Episode 170: The Hyeonumokmaji
Dang Gyu-yeong immediately took me and started moving somewhere.
As we were flowing along with the flow of people in the downtown area, I asked a question.
“Senior, but where are we going?”
“I gave you a list of prohibited items.”
“Yes, it was.”
“I heard one just came up. I heard it’s waiting at the E-exchange and I’m heading there.”
“oh.”
The item that the Thieves’ Club promised me to secure has been put up for sale.
Since I have selected only a very small number of skills that meet my criteria among the numerous banned skills, I also considered the possibility that they might not appear at all in this Black Market.
Still, seeing that it came up like this, I guess I’m not that unlucky.
As we neared the exchange, we took a quick turn and headed toward a nearby drop-off point.
Soft ice cream cart.
A familiar member of the Thieves’ Club greets us with a familiar sinister smile.
“Come on in.”
“What flavor? Half and half again?”
When Dang Gyu-young and I chose half chocolate and half vanilla, Bu-won skillfully scooped half-and-half ice cream into cones.
“It should be half and half.”
When we inspected it in advance, it was a mess so bad that Dang Gyu-yeong said something, but since we’ve been practicing quite a bit, it’s close to perfect now.
“Then me too.”
“Here it is. Enjoy your meal.”
The assistant handed over two ice cream cones wrapped in a napkin.
The napkin is the main body, the black market ticket and the milestone.
The arrow pattern on the napkin points to our next destination, the E-Exchange.
Dang Gyu-yeong took a few sips of the ice cream and then asked.
“But don’t you think you don’t need it?”
“It would be nice if it went easily.”
If you use your old-time sense, you will have to get through the maze of formations and passages without any landmarks.
But there’s no bet on it now, so why bother?
It’s best to take it easy while looking at the milestones.
While walking leisurely and eating ice cream with Dang Gyu-young, we arrived at the E-exchange.
The E-Exchange looked like a mart selling various daily necessities, and it was in full swing, with students walking around inside.
We went inside and pretended to look around calmly, then walked further inside as the napkin indicated.
And without hesitation, we pushed open the door that had a sign saying, “No Entry for Authorized Personnel,” and went in. The students passing by didn’t seem to notice anything strange about our behavior.
‘There is a system.’
The formations that our senior graduates have set up all over the mart are very cleverly distorting our view.
So, to those without napkins, everything will look natural.
They probably didn’t even notice we were gone.
The arrow on the napkin pointed to a half-room where cleaning supplies were stored.
As I squeeze my way inside, I point to an empty wall and put my foot in there. [Passing Step] is activated automatically and I go to the next room.
A room decorated like an office.
Continue climbing over the next wall, exiting the hallway, up the stairs, and climbing over another wall.
I entered a room decorated like an office for the umpteenth time, and there was a passenger there.
A man sat politely on a chair and greeted me.
“You’re here? Why is the party chief here in person?”
“Hello, senior.”
And Dang Gyu-yeong also bowed his head respectfully.
Graduate mentor senior.
Judging from the sword and martial arts uniform placed nearby, the atmosphere of a martial artist is strong.
Soon he took out from his bosom an old and faded volume of martial arts books, on which was written in rough handwriting:
“I heard you were looking for this.”
“That’s the skill book.”
“… … .”
The man’s gaze left Dang Gyu-yeong for a moment and lingered on me.
And then suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had realized something.
The fact that I am a freshman and that I am the one who bought and used the skill book, not Dang Gyu-yeong.
If not, you wouldn’t have brought me here.
It seemed like a lot of curiosity was piqued that a first-year student was obtaining and learning this kind of magic book.
The unwritten rule when trading banned items is that the fewer questions you ask each other, the better.
He also knew that fact, so he quickly took his eyes off me.
“Pay the money.”
“Yes, senior.”
Thanks to the fact that they passed the graduates’ exam without any milestones during the pre-visit, they will handle that payment.
The transaction was completed very coolly and quickly, and the man got up from his seat.
And then he looked at us both at the same time and smiled inexplicably.
“Write well. I hope Black Market succeeds.”
“Thank you. Please come in.”
After watching the man disappear over the wall, Dang Gyu-yeong handed me the martial arts book.
[Skill Book – Hyun-eum-ok-maji]
“Old. But what kind of skill is this? I know it’s a magic skill just from the name.”
“I think it’s faster to show you than to tell you.”
I used the skill book without hesitation.
The old booklet transforms into a halo of light and seeps into my body, and a notification message appears in the corner of my vision.
[Use ‘Skill Book – Hyeonumokmaji’.]
[Acquire ‘Hyeonumokmaji (C)’.]
Like Inferno Fist, it is a C-rank skill as soon as you learn it.
It is a powerful skill that is not lacking in performance at all.
I clenched my fist, straightening it as if I was swinging a club.
And let’s raise the mana and concentrate it,
– Ss …
My index finger was frozen solid from the tip.
It had a splendid blue glow, like a statue made of jade, and the cold was so strong that white steam rose like dry ice.
Dang Gyu-yeong looked at it with curious eyes and asked.
“Wow, it’s pretty. Can I touch it?”
“Just touch it gently. Just gently.”
Dang Gyu-yeong carefully placed the tip of his finger on my index finger, then hurriedly removed his hand as if it had been burned.
– Knock knock knock,
Even though I just took my hand off, the cold air spread from the tip of my tongue.
Dang Gyu-yeong immediately drew up his mana to drive away the cold air, then shook his hands.
“It’s so cold.”
“That’s why the name has the word ‘Hyeon-eum’ in it.”
Hyun-eum-ok-ma-ji.
It is a martial art of the finger method that causes damage by poking with the finger.
Then why is the name ‘Ma’ (魔) attached to it?
It is because of the deadly effects of this method.
Hyun-eum-ok-ma-ji focuses on the opponent’s blood vessels, or mana circuits, freezing and cutting off the flow of mana.
If you get hit once, half of the skill will be sealed or its power will be greatly reduced.
In addition, strong cold air penetrates through the circuit, which greatly hinders movement and ultimately leads to death.
Upon hearing the explanation, Dang Gyu-yeong shivered slightly as if he was getting goosebumps.
“It is true that it is magic. Then what is the penalty?”
And the fact that this skill was designated as a banned skill was probably not only because of its gruesome effects, but also because of the penalty for using it.
“You have to be careful about controlling your coldness, and as expected from a magician, it’s not like you don’t have any magic energy.”
Even though I said this, the cold isn’t a big problem.
Because I have S-rank [Elemental Resistance].
Like Inferno Fist, it can be cast up to B rank with almost no elemental penalty.
The real problem is magic.
When making the list of prohibited items, I intentionally chose those with less magical powers, but magical power is magical power.
The more you use it, the more magical energy will accumulate and have a negative effect on you, so you should not overuse it and only use it at important moments.
Of course, I wonder if there is any reason to abuse such a powerful skill.
“Anyway, I keep learning only gruesome things. Who are you going to trap next?”
“If it becomes an obstacle to world peace, it must be removed.”
Wouldn’t peace come if we just soaked all the annoying guys?
Dang Gyu-yeong shook his head.
“Yes, I guess so. Let’s go now.”
“yes.”
Just as when we entered, a napkin landmark guided us to the exit.
After climbing a few walls, going down the stairs, and climbing a few more walls, I opened the door in front of me and found myself at the back of the E-Exchange building.
As I looked down at the napkin, the complex engravings began to fade away, and then they disappeared as if evaporating.
It’s a device that was installed in advance to fulfill its role and to avoid leaving behind any evidence.
I threw the discarded milestone back into the trash can, circled the building, and entered the busy area again.
I walked along the crowd and asked Dang Gyu-yeong.
“How far has the black market progressed?”
“It’s actually just the beginning.”
In the morning, only Exchanges A and B were open and customers were admitted little by little, and the number of exchanges opened increased one by one.
And now that it is evening, the last F exchange has become active, and the black market has officially opened.
“Then what is our role?”
“Nothing in particular right now. I’m just walking around the exchange killing time, and if Dabin contacts me, I’ll go right away.”
Cha Da-bin, who acts as a control tower.
They are constantly monitoring the downtown area through the crystal balls installed near the exchange.
Then, if a problem occurs, we immediately notify nearby staff so they can respond.
And so far, no significant problems have occurred.
“After all, we are also a reserve force.”
“That’s what it is.”
“Then, I either side with the annoying uncle or with the senior, but isn’t that the same thing?”
“No? It’s very different.”
When I asked what was so different about his eyes, Dang Gyu-yeong answered with a very confident attitude.
“If you leave, I’ll be bored.”
“… … .”
“Oh, honestly, you too! Do you want to go there?”
“Honestly, I also feel more comfortable hanging out with my senior.”
“Right? Hehehe.”
Dang Gyu-yeong smiled happily.
So, while the members of the Thieves’ Club, including Chae Da-bin, worked hard to manage the black market, we spent our time walking around the downtown area.
“Bead ice cream?”
“You just ate ice cream.”
“Eat some more. If you have a lot, you can share it.”
“Let’s do that.”
I don’t know the exact reason, but Dang Gyu-young was obsessed with the bead ice cream, so we shared it.
“Have you been to the game center?”
“I went, today too.”
“Hey, come with me too.”
“Next time.”
To take Dang Gyu-yeong’s attention away from the game center.
If you play the mini game, you won’t be able to move right away when Cha Da-bin contacts you.
As I was diligently killing time, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Hello, senior.”
When Dang Gyu-yeong and I turned our heads at the same time, Kwak Seung-jae bowed his head.
And next to him was Han So-mi, waving her hands brightly, and Song Cheon-hye, looking at us alternately with interested eyes.
The three of them were patrolling the downtown area when they spotted us and seemed to stop for a moment.
Dang Gyu-yeong also quickly figured out the fact and greeted him without much thought.
“Seungjae, hello?”
