Plan B
The weather in Pyongyang had been brutally hot, but Kraskino sat in that perfect sweet spot between spring and summer. It would probably be freezing in winter, but right now it was ideal. A quick search told me the average July temperature hovered around 24 degrees Celsius—basically pleasantly warm.
I stepped off the train and booked a room at a hotel near the station. Calling it a hotel felt generous; the place had the rundown vibe of a 90s Russian building. Then again, in a city like this, what else could you expect? It wasn’t exactly a metropolis.
“First things first, I need to find out where the human traffickers are operating…”
Since the youngest son of MegaCorp had been a fifteen-year-old in the game, the protagonist naturally couldn’t use the slave market. I’d only learned that human traffickers existed in this city while reading Alexandra Smirnova’s character profile, so I knew the city’s name but not the exact location.
“Looks like the Dark Merchant app is the only way.”
It made sense. The Dark Merchant network—literally “dark merchants”—would obviously have connections to human trafficking rings. I could probably get the information through their app, but if I rescued Alexandra Smirnova, it would be far too easy for them to trace it back to me.
That would automatically turn the Dark Merchants into enemies, which would be a massive problem. I’d lose access to their rare items, and I’d have to deal with attacks from an organization that held enormous influence over the underworld. That was the last thing I needed.
“Ah!”
That’s right. I didn’t have to rescue her. Why had I been so fixated on a rescue operation? I had plenty of points. I could just buy her outright…
I switched my plan from rescue to purchase and opened the Dark Merchant app. Ever since I’d reached Plus rank, I’d been able to access a lot of information. After selling the BS Group AI files, I’d been upgraded to the highest tier—Diamond rank—which had unlocked several new features.
One of them allowed me to ask questions to Eve almost like using ChatGPT. Each question cost a steep 10,000 points, but since Eve was the AI of the Dark Merchant network and knew the underworld like the back of her hand, the information she provided was extremely valuable.
Of course, the feature wasn’t all-powerful. It was limited to information the Dark Merchants had already gathered, so it couldn’t answer everything in the world. Eve also refused to disclose certain sensitive topics, which meant the function became less useful in the later stages of the game.
I launched the Dark Merchant app and tapped the chat function with Eve. The feature was brand new, so even though it was expensive, I wanted to try it at least once.
The app had asked for location access when I installed it, so Eve immediately knew where I was. I’d have to avoid making enemies of the Dark Merchants until I was strong enough to stand on my own. They knew my exact position, after all.
Ryutta: “Yes. The atmosphere feels completely different coming from Pyongyang to Kraskino. It’s interesting.”
Oh, right. The chat function with Eve also let me earn points by selling information. I’d barely used it in the game, so I’d forgotten until I saw her message.
Ryutta: “I’d like to purchase some information.”
Oh! First question free? That wasn’t in the game. And since the minimum price was 10,000 points, truly important information probably cost even more. In the game it had been a flat 10,000 points per question, but this felt a bit more nuanced. In that case, instead of asking about Kraskino right away, I should use the free question on something more valuable…
Ryutta: “The Taira Food and Kurotsukido are currently in conflict over Akita Prefecture. Why is Kurotsukido targeting Akita?”
I couldn’t understand why Kurotsukido would keep clashing with the Taira Group—one of Japan’s top conglomerates—so I asked Eve if there was something behind the attacks or what their true objective was.
So Kurotsukido already knew about the mithril. I had known there was mithril in Akita Prefecture, but I hadn’t known the exact location. This question had been extremely helpful. Maybe I should ask Nagumo Shian to give me that 8th factory site later?
Ryutta: “That was very useful information. Now, about the next thing I’m curious about…”
I already knew using a local informant would be cheaper, but I’d wanted to test the new chat feature with Eve. Having received the free information, my curiosity about the new function had been mostly satisfied. It was probably better to follow Eve’s advice.
Ryutta: “I’ll follow your advice and find an information broker. Thanks for the information today!”
Chat function has been terminated.
After ending the chat with Eve, I immediately arranged a meeting with a Kraskino information broker. We agreed to meet in front of the station in five minutes, so I headed out at a leisurely pace.
Since the hotel was close to the station, it only took three minutes even walking slowly. I bought a drink from the convenience store in front of the hotel, then made my way to the station.
“Are you the one who requested an information broker?”
The broker was a Russian-Korean mixed man who spoke awkward Korean with a slight Russian accent. Since there was no one else in front of Kraskino Station, he recognized me immediately.
“Yes. I have a few questions.”
“I’ll take questions. Fifty points per question.”
“I want to know the location of the human traffickers.”
“Ah, if you want me to guide you there too, it’s seventy points. Okay?”
Even if he told me the address, I’d probably get lost in an unfamiliar city, so I nodded at the man’s suggestion.
“Follow me.”
The man took the lead, and I followed behind him. We gradually moved away from the city center. As expected, the human trafficking operation was hidden in a shady back alley.
When we entered the building, it looked like an office. Several Russians and mixed-race Russians stood up and stared at me with expressions that clearly said, “Who the hell is this guy?” Since I had no reason to be intimidated by some backwater thugs, we simply glared at each other in silence.
“What are you doing? He’s a customer.”
At the information broker’s words, the big men finally sat back down. After I paid the broker seventy points, a chubby, slightly dark-skinned Korean man emerged from what appeared to be the boss’s office in the back and greeted me. His appearance somehow suited a slave trader perfectly.
“Ooh~! Customer. If we made you uncomfortable, I apologize. We’ve had some minor disagreements with the guys from the neighborhood lately.”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that! May I ask what kind of ‘merchandise’ you’re looking to purchase?”
What a sly bastard.
“I’m looking for items with unusual abilities. I came after hearing rumors.”
“Ah, we have a few. Most of them have rather ambiguous abilities, but there are occasionally customers looking for this type.”
Weren’t ability users supposed to be rare? Maybe all the ones with powers here had been sold to the First Group, and Alexandra was the only survivor.
“Please follow me. Since you came with Young-chul, that means you’re a Dark Merchant member. We’ll skip all the usual procedures and take you straight there.”
Following the slave trader’s guidance, I entered the boss’s office and then went through a small side door in the corner. Beyond that door were two more doors. The trader opened the one on the right.
“Watch your head~!”
Beyond the right door was a staircase leading down to a low-ceilinged basement. I had to bend at the waist as I descended.
“This side contains our regular merchandise. Most of them were brought here because of debt.”
In the small, shabby basement rooms behind iron bars, several people sat with hollow eyes. The trader had said most were here because of debt, but there were surely kidnapping victims among them too. I had expected this scene, but it was still deeply unpleasant. Whether it was sympathy or the moral values I’d held before possessing this body, I couldn’t help feeling disgusted.
Still, I couldn’t cause a scene after coming all this way. I pushed down my sympathy and followed the trader with an emotionless expression. If this feeling continued to bother me, I could always come back later and free these people. For now, I needed to focus on why I was here.
The trader descended another level. Since these were ability users, they were kept in a more secure area.
“This is where we keep our problem children. It seems you came after hearing rumors about this one…”
As the trader spoke to me, he opened the door to the first room. Just as I had expected, Alexandra Smirnova was standing inside. She wore a loose white short-sleeve shirt that looked like a patient gown, reaching down to her thighs, and had beige-colored hair. Her eyes were yellow. She looked much smaller and younger than I remembered. Was it because she hadn’t been getting proper nutrition? Alexandra Smirnova quietly stared at me and the trader.
“This child is probably the ‘Electric Eel’ you heard about in the rumors. She’s quite pretty, so she’s been sold several times, but she always gets returned. Electricity flows through her body, so she can’t be used for sexual purposes. Since she’s been returned multiple times, I’ll let you have her for 8,000 points.”
Surprisingly, the trader was honest about Alexandra Smirnova’s flaw. Eight thousand points… that was roughly ten million won. Being able to buy a notorious mid-boss from MegaCorp’s youngest son’s route for only ten million won was incredible, but…
“I’m not buying just one, so how about a little more discount?”
I figured I’d look like an easy mark if I didn’t haggle, so I asked for a discount. I had plenty of money, but I refused to be taken advantage of.
“Hmm, the price I quoted already includes a discount… Fine! Let’s do this. We’ll keep the individual prices as they are, then apply a percentage discount to the total amount.”
In other words, the more I bought, the bigger the discount. Since I planned to buy every capable person they had, I wasn’t worried about the discount rate at all.