The unique frequency of Kim Giryeo's voice. Upon recognizing that calm tone, the other person flinched in surprise and changed their grip. They moved their finger from the trigger to the side of the firearm.

"H, Hunter Kim Giryeo?"

"Yes. Hello. It's been a while since we last met."

But she didn't lower the gun she was pointing at me. And so, we had a tense conversation with the mask between us. It was the other party who spoke first.

"How did you recognize me..."

"Because you spoke first. Also, after seeing you a few times, I can usually remember a person's awakening level."

Seonwoo Yeon, a B-rank awakener with wind attribute magic. The association employee took a few moments to gauge my voice before slowly lowering the muzzle of the gun.

"Anyway, what on earth is this situation?"

I asked, flustered by the sudden turn of events. Then, Seonwoo Yeon straightened her twisted mask and spoke.

"I'm... working."

She started explaining with a somewhat shaky voice.

"Yes?"

"Since the Searcher skill is quite rare, I've been working closely with the police as usual. Maybe my hard work has been noticed, but recently I was promoted, which has expanded my authority."

"Aha."

"Now, I am able to directly arrest suspects."

"Did you come here alone, by any chance?"

"No, of course, I'm with the detectives."

Oh my god, the police are already all over the place. How could I have been introduced to such a black market!

"Actually, this promotion is mostly thanks to you, Giryeo-ssi. Until now, I kept getting passed over for promotions because I couldn't enter the gates..."

Just as I was at a loss for what to do, Seonwoo Yeon mumbled something to herself, speaking in a calm tone, before fixing her gaze on me.

"It's unfortunate, but this seems like an inappropriate place to express my gratitude. Hunter Kim Giryeo, what exactly are you doing here?"

What emerged from behind the mask was a deep sense of doubt.

"Moreover, of all places, it's this booth. That person is selling Blueshell."

"-...-"

"Hunter-nim, you didn't... buy Blueshell, did you?"

However, would I really tell the truth just because she asked a few questions?

Before coming to the black market, I had brushed up on Korea's laws regarding illegal transactions. Yes, I studied it just in case I ran into a situation like this. And the result of my diligent preparation was...

"No, there's no way."

I noticed that the 'pretend not to know' strategy was quite effective here.

Why? The reason is that in South Korea, when cracking down on illegal transactions, the focus is on punishing the suppliers.

"That's definitely more efficient."

It's too cumbersome to punish every individual consumer. Of course, the severity of the crime varies. There's a clear difference between a buyer who purchases one or two stolen goods and a fence who steals and sells large quantities of goods.

Furthermore, it's difficult to even find grounds to punish the customer, so what can they do? To charge them in this regard, there needs to be solid evidence that the buyer had a firm intention to make the transaction. A contract, transaction details, recorded files, or other undeniable records would be required to gather materials that can be presented to a judge.

"Hmm."

A quiet cash transaction like the one earlier sidesteps all of these issues. Simply visiting the black market isn't really a significant crime. Unless there's solid evidence, my responsibility would be limited to something minor, like failing to report gate entry.

"I haven't bought anything here."

I blatantly denied it. It didn't matter if the Blueshell merchant spoke up later.

As I mentioned earlier, the laws here are relatively lenient towards those who are not the suppliers.

"By the way, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, aren't you incredibly busy right now?"

After repeating my thoughts, my heart finally calmed down. With that sense of composure, I subtly shifted the topic of conversation.

"You barged in and shot someone just like that. No matter how secluded this shop is, if this continues, someone else will discover it..."

But the other person wasn't so easily swayed.

"You're clearly trying to change the subject. Anyway, I'm just waiting for the team's signal."

"-...-"

"And just before entering here, I overheard you say, 'Give me 8 sets.'"

Oh no. It looks like I got caught more thoroughly than I expected.

"You misheard."

"Did you say that with the hearing of a B-rank Awakened?"

"Yes. I don't have the money to buy things like this in the first place."

"Then, what was in that bag?"

"Personal equipment."

"Can I check it?"

The follow-up was Seonwoo Yeon's persistent questioning. I moved the muscles of the corpse to shift my gaze.

"-...Without a search warrant?"

It was a half-surprised remark. Honestly, I hadn't expected the staff member to probe into the illegal transaction issue so thoroughly.

"No, Hunter Kim Giryeo..."

The B-rank Awakener trailed off with a slightly bewildered voice. Well, lying carelessly and half-heartedly never works out well. It seems like this time, that person won't let it slide so easily.

"This is difficult."

After all, the cash in the bag wouldn't be fatal. But what if Seonwoo Yeon tries to take the item box by force? In that case, should I just shout about human rights violations and lie down on the floor?

"Blueshell is illegal just by having it."

While I was trying to figure out how to protect the evidence, the woman standing next to me had already spoken the next line.

"Why?"

With a trembling sound.

"-...This is really strange. Why would someone like Giryeo-ssi be involved with something like this?"

She muttered and expressed her doubts.

Well, Blueshell was a substance that only worked for low-level awakeners... If the user's awakening level reached C-class, the fruit would no longer produce meaningful results. That clearly shows the limitations of the enhancement. So, the current situation was risky, as I might unintentionally give away that I'm the weaker one.

"Hmm."

Fortunately, I have an excuse I can use. Whatever I bought here, it was bound to reach the ears of Kang Changho. The news of the Miranda rights. Was she still conscious? The dark merchant frowned at the arrest notice being blasted into his ear. Of course, that was the end of it. The dealer was in a state of paralysis so strong that he couldn't even make a sound of pain.

"I'll put the story on hold for a moment."

Seonwoo Yeon took out special handcuffs and further restrained the criminal. After completing all the procedures, she made an additional remark to me.

"It won't be long before you see me again anyway. This black market mainly targets ordinary people, so the security here isn't much to worry about."

"-...-"

"They say the highest-ranking person here is around C-rank. So, once the market is sealed off, I'll tell you the story then..."

But she couldn't finish her sentence. Right after that, we both processed new information at the almost same time.

"Someone's coming."

Seonwoo Yeon raised her head at the approaching presence. Though her expression was hidden by the mask, for me—being an alien—it was the tremor of the sound, the pitch, that mattered more than anything.

"Awakeners?"

Or something like the opponent's heart rate.

"No, huh? Wait, this can be...?"

The association staff was more shaken than ever. The reason was probably because of the magical power flowing in from outside the building.

What was approaching this way was a group of awakeners. Among them, it was clear that two magicians of equal skill to Seonwoo Yeon were present.

"They said the security of this black market would be C-rank at most."

Two B-class. Did the police make a mistake in their investigation? No matter what, it was clear this was a troubleso me situation. Soon after, she visibly panicked and rushed out of the counter.

Click! 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

At the same time, a harsh sound of a door opening echoed. The person who pushed open the entrance of the mud-brick house was a man with an ordinary face, but just the fact that he wasn't wearing a mask made me realize their identities.

"It's the management side."

The ones wearing masks were the customers. The ones not wearing them were the shop owners, by regulation.

"Customers! Excuse me, but could you please show your invitations again for a moment?"

The burly men who rushed into the shop immediately shouted. They needed to recheck the black market entry tickets right away. Though they didn't explain why, based on the atmosphere, it was likely related to Seonwoo Yeon not receiving a signal from her colleague.

"Invitation?"

"Again?"

For now, being a regular member of the black market, there's no issue even if a surprise inspection occurs.

But Seonwoo Yeon is different. As soon as she heard the words about rechecking the qualifications, it was clear that she hadn't even gotten an invitation, and her posture visibly froze.

"What is this? By the way, why is there no one guarding this shop?"

Moreover, if the shop owner hidden under the counter is discovered... that would definitely be an interesting sight. I briefly pondered as I observed the flow of things around me.

"Hmm."

First of all, I'm here because of Kang Changho's introduction, so for the sake of the person who invited me, I need to stay as quiet as possible. Seonwoo Yeon has also the fact that I traded Blueshell, which is a weakness...

"Maybe I should take this opportunity and sell those guard dogs like rats."

An attractive option comes to mind. As a soul from a planet where selfish tendencies run rampant, I quickly arrived at a calculated thought. However, despite that nature, I ultimately came to a virtuous conclusion.

"Phew, forget it. Anyway, with the other police already here, there's no way to stop Seonwoo Yeon."

I decided to protect the Awakened who were in danger.

"--The clerk here said they were just stepping out to the bathroom for a moment."

Tak, tak.

I intentionally took a few steps forward to prevent the guards from checking the stall.

Looking at it this way, it was fortunate that the paralyzed shop owner was an ordinary person. If they had been awakened, they would have been caught earlier due to their magic.

"Is that so? Anyway, hurry up and show your invitation!"

At that moment, the guard standing at the back of the group waved his hand and urged the inspection. In response, I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out the folded membership card.

"Here you go. And the person standing over there in the pants is a guest I brought along as a porter, so there's no need to verify them separately."

"Yes?"

"When we came in earlier, we showed our faces at the entrance together. It's fine, right?"

I smoothly lied, requesting to skip the inspection for my companion. Since dungeons are isolated from the outside world, it's difficult for them to contact the entrance guards or Kang Changho easily. I calculated that it would be hard for them to make a quick judgment on the situation.

However, as soon as the largest awakened person in the group heard my words, he frowned deeply.

"Whether it's necessary or not, we'll decide that. Please show your invitations, both of you!"

"Hmm."

Of course, that momentum didn't last long.

"Right. You took a good look at us at the entrance, and now you want us to reveal our identities to some local vigilantes whose names we don't even know..."

"Yes?"

"Anyway, the market sure runs smoothly."

Immediately after, someone at the scene reversed their previous attitude and spoke in an extremely condescending tone.

"I just showed you the invitation with my name on it. And I made it clear that I don't want to reveal the identity of the person I brought along..."

Swish.

Soon, my vision cleared. I removed the mask that was covering my face, starting from my chin, and stood before them. The invitation here had small writing, and unless you looked closely, the name wouldn't immediately catch your eye. Therefore, they realized a moment too late who the owner of the card was.

"--...You guys, who invited me."

Soon, the hosts' expressions changed rapidly.

"And I guess you don't even know who the person standing in front of you is?"

As my sharp gaze fixed on them, they visibly shrank back. However, my words didn't end there. I hadn't driven the nail in yet.

"By the way, is it really okay to judge just by looking at my face?"

Whoosh.

I pulled Hydra out of the item box. Gripping its handle tightly, I made my declaration.

"How about I let you verify whether this is the real S-rank or not?"

"Heuk!"

"No, that's."

"If you understand, then leave it at that and go. I don't know what kind of mess happened behind the scenes, but if your ussues disrupt my shopping one more time..."

I focused my gaze with a momentary silence.

It's already been several months since I reincarnated on Earth. Although it's barely been a year, if I had normal intelligence, I should've started noticing these things by now.

"I'll create the problem myself then."

I had learned from my past experiences. This appearance is quite effective in threatening my fellow creatures.