Chapter 8

Black Market (2)

“By the way…”

Even after passing by the place where the skill card was displayed, I looked around a few areas, but I still could not find the item I was looking for.

I was hoping that they would have made it as cheap as possible; they must have placed it in the back as they were not sure how to label it.

So, I deemed to ask. “Is this all of it?”

She replied with a still unwavering smile.

“Yes, at this stage…”

She meant that I already had seen everything I could with an entry deposit of 3 billion credits. I spoke without hesitation.

“Please give me the account.”

She tapped her wrist, and the hologram that came up this time had a different account number than just a while ago, having the number 100 in large print.

Now, I had to prove my credentials to see more expensive things than the ones here. What I wanted would probably be in there.

“Customer, can I help you in with entry so that you can look at more diverse products?”

Director Oh Jin-hwa smiled brightly over the white light sprinkled by the hologram. The face of Secretary Kim under the same lighting turned even paler than before.

*

Ten billion won was deposited, and while Director Jin-hwa Oh walked in the lead with a much brighter smile, Secretary Kim messed with the ring-shaped artifact on his fingers with nervousness. It must be his habit when he was feeling anxious.

Then he finally could not stand it and came up, whispering.

“Why the hell did you buy those a while ago, and how much more do you plan to spend here?!”

“It’s all part of the plan. Calm down.”

“Oh, even if you have lost your memory, you still have the same habit of spending money. How much money have you been granted this time?”

Seo Gyu-cheol was a very generous man when it came to money, unlike his son’s strict words and actions. I was rather surprised when I asked for it.

“It’s enough, so don’t worry. Also, the deposit will be returned anyway.”

Of course, after subtracting a percentage of the fee. Those thieving bastards!

“This way, customer.”

There were higher grades in the area through another door overall than what we had just seen, except for unusual cases like the bracelets that I had just bought.

The order of display was similar, so the weapons and equipment were listed first. I did not see anything particularly worth buying.

The object that was like a pearl in the mud that I aimed for would be hard to find in this area. Rather, most products were sold at a higher price than the price valued in the future.

As I went on to the skill card area, this time, there was something that caught my eye.

It was the first time my gaze had stayed on a skill card for such a long time, so Director Oh Jin-hwa did not miss the opportunity and quickly intervened.

“This is a Mastery Skill Card. The skill name is…”

I read the name on the shelf. “Arta’s Sword Dance.”

The price tag said it cost 7 billion.

Mastery Skills were more like a manual. The hunters who triggered these cards would learn swordsmanship, spear skills, hand combat, and magic series that they had never learned.

And the higher the skill level, the more elaborate and powerful the mana management method and the attack method involved, and the types of skills that could be used would increase.

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“Are you interested? Would you need more of a detailed…”

“That’s okay.”

I blocked her explanation.

There was no Hunter with a skill level raised yet, so its true value seemed unknown. If it was 7 billion, it was cheap compared to the future value, but I did not intend to buy it.

I was well aware of everything about ‘Arta’s Sword Dance’ Mastery Card’s detail and the five skills you got when one maxed out the levels.

Arta’s Sword Dance was a skill used by Sword King Randy among the last five who climbed the Tower of Choice in my previous life.

My gaze was fixed on this card because it reminded me of Randy.

I get to think about it again—my life before as Choi Seung-hyun, before I got to possess Seo Jin-wook’s body, and at the last moment at that, an unbearable, terrible feeling filled me up.

It flashed clearly in front of my eyes.

The top 100 floors as Randy falls on the cold floor. The magic sword cut his neck about half he was carrying. A tremendous amount of blood spilled through the wound, but the magic sword was greedily swallowing all of it.

After the dungeon and the monsters’ threat disappeared, Randy planned to break the magic sword. It was because he was using it right now without any other options, but it was too dangerous. It was something that was not necessary in a peaceful world.

Randy chose the sword, knowing it was a dangerous item. This is because the force is needed to save mankind from rock bottom.

The sword that tortured Randy ever since the moment he held it eventually fulfilled its wishes of slicing the owner by his neck.

The reason that happened to Randy was…

Crack!

I sharpened my teeth and remembered the name.

Angelica Heard.

A maniac in the mask of a saint who deceived all mankind.

As soon as I remembered that hateful face, my whole body burned as if I had swallowed a fireball in my stomach.

“Uh… customer? If you are uncomfortable at the moment, would you wish to rest in the lounge?”

I tried to settle the boiling feeling.

“It’s nothing. Let’s keep going.”

Angelica, the life of the monster, was permanently recorded in my mind.

After solving a bunch of petty problems right away, the destination was considered a fixed one.

What blessing was a skill that did not allow manipulation? No matter what were to happen in the future, I will not forget that one thing.

Angelica Heard.

I must prevent any events that the madness driven monster would make from happening. That would be the greatest revenge for me.

*

Director Oh Jin-hwa, who noticed my emotional state, briefly provided guidance and explanations for the following items, and Secretary Kim continued to look at me with an anxious look.

While moving in that state, I finally saw what I was looking for.

I calmed myself and asked in a still voice.

“What is over there?”

When I returned to a good mood, Director Oh Jin-hwa also responded with a cheerful voice, with her careful self gone. She was good at customer care.

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“This is the area where the creatures captured in the dungeon are kept. I will guide you.”

Most of the things that came out of the dungeon are so, but the state’s control is strict, especially for living things. Due to diseases or ecological disturbances, the types that can be officially traded are extremely limited.

Nevertheless, those who want to get their hands on such creatures have no choice but to head to the black market.

We walked through a passageway that was made of cells that isolated things with clear glass panes. Each one of them contained strange creatures captured in the dungeon. Some look similar to the creatures of the Earth, but others looked frightening to the civilians.

‘There it is.’

The target can be seen far away, but I proceeded to watch different dungeon creatures as if I were looking slowly on purpose.

I tried to hide my excitement.

I made sure to mutter, acting at an appropriate level of interest. Very casually. “Hmm? Isn’t he pretty?”

Secretary Kim, who was tired of strange creatures such as furry sea cucumbers and tentacle-covered iguanas and frogs that poop with eyes until now, responded as if to agree.

“Ah, it’s the best-looking one I’ve ever seen.”

Beyond the glass container was a small animal that looked like a cat on Earth. The whole was covered with black hair, but only the hair around the feet, chest, and mouth was white.

It was an appearance that was close to a tuxedo cat in the language of this era.

However, as to clearly show that they were similar but to Earth’s creatures, the pointed ear tips were divided into several layers like petals, and the furry tail was twice as long as the body.

“But, isn’t it too thin?”

It was crouching desperately in search of a dark corner where the light reached the least. Taking a closer look at it, I furrowed my eyebrows.

“I know, right. There’s only leather and bone.”

It was so thin that only the bones remained. Every time it breathed, the ribs were visible under the skin. Both eyes were empty and lifeless. As if it saw us from its side, it threatened us by showing its teeth and saying ‘Kyaah-!’. However, there seemed to be no more energy to spare.

No matter how it may be an alien creature, it was a sight that made viewers feel sorry for it.

I began to ask, pretending to be unaware.

“Are they starved and are not fed once they’re caught?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately, it eats nothing. Regardless of our will, it has continued to do so since capture.”

“How long has it starved like that?”

“It’s been a little over three months.”

They might have given the only effort, saying that they have tried, must be nothing but giving meat obtained from the captured organisms living in the dungeons like any other living organism.

Of course, that wouldn’t work. Such was a kind that would not even dare to put those kinds of things near its mouth.

“Wow, cruel people. Starving them for three months? It’s very pitiful.”

I muttered like an outpouring of compassion and asked the Director.

“You don’t even know its name?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet. There was no capture of any suspected same species, so it was not named separately, too.”

It meant that he was still the one and only. I scratched my chin.

“How much for those kinds?”

It was time to hit the negotiation.Director Oh Jin-hwa replied without any signs of contemplation.

“It’s 8.5 billion.”

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I replied with my eyes wide open.

“What kind of ability does it possess that it is more expensive than the skill card earlier?”

“It hasn’t been figured out yet.”

I sighed as if I found this completely absurd.

“You’re going to sell an alien which we don’t even know what abilities he has for 8.5 billion?”

Again, the black market wasn’t committing such fraud against me.

However, since it was a kind of commodity that had not been traded yet, and the market price was not formed, they were trying to raise the price as much as possible by raising the standard.

Moreover, it would be more ambiguous because the information they found out about him was that it did not die after three months of starvation.

“The fact that it is still alive even if it has not been fed for three months is another part that distinguishes it from living things on Earth. Some collectors are more enthusiastic about this. Perhaps further on, it may live without dying even if I do not continue feeding.”

I pointed out the loophole in those words. “If I were to say the opposite, it might die the day after I take it, right?”

Oh Jin-hwa could not refute this type of logic at all.

There was not much information, perhaps none at all, so there was nothing that the seller could guarantee.

However, it was a shame to sell it cheap because it was the only entity that had been identified so far, and it is critical to keep it if the price rises in the future when it might die at any time.

Since I had enough budget, I thought of making a compromise at an appropriate point, considering the other person’s situation. I spoke once more.

“After all, is it just a pretty alien to look at?”

“Most of the dungeon creature collectors put great emphasis on aesthetics.”

“In other words, doesn’t it mean that selling is ambiguous unless a collector who finds it suits his taste comes up?”

Unless its abilities were known, hunters who wanted creatures that could help in combat and exploration would not choose him.

Having said so far, I spoke.

“1.2 billion.”

The average value of dungeon creatures sold to raise them solely as pets was calculated at the current world price, and then the price was cut by half from that price.

Considering that the dungeon creatures were controlled as strictly as the Awakening Stone, this was a price that was difficult to accept from the Black Market’s standpoint.

Once I declared, I spoke once more as I frowned.

“Director, I can no longer…”

“Yes, sir. We will help you with your purchase.”

I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut. I was open to bargain attempts aiming for moderate prices from there, but Director Oh Jin-hwa immediately accepted my proposal.

“Hey, Director. I’m not saying I won’t buy it, but if you call 8.5 billion dollars like this and then immediately accept 1.2 billion won, wouldn’t I feel a bit complicated?”

Perhaps the original call of 8.5 billion might have been the attempt to rob me… Or I was asking from the perspective of the customer.

Then, Director Oh Jin-hwa replied with a smile.

“As I said, you are special people. This time, we gave you a special discount.”

Again, an unpleasant feeling came up, but after seeing the staff moving the little one into a separate case from beyond the glass, I got rid of all the unnecessary thoughts.

Fortunately, I had gotten it easier than I thought I would.

It exposed its teeth to the employee and made a noise, but it was so weak that I couldn’t resist for a long time and entered the case.

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“Okay, let’s take you home, kid.”

The original name of the creature that would be known to Earth in the future was called ‘Iponia.’

Because of its ability and appearance, it was also called the following nickname on Earth—Skill-eating Cat.