Episode 134 Preliminary Survey (2)
“Manager? Go ahead~”
The sullen man gave up his right to speak as soon as the meeting started, as if his sole purpose was to get everyone’s attention.
Dang Gyu-yeong, who was standing at the top, continued speaking.
“As you all may have heard, there were quite a few unpleasant incidents in the black market last year.”
It is said that the arrest rate in the black market last year reached an all-time high.
The fact that this result was achieved despite the fact that the operating method was not much different from before meant that the capabilities of the opposing leadership had greatly increased.
And at the center of it all was Kwak Seung-jae, who was a freshman at the time.
Although his fighting power was not that high for a leader, he possessed the ability to occasionally track down second and third year students.
He has great insight and can quickly catch on to something with even the smallest clue and doggedly pursue it.
It even uses its own unique magic to connect spaces with wooden doors, making it quite a challenge to deal with.
There were more than a few transactions that were ruined by wooden doors popping out here and there.
“I want to prevent the same thing from happening again this year. I understand that we are lacking in military power, but if we fall behind in intelligence warfare, the purpose of the Thieves’ Club’s existence will be blurred.”
Graduate A agreed with those words.
“That’s right. We live our lives hearing people call us thieves, thieves, but even thieves have their own pride and self-respect. There are times when they can never back down.”
The tearjerker woman also added a word.
“It’s not just pride that’s at stake. There are already negative rumors going around among the mentors. They say that transactions might not be conducted properly. If such doubts are solidified, the very foundation of the black market could be shaken. We need to regain trust.”
And the only way to regain credibility is to successfully complete this black market.
Dang Gyu-yeong bowed his head slightly.
“Both of you are right. That’s why we invited our seniors here this year to make sure we are even better prepared.”
Graduates are not lending their support simply because of their connections with Dang Gyu-yeong or the Thieves’ Club.
The price promised to each individual will also not be small.
The fact that there were five such graduates was a demonstration of their determination to make this black market a success, even at the risk of losing that much money.
Graduates A and B nodded.
“Good determination. The party chief certainly has a different side to his distribution. But… … . We just have to guard this building? Is that really all?”
“Yes, it is no exaggeration to say that this place is the center of this plan.”
As you might have guessed from the room full of monitors, this building is the control tower.
A space created solely for Chae Da-bin.
Last year, the president of the thieves’ club did not give Chae Da-bin a promotion because she was a freshman.
But this year, Dang Gyu-yeong finally took power and is actively supporting Chae Da-bin to fully demonstrate her abilities.
When Dang Gyu-yeong nodded, Chae Da-bin reported in a calm tone.
“We are currently securing visibility inside, outside, and around the contact point and exchange.”
When I stopped by a room full of monitors, the things I saw there were streets, back alleys, empty rooms in buildings, etc.
In other words, the targets that Cha Da-bin is controlling are the security crystal balls installed in various places, and she is trying to steal their sights and use them on the black market.
“What’s the progress?”
“It is currently about 17% complete, and we plan to secure everything by Wednesday and begin stabilization work.”
“… … That’s fast.”
One of the graduates let out an exclamation of admiration.
As it is a security device for crime prevention, it is very difficult to break through even one or two properly, but it is amazing that dozens of them can be broken through at the same time, and that it is even finishing and stabilizing in just a few days.
Dang Gyu-yeong continued speaking.
“On that day, the control tower personnel will monitor the various locations through screens, and if they discover any suspicious circumstances, they will report it to you immediately.”
In short, this place is like another eye of the thieves’ club.
Whatever happens, it must not come to the surface.
If you are occupied by the leadership, it is like going blind, and there is also the risk of being defeated in the opposite way.
“For this reason, I would like to ask you two to help conceal and protect this place.”
“Yes, I understand. I won’t let even a single ant get near it.”
The two graduating seniors answered with even more serious expressions.
When he asked the question, he seemed to be skeptical about whether it would be a waste to have two of them here, but now he seemed to realize its importance.
Dang Gyu-yeong then looked at the man with the short hair, the woman with the tear stains, and the graduate Mr. C in that order.
“As I told you before, seniors, you must help on site.”
Then, as if to show everyone, he raised his hand, and shadows gathered together and drew a map.
From my perspective, it was so familiar that I could tell as soon as I saw it that it was a downtown map.
Then, buildings made of shadows suddenly appeared in several places on the map.
“I have rented several buildings for short-term rentals. Please make sure you are familiar with the locations of these buildings.”
Even though it was essential information that they should have known long ago, they stared at the buildings on the map as if they would never forget it.
These buildings are the ‘exchange’ mentioned earlier.
All transactions on the black market will take place here.
When Dang Gyu-yeong turned his gaze to the woman with the tear marks, she smiled gently and answered his question.
“I’ve set up my own custom-made formations in these exchanges. They should be enough to drive away any uninvited guests.”
For example, if a normal person or a student with no connection to the black market sets foot near the exchange, the spell is automatically activated to make them turn elsewhere.
If you feel a sense of discomfort that you have fallen into a trance, I will do it so naturally and secretly that you won’t even notice, as it will arouse unnecessary suspicion.
If it’s a formation hand-crafted by a graduate of Yongsal Academy, then there’s no doubt about its effectiveness.
However, since there are various systems installed inside the building and there are many such exchanges, she will be busy just maintaining and repairing them.
That means you can’t expect anything more than this.
Next, Mr. C, a graduate, spoke.
“My role is similar. The only difference is that I only have to worry about the inside of the exchange. Here is the magic I have prepared. Watch carefully.”
He was leaning comfortably against the wall, but in front of everyone, his upper body suddenly disappeared into the wall.
And after a while, as if nothing happened, it slips out of the wall again.
‘Passing through.’
Throughwalk.
It’s literally magic that crosses walls.
It is often used as an absolute power for reconnaissance purposes in dungeons where walls are built like a labyrinth to make people wander around.
It seems like the old man is trying to make this passable not only for himself but also for the ‘customers’ entering the exchange.
In that case, the wall would exist but not exist, so the building itself would turn into a tiny labyrinth.
As security becomes more stringent, it becomes increasingly difficult for leaders who are unaware of the situation to track them.
Dang Gyu-young continued his explanation.
“Of course, this could confuse the guests. To prevent such unfortunate incidents in advance.”
At that moment, a member of the thieves’ club came in, pulling something like a cart, making a rattling sound.
On the front of the cart, a prominent sign as large as the door reads, “Ice Cream!”
Dang Gyu-yeong put his hand on the cart.
“Here, tickets are distributed starting from the ‘contact point.’”
The black market’s outlets sell ice cream, hot bars, and bungeoppang.
They will disguise themselves as street vendors selling various foods and hand out tickets.
Dang Gyu-young opened the ice cream cart as if to demonstrate and took out a cone.
Then he wraps it in a napkin and holds it out to me, as if to say, ‘Don’t spill anything, please.’
But soon, he tosses the ice cream aside as if it were nothing important, and gently waves the remaining napkin.
Then, for a brief moment, a densely written recipe appeared.
The food, including the ice cream, was an illusion, and the napkin was the main body, the ‘ticket’.
“This ticket will serve as a guide for guests.”
It means that it gives you directions so that you don’t get lost or kicked out by the chaos formation, and it also tells you exactly which wall to pass through in a labyrinthine building under the influence of [Passing Step].
To summarize the above processes at once:
Those who wish to participate in the Black Market must first visit a contact point disguised as a street vendor and receive a ticket, a napkin with a special spell attached to it.
Go to the exchange as guided by this ticket, and overcome the formations and walls.
Finally, the buyer and seller meet at the designated location, buy and sell the items they brought, and that’s it.
And the control tower’s Cha Da-bin team monitors all situations and gives instructions.
Suddenly, the man with the long hair raised his hand.
Because the roles of all the graduates were clear, he was the only one who was not mentioned.
“Manager? What should I do?”
“Senior, you are a reserve force. You will have to stand by and help in case of emergency.”
“If nothing happens, can I just play?”
“If nothing happens.”
Dang Gyu-yeong smiled faintly, but somehow it seemed as if there was a hint of incredulity in that smile.
The leadership is hell-bent on sabotaging the black market, but will nothing happen?
The old man also knew this fact, and his face became suddenly tired.
No matter how you look at it, this gentleman is Shin Byeong-cheol, who is handsome.
Dang Gyu-yeong took a look at that idiot and asked Chae Da-bin.
“How far have you secured your field of vision?”
“Exchange A and Exchange E are safe.”
“good.”
Dang Gyu-yeong looked around the audience and said.
“Then let’s test if what I mentioned earlier is working properly. Everyone except the control tower team, move to the downtown area.”
