Black Market (2)

There was a door deep within the store, and beyond it was a neatly organized storage.

These are all the special attribute items we have. Seo Jun-ho entered the room and looked over the items. Of course.

There were lots of great items, but there were no items with the Darkness attribute. However, there was one with an Ice attribute.

Theres only one. A glove radiating a cold aura. He picked it up.

As soon as he did, the workerwhod been leaning against the wall with a fresh cigarettesuddenly leaped forward.

Hey, hey, you cant just touch that! He rushed over, snatched the glove from Seo Jun-hos hand and put it back in its place. He let out a long sigh, looking like hed just lost 10 years of his life.

Its a crazy item. Its cursed, I tell you! It has a great boost, but sometimes the magic converges and freezes the users body. Its already happened three times.

Let me take a look. Seo Jun-ho felt a pull toward the item. He checked the info.

Glove That Holds the Frost Fairys Wrath

Grade: Rare (Curse)

Speed +1

Stamina +1

Magic +2

Wrath of the Frost Fairy:

Occasionally freezes the body of the user.

Requirements: Level 10, Speed 40, Magic 50

[You sense Intermediate-level Frost from the target.]

[You can purify the item.]

Amazing. It was on the same level as Nine Yin Severance Syndrome. That meant it could raise his Magic stat by around 5 again. Seo Jun-hos eyes sparkled.

How much is this?

Youre really gonna buy it? The worker licked his lips as he glanced toward him. You probably know from looking at its data, but this would sell for at least around 3 billion won if it were purified by someone skilled.

(TN: around 2.7m USD)

And its current price?

Well, its annoying to have an item that can harm customers Its also hard to find someone who can purify it, so Ill offer 1.8 billion.

(TN: about 1.6m USD)

It was a cheap price to pay for a rare-grade item. Seo Jun-ho nodded coolly.

Is this all you have? No items with a Darkness attribute?

Pfft. Do you think there would be Light or Darkness items in this kind of place? They might have some in the 2nd floor market though.

The 2nd floor. I have to go there sometime.

After adding the glove to his total, the worker saw him off with a wide grin.

Please come again!

After leaving, Seo Jun-ho looked around in the artifact store too. But the player items started at 1 billion won, even if they were the lowest grade.

So overpriced. Seo Jun-ho shook his head and started toward a bar near the center of the Black Market. It wasnt because he was hungry.

I dont have anything else to do. Ill just go back. A teleporter was required to enter the Black Market, and it was the same for leaving. This bar provided this service. Of course, it also served alcohol like a normal bar, and was a place to buy and sell information.

As soon as Seo Jun-ho entered the bar, the other players looked up to stare at him.

Hey, that guy

I think I saw him on the news. Koreas rising star or something?

I heard he caught the Cinder Fox.

Really? Not bad for a newbie.

Their attention and impressions came at him like knives. Seo Jun-ho ignored them and walked toward the bartender who was cleaning glasses.

Information? Drinks? Or Are you looking to be teleported?

Yes. To the Insa-dong branch in Korea.

Youll have to wait around 10 minutes.

Ill have a drink while I wait, then. A martini, please. He listened to the chatter around him as he sipped his martini.

The amount I won from gambling this time

Did you hear? No ones seen Kim Woo-joong of the Nine Heavens lately.

Just how long is the Association gonna hide Specter for? As he listened, Seo Jun-ho suddenly wrinkled his forehead.

Tsk. The Black Market isnt like it was in the past. Did you see Seo Jun-ho come in?

Of course I did. Hes not even level 20 yet, is he?

Hes barely over level 10.

Geez, is the Association trying to say theyre better or something?

The chatter was starting to annoy him. Seo Jun-ho clicked his tongue.

Tsk. Those insects are already starting to gather.

A players name was their brand. The more acclaimed they became, the more expensive they were to hire and the better contracts they got. And of course, they became more famous and would get more admirers.

But it was difficult to raise your reputation. Even if you risked your life in Gates, you needed to stand out. Most players names never spread beyond third-rate internet articles.

But theres one way you can guarantee it.

Seo Jun-ho raised his hand, gesturing toward the bartender.

I want to buy some information.

What kind of information?

Information on those three players sitting in the booth on the left.

Understood. The experienced bartender didnt even glance toward them as he disappeared. Seo Jun-ho chewed on the olive as he waited for the bugs to come find him.

The best way to raise your reputation is to win in a fight against a famous player.

It was the simplest, most obvious way to signal to others that you were better. Naturally, their conversation started to flow in that direction.

Hm. Is he really that amazing? He looks pretty weak.

You cant judge a player by their looks. But

Clearing a Gate and fighting a player is different. Is that what youre gonna say?

Exactly. Fighting a monster and fighting a person is fundamentally different.

Fufu, hes good prey What do you think? The two men exchanged looks and stood up to walk toward Seo Jun-ho. At that moment, the bartender returned and handed an envelope to Seo Jun-ho.

Here is the information you requested. Itll be 3,000 dollars. Seo Jun-ho held out his left hand. Take another hundred. As a tip.

(TN: Man I wish I could bartend for SJH.)

Thank you. Seo Jun-ho ripped open the envelope and skimmed through the documents.

23, 25, 22. Those were the levels of the men that were headed toward him. The information on their skills and specialties was short, but there was nothing that would be dangerous to him.

Theyre just some lowlife thugs. Seo Jun-ho quickly covered his mouth to hold back a laugh. It almost feels like I planned this myself.

Those whove experienced infestations know that pests have to be stamped out completely from the start. If you missed even one, they would multiply uncontrollably.

They probably think that Im the best prey. Well, their levels were almost twice as high. In a normal situation, they wouldnt be able to lose even if they wanted to. Its a move often used by those whove never really achieved anything.

Stamping out budding talents, that is. It was a cheap, nasty tactic, but it was effective. Negative attention was still attention, after all.

Its a different kind of annoyance from the past. Back then, there were also many pests who came after them. But they were a little different. They would flatter him while scrunching their eyes. Back then, simply being able to greet me would raise your specs.

So it was more fun this time. It had been a long time since someone had faced him head-on.

I dont want anything personal But it was the same for them. They didnt have anything specifically against him, but they were picking a fight for their own interests.

Then, Ill use you too. That way, no other pests of this kind would come after him.

Seo Jun-ho placed his empty glass down with a clink.

Oi. Tap, tap. An unfamiliar, coarse hand hit at his shoulder, making him feel dirty. Are you Seo Jun-ho? Ive seen you a lot in articles. Were big fans.

Yeah, I collect scraps of your pictures. The men laughed with their teeth bared. They slid into the seats next to him, showering him with unwanted praise.

Actually, were really proud of you.

From a sunbaes perspective, were proud of outstanding hubaes like you.

We want to teach our cute little hubae. Seo Jun-ho smiled as he listened, nodding.

Sunbaes When did you guys debut?

Huh? Well, Im the oldest and I debuted four years ago Hey, you guys debuted over three years ago, right?

Yup.

Wow, you guys are experienced. The men stood up straighter at his admiration.

Ahem. Well, since you mentioned it, its thanks to us that you guys can hunt easily.

Of course. Its because people like us paved the way, dont you think?

Pft! Seo Jun-ho exploded into a fit of laughter. Once he started, he couldnt stop. Ha Pft Ahahaha! He hunched over the table, gripping his stomach as his shoulders shook with laughter.

The mens faces darkened. Their voices became low.

Why are you laughing?

It wasnt supposed to be funny, you know.

The warm conversation suddenly shifted. Seo Jun-ho slowly raised his head, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Of course its funny. You paved the way? The 1st generation of players did. It hadnt even been five years since they debuted. For a 1st-generation player like Seo Jun-ho, it sounded ridiculous.

The men wouldnt sit still against a hubae who was now speaking informally and insulting them. They stood up, enraged.

Youre just a stupid kid!

How dare you insult your sunbaes?

We need to teach him a lesson.

Even as they stood over him, he wasnt the least bit scared. In fact, he smiled as he asked them a question.

Do you guys know what the handle of a millstone is called? They responded immediately.

An eoi.

If it falls off while youre grinding something, you dont have an eoi.

This situation were in? Theres no eoi, you bastard hubae.

(TN: Eoi is the name of the handle, but when somethings ridiculousbasically a bruh momentin Korean, we say there is no eoi. Eoi doesnt really mean anything, its just an expression.)

They looked dumb, but they were smarter than he thought. Seo Jun-ho stood up with a sullen look on his face, having had his line stolen from him.

Well, your goal was obvious from the beginning. Lets drop the act.

You knew?

And you didnt run away I applaud your courage. The men took it in stride, grinning as they surveyed the area. Everyone in the bar was watching. Its what they wanted. They exchanged looks and spoke loudly.

We just wanted to teach our hubae a few things

But seeing how disrespectful he is, I dont think we can just let this go with a short lesson.

Remember, you brought this upon yourself. The man whod debuted the longest time ago gestured him over with a finger.

Only

No need to talk. Come here. Well show you how great your sunbaes are. He didnt feel the need to reply. Seo Jun-ho turned to the bartender who was watching everything unfold.

How much time is left until I can teleport?

Around four minutes.

Four minutes. I see. Seo Jun-ho rolled his shoulders, stretching them out. Thats more than enough time to play with them.