Chapter 11

In the original story, Joo Seowon appeared as an information broker. Skills aside, Joo Seowon simply knew a lot—information not about the upcoming plot or status windows, but the kind you could only get from someone who had rolled around in this business for a long time.

And there was a particular item shop that Joo Seowon mainly used. In Kwon Taehan’s narration, it was simply called a shady market, and that was the end of it. Since I didn’t know its original name, I couldn’t even search for it. Not that it would have shown up in a search anyway—it seemed to be operating in secret.

“You’re telling me you’ve stirred up this scene so much that there’s no one who doesn’t know Joo Seowon, but you couldn’t even find that out?”

I hadn’t actually gone around stirring things up, but it was true that Joo Seowon was a famous guy in this business. If you could call it a reputation, it leaned more toward infamy, but still, there’s always a reason someone manages to stay all the way to the end as a B-rank without ever reaching S or A.

—That’s not a place just anyone can use. You have to register a code through a referral system...

“Then that’s fine. You refer me.”

As soon as I cut him off, I heard a small curse from the other side. Did this bastard just curse at me?

—...I figured you might, but don’t you know there’s a limit to how shameless a person can be?

“You said you’re busy. Send me the location and the referral code so I can hang up.”

—Ah, shit. Fine. And you’ll have to put money down as a deposit, so send me the money. I’ll put it in for you.

“Sure. How much?”

—A thousand for the referral code registration. The rest is however much you plan to spend. They don’t take cash there, it’s all in a special currency.

A special currency, huh. What’s the point of going through that extra step?

In the original, it never revealed who ran this Hunter Market. It was just treated like, “I stopped by the department store,” or “I went to the mart.” Whether it was omitted because it wasn’t important or because Kwon Taehan never tried to find out, I had no way of knowing.

After I hung up, I waited a moment before a text came in with the location and referral code. I confirmed them, sent the deposit to the account, and ten minutes later, got a curt reply.

Thanks for using our service^^ㅗ

If you have any conscience, give me the reward points.

Hmph. Instead of wasting time on useless messages, he should hurry up with the job I told him to do. Being too generous as an employer was its own problem.

***

When I arrived at the address Joo Seowon had sent me, I found a shabby, abandoned building. Going inside, it looked like any ordinary building. Of course, this couldn’t be all there was.

I didn’t have the ability to precisely detect mana, but I did have one thing I could do.

“Status window.”

And...

“View character information.”

As expected, the seemingly empty building was crawling with status windows.

In the original, Kwon Taehan never used the status window in such a cheap way. But as long as I was an F-rank, I had no choice but to drag in every trick I could find.

To get into the underground market, you had to reach the area with the special elevator. A wall of mana was set up to filter out uninvited guests.

Found it.

I headed toward the cluster of status windows and saw the solid wall ripple. Luckily, someone was just about to go in.

Feels like I’m experiencing HaX Potter.

Without hesitation, I walked toward the wall and slipped through with no real resistance. The slight fatigue I felt in the process told me it siphoned off some of my mana.

Nice craftsmanship.

I brushed my hand over the wall and kept walking. The elevator inside had only two buttons—1F and B1. I pressed the B1 button, and after a moment, the elevator opened with a cheerful chime.

Ding—

And when the doors opened, the sight before me was beyond anything I’d imagined.

What the hell is this?

It was dark, with random blue neon lights scattered around like someone with zero sense of aesthetics had designed it.

It was set up like a store, but at best it looked like a club, not a place to buy goods.

Is the night market the concept here?

And the interior was so big that I could exaggerate and call it a small town. Unless you were incredibly skilled, making something like this wouldn’t be easy.

At the entrance, a tall woman wearing a white mask spoke bluntly.

“Please show your referral code.”

I showed her the code Joo Seowon had sent me while glancing at her mask. This mask wasn’t just to conceal her identity. Or rather, that wasn’t its only purpose—it was an item.

White Mask (B)

An item that can identify a person’s rank and mana type.

Basically, a nerfed version of the status window. She must have been puzzled to see me come up as F-rank, but after confirming the referral code, she let me through without comment.

“Please enter.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

I pocketed my phone and stepped inside. Unlike the club-like impression from outside, the inside felt more like a bustling night market.

For a supposedly secret place, it was crowded enough that keeping my status window open made my head spin.

Might as well turn it off.

I switched it off and began to look around.

While I was looking around, a merchant waved me over.

“Hey. Good-looking student. Come here.”

His hawking was pretty sleazy. Still, I went into the shop without fuss.

“What are ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) you selling?”

“Anything you need. What do you need?”

“I’m looking for some magic stones.”

“Magic stones? Got plenty. Come on in.”

Then let’s take a look. I’d come here with a few items in mind, but what I really wanted was magic stones I could process myself.

When I picked up one of the displayed stones, it started glowing with a low hum.

Interesting.

To think someone actually mined these from dungeons—there really were plenty of lunatics in the world.

Right up there with the guy who first made meringue and the guy who decided to try eating pufferfish, there was the guy who brought this crap back from a monster-infested dungeon.

“How about it? What do you need? You look young—are you a hunter? B-rank? C-rank?”

It was reasonable to guess B or C, since those below that didn’t come here, and if I were A or S, he’d recognize my face.

Of course, I’m F-rank.

“Hurry and pick one. I’ll give a student discount. What’s your skill? I’ll match it perfectly for you. Buying now is a steal, right? Look at that glow. No other place sells S-rank stones at this price. Sure, processing will cost extra, but still, you’re practically getting it for free.”

But looking at these stones, I had one thought.

They were all flashy and glittering, in all sorts of types—increasing speed, boosting strength, replenishing mana...

I looked at the descriptions, smiled faintly, and said in a gentle voice, “Why are you selling trash?”

It’s a shame there are so many pieces of trash trying to rip off someone as kind and decent as me. Should I just destroy them all?

The merchant’s face flushed crimson, turning a purplish hue under the blue lights.

“...What? Trash?”

“They’re trash. From this one to that one, they’re all the same type with just the names changed. How much are you skimming off the top?”

“Ha! You don’t know anything. Are you even a hunter? First time seeing magic stones?”

“I wouldn’t be calling them trash if I didn’t know.”

Granted, I’d never been in a dungeon, so whether I should even be called a hunter was debatable.

Still, I had a reason for calling them trash. First off, these weren’t S-rank.

Magic Stone (B)

Can influence the mana within the body.

Mined from: Underworld.

The Underworld, huh... I smirked. In Lim Sungyeon’s novel, the locations, characters, and dungeons were random, but there were traces of motifs borrowed from all over, most of them from mythology. This Underworld was probably based on the realm of the dead.

So mythology has become reality now.

It was fascinating.

The reason I called Lim Sungyeon’s novel a piece of shit wasn’t just because he wrote it. To explain that, I’d have to get into the “titles” in the status window, which was complicated, so I’d think about it later.

Anyway, unless there were different grades among the stones mined from the Underworld, this was ridiculous—they were all the same, just sold under different names. There was a reason it worked, though.

I turned my gaze to the merchant’s status window.

Name: Park Cheolwoo

Age: 45

Rank: C

Title: –

Main Skills: Master of Deception (C), Flashy Ornaments (C)

Growth Limit: B

He was putting his skills to full use.

“See? They’re all B-rank stones. This one, this one, this one. Wow... all B-rank. And you’re selling them as S-rank? That takes guts! If an A or S-rank walked in here, they’d see through you instantly.”

“W-what? That’s nonsense! Can’t you see they’re S-rank? Ever seen a B-rank with this much output? Ha! You’re just trying to lowball me, aren’t you?”

“Lowball you? Just grind them up and make a ring. They’re pretty enough, at least.”

Maybe flustered, his voice kept getting louder. They weren’t exactly trash—processed, they’d be useful—but the price was absurd. And his voice was so loud that soon hunters around us started glancing over.

“Hey! Are you even a hunter? What’s your rank?”

“I’m not a cut of meat, why are you grading me?”

“If you’re not buying, get lost. Why are you picking a fight with someone selling legit goods?”

I’m picking a fight because you’re not selling legit goods. What kind of dumb question is that? I calmly put the stone back in its place. I’d have to look elsewhere. This world was too rough for a good person like me.

I did need magic stones, but this was a shame. Judging by his expression, if I said anything more honest, he’d probably throw a stone at me.

A small fry like me knows when to back down.

I left the shop with a parting cheer. “Yeah, I was just about to. Good luck with sales!”

“You little punk!”

Well, to be precise, I was about to leave—if not for the burst of flame from behind that landed at my feet and flared up just as I was about to step out.