A Busy Day for Guests
“Damn it...”
At the entrance of the Black Market, in a twisted alleyway, several Americans appeared. They were Nick’s colleagues—players who had sought out the Black Market’s sewer, also known as the “Junkie’s Den.” To be precise, their destination was “Drug & Rush,” which could only be reached by passing through that hellhole. The reason they had come all this way was to obtain a Cracked Ankh. To reawaken Nicholas, the hero and savior of the Pantheon, one had to descend to the very bottom of the Abyss. The Cracked Ankh was essential for that, and while Nick’s colleagues were scouring every lead, they had heard a whisper from the devil.
Paimon, who had been waiting for an opportunity, had sent them a secret message:
[Come to the Black Market. I possess the proof of corruption.]
Paimon could not manifest before them directly. To appear in reality, she would have to shoulder an absurd amount of causality, and even if she did, the backlash of forcing her manifestation without a proper process would be more than she could handle. That was why Paimon had simply hinted for them to come to the Black Market. Following the information provided by Michael the Sage, Nick’s colleagues had quickly used the elixirs they had hoarded to achieve the “Life Collateral” achievement, granting them entry. A single key allowed two people to enter at once. They had obtained three keys, allowing a total of six people to enter. Three teams of two had gone in, praying that at least one of them would secure the Cracked Ankh.
Back to the present. Mark and Leo, one of the three teams, entered the twisted alley.
“This place is brutal.”
“They said it was dangerous, but... the atmosphere from the start isn't great.”
Mark, who was Black, and Leo, who was Hispanic, trembled with anxiety as they looked around. They moved forward, unaware of the catastrophic fate that awaited them.
“Then, let’s take a good look around before we leave.”
“Yes.”
We had finished packing our things and killed some time. The time for the Black Market gates to open was approaching, so we decided to tour the shops of the poachers, drug dealers, and slave traders before heading out.
“I’ll stay here.”
“Me too.”
“Okay. Then Kekere and Kesia, you stay here as well.”
“Yes!”
“As you wish.”
There was no need for all of us to walk around together, and since Aram’s goggles were broken, it would be difficult for her to navigate the market. I decided to go with just Cheshire.
“Then, let’s go!”
I took Cheshire’s hand and headed toward the food alley. I planned to visit the poacher’s hut first. I wonder how he’ll react... The poacher wanted to make Cheshire his successor. If he found out I was snatching her away like this... He might try to kill me... I was a little nervous, but what could I do? Cheshire wanted to leave so badly. And if the poacher tried to kill me, Cheshire would stop him. She had to.
“Right? Or left?”
“Hmm... the left looks quieter.”
“Hehe. Then left it is.”
We entered the left path. The right path was crowded with too many Yi-jok (Strange Tribes). Did something happen? I didn’t know. There was no point in getting involved in their business; it would only give me a headache, so I ignored it and kept moving. It was just as I tried to tune out the clamor of the Yi-jok voices.
“KYYAAAAAA!!!!! HELP!!! HELP ME PLEASE!!!!”
A scream erupted from the right path.
“What is that...?”
“Hmm... that side is the slaughterhouse concept today, like a butcher shop.”
“Excuse me?”
“They do a dismantling show and serve the meat as sashimi or grilled dishes right on the spot.”
“Then that scream...”
“It’s today’s living sacrifice.”
“Ugh...”
The voice was a rough, masculine one. Judging by the native accent, it sounded like an American player who had entered the Black Market. To even get into the Black Market... that means they’ve consumed at least two elixirs or inner cores with their life as collateral... surely it’s not one of Nick’s subordinates or colleagues, right? At a time when the difficulty had risen exponentially, making it hard for even average players to survive, this was a veteran player who had managed to enter the market. Moreover, to enter, one had to risk their life with elixirs or inner cores, which meant this man belonged to a large survivor group that frequently encountered wandering merchants, or he had gone on adventures dangerous enough to obtain such items as event rewards.
It couldn’t be Nick’s subordinate... He seemed quite skilled in many ways. But... Hmm... let’s ignore it. No matter how exceptional he was among players, I felt no need to jump into a crowd of Yi-jok to save him. Even with Cheshire, who had Black Market immunity, by my side, breaking through all those Yi-jok was a hassle, and I didn’t really feel like saving him just to turn him into a slave. It felt like adding dead weight. So, whoever got caught, I wish them the best of luck.
Leo and Mark escaped the twisted alley without much trouble. There were no real threats, and the Yi-jok wandering the alley didn’t pay them any mind. Thanks to that, they safely moved to the food alley. That was their last bit of luck. Upon arriving at the food alley, they unknowingly entered the right alley, where the dismantling show was in full swing. Yes, that much was fine. If they had just gone straight to the poacher’s hut, they would have reached Drug & Rush safely and met with Paimon over a cocktail handed to them by the bartender, Jackson. However, Mark and Leo made a mistake one should never make in the Black Market: they were nosy.
In the alley where the show was happening, they spotted a beast-kin girl crying and screaming inside a cage. If it had been Jojun, he would have just walked past. But the two men, who were obsessed with women and harbored pedophilic tendencies, made the mistake of breaking the cage to rescue her. The moment the cage was destroyed, the beast-kin girl stopped crying, cast a binding spell on Mark and Leo, and escaped the Black Market. Trapped by the spell, Mark and Leo were surrounded by Yi-jok who were furious at losing their sacrifice. The kindness of the Yi-jok, who had ignored them despite seeing they were human, had been trampled by Mark and Leo themselves. Now, there was no helping it. The unpleasant humans who trampled on kindness had to become the living sacrifices for the dismantling show in place of the prey that had fled. That was the Yi-jok’s thought process, and it was a truly rational judgment.
“No. No! You can’t do this!!!!”
Yes, Mark and Leo didn’t know. They didn’t know how dangerous the Yi-jok were. They paid the price for treating the high-ranking Yi-jok as mere fodder. Because they were arrogant enough to think they could win if they fought together, they were going to die here today.
“Mark!! No! Mark!!”
—Crunch.
“AAHH!! UAAAHHH!!! Help me!! Please, someone help me!!! UAAAHHH!!!!”
That was Mark’s last will and testament. A mass of tentacles holding a curved blade grabbed Mark, lifted him up, broke his arms and legs, and sliced open his stomach. His abs were torn, and his intestines spilled out. The Yi-jok mocked Mark as he died, watching his own guts spill out. Soon, the Yi-jok approached the limp Mark on the floor, savoring the spilling guts and blood with delight. Leo, who was next, wet himself—tears, snot, and urine—as he watched Mark being butchered and eaten like a pig, or perhaps even more barbarically. Leo begged. He begged the Yi-jok who were approaching him while making strange sounds to please spare his life. But there was no way he, having already crossed the line, would ever leave the Black Market alive. Leo, too, was murdered in a horrific fashion just like Mark.
And two other people were watching the scene from a distance.
“Bella... shouldn’t we save them...?”
“It’s already too late. Those idiots... why did they have to go and act out... Ella, let’s go the other way. This place is engulfed in madness. It’ll be troublesome if we get caught up in it. Let’s get out of here quickly.”
“Yeah... okay.”
Bella and Ella, the white twin sisters. The two women turned their eyes away from Leo, who had begun to be torn apart, and headed toward the alley where Jojun and Cheshire had entered. From the start, they hadn’t liked Mark and Leo. The two were infamous for having a bad reputation even within the survivor camp. The rumors were mostly about them trying to touch women who were alone. In a way, one could say Mark and Leo were being punished.
“It seems the concept here is fried food.”
“Yeah, yeah. The smell of oil is so strong. Right?”
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here quickly.”
The left alley Cheshire and I entered had shops frying something. I didn’t check what they were frying. Checking would only make my stomach turn, so it was better to pass through quickly. It felt like the smell of oil was soaking into my clothes, too.
—Zing. Zing.
“Hmm?”
“Cheshire, did you set an alarm?”
“Ah, no. This is...”
As we were walking at a fast pace, a vibration sound came from Cheshire’s arms. Soon, she pulled a small device from her pocket. It was a pager. It was an item given by merchants when you spent over 10,000 coins in the Black Market, used to call the guide, Cheshire. The fact that it was ringing now meant...
“Jojun, are you pressing the pager right now?”
“No.”
“Then...”
“Someone must be calling for Cheshire. Where is the location?”
“It’s the poacher’s hut.”
“Let’s hurry there.”
Someone had purchased over 10,000 coins worth of items and was calling for Cheshire. Something is strange... There were definitely American visitors in the right alley just a moment ago... And to think there’s a visitor who arrived here ahead of us... Unlike usual, there are too many visitors in the Black Market. It felt unusually chaotic today. Yes, it was subtly different from the usual Black Market.
What’s going on? Did some special event start now that it’s Monday...? I made a guess. Maybe an event started, and elixirs or inner cores were flooded into the market. Perhaps those who consumed them achieved the “Life Collateral” achievement, got their hands on a Gambler’s Black Chip, and entered the market. If that were the case, the high volume of traffic today would make sense. Regardless, Cheshire and I headed toward the poacher’s hut at a half-run, careful not to get caught by the security patrol.