Black Market Frenzy

Black market.

"Brother, I'm sorry, but treating the hand is impossible. It's simply... too late."

"Ah, is that so? Then please just take care of the rest."

"...I'm sorry."

"No, no need. It's not something you need to apologize for."

Before heading to the black market, I stopped by the temple and got my wounds treated right away. The bandages had only been emergency first aid, so to completely heal my body, the temple was essential.

The only problem is the price.

The temple had short waiting lines and overwhelmingly superior treatment speed and effectiveness, but the downside was that it cost a fortune. My heart ached so much when I had to slice pieces from the gold bars in my miniature subspace pouch. Even though I knew it was a fair price, it was still painful to part with the money.

If I had one regret, it was that they couldn't treat the hand that had become grotesque from the forced labor in the Ant Cave. The priest explained that because I'd continued working with the injury, the scar had become permanent and there was nothing they could do. The "proper time" they referred to would have been immediately after sustaining the wound.

As if that was ever possible.

Back then, as an orphan slave mining magic stones in the Ant Cave, treatment was one of those luxuries I couldn't even dream about. Since they said there was no possibility at all, I gave up and only had the injuries from the Woongbak treated before leaving the temple.

Now all that's left is the black market.

Ideally, I would have liked to consign the items to a formal auction house, but it would take too much time, making it impossible. I needed to buy the supplies required for the academy and commission some equipment within a week, so I couldn't afford to leisurely attend an auction. Even if I did, when it came to receiving the payment, I'd have no choice but to have it sent to the academy. And then the academy might question the source of the funds. It would definitely look suspicious for someone who appeared to be a commoner rather than a noble to receive tens of thousands of gold in one go. For these reasons, even if I earned less, the black market—where I could receive the money as a lump sum in cash—was the most practical option.

I need to hurry. It'll save time.

Since finishing my schedule even a little faster would give me more time to stably digest the inner core, I moved with haste.

Getting to the black market wasn't difficult, but finding out how to reach it had the feel of a typical secret location. It was just like finding the platform in that famous wizard movie.

"Found it."

On the surface, it was an alleyway that could be found in any neighborhood. The difference was that there were no traces of people, which felt unnaturally absent, and it was maintained with unnatural cleanliness. If not for the trash cans deliberately placed to block the way, it would seem well-kept.

The most important thing about the black market was being fully aware that it existed there. In other words, if you entered the back alley without any particular thought, nothing would happen. But if I enter while consciously thinking that I'm going into the black market now?

Srrrrrk.

With each step I took into the back alley, the surroundings slowly transformed, and the scenery began to change completely. Right before fully entering the black market, I covered my face with the mask I'd prepared in advance. There was nothing better than hiding one's face for maintaining a thorough concept.

A structure resembling a large tunnel, filled with flashy lighting that blocked any view of the sky. It reminded me of the Ant Cave, which left me with an uneasy feeling, but I tried to ignore it. If I were to compare it to something from Earth, it felt like a subway station dramatically converted into a market.

Time to get ready.

First, before selling the main items, I walked toward the center of the black market. Step, step, step. The people in the black market showed interest in this new face that wasn't a regular. Some faces seemed to wonder why a kid who looked so young would come in alone.

Regardless, as soon as I reached the center of the black market, I immediately shouted at the top of my lungs.

After I shouted, everyone in the black market who heard my voice stared at me. I didn't miss the moment and immediately spread out a mat in the center, firmly placing the Woongbak's head, along with the well-preserved testicles and heart. I displayed two claws, the leather cut exactly in half, and then waited for customers in a relaxed manner.

"Saying it again!!! Only selling today!!!!!!!! No preemptive bids!!!!!!! Absolutely no negotiations!!!!!!! Negotiation will result in deal refusal!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No other questions!!!!!! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I won't respond!!!!!!!!"

I was exercising the same skills I used when selling items in the free market in old computer games. If this were really a game, I would have filled the message window with @ mentions. This was the best I could do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the current situation.

The reason I altered my speech pattern even while wearing a mask was to make it impossible for anyone to identify me. It would be problematic if records of visiting the black market later interfered with my activities at Mirinae Academy. It was my own effort not to leave any traces, even using speech patterns that were trendy on Earth in the past.

"Woongbak? You caught that mountain guardian bear?"

"Look at that, it really is the real thing."

"What if it's fake?"

"Does that leather, those claws, and the head look fake to you?"

"Scams aren't exactly rare around here."

There were reasons why things were sold secretly. The most important thing in the black market wasn't buying and selling goods but avoiding being scammed. It was a place that required the ability to clearly distinguish genuine items from fakes, so customers were cautious. But that was only a matter of time, so it didn't matter.

Once the quick information brokers look into it, they'll realize it was truly caught.

If they approached out of curiosity about who caught it, they'd surely see blood, so there would be no future trouble. There wasn't a single person in history who had dug into the affairs behind the Princess of Mudanad and returned unscathed.

About ten minutes after I spread out the mat and began waiting for customers.

"Testicles! Sell me those testicles! How much do you want? I'll match your price as best I can. Sell them to me!"

"Hey, is that rumor about it being good for men really true?"

"If you don't know, scram! Only people who know should buy it. If you're not planning to buy because it's urgent, then get lost!"

"The leather isn't processed, so I trust you'll sell at a fair price! The claws! The claws too! They're untrimmed, right!"

"If you're going to be picky, I won't sell. Only serious buyers, please."

"Just now! Instead of that picky guy from before trying to buy the leather, sell it to me! I'll pay without asking any questions!"

"Who's cutting in line!"

"Cutting in line?! What do you mean cutting in line! First come, first served!"

The front of the mat was packed with countless customers, turning into complete chaos. The black market security forces saw this level of commotion as nothing more than the usual and didn't intervene. This was the prime moment to drive the price up to its maximum.

"First, I'll sell the testicles. Only one is for sale, and for the buyer, I'll specially provide a recipe that can maximize its virility effects. Since there seem to be many interested buyers, I'll start the auction right away. The starting price is..."

"Two thousand. I'll buy it for two thousand, so can we skip the auction? It's a waste of time. You said you prefer clean deals, so it shouldn't be bad for you either."

Before I could even announce the starting bid, a customer offered a price far beyond what I had imagined.

This guy's a real big shot?

Even if I sold it at a high price, I thought it would be around ten million, but he was calling double that amount without any change in expression. Thanks to his spirit and confidence, the noisy atmosphere around my mat suddenly fell silent. The people seemed to unconsciously realize that this man was no ordinary person.

"You must give it to me immediately, and I only accept cash."

"Understood."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pouch flew toward me with a sharp sound. It looked like it was thrown by the bodyguard standing next to the big shot, and it contained exactly the right amount. To hide my surprise, I casually handed the note from my pocket to the big shot.

Since I'd sold one, if I could just sell the rest quickly from now on, it would be a huge success.

"Selling the heart! This is an absolute cure for hair loss! Have you seen the Woongbak's fur? It's all because this heart is doing its job properly. Just like with the testicles, I'll provide a custom recipe!"

"Hair loss! I absolutely have to buy the hair loss cure! Sell it to me!"

"No way, you can just grow your hair long to cover it up. I've been wearing a wig for 16 years, so this is definitely mine!"

"Four thousand. I'll buy it for four thousand."

Just as it was about to get noisy again, the big shot once again poured cold water on the situation. He looked around a few times, and as soon as he confirmed no one was offering a higher price, he threw another pouch in the same manner.

By this point, the people around seemed to sense that something was off and began to slip away one by one. It was an instinctive reaction, knowing that getting entangled with a big shot rarely ended well.

"The leather and claws...?"

"I'll take all of that together for two thousand. Is that fine?"

"Ah, that's very good..."

I almost forgot my act and spoke normally. The biggest issue in this situation was that I couldn't figure out the identity of that big shot.

Who the hell is he?

Things that never happened even once while playing as Lee Seokhyun kept occurring. Normally, in this situation, selling at an appropriate price to get around three thousand would be correct. However, due to this unexpected variable, the total amount earned was eight thousand. It was money equivalent to the annual income of a low-ranking noble, earned all at once.

No matter how conservatively I estimate it, he's at least of royal level. Could it be a royal with a child at Mirinae Academy who came to the black market? That would explain the escort.

To get straight to the point, getting involved with him would very likely lead to a lot of trouble. The moment I handed over all the items to the big ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shot, I folded up the mat and quickly left the area. I had no idea what kind of trouble I might face if I got entangled with him.

Instead of that, it's better to focus all my efforts on digesting the inner core.

The Woongbak's inner core wasn't just for increasing the stamina stat—it also had a chance to grant a sub-skill, making it an extremely valuable item. The drawback was that consuming it early meant it would take a long time to digest and had a high chance of failure. But I wasn't in a position to be selective right now, so eating it immediately was the only correct choice.

"You, by any chance..."

"Well then, I'll be on my way."

I heard a voice calling me from behind, but I ignored it right away. It was the principle of a veteran gamer to never get involved in things I didn't know about.

"He's gone."

"Seems so."

The spot where Lee Seokhyun had left. The big shot was still standing there.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came wanting to see the face of the one who caught the Woongbak, but he had himself wrapped up tight."

"He seems quite clever."

Should we recruit him?

At the subsequent words, the big shot let out a low hum as if pondering for a moment, then spoke.

"Try. If he refuses, kill him."

"Yes."

The eyes of the conversing individuals momentarily darkened before returning to their original state. In a place unknown to Lee Seokhyun, the story was slowly moving forward.