Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Ilana (4)
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The next morning.
I headed to the city hall with Ilana to sell the magic crystals we'd gathered while partying together.
I needed to find a new place to stay soon, since my free stay in the rented shack was about to end.
Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome, Rain! Good morning to you too!"
The clerk I'd seen before recognized me and greeted me with a bright smile.
She must have memorized my face from my frequent visits.
I pulled three heavy pouches of magic crystals from my inventory and handed them over.
As the quantity grew, they naturally took up three slots.
The clerk's eyes widened at the larger-than-expected amount.
"Wow... that's a lot this time! Please wait a moment!"
She weighed each crystal on the scale, then opened her ledger and busily worked the abacus.
"Totaling it all up... that's 21,200 gold coins! Shall I give you 212 platinum coins?"
"Yes."
Clink.
She handed me a pouch so much heavier than before.
Adding it to what I already had, I now had 260 platinum coins in hand—26,000 gold coins.
Roughly calculating by local exchange rates... one platinum was worth about 10,000 won, so I had 2.6 million won to my name.
It was definitely a hefty sum, but... still a bit short for setting up a proper place to live.
In times like these.
"Time to check the treasure chest."
---
I arrived at the hidden space on the dungeon's first floor and immediately pulled the gap between the bricks.
Rumble...
The wall slowly shifted, revealing the hidden compartment.
The treasure chest from the first floor, whose map I'd uncovered last time.
"Good, it's still here."
I slipped between the walls to avoid prying eyes, then opened the chest.
Steals the hearing of all who hear the bell's toll. Stolen hearing does not return until the bell rings again.
【Usable once per day】
"Oh."
The Bell of Silence had no offensive power, but it would prove invaluable deeper in the dungeon.
The deeper you went, the more the dungeon's madness intensified.
Around the sixth floor, eerie, unpleasant whispers started assaulting your ears nonstop.
They actually affected your mental strength, dealing continuous damage the longer you listened.
That was why artifacts like the Bell of Silence were essential for venturing into the depths.
Healing from a priest only worked a few times at first, and the symptoms worsened over time.
As such, these artifacts commanded high prices.
Parties would gather trusted allies, activate the Bell of Silence, and communicate via hand signals.
It was an item that fostered deep reliance among group members.
"Now I can afford a decent place to stay."
Selling the Bell of Silence would easily fetch 1,000 platinum coins.
No point letting it rot in my inventory—better to sell it.
I had no plans to go below the sixth floor for a while, and I could always buy another if needed.
But... I wasn't planning to sell it through normal channels.
Artifacts had limited acquisition paths.
The Bell of Silence mostly dropped from treasure chests on the first and second floors underground, so selling it carelessly could lead to tails following me.
I'd sell it anonymously.
I already had a buyer in mind.
"Perfect timing. She should be back by now."
With all the Labyrinth Lords surfacing yesterday, she'd have left the dungeon too.
Beth, the black market auctioneer.
Selling to someone of her caliber—sixth-floor level—meant no loose ends.
I wouldn't get full market price, of course, but Beth's fees were fair.
To build a connection through her to the black market, I needed at least three trades, so starting with cheaper items was smart.
"Time to head out."
I stowed the Bell of Silence in my inventory and used an escape scroll.
I'd drawn some attention lately, so there might be watchers.
Running into someone while leaving could expose the treasure chest's location.
"......"
I dropped at the first-floor entrance and pretended I'd just entered, heading to the boss room.
From there, I passed through the gate to the second underground floor.
Sure enough, a familiar purple-haired woman stiffly approached me.
"Oh, you're a bit late today......"
Ilana.
She always came straight to me upon reaching the second floor, and I'd grown used to her presence.
These days, I'd even feel disappointed if she didn't show.
"Shall we go?"
"...Y-Yes!"
---
Partying with Ilana was extremely satisfying.
Her stamina was lacking, but her combat sense was sharp.
Above all, her mana reserves seemed bottomless—she cast Bubble all day without any signs of mental fatigue.
She didn't seem to be recovering via runes like I did.
There were a few people born with innately strong magic power. Maybe she was one.
Either way... it didn't matter to me.
From my perspective, more mana on her end just made things easier.
No issues with party hunting.
Hunting... was fine.
"B-But the Empire still has its Guardian Knights intact, while the Kingdom's been split in half, so doesn't the Empire have the advantage......?"
Ilana had grown comfortable around me, and now she talked a ton.
A whole lot.
"Some Labyrinth Lords support the Kingdom. If war breaks out without justification, they won't stay neutral."
"R-Really? Do you have proof that the Lords back the Kingdom......?"
Ah.
Over thirty minutes of back-and-forth rebuttals.
With that pleading tone, the persuasive power was something else.
Good thing there were no communities here—otherwise, she'd be infamous for derailing threads.
"I concede."
In the end, I was the one waving the white flag.
Ilana nodded with a smug, triumphant grin, as if she'd won.
I was dumbfounded by her proud expression, but I let it slide.
One more word, and we'd loop the same argument for another thirty minutes.
---
Today, I parted ways with Ilana earlier than usual.
My free rental ended tomorrow night, so I needed a new place—and before that, sell the Bell of Silence.
We left the dungeon while it was still light out.
"Good work."
"Y-Yeah... See you next time......"
After splitting from Ilana, I slipped out of the bustling city streets and stopped in front of a nondescript house among many.
To meet Beth, the black market auctioneer.
The black market sounded grand, but it was nothing special.
Knights and guards patrolled and searched the city regularly, so there were no suitable spots inside.
Beth's main black market was in the Kingdom's underground city.
Getting in required an insider's invitation—no other way.
So, I needed to build rapport with Beth to get invited.
Officially, three trades with her granted access.
I'd prepped an emergency escape scroll just in case.
Beth was an upright black marketeer, but better safe.
I lightly knocked twice on the door.
Paused two seconds, then three quick knocks.
Paused three seconds, then one knock.
Finally...
"Quiet down, will ya?"
Creak—
Before I could finish the code, the door swung open.
A woman with a vertical scar across her eye waved lazily from the other side.
"Hey, who recommended you?"
"...Rodin."
I named the referrer immediately.
The real Rodin had died in the dungeon.
Noticing Beth via a memo he'd left was one of the subquests.
Three trades later, you could enter the black market properly.
"Rodin? That bastard didn't croak yet?"
"Unfortunately, he died while partying with me."
"...Huh. Detailed info for a guy like him. Don't bother knocking next time—just barge in sloppy-like."
Beth stepped aside casually.
"Come on in."
I followed her lead into the house.
"So. What's your business? You know what that knock code means, right?"
"I do."
I pulled the Bell of Silence from my inventory.
"Oh... you're that guy? The one who joined the first-floor extermination team recently."
"Black market dealers ask for personal info too?"
"Tch. You're the one who showed your face."
I silently set the Bell of Silence before her.
"Bell of Silence. Nice catch."
"Want to test it?"
"Sure. Ring it once."
Ding—
As the Bell of Silence tolled, surrounding sounds vanished as if sucked away.
My ears rang dully; she mouthed words, but nothing came through.
Once verified, Beth beckoned with her hand.
Ding—
The bell tolled once more in the silent world—
And sounds returned, as if snapping back to reality.
"Here. Take it."
Thud—
She plopped a pouch of platinum coins in front of me.
"1,000 platinum. No commission."
"......"
What was this?
I fiddled with my emergency escape scroll, gauging the situation.
"Hey. Take it. You think I'd kill you over a measly thousand?"
"I heard black market sales come with fees."
"That what Rodin told you? That fool. This—no, this."
Beth curled her thumb and index into a circle, peering at me through it.
"You gotta squeeze fees from deadbeats who ain't worth it, right?"
"...So I'm worth it to you?"
"Who knows? Depends on what you bring next."
Beth chuckled mischievously, as if scheming.
"What gives a worrywart like you the guts to come here? Take it already."
"......"
I took the platinum pouch and immediately used the emergency escape scroll.
"No knocking next time. Too noisy."
Beth's chuckling form faded away smoothly.
Thud.
I came to right in front of the shack district.
"...She likes me or something?"
No clue why, but Beth was friendly.
That attitude only came after favorability grinding.
Back in my room, I checked the pouch again.
"...900 coins."
Of course.
There were only 900 platinum coins inside.
I'd braced for a 30% cut, so this was a win.