A Gift for My First Disciple

"So what exactly are we going to buy?"

"Elixirs."

"Elixirs?"

"Hold on a second."

Kang Hyun pulled out his smartphone and flicked through the screen. A message that had arrived the day before floated up.

The sender was Yoon Tae-jung, President of Taejung Mulsan.

A mobile membership pass was attached at the bottom of the message. He pressed it, and an elegant image appeared — gold leaf embossed on a black background.

"Here."

Kang Hyun shoved the screen toward her, and Lee Se-ah's eyes went round as saucers.

"Is that a Daeseong Market membership?"

"You know it?"

"Of course I do!"

Daeseong Market was the black market operated by the Daeseong Group, the number-one conglomerate in the country.

"Wow, how did you even— wait, did President Yoon Tae-jung give you this? I heard the annual membership fee alone is a billion won."

Baek Yu-yeon, who had trailed after Lee Se-ah's excited outburst, flinched in surprise as well.

A black market…

It was an exclusive exchange dealing only in the finest byproducts harvested from dungeons. Black markets thrived across the globe, and Korea had exactly one — Daeseong Market.

Because South Korea was a hunter backwater, it ranked only thirty-second in the world by scale, but still—

We're going there? Us?

Any hunter hopeful would have been thrilled. She had heard that the cheapest item traded inside started at a hundred million won.

Naturally, the entry requirements were brutal. You needed to be an A-rank hunter, a high-ranking officer of a major guild, or a board member of a large corporation just to buy a membership. Small fry were weeded out on sight.

"You're navigating."

"I've never been there either!"

"The address is right there."

"Well, yes, but…"

In the end, the three of them climbed into a Management Bureau vehicle with Lee Se-ah behind the wheel. Kang Hyun lounged in the back seat, casually sipping whiskey, while Baek Yu-yeon sat in the passenger seat, a strange tension coiling through her as they drove toward the city center.

Before long, the car entered the towering Daeseong Building that rose from the heart of Gangnam. But the moment they started down the ramp toward the parking garage, a tight security cordon closed in.

"Stop right there. Identification check."

A staff member in a black suit with a radio at his belt blocked the vehicle. Lee Se-ah rolled down the driver's window, and the man swept the interior with a sharp gaze.

Kang Hyun held his phone out through the window, displaying the VIP pass.

"VIP member under Taejung Mulsan's name. A maximum of two companions is permitted. I'll need identification from both of you as well."

"Here."

"Does a student ID work?"

Lee Se-ah produced her civilian ID, and Baek Yu-yeon offered her Academy student card. Only after a meticulous identity check were they allowed to descend underground.

The ramp down to the parking garage was longer than expected. Lee Se-ah swallowed dryly.

"Wow, this really feels like we're entering Daeseong Market. Yu-yeon, first time for you too, right?"

"Yes. Even the people who hold memberships here are the kind whose names show up on the news."

After parking, they made their way to the building entrance, where a staff member in a crisp tailcoat approached and bowed politely at the waist.

"Is this the first visit for all three of you?"

"Yes, first time."

"Please put on these bracelets. They serve as both identification and a payment method inside the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠market. This way, if you would."

Following the staff member down a luxurious marble corridor, the three of them came to a halt before a massive iron door. Dense fog swirled beyond it.

"From this point on, you must follow my footsteps exactly."

The guide turned back with a word of caution.

"A special formation is installed at this entrance. Anyone who enters without authorization will wander lost inside the illusions until we pull them out."

"What happens if we make a mistake?"

Baek Yu-yeon asked, tense. The staff member smiled gently.

"We'll retrieve you right away — though it does take some time, so please be careful."

"Yes, sir."

Kang Hyun gave the formation a cursory once-over.

A Path-Confusing Array.

A fairly practical formation — one wrong step and you were trapped wandering through illusions. But the flow was sloppy, riddled with gaps. At this quality, a single footwork technique could shatter it without effort.

The reason he could read formations so well was one of the Seven Old Monsters: the Array Ghost, Hwangbo Cheon-gi. A genius of formation arts who had once deployed the Saturn Array — the madman who had stretched a single day's time into four.

They passed safely through the geometrically patterned corridor, and at last the fog that had veiled their vision cleared away.

"We've arrived."

"Wow."

"Oh my god…"

Awe burst from both women's lips at once. Even Kang Hyun's eyes lit with interest.

An underground city.

Night-glow pearls studded the ceiling, and several meters below, terrace-style buildings spread out in layered tiers.

"Welcome to Daeseong Market. The market is divided into five major zones. Zone One handles elixirs and medicinal ingredients. Zone Two deals in monster organs and byproducts. Zone Three covers minerals and equipment. Zone Four specializes in secret manuals. And at the center, you'll find the auction house and food court."

Perhaps because companions were allowed, the place was fairly crowded.

I heard Taejung Mulsan is one of their major partner companies too.

The corner of Kang Hyun's mouth curled upward.

Daeseong Group? Before long, their own Taejung Mulsan would bulk up into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Taejung Group. With Yoon Tae-jung's business instincts, it was more than doable.

When that day comes, I'll have him build a market like this from scratch.

Hwangbo Cheon-gi's secret formation rose in Kang Hyun's mind — the Spatial Transfer Array. An absurd divine art that let you leap across space simply by stepping on the ground. Kang Hyun knew how to deploy it as well.

Raise global accessibility through formations, then monopolize the display of rare manuals and precious elixirs…

The scale would explode. The market itself would become both an intelligence network and a cash pipeline.

Having cheerfully finished sketching the blueprint in his head, Kang Hyun turned to the guide.

"That'll be enough of the tour. We'll look around on our own."

"Understood. Please enjoy your visit."

They headed straight for Zone One. Quite a few shops lined the area, and a subtle yet sharp herbal fragrance drifted through the air.

"Wow, look at that!"

Baek Yu-yeon pointed at a display case as she passed, startled.

A ginseng root sat inside a crystal display case.

"I've heard those only drop from dungeons at truly nightmarish odds…!"

As a martial medical arts major, she looked around with sparkling eyes. It was her first time seeing the expensive medicinal ingredients she had only ever encountered in textbooks — in the flesh.

Kang Hyun was browsing as well, though the truth was he hadn't come here for his own elixirs. Eating a scrap of Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng might have some effect, but nothing dramatic. It would be like pouring a cup of water into a river.

I need to get some for those five brats.

The midterm Murim Tournament was coming up soon. He had already placed a bet — so he might as well make sure they won cleanly, right?

Cha Yu-sik was the second son of a major guild, so he had probably been fed every kind of elixir since childhood. The rest of them were the problem. Kwak Do-jin, in particular — living alone with his grandmother — was barely scraping by on tuition, from what Kang Hyun knew. There was no way kids like that had ever tasted an elixir.

Spotting a suitable pill while walking, Kang Hyun asked,

"What is this one?"

"A Lesser Returning Pill refined with Crimson Flower Herb as the base. Chinese-made, one hundred million won."

Hmm. Looking it over roughly, it seemed capable of building about two years' worth of internal energy.

"And this?"

"Ah, that one is an Azure Treasure Pill. Much higher purity, no side effects. Two hundred million won."

Kang Hyun's gaze flicked lightly over both pills.

The two-hundred-million one is better.

It wasn't some legendary Murim treasure that would instantly grant half a cycle of internal energy or completely remake your bones and meridians. But at that level, at least no one would be able to make the excuse that they lost for lack of internal energy.

"Five Azure Treasure Pills, please."

"Hahaha! Now that's a big spender!"

The clerk's eyes went wide. Buying five two-hundred-million-won elixir pills without a single attempt at haggling — now that was a true Daeseong Market member.

"I'll wrap them right up! Just hold your wrist out here!"

Half of the prize money he had received vanished in an instant, but Kang Hyun didn't feel the least bit of regret. He had never been particularly greedy, and with his abilities, money was something he could earn in endless quantities whenever he wanted.

Being able to spend freely for someone else's sake — wasn't that a joy all its own? That was the nature of money. Lock it away and it becomes a stagnant puddle. Let it flow, and someday it returns as a river.

Wow.

Lee Se-ah, standing beside him, let her mouth fall open. The moment he bought five elixirs, she understood exactly who he had been thinking of.

The more I see of him, the more unexpected he is.

She had dealt with plenty of people in her time, but someone who looked after others this selflessly was rare.

Kang Hyun moved on to Zone Three without breaking stride — the section displaying minerals and equipment. His steps came to a stop in front of one particular display.

Oh.

A gleam ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of interest sparked in Kang Hyun's eyes.

These have a pretty solid reputation as acupuncture tools.

Crafted with the frigid cold-ice silver of the North Sea as a base to prevent energy corruption, then mixed with a trace of azure jade powder to grant the property of purifying toxic qi. There was nothing better for channeling energy when piercing the meridians.

And one more thing was now certain.

Goods that were used in the Murim world are dropping from dungeons.

"I'll take one of these."

Kang Hyun held out his wrist without hesitation and paid.

"Take it."

"Huh?"

Baek Yu-yeon looked completely bewildered.

"W-why are you giving this to me?"

"It's a commemorative gift for my first disciple."

"It's too expensive."

"Too expensive? Are you looking down on me because I'm a contract worker?"

"Th-that's not what I meant!"

"Just take it already. It's beginner-grade anyway. You'll need to upgrade to something better later."

She accepted it with trembling hands.

"A kid learning acupuncture with hands that shaky? What good is that?"

"…Thank you, Master."

Her voice trembled too, as if emotion was welling up.

"Don't mention it. You'll need to stick those needles at least tens of thousands of times before they feel natural in your hands."

As he started walking again, Kang Hyun's gaze snagged on a small, translucent jade pendant.

Oh?

Kang Hyun's pupils dilated slightly.

This is here?

Looking at the price, he let out a dry laugh. A mere five hundred million? In the Murim world, anyone holding a military or strategist post would have moved heaven and earth to obtain one of these — a treasure among treasures. Simply carrying it cleared the mind and blocked illusion arts.

They've never been hit by an illusion technique, so they have no idea what this is worth.

A windfall. Kang Hyun paid without a moment's delay.

"Uwaaah… aren't you flexing a little too hard?"

Dropping 1.8 billion won in under thirty minutes left Lee Se-ah's voice shaking. To her, he said,

"Take it."

"…Me?"

Lee Se-ah recoiled in horror. As a public servant, she was subject to the anti-graft laws.

"N-no! I absolutely cannot accept a high-value bribe like this! I'm grateful for the thought, but—"

"Bribe, my ass. What would I even gain by bribing you? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Keep it. It'll cut down on your fatigue."

"…Why give this to me?"

"So you'll grind the ink harder working beside me."

Lee Se-ah was still standing there, speechless and flustered, when—

Ohodanmundo?

Kang Hyun turned his head.

The tyrannical saber art of the Habuk Paeng family — said to stand as the twin peak opposite the Namgung family's Emperor's Sword Form!

The very saber style he had planned to teach Seo Hae-in someday… was being put up for sale here?