Chapter 183

When exactly had Sung Ilhwan regained the memories of his past life?

Beru didn’t know the precise moment.

But one thing was certain.

[The memories of Monarchs transcend time.]

Suho understood what Beru was implying.

‘Cup of Reincarnation.’

[The god’s artifact that rewinds time—the Cup of Reincarnation—has no effect on the consciousness of higher beings like Rulers or Monarchs.]

Beru recalled an old memory.

Just a few decades ago.

A time when all the wars had ended and peace had finally come to Earth.

The moment when Woo Jin-Cheol, who had been living a normal life as a police officer without any memories of his past life, suddenly regained all of them.

Looking back, the trigger had been incredibly simple.

A reunion with Sung Jinwoo.

That alone.

…But in truth, that was anything but ordinary.

Who was Sung Jinwoo?

He was the King who ruled over death, the great Shadow Monarch who had slain all other Monarchs and brought every dimension to its knees.

An event involving such a great and noble being—how could that be called ordinary in someone’s life?

[…And Lord Ilhwan is your father, who spent half his life alongside your liege, and even once received the power of a Ruler himself.]

In other words, a father who once held the power of a Ruler, and a son who inherited the strength of a Monarch.

The two of them had lived under the same roof for decades.

Yoo Jinho had regained all his memories just by touching the Shadow Dungeon key. So what about Sung Ilhwan?

‘…You’re saying that once the trigger was there, it wouldn’t be strange if his memories returned at any time.’

Suho nodded in agreement at Beru’s reasoning.

In any case, the conclusion was clear: his grandfather had left—somewhere—with the memories of his past life intact.

‘Then where did he go? And why?’

Countless questions floated through Suho’s mind.

He decided to focus on the most important one first.

‘Itarim.’

How involved was Itarim in his grandfather’s disappearance?

And was his grandfather still safe?

‘Let’s focus on that.’

It was possible his grandfather was in a situation similar to what his mother had experienced. In any case, finding him as soon as possible was the top priority.

Suho turned toward Branch Chief Min Daeseok, who was speaking with Park Kyung-hye and Sung Jinah.

“So, who was the last person to see my grandfather?”

Today, Suho’s grandmother, Park Kyung-hye, had come to the Association in a hurry after being contacted by a staff member.

Up until then, the Association had dismissed Sung Ilhwan’s disappearance, but only today did they finally conclude that he had truly gone missing.

“Um… it’s not confirmed yet, but…”

The one who replied to Suho’s question was a new female employee who had escorted Park Kyung-hye to the office.

She glanced at Min Daeseok as if checking his reaction before speaking.

“Someone said they saw Mr. Sung Ilhwan walking somewhere other than the fishing spot.”

“Somewhere else? Where exactly?”

“Near the Merchant Association…”

“What?!”

Min Daeseok’s face clearly showed his panic as he turned sharply toward the employee.

Then, in a low voice, he scolded her.

“Why are you bringing up the Merchant Association here? Are you sure about that? Can you take responsibility for what you’re saying?”

“N-No! I only heard that someone saw him walking in that direction! You know, sir—people don’t usually fish around there these days.”

“Of course not. That place is… ahem.”

Feeling the Suho family’s eyes on him, Min Daeseok coughed awkwardly and clamped his mouth shut.

But it was too late. The words had already been spoken.

“The Merchant Association, huh…”

Chill.

Min Daeseok swallowed hard.

Slowly turning his head, he saw Suho’s presence growing increasingly intense—just like when he first stormed in.

Suho toyed with the Stardust Necklace he had yanked off Min Daeseok earlier and asked,

“You said this necklace came from the Merchant Association, right?”

Even his speech was becoming noticeably shorter.

‘What is he, suffering from rage issues or something…?’

The air around Suho felt like it could explode at any second, and Min Daeseok looked like he was about to cry.

“Answer.”

“Y-Yes, sir! The Merchant Association is just a group formed by people running businesses in Yangpyeong! It’s the kind of thing you see in any town!”

“More.”

“Yes! Actually, there’s a separate official merchant union in Yangpyeong! What we call the Merchant Association is more like a private group formed by Hunters active in Yangpyeong! They’re the ones distributing those Stardust Necklaces!”

Min Daeseok started spilling everything reflexively in response to Suho’s question.

Hearing all that, Suho felt something odd.

“Why would Hunters form a Merchant Association instead of a Guild? For what reason?”

Everyone here knew that diving into dungeons even once was far more profitable than wasting time on something like that.

Of course, some Guilds did engage in business ventures—but those were always secondary.

“Th-That is…”

Under Suho’s icy glare, Min Daeseok glanced around nervously.

Then he noticed the other employees avoiding Suho’s gaze—and the Stardust Necklaces still hanging around their necks.

‘There’s something going on.’

Suho realized it instinctively.

Crunch!

At that moment, the corner of Min Daeseok’s desk, held in Suho’s hand, shattered with a loud crack.

And Beru whispered into Suho’s ear like a devil.

[Shall I just kill him? I could eat his brain and read his memories.]

Had he heard that whisper?

Or had Beru’s intent been enough?

The instant his desk was crushed, Min Daeseok jolted in fright and finally spilled the truth.

“Th-The Black Market! …Hk.”

He blurted it out and immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.

“…Black Market?”

As Suho’s gaze grew even colder, Min Daeseok’s complexion turned deathly pale and he scrambled to explain.

“T-The thing is, I swear I’m not involved! I only heard it’s still in preparation—I don’t know the full details either…”

“What exactly is this Black Market?”

Sung Jinah, who had been listening in, asked the question. Min Daeseok let out a deep sigh and explained.

“Well… non-Awakened individuals wouldn’t know. The Black Market is a direct-trade market used only by Hunters.”

“A market?”

“Yes. To be precise, it’s where untaxed trades and auctions take place.”

Tax evasion.

Sung Jinah understood immediately upon hearing that.

Even Hunters with superhuman abilities feared taxes.

Especially since Hunters were classified as ultra-high-income earners, the tax rate applied to them was a staggering 50%.

Half of what they earned—risking their lives battling beasts—was taken by the state.

Of course, that money went directly to victims affected by dungeons or to the reconstruction of destroyed cities.

And the organization responsible for overseeing the management and allocation of those taxes was none other than the Hunter Association.

“…And the Association is turning a blind eye to a Black Market for tax evasion?”

“N-No! This started before I joined! I was against it at first too—!”

Bang!

At that moment, the desk in front of Min Daeseok began to crush and crumble like tofu.

Bit by bit.

Very slowly.

Crunch! Crack! Crack!

“Hrk…”

Watching the desk being destroyed, Min Daeseok had the terrifying sensation that he might be next.

But he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

Suho rose from his seat and swept a cold gaze over every staff member in the office.

Those who, like Min Daeseok, wore the Stardust Necklace trembled with pale faces under that glare.

The legal aftermath for these people would be handled later by Woo Jin-Cheol, the Association President.

Suho asked.

“So where is this Merchant Association?”

* * *

Yangpyeong was vast.

Nearly the size of Jeju Island.

But unlike Jeju, Yangpyeong had numerous development restrictions like water supply protection zones and natural conservation areas.

As a result, Yangpyeong was surrounded on all sides by mountains, forests, and valleys, with more fishing spots than one could count.

However, because of the harsh terrain, it was also a place where disappearances—like Sung Ilhwan’s—happened frequently.

“…The mist is thick.”

[Yangpyeong is a humid region. There are many dams.]

In response to Suho’s muttering, Quay appeared and began explaining what he knew.

Listening to the explanation, Suho walked across the mist-covered land.

[Young Lord, now I understand.]

Beru finally identified the source of the unease he’d felt when they first arrived in Yangpyeong.

[It seems there’s blue mist mixed within the water fog.]

“Don’t tell me there’s a dungeon hidden in here too?”

[Yes. Since the blue mist hasn’t flowed outside the water fog, it’s likely the Association hadn’t detected it.]

Quay, once the vice president of the Reaper Guild and a former villain, immediately recognized the value of this place.

[If I had known about a place like this, I’d have wanted to build a Black Market too.]

A location that could even hide the presence of a gate.

Which meant it could hide anything.

“Quay, headbutt the ground.”

[Yes, sir.]

Thud.

As expected of a former villain—Quay empathized deeply with criminal minds.

“I’m starting to get a feel for this.”

Suho stopped walking.

The dungeon energy faintly sensed through the mist was growing stronger.

“This whole area feels like a field-type dungeon.”

Esil, walking alongside him, narrowed her eyes and scanned the surroundings.

Eventually, she spotted something.

“A demon-tribe totem.”

“Can you tell what it’s for?”

“A barrier. It alerts them when anyone other than a demon approaches.”

“Anyone other than a demon?”

Suho smiled faintly at that.

“Then I just need to become a demon.”

From his inventory, Suho took out the long-unused [Item: Crow Mask] and put it over his face.

A symbol worn by the demons working at the Stardust Factory.

But of course, that alone wasn’t enough to fool a demon-tribe barrier.

“Esil.”

“Got it.”

[Item: Vulcan’s Horn has been equipped.]

They didn’t even need to speak anymore.

Esil instantly spirit-merged and equipped Vulcan’s Horn on Suho’s head.

Crow Mask and demon horns.

Suho now looked unmistakably like a demon.

[This should be enough to bypass the barrier.]

Hearing Esil’s whisper, Suho boldly stepped through the barrier.

In that instant, his vision shifted—

And before him, the Black Market described by the branch chief finally revealed itself.