Chapter 94 – 94. The Black Market Revisited

Aside from the effect, the appearance of Changsung’s necklace and Florence’s bloodstone ring was quite beautiful. If the world hadn’t perished, wouldn’t I have been able to sell two of these and live happily ever after? It’s a visual that seems like a luxury that would have turned on the lights and tried to buy it.

‘By the way, who should I put this on?’

The necklace of creation drops strength, agility, and stamina stats by 30. A drop of 30 or so stats would greatly hinder the battle. Merya and I have high stats in our 90s, so it wouldn’t matter if we wore these, but the rest of the members seemed to have a lot of problems if their stats dropped to 30.

‘I’d rather not wear a warrior class that mainly engages in close combat because my physical ability is poor. It’s better for me to wear it or for the druid Heesun noona to wear it… Or it would be okay if the necromancer Son Ha-eun or the mage Hwang Su-min wore it.’

Several candidates came to mind, but I decided to wear it for now. There are a lot of people in the mart, so it would be better for me to wear this to call a summoned beast and fire skills while going to a more dangerous place.

‘The number of summons also increased. Because you never know what will happen in the forest. Next, the bloodstone ring…’

When wearing a bloodstone ring, the race changes. Then there was a high probability that the class would change accordingly. Just as Gu Kyo-han, who was wearing an ominous choker, turned into a dura-han, I wonder if he would change into a vampire if he was wearing this. It warns that you will feel a thirst for blood, so it is most likely a vampire former item.

‘Even if I wear it, it won’t change right away.’

It was written in the description that if you use it for a long time, the race will change. Then you should wear this bloodstone ring for at least a week.

‘By the way, is there anyone in the party who can be turned into a vampire?’

Everyone has already built their own fighting style to change classes now. If the class suddenly changes, the previous level is initialized and you have to match the fighting style again from the beginning, which can cause confusion.

For example, this is the case with Yewon. When she came to attack me, she was accustomed to melee combat, but she lost her hymen and was corrupted by me, and her class changed to a mage. Because of that, it was a bit difficult in the beginning to get used to the new combat method.

And in the case of Harin, Heesun noona, Mer, and Aram, it’s a pity to change to another class because they already liked the class, and Yewon or Eunji are essential classes. The only one left is Areumi, a sword dancer…

‘Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to just give it to Hwayoung. No, giving it to Hwayoung is the right choice.’

Anyway, since Hwayoung is still a vampire, there shouldn’t be any problem even if she wears her bloodstone ring. It’s thirst. A drop of my blood can quench it. Even if she felt a greater thirst here, it would not be a problem.

Above all, she is still learning super-fast regeneration skills, so I wonder if Hwa-yeong, who can heal herself, can kill her if she fights with her bloodstone ring on. During battle, it will cause the enemy to bleed in real time, so it will heal faster than being wounded.

‘I’ll be able to run amok without a back..’

Moreover, Hwayeong, who is already a vampire, must be wearing it to prevent her bloodstone ring from being destroyed and to use it permanently.

The choker that Gu Kyo-han was wearing was destroyed at the same time that Gu Kyo-han was transferred to Dullahan. I think this bloodstone ring will be destroyed the moment it turns the wearer into a vampire.

Then, if Hwayoung, a vampire, was already wearing it, the ring could be used forever without worrying about it being destroyed. No matter how much I think about it, there is no one to write about except for Hwayoung. In the end, I decided to give the bloodstone ring to Hwayoung.

“Oh..! So pretty! Thank you brother! This is for Eunji-unnie…”

“Uh huh. Don’t brag about it because only you secretly gave it to me.”

“Hehe.. Yes!”

As soon as Hwayoung received her ring, she put it on the ring finger of her left hand. She then, excitedly, she spun around and stroked her ring. She then suddenly tried to tell Eunji that she was bragging, so she quickly stopped her.

Even though the two of them are rivals in a strange war of nerves, Eunji will surely get angry if I say I gave the ring to Hwayoung willingly. She didn’t want to scrape it and make a bruise.

“By the way, Hwayoung. Do you feel thirsty or something? It’s a strange feeling.”

“Hmm… I don’t really know. If it’s a change, is it that my brother looks a little more delicious?”

“Her…”

Hwayoung said that and smiled helplessly.

I gave her the nape of her neck as I sat down on her seat as she gave Hwayoung her bloodstone ring. It’s because it’s time to feed her blood.

“Jjurup… Haa.. As expected, oppa’s blood is the best..”

As she fed her her own blood, it occurred to her that Hwayoung needed some blood to feed her while I was away for a week. Since Hwayeong restores her magical power with my blood, I guess I should draw her blood beforehand so that she can eat while I’m gone.

“But I don’t have a refrigerator to store blood even after drawing it…”

“Uh… It’s still cold. If you keep it outside…”

However, once the blood was drawn, I was at a loss as to how to store it for a week. If there was a refrigerator, I would have put it in, but there is no answer as the electricity is cut off. You can’t just leave the blood at room temperature. Moreover, it is more dangerous because the day is getting fuller.

Of course, if you can’t eat my blood, you can grab one of the slaves and drink my blood. However, Hwa-yeong said that since the vulva was engraved, the blood of another human had a strange smell, and she felt bad if she ate it.

‘Is there no way…?’

While wondering if there was a way to keep the blood fresh with Hwayoung and Ewha on the first floor, Hajinseong and Dyurahan, who had gone out to loot the surroundings, returned to the mart. They came with a mart cart full of goods. There was also a machine of unknown origin.

These days, Ha Jin-seong and his men are robbing houses and shops in the neighborhood like some kind of looter, so useful items are gradually increasing.

“Older brother!”

“Uh. Are you here?”

“Yes! Older brother. Look at this!”

“What is that?”

“It is a generator! A portable generator! I picked some up from a nearby warehouse.”

“What? Wow.. Jinseong. You did one thing.”

Just when he was thinking about what to do if his blood went bad because there was no refrigerator, Ha Jin-seong and his slaves came looking for a small self-generator.

‘Now I can start the refrigerator with this. ‘

Then, when he poured oil from a nearby gas station into the portable generator, the generator began to spin with a roaring sound.

It’s not enough to replenish power to the entire mart, but it’s enough to run a few refrigerators.

“With this, I won’t have to worry about anything going bad for a while.”

“Iknow, right. Still, fresh brother’s blood is the best. Come back soon.”

“Okay. It only knows my own blood.”

“It’s not like that!”

Her arms hugged Hwayoung, who was carrying her, and kissed her on the lips. She seemed to regret not being able to follow me to the forest of the missing. Still can’t help it. Harin and Heeseon noona are essential when walking around the forest, and Eunji beat rock paper scissors.

More time passed and finally it was 9:55 on Friday evening.

I stood in front of the door of the employee lounge on the second floor of the mart. It was because the entrance to the rooftop was smashed due to the attack of the Ghouls and Revenants in the past. The rubble was removed, but there was no door, so another door had to be used.

“Are you going alone this time?”

“Uh. I’ll be back soon. Nothing strange will happen this time.”

Aram asked anxiously.

Last time I almost didn’t come back from the real black market. However, this time will be different. As soon as I went in, I was thinking of calling the guide and quickly solving the to-do and returning.

“Let’s go!”

“Master, it’s a dangerous place, so always be careful.”

“Don’t worry. You have a guide.”

“Is that the Cheshire guy?”

“Huh. You know Mer too?”

“Okay. Every know Cheshire is trustworthy.”

“Have a good trip, brother!”

“Yes! Everyone is waiting!”

I went over to the black market while being seen off by them.

*****

Kikiiik.. Pushuk. Doo kung!

The last time I visited, I heard nothing but the sound of machines running. I came out somewhere in a twisted alley.

I immediately checked my watch. Checking the time on the black market is like checking how many lives are left. If we don’t escape within 4 hours, it’s over. Therefore, checking the time should become a habit.

“Let’s see…”

I came to the black market this time, carrying a large magic bag and borrowing Eunji’s shadow mask. Because it reminded me of the advice I had given her on my last visit not to walk around with her face up so that it would be Cheshire.

The shadow mask was much more comfortable than the gas mask. It completely covers the face and reduces the presence to some extent, so it is the best item to hide your presence. Moreover, the subtle scent of Eunji’s shampoo made me feel good.

‘Come to think of it, I told you to hide your name as much as possible. Other usage rules…’

Apart from the advice Cheshire gave me, there was also a warning that the peddler gave me separately. There are as many as 11 black market rules.

‘You must not carry shiny items, you must leave within 4 hours, you must not go to the ground floor or the basement, and there are no peddlers in the black market, so do not pretend to know even if you run into them. There were other warnings to stay away from the kennels and beware of slave traders.’

There was also a message to not touch any food given by drug dealers and to beware of moneylenders. Well, if Cheshire is by your side, it will solve all accidents on its own, so I don’t think you need to memorize them hard.

‘5,000 coins in 2 hours. 10,000 coins in 4 hours.’

At this price, it’s a lot cheaper than being guided through this dangerous place. Wouldn’t it be nice to think of it as a free service?

‘Defective precious metals charge tens of thousands of coins, but 10,000 coins is very cheap.’

I immediately took out the terminal in her arms and called Cheshire. It took her about 5 minutes to come.

“Hey! Long time no see! He was alive!”

“Oh, Cheshire!”

Cheshire, who appeared at the entrance of the alley, saw me and was very happy, and she ran straight to me and hugged me.

Her voice was modulated by the neon mask she was wearing, so she couldn’t quite tell if she was a man or a woman, but as they hugged her, she realized that Cheshire was definitely a woman.

I knew it when I felt the tenderness of my chest.

“Lol! I thought I was dead because there was no news for a week!”

Cheshire was so glad he hugged me and stroked his head wildly.

“Che, Cheshire. I will choke to death!”

“Ah! Sorry!”

Cheshire had strength beyond imagination. Had she held her a little tighter, she might not have broken her back or destroyed her spine.

‘I think he has more strength than Mer…’

Somehow, the recoil control was not a joke when I used the laser gun against the underground guards last time, but it all had a reason. It wasn’t that she was sucking on equipment, was it just that her strength was ridiculously high?

“Sniff .. More than that, did the scent from her body change?”

“Yes?”

“Snake… Hmm. You are no longer human.”

“Oh, that’s…”

I told him that I received Nagaraja’s juice as a gift from the dragon hunter, and that after eating all of it, I became half-human.

“Okay? Well, it’s still half human. Does it matter?”

Saying that, Cheshire naturally came out and crossed her arms. Wouldn’t it be kind if you weren’t human?

With that question in mind, I naturally held out her wrist to her and handed over her coin.

I put in about 20,000 coins. As a thank you last time.

“What? Did you add more?”

“Oh, just. I put a little more in my heart to thank you for helping me last time.”

“Heh… Good sense! Yes, a lot of service today!”

She was overjoyed that she only got 10,000 coins more. But what service do you provide?

“Okay then, customer. Where can I take you?”

“I want to go where the drug dealer is first.”

“Good good! Let’s take a quick look around! Busy! Busy!”

I ran down Cheshire’s alley holding her hand.

As she held her hand and ran with her, she felt that at some point she was being sucked into somewhere.

“Ahh… It hurts…”

Hehe… About… I’m running out of medicine…”

“Coke! Coke! Ugh… Hey!! There! Give me some coins!!”

The den of drug addicts was littered with all sorts of garbage, just like the last time I visited. It is full of dead bodies and poisoned people who have fallen into the abyss. It was a space full of a unique rotten smell and unpleasant melancholy.

We ignoring them roughly and headed into the neon-lit drug dealer’s shop, Drug ‘n’ Rush.

“Oh. You’re here again. Nice to meet you.”

Upon entering the store, a drug dealer with two heads greeted us. One side of her head was still muttering strangely.

Cheshire and I sat at the waiter’s table inside the store.

“But what are you two? Are you crossing your arms?”

“Well, that’s how it happened. Wait a minute, I naturally handed you a drink!!”

“Whoa whoop..”

Cheshire moved the cocktail the drug dealer was handing over to the end of the table. Seeing that he keeps trying even though he fails every time, it seems that he secretly expects to eat while he is not paying attention. If you eat it, your life will be over like the people in the den of drug addicts you just passed by.

“More than that. Have you tried the blue pill you bought last time?”

“Yes. I ate that… And had a big dream.”

“Hmm. I guess the medicinal effect was good?”

“Yes.. I thought I was going to die because it was so good.”

I did not bother to explain in detail what I had experienced in the dream. I didn’t remember much in the first place, and explaining it didn’t change anything.

“Then, since we came all the way here, today’s recommended product…”

As I checked my watch, the astute drug dealer began bringing drugs here and there. I asked the drug dealer who was picking out the drug.

“Hey, wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

“Do you have any birth control pills? Or something related to contraception…”

The biggest reason for entering this dangerous black market is to get Harin’s contraceptives. Because the peddler told me to go see the drug dealer.

“Hmm… It’s a birth control pill. There is A very good guy.”

“Oh..!”

“Then, I’ll sell it as part of today’s recommended product. Service.”

“Thank you!”

The drug dealer put birth control pills as a recommended product for the day. Originally, they were selling random medicines, but since they are close to each other, they seem to have decided to help.

Then Cheshire, who was clinging to me, asked.

“Why birth control pills?”

“Ah… I’m afraid I might get pregnant…”

“Hoh.. Come to think of it, the client’s body smells like a woman too. Even several people.”

“Uh… There are about eight.”

“Okay? Huhu.. That’s right. Eight people…”

When Cheshire heard that I had eight women, he laughed sinisterly.

‘What is this sinister smile…’

At that time, the drug dealer who brought the medicine at the right time put 4 vials on the table.