Chapter 182 – 182. Let’s Meet on the 4th Floor

I managed to get between the 4th basement floor of the black market where the demons keep their goods.

But how should I describe this place? So, have you ever been to a warehouse mart?

The warehouse mart is full of goods. And because they sell in bulk, the price is a bit cheaper than regular marts or markets. That’s its best advantage.

So I used to go to warehouse marts often. I was always running out of money as I tried to relieve the stress of being exploited here and there by spending money on games or other hobbies.

I had wasted my little salary on gacha or game purchases… Anyway, back then, the lingering attachment to life wasn’t as deep as it is now. I had no woman to be with me, no family to support, no friends to keep in touch with.

I’ve always been alone My life seemed to be led by the inertia that just rolled along the flow.

At some point, when I realized that even the games I had been obsessed with were just pieces of data, I really had many questions about what I was living for.

Anyway, let’s get rid of all the useless talk and talk about the important things.

I remember buying a bunch of food ingredients at a warehouse mart. There have been times when I have been overwhelmed by an absurd amount of stuff.

“Fuck.”

And the scene unfolding in front of my eyes now was almost similar to the scenery of the warehouse mart I saw then. It’s filthy, it’s infinitely wide, and it’s noisy enough to run out of your mind. I was a little overwhelmed by the expansive warehouse scenery.

Moreover, since this place was not created by humans, it was filthy spacious, so vast that the ceiling could not be seen, and all sorts of bizarre things that seemed impossible for humans to use at all.

It was full of all sorts of bizarre things, from severed heads that didn’t know why they weren’t dead, eggs of unknown creatures, and strange-looking sculptures that would be used by shamans. I don’t think I can collect these things even if I try to collect them on purpose…

It seems that there are many strange things, probably because it is a place where various demons jointly manage and put useless but wasteful things indiscriminately.

Anyway, the 4th basement level of the black market was ridiculously large. And if you do something wrong, you will be cursed to the point of losing your mind.

There were even shrill screams, whether human or ghostly, and nerve-wracking noises that hurt the ears, the sound of something being crushed, pulled out, and cartilage breaking.

It was very noisy to the point of dizziness. It’s bustling, noisy, and frantic, as if you’ve entered a large mart crowded with people.

However, there was not a single being visible. It really drives people crazy. The beings making this kind of noise are hiding all over the place, but I can’t confirm their existence, so my head is dizzy.

And from now on, you have to find Cheshire’s soul in a place like this. It looks like my eyes are going to fall out already.

******

[Indeed!! We’ve reached this far, but there’s only one victim!! Even that is not a complete death!! How do you see it!! Abalam!! Ah!! Foot!! Ram!!! Please answer me!!]

Bibal, a raven-headed demon, cackled and shouted at Avalam.

Abalam, who seemed to be deafened by Bibal’s screams, frowned and tied Bibal’s snout with a thread. Then he looked at the intruders again with interest.

The reason they are looking at Jo Joon’s party is no different. It was because of the curse of the crown, which had been activated when Han Ah-ram accidentally looked at the wall on the first basement floor. The Curse of the Crown was left by Paimon, and the moment it was activated, Bibal and Avalam, who could be said to be Paimon’s minions, noticed Cho Joon and his party.

Bibal and Avalon can also be said to be named demons of the higher level, but their level is lower than that of Paimon.

Also, if it was originally, Bibal and Avalam would have been correct if they couldn’t confirm Jo Joon’s party, but this was possible because it was the underground of the black market. This is because the power of the gods is not fully displayed here. Because this was a space created by demons only for demons.

For that reason, as much as the influence of Carshinax and Indicron, who usually prevented Jo Joon from being able to observe them, they were able to observe Jo Joon’s party, albeit imperfectly.

[Yes, they are insects.]

Abalam looked at the intruders and laughed at them. In his eyes, the light of the spirits of Jo Joon and his party was too small and feeble. So much so that it wouldn’t be strange if he died. Moreover, one didn’t even look like a living creature, and the other had a part of its soul torn out.

They were Ayla and Cheshire respectively. Although they were two of the strongest in Jo Jun’s party, Ayla and Cheshire were the weakest of the weak in the eyes of Avalam, who grasped the opponent with the brightness of their souls.

[How did those weak things get to this point? I can’t believe it.]

Abalam slashed Jo Joon and his party. I was busy grabbing something and cursing.

In fact, the only thing that Avalam, with his ambiguous skills, could do was to follow his master, Paimon’s orders, to move as he was told, or to peek at others and laugh at them.

Abalam became Paimon’s subordinate and was promoted to a name, but he was not the highest ranking demon that was widely known. So, it was clear that he would be cut down by good or evil gods if he went outside without permission, so he shut himself up in his closet and became jealous of others along with his colleague and rival Bibal.

The appearance of being stuck in a room like a hikikomori, cursing the world and being jealous of others could be said to be the appearance of a petty demon itself.

Anyway, even though Abalam was a named demon, he was different from humans who had the qualifications of a player, so God could take him down at any time, so demons always had to buy themselves.

In fact, the measure of strength for demons, unless they were of the few highest ranks, was survivability. The most important thing was how well you could survive going back and forth between evil and good gods.

That’s why most demons try to figure out their opponents first. Demons move only when they figure out whether they can touch them or whether it’s best to just avoid them. Here, if you think you can touch it, you will immediately shake off your soul, and if you think it is a little dangerous, you will quickly withdraw your foot and run away.

However, Avalam and Bibal tended to look down on humans blindly because they were chosen by Paimon a long time ago and lived a relatively comfortable life just to please him. In short, they did not have the eyes to grasp the back of a human.

[Bibal, prepare soon.]

[Quack?]

[Let’s go harvest the invaders. It’s been a long time since I’ve been hunting humans! I’ve been so frustrated all this time!]

Abalam licked his lips as he saw Jo Joon and his companions wandering around the fourth floor. He raised his sadistic desire thinking that it was a human hunt after a long time.

Unfortunately they didn’t know.

That one of them is a human belonging to the evil spirits and monopolizing their attention.

If Paimon, their master, had been here, he would have quietly taken interest from Jo Joon and his party. Because there was no need to scrape it off.

No, perhaps he thought of approaching them in a friendly way and recommending a contract on good terms, or establishing a cooperative relationship and entering under the command of the evil spirits.

However, Paimon was now away, so there was no one to stop the runaway of Avalam, who was stupid but strong and skillful but short-minded.

In a way, this is also a tragedy.

******

“It’s filthy wide.”

“Right?”

My party and I cautiously walked around the 4th floor.

The fourth floor was incredibly spacious. In addition, a thick mist spread over the entire warehouse, and this was so much magic that it was visible.

“Whoa. Whoa.”

Aram took a deep breath and absorbed all the demonic energy in the air by himself. Aram, who had already been demonized from the time he entered the 4th floor, grew more horny as time passed. And as she grows her horns, the air around her purifies, and only the point we turn around the fog has dissipated. This was already a performance that exceeded that of an air purifier.

If it wasn’t for Aram, an ordinary person like me would probably end up poisoned by demonic energy after less than 30 minutes. The fourth floor was in such a serious condition. It was the part where you could see why Cheshire and Ayla, who were insanely strong, couldn’t attack the 4th floor.

“Shh.”

Then Cheshire, who was walking in front of her, stopped. Something large was walking in the distance.

‘The warehouse keeper…’

One of the monsters that roam the 4th floor.

Their appearance was that of a large human with two pairs of arms. Even they were all wearing rag-like shirts for some reason, and the genders were separated.

And the face was black blood dripping with the pupils pulled out, and overall they were monsters that looked like office workers who had died overtime.

‘Originally, they must have all been human.’

Perhaps they are capturing contracted humans, destroying them like that, and then using them as unpaid workers.

Also, those guys shoot curses with their mouths and catch the fleeing opponent with their long arms and tear off their limbs. They are really crazy monsters. I’m lucky that I haven’t been caught by them yet.

In any case, it is best to avoid it as much as possible.

Our plan to pass the curse on to the beast and do it in real time was nullified.

‘Just thinking about it… I don’t think anything ever went as planned…’

Before you experience it yourself, you always make plans, run simulations in your head, and make your own preparations, but when you come to reality, you realize that all your plans are destroyed and the simulations were nothing more than delusions in your brain.

In the end, adaptability is the most important thing.

“Hmm.. It passed. Let’s go now.”

When the warehouse bases left, we moved forward again. Ayla led us in the direction of Cheshire’s soul.

‘It’s so smooth…’

Oddly smooth It seems like it’s been several hours since I came here, but the fact that nothing has happened has made me a little nervous. Because things were going too well for me.

Obviously, in my experience, when things go smoothly like this, something always breaks out and the situation becomes a mess…

‘No… It won’t be…’

It’s not like the world is trying to kill me… It can’t be. Things have always been messed up, so now it’s time to end things peacefully.

I’m still in a bad mood because I lost close to 200,000 coins by losing Keker and the beast, but I just wish I could find Cheshire’s soul and go out without a big deal.

-Kiaaa!!!!

At the same time as I was thinking that, I heard a shout from somewhere in the warehouse on the 4th floor. It is a carnivore. It seems that a persistent obsessive beast has descended to the 4th floor.

‘Crazy… Filthy persistent bastard…’

The tenacious beast kept screaming. It was as if he meant that since he appeared here, you should wipe your neck and wait. Going crazy. How far are you trying to chase me? Surely… You’re not trying to follow me to my base outside the black market, are you?

If so, I will capture you and make you a slave. Right now, the place is so dangerous that I can’t act recklessly, so I’m just running away. Our base has Parers, Mer, and Ayla, and soon it will come to Cheshire.

So, if that bastard loses his cowardly head and follows me to the base, then I will catch him unconditionally, beat him to death, brand his head, and make him a slave. Then I’ll make you work for 200,000 coins.

While having such a delusion, the shelves swayed and the warehouse keepers ran toward one place. That was where the screams of the beast were heard. It seemed that all the warehouse keepers on the 4th floor decided to respond when the beast went on a rampage.

‘Uh..? Wait a minute, maybe… Maybe it’ll be good.’

No matter how confident he is, he reveals that he has come. He probably has confidence in his own strength. Well, thanks to that, all of the warehouse keepers’ aggro was focused on the beast, so I’m a bitch.

‘Maybe… That action was worth 200,000 coins…’

It’s like dealing with the mirror ghosts alone. Unexpectedly, it was of practical help on our journey. Rather, is it my own misunderstanding that it is more useful than the candy-like Keker of the toad days?

“All the warehouse keepers have fallen over there. Now is your chance. Let’s move quickly.”

“Yes.”

We moved slowly with our waists halfway down, realizing that all of the warehouse bases had been dragged away by the killing beasts, we increased our movement speed.

******

-Bang!!!

The slaughter beast struck the warehouse keeper’s head with his fist.

Because the curse didn’t work, the warehouse keepers were just prey with a lot of arms in the position of killing beasts. Of course, it was a little tiring because there were so many of them, but it was difficult to stop the fully resurrected Slaughter Beast with things like this.

“Haa.. Haa… Sniff sniff.. Haa..”

A bloody beast chases after Jang Jo-joon’s scent. It wasn’t long. We will meet soon.