Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Entering the Black Market
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I found the address and arrived at what looked like a reasonably clean villa.
Beep beep.
Does the body have a memory of its own?
I naturally unlocked and entered the door lock of a house I'd never seen before.
Even after opening it myself, I felt a bit dazed.
The house I'd stepped into in this world was, well... completely empty.
Fridge, computer, bed.
There was hardly any other appliances or furniture.
No common microwave, dining table, or even a fan.
That sparked a question in my mind.
"Why on earth did I rent a place like this?"
The house wasn't far from the bustling downtown area.
So, no matter the details, this room couldn't have been cheap.
When money was already tight, why choose a spot like this?
Pushing the question aside, I sat down at the computer first.
During the last quest, I'd gotten a ton of info from the computer, so I figured this one would yield plenty too.
And my hunch was spot on.
'Hero Gallery'
It was the only bookmarked site on this computer.
True to its name, the site was packed with news on every hero and villain.
There was tons of info, but it was mixed with rumors and bad intel, so you had to sift through it yourself.
I started by searching for that female hero.
The search was simple enough.
Red hair, bottomless.
That alone brought up a flood of details on the site.
"Choi Ga-eun."
She seemed pretty famous on Hero Gallery too.
The reasons were obvious: her eye-catching red hair, striking looks, and that shameless bottomless fashion sense.
I wondered why she stuck to that style, but it turned out her ability was body enhancement—especially massive leg strength and kicking power.
Regular bottoms would shred in no time, so she went light and minimal instead.
It was a bold choice only she could make, ignoring stares and prioritizing efficiency.
Hero Gallery folks didn't even blink at her outfit, though.
Among heroes in this world, some went even more extreme just to chase popularity.
There was other info too.
Rumors lately said villains were starting to gather in Myeongdong.
Lots of theories on why, but nothing solid—just guesses.
"...No way."
Maybe I in this world was a villain, or planning to become one.
It was possible.
My bank account had just 600 won—villain material right there.
Plus, the quest was about corrupting a hero.
Corrupting a hero usually meant turning them villain, right?
All the clues pointed to me becoming a villain.
And from two quests so far...
Following the signs like this always unlocked hidden quests and smoothed things along.
"...So how do I even become a villain?"
Hero Gallery, my main info source so far, had zilch on the how-to.
Just chatter about villains suspiciously swarming Myeongdong.
Two spots in Myeongdong came up a lot.
One was a hotel, the other some alley.
"This place..."
It felt familiar.
I'd been there just hours ago, so no forgetting it.
Definitely shady vibes.
Come to think of it, someone wanted something from me?
Felt like a deal was in the works.
"...Should I grab a weapon first, then head there?"
Short experience, but I'd felt how dangerous this hero world was.
To protect myself, I needed something for Weapon Technique at least.
Problem: this empty house had zero weapons.
Best I found was a frying pan.
A villain swinging a frying pan.
Embarrassment hit already.
I vowed to buy a proper weapon once I had cash.
Meanwhile, I kept scrolling through Hero Gallery's endless posts with interest.
Unlike my old world.
With real heroes, villains, and powers, the news and gossip grabbed you everywhere.
Especially fun watching heroes and villains in action.
Heroes here were basically idols.
All over broadcasts, and for some reason, every one had killer looks.
Villains?
Some had great looks too, but fewer, and their villain status plus crimes kept fans cheering from the shadows.
Hero Gallery's anonymity let villain fans pop up plenty.
"Huh, she's pretty strong."
Ga-eun was A-Rank.
Top tier below S-Rank.
Made sense why she got that strong-man fetish.
Still, good news.
Some hero stories had overpowered freaks you couldn't touch, but this quest world didn't.
Most heroes had abilities you could maybe handle.
Memorizing weaknesses just in case, I headed out into Myeongdong's night streets.
After some thought, I packed the frying pan in my bag.
"So that's what it meant."
Late night in Myeongdong's bustle, I felt Hero Gallery's words skin-deep.
First off, tons of foreigners.
Nothing new—morning Myeongdong was the same.
The real deal: villains blanketing the night streets.
Or people who screamed villain, anyway.
My gut, sure, but guys covered in irezumi tattoos or biker gangs in leather jackets? Not suspecting them would be weirder.
Morning streets were packed with normals; nights, the alleys crawled with them.
Every alley thick with cigarette haze and rough faces.
Regulars avoided alleys like the plague.
Eye contact might start trouble.
My feet knew the way to that alley.
Its vibe differed from others.
More people clustered tight, like blocking the path.
Narrow alley—you'd brush past them no choice.
That sealed it.
This was the way.
Gulp.
I took a deep breath, swallowed hard.
Tension lingered, but I faked calm.
Adjusted my bag for quick frying pan access, then stepped in.
"Whoops."
"Hmph..."
"Not a hero, right?"
"New face?"
Every bump with blockers got suspicious glares and mutters.
Not just rough guys blocking.
"Ahhng...♥"
A seductive woman with heavy makeup and rose tattoos brushed against me as I passed, whispering something naughty in my ear while slipping something into my back pocket.
Startled, I turned—she slyly stroked the front of my pants.
"Got some good stuff. Looking for work? Head to the address on there~"
I dug into my back pocket, felt something thin, pulled it out—a business card.
Black Market Violet BAR - Violet
"Hey, he's no hero. Make way."
Violet, the card-giver, waved, and the blockers parted instantly.
The tight squeeze opened right up.
Felt refreshing.
Through the cleared alley, past where I hadn't gone deep that morning, loomed a massive iron door.
Didn't fit the alley at all.
As I approached, two burly guys flanking it swung it open for me.
Inside? Pure villain paradise.
An underground world thriving just for them.
Maybe this huge spot was why they gathered.
"Black Market..."
The term from the card slipped out.
Villains called this massive place the Black Market.
Among the passing villains, I spotted some from Hero Gallery.
True to the name, shops sold real weapons and suits I'd been hunting.
Villain-priced, though—wickedly steep.
"...Looking for work, come on over?"
I fiddled with the card.
My next stop was set in stone.