Kang Do-yoon slowly opened his eyes.
His head felt like it would shatter. The pain was like being hit with a hammer, extending from his forehead to the back of his head.
“Ugh…”
He couldn’t help but groan.
His mouth was filled with a bitter taste, and the muscles in his body ached as if they were tearing. His body felt as heavy as lead.
“What on earth… happened?”
As he tried to sit up, he felt a sticky sensation. He suddenly realized he was naked.
“What is this…?”
Looking around, he recognized the space.
It was his private room within the black market.
However, the surroundings looked like they had been hit by a bombing.
Shards of broken glass were scattered on the floor, and expensive furniture was either overturned or smashed.
Unknown stains marred the walls.
“No way…”
Memories flooded back. Simultaneously, Kang Do-yoon’s face turned pale.
Just then, the door opened. The person who entered was wearing a towel draped over their wet hair.
It was Azmo.
“You’re awake, Kang Do-yoon.”
Azmo’s voice was cheerful. His skin seemed to glow, perhaps from the large amount of essence he had consumed after a long time.
However, Kang Do-yoon was horrified by Azmo’s appearance.
“M-Monster!”
That’s right.
Azmo was a monster.
More specifically, an Incubus.
He didn’t know why an Incubus was wandering outside of a dungeon.
“I-It’s not a dream, is it?”
But what was before his eyes was reality.
Azmo existed, and his memories were not distorted.
He vividly remembered what had happened throughout the night.
“Shit.”
But it was okay.
He could dismiss it as a one-night mistake.
Fortunately, due to the nature of the black market, there were no CCTV cameras.
So, the events of last night would remain a secret.
It would be the same for others as well. Those who had experienced the same as him would undoubtedly try to cover it up.
But Azmo’s smile caught his attention.
He treated Kang Do-yoon as naturally as if they were old friends.
“You seemed to have had quite a fun night last night.”
Kang Do-yoon was speechless. In this situation, he had no idea what to say.
Azmo offered a sly smile and placed a tablet on the table.
“Would you like to take a look? It was truly impressive.”
Kang Do-yoon picked up the tablet with trembling hands. The moment he touched the screen, the video started playing.
Beyond the screen, he saw himself dancing naked on the table.
In the video, he looked like a completely different person.
If it were just dancing naked, it would be manageable, but as the video continued, he had no choice but to close his eyes.
All sorts of immoral acts with his subordinates. There was even a scene where he knelt at Azmo’s feet before him and licked his toes.
There were many other things, but they were too difficult to put into words.
“Th-This is…”
His face turned bright red. Shame, anger, and fear washed over him simultaneously.
“Delete it, now!”
Kang Do-yoon shouted, almost in a wail.
Azmo lightly picked up the tablet.
“Of course, that’s possible, isn’t it?”
He continued casually.
“But it’s already backed up to the cloud, and if anything happens to me, it’s set to be sent to the Hunter Community and Association officials.”
“…”
All the color drained from Kang Do-yoon’s face.
More than that, he wondered what kind of Incubus this was, to know so much about human society despite being a monster.
A monster knows the Hunter Community and extorts with recordings.
He was no ordinary guy.
“What do you want from me?”
Secrets are more effective when they remain hidden.
Kang Do-yoon believed that the creature obviously wanted something from him and was blackmailing him.
“Now we’re finally talking, Kang Do-yoon.”
Azmo sat down and crossed his legs.
Unlike last night, he was dressed impeccably in a dark gray suit with a red tie.
The horns that had protruded from his head were perfectly hidden, perhaps using some special ability.
“It’s simple. There are only two things.”
Azmo raised one finger.
“First, the black market will continue to operate. On the surface, you’ll remain the owner. However, all decision-making power will be mine, and I will take 60% of the revenue. Isn’t that truly benevolent?”
“…”
What did that even mean?
If he took 60% of the revenue, not the profit, it would be virtually impossible for the black market to operate legally.
Kang Do-yoon was rendered speechless by this outrageous demand.
Before he could object, Azmo raised his second finger.
“Second, you will follow all my instructions from now on. It won’t be difficult. Sometimes I might need information about hunters.”
Kang Do-yoon had no choice.
The moment that video was released, he was finished.
Not only would the black market’s trust be shattered, but all the connections and reputation he had built would crumble in an instant.
The Incubus held a bomb that could make everything he possessed disappear overnight.
‘What in the world is going on?’
This couldn’t have been something that creature did alone. There had to be a mastermind behind it.
“…All right. I’ll do as you wish. But that video…”
“Don’t worry. As long as you are loyal, no one will see it.”
Kang Do-yoon bowed his head in despair.
He hadn’t realized he would collapse so easily.
He could only watch as his seemingly solid world crumbled like a sandcastle in an instant.
As the owner of the black market, he had faced numerous crises.
Investigations by the Association, assassination attempts by rivals, threats from traitors, and so on.
He had overcome all of them.
But this time, it was different.
He had fallen prey to a method he had never anticipated.
“Ah.”
Azmo clapped his hands once.
“Just in case, I’ll tell you one thing: from now on, hunters from the Heukil Guild will be in charge here.”
Heukil Guild.
An organization that Azmo and Betta had taken over and were operating.
But at the mention of the Heukil Guild, Kang Do-yoon let out a desolate laugh.
It was famous in the underworld, so it was impossible for him, the owner of the black market, not to know about it.
Although it had “Guild” in its name, it wasn’t a formal guild.
The Heukil Guild operated more in the shadows than in the light, primarily taking on fixer jobs.
Furthermore, it was structured as a decentralized organization, so no one knew who was part of it.
And now he was entangled with such a guild.
‘Surely he isn’t the owner of the Heukil Guild, is he?’
No, he couldn’t be.
Kang Do-yoon shook his head.
If monsters were ruling the world, would the government just stand by?
He dismissed it as a trivial conspiracy theory and assumed the Heukil Guild was behind this event.
‘Scary bastards… they could even control monsters…’
But it was a done deal.
Regardless, his world had been destroyed.
*Snap*
As Azmo snapped his fingers, someone brought in clothes from outside.
It was a suit.
“From today, we’re starting anew, CEO Kang.”
Kang Do-yoon’s title had changed from owner of the black market to CEO.
“Remember this. You are nothing more than a puppet.”
Puppet.
That word struck Kang Do-yoon’s heart.
But it was the truth, so he couldn’t retort.
Now, he was merely a puppet for Azmo, a mere marionette for the Incubus.
* * *
– Successfully absorbed sacrifice A-Rank Hunter.
– Acquired part of A-Rank Hunter’s stat “Vitality.” Can be used for strengthening.
– [Vitality] ×5
– Successfully absorbed sacrifice B-Rank Hunter.
– Acquired B-Rank Hunter’s Trait [Precision Shot (B)]. Can be used for strengthening.
– Successfully absorbed sacrifice B-Rank Hunter.
– Acquired B-Rank Hunter’s Trait [Precision Shot (B)]. Can be used for strengthening.
………
……
Finally, all sacrifices were absorbed.
‘Precision Shot came out a lot.’
However, it hadn’t been applied to me yet, so my physical abilities remained the same.
‘Shall I start strengthening now?’
I checked the notification of what I had acquired and began to filter the things I needed.
The abilities gained from the sacrificed individuals came out randomly; if there were good ones, there were also bad ones.
– Successfully absorbed sacrifice A-Rank Hunter.
– Acquired A-Rank Hunter’s Skill [Fireball (E)]. Can be used for strengthening.
Even though I absorbed the abilities of an A-Rank Hunter like this, all I got was a mere E-Rank skill, Fireball.
“……”
The randomness was severe.
“Still, it’s not bad.”
If they weren’t sacrificed, my stats would have just stagnated.
Fortunately, the monsters brought me this far by sacrificing themselves.
“Then, shall I start strengthening?”
I immediately opened the strengthening system.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this too.”
[Dungeon Monster Strengthening System]
– Dungeon Master ‘Kanghyeon Lee’ (Unlocked)
– Maru (★★★★★) (Unlocked)
– Skoll (★★★★) (Unlocked)
– Necros (★★★★★) (Unlocked)
– Azmo (★★★★) (Unlocked)
– Banshee (★★★) (Unlocked)
– Skeleton Knight (★★★) (Unlocked)
………
…
Only the dungeon monsters who had achieved enlightenment, including myself, had the strengthening system unlocked.
Notably, the undead monsters comprised the majority of the species.
Although I didn’t know how Necros trained them, the enlightenment speed of the undead monsters was incredibly fast compared to other species.
“So, what should I do first?”
I looked at the list of acquired abilities that appeared below the strengthening system.
[Acquired Abilities List]
– Vitality ×46
– Attack Power ×38
– Defense Power ×31
– Mana ×34
– Holy Power ×17
– Rapid Stab (E) ×1
– Tough Hide (B)
– Strong Will (C) ×1
– Acceleration (E) ×2
– Poison Coating (D) ×1
– Flexible Body Movement (F+) ×3
– Provoke (C) ×2
– Greed (F)
– Earth Impact (C)
– Bull’s Might (B)
– Slightly Sturdy Stomach (E)
– Fireball (E) ×2
– Precision Shot (B) ×13
………
……
Even scrolling down the screen, the list of acquired abilities continued endlessly.
From this list, I intended to strengthen what I needed.
“Status Window.”
[Traits]
– True Dungeon Master (EX)
– Demonic Sword Master (S)
– Mana Sensitivity (A)
– Mana Circuit (B)
– Spirit Affinity (B)
[Basic Information]
Vitality: C+
Attack Power: B+
Defense Power: C
Mana: A+
Holy Power: D
[Skills]
– Knighted (S): Maru (Activated)
– Sacred Shield (C)
– Fireball (E)
– Goddess’s Heal (E)
– Poison Burst (A)
I compared my existing abilities.
“For now, it’s better for me to use all the stats.”
Originally, I had saved them to strengthen the monsters as well, but for now, I needed to get stronger myself.
“As Yerin Jeong said, I need to get my rank measured again.”
Hunter rank measurement.
I was about to become an official advisor to the Fire Bird Guild.
I couldn’t stay at F-Rank forever.
First, I started with Vitality, one of my stats.
– Strengthen the Vitality stat for Dungeon Owner ‘Kanghyeon Lee’?
– Once strengthened, the ability cannot be undone.
“I need to strengthen all of them.”
I used all 46 of my Vitality stats for strengthening.
As a result, my Vitality, which was C+, increased to B-.
As new power was absorbed into my body, I felt a sensation like energy swirling within me.
I was overflowing with vitality.
“Good, let’s continue.”
Now it was time to truly get stronger.
