Chapter 13: Meanwhile, in the Black Market… (2)
The top floor of Black Money. I was invited to a floor that only the CEO, Seo Ye-rin, was allowed to enter. After hearing a proper explanation of the situation, I had to force myself to calm down my nerves once again.
‘What a mistake this has been.’
Black Market dominated more than half of Korea’s underworld, and it was led by an S-rank hunter.
Even in a place like this, I had to be cautious about what I was dealing with!
But the more pressing issue was what to do moving forward. A mistake is a mistake, but how to resolve it is the real problem.
“Should we recover the gold now?” I asked.
“Rejected. You. Death,” she replied bluntly.
“By now, the information that pure gold has been put up for auction in Black Money has probably spread. There are numerous eyes and ears here in Black Money. Trying to collect the items again would only shift the risk from us to Shin Juha. I wouldn’t want to recommend that to our VIPs. Especially not to the VVIP candidates,” the man said.
Right, that’s a good point. After all, I had no desire to die from a single mistake made right after my return.
“Currently, we are blocking all information about Shin Juha. Unless they are the boss, the identity of the VIP cannot be known. We have also thoroughly erased any traces of Shin Juha’s first visit to Black Money.”
“Thank you. So what do we do now?”
If recovery was impossible, then there was honestly nothing I could do. After all, I was merely a mysterious ability user who had put an item up for auction.
“Auction. Two days. Prepare. In full,” she said.
“You’ve already prepared the auction for two days later?”
“To prevent other underworld organizations and monsters from interfering, we prepared quickly. At the same time, invitations were sent to all S-rank hunters worldwide, as well as to wealthy chaebols and public officials from rich countries.”
Once I heard that, my unease began to fade a bit.
“With that many guests, even if it’s the underworld or monsters, they shouldn’t be able to just steal the auction items!”
“Correct. Smart. My thought.”
“Good job!”
At my praise, Seo Ye-rin nodded with satisfaction and stood up.
“You. Safety. Important. For now. Hide. Auction. Abstain. Necessary.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t show up at the auction to ensure my safety and not get involved?”
“Correct. Instead. After the auction. VVIP.”
I nodded. Getting involved in such a huge event right now wasn’t a good idea. I could easily get killed or be targeted by monsters and underworld figures if I tried to stick my nose in.
‘It’s unsettling to think what kind of great misfortune might occur.’
After all, I had my own tasks to attend to.
Clearing the tutorial and strategizing for the hidden stage.
“This works out perfectly. I also need to stay in the Abyss for about 1-2 weeks. There aren’t many people in the tutorial anyway, so it’ll be safe.”
“Good! But. More. Gold. Not?”
“…Why do you ask?”
“Greed. Needed.”
“Ah! You want me to sell you some, right?”
“Correct. Money. Instead. Legendary-SS. Skill book. Give.”
Hearing the grade of the skill book, I didn’t even think about refusing and nodded immediately. There was no downside to this deal. If we were to look at it from a loss perspective, they stood to lose more. Even though pure gold was unique and rare, the value of a legendary skill book could not be measured.
Moreover, I felt somewhat indebted to her, so it felt right to open up this much. Given how she was showing me this level of goodwill, it seemed she held a pretty high opinion of me.
Of course, auctions are something that should be done with black money, but when I think about the risks and hassle involved, it could have easily been something I just let go of. However, I took the initiative to handle everything, and the fact that there was an S-rank hunter’s legendary skill book made it even more tempting.
Legendary skill books are only shown a few dozen times worldwide, but when they do appear, they are usually auctioned off for several hundred billion won.
Above all…
I grinned inwardly as I looked at the more than 30,000 pure gold ingots in my inventory.
In reality, this was something of enormous value, but for me, it was an overflowing treasure.
I immediately took out ten pure gold ingots from my inventory and handed them to her.
“Wow! This enough. Thank you. Here. Help.”
“Of course, it’s a help. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you. Receiving a legendary skill book like this is something only S-ranks or SS-ranks could hope to get!”
“A high-level dungeon. I got it. Not for me. For others.”
“Still, you could have sold it to other hunters. Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”
“Thanks to you. For research. For potions. For magic development. Good materials!”
Crunch!
Seo Ye-rin, who finally crushed the candy in her mouth, jumped up with an excited face and carefully stored all the gold ingots in her spatial pocket before waving goodbye to me.
“Take care. Go.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll just buy something.”
“Hmm? What?”
“I need a unique-class holy item.”
“…Hmm. Right now. At the auction. I’ll just give it to you.”
Seo Ye-rin showed me her goodwill until the very end and left, and not long after, a bright, shining cross necklace appeared before me.
“It’s a gift from the president.”
“This… How should I thank you?”
“You don’t need to. This is merely a small gesture compared to your value, Mr. Shin Juha. And considering how much commission the pure gold ingots will bring us, we’re actually making a significant profit. Please continue to do business with us in the future.”
That makes sense. Given who she is, I had been a bit too humble.
I am now a major player in the black market, after all.
‘But I can only say that because I haven’t stood in front of an S-rank yet.’
That suffocating feeling, where everything around you feels overwhelmed… it naturally makes me more respectful.
‘And for me, it’s not a loss at all.’
Friendship with an S-rank, a legendary skill book, the vast money I could make through a special auction, and lastly, the VVIP status in the black market!
“If this level of compensation is possible, then a little risk is worth it.”
Unlike the worried feelings I had when I entered, I returned home with a light heart, trying to avoid people’s gazes.
***
I wanted to rush home and unlock the seal on my wings to start learning the skill book, but I suppressed my impulses and desires, heading instead to my brother’s hospital.
I wanted to see my brother’s face, even just once, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to see him for at least a week.
Although he looked like he was dead asleep, I needed to check on him occasionally to feel at ease.
As I entered the VIP ward, I saw my brother in a patient gown, lying in a life extension capsule.
“I’m back.”
Even without a reply, I continued speaking silently.
“A lot has happened, and a second chance has been given to me. This time, I will definitely get rid of this damned curse that has been placed upon us.”
His inexplicable illness and the curse of misfortune that had been given to me.
“So please just hold on a little longer. I will definitely solve this.”
To be honest, I can’t confidently say that I had never wanted to abandon my brother during the hard times before my return.
I’m a person too, and I have feelings, but living a lifetime in unhappiness while also taking care of others’ misfortunes is more than enough to drive anyone mad.
But I couldn’t abandon my brother until the end.
The responsibility weighing down on my heart, as my only ally and blood relative, along with my parents’ last will, and the painful hypothesis that my younger brother’s illness might be my fault.
Those four things forced me to rise again and again, even when I felt like collapsing.
I clenched my fist tightly and checked my authority status.
‘The ownership is now just over 8%.’
As I grew, it had increased accordingly, and I could now take out nearly 20 items from my inventory.
At the same time, the lock on the F-grade magic stone was released. Of course, with more than enough money, I had no intention of selling it.
I didn’t want to risk making a mistake like last time.
“Then, I’ll go to the Abyss, okay? Hold on for as long as you can. I’ll gain the ability to solve your illness as quickly as possible.”
Just as I steeled myself and rose from my seat, the hospital room door swung open, and a person entered.
“Oh! The guardian has arrived.”
With beautiful, waist-length golden hair and a radiant smile, she greeted me warmly and introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Gi So-young, the guild leader of the Miracle Guild and the head healer of Miracle Hospital.”
I hurriedly bowed my head at her introduction.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Hunter Shin Juha.”
“Hahaha! There’s no need to be so formal with me. Right now, I’m a first-class healer visiting for VIP treatment, and Hunter Shin Juha is the guardian of one of our hospital’s VIP patients!”
“Still, how can I—an F-rank hunter—”
“It’s alright. So, can I discuss the patient’s condition a little? I was actually planning to call you for a consultation.”
As soon as she mentioned my brother, Gi So-young’s expression grew serious, and I couldn’t help but mirror her seriousness.
“Is there a serious problem?”
“No, no. Don’t be alarmed. In fact, I want to talk about something positive.”
Her words made my eyes light up, but I was left in shock by what followed.
“It seems that the previous hospital couldn’t detect it due to the low-grade tests. We were surprised at first, but the test results show that the patient is not cursed or sick.”
“Wha… what do you mean? How can that be! He’s been collapsed for years!”
“Hmm… I don’t know the detailed reason, but what’s certain is that no curses or diseases were found in the patient’s body. I conducted the tests personally, so it’s reliable! What we have found is…”
Suddenly, Gi So-young hesitated, causing me to frown without realizing it.
“Haha! Now you’re showing a more human expression. The patient, Shin Yu-ah, is presumed to have fallen into such a state because of an immense power he awakened. In other words, he has awakened an extraordinary power, but his body couldn’t handle it, leading to a sort of hibernation!”
“Is… is that really true?”
“Of course! I’m Gi So-young, an A-rank healer who’s also in the running for the next S-rank. I have the world’s first legendary supporting skill! I once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Saint of England! Although I didn’t become a saint because I gave up on the competition.”
I could only feel my strength fade away as I sank into a chair.
All this time, I had thought it was a curse or an illness, wringing my hands in despair. But to think it was actually due to having too much power!
I had even thought about feeding him nectar to wake him up but gave up on that.
If I had recklessly given him nectar, it might have awakened an even greater power and placed more strain on his body.
“Then… what should I do? How can I wake my brother up?”
“It’s simple. This is also a type of abnormal state. The straightforward and appropriate treatment would be to develop a body that can withstand that kind of power, but… we can’t procure that much elixir. Ah! I think we could get an elixir that can remove abnormal states.”
Upon reaching that point, Gi So-young’s expression momentarily shifted to one of regret and confusion.
“I’m sorry. That’s the only way.”
Elixir is hardly something anyone could just get their hands on. It had only been traded once globally, at an astronomical price.
It was clear that to secure even a sufficient amount, I would have to spend an enormous sum, and even then, I might not be able to acquire enough.
In other words, she was delivering a verdict: there was no way to wake the patient.
But what she didn’t know was that both those methods would be possible if I just grew stronger.
Yet her words didn’t seem hopeless to me. On the contrary, laughter bubbled up.
“Hahaha!”
The immense boulder weighing down my heart shattered into pieces and disappeared.
To be honest, the one thing I had been most afraid of was a single thought: that my kind and adorable younger brother was in such a state because of me, because of my misfortune.
But upon hearing that was wrong, tears flowed from my eyes.
“Thank you. Thank you so much, doctor.”
There was no longer any reason to look at him and inflict self-torture.
“Thankful? I just discussed the impossible.”
“No, it’s possible. No, I will make it possible.”
I suddenly stood up, glancing at my brother’s face once, and then turned my body.
“Then please take good care of my brother, doctor.”
“Don’t worry.”
With that, I left the hospital.
—
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