Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Meanwhile, at the Black Market… (2)
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Black Money's top floor. I had been invited to the exclusive layer reserved only for President Seo Ye-rin herself, and after hearing a proper explanation of the situation, I had to forcibly calm my pounding head once again.
'I really screwed up.'
The Black Market controlled more than half of Korea's underworld, with an S-Rank hunter as its president.
Even a place like that had to tread carefully around this item!!
But the real issue was what came next. A mistake was a mistake, but the problem was how to fix it moving forward.
"Should we retrieve the gold right now?"
"Rejected. You. Die."
"By now, word that someone has put a Pure Gold Ingot up for auction at Black Money has already spread. There are countless eyes and ears within Black Money itself. Pulling the item back would just shift the danger from us to you, Mr. Shin Juha. That's not something we'd recommend to our VIPs. Especially not to a VVIP candidate."
Right, good thinking. I had no desire to die from a single mistake right after regressing.
"For now, we've completely blocked all information about you, Mr. Shin Juha. Only the president knows the identity of VIPs anyway. We've also cleanly erased all traces of your first visit to Black Money."
"Thank you. So what do we do now?"
If retrieval wasn't possible, there wasn't much I could do. After all, I was just the mysterious powerhouse who had consigned the item to the auction house.
"Auction. Two days from now. Fully prepared."
"The auction's in two days?"
"To keep the other underworld groups and demons from interfering, we prepared quickly. At the same time, we've sent invitations to every S-Rank and higher hunter worldwide, as well as chaebol heirs and wealthy government officials from every country."
Only then did the lingering unease start to fade a bit.
"With guests like that, even the underworld or demons won't dare steal the auction items!"
"Exactly. Smart. My thoughts too."
"Well done!"
Satisfied with my praise, Seo Ye-rin nodded and rose from her seat.
"You. Safety. Priority. Hide. For now. Skip auction. Necessary."
"So, for safety's sake, I shouldn't show up or get involved in the auction?"
"Correct. But after. VVIP."
I nodded. Getting entangled in something this massive too soon wasn't wise. Bravado could get me killed or marked by demons and underworld figures.
'Plus, that massive misfortune of mine feels ominous.'
I had my own tasks anyway.
Clearing the Tutorial and conquering the hidden stage.
"Perfect. I was planning to spend about one or two weeks in the Abyss anyway. The Tutorial's sparsely populated, so it's safe."
"Good! But. More gold?"
"...Why?"
"Greed. Needs it."
"Ah! You want a few more to keep?"
"Correct. Money. In exchange. Legendary-SS. Skillbook."
Hearing the skillbook's rank, I nodded without hesitation. No downside for me. If anything, they were taking the bigger loss. Even if Pure Gold Ingots were unique and rare, a Legendary-grade skillbook was priceless.
It also cleared the debt I felt toward her, making it worth opening up a bit. She was showing me considerable favor, which suggested she rated me highly.
The auction was Black Money's job, but considering the risks and hassle, I could've just let it go. Yet she stepped up to handle it all, and a Legendary-grade skillbook from an S-Rank was tempting.
Worldwide, they'd appeared only a few dozen times, always fetching billions at auction.
And above all...
I glanced at the over 30,000 Pure Gold Ingots in my inventory and smirked inwardly.
In the real world, they were worth an insane fortune, but to me, they were in excess.
I immediately pulled out 10 Pure Gold Ingots from my inventory and handed them to her.
"Gasp! Enough. Thanks. Helpful."
"Of course it's helpful. I'm the grateful one. A Legendary-grade skillbook? Even S-Ranks and SS-Ranks need luck to get one!"
"High-rank dungeon. Got it. Don't use. For you."
"You could've sold it to other hunters. Thank you. I'll put it to good use."
"Me too. Research. Elixir. Magic dev. Great material!"
Crunch!
Seo Ye-rin crushed the candy in her mouth, jumped up with an excited face, carefully stored all the ingots in her subspace, and waved goodbye.
"Be safe."
"Ah, yes. I'll take just one thing before I go."
"Huh? What?"
"Need a Unique-grade holy item."
"...Hm. Auction now. Just take it."
Seo Ye-rin showed me favor to the end before leaving, and soon a cross necklace emitting bright light appeared before me.
"A gift from the president."
"This... I don't know how to thank you."
"No need. Compared to your value, Mr. Shin Juha, it's insufficient. And thinking about the commissions those Pure Gold Ingots will bring us, we're the ones profiting big. Just keep doing business with us from now on."
True enough. Given who they were, I'd been overly deferential.
I was now a major player at the Black Market, after all.
'But I've never stood before an S-Rank, so I can say that.'
That suffocating, overwhelming pressure made me naturally deferential.
'And it's no loss for me.'
Friendship with an S-Rank. Legendary-grade skillbook. Massive earnings from the special auction. And Black Market VVIP privileges!
"Rewards like this make a little risk acceptable."
Unlike how I'd entered full of worry, I left elated, slipping past people's eyes back home.
I wanted to rush home, unseal the wing, and learn this skillbook right away, but I suppressed my impulses and headed to my sister's hospital.
To see her face before being away for at least a week.
Even if she slept like the dead, checking on her eased my mind.
Entering the VIP room, I saw my sister in her patient gown, inside the life-support capsule.
"I'm back."
I kept talking despite no reply.
"A lot's happened, and I've gotten a second chance. This time, I'll definitely erase this damn curse on you and me."
Her inexplicable illness. And the Curse of Misfortune inflicted on me.
"So hang in there just a bit longer. I'll... I'll definitely fix this."
Honestly, in my previous life of hardship, I couldn't confidently say I'd never wanted to abandon her.
I'm human with emotions; living a lifetime of misfortune while caring for others' misery was maddening enough.
But I never abandoned her.
My only ally, my blood kin, the weight of our parents' dying wish gripping my heart. And the painful hypothesis that her illness might be my fault.
Those four forces dragged me up whenever I fell, forcing me onward.
I clenched my fist and checked my authority's status.
'Ownership's just over 8% now.'
Growth had matched my progress, and I could now withdraw nearly 20 items from inventory.
The F-Rank magic stone lock had lifted too. Though with my overflowing money, I had no intent to sell.
Can't risk mistakes like this time leading to trouble.
"Then bro's off to the Abyss. Hang tight. I'll get the power to cure you as fast as possible."
As I steeled myself and stood, the room door opened, and someone entered.
"Oh! The guardian's here."
She had beautiful golden straight hair down to her waist and introduced herself with a bright smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ki So-young, guild master of Miracle Guild and head healer of Miracle Hospital—a Rank 1 healer."
I bowed hastily at her introduction.
"Nice to meet you. I'm hunter Shin Juha."
"Hahaha! No need for such formality with me. I'm here as a Rank 1 healer for VIP treatment, not as Miracle Guild master. And you're the guardian of our hospital's VIP patient!"
"Still, how could I with an A-Rank hunter..."
"It's fine. Can we talk about the patient's condition? I was planning to call you for a consultation anyway."
I grew serious as Ki So-young did upon mentioning the patient.
"Is there a serious problem?!"
"No. Don't get worked up. It's actually good news."
My eyes lit up at her words, then widened in shock at what followed.
"Previous hospitals must've lacked the caliber to detect it. We were surprised too at first. Tests show Shin Yu-ah isn't cursed or ill."
"W-What? What do you mean? She's been out for years!"
"Hm... I don't know the exact reason, but no curses or diseases were found in her body. I checked personally! Instead, what we discovered is..."
I frowned involuntarily at Ki So-young's sudden pause.
"Haha! Now you look human. We suspect Shin Yu-ah's state comes from an overwhelmingly vast power she's innately possessed. In short, she awakened immense power her body couldn't handle, entering a hibernation-like state!"
"I-Is that really true?"
"Of course! I'm Ki So-young, A-Rank healer and candidate for next S-Rank, world's first Legendary supporter skill holder! I once rivaled England's Saintess! I gave up the saintess contest, but trust me."
Relief drained my strength, and I collapsed into the chair.
I'd thought it a curse or illness, helpless to act. But it was immense power?
I'd considered nectar but held back—good call.
Forcing it might've awakened even greater power, burdening her body more.
"Then... what do we do? How can she wake?"
"Simple. It's a status ailment. The proper treatment is a body strong enough to withstand the power... but we can't procure that much elixir. Right! A status-removal elixir like Elixir should work."
Regret and embarrassment flickered across Ki So-young's face briefly.
"Sorry. No other way."
Elixir wasn't a neighbor's dog. Only one ever traded worldwide, for astronomical sums.
And massive quantities? Similar costs, maybe not even enough.
In short, she'd pronounced it impossible.
But Ki So-young didn't know both methods were feasible if I grew stronger.
Her words weren't despairing—laughter bubbled up.
"Ha... hahaha!"
The crushing boulder on my heart shattered.
My deepest fear was one: my sweet sister suffering because of my misfortune.
Hearing it wrong, tears flowed.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
No more self-flagellation staring at her.
"Thanks? I just said it's impossible."
"No. It's possible. I'll make it so."
I stood abruptly, glanced at my sister, and turned.
"Please take care of my sister, doctor."
"Don't worry."
I left the hospital.