Chapter 34 (1/2)

Long Outing

She spoke, almost as if testing me.

“When you’re referring to the D.C. contacts…”

“I need a connection with the Washington D.C. market.”

People thought that black markets operated independently, but that was only half-true. Some of them exchanged information and products in conjunction with each other, and also shared profits.

At the heart of the alliance was the Black Market in Washington, D.C. At this point, ordinary people and many guilds did not know their existence, since it was a place where black markets dealt with each other.

To achieve my goal, I had to face the owner there.

“I want to meet with the owner of the D.C. Black Market, in other words, the Senator.”

Oh Jin-hwa did not smile anymore.

“How did you get to know him? The presence of the fourth market in the United States…”

She was still testing me.

“Isn’t D.C. the first market? Considering America, even all over the world?”

It was only then that Oh Jin-hwa stopped pretending.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you this information for free.”

“I guessed so.”

“I can’t get paid for it.”

“···Then?”

“If you give us a ‘safe’ route we can reach you with, we’ll tell you within three days, whether or not we’ll be able to provide information, and how much it costs.”

I informed her of a burner account.

“Do you have anything else to buy?”

I bought some things that I had left later on. They were small items, but would be tagged if I purchased them from a standard Hunter store.

“Let’s move on to the sell-off now.”

I turned to look at the trunk—a huge suitcase with rolling wheels that followed me automatically in this building without a touch. When the device was operated remotely, the fuselage was laid to the side, and the lock was, in turn, opened.

Tick!

The top shelf of the bag, from which it was divided into several layers, was opened.

“The item is Lorto’s Dagger.”

“If you don’t mind···”

“Go ahead.”

One of the staff came in and tore up the analysis scroll.

‘You’ve been a very useful, dagger.’

I obtained artifacts to be used as weapons from the dungeon in the meantime.

It was not for nothing that the item description explained to replenish the poison diligently, but this sword’s poison gland was an object that needed to be charged when it was consumed. When paralyzing poison was needed, the Five Snakes could be used, so I thought of selling the dagger.

Oh Jin-hwa, who finished the analysis, spoke up.

“We offer you 2.2 billion won.”

“All right.”

It was a little cheap, but I still gave way for the next deal.

Rattle!

When Oh Jin-hwa took the dagger, the trunk shelves went over, and the next frame came up.

“It’s a skill card.”

There were ten skill cards, all ranging from A-Class to C-Class, and all were goods sold at high prices in this era.

After attacking the dungeon, I always picked a skill card if there wasn’t a useful item for me to use. Skill followed the flow of the time, so I picked the time-limited one for present times. It was not hard work to choose the reward, as it was apparent through [The Successor’s Eyes].

If I released these cards on the Hunter Store in Yangji, I would be tagged, and investigations about the source would be pursued. The black market was perfect for shaking off this much at once.

“You have only good ones. You have a good eye. I’m amazed.”

She said that she was amazed in words, but her voice was calm. However, I didn’t miss her gaze, staying a little longer on one card.

[Fire Mastery (Rank: A)]

A-rank, the highest level of magic skill cards available in a normal dungeon.

However, that was not the only reason Oh Jin-hwa was attracted to it.

Right now, the KH Guild had won the bid and had now been targeting the gate in Dunchon-dong, Daejeon, and although the stability status is ‘normal,’ the attack had been dragging for four months. It was unknown to other guilds, but they were having a hard time dealing with the boss monster, ‘Blizzard Ant.’

According to KH Guild’s simulation results, ‘Lava Field,’ which could only be used by learning Fire Mastery above A-Class, must be cast by at least two people to destroy ice burrows that the boss was hiding in, but··· The problem was that there was only one such hunter in the guild.

Although it was not a dungeon in danger of immediate collapse, the fact that it would take a long time to attack could have caused concern among the residents around, and KH Guild began secretly searching for skill cards, aware that the right to clear could be transferred to other guilds depending on the government’s influence. Unfortunately, however, there were no supplies not only in Korea but also in the world.

Oh Jin-hwa’s eyes glow quietly. I would be thinking about how expensive I could sell it back. I was sure there must have been KH guild contact in the black market.

“We offer 38 billion for all ten cards.”

3.8 billion won each.

“Is that the best?”

“It’s at the best price, considering that you trusted today’s purchase transaction through us, also that the cards you are selling are all valuable, and you are trading ten cards at once.”

I spilled it as a passing word.

“I heard it’s very chilly in Daejeon these days.”

“···”

Oh Jin-hwa only had a little silence, but she did not seem baffled and immediately responded.

“I learned many times from your wisdom today. I offer 43 billion.”

She had undergone a quick change of tone, understanding my implication that I knew about the KH Guild.

Thanks to this, it jumped by 5 billion won in an instant. This was less than half the premium that they would receive from the KH Guild.

I thought this was enough since I was not going to deal directly with the KH kids.

“All right.”

Unlike the past life, the Dunchon-dong dungeon would likely be cleared by KH Guild this time.

After that, I sold a few more things that I had prepared, and I settled the money that I spent and earned that day and returned home, having made more than 30 billion won in cash.

*

Seo Gyu-cheol called me back that day almost a month after the Okcheon dungeon incident.

“I’ve prepared your next mission.”

Since the day I was known to barely have managed to survive the Okcheon dungeon, I had only encountered Seo Gyu-cheol in a series of reporting occasions.

This was the first time I had been with him alone since then.

‘What a great daddy. That’s a great daddy.’

“The exploration is next week. The dungeon grade is E.”

It had been a while since the media beat him up for sending a novice hunter to an unsuitable dungeon, and yet again, he had chosen another dungeon that was too much for a novice.

He floated the hologram, like the last time, and gave me a brief explanation. His tone made it clear that he found nothing wrong with this at all.

It was as if he didn’t know about the accident that had recently happened. He didn’t even ask his son for consolation or regards.

The reason why the most intense emotion of the original Seo Jin-wook in response to [Mercadius’ Seed] was ‘Anger’ was in front of my eyes. The reason why he had such deep anger since he was young.

“Do you have anything to say?”

When I stood still without a reply, Seo Gyu-cheol asked in a cold tone. And so, I replied in a tone that was similarly cold to him.

“Yes.”

“Say it.”

I said it.

“Well, I can’t go to a dungeon.”

There was a chill of silence in the office.

“What does that mean? Are you disobeying my orders?”

“No, it’s not disobedience. It’s requesting, my superior.”

“What’s the appropriate reason?”

Now, Seo Gyu-cheol looked at me with eyes that seemed to kill.

Wow. Are those eyes one could give their kid?