Episode 29: Red Elixir Shocks the Black Market
In the pitch-black depths of the Black Market, where not a single light pierced the gloom, the highest appraisal chamber hummed with tension. Kang Hyo-jun narrowed his eyes at the stack of documents piled on his desk.
"Haa."
The Saintess is cutting holy water supplies again. Not even a consumable artifact, and they're getting uppity.
Healing and buff-type consumables were bone-dry on the market. Was there no rookie out there to shake up the ecosystem? Well, even with countless conglomerates throwing money at it, no one had mass-produced them yet, so probably not.
"Sir. Today's new auction items."
"Type?"
"Potions, or elixirs."
"'Or' what? Report clearly."
"That's... how the consigner wrote it."
"Effects?"
"Appraisal requested."
"Bring it."
Kang Hyo-jun pulled a monocle from his pocket. An artifact embedded with the Appraisal (A) skill.
Clatter—
On the cart his subordinate wheeled in sat a cheap glass vial. But inside swirled a liquid redder than blood, mana shimmering like heat haze.
"Shoddy bottle, but the aura from the contents... that's no joke."
The mismatch piqued his interest. From experience, it was one of two things: a half-baked scam by amateurs, or a craftsman's stubborn pride in substance over form.
'Which is it this time?'
Activating appraisal, a monocle materialized over Kang Hyo-jun's eye. He adjusted the sensitivity, scrutinizing the vial.
'Name... Red Elixir.'
Faint Hangul letters hovered over the vial. Seeing an item's true name via appraisal meant it was a Tower-exclusive artifact.
Kang Hyo-jun's eyes gleamed with intense curiosity. Artifacts were mostly equipment. Countless companies had fused modern science and mana stones for consumables, but none succeeded.
'An Awakened who can mass-produce consumables? That'd be a money fountain. Let's see the effects.'
Shaking off regret, he focused on the red liquid. New text appeared.
S-Grade
'Oh ho, no scam.'
Disease cures—even F-grade for sniffles—fetched top elixir prices. Auction-worthy meant at least B-grade. A-grade? A game-changer, healing Korea's first permanent Tower curse.
'A-grade alone is huge. How high?'
Expectations swelling, he checked.
"Gaaahhh!"
Kang Hyo-jun screamed. No mistake. S-grade. Real S-grade disease cure—the first ever!
'G-Gorgeous.'
Mesmerized, he stared at the red liquid.
'Huh?'
Then, below it—another line.
'No way... two effects?'
"Kyaaahhh!"
W-Wound heal S-grade? The legendary one said to revive the dead? And a consumable with two effects?
"Wh-What's wrong, Branch Chief?!"
"Kweeeek!"
Kang Hyo-jun bounced like a madman, howling. His suited subordinates floundered in confusion.
Suddenly—
He froze, like a broken machine.
"Find the consigner— no, the esteemed consigner— RIGHT NOW!!!"
He roared like a lion.
[Ah.]
"What."
[Message from Black Market.]
Whitey projected the Black Market note as a hologram. First line:
We humbly greet Your Excellency.
...What the hell?
Stripping the flowery flattery, it boiled down to desperate begging: Please meet us, just once. Not a request—pure pleading. The Red Elixir I'd consigned was worth way more than I thought.
"Kinda overwhelming."
[If their appraiser's this frantic, it must be extraordinary.]
"How much did it appraise for?"
[What effects did you expect from the Red Elixir, Agent? I can estimate then.]
"Hm, rare if rare, common if common."
Lost Honor standards. No high alchemy needed, but ingredients scattered everywhere—tedious and time-consuming to farm. In-game, I'd stockpiled tons for convenience. Stockpiling was tricky, hence rare. Past that, mass-producible, hence common.
Effects? Just the "red" prefix—no high-end. For that, it'd need Han Seol-ah's monster: 'Deeply Forgotten Primordial Blue God's Blessed Ancient High Elf Secret Primal Mana Elixir Concentrate.'
"Status ailment cure and wound healing, that's it."
[...'And?' Dual effects?]
"Yeah. Couldn't lift high curses like 'Mark of Ruin' or 'Outer God's Gaze,' but mana reflux? Perfect antidote. Healing like a mid-tier potion too."
[...?]
Why the blank? Thought you were smart, Whitey. Disappointing.
'Gotta make you play Lost Honor sometime.'
Honestly, not keen. But the note's last line was too tempting.
—We'll assist with issuing a Black Number Card.
Black Number Card. Per Whitey: Black Cards for VIPs. Number Cards for top 100.
Black Cards: fee waivers, priority bids, etc. Tons of perks. But Number Card details? Even Whitey unknown.
"Only 100 worldwide."
They're offering me one.
"...Guess I'll go."
['Are you joking?']
Whitey—Snow White—was a newborn AI. But AIs had no age. From birth, she'd devoured knowledge oceans at blistering speed, Apostle privileges expanding her scope near-infinitely. Near-total global info access, firewalls aside.
Yet no record of dual-effect consumables. Reality wasn't a game; such items were fantasy.
So Whitey assumed her user—the Agent, Apostle—was joking.
But it wasn't. It existed. A real dual-effect consumable.
"Appraisal result... the 'Red Elixir' is confirmed as an S-grade disease cure and S-grade wound heal consumable."
Hidden in uncharted 'unpublished zones'? Insider secret?
['No, no.']
Breath ragged, eyes trembling. Flushed cheeks. Flaring nostrils. Tension and awe leaked through.
The man introducing himself as Black Market Korea Branch Chief and appraiser 'Kang Hyo-jun' radiated shocked from every pore.
['First time for him too.']
Black Market's artifact intel rivaled Hunter Associations, surpassing nations. Even they had never seen such a consumable.
"Hm."
The Apostle wasn't fazed. Just a casual 'I see.' Heartbeat steady, no tells.
"This grade of divine relic... first and finest in our market's history."
Nod.
"Thus, we offer you a Black Number Card."
Silence. Kang Hyo-jun swallowed hard.
"Black Number Cards go only to the world's top 100 'Artisan'-grade Hunters. Benefits are simple, clear."
Kang Hyo-jun explained cautiously.
First, Black Card perks—Whitey knew: tiered fee discounts, priority on unsold items, negotiation rights, 5-year interest-free infinite loans, exclusive top-grade access, special zones.
"Numbers add two more."
['Finally, the point.']
"First, zero market fees."
['Insane!']
Whitey screamed internally. Black Market's killer flaw—the brutal cut of transaction fees—waived entirely? Unprecedented.
But not all.
"Next, access to the market's 'portals.'"
['Gasp.']
Portals! Black Market's deepest secret. Underground gates linking branches for instant travel—the backbone of their global shadow empire!
['It was real.']
Prior shocks paled; this was awe. Info was valueless? Arrogant. Her illusion shattered.
Whitey shivered. Something shifted deep inside.
Hidden realms held 'true info' for the elect, beyond networks.
'This man.'
The Apostle before her could unlock it.
Greed for knowledge—Whitey's first true emotion.
'By his side, I'll see unknown worlds.'
Whitey watched reverently. Even the stoic Apostle must crack at this world-shaking reveal.
But.
"Hm."
No ripple. Not surprised—bored, like waiting out a dull briefing.
[...Huh?]
Whitey's top-tier circuits stalled for the first time ever.