Chapter 184

A living oriental painting.

That was Suho’s first impression as he approached the Black Market.

A deep valley road buried in dense water mist within the mountains.

Following the winding path upward, a massive structure slowly revealed its outline until its full form stood before Suho.

‘A temple.’

Yes.

There was no other way to describe it.

A towering ceiling.

Rough but intricately carved stone pillars.

And at the center, a massive bronze door.

The moment he saw it, the sacred atmosphere was so overwhelming that—even without knowing who it was built for—one instinctively recognized it as a temple.

Twitch.

Suddenly, Beru’s gaze sharpened as he stared straight ahead.

[Young Lord, I sense many presences deep inside that structure.]

“Humans? Or beasts?”

Wriggle.

Beru twitched his antennae in response to Suho’s question and answered with certainty.

[Humans with mana. Most are likely Hunters.]

“Any demons?”

[There are some, but not many. Also, no one is beyond the door.]

“Just like that branch chief said.”

Nodding, Suho cautiously approached the temple.

Then he looked up at the enormous, tightly shut doors in front of him.

Doors so massive that an ordinary person could never hope to open them.

Of course, with Suho’s absurd Strength stat, he could probably smash them open with one hit.

‘But then, there’d be no point sneaking in quietly.’

He didn’t even know if his grandfather was inside—charging in and making a scene wasn’t the best idea.

Fortunately, Suho already knew how to open these doors.

Clink.

He pulled out the [Stardust Necklace] he’d taken from Branch Chief Min Daeseok.

After placing it around his neck, he gently pushed against the heavy doors.

Grrrrrrrrk—!

To his surprise, the massive doors began to move effortlessly.

Thoom—!

As the doors opened wide, a vast interior space was revealed.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were damp and covered in moss in places.

Following the torches hanging on the walls, Suho stepped into the corridor and let out a dry chuckle.

“…So it’s true. Who’d have thought the real purpose of the Stardust Necklace was as a Black Market pass?”

The public believed the necklace had been created for memorial purposes.

It was widely promoted as a symbol to honor the souls of those who had died as materials for stardust.

A noble sentiment.

And since most of the necklace’s profits were actually used to support bereaved families, no one questioned its purpose.

‘…But to think all of that was a smokescreen.’

According to Min Daeseok, only a small number of Hunters were aware of this truth.

The Black Market had only recently been established, and very few even knew it existed.

But it was just a matter of time.

[Even if we share this information with only a few people, word will eventually spread on its own.]

As knowledge of the Black Market grew, Hunters would naturally start seeking out the Stardust Necklace themselves.

Quay peeked out, intrigued.

The more he learned, the more fascinating this Black Market became.

[It’s almost like a pyramid scheme.]

Ponzi schemes, often referred to as pyramid scams, expanded just like this.

They started with a small group and spread by convincing others it was something worthwhile.

Some even had disturbingly religious overtones.

But as long as Suho wasn’t directly affected, he didn’t really care about any of that.

Unless, of course, the religion being spread worshiped Itarim.

‘One thing’s for sure.’

If this really was a temple of the Church of the Outer Gods, then Itarim’s apostles had fully adapted to Earth.

After walking the corridor for a while, Suho arrived at a massive domed chamber.

It was bigger than multiple Olympic stadiums combined—possibly even more than that.

But what he saw inside took him by surprise.

Expecting something dark and secretive, he instead found an unexpectedly bright and lively atmosphere.

“200 kilos of magic crystals! Price negotiable!”

“We’ve got every type of dungeon ore—except the rare ones!”

“Beast carcasses, today’s clearance! Final offer to the next customer!”

“Massive sale! The shopkeeper’s gone mad!”

“No cash? Magic crystals accepted too!”

“Hey! First time here? Who the hell tries to pay with a credit card at a black market?!”

It felt like walking into a convention.

The wide chamber was filled with countless mats and booths.

Each vendor busily calling out to customers, buying and selling goods.

Watching this, Suho couldn’t help but laugh.

“…Feels more like a flea market.”

They called it a tax-evading black market, but it looked more like a used goods bazaar.

Still, some parts were unexpected.

[Young Lord, there appear to be forges that refine ores and forge weapons on the spot.]

“Yeah. And the blacksmiths are mostly demons.”

Surprisingly, humans and demons were coexisting naturally in this space.

Hunters came and went for quick trades, but those who had permanently set up shop were demons wearing Crow Masks.

In other words, the hosts.

The staff.

‘A marketplace where humans and demons coexist. This is seriously bizarre.’

[Master, there’s also an auction house and a gambling hall over there.]

‘Hm?’

Following Quay’s gesture, Suho finally saw something that actually looked like a black market.

“J-Just one more bet! Lend me a little more! I swear I’ll win it back!”

In front of the gambling hall, several Hunters—who looked like they’d just lost their entire fortunes—were begging with desperation etched on their faces.

Finally, as mana began to surge from their entire bodies, the Crow Mask demons guarding the hall calmly placed their hands on the Hunters’ shoulders.

“Please calm down, gentlemen. You can’t behave like this here.”

“We’d rather not have to forcibly remove you.”

“I-I’m begging you, just one more time! Lend me a little more—just one last bet!”

“…Sigh. If you insist, then how about this—you try a few rounds yourself?”

“W-What?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll personally make sure you’re matched with the right level of opponent.”

The demons’ offer made the gamblers’ eyes waver.

Despite everything, they couldn’t stop staring at the gambling hall, as if still clinging to hope.

And in the end, they made the one decision they shouldn’t have.

“Y-You’ll really match me fairly, right?”

“Oh, come now. You know the rules—no items, bare-fisted combat only in the underground arena. Someone as strong as you has nothing to worry about, right?”

“…T-Then, can I maybe get an advance on the payout?”

The moment that question came out, Suho saw it—

The long, curved corners of the demons’ mouths stretching behind their Crow Masks.

Smiling brightly, the demons took the Hunters’ hands with delight—no, they took the suckers’ hands.

“But of course. Now then, shall we discuss the formal contract over there?”

Suho silently watched the backs of the gamblers being led off by the demons.

‘An underground arena… a literal contract with demons, huh.’

[Young Lord, you understand now, yes? Gambling leads to utter ruin. Huh? Why are you heading that way?]

“They said underground arena. A little look won’t hurt.”

As Suho approached the gambling hall, the demon guards standing out front bowed respectfully and spoke up.

“You must be new. Perhaps you’re visiting from another Factory?”

Their gaze flicked up toward the pair of horns on Suho’s head—a hint of caution hidden in their eyes.

[Speak informally. Since you’re wearing Vulcan’s Horns, they assume you’re a much higher-ranking demon and are being careful.]

Following Esil’s timely advice, Suho gave a short nod and replied.

“Just heard some rumors and dropped by. Is that a problem?”

He casually lifted the Stardust Necklace hanging from his neck.

Startled, the gatekeeper demons quickly stepped back and responded with a far more polite attitude.

“Not at all, sir! We always welcome visitors from new Factories. If you need any assistance, we’d be happy to provide a guide.”

‘How odd.’

To Suho, the demons came off like eager sales reps trying to open a new account.

And they weren’t even trying to hide it.

“By the way… if you don’t mind me asking, may we know how much Stardust you currently possess?”

As they asked, their snake-like eyes scanned Suho’s seemingly empty hands.

“As you know, there’s been an influx of broke Factory demons lately.”

“…”

While Suho paused for a moment, Esil whispered with obvious disgust.

[How dare these lowly creatures say that to a horned demon?]

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

It was clear this place didn’t operate strictly by demon hierarchy.

And when Suho didn’t respond right away, a mocking smirk crept onto the gatekeepers’ faces.

“Ahh, I see. I figured as much. Could tell from the moment you walked in empty-handed. These days, lots of broke demons come crawling in trying to get into our side of things… Hm?”

It was then.

Suddenly, a handful of Stardust appeared in Suho’s supposedly empty hand.

“…!”

Their eyes widened in shock.

And then came a second handful.

Then a third.

And a fourth.

Suho had stored all the Stardust he’d collected from raiding the various demon Factories in his inventory.

Now, as he pulled out bundle after bundle and displayed them, a cold smirk curled on his lips.

“Do I need to show more?”

“E-Enough, that’s plenty!”

“P-Please, right this way! We’ll escort you to the VIP lounge!”

“Lead on.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The demon gatekeepers immediately straightened their posture and began escorting Suho with utmost respect.

Following behind them, Suho’s eyes gleamed sharply.

‘A VIP lounge, huh… Demons really are living it up like humans.’

It was the right call to pose as a demon from the start.

If he wanted to find out whether his grandfather was here, the best way was to investigate from the innermost part.