reasons."
The suit guy glanced at Jeong-seok's hand and spoke up.
"By the way, what happened to those fingers?"
"Eh, accidents happen. Everything's got its reasons."
"Ha! Good one."
As Jeong-seok grabbed the crate and headed out, a familiar face entered his view.
"That merchant from before..."
Jeong-seok's face went pale, but the oblivious suit guy greeted the new customer as usual.
"First time? Don't know who sent you, but that doesn't matter."
"Right—"
"So, what item are you after?"
"You..."
"Ah, 'tanuki mask,' right? Plenty in stock."
"No, you."
"Yes?"
"You, you bastard."