Episode 133 Preliminary Survey (1)
weekend.
I was waiting at the meeting place near the dormitory, and Dang Gyu-yeong showed up right on time.
Although they are wearing the same school uniform as usual, the overall atmosphere is neater and more tidy.
In addition,
“Did you spray perfume?”
“Do you spray it on a regular basis?”
“It smells different today.”
“It’s totally a dog. Take a look.”
When Dang Gyu-yeong brought his wrist up to my nose, a scent that was somewhere between the scent of flowers and the scent of fruit tickled my nose.
And she smiled and tapped the tip of my nose.
“I paid some attention today.”
Not only for my sake, but also because I think about the people I’ll meet where we’re going from now on, I need to show myself a little better than usual.
“Then let’s get going.”
“Yes, senior.”
Taking a shuttle bus is convenient for getting around, but there is a risk of being tracked.
So we decided to walk to our destination.
I follow where Dang Gyu-yeong walks.
The direction is a little bit away from the downtown area.
We walked along the path, and occasionally we ventured into the forest where there was no path.
As I followed along silently, Dang Gyu-yeong, who was walking a little ahead, turned his head over his shoulder.
“Aren’t you curious about what I’m going to do?”
Actually, I already knew it all, but I didn’t bother to ask.
“I thought you would tell me when the time came.”
“I don’t know if you’re not interested or if you have a lot of patience. Anyway, I’ll tell you now.”
At least it would be better to have some idea of what we are going to do and the basic purpose.
Dang Gyu-yeong immediately put a word into his mouth.
“Black market. Black market.”
This event is hosted by the Thieves’ Club, and many items on the banned list are actively traded.
The biggest reason why black markets are held during this period is mentoring.
Most of the mentors who come from outside the dungeon are former graduates of Yongsal Academy.
That’s why he knows better than anyone what students need, and he carefully selects only the items that fit those needs and brings them into his inventory.
“If you sell it to students, you can make quite a bit of profit.”
Moreover, there is no need to worry about purchasing power because the other party is a student, as most of them are supported by the capital of prestigious families, guilds, corporations, and powerful forces.
So while a significant number of items are actively traded throughout the four-week mentoring period,
“I have to be careful when trading banned items.”
If you sell it, you’ll make a lot more profit than with regular items, but if you get caught, it’ll be confiscated, and it’ll have a negative impact on your reputation as a mentor, and news of it will even reach your faction.
This is why even if you are a mentor for graduates, you can’t help but be mindful of the academic side.
Some people may ask, ‘Then why don’t we just sell them? Isn’t it enough to just sell regular items?’
“But the demand is enormous.”
One more big reason why the black market opens during this time.
Because the midterm exam is just around the corner.
Since midterms and finals account for such a large portion of your grade, it’s even harder to resist the temptation of banned items.
The mindset is that if you get good grades on the midterms, even if it means pushing yourself a little, the rest of the semester will be easier.
In summary, mentors want to empty their inventory as much as possible before leaving the dungeon island after mentoring ends.
Students are eager to secure banned items that can be used in preparation for midterms.
In this way, supply and demand increase steadily at the same time, eventually reaching their peak during the 8th weekend.
That means the black market will open around next weekend.
And what is the role of the Thieves’ Club as an organizer here?
“We need to connect buyers and sellers, and hide it well so that it doesn’t get caught by the leaders.”
There is no way the leadership was unaware that a black market was about to open.
Just as the thieves’ club attempts to infiltrate the temporary storage facility after the band wave, the Black Market is also an annual event.
If they even get the slightest hint of a deal, they’ll track you down with their eyes wide open.
“Well, that’s obvious, what’s important is the details.”
How to arrange a safe transaction without the attention of the leader.
And even if you get caught, how do you cut off the tail cleanly without being tracked down?
This strategy changes every year depending on the tendencies of the leader and vice-leader of the Thieves’ Club.
For example, the main players of the Thieves’ Club this year are Dang Gyu-yeong and Chae Da-bin.
As a shadow magician, Dang Gyu-yeong can hide not only himself but also allies entering the range.
Even when infiltrating temporary storage areas and deep-sea areas, I was greatly helped by stealth techniques such as [Shadow An-ga] and [Shadow Pouch].
Cha Da-bin has the ability to easily penetrate and neutralize the magic engineering system deep within the Dungeon.
In my opinion, that one thing is already beyond the student level.
So, I think Dang Gyu-young brought me out today with the intention of actively utilizing these strengths to prepare for the black market, and for me to watch that happen.
“To put it simply, it’s like a preliminary investigation.”
“That’s right, a preliminary survey.”
Dang Gyu-yeong nodded in agreement.
And as I turned my gaze forward, a shabby three-story building suddenly appeared before my eyes.
“… … .”
As I approached the entrance of the building, I looked up and blankly gazed toward the rooftop.
Dang Gyu-yeong was about to ask me, ‘Why?’, but then he stared at the same spot as if he had realized something.
Then a voice came from there, half surprised, half interested.
“You have good eyesight.”
Soon, the air rippled and a man and a woman appeared.
He was hiding by wearing an optical camouflage ghillie suit over his head.
And at the same time, he jumps down from the third floor and lands lightly in front of us.
The man has a first impression of being as handsome as Shin Byeong-cheol, but the difference is that he has a lot of hair and is handsome.
Women have droopy eye corners, giving them an overall soft impression, and the teardrop marks on their eyes are a focal point.
And they all have in common that they look older than us.
‘They’re graduates.’
As if my guess was right, Dang Gyu-yeong bowed 90 degrees as soon as they got down, and I followed suit and nodded.
“Hello, seniors.”
“hello.”
“Yeah, is Gyuyoung here? And next to her is… … ?”
“He is my cherished junior.”
“Oh, you’re my junior.”
The man’s gaze moved to my chest, as if he was trying to check the color of my tie pin.
And the eyes of the man and woman simultaneously caught the eye of others.
“… … First year?”
It was surprising that the first graders could see through their own hiding places, even though they were wearing transparent ghillies.
An Jeong-mi was also caught by my old sensor and I couldn’t help but praise her.
“I see you have some skills. Or am I just wasting my time?”
“There are some things about him that don’t seem like they’re typical of a first-year student.”
“Right? I can’t possibly be a waste. The future of the Thieves’ Club is bright.”
Instead of answering those words, Dang Gyu-yeong just smiled.
Because I wasn’t actually a member.
So, secretly, he sent me a look asking, ‘Why aren’t you joining sooner?’, but when I deliberately pretended not to, his lips stuck out.
However, with the two graduates in front of him, he can’t look away for long and asks the woman at the teardrop shop.
“Why are you outside? You could be resting.”
“I felt bad about just sitting still, so I was watching to see if anyone was coming.”
They were keeping watch from outside, fearing that the leaders might find out that they were meeting in this building.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s just go in.”
“Yes, senior.”
As I entered the building, people who were leisurely sitting on the sofa playing cards turned their gaze in my direction.
The twins I saw before, Shin Byeong-cheol, and the second and third graders.
Across from me, there were more men who appeared to be graduates, and they exchanged brief greetings with Dang Gyu-yeong.
“Hello, Gyuyoung.”
“hello.”
There are a total of five graduates, including a man with a short nose and a woman with a tearful face.
Most of them have had ties to the Dang Gyu-yeong or the Thieves’ Club in the past, or are closely connected to the Thieves’ Guild operating outside of Yongsal Academy.
Or, even if they are not closely related, since the mentors also seek personal gain, they tend to side with the thieves’ club rather than the leadership when it comes to black market issues.
So, one or two of these people must have been visited by Dang Gyu-yeong and asked for help.
Still, it is not common for five graduates to work together.
I don’t know how many graduates or faculty members will be on the leadership team, but the five in front of us are quite a formidable force.
It was a good thing for me.
‘It must be fun to ride the bus.’
Wouldn’t it be best if you could just pick up forbidden items without doing anything?
As we moved deeper into the building, loud, humming mechanical sounds assaulted our ears.
The source of the mechanical noise was dozens of monitors that filled one room.
Most of them are black screens, but some show scenes from other empty rooms.
And Cha Da-bin, sitting on one side, busily tapping away at her tablet.
Occasionally, I look up to check the monitor and then tap away at the tablet again.
Every time this happens, a black screen lights up.
If they’ve set it up like this, it looks like they’re going to use this place not just as a place to gather for a while, but as a control tower.
Dang Gyu-yeong looked at Chae Da-bin like that, and took advantage of the moment when her hands stopped moving to hang up.
“Dabin, come out for a moment.”
“yes.”
Cha Da-bin immediately put the tablet away and followed me out.
In the next room, which looked like a conference room, all the members of the Thieves’ Club and graduates gathered.
Surprisingly, among the five graduates, the one with the most say seems to be a shy guy.
You can see that he naturally moves to the top seat and everyone’s attention is focused on him.
The rascal glanced around the room and then began to speak.
“Then let’s start the meeting.”
