Chapter 7 (1/2)

Chapter 7 – Black Market First Shopping

Sungjin was teleported to the Hunter’s Hall. The Hall was still overflowing with unfamiliar faces. He could not see the end of the crowd.

‘Well, numbers will thin out soon enough’

This gathering of hunters represented the top 1% of humanity’s strongest individuals. It would have been impossible to clear the first Raid ‘Greenskin Wildlands’ without considerable individual skill and talent.

It was possible that a lucky few were given a free ride to the end, regardless of their individual merit, by overachievers like Sungjin. But those people were typically eliminated during the next raid. No, they won’t even be able to make it to the next raid.

This wasn’t the type of world you could survive by relying on other people. Soon the Operator began her announcement.

[Welcome back. And congratulations]

[To everyone who successfully completed the raid and made it back]

The Operator’s face reappeared on the screen above, but no one was shouting profanities. Most of the people were suffering from PTSD (see note) or mourning the loss of their comrades.

[As you might have experienced for yourselves in the first Raid,]

[You cannot complete the raids with your current physical limitations.]

[Hence, raising your stats beyond human limits is necessary.]

[There are several ways to achieve this.]

Most of the crowd appeared to be exhausted, but everyone listened carefully to each and every word the Operator spoke. It was self-evident that they could not survive without listening to her tips and advice.

[First, Hunt monsters and obtain status points.]

[I believe you have already learned about this during the first Raid.]

[Unallocated Stat points do not benefit you]

[So please remember to allocate them before heading into battle.]

By now, most people should be well aware of their stats. It is nearly impossible to have survived until this stage without putting in stat points.

[Second, Earn Titles and get bonus stat points.]

[Everyone should have earned at least one title from the first raid.]

[Equipping the title enables the selected title to perform at 100% of their listed effect, and inactive titles only provide 50% of their given effects.]

[The more titles you earn, the more advantages you’ll gain. Please use the title that best suits the situation as you progress through the Raid.]

There aren’t many with a title floating above their heads. Among those that do, most have titles like ‘Scout’, ‘Orc Hunter’, and ‘Novice Swordsman’.

Sungjin wore the Master Hunter title, but no one paid much attention to it. Not many understood what it meant yet.

[Third, is equipment. Equipments are undoubtedly important.]

[They give bonus stats, and some even have special skills imbued upon them.]

Most of the hunters were focused on the Operator’s explanation, except for Sungjin. He didn’t need to listen because he already knew all of it.

[It is possible to receive a piece of equipment through the Raid reward system, but are readily available for purchase through the Black Market.]

[Explanation will continue after changing the venue.]

[You will be teleported in 10 seconds. 9, 8]

The Operator began her countdown. But Sungjin still had his arms crossed and was lost in thought.

‘19 Coins from the first round, 505 from the first raid, 76 traded with Baltren. Total is exactly 600 Black Coins…’

[3, 2, 1]

*

The place Sungjin was teleported to was a Bazaar, with a canopy draped above.

“Welcome, welcome!”

It was a normal marketplace with vendors selling wares at the stalls. Except for one detail. The vendors were not human. To be exact, they were all demi-humans.

The Axe merchant was half human and half cow (Minotaur), the Spear merchant was half human and half horse (Centaur), the Fire Magic merchant was half human and half dragon.

For newcomers, it was a sight to behold, but Sungjin was already familiar with the place. The Operator continued her explanation.

[This place is called ‘The Black Market’. It is a Bazaar where Black Coins are used as currency.]

[Hunters may come here to obtain or sell items by trading with their Black Coins.]

[The goods are not limited to equipment; you could also purchase magic tomes which are necessarily needed to learn magic]

[or consumables and accessories needed for battle, such as the Recovery Potion.]

The Operator continued with her long explanations covering most of the basics, although she glossed over a few important secrets of this place.

[You can no longer use Cubes to purchase items, so please complete your shopping in this place before going out on raids.]

Once the Operator’s explanations finished, Sungjin began walking towards the inner part of the market.

“Dear Customer, please take a look!”

Someone tried to grab his attention, but he ignored the merchant and kept walking. His destination was a stall run by a half human half snake.

[This is the Katana shop called ‘Last Edge’, run by the merchant named Kenneth]

[You will be able to find all sorts of katanas on sale here.]

Once he entered the stall flaps, a Naga greeted him.

“Welcome… to the ‘Last Edge’ SSSssss”

There was a large variety of Swords hung about in the shop, but there was only one sword Sungjin was interested in. A crimson blade hung on the wall on one side.

“May I see that real quick?”

“My my, what a great eye for quality! SSsss”

The Naga merchant replied with a kind tone.

“Please wait a moment. I will go fetch it for you.”

The Naga handed over the crimson blade to Sungjin. Sungjin’s face brightened up for the first time since the Hunt restarted.

This was the weapon he wielded until his last moments. It was like an old friend to him. The Operator opened up the weapon status window.

Blood Vengeance – Blood’s Revenge.

Legendary Katana – Strength SS Dexterity A