Black Market
"Hello, Imo-nim."
"Oh my, who is this! Our Seo-jin-chonggak! I haven't seen you in so long, I thought something happened to you!"
Chal-ssak
I pretended to be hurt after getting slapped on the back, then naturally sat in my usual seat by the window and poured myself some water.
"I think it's only been a week, though?"
"That's what I'm saying! Has Seo-jin-chonggak ever gone a whole week without coming to my place? You really didn't have anything happen, right? Why are there no wounds... and why is your face so clean?"
"...No, Imo-nim... shouldn't you ask if something happened when I do have wounds?"
"I think this is the first time I've seen Seo-jin-chonggak's face looking normal? Mixed Gukbap, extra large, right?"
Located in a narrow alley behind the Player Management Bureau building, this was a shabby Gukbap restaurant. It had been my regular spot for five years, where I'd come to soothe my aching stomach after dragging my wounded body here every single day.
From the round tin table with the paint all peeled off to the yellowed wallpaper stained by the passage of time, everything about this place was healing in itself.
"Ah, this is the taste."
The milky broth bubbling in the earthenware pot, mixed with savory perilla powder and spicy seasoning paste to turn a delicious red—it was truly a healing potion like no other.
With her generous heart, she always packed it full of ingredients, so when I was a player for the Management Bureau, I couldn't pass by this place even for a single day.
After inhaling the Gukbap that warmed me all the way to my belly, I patted my stomach in satisfaction.
Once I had finished my hearty meal, I headed toward the Official Player Item Trading Center, which was directly operated by the Management Bureau, with a leisurely gait. Inside my pocket was the Sage's Necklace I had obtained as a reward for clearing the 25th floor with an SS rank yesterday.
Sage's Necklace (Rare)
-Magic Power +40
-Skill Level +2
Magic Power +40 is an absolutely ridiculous option.
Considering that what I received in exchange for losing 50 years of my life was +50 to all stats, getting +40 Magic Power with zero penalties would be a blessing for magic-type players.
Of course, I wasn't a magic-type player, and since all my stats, including Magic Power, had already easily surpassed the 3,000 mark, it was an item I didn't really need.
I had brought it along thinking I might as well sell it to scrape together some cash, given that my pathetic bank account was about to leave me homeless after the Management Bureau refused to renew my contract...
The problem was that I had absolutely no idea where to dispose of high-end items of this Rare grade or higher.
And honestly, it felt a bit of a waste to—
Ding-dong
When I pulled out my phone at the notification sound, there was another dunning text message.
[Web Message] [OO Card] Notice of Overdue Payment
Customer Seo-jin Kang, we are writing to inform you that the payment due date for your credit card this month has passed, and your account is currently in arrears.
Overdue Amount: 923,200 KRW
Deposit Account: OO Bank 0213210-00-253200 (Account Holder: OO Card)
We kindly request prompt payment. If the delinquency continues, late fees may be incurred, or your card usage may be restricted. (If you have already made the payment, please ignore this message.)
Customer Service: 0088-0000
"Sage's Necklace or whatever, I need to survive first..."
Cheo-keok
As I opened the heavy glass door and stepped inside, the scent of high-end air freshener hit my nose, and a marble lobby that sparkled enough to hurt my eyes welcomed me. 'Official Player Item Trading Center of South Korea'. It sounded fancy, but it was essentially a place where the Management Bureau bastards bought magic stones and item materials from players at a low price, and then sold them at a high price by tacking on all sorts of taxes—a legal robbery center.
I had visited often when I was with the Management Bureau, so I should have been used to it...
But perhaps because of the flashy interior, or perhaps because of my pathetic financial situation, I always felt intimidated whenever I came here.
"Please appraise this item."
I placed the silver necklace I took out of my pocket onto the counter with an indifferent voice.
"Yes? Appraise?"
The employee asked back, seemingly recognizing my face from my frequent visits.
"Yes, appraise. I'm not a Management Bureau player anymore."
"Ah... ah, yes. Please wait a moment."
Since I was essentially coming to sell goods to my former workplace after getting fired, it was only natural that a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere formed between the employee and me.
However, that was only for a moment.
The employee, who had taken out an appraisal lens and was carefully examining the Sage's Necklace, looked as if their eyes were about to pop out like springs.
"W...wait! Please wait a moment!"
Trembling, they looked back and forth between the necklace and me, then jumped up from their chair and started running somewhere in a panic.
And soon after,
I could see employees inside the office behind the center standing up in a flurry. Shortly after, a man called the Appraisal Center Director, who had a belly sticking out like Namsan Mountain, came running out breathlessly with his glasses perched on his forehead.
"Oh my! Player-nim! Why don't you come inside and have a cup of tea while we talk?"
"I'm busy. Just tell me the appraisal price."
I wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible, so I tried to brush it off and leave, but I noticed all the employees whispering to each other in a fuss.
The attention of other players who had come to sell magic stones around me also began to focus on us.
"It's an item worth about 300 million, but if you leave it with us right now, I can wire you up to 500 million in cash. You don't even have to worry about tax issues at all."
The Center Director, acting like a used car salesman, promised to handle everything directly, including tax issues. For some reason, sweat was continuously dripping down his balding forehead.
'500 million? 500 million? My rooftop room deposit is 20 million?'
I tried to calm my pounding heart at the huge sum I was hearing for the first time, but as I regained my composure, an old proverb came to mind.
<Never accept the first offer from a merchant>
"Hmm... I just came to check the price today... I'll come back later."
"What? Ah, wait! Player-nim, I told you to come inside and have a cup of tea. We can adjust the price further—"
"I said I'll come back."
I brushed off the Center Director and hurried away.
Because in my already difficult situation, the desire to just snatch up the amount they were offering kept growing.
'Phew... now that I roughly know how much it's worth, let me slowly look into other dealers.'
The Sage's Necklace in my pocket, which I hadn't even sold yet, felt like a winning lottery ticket.
That was when.
"Management Bureau bastards, their thug nature never changes, right? Starting off by lowballing is their basic move."
A suspicious man wearing a black baseball cap pulled low was leaning against a secluded wall, grinning at me.
"Who are you?"
"I'm someone who smells money incredibly well. If you want to get the proper value for that brilliant necklace, why don't you go to the 'Black Market'? I can guide you. Ah! Of course, there is a commission."
Ah.
I remembered hearing about it vaguely in the past.
That there were guides lurking around the Player Item Trading Center like hyenas waiting for prey, trying to lure people to the Black Market.
I felt a bit uneasy deep down, but,
Thinking that I couldn't live my whole life dependent on the Management Bureau, I gathered my courage and requested guidance to the Black Market.
At the same time, the Player Management Bureau headquarters emergency meeting room.
The meeting room, which had been urgently convened again in just one day, was literally in a state of pre-storm panic. The face of Director Kim, sitting at the head of the table, was flushed red like an active volcano.
"A rare item that adds 40 Magic Power came to our Management Bureau trading center on its own?"
At the Management Bureau Director's low, rumbling voice, Section Chief Choi, who had been up all night since yesterday with hollow eyes, and the Item Trading Center Director, who had just finished reporting, were avoiding Director Kim's gaze with blank faces.
"And the person who brought that rare item is Seo-jin Kang, who was a player in our Management Bureau until a few days ago?"
In Section Chief Choi's head, the hypothesis he had formed yesterday was already being confirmed as the correct answer.
"And you offered a measly 500 million for that rare item and got rejected?!"
Kwang
Unable to hold it in any longer, Director Kim's roar finally exploded, echoing loudly through the meeting room.
"Are you stupid bastards kidding me right now?! There's a time to let someone go and a time to lowball an item! Do I have to be the only one who knows that the Management Bureau's next-generation ace player, Eun-chae Jeong, has been stuck in the late 50s floors for two months due to a lack of Magic Power? If she just adds 40 Magic Power, isn't it guaranteed that she'll breeze through to the 60s floors without a scratch!"
Eun-chae Jeong, the Management Bureau's next-generation ace magic-type player. An incredible opportunity to explosively boost her Magic Power and break her tower-climbing stagnation had just walked in and walked right back out.
"Bring it back no matter what. Take the staff members who were close to that friend, go there, kneel if you have to, promise a contract renewal, do whatever it takes! I'll scrape together the maximum budget, so tell them to negotiate the price as much as they want, suck up to him, and make sure we buy it somehow!"
Just as every employee in the meeting room was turning pale and rising from their seats to come up with a plan.
Kki-ik-Kwang!!
The meeting room door was broken open, and the youngest member of the information team ran in with a face white as a sheet.
"D-Director!! We have a big problem!"
"What is it now!"
"Just now, a rare item was uploaded as an anonymous listing to the Underground Black Market special VVIP auction. It's probably... the same item that came to the center this morning!"
"W-whaaaat-?!"
Hearing those words, Director Kim's eyes rolled back in his head.