"Hey, did you sleep well?"
As Yoon Seo stepped into the parking lot, Kwon Jihan opened the car door with a bright smile.
Beep!
Riceball, who was nestled in Yoon Seo's arms, wriggled. As soon as Yoon Seo got into the car, Riceball jumped into Jihan's arms. Jihan closed the car door and caught Riceball.
"Oh, it's a hedgehog today. It's really cute."
Beep. Beep, beep.
"Why is Riceball crying so sadly today? Did something happen?"
Something had happened. Yoon Seo sighed.
"I told it we're going to buy a weapon today. I mentioned it early because I was worried it might act up in a crowded place. It's been like this since then."
"Ah, I see… It's jealous. Riceball, we're going to buy my weapon, not hyung's. So don't worry."
Beeeeep.
"But it's so cute being all sad like this. Makes me not want to comfort it."
It really was cute to see the hedgehog, without its quills raised, burying its face in his palm and crying sorrowfully.
"Let's just get going. Is it nearby? How long will it take?"
When the car still hadn't moved, Yoon Seo asked. Jihan grinned—a mischievous smile.
"I don't know if it's near or far yet."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Give me your hand, hyung."
"…?"
Though puzzled, Yoon Seo held out his palm. Jihan took an item out of his inventory and placed it in Yoon Seo's hand. It was a small envelope, about the size of his palm. Yoon Seo tore open the folded part of the envelope.
['Shadow Black Market Invitation']
Rank: S
Usable Date: September 12th, 06:00 – 07:00 (KST)
This is an invitation to the Shadow Black Market. Tearing the invitation will transport you to the market's location.
Uses: 1/1
Item Creator: Sein Stacy
Yoon Seo let out a soft exclamation.
"Does the invitation work like a portal stone?"
"Yeah. You'll have to buy a portal stone there for the return trip. Do you have enough money? If not, I'll buy it for you."
"I have enough for that. But the item creator is a foreigner—why is the date set to Korean time?"
"Most international events, not just the black market, follow our country's time. Even the Great Dungeon occurrence is in Korean Standard Time."
"That's true."
"If you're ready, let's go."
Kwon Jihan took out his invitation. Riceball still had its face buried in Jihan's palm. Yoon Seo tore his invitation first.
He felt the same sensation as when using a Portal Stone, and the scenery in front of his eyes changed.
Crunchy sand was under his shoes. Yoon Seo found himself standing on a beach.
The sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue with cotton-like clouds, and the emerald sea was calm. Unlike the sweltering heat in Korea, this place had the warmth of spring. After confirming that Jihan had arrived beside him, Yoon Seo turned on his U-pad. According to the GPS, they were on an island in the South Pacific.
Beep!
Riceball's eyes widened before it jumped out of Jihan's arms and swam happily across the sand. Jihan took a deep breath of the fresh air, puffing out his chest before slowly exhaling.
"The weather's perfect. I'd love to live somewhere like this. Hyung, did anyone leave a will about 'relaxing at a villa on an island in the South Pacific' or something like that?"
"No, nothing like that. I think the black market is over there. I can sense people coming from that direction."
Yoon Seo said, pointing towards the thick forest inland.
"We've got some time left, so let's enjoy the scenery a bit before we head over."
"Sure."
They freed Riceball, whose face was buried in the sand, and took a leisurely stroll along the beach. When it was three minutes to seven, they headed toward the entrance of the black market.
['Ralph Stacy Jr.' has used the 'Mirror that Sees the Unseen' Item.]
['Ralph Stacy Jr.' is viewing your
As they neared the forest, a system message appeared. Further inside, they saw a green D-rank dungeon portal and a foreign man. Judging by the name, he seemed to be a black market staff member.
Behind the staff member was an open field with tents and camper vans, while in front of him, hunters of various nationalities gathered. Even at a glance, there were hundreds. Some of them recognized Kwon Jihan and whispered among themselves. Yoon Seo pulled down his cap and scanned the hunters' faces.
There were no A-rank or S-rank hunters from Seokyoung. They must have already come and gone when it opened yesterday since they surely had received invitations.
'Even the Mir Guild master is here.'
Yoon Seo spotted an S-rank hunter whose face he knew. It was Jo Mir, the guild master of the Mir Guild. He had fought alongside him a few times in the past as Seo Chaeyoon.
Yoon Seo had received the list of those confirmed to join the Great Dungeon raid from Yoo Juncheol yesterday, and Jo Mir's name was near the top.
"Hello, Hunter Kwon Jihan, Hunter Yoon Seo. Welcome to the black market. Hunter Kwon Jihan, you're always right on time."
The staff member said, professionally greeting them despite likely being surprised to see Kwon Jihan. His Korean was fluent.
"This is your first visit, Hunter Yoon Seo. Do you need an explanation?"
"I'll explain to hyung."
"Understood."
It looked like there was supposed to be a verification procedure involving the U-pad and item in the staff member's hand, but thanks to Kwon Jihan's name, they were able to skip it.
"Everyone, thank you for waiting. We're entering the dungeon now. Please come inside!"
An employee went through the green portal first. Then, the people waiting in line followed, disappearing one by one into the portal.
"The black market is inside a dungeon?"
"Yeah, it has to be at least this cool to be called a black market."
Kwon Jihan grabbed Yoon Seo's wrist and stepped into the portal.
[You have entered the Dungeon. Number of Hunters: 401 | Time Until Explosion: 20 Hours]
[The God of Life is pleased.]
[The God of Death is hoping for a high-grade dungeon.]
The interior of the D-rank Green Dungeon resembled a city on the brink of collapse after people had vanished.
Some dungeons feature artificial structures instead of natural landscapes like forests, caves, lava, or glaciers. Temples, towers, crumbling roads, railways, and high-rise buildings. These weren't common terrains.
"Is the black market always held in an urban dungeon like this?"
"No, last time it was a canyon. The black market that opened yesterday was in an underwater cave. Apparently, the portal's location and color are more important than the terrain. If a low-ranked Green Portal appears in a secluded place, it's likely to become a black market candidate."
"I see."
[It has been determined that no additional participants will enter the dungeon.]
[The dungeon portal is closing.]
[You have entered the Dungeon. Number of Hunters: 611 | Time Until Explosion: 20 Hours]
"611 people came in, huh."
"A hundred of them are vendors. While they prepare, we should take out the small monsters. At midnight, the portal will close, and the black market hosts will deal with the dungeon boss. We just have to kill the small monsters and go shopping."
Yoon Seo calculated the time.
It was now 7:01 PM, so there were 16 hours and 59 minutes until midnight. From midnight until the explosion, about three hours…
"If we don't clear it within two hours, everyone here is going to die."
"Don't worry. No one's going to let that happen. Guild Master Mir is here, and the hunters are around too. With 611 people entering, a hundred more than last time, most are here to prepare for the Great Dungeon raid. Just like us."
Kwon Jihan smiled confidently.
"I didn't mean it out of worry. Even without Guild Master Mir or the hunters… we're too strong to fail."
"Right. Hey, you've got a stray hair sticking out."
Kwon Jihan gently patted the back of Yoon Seo's head. Yoon Seo rolled his eyes at the large hand rubbing his rounded head.
"You keep touching my head lately."
"It fits perfectly in my hand, and it's just the right height and size. It sticks close."
"Don't forget I'm older than you."
"Oh, of course. I always keep that in mind. Hyung, can you pet my head too?"
Kwon Jihan smiled broadly and leaned forward in front of Yoon Seo. Unable to resist, Yoon Seo raised his hand to the black crown offered to him. Swoosh, swoosh… the hair tickled between his fingers. The anxiety disappeared, replaced with contentment and happiness. If Riceball hadn't piped up with a questioning "Beep?" as if asking what they were doing, they might've continued like that until midnight.
***
After dealing with the surrounding monsters, they chatted and rested for a few minutes. When an announcement came over the item "Loudspeaker," saying the vendors were ready, they entered the street.
The venue for the sale was a wide road.
Like the Yangpyeong Item Market, stalls were scattered on both sides, and people wearing robes or hats were examining various items. One stall displayed a sign that read, "A weapon that will make you the Lord of the Night! The very weapon you've been searching for!"
"Hunter Kwon Jihan, let's head over there. A weapon that can make someone the Lord of the Night sounds promising. I hope it's an S-rank sword."
"…Huh?"
Yoon Seo blinked in surprise as he grabbed Kwon Jihan's wrist and headed toward the stall.
['Lord of the Night Bat'
Rank: S
More intense pleasure! The thrill that feels like your head might fly off! Faster speed! Stronger power!
Item Creator: Viktor Ainuzé]
Now, it was Yoon Seo's turn to blink blankly.
The items displayed at the stall were all similar in nature. Customers wearing hoods were holding long and thick-shaped items while the seller was energetically promoting that once turned on, they would move all day long.
Yoon Seo immediately turned around.
His face turned bright red as he did so.
"What's wrong, hyung? You said let's look around. This one doesn't seem that big, but it's extra-large."
Kwon Jihan grinned mischievously as he reached for one of the extra-large bat on the stall. Yoon Seo swiftly slapped Kwon Jihan's hand away before he could pick it up. He then took hold of Kwon Jihan's hand and pulled him away.
"Are you crazy? Riceball is watching with sparkling eyes, and you want to touch that?"