Episode 82. [Incheon, Demon World, Black Market – 3]
—————————=
Today’s world is an ecosystem where the ‘underground economy’ has no choice but to grow. It was. There may be many reasons, but fundamentally it was because the player power, or the power of the guild, exceeded the control of the government.
It was also because it was easy to avoid the surveillance of the law by using the skills the player had.
In other words, it was a world where players could run wild, ignoring the judgment of the law.
‘It is controlled to some extent in our country, but the situation abroad is serious.’
For example, in areas with poor security, such as Latin America and Southeast Asia, the underground economy was dozens of times larger than the sunny economy, and the main axis of it was the ‘black market’.
In addition, black markets around the world interact with each other and serve as an international information network, and the black market here in Incheon was also an axis of that huge ‘back alley world’.
‘So, in order to protect this country, we need to increase our influence on the black market.’
Otherwise, one day, villains would use this secret passage to threaten the Republic of Korea, and Lee Hyun-wook was planning to take control of even this place and not allow any ‘gap’ for them to sneak in.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook was walking through the desert and looking around.
“Well, this wasn’t originally a desert?”
Lee Hyun-wook noticed a tree that was dry and twisted here and there.
To that question, Go Jin-hwa nodded.
“That’s right. At one time, the terrain was a fairly fertile grassland, making it possible to be self-sufficient in food on farmland 2.5 times the size of Yeouido. “Until black vines started growing in the swamp north of the dungeon…”
Swallow, a plant colony monster called black vines, is a being that absorbs all the moisture in the area, and once it appears, it turns several kilometers of the area into a desert. It was a catastrophe.
At first, they simply absorbed water from the surrounding terrain, such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater, but after they had absorbed everything, they began to eat the sap of trees and go further to target the body fluids of living things. In other words, man-eating trees covered the entire world
. As a result, this land was destined to eventually become an uninhabitable place.
Lee Hyun-wook remembered a global crisis created by that terrible monster.
‘Four years from now, a swallow like this will spread across the Amazon and a global emergency will occur.’
Swallows take root there in the Amazon. As a result, the lungs of the Earth are in danger of dying out, and the world begins to unite to find a way to solve this unprecedented disaster. As a result, the highest level analyst players and alchemist players gather –
Research Repeatedly.
As a result, he succeeded in developing an ‘object’ that had the effect of suppressing the growth of swallows.
In other words, Lee Hyun-wook knew well how to make it.
“But there is one question… Do you know this fact? “How do you know?”
“yes?”
“The fact that we are in this crisis. “We never announced it to the outside world.”
Ko Jin-hwa asked with a question, and Lee Hyun-wook gave the answer he had already thought of.
“Hmm, didn’t you ask ‘Black Hertz’ for advice on this a few years ago?”
Black Hertz was a secret channel where high-level information of black market VIPs was exchanged.
“Oh, that’s right… no, no way… how on earth did that information get leaked?”
Hyunwook Lee didn’t answer and just shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s ridiculous. Black Hertz is a place with strict security, so what exactly are you?”
Go Jin-hwa seems to think that he is someone who can ignore even Black Hertz’s security, but in
fact, he heard all of this directly from Go Jin-hwa himself, who had been a colleague in his past life.
“I’ll tell you the details when I meet the gatekeeper a little later.”
At those words, Go Jin-hwa frowned but nodded.
Her mind was becoming more and more complicated.
‘This man appears out of nowhere and speaks as if he knows everything. He is clearly a big name.’
Because he was wearing a mask that covered his face, it was impossible to guess his identity. However, seeing that he was aware of their secrets, he could tell that he was not an ordinary person. The more Go Jin-hwa realized this fact, the more nervous he became. This
man
. He said he brought a way to save Redhall Village, but…
‘If the opposite happens… it’s very dangerous.’
Hoping that wasn’t the case, Gu Jin-hwa led the man to the village.
“Ah, we arrived just in time. “Now that’s our village.”
Before we knew it, we had reached our destination. It was a dark red basin terrain in the center of the dungeon.
And a fairly large village was formed in the central part of the place.
“It’s a village in a dungeon… It’s bigger than I thought. “The name is Redhall Village, right?”
Lee Hyun-wook had already seen it once, but he seemed impressed as if it was his first time seeing it.
Park Jun-mo was next to me and muttered, ‘Wow, there’s a village in the dungeon…’
“Yes, that red basin looks like a red hole, so we call it Red Hole.”
The Red Hall organization, the mainstay of the black market in Incheon, actually referred to this village.
When Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo appeared, the villagers began to come out to the streets one by one.
“—Huh?”
“No, crazy… what are those!”
Hostility Beyond Wariness They were somewhat sensitive to the reaction of an unfamiliar visitor:
‘I understand. Given the history of this town, it has to be that way.’
They must have been kicked out of the outside world and come into this shadowy place and live a miserable life…
“Hey, class president!” Who on earth are those people? “Is it okay to bring him in like that?”
In this way, I even questioned Go Jin-hwa.
“Ah… this happens, so don’t worry, I’m going in.”
Go Jin-hwa reassured them and guided Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo to the gatekeeper’s residence.
Surprisingly, it was a small house, no different from other houses in the village. It was a small house, or should I say, a house with wood, made of wooden pieces and tied together with rope. It was a one-story house.
“I have to tell my father, no, the village chief, so please wait here for a moment.”
After Jinha Go said that, he went inside the house.
“Hmm… the living quarters are a bit small for the boss of an underground organization.”
That was Park Jun-mo’s sensibility.
‘It is inevitable that the owner of this place is a person more suitable for a village chief than a boss in the first place.’
However, it was no different from the fact that he was a huge magnate who controlled the shadows.
After a while, Go Jin-hwa came out and motioned for Lee Hyun-wook to come in. As soon as
Lee Hyun-wook entered the house, he made eye contact with a white-haired old man standing in one corner of the living room.
“…Okay, you. “Is this a traveler who knows the way to heal our secret pain?”
As he said that, he put the kettle on the mana burner and blew in mana to light it.
Then, the dark room became brighter and the old man’s face was revealed in more detail.
This white-haired old man was the leader of Red Hall, one of the three major underground forces. The boss was Go Jun-cheol.
He was also a ‘Red Player’ with a bounty of 1 billion won on various charges.
However, contrary to the notoriety that was known between the lines, in reality… he was just a pot-bellied old man.
‘But there was a time in Korea. He is the man who was ranked 6th.’
He was one of the first generation players and was once the head of a large guild in Korea.
However, he was suppressed by the vested interests for political reasons and was pushed into the shadows.
That was a whopping 11 years ago.
‘The reason is… he was a black man. ‘Because he’s a wizard.’
The suppression of black magic began 12 years ago…
Today, black magic skills are defined as evil and ‘acquiring’ them is legally prohibited.
‘However, since such a system is also artificial, it was not like that from the beginning.’
After it was revealed that black magic skills, if taken to the extreme, borrow the power of the ‘devil’ or ‘evil god’, a large-scale movement to regulate black magic took place, led by paladins, and the ousting of black magicians began. ‘But all black magicians are evil.
‘ It is also not about being stained by .’
Although this man, Go Jun-cheol, was a black magician, there were also people who did not abuse the evil side of his power.
However, the world—especially Go Jun-cheol’s enemies— persistently questioned this, and due to the social atmosphere at the time, black magicians including him The family had no choice but to hide in the shadows.
‘Not long after the world turned into a game, a witch hunt was carried out in the midst of chaos.’
This Red Hall village was a place where people with such a sad history gathered.
“Hmm… But you don’t plan on showing your faces?”
Come to think of it, Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo were still wearing masks.
“Oh, sorry.”
Lee Hyun-wook said that and lowered his mask.
Then Go Jun-cheol and Go Jin-hwa’s eyes widened at the same time.
“Oh, who is this….”
“Huh? What what! “You’re that guy, right?”
Go Jun-cheol grinned and held out his hand for a handshake.
“Isn’t Lee Hyun-wook the savior of Seoul and the swordsman’s beater?”
As if he was familiar with outside information, he mentioned both of Lee Hyun-wook’s nicknames.
“Yes, he is called by various names these days.”
“Hehe—the most outgoing young man today can’t believe he came all the way to this shabby hut.”
In times like these, it was nice to be famous.
Not only does it allow you to omit self-introduction, but it also secures a certain level of trust.
Bleep——
Meanwhile, the water in the kettle boiled and he poured out some tea.
“So, if you came all the way here as a hero from the outside world, you must have some big business to do?”
“yes?”
“Even if you could really get rid of the black vines, I don’t think you would have come to this dangerous place with only good intentions like a fairy tale hero, don’t you think?”
“Of course, I was hoping for a fair price. “Because I can’t be a philanthropist.”
Lee Hyun-wook’s primary purpose was to find ‘manpower’ to operate Laputa.
But other than that, I was thinking of getting various things.
“Yes, of course there is a price to pay. But… is there really a way to get rid of them? We’ve tried almost everything, but none of them have worked…” His eyes lit up
. Even though it was an out-of-the-box proposal from an unfamiliar visitor, there was more anticipation than doubt.
‘That’s why Redhall Village is currently at a dead end.’
Since the people of this village were a major axis of the black market, black money would have been piled up in warehouses.
However, most of them were wanted, so it was difficult in many ways to live outside this place.
In other words, he wanted to protect this home at all costs.
“Yes, I have solid information, so you can trust it.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded confidently.
“But I’d like to ask you a few questions…”
At that time, Go Jun-cheol’s eyes became sharp.
“So what is the method to remove the black vine, and where and how did you find out about it?”
Still, he was willing to do some verification before entrusting the work.
“There is precedent for dealing with that black vine swallow.”
Lee Hyun-wook intentionally added credibility by mentioning the black vine ‘Swallow’.
In order to get what he wanted, he would have to roast and boil the veteran in just a few conversations.
“Oh, is that really true? “Even though I searched through all the information in the world, why couldn’t I find it?”
“…It’s difficult to tell you because it’s a state secret.”
National secret This was also an intentional choice of words.
And at that point, Go Jun-cheol’s eyebrows twitched.
“It’s confidential… Does that mean you have information from the government?”
As Go Jun-cheol is a red player living in the shadows, he reacted sensitively to the government.
“Yes, I am part of the government secret service, but there is no need to be on guard.”
Confidential Department… At those words, Go Jun-cheol stared intently into Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes.
“……”
He nodded slowly within ten seconds.
“Okay… it doesn’t matter what happens, we too will seek ‘salvation’. ‘If only I could…’
He took a sip of tea.
“So what do you want in return?”
One of those costs was people. The F-grade player who will manage Laputa. However, since the man is now known as F-grade, he is not considered a very valuable human resource, so we decided to skip him for now.
Instead, he brought up a rather sensitive issue first.
“What I’m hoping for is… related to the Taishan Guild.”
“Hmm, Taisan…”
This village’s Red Hall will later become the leader of the Taisan guild.
‘But not yet.’
Fortunately, at the moment, they were just ‘partners’ in a shadowy business.
However, after Go Jun-cheol’s death, they were destined to quickly fall into Taesan’s hands.
“…I heard that the government is determined to shake up the Taesan guild, so this is part of it. ?”
“Yes, and I am the one leading that.”
“You’re a lot bigger than I thought, huh? At first, I thought you were a clown created by Woo Seong-moon…”
In this way, Lee Hyun-wook succeeded in gradually inflating his existence with just a few conversations.
The reason was to make a very weighty request.
“Then let me be a little clearer. I need information to completely blow the mountain.”
“…What?
Ki Baekjun and Taesan guild increased their power through all kinds of illegal methods.
‘…They even practiced mana extraction, cultivation of hallucinogenic herbs, and even human trafficking of players.’
As the Red Hall here was a partner with them, it would have held important information.
It was some ‘evidence’ that would once again shake up Taesan, which was somehow holding on.
“As you know, the Taesan guild will soon be castrated in Yangji.”
“Yes, it will be difficult to escape as Director Woo Seong-moon is persistently holding on to it…”
“Yes, that’s right. And maybe… Red Hall could also suffer damage, right?”
In other words, if you make a mistake, you too will suffer… This was also a subtle threat.
Go Jun-cheol also frowned as if he felt it, and
at that moment, Lee Hyun-wook uttered one decisive word.
“I am now telling the old man to stick to our side.”
“What? When you say ‘we’, are you really talking about the government?”
“Yes, that’s true to some extent. If that happens, this village will be safe.”
“Ha—are you saying the government is taking us away now? “I wonder if that makes sense?”
Many of the members of Red Hall Village, including Go Jun-cheol, were red players, or wanted players. However, cooperation with the government… was bound to be a word that was difficult to trust.
“There will be no problem, sir. I guarantee that.”
At those words, Go Jun-cheol had a blatant cynicism in his face.
“What? Hahaha… Who on earth are you that you can boldly suggest something like this?”
“…….”
“Hey young man… It’s only been a few days since I started hearing your name, and now you’re bragging in front of me that you’re at that level? Hahaha… This is… …..”
“…….”
“Yes, if you achieve a certain achievement at a young age, you will be intoxicated with yourself and look great, but do you know that if you show off like that in front of an old man, you will be seen as a slug? ”
Yes, it was reasonable to think so.
But Lee Hyun-wook still had a relaxed expression.
Go Jun-cheol had a sneer on his face, but was watching Lee Hyun-wook’s reaction.
‘Oh look, is there something there?’
Lee Hyun-wook leaned back on the sofa. His posture was quite relaxed.
“The old man just called me by two nicknames: the savior of Seoul and the swordsman beater.”
“Okay, I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what the world calls it?”
“That’s all true. And in the future…a few more nicknames will be added.”
“…hmm? What do you want to say?”
Lee Hyun-wook took something out of his pocket.
It was some sort of black sphere…
Wow,
it opened and turned into a crow.
“That’s Hugin—!”
Go Jun-cheol recognized the item. It was a legendary item owned by the Korean government,
but it had the worst overhandicap that no one could operate.
Go Jun-cheol could not understand why this man had such an amazing item.
“It’s hard for me to say this myself, but I am now evaluated as a key member of the government. “This is the proof.”
“…I couldn’t have stolen it, so it must be true?”
“So, something like Hugin’s Operator will be added to my nickname.”
Lee Hyun-wook then pointed his left index finger at the sky.
“And one more thing, Laputa’s manager…”
At that point, Go Jun-cheol’s eyes blinked rapidly.
“What? No way….”
“Yes, Laputa’s manager will be called that.”
If it was Laputa, the weight was different.
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and raised his teacup.
That was not the end.
“And finally, you will be called the 32nd S-rank player.”
And at that point, Go Jun-cheol opened his mouth without even realizing it.
At first doubt appeared on his face, but he soon had no choice but to nod.
When the S-class part was added, the rumors about this man named Lee Hyun-wook… I realized that all the circumstances that had gone astray were coming together in a plausible way.
“After all, there is no way an F-rank player could accomplish such an incredible feat… You fooled the world, huh?”
Go Jun-cheol’s expression changed quite a bit.
S rank That was an aura of a different level.
Lee Hyun-wook slowly smiled.
“Then let me suggest something a little different.”
“Hmm?”
“…I tell you to take my line, not the government’s.”
When negotiating to get something, sometimes it was necessary to show off.
“……”
Go Jun-cheol looked at Lee Hyun-wook and began to feel a new emotion in just a few seconds.
‘If this is true… .The future power of this country is now before my eyes.’
