Chapter 180, Black Market (4)

A face with a high success rate for intimidation. Since aliens don't perceive much difference in physical traits, maybe t his ability is more useful to me than being reborn as some Earth-style pretty boy.

"M, my apologies! W, we've confirmed your invitation, so please enjoy the rest of your time here!"

After waiting for a moment, the expected outcome arrived. They broke into a cold sweat, hastily apologized, and then quickly fled. I had successfully driven away the guards.

"Phew!"

Now that we've gotten through the inspection safely, it's time to hear what the person in question has to say.

"Excuse me. Seonwoo Yeon-ssi."

Whoosh.

Turning my head, I saw a masked woman watching me from behind. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Didn't you say earlier that there wouldn't be anything special here?"

When I said that, she flinched.

"Right... It looks like we misjudged the scale. B, but according to our investigation over the past month, this organizatio n was only supposed to have C-rank Hunters..."

But when I heard that, a guess suddenly crossed my mind.

"It can't be?"

This black market primarily catered to non-Awakened customers. Its small scale meant it had a limited selection of go ods, so most high-ranking Awakened individuals likely didn't frequent this place.

"From what I'm hearing, it seems like Kang Changho hardly ever used this market either."

Therefore, the black market's management would have naturally become lax with security. If they were dealing with or dinary people, one decent Awakened individual would have been enough for their personnel.

But what if, one day, an unfamiliar S-rank suddenly appeared as a customer? The idea of a monstrous Hunter browsin g the market could have made the black market nervous, prompting them to temporarily tighten security...

It's not entirely impossible. And if this assumption is correct, then the reason Seonwoo Yeon's prior investigation was off the mark would all trace back to a certain S-rank Hunter.

"T, that can't be it, right?"

I suddenly thought of the assumption and broke out in a cold sweat. At that moment, a sharp explosion passed throug h my complicated thoughts.

Boom!

Hearing this, Seonwoo Yeon quickly raised her head.

"It's from our side!"

"Yes?"

"There's someone among the police officers who came in with us who frequently uses explosive skills!"

I was worried because it was quiet for a while, but fortunately, the police officers who came in with her were still safe.

"It's a bit different from the plan, but first of all, I need to go check it out."

Soon after, Seonwoo Yeon stepped over the counter and hoisted the restrained criminal onto her shoulder. It seemed her job was to secure him and join the scene. And just before heading into enemy territory, the masked Earthling hesit ated for a moment, turning back.

"...Just now, thank you for your help."

She said this and quickly left the shop. She neither tried to arrest me for trading Blue Shell nor asked for my help with her operation.

"Is she not asking for cooperation because her trust in me is broken?"

Well, it's better to focus on other matters than argue with a suspect who can't even be captured.

There wasn't enough evidence to apprehend them as a current offender, and on top of that, they appeared to be too h igh-ranked at first glance.

It was a wise decision. And it was also good for me—soon, the marketplace would be in chaos because of that explosi on. Now, all I had to do was slip away amidst the confusion, and it would be over.

"I might get reported later, so I should find a separate place to hide the Blueshell on my way home."

I securely fastened the item box to the hunter belt I had purchased recently.

But the problem is.

"Hmm."

There's a huge hidden danger in this black market...

"Hmm."

In fact, one of the stores in this market had an A-rank awakened standing guard at the sales counter. Unfortunately, th e police officer's power assessment had been significantly off the mark. So, how will the situation unfold from here?

"What should I do?"

If that A-rank is left alone, Seonwoo Yeon will 100% be in serious trouble. I don't know what ranks the people who ca me with her are, but given the police force's chronic manpower shortage, they likely wouldn't have allocated many per sonnel to a small black market like this.

Of course, if I take care of that A-rank on my own...? Then I become the one in trouble. They begged and pleaded, so I graciously accepted, but if an invited guest starts causing chaos, who would be happy about that?

"Tsk, the fact that I stopped the invitation check in the first place would be bad news if it reaches Kang Changho's ear s..."

An ambiguous position. However, if I don't take any action, I'll definitely get in trouble. So, after careful consideration, I chose the option that would cause me the least loss.

.

.

About 60 seconds later.

Bang!

I slammed open the door of a store. As the loud customer appeared, the Awakener sitting in the chair awkwardly stoo d up and shot a glance at the person. By the way, the owner of this store is the A-rank Awakener I mentioned earlier.

"What, what is it?"

But do you know why I came to find this A-rank? Seonwoo Yeon had clearly said that according to the police investiga tion, the maximum strength of this black market was revealed to be C-rank.

At one point, I thought this was just a simple mistake. But now, upon thinking it over... No matter how you look at it, the investigative experts who went through all sorts of tests couldn't be that incompetent. So let's assume for now that th e police statement that 'the security level of the black market has been low for the past month' is true.

All that's left is simple induction.

First, would a group that breaks the law for money really be so solid? Second, especially when an A-rank hunter, who hadn't been detected before, suddenly appears out of nowhere?

'Seonwoo Yeon didn't even know there was an A-rank here. That person isn't an important arrest target anyway.'

I did all the math and acted rationally.

"---Cops!"

"Huh?"

"Heugh."

It means someone blatantly snitched.

"There's a raid!"

It was shouted in a loud, booming voice, as if a train's boiler had been boiled. By the way, using the derogatory term fo r the police was a bit of a bonus, to make sure no one realized we were on the same side.

"W, what did you say? Cops?"

"Didn't you hear that explosion earlier? That was the sound of awakened cops using their skills! Over there, the shop o wners are getting arrested, and it's total chaos!"

Woong, woong, woong!

With such an explosive statement, the store quickly descended into chaos. The atmosphere was already disrupted by the loud explosion, but now the fact that the police had arrived was revealed as well.

"What should we do?"

"Damn it."

"So that's why the guards were patrolling."

"How on earth did this place get caught...?"

"Don't tell me the gate is surrounded too?"

Everyone was thrown into confusion. But I couldn't care less about the customers' shock. I only needed to recruit one Earthing.

"Hey! I know where the dungeon boss is hidden. So let's take it down and secretly escape on our own."

"Heuk!"

"The entrance is probably already swarming with cops! But there's still a chance the exit could appear somewhere re mote...?"

I spoke to the shop owner across the counter.

"You look like you've got a pretty high awakening level. You can take down a boss like this, right? Yeah? While the cop s are too busy rounding up the hyper-ups--hurry! Let's go!"

That was my plan. If I was worried that a certain individual might harm Seonwoo Yeon, then removing them from the si tuation entirely wasn't a bad option.

"And while I'm at it, I can slip out through the exit too."

If the exit ends up forming right next to the entrance... well, that's when I'll just pop open [Surprise Box]. Besides, fro m the first perspective, this also means I helped an underground market merchant avoid getting caught. Even if the sit uation reaches Kang Changho, there shouldn't be any major issues.

"If things go well, I might even be able to spin this as me doing my best to protect the black market that invited me."

Of course, if that A-rank chooses to stay loyal to the organization, I'll have to resort to more aggressive measures. But in this case, there's really no other option. Just because Kang Changho is scary doesn't mean I can let an Association officer die.

"If it comes down to it, I'll fight."

I was ready to draw my weapon at any moment. But the intellects of this place truly never failed to surprise me.

"Oh, fine. Let's get out of here--quick!"

"Of course!"

The A-rank hunter immediately betrayed the black market.

***

Meanwhile, Seonwoo Yeon barely managed to complete her mission.

"Ugh."

"Keugh..."

When she arrived at the place where the explosion sound was heard, the black market's general manager and the poli ce were engaged in a fierce battle. Using her well-honed air manipulation techniques, she skillfully subdued the opera tor's guards.

"Ugh, waugh..."

A skill that drastically lowered the surrounding air pressure to disrupt breathing—this was a new magic Seonwoo Yeon had mastered through dealing with countless criminals. The guards, driven to the brink of suffocation, only regained t heir ability to breathe after being restrained with various items.

"I'm glad everyone is safe."

"Ugh, don't even mention it. I thought I was going to die, leaving those rabbit-like kids behind?"

Come to think of it, she was wondering why the promised signal never came... While Seonwoo Yeon was securing the high-risk fugitive drug dealer, Team A, who had headed towards the manager, seemed to have had quite a hard time.

As you know, today's black market was in a state of heightened security, unlike usual. Among them, there was even a Hunter specializing in status effect skills.

"Are you all alright?"

"Since I ended up taking an unexpected nap, I feel completely refreshed."

They almost fell into a state of sleep and were buried in the dungeon without anyone knowing.

"Phew."

Fortunately, a few high-ranked Awakeners resisted the status effect, preventing the situation from escalating further. Seonwoo Yeon let out a sigh of relief.

But at that moment, A scream suddenly erupted from somewhere.

"I mean, what did we even do wrong for you to treat us like this? Who said we wouldn't pay taxes? We will, alright? So just untie this first!"

The manager of the black market complained as if he was being wronged. However, the police remained cold and indi fferent.

But just as that person said, black market investigations are usually slow-moving since tracking them is troublesome a nd their severity is lower compared to other major crimes...

"Detective, haven't you informed that person yet what charges the warrant was issued for?"

"I forgot because I was so busy."

This is a pretty rare case.

"Okay, we're arresting you for violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Illegal Trade in Dungeon Items and Murde r by Request--"

Even after experiencing the Dungeon Shock, South Korea's murder crime clearance rate remains terrifyingly high. The detective, speaking in a heavy Gyeongsang-do accent, revealed the reason for the arrest in a mocking tone. At that m oment, the expression of the restrained individual completely changed—realizing exactly which of their misdeeds had led to their downfall.

"Ugh, damn it."

However, his hardened face gradually changed into a confident atmosphere.

"Yeah, fine. Since I'm caught anyway, might as well tear everything down while we're at it."

"What?"

"Everyone here is completely screwed! Do you even know where you are? Now, the only thing left for you is death!"

At first, it seemed like nothing more than the meaningless struggle of a captured criminal. However, there was an unmi stakable sense of confidence seeping from the manager's demeanor—something beyond mere defiance.

"Right now, you think you've won, don't you? But tell me, is there anyone among you who's A-rank?"

The arrested manager soon revealed his secret plan.

"If not, you're in big trouble. Do you even know who's in this market? I've got an A-rank Awakened working for me!"

An A-rank hunter is hiding inside this dungeon!

Originally, it was personnel called by a new member out of fear. But now, in this situation, they've found another use. Fortunately, this person had a lot of resources. Perhaps enough wealth to even tempt someone desperate for money i nto committing murder.

"You pathetic b*stards! Go ahead and get your skulls smashed by an A-rank!"

Hahahaha.

The black market operator, emboldened by the hired enforcer as their backing, raised their voice triumphantly.

But about five minutes later, just as the police had finished arresting the key executives and begun rounding up the re maining petty criminals...

"huh?"

People began to question why no high-ranking awakened individual could be found, even after thoroughly searching t he dungeon.

"Inspector!"

"What is this? You're supposed to be securing the gate. Why are you here?"

"We've got a problem. This is the exit! It's completely separate from the entrance. We've only just discovered it now!"

"Huh...?"