Part 1, Chapter 3 (4)

As a hub for illicit trade, the Black Market conducts active transactions in places beyond the government’s reach.

A prime example of this is monster Cores that are not officially reported to the association.

Poorly managed Cores are a problematic factor that attracts monsters, so the government keeps a close eye on them and manages them specially.

Three days ago, Baek Sang-woo was browsing the Black Market when he saw a sales post and scoffed at the seller.

– Selling monster Cores. D-rank 100+, C-rank 50+ in stock. B-rank and above sold according to demand.

The comments were all “Stop joking” or “Clickbait.” Sang-woo would have cursed them out too if he hadn’t seen the seller’s nickname.

Azure Flame Phoenix.

The Villain who sold monster Cores, including three B-rank ones, for 1.9 billion. Sang-woo couldn’t even buy the A-rank ones due to insufficient authority.

Sang-woo immediately contacted Phoenix.

‘Did you just post a sales ad on the Black Market?’

‘Yep.’

‘Take that down and let’s trade. I’ll buy them right away.’

‘Okay, I was getting annoyed anyway.’

And so, the two met again. Phoenix invited him to Guro, and that day happened to be the day Phoenix occupied Guro’s Digital Complex.

After completely clearing out the monsters in Guro and bringing the entire Guro area under their organization, Sang-woo was convinced.

He could hit the jackpot with this Villain. Sang-woo immediately contacted his headquarters, and after confirming it via video call, the headquarters rushed to Incheon to acquire the A-rank Cores.

The headquarters naturally wanted to connect with the seller, and the customer also wanted to speak with someone from the headquarters. Sang-woo acted as the intermediary for the two.

The result was this meeting in the container.

“So your organization’s name is Azure Syndicate, and you want to trade with our Milky Way?”

“Yes. This is a gift.”

Phoenix playfully kicked a duffel bag on top of a drum. The Milky Way chairman swallowed hard, seeing the monster Cores inside slosh around.

“All of that?”

“Yes. All of it. Since the chairman-nim came personally, you should at least cover your travel expenses.”

The chairman grunted and pulled out a Core from the duffel bag. The blue mana shield wrapped around the monster Core, glowing with a brilliant color, was as beautiful as a jewel.

“The safety and loss rate of this quantity are matters to be discussed later. The important thing is…”

The chairman threw the Core back to Phoenix. Phoenix didn’t even catch it with their hand, merely nudged it with their instep, sending it back into the open duffel bag.

“Can you regularly supply A-rank and higher items, not just these trivial things?”

The chairman overturned the duffel bag. The monster Cores rolled and scattered across the container floor.

“No matter how much you sell these scraps, you won’t make money. No matter how many coins you collect, they won’t amount to a check, will they? You know that a truckload of D-rank Cores is worth less than even a single B-rank Core, right?”

“Of course.”

“Right. That’s why we want B-rank and A-rank Cores rather than struggling to transport all these individually.”

Phoenix put their hands in their pockets.

“Like these?”

In Phoenix’s hand were spheres entirely filled with green. The chairman immediately sensed that all four Cores were A-rank.

“One from Guro. Three from Yeouido. If I go to Gangbuk, I’ll sweep them all up, won’t I?”

“…Right. Even just across the Han River, B-ranks swarm like ants.”

The chairman scratched his head vigorously, then looked surprised as if something had just occurred to him.

“Wait. I heard there was an S-rank danger in Yeouido? Was that a rumor?”

“…Pffft.”

Phoenix reached into their inner pocket and pulled something out.

“I already caught it.”

A black, spherical gem smaller than a quail egg. The Core, placed on Phoenix’s index finger like a Go stone, possessed a demonic charm that captivated people.

The chairman swallowed hard and asked,

“How much do you want for it?”

“I’m not selling this. Are S-ranks common enough to just dig up from the ground?”

“I heard that a dimensional gate opened and Seoul became a mess, but I haven’t heard that the S-rank hiding in Yeouido was eliminated. The most recent news I heard was that the National Assembly building caught fire a few hours ago…”

The chairman stroked his chin and chuckled.

“Was that you?”

“Yes. It was a monster whose weakness was fire.”

“An S-rank was in the National Assembly building? …This is getting more and more interesting.”

The chairman smacked his lips and retrieved information from his memory.

The leader of the then-first opposition party, who couldn’t give up Seoul and flee. With a strong will to remain in Seoul, he raised the first opposition party to the top of approval ratings, but he politically died when the government took Gwanggeom and left for New Seoul.

Currently, he is missing. The last place he was found was the National Assembly building in Yeouido.

Starting with his disappearance, the National Assembly building became an unknown dungeon where people would go missing if they entered.

“…He was the biggest political rival of the then-second opposition party leader, now the President. Did the President know?”

“Who knows. But he certainly gained a lot, didn’t he? His political rival went missing, the residents of Seoul, fearing monsters, all moved down to New Seoul, and that increased New Seoul’s value. It was a huge gain for the current President, who is based in New Seoul.”

“Intentional? Or accidental? Either way, he used it well. He’s a scary man, Seonui Cheol.”

“Excuse me, I think the topic is straying quite a bit.”

Baek Sang-woo interjected, pointing out the conversation topic that had veered far off course. The two of them acted as if they hadn’t heard him.

“Then, perhaps the Seoul Reclamation Operation too?”

“He dislikes the idea of his eliminated political rivals being alive. What if someone is still alive as a vagrant, or what if someone is still hiding in Seoul, holding secrets about his faction’s corruption?”

“Then, perhaps the Pine Tree Unit too?”

“Using those guys to pretend to hunt monsters, he’d probably eliminate the troublesome sprouts he couldn’t deal with, right? There’s a reason the Pine Tree Unit specifically stayed in Seoul. The problem is if he intentionally didn’t want to reclaim Seoul-“

Phoenix rubbed their fingertips and chuckled. A small flame flickered from their hand.

“When the National Assembly building burned down, the fire was at his feet. He probably wants to come to the National Assembly building himself to check, doesn’t he? Whether they’re alive or dead.”

“What kind of conversation goes from the South Pole to the North Pole? Why did the conversation stray so far from Core trading?”

Baek Sang-woo cut in and pointed it out. He had already lost track of the conversation’s flow.

“If we’re here to trade Cores, we should be thinking about how to procure Cores in the future and how to trade, not talking about the President and political rivals.”

“……You’re right?”

“…Ah. Sang-woo, just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Phoenix and the chairman looked at each other and chuckled.

“Let’s continue this discussion later when we have time. For now, let’s do as this guy wants. So, how do you plan to supply them in the future?”

“I’ll take over the south side of the Han River, centered around Yeouido. I’ll gather vagrants and clear out monsters too.”

“Is that all?”

“Of course not. Once the organization is properly established, I’ll push the monsters all the way to northern Gyeonggi. And then set up camp along the old 38th Parallel. If monsters come down, I’ll hunt them and regularly supply Cores.”

The chairman’s expression turned sour, and he bounced his leg.

“Everyone’s plan sounds plausible. Until they get beaten up and cry. Will you really have time to conquer south of the Han River? Over a hundred Heroes will be coming up for the Seoul Reclamation Operation, won’t they?”

“It doesn’t matter who comes. I’ll win against all of them.”

As Phoenix puffed out their chest, the chairman brought up a screen and pointed to it with his chin, as if to show them.

“Can you beat Seolhwa Princess?”

The screen showed an S-rank Hero who had appeared in New Seoul. The accompanying article also featured Hwawon Lee Seunghyung.

“Hmm. Seolhwa Princess and Hwawon… So, two S-ranks are coming?”

“Yes. They say Hwawon has a talent comparable to the Round Table.”

“Ahahahahaha!”

Phoenix clutched their stomach and laughed. The chairman who had spoken felt rather embarrassed.

“Did your plan get messed up, so you lost your mind?”

“Ahahaha, no. It’s not that.”

Phoenix finally calmed down and waved their hand.

“I was worried about Gwanggeom coming up, but this works out well.”

Phoenix chuckled softly.

“I can play with those two with just one hand.”

* * *

At the same time, inside the New Seoul Hero Association Headquarters cafe.

The white-haired girl had earphones in her ears, her eyes closed, listening to music.

♩♬♪

Humming along to the song, it truly felt like the youth of her age. Seunghyung, who knew the song’s identity, felt troubled.

“Why do you carry military marches on your smartphone, you?”

The girl frowned. She took one earphone out of her ear and opened her eyes.

“Got a problem?”

The girl’s two eyes were a deep ultramarine, like the abyssal sea.

“I just put on any song. Want to listen?”

“No. You’re playing military marches on purpose to tease me.”

“Tsk.”

The girl clicked her tongue in disappointment. The sound of a reveille bugle call from the removed earphone made Seunghyung’s mouth go dry.

“Stop messing around and tell me quickly. Why are you even here?”

When Seunghyung asked with a serious expression, the girl turned off her smartphone and adjusted her posture.

“Of course, I came to reclaim Seoul.”

S-rank Hero, Seok Harang. More famous by her alias, Seolhwa Princess, she temporarily left her hometown of Busan and set foot in New Seoul.

Naturally, New Seoul and Busan experienced mixed emotions.

New Seoul cheered at the surprise visit of the S-rank hero who had been holed up in Busan, while Busan trembled in fear of the monster threat that would arise from Seolhwa Princess moving to New Seoul.

Furthermore, considering her objective was ‘Seoul reclamation,’ the time Harang would be away from Busan might be quite long.

“Mister, you’re an S-rank now too. We can’t just let monsters play around in Seoul forever. Don’t they say to strike while the iron is hot?”

“…Haa. Seriously.”

Seunghyung rubbed his temple with his index finger. Harang’s attitude, striking a fighting pose, was as lighthearted as if she were out for a stroll.

Yet, Harang was burning with fighting spirit. Perhaps because they had reached the same level, the fighting aura emanating from Harang’s mana made Seunghyung’s eyes narrow.

“You’re doing this because of that dragon in the city hall, aren’t you? To get revenge.”

“Ugh.”

Harang wrinkled her nose as if hit in a sensitive spot.

“Is there a problem? I’m just going to finish what I couldn’t catch!”

“There’s a lot. You’re an adult now, but you’re jumping into a battlefield in the middle of Seoul. Risking your life. A twenty-year-old.”

When Seunghyung pointed out Harang’s age, Harang slammed her palm on the table and retorted angrily.

“I’m one year older, so I’m 21! And you’re 26, mister! There’s not much age difference!”

“There’s not much age difference, but you call me ‘mister’? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Hmph. Mister, your mindset is too old. If you want me to call you oppa, come back stronger than me.”

“Don’t say things that make me uncomfortable…”

Seunghyung sighed, looking at the other Heroes and reporters at nearby tables, who were perking up their ears to listen to their conversation.

“Why did they assign me as her escort…”

“They want me to go to Seoul with you. Not just the government, but the association is also incredibly desperate this time.”

Harang took a long sip of her iced tea through a straw and continued speaking.

“Of course, it’s about saving the vagrants and those who haven’t escaped Seoul yet, but they also plan to use this opportunity to root out the Villains hiding in Seoul.”

“Villains?”

Harang nodded.

“Dimensional gates, Fire Dragons. Seoul is already dangerous, and now there’s an even greater danger. Would Villains, who value their lives the most, really stay in Seoul? They’d try to escape Seoul somehow and spread to Incheon or southern Gyeonggi.”

Harang pointed out the Villains’ behavior and described the situation.

“Villains who were wanted in Gwangmyeong and Seongnam have already started to be found. The exodus of Villains is beginning.”

“…That’s terrible.”

In fact, all of South Korea’s Villains are currently concentrated in Seoul. This is because it’s a lawless zone abandoned by the government, and a place where one can aim for a fortune by hunting monsters and obtaining Cores.

If such Villains start leaving Seoul, the situation will spiral out of control.

They would have to catch Villains, and also deal with monsters moving south to fill the void.

Let’s arrest them all before troublesome things happen. And among them, let’s ‘resocialize’ the useful ones and use them as a force.

“That’s why the association sent a Praetor to Busan just to bring me up here.”

“Are you planning to freeze all the Villains?”

Harang shrugged. The iced tea, lukewarm from the sunlight, turned cold again when Harang’s hand touched it.

“No. Villains must be arrested. Freezing them to death is only for monsters.”

As Harang chuckled softly, Seunghyung felt a chilling sensation. It felt as if the ambient temperature had momentarily dropped by about one degree.

Thump.

Harang stirred her iced tea, then lifted the straw and aimed it at Seunghyung.

“So, mister, don’t hold back and come to Seoul with me. There won’t be another chance like this to practice mana control after becoming an S-rank.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

Seunghyung picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee.

“But do you really need both you and me to go? Couldn’t just one person go?”

“…Gwanggeom-nim said so. That all three of us must go.”

Harang pouted her lips and poked the ice with her straw for no reason.

“He said a great danger has appeared in Seoul, so we need to gather as much strength as possible. Even though I’m enough on my own.”

Confidence overflowed in Harang’s cool smile.