I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 164 : The Golden Insignia (2)

"Wow."

Kwon Seung-yeon marveled at the black market that was as bustling as the middle of downtown.

"The scale is enormous."

"Isn't it?"

The two wore cloaks to conceal their physiques, along with wide-brimmed hats and masks covering their faces.

"Isn't that a demonic beast passing by?"

"That's right. They lead tamed demonic beasts around like pets. For showing off."

"Heck, it's possible to tame demonic beasts?"

"It is possible."

I said.

"Though it's closer to breaking their will completely through torture and beatings, combined with drug administration, essentially turning them into living dolls."

"......"

Kwon Seung-yeon closed her mouth tightly, as if feeling disgusted.

"As you can see, you can't tell who's a Ma-in and who's human here. That's the kind of place this is."

"Jeez. Humans and Ma-in shopping side by side. It feels like all common sense is being denied."

"Well, it's a frequent occurrence in the underworld even now."

"Even so."

Kwon Seung-yeon grumbled as if she didn't like it.

"It can't be helped. No matter how much we try to prevent it, this kind of demand will inevitably exist."

I said.

"Above all, this is a global market shared by Ma-in and humans from all over the world."

"How can such a place exist?"

"Well, it's similar to the train hijacking a few days ago."

"You mean a barrier."

"That's right. I heard it's a subspace created by a top-tier Awakened in that field."

"Are you saying it's almost the size of a district in a decent-sized city?"

"Plus, you can enter from anywhere in the world if you meet the requirements. It's truly an extraordinary ability."

"I guess it is on a different level from hijacking a single train."

Kwon Seung-yeon nodded.

"But you're not Detective Conan or something. Why do incidents happen everywhere you go? Getting involved in a hijacking all of a sudden... I was really shocked."

"...That's true."

I cleared my throat and continued.

"Anyway, it's a necessary evil that's difficult for even governments to touch, given the various intertwined interests. I heard that even the Execution Force leaves it alone. They don't actually lead crimes here anyway."

Therefore.

"If you can get in, there's no better place to hide. It's a dimension you can't enter without a special marker."

"I see."

"Additionally, there's an implicit rule not to start fights with each other in here. It feels like a neutral country."

Kwon Seung-yeon nodded slightly in understanding.

"So that's why they checked our weapons when we entered."

"That's right."

That was also why I brought Kwon Seung-yeon, who excelled in unarmed combat.

"Anyway, when I'm with you, it feels like the genre of my life changes. Smuggling, black markets."

Kwon Seung-yeon grumbled.

"How did you get that special marker in the first place?"

"I have my ways."

I borrowed it temporarily by asking Old Man Jang.

'Though I've incurred a debt.'

I'll probably have to pay quite a high price for it.

"Just know that someone who supplies us with goods helped out."

"Seriously."

It was then.

'!'

When a group of people approached from the opposite side, I quickly pulled Kwon Seung-yeon and made her lower her head.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Don't look closely at others' eyes here. It's better to walk looking at the ground."

"......There's all sorts of things here."

Kwon Seung-yeon poked my side.

"What on earth were you doing before enrollment?"

"Hmm."

Nothing much.

Just repeating the same game for about ten years.

"So. What are we going to do now?"

After the people passed by, Kwon Seung-yeon asked in a lowered voice.

"We need to find Kang Woojung. He'll definitely be here."

"On what basis?"

"I heard that the vault is also kept in a bank within this black market."

"Ah."

"Plus, the black market opens from today. He'll definitely be here."

"Hmmmm."

Her cloak fluttered as if she had folded her arms.

"Then finding where he is should be our top priority. Everyone looks the same, and this place is so wide..."

"Don't worry."

I patted Kwon Seung-yeon's shoulder to reassure her.

"I heard an auction opens in two hours. We'll probably meet him there."

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"Damn it. Everyone's wearing the same cloaks, hats, and even masks, so I can't tell which one he is."

In response to Ha Jin-su's words, Kwak Hyeok-jung replied.

"It's fine. We'll inevitably meet at the auction anyway."

"Have you been here often?"

"Somewhat. I'm guessing you haven't?"

"Well, I'm not particularly interested in this sort of thing."

Ha Jin-su shrugged.

"Damn, this has become annoying. We should have caught that bastard right there and then."

"No. If we're going to catch him anyway, it's better to set up the situation properly first. He's someone who escaped from that train too. Striking at the decisive moment will be the right answer."

"You crazy bastard, that's rich coming from someone who ran off with his eyes rolled back."

"Hmm. I was in a frenzy at that time."

Ha Jin-su shook his head at Kwak Hyeok-jung's calm attitude, as if he had never gone wild.

"Anyway, I'm counting on you here."

"Leave it to me."

At the same time four pursuers had followed him to the black market to find him.

"Hehehe. Finally made it here."

Kang Woojung, who was passing time by drinking coffee at a cafe before the auction opened, chuckled while fiddling with the wooden box in his chest.

'Just one more hour. I just need to hold out for one more hour.'

He wasn't the type to let his guard down when success was so close.

If he were, he wouldn't have made it this far in the first place.

'Pursuers could appear from anywhere at any time. I just need to maintain my composure and follow the plan.'

Looking back, it had been a long and arduous journey.

After hearing rumors about the insignia, acquiring it through all sorts of hardships, and enduring even greater ordeals, he finally managed to enter the black market with the insignia in his possession.

'Hehehe. To think the insignia was hidden in such a place.'

Kang Woojung smirked.

There were good reasons why an item that had been rumored for decades remained undiscovered and forgotten until now.

'But I'm indeed a lucky guy.'

He had obtained a map from an antique shop in China during a six-month short-term business trip seeking higher pay.

He then went to Mount Baekdu, which had long since become the land of demonic beasts, and found the entrance to a cave hidden by barrier magic.

'But to think there was a cliff beneath my feet. If I hadn't sent ahead a captured demonic beast because of a bad feeling, I would have become one of those skeletons rolling around beneath.'

Goosebumps rose on his forearms as he recalled the demonic beasts at the bottom of the cliff, hissing with venom like solitary venomous insects.

Moreover, things weren't smooth even after breaking through the illusion magic and entering the passage.

What greeted him inside the cave was a baptism of traps consisting of magic, spears, machine guns, and booby traps.

'I really thought I was going to die then.'

However, perhaps due to the long years that had passed, many of the traps didn't activate properly or misfired.

Thanks to his animal-like instincts, physical prowess, and sacrificing his beloved Butterfly Twin Swords, Kang Woojung was fortunate enough to survive once again.

How else could this be described other than an incredible stroke of luck?

What he discovered at the end of the cave, after overcoming two critical moments.

It was a letter written by the youngest son of Boss Chun Gwangmyeong, who had fled from the pursuit of traitors until he died, detailing his story and anger, and a golden insignia inside a wooden box left beside it.

'Hehehe. I'm grateful. Because that man happened to hide in a cave filled with such dense traps, the opportunity came to me even after decades had passed.'

But obtaining the insignia didn't end the story.

Somehow, word had spread, and countless trackers had been targeting him day and night.

'Shit, was it a rumor spread by that antique shop owner? No. If so, why bother selling it? Or maybe he's making copies and continues to sell them? To intercept anyone who acquires it?'

Speculations followed one after another.

Eventually, he returned to the antique shop, slaughtered the owner who wailed that he knew nothing, and then entered Korea to escape continued pursuit.

'And then I was targeted by the train robbers this time. That was really a close call.'

If he had been alone, he would have died without escaping from there, losing the insignia.

But he was lucky again!

Who would have thought that the addition of just one EFAC cadet named Jeong Su-hyeon would result in him killing Ko Kyeong-ho and even releasing the barrier?

Thanks to him, he was finally able to enter this black market with the insignia.

'Hehehe. The entire universe is helping me. This is destiny. I am the rightful owner of this insignia, the owner of the vault.'

He smiled triumphantly beneath his mask.

'I've almost made it. I just need to choose and purchase a suitable item at the auction, then go to the currency exchange and request a meeting with the bank president.'

The currency used in this black market wasn't the dollar.

It was gold, which had faithfully fulfilled its role as currency throughout the ages, regardless of East or West.

First, you had to make purchases using gold as the currency unit, then go to the exchange, exchange whatever currency you had—won, dollars, or euros—for gold according to the exchange rate, and then make your purchase.

'If you don't spend money, you can't meet the bank president or even the bank staff. They won't let you exchange currency before making a purchase. They're so damn strict.'

Because of this, he was going to lose some money, but so what?

Once he opens that vault, he can fly to America and live spending money freely in the wealthy neighborhoods of New York with ironclad security.

Slurp.

Kang Woojung deliberately sucked up the last of his coffee to calm his excitement.

'I can't let my guard down until I meet the bank president, show the insignia, and open the vault.'

More precisely, he won't relax his vigilance until he opens the vault, negotiates with the bank president to exchange money, and settles in America after leaving for the US.

'I'm really almost there now. I won't forgive anyone who gets in my way.'

He didn't even realize that he was constantly shaking his feet under his cloak.

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[3, 2, 1. Sale complete! Buyer number 75 has purchased ownership of 'Dancer Serena' and 'Butler Vinicius' for 4 million gold!]

Clap clap clap clap clap.

The hosts, their bodies concealed by masks and cloaks, applauded politely and cheered.

"They really sell everything here."

Kwon Seung-yeon whispered to me in a lowered voice.

As Kwon Seung-yeon said.

There was nothing that couldn't be bought with money at this auction.

Not just demonic beast byproducts, rare minerals, or crafts.

They were selling everything from weapons made by long-dead master craftsmen, cursed demonic swords, trained high-level demonic beasts, human slaves, to Ma-in slaves.

"......Anyway, we need to buy something here too."

"Why?"

"If you don't buy anything, they won't let you leave in the first place."

"What? There's such a rule?"

"If you've come, you must buy something. Otherwise, they say there's no reason to let you into the black market while taking risks."

Moreover.

"And we need to execute our next plan too."

"But."

Kwon Seung-yeon hesitated and said.

"I didn't bring any money."

"Don't worry."

I smiled confidently.

"You think I'd ask for your help and then make you spend money too? That would make me a scammer."

"R-right?"

Kwon Seung-yeon sighed in relief.

"So."

"Yes?"

"Is there anything you want to buy?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Tell me. I'll buy you something as a gift."

"......!"

Behind her mask, Kwon Seung-yeon's already large eyes grew even wider.

"Really?"

"Yes. As long as it's not too expensive."

"Don't worry about that!"

After exclaiming energetically, Kwon Seung-yeon suddenly fidgeted with her fingers and lowered her head.

"......But this is the first time I've received a gift from a guy."

"......"

Su-hyeon cleared his throat and said.

"Your hand is showing. Put it inside your cloak."

"O-okay."