Overflowing food and lively people.
Delicious smells waft from every corner as people smile and taste the market food they hold in their hands.
It is a place that can only be seen as an ordinary market street.
Moreover, the homemade alcohol is incredibly cheap, so I ended up buying one.
However, believe it or not… this was a black market.
That’s right. Not a night market, but a black market.
A typical setting often used in fantasy stories where protagonists sell items they have acquired under ‘certain’ opportunities without drawing attention.
While it’s commonly believed that most get caught anyway, that was only possible because the quality of the items presented by the protagonists was extraordinarily high.
Additionally, there were many signs that security was not as strict as one would expect from a black market…
But this place is different.
Clearly, it is a black market, but it is sanctioned by the state.
What does that mean?
It’s simple.
If there are companies in the public, visible market that buy goods shown in the news and articles, there must also be places where unmarketable items circulate.
Items that are too dangerous, too powerful, have unclear origins, or have now vanished.
The state could manage such things directly, but unfortunately, this world operates on a city-state system.
There’s no way that a single nation could block the influx of goods from numerous cities.
High-ranking officials also occasionally purchase items from this side.
Moreover, in one of the subplots of the game, there is a quest where a police chief asks the player to buy a super potent aphrodisiac from the black market.
“It was a bit scary that the police chief was a woman.”
Thus, the state turns a blind eye, everyone who needs to know is aware, yet no knights or media can dare to report on the subject.
Nobody can touch something associated with those very high-ranking individuals.
Ding~
As I placed my hand on the door of a building, the glass door opened with a cheerful chime.
Inside, I could see many people trading various items.
“Um, customer?”
“Uh?”
“Is that alcohol you’re holding?”
“Yes?”
“Alcohol is prohibited for entry, so please finish it or dispose of it before entering.”
Unfortunately, since alcohol was not allowed, I downed it in one shot, causing the guard to look at me in disbelief.
It was possible because my mental strength stat had increased.
If it had been before, just this amount would have made me lose my senses in no time.
“Hehe, how is it?”
“Haa… please don’t cause any disturbances, as it wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
“Sure!”
As the guard withdrew their arm, I could enter the building.
[Please take a number!]
[Next number – 1033]
As a strange robot spoke from a speech bubble, I took a number and calmly waited for my turn, which soon approached.
“Um, alcohol… Do you have items for sale or are you looking for something specific?”
I felt like I had just heard something sad…
While trying to frown, I pulled out a mask I had tucked inside my clothing, with superhuman professionalism helping me regain my composure.
[Doomsayer’s False Mask]
“Is this possible?”
“Could you provide a description of the item?”
“Um… It’s cursed! If… another person with poor mental strength wears it, they’ll feel an urge to commit terrorism…”
“…Haa, if you came to uncurse it, please go to the white building in the next alley.”
Adding in some information I had briefly forgotten, I spoke to the guide, who was looking annoyed.
“Ah… Ah! And it increases physical abilities once a month!”
Only after saying that did I see her expression soften a bit, and I continued talking.
“Permanently.”
“Oh, permanently? …I see, understood. So, are you thinking of selling it or putting it up for auction?”
“Right. Oh, also, I’ll leave the curse lifting to the buyer.”
“Putting that condition in may reduce the amount you receive or increase the likelihood of it not being sold.”
“I’m fine with that.”
Although the auction takes time for the money to come in, I’m not in urgent need of cash.
While my required alcohol intake and its costs had slightly increased as my mental strength rose, this was within acceptable limits.
If I gradually reduce the amount of curry I eat each day, I should be able to manage…
The reason for wanting to sell this mask is simple.
“There are two ominous masks in my room, so I feel uncomfortable.”
Raising my stats or not, knowing where those masks came from made me feel like I was sleeping with a mirror right next to me every day.
Moreover, one of the masks looks unpleasant while only boosting my stats once a month.
Even though this was effective for me right now, I had decided to sell this cursed mask to protect my daily comfort.
Of course, I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t have the bishop’s mask, but since I already had it, I had nothing to hesitate about.
Additionally, since I proposed to sell it under the condition of curse lifting, there would be no possibility of the brainwashing curse mask wandering around in the market.
Furthermore, I had wounds that needed healing.
I wore gloves over my hands so others couldn’t see, but the wound that had been pierced from my palm to the back of my hand by a thorn still hurt.
Even now, each time I tried to step or move my hands naturally, a strong pain surged, with similar wounds marked on both my hands and feet.
Thus, while the likelihood was low, the academy might manage to link any small clues about my relationship with the cult leader, so my plan was to use the money to get treatment for those wounds at an external clinic.
“First, the expected value is around this much.”
Upon seeing the number on the paper that the guide noted while tapping on a calculator, I was left in shock.
“This is worth that much?”
“Yes, if you happen to know of similar items…”
This was an amount I could hardly imagine in either my previous or current life all at once.
“Oh, sorry. I accidentally added an extra zero.”
“Ah.”
While I was disappointed by the guide’s mistake of removing a zero, it was still not a small amount.
For a moment, I entertained the thought of infiltrating the main base of the doomsayers to steal some masks, but that was far too dangerous.
It was obvious that the remnants alongside the Ninth Bishop had already retreated, so there was no point in attempting that.
“If what you mentioned is true, then this mask is indeed worth that much.”
“……”
‘Should I do it?’
No, I shouldn’t.
It would be a suicidal act to charge in believing only the information I had while the wounds I received from the Ninth Bishop were still unhealed.
So, perhaps I could take Yoon Si-woo or other characters along…
“Um, customer?”
“Ah, yes.”
My mind, lost in thought, barely responded to the guide’s call.
“Could you provide your mobile phone number or other information so I can contact you later?”
“….No, it’s fine.”
“But still, doing so would make it easier for both of us to confirm later…”
“I said it’s fine,”
Blocked by my firm words, the guide fell silent for a moment before nodding as if she understood.
“Yes, understood. Then how will you receive the payment…?”
“I’ll come to pick it up personally when I have time.”
“…Yes.”
Seeing the guide’s unsatisfied expression, I submitted the mask and exited the building.
In truth, that wasn’t a bad proposal at all.
Think of it like agreeing to the terms of service of a game.
Squares amidst dozens, hundreds of pages filled with endless sentences.
All the player has to do is click and check just once.
Moreover, there are rarely any unusual problems arising related to it afterward.
After all, this is a company-level security measure to prevent players from taking unfair advantages by providing strange excuses.
But conversely, the moment players agree, a significant amount of personal information is passed to the company.
They claim not to share personal information, but who knows the truth, especially for mid to small-sized companies.
That was like what just happened.
Or perhaps, it contained risks that were on a different level compared to agreeing to the game company’s terms.
‘I can’t even know where the doomsayers are hiding.’
Every round, every pivotal moment, the factions of characters change based on player choices.
An NPC who was an ordinary restaurant owner last round could be an assassin poisoning my food this round.
And that still holds true now that the game has become reality.
If there is a high-ranking doomsayer who knows the ins and outs of this black market, and if one of them sees the mask I sold…
Although the chances of this happening are low, it’s a probability that cannot be ignored.
Thus, as a minimal precaution, I chose not to share any personal information.
It’s inconvenient to have to go through the trouble of visiting again, but it can’t be helped.
“Hehe~.”
For now, the sale of the item is over, so let’s choose a hospital gift for Noah.
