Let's Meet on the Fourth Floor
I finally arrived at the 4th basement level of the Black Market, where the demons store their goods. But how should I describe the sight before me? Right, have you ever been to a warehouse-style discount store? Those places are packed to the brim with inventory. And because they sell in bulk, the prices are a bit cheaper than your average supermarket or retail shop. That’s their biggest selling point. That’s why I used to frequent them.
Back when I was being exploited left and right at small-to-medium enterprises, I’d blow my stress away by spending money on games and other hobbies, which meant I was always strapped for cash. I’d waste my meager salary on gacha games or new releases... Anyway, back then, I didn't have as deep a lingering attachment to life as I do now. There was no woman to be with, no family to support, and no friends I kept in touch with. I was always alone. My life was just a shape being led by external forces, rolling along wherever the current took it.
Even the games I obsessed over—when I realized at some point that they were nothing more than scraps of data, I’d often wonder what on earth I was living for. Anyway, let’s skip the useless talk and get to the point. I remember buying a mountain of groceries at those warehouse stores. I’ve been overwhelmed by an absurd amount of goods before.
“Shit.”
And the scene unfolding before my eyes right now was roughly similar to that warehouse store. It was disgustingly crowded, unimaginably vast, and loud enough to make you lose your mind. I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the warehouse. Moreover, since this wasn't a place built by humans, it was obscenely wide, so vast the ceiling was invisible, and it was filled with all sorts of bizarre items that no human could ever possibly use. From severed heads that I couldn't figure out why they hadn't rotted away, to eggs of unknown creatures, to strange sculptures that looked like they belonged in a shaman’s ritual—it was packed with all sorts of grotesque oddities.
You couldn't collect things like this even if you tried... Perhaps because it’s a place where various demons collectively manage items that are useless but too wasteful to throw away, there were just so many strange things. Regardless, the 4th basement of the Black Market was absurdly large. And if you touched the wrong thing, you’d be hit with a curse that would shatter your sanity. Everywhere I looked, I heard shrill screams that I couldn't tell were human or ghostly, ear-piercing noise, the sound of something being crushed, something being ripped out, or cartilage being pulverized. It was dizzyingly, incredibly noisy. It was as chaotic and mentally exhausting as stepping into a crowded mega-mart. Yet, there wasn't a single entity in sight. That’s what really makes you go crazy. Knowing that the beings making all this noise are hiding everywhere, but being unable to confirm their presence—it made my head spin.
And now, I have to find Cheshire’s soul in this madhouse. My eyes are already starting to ache just thinking about it.
Vival, the crow-headed demon, squawked at Abalam. Abalam, whose eardrums felt like they were about to burst from Vival’s scream-like shouting, frowned deeply and tied Vival’s beak shut with a thread. Then, he examined the intruders again with an intrigued gaze. The reason they were watching Jojun’s party was simple. It was because of the 'Curse of the Crown,' which had been triggered when Han Aram accidentally looked at the wall on the 1st basement level. The curse was something Paimon had left behind, and the moment it activated, Vival and Abalam, who could be considered Paimon’s minions, noticed Jojun’s party.
Vival and Abalam were named demons of a higher order, but they were a tier below Paimon. Normally, they shouldn't have been able to spot Jojun’s group, but it was possible because this was the basement of the Black Market. Here, the power of gods didn't function properly. This space was created by demons, for demons. Because of that, the influence of Kashnakas and Indikron, which usually blocked Jojun from being observed, was diminished, allowing them to observe Jojun’s party, albeit imperfectly.
[They’re just bugs, anyway.]
Abalam sneered at the intruders. To his eyes, the light of the souls Jojun’s party possessed was too small and faint. So faint that it wouldn't be strange if they died at any moment. Moreover, one didn't even seem to be a living creature, and the other had a soul that was partially torn. Those were Eila and Cheshire, respectively. While they were the two strongest in Jojun’s current party, to Abalam, who judged opponents by the brightness of their souls, Eila and Cheshire were the weakest of the weak.
[I can't believe such pathetic things reached this far.]
Abalam belittled Jojun’s party as much as he could. He was busy finding any excuse to insult them. In truth, all Abalam, with his mediocre skills, could do was follow the orders of his master Paimon or peek at others and sneer like this. Abalam had been promoted to a 'named' status as Paimon’s subordinate, but he wasn't a high-ranking demon with a widespread reputation. That’s why he knew that if he engaged in external activities on his own, he’d definitely be slaughtered by benevolent or evil gods. So, he stayed holed up in his room, envying and jealous of others alongside his colleague and rival, Vival. His appearance—stuck in a room like a shut-in, cursing the world and envying others—was the very definition of a petty demon.
Anyway, no matter how much of a named demon Abalam was, he was different from humans with player qualifications, so gods could crush him at any time; thus, demons always had to play it safe. In reality, unless you were one of the few top-tier elites, the measure of strength for a demon was survivability. How well you could survive while dancing between evil gods and benevolent gods was what mattered most. That’s why most demons try to gauge their opponents first. They only move once they’ve determined whether it’s safe to touch them or if it’s better to just avoid them. If they think they can touch them, they drain their souls dry, and if they sense danger, they pull back and flee. However, Abalam and Vival had been chosen by Paimon long ago and lived relatively comfortable lives just by catering to his whims, so they had a tendency to blindly look down on humans. In short, they lacked the eyes to discern the backing humans had.
[Vival, get ready.]
[Squawk??]
[Let’s go harvest the intruders. It’s been a while since we had a human hunt! I’ve been so stifled lately!]
Watching Jojun and his party wandering through the 4th floor, Abalam licked his lips. He stoked his sadistic desires, thinking of it as a human hunt after a long time. Unfortunately, they didn't know. That one of them was a retainer of evil gods and a human who was currently hogging their attention. If their master, Paimon, had been here, he would have quietly withdrawn his interest in Jojun’s party. There was no need to stir up trouble unnecessarily. Or perhaps, he might have approached them in a friendly manner to offer a contract under good conditions or build a cooperative relationship to bring them under the wing of the evil gods. But Paimon was currently away, and there was no one to stop the rampage of the stupid but strong Vival and the talented but short-sighted Abalam. In a way, this too was a tragedy.
“It’s disgustingly wide.”
“Right?”
My party and I carefully wandered through the 4th floor. The 4th floor was absurdly vast. Also, a thick, hazy fog was spread throughout the warehouse—it was *Magi*, so dense it was visible to the naked eye.
“Hoo. Hoo.”
Aram took a deep breath, absorbing all the *Magi* in the air by herself. Having undergone demonization the moment she entered the 4th floor, her horns only grew larger as time passed. And as her horns grew, the surrounding air was purified, and the fog vanished only in the areas where we walked. This was performance that went beyond an air purifier. If it weren't for Aram, a normal person like me probably wouldn't have lasted even 30 minutes before being poisoned by the *Magi* and meeting my end. That’s how serious the condition of the 4th floor was. It was clear why the insanely strong Cheshire and Eila hadn't been able to conquer the 4th floor.
“Shh.”
Just then, Cheshire, who was walking in the lead, stopped. Something huge was walking in the distance.
‘Warehouse Keeper...’
It was one of the monsters roaming the 4th floor. Their appearance was that of large humans with two pairs of arms. For some reason, they were all wearing tattered dress shirts, and their genders were distinct. Their faces had their eyeballs gouged out, dripping with black blood, and overall, they looked like monsters that resembled office workers who had died from overwork.
‘They must have all been human once, too.’
I wondered if they were humans who had signed a contract, only to be broken and used as unpaid labor. Also, those bastards fired curses from their mouths and used their long arms to grab fleeing opponents and tear their limbs apart. They were truly insane monsters. It was fortunate that we hadn't been spotted by them yet. Anyway, it was best to avoid them as much as possible. Our plan to pass the curses onto the Slaughter Beast and dispel them in real-time had all gone down the drain.
‘Come to think of it... why does nothing ever go according to plan?’
I always make plans and run simulations in my head before experiencing things firsthand, but once I’m actually faced with reality, the plans are shattered, and I realize the simulations were nothing more than delusions. In the end, improvisation is what matters most.
“Hmm... they’ve passed. Let’s go.”
As the Warehouse Keepers left for another area, we moved forward again. Eila guided us in the direction of Cheshire’s soul.
‘It’s too smooth...’
It was strangely smooth. I felt uneasy because it had already been several hours since we entered, and nothing had happened yet. It was going too well for my standards. In my experience, whenever things went this smoothly, something would always blow up and turn the situation into a mess...
‘No... it’ll be fine...’
It’s not like the world is out to kill me... that can't be it. Things have always been twisted, so it’s about time I finished things peacefully. I’m already in a shitty mood because I lost Kekere and the Slaughter Beast, costing me nearly 200,000 coins, so I just hope I can find Cheshire’s soul and get out without any trouble.
-Kiyaaaa!!!!
At the same time I had that thought, a roar echoed from somewhere in the 4th-floor warehouse. It was the Slaughter Beast. The persistent beast seemed to have followed us down to the 4th floor.
‘Crazy... you persistent bastard...’
The persistent beast kept screaming. It was as if it were saying, "I’ve arrived, so wash your neck and wait for me." It’s driving me crazy. Just how far is it planning to chase me? Don't tell me... it’s not going to follow me all the way to my base outside the Black Market, is it? If it does, I’m definitely going to catch it and turn it into a slave. Right now, the place is too dangerous to act recklessly, so I’m just running away, but if it crawls all the way to my base, that’s crossing the line.
We have Fal-us at our base, Mer, Eila, and soon Cheshire will be joining us. So, if that bastard loses its mind and chases me to my base, I’ll catch it, beat it until it’s half-dead, brand its head, and make it my slave. Then, I’ll make it do 200,000 coins' worth of work.
As I was having that delusion, the shelves shook, and the Warehouse Keepers all rushed toward one location simultaneously. It was where the Slaughter Beast’s scream had come from. It seemed the 4th-floor Warehouse Keepers had decided to deal with the Slaughter Beast together.
‘Uh...? Wait, maybe... this is good.’
The beast always makes sure to announce its arrival, for some reason. I guess it’s confidence in its own power. Well, thanks to that, all the aggro of the Warehouse Keepers has shifted to the Slaughter Beast, so it’s a huge win for me.
‘Maybe... it’s already done 200,000 coins' worth of work with that action...’
Handling the Mirror Ghosts alone was one thing, but it was unexpectedly providing practical help to our journey. Is it just my imagination, or is it actually more useful than Kekere, who looked like a piece of shit when she was a toad?
“The Warehouse Keepers have all cleared out that way. Now is our chance. Let’s move quickly.”
“Yes.”
We, who had been moving with our waists half-bent, realized that the Warehouse Keepers had all been drawn away by the Slaughter Beast, and we picked up our pace.
-Thud!!!
The Slaughter Beast slammed its fist down, bursting the head of a Warehouse Keeper. Since curses didn't work on it, to the Slaughter Beast, the Warehouse Keepers were nothing more than multi-armed prey. Of course, it was getting a bit tired because there were so many of them, but it was impossible to stop the fully revived Slaughter Beast with things like these.
“Haa... haa... sniff... haa...”
The blood-soaked Slaughter Beast tracked Jang Jojun’s scent. It wasn't far now. They would meet soon.