The Black Market Gambit
While on my way to meet Jeong Soo-ah, I got a call from Toda.
He'd completed all the tasks I'd assigned him, and he said the Japanese hunters were about to make their move in earnest.
As early as tomorrow dawn, or no later than the day after.
The Yamamoto brothers wouldn't step in personally; one of their S-rank hunters under them would take the lead instead. The mood at the top was worse than ever, he added.
Low-rank hunters like Toda were feeling the ripple effects too—the atmosphere among them was pretty grim.
I didn't know the full details, but apparently there'd been a massive falling-out between the Yamamoto brothers during their meetings.
The factional infighting was starting to intensify for real.
Even with external enemies still out there, and they're already tearing into each other like this.
It was good news for me, but I wondered how the hunters in the Yamamoto expedition felt about it.
More importantly, what's with Zhang Wei's side? No reaction at all?
I'd expected at least some response, but they were being even more cautious than I'd imagined.
Well, in a situation where their forces were outmatched by the Yamamoto expedition, playing it safe was far smarter than rushing in blindly.
After telling Toda to contact me the moment the Yamamoto expedition started moving, I headed off to meet Jeong Soo-ah again.
She'd already texted me the location ahead of time: yet another luxury hotel, different from the last one.
Like I'd thought before, wasn't she living a bit too well for someone hiding out from Japanese and Chinese hunters?
Jeong Soo-ah looked much brighter when we met again after just a few days—her gaunt face had regained its radiant glow from our first encounter.
Good to see her doing okay.
"Oh, you've arrived?"
She must have gotten the alert the moment I stepped into the hotel, but Jeong Soo-ah played it off shamelessly, acting like she had no idea.
I ignored her exaggerated surprise—wide eyes staring at me—and just sank into the sofa without a word.
When she tried to slide in next to me slyly, I shoved her away firmly.
She clicked her tongue in disappointment.
"So, did sis not come with you today?"
"No. I'm alone."
"Oh? Is this her way of giving me the green light? Should I just pounce right now?"
I ignored her usual teasing flirtation and cut straight to the point.
"The Yamamoto expedition and Zhang Wei's group are about to clash. As early as tomorrow dawn, no later than the day after."
"...Huh? How do you know that?"
"I've got a decent informant on it."
"......"
Jeong Soo-ah stared at me silently for a moment.
She clearly had a ton of questions, but even without her asking, I could guess what they were.
"...Was the recent unrest in Japan and China your doing?"
"Yeah."
"...Since when have you been hiding that kind of power?"
"I've never hidden it. I just didn't mention it."
Putting Toda under my thumb was recent, and so was planning and executing all this. There hadn't been a chance to bring it up.
Jeong Soo-ah furrowed her brows, deep in thought, even biting her nails as she pondered.
I didn't interrupt her deliberations this time either.
I sipped the tea she'd personally brewed, waiting patiently for her to finish.
"...This is really sudden."
After a long pause, she finally spoke with a sigh, setting down her teacup leisurely.
"Does it suit your taste?"
"Yeah, it's good. So, did I overstep?"
"No. I'm just a little deflated, that's all. I've been biding my time, holding my breath all this while... and then you swoop in, and everything falls into place just like that."
She let out another hollow sigh, her expression wistful.
"Well, I didn't plan for things to move this fast either. It started as just gathering intel."
"...Any plans for what comes next?"
"Hm. Once they fully collide, it'll be time for us to move. Not me—you guys."
"...I see. You're aiming for the Black Market, then?"
"Gotta take back what's ours, right?"
At my faint smile, she nodded vigorously, beaming.
"Right now, both sides' hunters are handling security for the Black Market."
"So when those two groups start fighting in earnest, security will naturally weaken."
"And that's when I strike, take out that bastard who stole it from me."
We traded ideas back and forth.
Just as I'd expect from her—she pierced right through my intentions without me spelling it out.
I'd mulled this over for days myself.
Experience makes a difference, huh?
"You'll probably want to handle the detailed planning yourself. I don't know your exact forces, after all."
"Got it... But hey, watch your words. It's not 'you guys' anymore—it's 'us.' The Black Market is yours now, not mine."
"...We haven't finished the commission yet."
"After what you showed me today, do I really need to wait until it's all wrapped up? The Black Market was mine to begin with, and since I'm yours, that makes it yours too—from the moment you claimed me."
"...I'd prefer you not say things that could be misunderstood."
"Misunderstood? You stamped that seal to make sure I couldn't betray you last time."
Her sly smile made my eyes narrow.
Unrestrained pressure poured from my entire body.
Jeong Soo-ah let out a pained grunt.
"...You knew I used mental domination? Since when? How?"
"Ugh... Tone down the killing intent first...!"
"Answer me."
At my sudden shift, she trembled violently. Tears welled up from the crushing pressure.
Her pitiful, watery gaze met mine, but I didn't ease up.
I stared straight into her eyes, waiting for her to speak.
"Answer. When did you figure it out? How?"
"Guh... I-I knew from the start...! I have related skills...! No way I wouldn't notice...!"
"...You knew from the beginning, yet accepted it willingly. Why?"
"Hic... B-because that way, you'd trust me completely...! I never planned to betray you anyway...! If a loose mental domination like that earned your trust, that was fine by me...!"
"......"
I met her pleading gaze for a moment.
It didn't seem like the mental domination was influencing her words, and I got what she meant, so I finally looked away.
The pressure vanished cleanly in an instant.
"Gah...! Hack...!"
Jeong Soo-ah gasped raggedly.
She coughed and panted for a while, then shot me a resentful glare.
I pretended not to notice and sipped the rest of my tea.
"...You didn't have to go that hard!"
"Would you have done different? Most people don't detect suggestions or mental domination, so it was a natural reaction."
"I would've answered if you'd just asked normally! The domination hasn't even worn off!"
"...Sorry about that. Caught me off guard."
I averted my eyes slightly, and she glared again.
I took another sip of tea in response.
Ah, it's all gone.
"Sorry, but could I get some more tea...?"
"Brew it yourself!"
After she calmed down a bit, we resumed our talk.
She still eyed me with resentment, but there wasn't much else I could say—it was out of my control.
Depending on the case, there could be issues with the mental dominations or suggestions I'd placed on others.
Anyone else might be fine, but the most dangerous was the one on France's Amy.
I'd sealed her lips about me through suggestion, but if she knew about the domination herself, it'd spell trouble.
Fortunately, our chat confirmed the dominations were still solid—no problems there.
According to Jeong Soo-ah, she'd only figured it out because of her own related skills.
My mental domination was so overpowering that even knowing about it didn't offer a way to break it.
"Well, a hunter or gear with strong dispel abilities might be different. But you're SA-rank, bordering on SS, right? No need to worry. Nothing like that exists right now."
"I see..."
I nodded slowly at her explanation.
Coming from her, with her underworld info network, I could relax a bit.
Still feels a little iffy...
If I'd known, should I have ignored my deal with Charlotte and just killed her?
A twinge of regret, but it was too late now.
If something happens, I'll deal with it then... Of course, I'll prep contingencies beforehand.
I'd need to make some backup plans for worst-case scenarios.
Unlike the old days when I could just retreat into the labyrinth, I had more to protect now.
My sister, Jeong Soo-ah and the Black Market, for starters.
The latter maybe not, but the former? Definitely.
Speaking of, there's Park Min-seong and Yoon Ji-su's group too.
They weren't deeply tied to me, so even if something went down, it probably wouldn't blow up big.
"Anyway, back to the main topic."
Jeong Soo-ah still looked grumpy but didn't push it further.
That's why I liked her.
She kept work and personal strictly separate.
"As I said, handle the details yourselves. Move when the two sides fully engage. Prep now so you can act immediately. I'll contact you once they start."
"No need for contact. It'll be obvious when they move. We can scout and act on our own."
"Fair enough. Then the raid's on you... As for me?"
"What're you planning? Going solo? Your involvement changes the plan a lot."
Her probing gaze made me pause.
"Hm... Is your force not enough on its own?"
"'Oger-deuk'—the guy who took my spot—isn't much. Underworld types are like that, but his underlings are all self-serving opportunists. Any decent ones got wiped out last time you raided solo."
"Lucky break. So you don't need my help?"
"Yeah. If anything, it might be the leftover Japanese or Chinese hunters..."
"What's the usual guard level there?"
"Top was A-rank before, but lately they've sent S-ranks."
I frowned slightly at that.
"...Bad news. How many S-ranks?"
"One from Zhang Wei's side, one from the Yamamotos'."
"And Oger-deuk's rank?"
"He's no real threat. Just B-rank."
"...How'd a guy like that become boss?"
"He was good at politics, and for the Yamamotos, a powerless puppet was convenient. Easy to replace if needed."
"...Until Zhang Wei muscled in and ruined it."
"Exactly."
I stroked my chin as she nodded slowly.
"Tricky. I had my own plans..."
"Like what?"
"Head to their clash site. Scout their levels, finish them off if the chance arises. Perfect opportunity."
"...Hmm."
She let out a thoughtful hum.
"Impressive."
"What is?"
"You being this strategic."
"...?"
"You've always seemed more... charge-in type. Like with Charlotte. I figured you'd just decapitate both leaders and planned around that."
"...Do I really come off that thoughtless?"
"Need I say it?"
Her quiet stare made me look away silently.
Too many hits to deny it outright.
"Hm... Anyway, back to business."
"Oh, look at you dodging when it's inconvenient. Cute."
"......"
She giggled for a bit before speaking up.
"So, you have your own thing to do?"
"Yeah."
"If you can't join, we'll just team with someone else. How about sis?"
"...Hm?"
"If she's free, lend her for a bit. I wanna get closer, and she'd handle any surprises no problem."
Her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation, making me hesitate.
"...I'll ask. She probably won't mind, but... she might say no."
Thinking of Snow, fully adapted to the outside world, I wasn't sure.
She would've jumped at it before, but...
Lately, she was getting more clingy...
"Don't get your hopes up. Might wanna have a Plan B."
"If sis says no, oh well. Worst case, we'll manage solo. Ignore the Chinese and Japanese hunters—deal with Oger-deuk, the real scum."
I nodded at her calm resolve.
We hashed out more details after that.
Way more helpful than brainstorming alone.
Unlike me with zero underworld experience, she'd been at it for years—a great sounding board.
Once the plan solidified, she piped up playfully.
"Oh, right! Almost forgot."
"What?"
"How to address you. Can't keep saying 'you' forever... So, what's your real name?"
"I told you—Nyx."
"Come on! You know my real name! We've built some trust now, so real names, not aliases!"
"Nyx is my real name."
She glared at my flat response, but I wasn't lying.
Nyx was my real name, status window certified.
"...Fine. Not there yet, huh? You really fire up my competitive side... You're the first guy I've chased this hard."
"...No idea what you're misunderstanding, but I've never lied."
"Sure, sure. Of course."
"......"
She was clearly off-base, but I had no urge to correct her.
I'd seen plenty of her antics by now—fully desensitized.
"Anyway, we need a proper title."
"I'm fine as is."
"Hmph. Fine. Gotta settle these things properly... Since you'll be running the Black Market for me, how about 'Boss'?"
"...No, just call me normally."
"Boss no good? Oh, greedy! Then 'Chairman'?"
"...Are you just sulking 'cause I won't give my name?"
"Who, me? Never! Okay, maybe a tiny bit hurt, but absolutely not!"
"......"
Should I amp up the suggestion a notch? I seriously considered it.
Not Toda-level obedience, but some superior respect would be nice.
In the end, I didn't.