Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Chapter 91: The Black Market (1)
Translation: godtl
Galaxy Agora.
From buying and selling goods to hiring people—
it was a sacred place no Player could do without.
The Galaxy Agora existed in every country, and Korea was no exception.
Apgujeong, a department store.
Located above Rodeo Street, it was an incredibly lavish and massive building that even boasted a view of the Han River.
And beneath it—
"This way."
A group was heading toward a subterranean level entirely separate from the underground parking lot.
At the forefront of this group stood a strikingly handsome man with sharp features.
'It's been a while.'
He glanced around the dim surroundings and smiled faintly.
The rugged-looking man guiding them paused and gestured to the right.
"Sir Si-mun, this way—"
Before he could even finish—
Thud.
Si-mun stepped forward.
The guide, Park Jin-uk, blinked in surprise.
Then—
"Uh, Sir Si-mun. Have you been to the Black Market before?"
"Hm? Ah."
At Jin-uk's question, Si-mun let out a small sigh.
He scratched the back of his head and replied,
"I just had a hunch. My eyes are a bit special, you know?"
"Ah. Those eyes."
The golden, peculiar magic circles in his pupils.
Recalling them, Jin-uk nodded as if it made sense.
"I knew they were extraordinary, but I had no idea they could even see through the Black Market's entrance route."
He clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Normally, you'd never find it without a pass."
As Jin-uk said, the path to the Black Market was impossible to locate without an access card.
"You know the story about the Black Market's entrance, right, Sir Si-mun?"
"The one about the 1st Generation Ranker who got humiliated?"
"So you do know. Exactly."
It was one of the Black Market's most famous anecdotes—
A 1st Generation Ranker, banned from entering after causing a scene, had sworn revenge and rampaged for years.
In the end, he couldn't even find the entrance, becoming a laughingstock.
'It was even more chaotic because he was a Ranker with tracking abilities.'
A Ranker specialized in tracking, yet unable to locate the entrance?
For the Black Market, which prioritized secrecy, it was an inconvenient incident that risked exposing its existence to the public.
Ironically, though, it only elevated the Black Market's prestige.
After all, it proved that not even a Ranker could defy the Black Market's power.
And naturally, business flourished even more afterward.
That's why—
"Sir Si-mun, you never fail to amaze. How could you possibly see the Black Market's path...?"
The fact that Si-mun could perceive the way in was nothing short of shocking.
Especially for Park Jin-uk, an assassin.
Of course, it was only natural—if one didn't know about Si-mun's regression.
Si-mun chuckled lightly.
"Honestly, I can't see it perfectly either. It's more like... that area feels a bit off? That's the vibe I get."
"Hyung, that's still incredible. I couldn't even sense anything off about this place."
A refreshing voice chimed in from behind.
It was his younger brother, Kim Si-hyeok.
"Just being able to detect even the slightest abnormality here is amazing in itself."
"That's right, Oppa. I tried finding it without a pass too, but I couldn't sense anything at all."
Lee Yu-jeong, standing beside them, added her thoughts.
And it was no wonder.
'These kids... They tried hunting for the Black Market as soon as they became Rankers.'
The "Black Market Hunt."
Ever since the 1st Generation Ranker's humiliation,
it had become something of an annual tradition for new Rankers to attempt.
Of course, not a single one had ever succeeded.
"Anyway, let's hurry. If we have time to spare, I thought we might take a look around the Black Market."
As Si-mun, who had been walking ahead, subtly slowed his pace and spoke, Park Jin-uk clicked his tongue in disappointment before stepping forward to lead the way.
Si-mun smirked as he watched Jin-uk.
The truth was—
'So the entrance is over there. The path itself is surprisingly simple.'
Si-mun had already pinpointed the entrance to the Black Market.
It wasn't because of Odin's Eye.
After all, Odin's Eye wasn't even activated yet.
This was simply—
~~~~.
A faint whisper.
Something was murmuring to him, though he couldn't quite make out the words.
Yet, there was one paradoxical whisper that came through clearly.
And Si-mun knew exactly what this whisper was.
'The Void... No wonder those so-called elite Rankers couldn't find it when the entrance was made with something like this.'
The Void.
The energy from the dimension where the Constellation Black Goat resided.
The irony, however, was—
The fact that he could hear the Whisper of the Void and locate the Black Market's entrance had nothing to do with Black Goat.
[The Constellation Black Goat's eyes gleam at the Void whispering to you.]
Even the Constellation Black Goat was showing interest in him for hearing the Whisper of the Void, wasn't it?
Therefore, this wasn't due to Black Goat's influence—it was something else.
And Si-mun had a hunch about the source of this whisper.
'It's probably because of the title.'
The title, One Who Receives the Gaze from Beyond.
Thanks to this title—which had astonished not only Black Goat but other high-ranking Constellations as well—
He had gained the ability to hear the Whisper of the Void.
'The description didn't list any functions, but what a useful little title this turned out to be.'
Truly, it had been helping him in more ways than one.
At any rate—
"Sir Si-mun, we've arrived."
Si-mun had already unraveled the secret of the Black Market's entrance—a mystery that had remained unsolved even in his past life.
"Everyone's got their hoods up, right? Let's go."
And with that, he stepped into the Black Market.
The Black Market.
A place where anything could be bought and sold—as long as you had the money.
In its early days, it had even facilitated human trafficking, thanks to the crimes of Villains.
But for some reason, human trafficking had been swiftly eradicated.
Of course, Si-mun knew why.
'It was because of the change in ownership.'
A fact known only to a handful, even in his past life.
Unlike the original owner, who had created this place solely for profit—
The new owner of the Black Market refused to tolerate any form of trade that suppressed human freedom.
'Not that it changes the fact that this place is still packed with illegal activities.'
Si-mun's gaze drifted toward the garishly lit shops that stood out in the dimness of the Black Market.
There—
"Hey, handsome~ Take a break! I'll treat you right~"
"Pretty lady over there! Why don't you stop by? I'll make sure you sleep real well~"
—were men and women clad in revealing clothes, aggressively soliciting customers.
And on the opposite side—
"Fck! This sht's rigged! The f*ck kind of hand is this, huh?!"
"You know what happens if you get caught cheating, right? You lose your damn head!"
"Are these bastards insane? I've built my reputation in this business! You hear me?!"
—were people engaged in makeshift gambling dens.
"Ugh... More! More!"
"Please, just give it to me! I'll... I'll pay anything! Huh?!"
"Heh, heheh!"
And others, sprawled on the ground, intoxicated and writhing.
From prostitution to gambling, drugs—
Every vice that catered to humanity's primal desires thrived in the Black Market.
Si-mun let out a dry laugh.
'And yet these are openly allowed. Well, I suppose it's true they're not suppressing human freedom, just as they claim.'
Buying, selling, indulging—
In the sense that every action here was chosen of one's own free will.
After all, the Black Market's owner placed no importance on "suppressing freedom."
Thus, they passed through streets filled with decadence and revelry.
Yet strangely enough, no one bothered them with disputes or solicitation.
The reason was simple.
"Th-the Night Hunter?"
"So the rumors about your recovery were true."
"You're slow on the uptake. When did the Night Hunter ever retire?"
"Shh! They've got quite an entourage—let's not make eye contact unnecessarily."
Park Jin-uk, the Night Hunter.
It was all thanks to the presence of this renowned assassin-class player—the only one in their group not wearing a hood.
His reputation must have been considerable even in the Black Market.
Thanks to that, Si-mun and his companions reached the heart of the Black Market without encountering any trouble.
With an amused tone, Si-mun remarked,
"You must frequent the Black Market often, Jin-uk?"
"Haha! Given the nature of my work, I've been coming here since way back."
As he'd said.
Having once run a private investigation agency and dabbled in various underworld businesses, Jin-uk was naturally familiar with such shadowy realms.
"And for some reason, the Black Market is perpetually shrouded in night—perfect for my trait."
"That makes sense."
Si-mun nodded, glancing at the dim sky of the Black Market.
'With the Void permeating every corner like this, sunlight wouldn't stand a chance.'
He had sensed it upon entering.
Not just the entrance—the entire Black Market was under the Void's influence.
Naturally, Jin-uk's trait, the Blessing of the Night, would be operating at full capacity here.
That was probably another reason the Night Hunter was so renowned in the Black Market.
Just then.
"Work, my foot. You spent every other day gambling your life away."
A crisp voice cut in abruptly.
Caught off guard by Si-hyeok's sudden jab, Jin-uk hastily defended himself.
"Th-that was just an occasional hobby! I've been clean for ages now!"
"Senior. You weren't 'clean'—you just didn't have the money to gamble. I remember it clearly. You even dragged us into the Arena the next day to recoup your losses."
"......"
Was that really a fact?
"Ahh~ it was terrifying. I was the only one who waited for you till the end that day—got so many dirty looks from the other team members."
Under Si-hyeok's relentless verbal assault, Jin-uk couldn't even muster a retort.
He just kept glancing nervously at Si-mun for help.
Suppressing a chuckle, Si-mun pretended not to hear and instead focused on the building ahead.
"This is the place, right?"
An exceptionally ornate and towering structure at the Black Market's center.
The main auction house—the heart of the Black Market.
Simultaneously, it served as the residence of the owner and administrators.
Si-mun turned to his companions.
"You guys go look around at the items. I'll meet the owner alone."
"No way, hyung."
Si-hyeok immediately objected.
His face was etched with concern.
"You've already survived two assassination attempts. If it happened in Korea, what do you think will happen here?"
"He's right, oppa. We can browse items later—let's go together."
"I agree. We know you're strong, but you're far too reckless."
Following Yu-jeong's words, even Mal-suk—who had been quiet until now—spoke up.
All three shook their heads in unanimous refusal.
At that, the corners of Si-mun's lips curled gently upward.
It was only natural.
'Why does this feel so good?'
How could he possibly feel bad when people were worrying about him?
'Come to think of it, it was like this in my past life too.'
A younger brother who always fretted over him.
A friend who turned his back on the world for revenge, yet remained completely open with him.
And another brother he had sent away without ever properly reconciling.
'Right. Even though regression has changed so much from my past life, you all remain exactly the same.'
Suddenly feeling as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes, Si-mun quietly bit back a smile.
"Thanks for worrying about me, but you know what the Black Market's like, right? And this is where the main auction house is—the heart of it all. Even the most notorious Villains don't dare cause trouble here."
After all, wasn't there that infamous incident involving the disgrace of a 1st Generation Ranker?
In fact, the more unstable a criminal's standing in the real world,
the more they restrained themselves to avoid being banned from the Black Market.
At the end of the day, they were still human.
They needed the bare essentials to survive.
Besides—
"They wouldn't even let you in to begin with."
The owner of the Black Market was infamous for being difficult to meet.
No matter how renowned a Ranker might be,
there was no way they'd permit an aimless encounter.
'Though, if I insisted, I could probably get them all in...'
At any rate, the purpose of this meeting was the Arena Disease cure.
He was the one holding the upper hand here.
Still—
'No need to stir up trouble right from the first meeting.'
There was no point in needlessly clashing with the Black Market's owner.
Sure, the Black Market was notoriously lawless, driven mad by money—
'But there's no better place to source materials.'
Wasn't this the one place where you could get your hands on any rare ingredient, as long as you had the coin?
With Golem production on the horizon, the Black Market was indispensable.
Once Si-mun firmly drew the line—
"...If that's how you feel, then fine."
"If anything happens, call us immediately, Oppa."
"Be careful. If something goes wrong, just blow the place up. I'll come running."
The three of them reluctantly backed off with displeased expressions.
After parting ways with his companions, Si-mun made his way toward what appeared to be a reception desk.
As if waiting for him—
"We've been expecting you. You are Player Kim Si-mun, correct?"
From behind the desk, a massive figure in a tailored suit approached.
The sunglasses only added to his intimidating aura, but—
"The Owner is waiting. Please follow me."
Despite his threatening build—reminiscent of Park Jin-uk—his demeanor was impeccably polite.
Si-mun nodded silently and followed.
As he trailed behind the hulking man, drawing closer to where the Owner waited—
~~~~~
The Whisper of the Void grew denser.
Though its linguistic structure remained unintelligible,
he could now discern a certain rhythm woven into the whispers.
And then—
'Ah.'
Amid the ceaseless murmuring, Si-mun realized—
'This isn't whispering.'
The constant, patterned Whisper of the Void—
This wasn't whispering.
'It's the Void's pattern forming this place.'
In magical terms, it was akin to a Barrier formula, perhaps?
The sound was the friction of Void energy, deliberately arranged for concealment.
The moment he grasped this—
[You are the first on Earth to decipher the Whisper of the Void.]
[You have earned 2,000 Achievement Points.]
[Due to the aftermath, your understanding of Human Transmutation has reached its current maximum level.]
[The completion rate of the 'Obsidian Tablet' has increased by 5%.]
[Your Transmutation Power has increased by 2.]
As messages cascaded before his eyes—
'This is...!'
A flood of knowledge seeped into Si-mun's mind.
His understanding of Human Transmutation, which had nearly peaked at his current level,
and the Obsidian Tablet—now at 45% completion, up from 40%—had elevated his mastery of Human Transmutation even further.
'This is an unexpected windfall.'
With an additional 2 points in Transmutation Power, his pure stat now stood at 130.
Having suddenly gained progress on the Obsidian Tablet's completion as well, Si-mun couldn't help but smile.
'With this, 5,000 out of the required 60,000 points are already secured.'
To complete the quest given by the Constellation Black Goat, the Obsidian Tablet needed to reach 60% completion.
This growth had granted him 5%—
effectively skipping 5,000 of the 60,000 Achievement Points required.
A smile naturally spread across his face—
Just then.
"We've arrived."
When had they gotten here?
The massive man opened a lone door hanging in the pitch-black space, and—
"Welcome, Si-mun-nim."
A honeyed voice greeted him.