Chapter 65

Chapter 65

At the bottom of the creaking metal staircase stood another iron door.

"Should I open it?"

Hong Man-gi nodded.

Lee Yu-han pushed the door open.

"Ugh...."

Damp, stale underground air rushed toward them.

Beyond the door was an entirely different world.

"This is...."

"So this is...."

The Shadow Market.

"My god...."

Lee Yu-han stared in amazement.

It was difficult to believe such a vast cavern-like space existed beneath an old tool shopping complex.

Unidentified glowing stones embedded in the ceiling gave off dim light.

Beneath them, hundreds of people filled the enormous space.

"I can't believe a place like this existed...."

Hong Man-gi was equally surprised.

On one side, rare monsters were trapped inside iron cages and traded illegally while roaring in fury.

On another, what looked like stolen Unique-grade weapons and armor gleamed beneath the dim lights.

Merchants shouted while selling forbidden alchemy materials and illegally copied skill books.

Rough voices haggled over prices.

Everywhere, eyes glittered with suspicion and greed.

This was a lawless world outside Association control.

A place where humanity's most primitive desires boiled freely beyond the boundaries of law.

"Why does nobody shut this place down?"

"Maybe because it's an underground economy or something?"

Lee Yu-han tightly grabbed Hong Man-gi's clothing.

The murderous atmosphere around them seemed to make it hard for him even to breathe.

Unlike a dungeon, this environment frightened him far more.

Almost every person passing by had a dangerous appearance.

Hong Man-gi, however, remained calm.

He leisurely scanned the surroundings.

"It's fine, Yu-han. Stay close to me."

Hong Man-gi reassured him and headed toward the deepest and darkest part of the market, the place Seokhyeoi-ham had described.

"Let's act as naturally as possible."

There, on an old carpet, someone had piled up junk, documents, and mysterious items.

The figure was wrapped from head to toe in black cloth like a crow.

This was the information broker of the market.

The Crow.

Hong Man-gi approached and quietly placed the Rusted Gear from Seokhyeoi-ham in front of him.

The Crow raised his head and looked over Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han.

"Guests sent by Seokhyeon, huh? He sent some pretty fresh-looking rookies."

Hong Man-gi flinched and shook his head.

"No. We have nothing to do with him."

"Nothing to do with him? Keh keh... relax. He won't suffer any consequences because of you."

The Crow's laugh sounded rough and scratched, almost like the cry of an actual crow.

Hong Man-gi changed the subject immediately.

"I'm looking for something."

"Keh keh... who comes to this market without looking for something? What do you want?"

"The Flame Lizard's Tear and the Little Giant's Breath."

The Crow immediately let out an unpleasant giggling laugh.

"Kikikiki... you've got courage. You're looking for those? Do you have several lives to spare?"

The Crow sneered.

"Those aren't items you can buy with money alone. The Association has designated them Level One controlled materials and is searching for them everywhere. Even if someone had them, the 'owner' wouldn't hand them over to just anyone."

"There's an owner?"

"Of course. Every rare item in this market has an owner. And every one of those owners is difficult, strange, and dangerous. The man who owns both items you're looking for is one of the most infamous people in this entire market."

The Crow leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"If you want those materials, you'll have to pass the trial set by their owner. A very dangerous trial. One that could cost your lives."

His unpleasant laughter echoed in their ears.

"I want to meet him."

The Crow abruptly stopped laughing.

His clear eyes studied Hong Man-gi again from behind the black cloth.

The young man had looked like a rookie, but apparently he had some courage.

"Kikiki... fine. Admirable courage. Customers are as precious as life itself, that's my belief. If you truly want it, connecting you isn't difficult."

He tilted his head.

"But are those really the only things you need? I can obtain far more than you imagine. You look like you have money. How about a Chimera Heart? It temporarily explodes your physical abilities. Or perhaps a Wraith Knight's Helmet? A very rare item that lets you command the grudges of the dead."

The Crow tempted him with other items in a sly, snake-like voice.

His eyes clearly said he wanted to empty Hong Man-gi's pockets.

However,

"I don't need them."

Hong Man-gi rejected him immediately.

"The only things I need are the Flame Lizard's Tear and the Little Giant's Breath. Nothing else."

The Crow clicked his tongue, apparently realizing further persuasion was useless.

"Fine, fine. I hate stubborn customers, but I do enjoy the smell of money. I'll tell you as a special service."

His voice grew even quieter, almost as if intended only for Hong Man-gi.

"The owner who possesses both things you're searching for is one of the oldest and most dangerous figures in this market. People down here call him the Gourmet. Others call him the Butcher."

The Crow chuckled.

"Nobody knows his real name, but there's another name people use. Belloc of Gluttony."

Belloc of Gluttony.

Even the name carried an ominous feeling.

"He's a former A-rank Hunter, a battle maniac, and at the same time a mad gourmet determined to taste every flavor in existence. His greatest pleasure is hunting rare monsters inside dungeons and cooking them."

Lee Yu-han's face became even paler.

"They say the walls of his hideout are covered with the heads of the monsters he hunted, mounted like trophies."

The Crow continued.

"Apparently life in the normal world bored him, so he crawled down here and settled in the underground. He has a very strange trading rule."

"What kind of rule?"

"He has no interest in money. He cares only about taste. If you want to trade with him, you need to serve him the greatest dish he recognizes as worthy."

The Crow's grin widened beneath the cloth.

"Satisfy his tongue, and he'll gladly hand over whatever you want. But if you challenge him and serve something that tastes bad...."

He paused and began laughing again.

"There's a terrible rumor that the chef becomes the next item on his menu. Kikikiki. They say he eats Hunter flesh, so even I avoid getting too close to him."

The test was to cook a dish and satisfy him.

For Hong Man-gi, that might have been the best possible condition.

Or perhaps the worst.

But if he failed?

"Th... that's only a rumor, right?"

Lee Yu-han asked while trembling like a leaf.

The Crow simply continued giggling.

Then Hong Man-gi smiled.

"Sounds easy enough. Tell me how to reach him."

"Oho... ohohoho...."

The Crow's eerie laughter spread around them.

Hong Man-gi pulled out a small pouch.

From it, he took a faintly glowing blue mana stone and placed it before the Crow.

It was the B-rank mana stone obtained from the BX-01 Dungeon.

"Will this cover the information fee?"

The Crow stopped laughing when he saw it.

"Hooh! That's a very high-quality B-rank mana stone. Kikiki. I thought you were just some rookie, but you're carrying something valuable. Fine. This is more than enough."

With quick hands, the Crow slipped the mana stone into his clothing.

Then he studied Hong Man-gi again.

"Interesting young man. Come back anytime."

Hong Man-gi's lack of fear after hearing about the terrifying A-rank Belloc seemed to amuse him.

The Crow continued.

"I'll tell you the way. I'll also contact him beforehand so he knows you're coming. Consider that a service I only give to you."

He drew a map on old parchment with a feather pen and handed it over.

"Go to the deepest part of the market. Pass the Blood Fountain Plaza, then look for a red iron door. That's the hideout of Belloc of Gluttony."

The Crow laughed again.

"I sincerely hope they don't find your bones on his dining table tomorrow morning. Kikikikikiki...."

Hong Man-gi ignored the mocking farewell and led Lee Yu-han deeper into the market.

At the deepest section of the market stood Blood Fountain Plaza, filled with the nauseating smell of blood.

'So this is the place the Crow mentioned.'

Instead of water, thick red liquid sprayed from the fountain.

Around it, groups of dangerous-looking Hunters gathered to make various trades.

"Ugh... everyone here looks terrifying."

Lee Yu-han deliberately avoided eye contact to keep anyone from starting trouble.

After passing the plaza, they found the massive red iron door marked on the map.

Two armored guards stood before it.

Hong Man-gi approached and showed them the map from the Crow.

Without saying a word, the guards opened the heavy iron door.

[Creeeeeeak.]

The moment it opened,

a terrible smell of blood and rotten meat poured out.

"Uuugh!"

Lee Yu-han barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit.

Hong Man-gi looked around the interior.

"So this is...."

Belloc's hideout looked like an enormous slaughterhouse.

Organs from unidentified monsters hung from hooks on the ceiling.

Blood covered the floor.

"H... Hunter, look over there!"

Hong Man-gi followed Lee Yu-han's pointing finger.

Mounted across the walls were countless monster heads, apparently trophies from Belloc's hunts.

A Red Griffin.

A Wyvern.

An Ogre.

A Black Troll.

Every one of them was a high-ranking, powerful monster.

Then,

"Kuhuhuhuhu...."

A deep voice rumbled through the room.

A man with a body as massive as a mountain grinned at them.

Hong Man-gi thought quietly,

'Belloc of Gluttony....'

His face was covered in scars.

A greedy smile hung from his lips.

In one hand, he held the massive leg of some monster, repeatedly tearing off mouthfuls of meat.

He looked down at Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han.

"Grrrr... that Crow bastard sent me more annoying flies."

His voice was deep and heavy.

"You're the ones who came here claiming you dared to cook for me?"