Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Black Market (5)
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1.
"Here it is."
In the crumbling black market, I finally found the room housing their vault.
Fortunately, the spot marked by that guy matched the one I'd seen in the game.
This place was known as the treasure warehouse, a convenient spot where you could pick up rare gear unavailable from merchants or rare items only obtainable through grinding.
'As expected, there are rare items scattered everywhere.'
Of course, repeating the quest lowered the rewards, and items dropped only once...
Even accounting for that, nothing beat this hidden quest for efficient gold farming at this level.
'A bit many trash mobs, but not bad.'
Unique to this quest, there was no boss.
Instead, it greeted players with massive enemy waves.
To be precise, there were no bosses per se, but quasi-boss-level black market guard captains lurked about. And originally, you had to survive the 'Minotaur King' raid to proceed, though the story had diverged a bit now.
At my current level, it was basically a beginner quest—easy enough.
'Come to think of it, that Minotaur didn't show up.'
It never appeared on repeat runs, but back then, it was a monster no player could handle.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👹 Minotaur King – Lv.163(★) HP: 19 billion MP: 71,000 ▶ Mutant specimen of the forest watchman Minotaur. Absorbed powerful demonic essence to claim the throne as the strongest Minotaur. ▶ Leader of Tebere Forest on the Pione Continent. That was back during the story quest, though. Now, I might take it down easily... Honestly, a little disappointing.
I had no idea what items it dropped.
Might've been some rare gear I'd never seen.
But what can you do? I skipped the quest.
"Hmm, looks like I've grabbed everything worth taking."
In about ten minutes, I'd farmed every useful item here.
Enough for travel funds right now. Just the cash alone netted 5,000 gold, and luxury gems would fetch even more.
Not a bad haul.
⚙ ACQUIRED ITEMS ⚙ ▶ [Pouch of 5,000G] ▶ [Blank Scroll x10] ▶ [Gem Pouch x5] ▶ [High-Grade Material Equipment] I stashed the miscellaneous junk separately.
Most gear here was useless anyway—sell it to a weapon dealer later.
"...Time to head back?"
-Creak!
I stepped out of the treasure warehouse.
-Thud.
"?"
Something tripped me in the hallway.
Turned out to be the black market guards who'd blocked my path earlier.
'...Right, corpses don't vanish like in the game here.'
Glancing back at my path, there were more bodies than expected strewn about.
Not quite double digits.
All collapsed without visible wounds.
I'd avoided blood by cranking skull pressure for brain death—messy, but still unpleasant with so many. Like dried worms on the road after rain.
No guilt, though.
They plundered others to survive, and now they'd suffered the same.
Not that they were especially guilty—it's just one way to live in this world. Sin depends on perspective.
If there's fault, it was being weaker than me.
The law of the jungle.
-Rumble...
'Five minutes, and this place collapses too.'
I pressed on down the hall, that thought in mind.
Similar scenes repeated on the way out.
-Step. Step.
Someone trailed me, hiding their presence, but I pretended not to notice.
"Eek?!"
He startled at the bodies but didn't seem to find it cruel.
People find bug corpses gross, not cruel. No different from me.
Though it'd hit different if they were kin...
Honestly, these didn't feel like kin to me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2 - #High Elf with Red Eyes.
《 Neutral Stage ~ Asral City Alleyway 》 A few days later, in a moonlit city.
Asral, a major port city under the Holy Empire of Ires, bustled with people—earning its moniker as the merchants' city.
Discrimination by race was low, so non-humans like elves, beastkin, and dwarves were common sights.
Why so many here? It tied to the geography of the Arcia Continent, home to the Ires Empire.
Simple: it was a port city.
To reach other continents easily, you had to pass through here.
Sure, other ports existed, but they were in isolationist elf territories or monster-infested hellholes unfit for humans. So everyone converged here.
Thus, Asral teemed with life.
And with crowds came crime—wanted fugitives and such—so security was tight.
-Step. Step.
In a silent alley of Asral, two humans moved cautiously, well-armed and scanning about.
Probably city guards.
"Ugh, cold... Fall already?"
"Seems so. Falling leaves say yes."
Asral guards Frank and Max patrolled the moonlit streets tonight.
Alone, the dark might spook, but as old pals, it was routine and boredom-free.
A bit chilly, sure, but they checked every alley and backstreet.
Rumors of trouble outside had upper brass ordering thorough patrols.
Speaking of those rumors...
"Heard about all those missing nobles? Counts' families, even a marquis's heir."
"Yeah, total chaos."
It started days ago.
Mysterious mass disappearances of nobles.
Cause unknown.
"One story floating around, though."
"What?"
Common threads: all from wealthy houses, sneaking out around the same time... spawning a conspiracy.
"They all used a secret black market to dodge taxes and slave regs."
The theory: missing nobles frequented the black market.
"Right, heard that too."
Related families denied it, but investigators from various nations confirmed their visits.
Official slaves meant taxes by price, and bans on young ones or high-tier like High Elves or dragons...
But the real kicker was elsewhere.
"That market collapsed in a sudden quake. Security blocked magic, so no escape."
The nobles there got buried alive in an 'unexplained' quake.
Market designed no-magic for security—trapped 20m underground.
Black market corpses surfaced, but the vast underground made noble bodies hard to find.
Bad luck.
"Buried alive... Shivers just thinking. Quake in an underground lair..."
Investigators ruled natural disaster, halting missing persons probes.
Now focused on body recovery.
Reason for halt? Simple.
"Yeah, no foul play. Dying without spending that fortune—waste."
"Haha, tragic. I'd quit this gig with that cash."
Market's internals blocked magic, they said.
Scrolls might work, but caster wouldn't survive—and no scroll traces at the scene.
"Hey, what if demons trashed it? Grabbed as slaves, got pissed?"
"Nonsense. Demons don't come planetside. Can't enslave one unless it surrenders—who'd do that?"
Magic there needed at least a High Elf—no, even they might fail. Needed upper demon realm nobility.
But slim odds, and high demons busy with civil wars wouldn't descend.
"Who knows? Market full of gems, gold—maybe baited capture."
Even if they came, why the market? Joke was, only if a high demon got enslaved would they care about slaves.
"Sigh, dummy. Human treasures worthless in demon realm."
"How you know?"
"Ires Empire trades with demons—overheard mages in the capital last visit."
They'd eye dragons at best, not human coin.
Unless one lived or traveled here...
-Step.
"Hm? What's that light?"
Frank halted mid-patrol.
In the outer alleys devoid of lights, a small lantern flickered.
"Yeah, who's out there? Let's check."
2 a.m. now.
Who wanders this remote spot so late? Petty thieves' turf.
Bandits too sometimes—locals avoided nights here.
No inns or eateries nearby—no travelers.
Suspecting thieves, Frank and Max rushed toward the light.
"There!"
A robed figure advanced by lantern, hood obscuring the face—suspicious as hell.
And curfew was on—no wandering without cause.
"You in the robe! Halt!"
As guards, duty was escorting this shady figure to the post.
They called out.
"?"
Surprisingly compliant stop.
They hurried over...
-Rustle.
"Huh?"
The woman turning, shedding her robe, left them speechless.
Why? Simple.
"N-No way..."
Her revealed beauty was stunning, evoking tales of a 'High Elf.'
"...What business do you have with me?"
In the shadowy alley untouched by moonlight, Cyan asked the two guards who'd stopped her.