Solo Leveling: Ragnarok - Chapter 184

Chapter 184

The scenery was one that looked as though it came from an oriental painting. That was the first impression Suho felt on the way to the black market. A deep valley road covered in misty mountains. As he walked up the winding road, a huge building in front of Suho slowly revealed its outline and eventually revealed its true nature.

‘A temple’F

It was as such. There was no other way to express it. Soaring ceilings, a rough but elaborately decorated stone pillar, a huge door made of bronze in the middle of it. This sacred atmosphere, which is overwhelming as soon as you see it, made him instinctively aware that this place is a ‘temple’ even if I don’t know who it is for.

Wince*.*

Suddenly, Beru’s eyes shone sharply as he looked ahead.

[Small liege, I can feel a lot of people in the depths of that building.]

“Human? Or a demon?”

Flick*.*

To Suho’s question, Beru flicked his antennae and answered confidently.

[People with magical powers. Probably most of them are hunters.]

“What about the demons?”

[I can feel the demons too, but not many, and there is no one right across the door.]

“It is as the branch manager said.” Suho nodded and walked carefully in front of the temple. Then he raised his head and looked up at the huge door that was firmly closed in front of him. A heavy door that ordinary people will never be able to open. Of course, if it was Suho’s absurd strength stat, he could have smashed it in one hit rather than simply opening it.

‘But if that’s the case, it would be pointless to hide.’ It wasn’t a good way to cause a fuss at all in a situation where his grandfather might or might not be in this building. Besides, Suho already knew how to open this door.

Snap.

Suho took out the ‘Stardust necklace’ he had stolen from branch manager Min Dae-Seok from his pocket and held it up. Then, after putting the necklace around his neck, he reached out his hand and gently pushed the closed door.

Creeaakk.

Then, to his surprise, the heavy door began to slide so lightly.

Swing!

Eventually, the door opened wide, revealing a spacious interior. A shady interior with moss on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Suho followed the torches hanging on the wall and stepped into the hallway, bursting into laughter.

“So it worked. I never thought that the real purpose of the Stardust necklace was actually a pass for the black market.”

Nowadays, the reason why Stardust necklaces were made is widely known as a memorial meaning. The so-called ‘Let’s honor the souls of the victims who died as ingredients for Stardust’ was a really meaningful and good intention. In addition, since most of the proceeds from Stardust necklaces are actually used for the bereaved family, no one doubted the purpose.

‘But in fact, it was all a smoke screen.’ According to branch manager Min Dae-Seok, there are still only a handful of hunters who know this truth. In the first place, since it wasn’t long since the black market was created, few people knew about its existence. But it was only a matter of time after all.

[Even if information about the black market is distributed to only a few people, they will spread word of mouth on their own in the future.]

When the information about the black market gradually became known, then the hunters would move to get their hands on the Stardust necklace. Quay showed interest. Really, the more you know about the black market, the more interesting it can be.

[It’s like a multi-level pyramid scheme.]

Ponzi schemes, commonly referred to as pyramid schemes, used to increase victims this way. A method of starting with a small number at first, and increasing the number by enticing others as if introducing good things. Among them, there were many places with a strong religious intention to the point of being suspicious at times. However, as long as there was no direct damage to himself, it really didn’t matter to Suho. But what if that religion is the Foreign Religion that serves the Itarim?

‘Anyways, one thing is clear.’ If this was a real temple of Foreign Religion, it seemed that the Apostles of Itarim had already perfectly adapted to Earth. After walking along the hallway for a while, a wide dome-shaped space opened up in front of Suho. It seemed as big as an Olympic stadium, or even bigger than several of them put together. However, Suho, who witnessed the scene unfolding inside, couldn’t help but be a little surprised. I thought it was a black market, so I thought it would be very dark and secretive, but when I came in, it was much brighter and more upbeat than I thought.

“Only 200 stones! ¡Negotiations are available!”

“All types of dungeon ores are available here except for the rare ones!”

“Drop a demon corpse today! Only the last person on a first-come, first-served basis will be given a discount!”

“Super Sale! Super sale!”

“If you don’t have money, you can pay with magic stones!”

“Ah-oh! Are you new here? What idiot in the world would hold out a credit card on the black market?!”

Suho felt like he was at a fairground. Numerous mats and booths filled the wide space. Numerous merchants set up their seats there, eagerly soliciting customers, buying and selling goods. Watching the scene, Suho couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “It looks like I came to some kind of bazaar.” It was said that it was a black market created for tax evasion, but when he saw it, he felt like he was in a second-hand market. However, there were also unexpected appearances.

[My small liege, there seems to be a smithy that smelts ore and sells weapons.]

“I know. Blacksmiths seem to be mainly demons.” Surprisingly, humans and demons lived in harmony in this place. Hunters were the main traders who briefly visited and traded goods, but those who set up here and made and sold goods in earnest were demons wearing crow masks. In other words, they were the organizers.

‘A market where humans and demons coexist. It’s really bizarre.’

[Master, you can see the auction house and gambling hall over there.]

‘hmm?’

Looking at the direction Quay was pointing, he finally started to see something that resembled a black market.

“Ha, one more time! lend me some more money please! I can pay it back!” Hunters who seemed to have wasted all their fortunes in front of the gambling house were begging with bitter expressions. When they finally raised their mana from their whole bodies, the crow masked demons guarding the gambling hall grabbed their shoulders.

“Dear customers, calm down. You shouldn’t be like this here.”

“We also don’t want to walk out of here either!”

“Yeah, just once! Please lend me just this once!”

“…Whoo. There’s nothing we can do. Then why don’t you play a few rounds yourself?” “Wait what?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and match you to your weight class.”

The gamblers’ eyes were shaken by the demon’s suggestion. In the meantime, the hunter in debt couldn’t keep his eyes off the gambling house because he held some lingering feelings before ending up making a decision that he shouldn’t have made.

“…You’re really going to match the weight class, aren’t you?”

“Oh, of course. You know it well, don’t you? Underground fighting is a pure bare-bodied fight, taking off all the items from the participants. What should a strong hunter like you be worried about?”

“…Then, can I get a deposit in advance?” The moment those words came out, Suho looked at them. The corners of the mouths of demons tearing beyond the crow mask. The demons smiled brightly and held the hands of the gamblers, no, hunters.

“What an obvious thing to say. Then, let’s talk about the actual contract over there.” Suho quietly watched the backs of the gamblers following the demons one after another.

‘An underground arena. They literally made a deal with the devil.’

[My young liege, you know that gambling is a shortcut to bankruptcy, right? Why are you going there?]

“It’s an underground arena. The view is fine.”

As Suho walked to the gambling den, the gatekeeper demons who were guarding the gates bowed respectfully to Suho and started talking to him.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you, by any chance, visiting from another factory?”

At the same time, he raised his gaze and looked at the pair of horns hanging above Suho’s head, feeling a little wary.

[Just answer in half words. Since you have Vulcan’s horns, they think you’re a much higher demon, so be careful.]

At Esil’s timely advice, Suho nodded briefly and opened his mouth. “I heard some rumors and stopped by for a while. Any problems?” At the same time, when he gently lifted the Stardust necklace hanging around his neck and showed it, the gatekeeper demons hurriedly backed away and responded quite favorably.

“Oh, it’s no problem. Our new factory is always welcome. If you need any guidance, could we be of help?”

‘It’s strange.’

Suho got the feeling of a salesperson who wanted to break through a new account from the demons. And the demons seemed to have no intention of hiding their innermost thoughts.

“Although… If you don’t mind, may I know how much Stardust you have?” At the same time as that question, their snake-like eyes scanned the appearance of Suho, who came here empty-handed. “As you know, there are so many factories that have become broke these days.”

“…” While Suho chose his words for a moment, Esil whispered in displeasure.

[What the– How dare such insignificant demons talk like this to a horned demon?!]

‘Why are you angry? I’m not even a real demon.’

It seemed that this was a place where people could come regardless of the ranks of the demons. However, when Suho was silent for a while, an outright sneer appeared on the gatekeepers’ lips.

“Ah I knew this would happen.”

“So did I.”

He recognized it from the moment he came empty-handed. These days, there are so many demons who come to us because they want to join us.

“Hmm?” It was then. A bunch of Stardust suddenly appeared in Suho’s hand, who had been thougt to be empty.

“…!”

At that moment, the gatekeepers’ eyes widened. No, it wasn’t just a bag, then came two, three, four.

In the meantime, while robbing Demon Factories, Suho kept the Stardust he had acquired there in his inventory. A fishy smile appeared on Suho’s lips as he took out a package full of them and showed it to the demons.

“Do you need more?”

“Ah no, that’s enough.”

“Please come this way. We will escort you to the VIP room!”

“Let me guide you.”

“Yep!” The gatekeeper demons immediatelyhumbled themselves and guided Suho to the gambling hall. Suho followed them, his eyes shining sharply.

‘A VIP room… Demons really live like real people here.’ It was certainly a good thing he pretended to be a demon from the start. In order to find out if his grandpa is here, it would be quicker to investigate from the depths.