Dark Market — Part 4
“Welco!”
Contrary to what you would expect, Junk Dealer Kim Chunbok was a lively young man in his twenties.
I saw his face and chuckled to myself.
It’s the sa guy I rember from the ga.
The only difference is, in the ga, he appeared to be in his early thirties, whereas here he looked like he was in his mid-twenties.
“Are your injuries alright?”
“Oh, of course! I’m all healed up. These days, quack doctors are quite skilled. The boss over there introduced
to one. So sort of qi treatnt? One session, and I was good as new!”
“Qi treatnt, you say?”
A feeling shot through .
At this point in ti, there’s only one person in Sillim-dong practicing qi treatnt that cos to mind…
“Yes! It was incredible! My broken ribs healed right up! Should I introduce you to them? You should check it out if you’re ever feeling under the weather!”
“Could you give
a business card?”
“Eh? Haha! You really know your stuff, don’t you? Here you go.”
He didn’t seem to expect
to actually ask for it.
Despite his surprise, the junk dealer pulled out a card from his pocket.
[Healer Kim Jesa]
[205, ABCD-EFG, Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul]
I had a hunch, and it was right.
Look at this half-assed alias and the poorly made business card.
It’s obvious who this is.
I’ll have to visit after today’s business is done.
I shoved the card into my pocket, and the junk dealer looked at
with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
“The boss told
you ca looking for
yesterday?”
“Yes. I heard you’ve got so great stuff.”
“Ahem, well, I am the master of treasures! Feel free to browse. I’ve got everything—except for the things I don’t, of course!”
The junk dealer exaggeratedly waved his hands toward the piles of miscellaneous items on display.
There really was a lot.
chanical limbs, magic staves, custom-made sniper rifles, super-alloy breastplates, glass orbs radiating strange light, small statues that looked like a mix between Buddha and a yaksha, and so on.
But all of it was just fancy-looking junk.
I deliberately stomped my foot on the floor.
“Not the stuff out here. Show
what’s inside.”
“Uh…”
The junk dealer seed montarily flustered.
“How did you know?”
“I’ve got my ways.”
“Ah, damn blabbermouths. Seriously.”
There was no need to explain further.
After grumbling for a mont, the junk dealer plastered on his business smile.
“Well, since it’s you, a superhuman, I’ll show you. But you can’t go telling anyone, alright? So of the items are… sensitive.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, geez… I really shouldn’t be doing this. I never show new custors this stuff…”
Despite his complaints, the junk dealer led
deeper into the shop.
The store wasn’t large, by any ans.
After passing through walls of clutter, we reached a spot hidden from outside view.
He removed a rug, revealing a hidden door.
Creeeak.
He opened the door, revealing the interior.
A deep, dark basent.
There wasn’t a single source of light, but the faint flicker of magical flas danced like ghostly will-o’-wisps.
“Take your ti and browse. Pick whatever you like. Oh, but keep in mind—everything down here is expensive. They’re all magical items.”
I descended the dark stairs, waving my hand.
“Where’s the light switch?”
“Switch? Oh, there’s no electricity down here.”
“What? No lights?”
“Just make do. You’ve got a smartphone, don’t you?”
Really? He’s gonna pull a “no-phone loser” on ?
There was no need for a smartphone.
I activated my [Bright Eyes] trait and fully descended the stairs.
Well-organized display cases stood before .
Each case contained just one item, as if to proudly declare, “Look at , I’m valuable.”
A human skull, polished with dark magic.
A paper airplane, floating mid-air on its own.
An inverted cross, ominously exuding foul energy.
A silk garnt stained diagonally with blood.
‘A lot of cursed items, huh.’
That’s why they’re probably locked away down here.
But even among this cursed junk, there were treasures to be found.
I calmly began inspecting the secret storeroom for anything of value.
‘Wait!’
I spotted a pair of glasses.
One lens was completely missing, and the remaining one had a spiderweb of cracks, with traces of blood clearly running along those cracks.
I recognized it instantly.
I’d used this item several tis in the ga.
‘It’s the Berserker Glasses!’
This isn’t equipnt; it’s a consumable.
In a dire situation, you remove the lens and stab it into your own body, activating the magic embedded in the lens.
A magic curse, to be precise.
[Frenzy]
Just like its na, it turns the user into a berserker.
Sure, the aftermath is grueso, and you might end up killing your allies, but who cares?
Surviving cos first.
And besides, I’ve got a way to minimize those nasty side effects.
Magical Fabric.
If I use the frenzy and make it ho sohow, I can just rest for a few days, and I’ll be fully recovered.
‘What if I combine this with my [Mutant] trait?’
I’d be able to survive any situation.
A surprise find during my quest for a mana cultivation technique.
I grabbed the glasses and moved on.
Two spots over, I found sothing else familiar.
A single leather glove.
Not a pair—just one.
A leather glove for the left hand, reinforced with steel plates running from the fingers to the back of the hand, leaking a crimson glow like blood.
I knew exactly what it was.
Bloodsucking Glove
A vicious item that drains its wearer’s blood.
But its performance is exceptional.
For an early-ga item found in the Dark Market, its abilities were almost too good.
[Vigor]
A trait that balances strength, endurance, and vitality.
It’s not quite a top-tier trait, but calling it mid-tier would be selling it short. It’s sowhere around 1.5-tier.
The best part?
If you wear this glove long enough, you can acquire the trait yourself.
It’s part of the Equipnt Proficiency System.
Similar to how I obtained the [Stealth] trait from the Cloak of Concealnt.
Except, unlike [Stealth], this one takes a lot more ti to master.
‘Jackpot. I hit the jackpot.’
Finally, I made my way to the item I’d been searching for.
At the deepest part of the underground vault.
A small horn lay buried in the darkness.
Wrapped in layers of yellow caution tape, as if to warn: I’m dangerous.
Even the tape was covered with holy inscriptions.
No one knew how this thing had made its way here all the way from Northern Europe.
The only certain thing?
Breaking the seal would grant
a high-level mana cultivation technique.
I opened the display case and grabbed the horn.
The holy inscriptions flashed in warning, and a sharp jolt of pain shot through my hand.
If I weren’t a superhuman, I wouldn’t have even been able to hold it.
Now I understood why it hadn’t sold.
People probably wanted it, but the junk dealer priced it too high, and no one knew what was inside, so they just passed.
“I’ll take these three.”
“Oh-ho. You’ve got a good eye.”
The junk dealer smacked his lips and began tapping away on his calculator.
“Magical glasses, bloodsucking glove, and the ancient god’s horn! All powerful, rare items. Each one is imbued with high-level magic. The magical glasses are 100 million won, the bloodsucking glove is 500 million won, and the ancient god’s horn is 1 billion.”
What the hell?
Starting at 100 million won as a base price?
And what, 500 million won for the glove and 1 billion for the horn?
I was about to lose my temper when the junk dealer spread his hands wide.
“But that’s just the price for random passersby. For you, our market’s honorable superhuman protector, there’s a very generous discount!”
“And how much would that be?”
“Let
explain.”
The junk dealer put on the leather glove, then imdiately took it off.
Rip.
The sound of flesh tearing echoed as the glove ripped his skin, and blood began to gush from the exposed muscle.
“As you can see, this is a cursed item. Created with dark magic, so you can’t even remove the curse. Unless you fully synchronize with the glove to transfer its abilities to yourself, you have to keep feeding it your blood… That’s why the price dropped so much. Originally, I should be charging 5 billion for this thing, but, to be honest, 500 million won is too much.”
“You know that, and yet you still ask for 500 million?”
“Haha. It’s all part of the ga, isn’t it? People who don’t know any better have to pay tuition. But if you think about it, the performance makes it worth the price. For you, though, I’ll let it go for 200 million.”
200 million.
A bit cheaper than its market value.
The junk dealer would still make a tidy profit.
Seems like causing a ruckus yesterday to boost my reputation was worth it after all.
“Alright, I’ll take it. And the rest?”
“Next up, the glasses. Now, you may not know this, but these aren’t ordinary magical glasses. They’re a consumable berserker item. Charging 100 million for this would be… well, I’d say it’s highway robbery.”
“So, you do have a conscience.”
“Eh-heh. A sucker’s loss is a smart buyer’s gain, isn’t it?”
The junk dealer grinned slyly.
“No matter what, though, I can’t let it go for less than a million won. How about 50 million? That’s my absolute lowest.”
“50 million won, huh…”
“That’s already a steal, even for a superhuman like yourself. I an, this isn’t so basic rage spell we’re talking about here. This is Frenzy. It’s practically an extra life! For 50 million? That’s practically a giveaway.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Sure, it wasn’t the most refined magical artifact—it was a pair of cracked glasses, after all. But if I wanted to acquire a Frenzy spell embedded into sothing like a proper magic chip? That would easily set
back a few billion won.
The major difference, of course, would be the stability of the spell. But still, this was a bargain.
“Alright, deal. And now the last item?”
The junk dealer picked up the horn and turned it over in his hands.
“This one’s priced at 200 million won.”
200 million. That was the standard market price.
It matched the price from the ga exactly.
But instead of accepting imdiately, I decided to throw out so bait.
“What’s inside this thing?”
“No idea.”
“You don’t know?”
“That’s right. I’ve tried every identification spell I know, but the holy seal blocks them all. I’ve heard a superhuman with priest-like abilities could break it, but… I just left it as-is.”
Honestly, most items like this are a gamble. More often than not, they end up being duds.
But I knew exactly what was inside this horn.
And I knew that if I were to buy it from anyone else, it wouldn’t cost
200 million. It’d cost
2 billion—or even 4 billion.
I pretended to mull it over, staring at the horn for a while.
The junk dealer didn’t seem inclined to budge on the price. He whistled to himself, pretending not to notice my internal debate.
“Fine.”
I finally said, exhaling dramatically.
“I’ve already gotten a good deal on the gloves and glasses, so I’ll take the horn, too.”
“You won’t regret it! You definitely won’t! I bet there’s so top-tier cultivation technique or a legendary sword technique in there! You’re going to hit the jackpot!”
“You’re just teasing
now.”
“Never! I wouldn’t dream of teasing our market’s protector! I’d be a dead man.”
All in all, the total ca out to 450 million won. (TL Note: Around 330 thousand USD)
I opened my golf bag, pulled out a bundle of banknotes, and handed it to the junk dealer.
Even in the Dark Market, this was a significant amount of cash.
The junk dealer’s eyes widened as his mouth split into a grin.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!”
He looked around as if checking for onlookers, then cleared his throat loudly before whispering to
in a low voice.
“Superhuman. I’ve recently co into possession of so really good items. Would you be interested in taking a look?”
My ears perked up imdiately.
This was a phrase the junk dealer only used on rare occasions, and only when he had sothing truly valuable.
Sotis, in the Shinwon Market, the junk dealer would toss this line at you when sothing extraordinary was available for a fraction of its real value.
I nodded eagerly.
“Of course. What have you got?”
“Follow .”
He led
to a corner of the shop, away from any prying eyes.
Once we were hidden, he pulled out a small pouch.
As soon as he opened it, a brilliant multicolored glow spilled out.
Inside were five gems, shining with an ethereal light.
Not diamonds.
But [Diamonds].
The in-ga currency of Arcane Seoul.
In the ga, it’s typically bought with real money, which is the easiest way to acquire it.
But I also rembered grinding rare loot and dismantling character cards to get my hands on so.
“D…”
“Shh! Superhuman! There are ears everywhere in this market. Don’t say that out loud.”
The junk dealer dramatically pressed a finger to his lips.
I shut my mouth.
But still, this guy had real connections.
To get his hands on Diamonds at this stage of the ga, before Episode 1 even launched?
“Superhuman, you know what this is, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
Diamonds are like a condensed form of magic energy.
Feeding one to a character fills their experience bar instantly.
And it’s not just for leveling up. Diamonds can also speed up recovery ti for resting characters or accelerate proficiency gains for equipnt.
They’re versatile, and there’s no limit to how valuable they are.
Hell, if there was a trait proficiency system tied to Diamonds, their worth would probably skyrocket even more.
I’m lucky there isn’t.
Otherwise, I’d never have made it to rank 9 without spending real cash.
“This priceless treasure, I’m offering to you for just 100 million won!”
“100 million? Really?”
“This is a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity, Superhuman! Only for you!”
The junk dealer sounded like a cheap salesman hawking his wares, but the truth was… this was a pretty good deal.
In the ga, Diamonds were nearly impossible to buy with inga currency, and here he was offering
five of them.
It wasn’t enough to fully master a single piece of equipnt, but it was more than enough to make a serious dent in it.
Without hesitation, I handed over another bundle of bills.
“Hehehe! Thank you for the quick deal! I hope you’ll co back often!”
“Can you get more of these?”
In the lore of Arcane Seoul, Diamonds were created through an excruciating process where superhumans sacrificed a portion of their magic energy to imbue a special crystal with their essence.
Naturally, it wasn’t easy to co by. Superhumans wouldn’t willingly part with their magic like that unless they were being coerced or tortured. And forced extraction didn’t yield Diamonds—it produced [Soul Stones], a far less valuable commodity.
I wasn’t really expecting the junk dealer to have a steady supply.
But to my surprise, he flashed a toothy grin.
“Of course I can! The supply is limited, but I have a reliable source!”
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely!”
“I’ll buy all of it from now on. Whenever you get more, call
first.”
“Hmm…”
The junk dealer squinted, as if weighing his options.
Diamonds were pricey, after all. I could see him mulling over the potential profit.
“Alright! Deal! You’ve been good to , Superhuman. From now on, whenever I get more Diamonds, I’ll sell them to you first. Sa price!”
Yes!
Getting a steady supply of Diamonds for just 100 million each? This was huge!
I could barely contain my excitent. My lips twitched, trying to curl into a grin, but I held it in.
“Thank you. I’m counting on you from now on.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, Superhuman!”
That’s the power of building a good reputation.
I was done here.
As I patted the pouch containing the Diamonds and the sealed horn, a smug grin finally broke through.
The horn alone was already enough to make
happy.
But adding the Diamonds on top of that? I felt like I’d hit the jackpot twice over.
I chuckled to myself for a while, enjoying the mont, before finally calming down.
Clutching the horn lightly, I considered my next steps.
It was still sealed.
As the junk dealer had said, I’d need a superhuman with priest-like abilities to break the seal.
I didn’t need to look far.
I already had the business card tucked safely in my pocket.
[Healer Kim Jesa]
[205, Dong-A Building, ABCD-EFG, Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul]
Kim Jesa was just a fake na.
His real na was Kim Saje, one of the four tutorial NPCs in Arcane Seoul. (TL Note: Saje ans Priest. He’s basically Priest Kim)
It was ti to pay him a visit.
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support
or give
feedback, you can do it at /InsanityTheGa
Join my Discord! .gg/BWaP3AHHpt
Reviews
All reviews (0)