Chapter 42

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 42

Chapter Title: Black Market (2)

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I ignored Song Bi-yeon's greeting and scanned the surroundings again before speaking.

"It's too generous to call it a favor for selling me that artifact."

Song Bi-yeon responded with a seductive smile playing in her eyes.

"Not at all. It means I want to get that close to you."

"I'll take your word for it."

She probably knew I could craft artifacts.

If she could get a steady supply of them, she might see it as a win on her end.

"Have a seat, anyway."

I sat across from Song Bi-yeon, and the women behind her closed in on me like they'd been waiting for the signal.

Two sat on either side of me, while the other two pressed in from behind the sofa, close enough that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could feel their breath.

"Shall we start with some food? It's on me, so eat up. Booze is fine too, of course."

I nodded and poured myself a glass of liquor that looked expensive at a glance, then drank it down.

As I did, Song Bi-yeon's lips curved faintly upward into a subtle smile.

That's when Lee Seo-jun gave me a quick rundown on her.

'Black market auctions...'

Her skills and savvy aside, having her fetch exactly what I wanted from those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠auctions appealed to me.

'If I buddy up with Song Bi-yeon, I could claim every rare item in the auction house.'

Of course, I'd have to pay for them, but that wasn't an issue.

Lee Seo-jun added that without my involvement, she'd die in that attack.

But I could foil a terror plot like that without breaking a sweat, so I didn't sweat it.

"How's the taste?"

"Not bad."

Despite my answer, I glanced at the women flanking me.

They must have been trained for this—they didn't even flinch at my face.

Instead, they flashed bright smiles, pressing their chests against me or gently guiding my hands to their thighs.

Lee Seo-jun had to chime in at the sight.

"Glad it's to your liking. Oh, right—they say you're an amazing healer."

"Healer?"

I shot back at the word, and she nodded.

"Yes. They say you can heal any wound in seconds, even bring the dead back to life?"

"..."

The only one here who should know that was Kim Young-ho, sitting quietly in the back.

I'd figured Song Bi-yeon knew about the artifacts, but not my healing.

'Kim Young-ho. So that's how he scraped together 500 million.'

Lee Seo-jun reached the same conclusion I did.

The women on either side of me stared in shock.

Even if nothing else was true, bringing back the dead would stun anyone.

"I don't get why you're bringing that up. Hoping I'll revive someone for you?"

The woman to my left gasped sharply at my casual admission.

"Can you really do it?"

"If it's within five or six hours of death."

I could push it further, but it got messy with extra steps.

Unless it was something huge, five or six hours was the practical limit.

"Even five or six hours is incredible. No one in the world could revive the dead. Assuming it's true."

"You doubt it."

"Sorry. In my line of work, you hear all kinds of rumors. Most are bullshit. I don't buy anything without seeing it."

Her words said sorry, but her eyes were sizing me up like a con artist.

'Fair enough.'

I'd doubt anyone who claimed they could revive the dead too.

Doubt was natural, but the sudden healer talk soured my mood.

'Yeah, figures.'

Normally, she'd ask privately and cautiously. But here, with others around, she went straight for it.

She clearly didn't buy the resurrection story, but I brushed it off and said flatly,

"So? Should I kill you and bring you back?"

"Why dirty your hands? I've got it ready."

With that, Song Bi-yeon placed the box from beside her onto the table.

'She prepared it when Kim Young-ho called.'

And to test if my resurrection was real, I could guess what was inside.

Shuk—

She opened the box, revealing a beheaded rabbit.

'Huh.'

Too much to hope for a human head?

"It's only been dead an hour, so you should be able to revive it easily."

"Fine."

I set down my glass and reached out, reviving the dead rabbit.

'Complete Revival.'

Pababat!—

The skill took hold: the rabbit's head reattached perfectly, wounds vanishing.

Its body shuddered, then it stood and looked around.

"..."

"..."

It was an animal, but I'd brought it back from death.

Song Bi-yeon and the women just gaped in stunned silence.

"It's real. I'm impressed."

"Now that you've seen it, what's next?"

"How about we start by getting close?"

"You should've led with that before the healing talk."

I meant there might've been a chance if she'd just been eyeing my artifact crafting.

But now I'd shown healing and resurrection too, raising the bar.

"Still, I'll give you a shot. Show me something worth it."

"Anything but raising the dead, and I'll show you."

She sounded confident.

'No wonder she brought up healing. She's got that kind of guts.'

I nodded at her reply and decided to test her myself.

'Subspace.'

I tapped spatial power to open my subspace and pulled out potions from within.

"Potions?"

I took out six vials total, lining them up one by one.

"These five are Potions of Youth. Each one shaves off ten years. Won't go younger than twenty, though."

I explained the Potions of Youth first, then the last one.

"The other is an Elixir. Cures wounds, injuries, disabilities, curses—the works."

"..."

Song Bi-yeon stared blankly for a moment after hearing the descriptions.

I'd downplayed it, but both were impossible in this world.

"You want me to sell these?"

"Anyone can just sell stuff."

The flunky who couldn't sell a single artifact flashed in my mind, but I shoved him out.

Basing my standards on that loser was all wrong. I set my own bar.

"Get me three level-10 Skill Stones with these. If not, seven level-9s."

"Level-10 Skill Stones... That's no small ask. What if I bring level-9s?"

I had an answer for that too.

"Same deal. I'll just be a little disappointed."

"...If I can't deliver with items like these, it'd be on me."

She seemed to grasp their value.

Meet the right buyer, and these could fetch hundreds of billions. Easy money, in a way.

'But level-9 or 10 Skill Stones are rare even on the black market.'

To get them, she'd have to track down owners and negotiate directly.

"What if I take these and vanish?"

"Go ahead."

Sell just one or two, and she'd be set for life. Tempting, sure.

She knew it too, tossing out the vanishing line as a test. I told her to do whatever.

Six potions for Song Bi-yeon? Not a bad trade in my book.

"Didn't expect a test like this."

She caught on to my intent and smiled just like at the start.

I figured she wouldn't run with the potions, so I just tilted my glass again without a word.

"Skill Stones are all you need?"

"Rare artifacts work too."

"Skill Stones and artifacts. Got it."

She nodded calmly.

"More upright than I thought."

"Upright?"

"You can get anything in this black market."

Asking only for Skill Stones and artifacts amid all that? She took it as straight-laced.

Thinking I didn't know the market, she gave a rundown.

"Side-effect-free drugs. Live monsters. Even people."

They sold everything, alright.

"Why sell live monsters?"

"Taming or lab rats, usually."

Sounded like other shady uses too.

"People? The good-looking ones or those with Innate Abilities fetch top dollar. Interested?"

"Maybe."

If I had to say, yeah, I was.

If I trained them seriously, anyone could hit S-rank hero or beyond.

"Doubt there's anyone I want."

"But you're interested. Say the word, I'll show you around. Like one or two? Yours."

I eyed her, pondering the angle.

She picked up on it and shrugged it off.

"I said it already. I want to get close."