Chapter 33
[Devil Merchants] are beings who trade in things of value.
But approaching them carelessly? That’ll cost you dearly.
‘All Devil Merchants are con artists.’
They never operate on a fixed price.
They don’t label goods and sell them off a stall.
Though they claim to evaluate and trade based on “value,” that value shifts depending on the person and situation—even for the exact same item.
Which makes them swindlers.
Oftentimes, Devil Merchants create the very circumstances that trap people into unfair trades.
Highway robbers in disguise, snatching away lives and bodies for scraps.
They’re monsters who commit murder under the guise of “trade.”
Doing a fair deal with those types?
You’d have to be out of your damn mind.
Park Chan-woo all the more so.
‘I’ve lived in the Abyss for twenty years. Not once in all that time have I met an honest Devil Merchant.’
Not a single deal ever started normal.
Devil Merchants always try to secure the upper hand before initiating a trade.
If they felt the slightest disadvantage, they’d vanish without hesitation.
That’s not to say there’s no way to force an even trade.
You could overpower them with strength, catch them off guard with a weakness, or entice them with something tempting.
But there was one method that was even more effective.
‘You can bankrupt a Devil Merchant.’
That’s right—[Bankruptcy].
The devils of the Abyss aren’t easy to kill.
How could a human possibly hunt down beings that were born and raised in the Abyss?
Yet even a weak human could, at times, kill a devil.
Through [Bankruptcy], or a [Binding Oath].
Especially if you knew their name—bankrupting them meant certain death.
That’s why devils, when cornered, would beg under the name of “trade.”
They’d plead for their lives.
Beg not to be bankrupted, and offer anything—heart, liver, guts—if only you’d spare them.
“Th-This can’t be happening…”
Dagon’s eyes shook violently, caught in his own trap.
That name had completely blindsided him.
“I told you it was valuable information from the start.”
Park Chan-woo clicked his tongue.
Everything had gone according to his plan.
He had predicted Dagon’s every move.
‘No doubt he assumed I got the rules from another Devil Merchant.’
With Devil Merchants popping up in every dungeon—
He must’ve assumed Chan-woo had traded with one and learned the “merchant rules.”
That would mean a [Non-Disclosure Clause] had been involved, and Dagon would have tried to coax him into naming the source—then slam him with a penalty.
And from there, demand compensation in exchange for waiving the fine.
After all, the contracts were always written in [Demonic Script], unreadable by humans.
He must’ve been sure there was no way Chan-woo wouldn’t fall for it.
…Unfortunately for Dagon, Park Chan-woo knew the merchant rules better than anyone.
“No human should be able to know that name…”
Dagon still tried to deny reality.
But denial doesn’t change the truth.
The message floating before him—and the contract written in [Demonic Script]—made clear that this was real.
Crack!
Dagon clenched his teeth.
“How… How do you know that name, the one that must never be spoken?”
…A name that must never be spoken.
Indeed, devils often referred to [Sephiro] in such terms.
With absolute hatred—like facing a sworn enemy.
Because long ago, Sephiro had killed one of the [Great Ten Lords].
There was even a rumor that this was how they became the [Great Nine Lords].
‘Sephiro… I didn’t believe it either until I saw their true form.’
Even Park Chan-woo had found it hard to believe.
The [Lords of the Abyss] were the peak of power.
Even the [Twelve Progenitors] found the [Great Nine Lords] formidable.
Only after seeing Sephiro’s true form—a transcendent dragon—did he understand.
That Sephiro had indeed turned the [Great Ten Lords] into the [Great Nine Lords].
And just as devils hated Sephiro, Sephiro despised devils.
Most importantly, Sephiro had once distributed a “Demon Handbook.”
That was in the end times, but thanks to it, Chan-woo had learned a lot about the Devil Merchants.
So saying Sephiro had taught him the rules wasn’t a lie.
‘Still… Just the name Sephiro has astronomical value.’
Just saying the name had incurred a 20,000,000-point debt.
Was it because it was a forbidden name?
Maybe it came with a premium, but even hidden [Creators] didn’t carry this much [value].
Having gathered his thoughts, Park Chan-woo spoke.
“How I know Sephiro—you can figure that out yourself.”
“……”
Dagon calmed his excitement.
It was clear now that this wasn’t an ordinary human.
Earth hadn’t even connected with other realms yet.
People weren’t even supposed to know the [Twelve Species] existed.
And yet he knew.
The name of the head of the Dragonkin—the very embodiment of despair.
This was more serious than a human forming a [Contract] with a high-tier [Creator].
‘A human so close to Sephiro that he’d personally share the rules of the merchants…’
Was that even possible?
It made no sense.
If he told other devils, they’d laugh him out of the Abyss.
‘Could he have formed a contract with Sephiro? If it’s Sephiro, the Dragon Progenitor, then crossing worlds to contract a human isn’t impossible…’
For a moment, the thought flashed through his mind.
…He didn’t know.
Everything was uncertain.
Maybe if he rose in rank and got closer to those above, he could find out.
But for now, there was no way.
What was certain—
This human was toying with him.
He knew everything. Calculated everything. And then approached.
‘He’s more devil than devil.’
Too late to regret it now.
It wasn’t Chan-woo who got trapped.
It was Dagon himself.
Then Park Chan-woo spoke leisurely.
20 million in [value]. It was time to collect.
“Dagon. Time to pay up.”
“……”
“Or are you planning to go bankrupt?”
And to a Devil Merchant, bankruptcy meant death.
It was because he knew Dagon’s name.
Dagon finally opened his mouth with difficulty.
“…What do you want from me?”
“The [Fruit of the World Tree].”
“That… item isn’t permitted at my current rank.”
“Then go bankrupt.”
“W-Wait! On second thought, I think it might be possible. For a value of twenty million, that could make for a decent deal.”
The name Sephiro held a value of 20,000,000.
Considering even a [High-Grade Elixir] could be bought for just 500,000, that number was utterly absurd.
Unable to pay that value directly, Dagon was proposing a substitute: the [Fruit of the World Tree].
That meant he considered it equivalent in value to the twenty million.
Shuaaang—!
Soon, the [Fruit of the World Tree] appeared in Dagon’s hand.
Aside from the fact that it glowed softly, it looked just like a shiny apple.
“How about it? If you accept my proposal, I’ll give it to you right now.”
Dagon was tempting.
But Park Chan-woo scoffed at the offer. There are values that don’t change regardless of era or circumstance.
No matter how miraculous the fruit was, it didn’t merit twenty million.
“Ten million.”
Half, maybe. At best.
Honestly, even that was being generous.
For Dagon to avoid bankruptcy, he had to sell the item for as much as possible.
He needed to shave down that 20 million as far as he could to survive.
With that in mind, Park Chan-woo offered ten million.
The real negotiation had begun—with Park Chan-woo holding complete control.
“Fifteen million. Any less and it’s impossible. Even a devil has to eat, you know.”
“I thought devils didn’t eat.”
“…I have to at least maintain my rank to keep operating as a merchant.”
“You mean [Rare] grade?”
“That’s right.”
Dagon’s demotion was already locked in.
The only question now was whether he’d go bankrupt or not.
‘This guy… really does know everything.’
Dagon felt completely deflated.
If he even knew the conditions required to maintain a merchant’s rank, then he knew everything.
Lying would only backfire.
Dagon tightly shut his eyes.
“I’ll be honest. My own existence is worth about 15 million. Since I owe you a debt of 20 million, the excess 5 million will be overcollected. I need to make that up through this trade or I’m dead.”
Upon hearing that, Park Chan-woo considered his options.
Let him go bankrupt now—or keep him alive and make use of him.
‘Killing a Devil Merchant only nets you a single Coin.’
If the debtor went bankrupt and vanished, you rarely got a proper payout.
If Dagon refused to trade and chose erasure, Chan-woo might end up with just one Coin.
He muttered quietly.
“Then to keep your minimum rank, you’ll need at least 6 million in surplus value.”
“Exactly. If you don’t leave me with that, I’ve got no reason to make this deal. I’d rather disappear.”
A resolute expression. It was clear Dagon would rather die than be squeezed any further.
‘Dagon… He’s a capable merchant.’
In the future, Park Chan-woo had traded with many Devil Merchants.
And compared to them, Dagon’s ability was quite impressive.
Despite his insufficient rank, he was still able to produce the [Fruit of the World Tree].
Each Devil Merchant had a specialty, and their permissible goods were determined by their rank.
To deal in items outside their domain—or in higher-grade goods—they needed approval from the [Merchant’s Guild].
‘He summoned the [Fruit of the World Tree] instantly. He must have backing from the Merchant’s Guild.’
That was a possibility.
Bringing out such an item without approval implied either a high rank or a powerful connection.
Not only that—
Even on the verge of bankruptcy, a Devil Merchant being honest about his worth? That was a first.
Considering everything, Dagon wasn’t someone to waste.
“If I buy the [Fruit of the World Tree] for 10 million, how much will you have left?”
“…Nothing.”
“Nine million.”
“Then it’s a loss…”
“Eight million.”
“Dammit. It’s worth seven million! That’s the real value of the [Fruit of the World Tree]!”
Dagon shouted in exasperation.
Park Chan-woo smirked.
Even now, his instincts to secure profit hadn’t died—he had to respect that.
Then Dagon hurriedly explained.
“You probably already know this, but I can’t sell an item below its base value. I’m also forbidden from making trades with no profit. If the margin is too small, it affects my rank review. With only a 10% profit, I’d still lose my standing.”
Devil Merchants typically secured at least a 1.5x margin.
A 10% profit?
That’d be a disgrace to the title of merchant.
Chan-woo asked with a probing tone.
“What if I signed an exclusive contract?”
“…You mean you’d only trade with me from now on?”
“Yes.”
“Hm. Then we’d need to trade at least 2 million in value every 30 days. That would open the door for negotiation.”
Dagon looked conflicted.
An exclusive contract was mutual.
That meant both Dagon and Park Chan-woo could only trade with each other.
“But can you handle that? I know you’re no ordinary human, but securing 2 million worth each month isn’t easy. Even then, I can’t go below a 30% profit margin.”
“Five million a month. At 20%.”
“…?”
“I’ll guarantee at least 5 million in monthly trade value. In return, you keep only 20%.”
“If you fail, a tenfold penalty will be enforced…”
Ten times five million meant fifty million.
Fail to meet that, and his entire being would be disassembled and scattered like dust.
But if he could fulfill it…
Even with only a 20% cut, Dagon would net 1 million in profit.
That was more than enough to maintain his rank—and perhaps never need to deal with another human again.
‘No—more than enough. If I secure 1 million every 30 days, I might even promote to the next rank.’
As long as it remained consistent.
Dagon spoke with a half-doubtful tone.
“And why should I trust you enough to sign an exclusive contract?”
“So you need something more concrete.”
“Obviously. If I sign an exclusive contract, I can’t trade with any other human.”
Distrust flickered in Dagon’s eyes.
In response, Park Chan-woo pulled out a large bundle of something from inside his coat.
At the same moment—
“Huuh…!”
True astonishment flooded Dagon’s face.
Everything up to now had been child’s play.
‘No way… Those are all Coins?!’
What he pulled out in a bundle were all [Coins].
Not one or two—but dozens.
Exactly 21 Coins lay stacked in Park Chan-woo’s palm.
“Is this enough to earn your trust?”
“…M-More than enough.”
For a moment, Dagon’s eyes gleamed with pure greed.
To devils, the value of a [Coin] was immeasurable.
How badly must he want them.
“W-Wait a second.”
Suddenly, Dagon shuddered.
He had just realized another critical fact.
“Twenty-one Coins? H-How many [Creators] have you bankrupted already?”
His tone shifted from shock to fear.
A [Creator] was a [Lord of the Abyss].
For a human to bankrupt one was an almost unthinkable feat.
Close to impossible.
And yet how many days had even passed since the Abyss began?
‘…Could he really not be human?’
In that moment, Dagon reached one chilling conclusion.
Gulp!
Dagon swallowed dryly, his whole body trembling like he was on the verge of a seizure.
It was a one-in-a-million possibility.
But he had reached the only possible answer that could explain it all.
‘C-Could it be… Sephiro himself?’
